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Subaru Legacy/Outback

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Comments

  • nygregnygreg Member Posts: 1,936
    is coming on strong. I see many Santa Fes around.

    Greg
  • megawatt1megawatt1 Member Posts: 16
    Just my 2 cents. I have a '96 Volvo 850 bought new and a "00 Outback bought new. NO comparison! Sube wins hands down. Better ride, less expensive maintenance, better fuel economy, better off the line response, etc. Also Sube service/maintenance costs are much more reasonable and parts are more readily available for dyi. I do agree with that the Volvo seats are more comfortable (if only I could swap them - I would have the perfect car)
    -Ralph
  • mikenkmikenk Member Posts: 281
    Greg asked the question why all companies don't make cars that can reach 100k miles with minimal repair. They can, but I believe that car companies set values on things that they perceive their customers want and design accordingly. Since the early 80's, Toyota and Honda have emphasized functionality and reliability; American companies: buyer loyalty and lots of options; Volvo: safety and engine durability; Audi/Mercedes/BMW: performance and prestige; Subaru: reliability, all weather, individuality; VW: Not sure

    I think Toyota used the name Lexus so they could easily create a new customer value: Luxury and reliability. BMW seems to be adding reliability to their value which, in my opinion, will drive them above the other German automakers. I also believe that today, everybody is starting to expect high reliability.

    Just my 2 cents although it's highly possible that I am all wet in my evaluations.

    Mike
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Don't forget, the dealer makes 100x the amount of money he makes on your vehicle in repairs/warranty work. Most, if not all dealers would go out of business if they only ran on the profits of the new car sales.

    -mike
  • mikenkmikenk Member Posts: 281
    I wonder if the overall financial structure between the parent companies and the dealers are adjusted according to the car reliability and how it changes. I'm sure you are right that dealers would prefer that their cars were less reliable. It would certainly seem possible, and somewhat sinister, that a strong dealer network would lobby the parent company to make great looking and highly unreliable cars.

    Mike from North Texas (too many Mikes)
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Look at it this way...

    Toyotas and Hondas bring in a premium price, selling close to or at MSRP. This gives a dealer about 2-3K+ in profits.

    Subarus and other brands sell for $100s over invoice.

    The Toyota Dealers and Honda dealers hold the price up near MSRP because they know that they won't be making $ in the backend of warranty work (paid to them by the manufacturer) repair and maintenance work.

    Other makes know that they will on average make $X over the life of the car on warranty work and repairs, so their profits are about the same as those doing less repairs.

    It all boils down to $ and cents.

    -mike
  • sagrestasagresta Member Posts: 39
    Hi all
    I went to and test drove a 01 LLBean yesterday (at another dealership 30 miles from here). Susan with SoA had called and had them agree to give me the Subaru family discount, which is suppose to be $300 over invoice.
    The cost they gave me was $28,130.
    The cost on a 02 base Outback with no options other than automatic and cd was $23,000. I checked the invoice prices through Edmunds and they are around $1000 less. What's the best deal you guys have heard of? Oh yeah, they only offered me 18,000 for my 01 Outback base wagon as a trade-in. I felt it should be more based on what Edmond's says is a fair trade-in value.
    Sharon
  • bucky10bucky10 Member Posts: 5
    Alright, I get the message. Stick with the Sub and get a cushion for the seat!!!
    Also, it doesnt sound like a demo is the way to go. I think we will try for an 01, when the 02's come out.
    Thanks.
    Bucky
  • tocatoca Member Posts: 147
    I know you can't get to Maryland easily, but just as a point of reference, Fitzgerald's is selling Beans for $26K - $26.5K (internet price).

    Not sure how many miles you have on your '01 but KBB shows a Trade In value of $20,400 for a Base AT w/ 6000 miles in Good condition. When I choose Fair condition it goes down to $18,245. Not gospel but once again a point of reference.
  • jchvsjchvs Member Posts: 3
    Hi,

    I'm looking at purchasing a 1999 Brighton wagon with 76,000 miles for $10,900 from a dealer.
    The car seems in extremely good shape. Do you think that this is a good deal with high mileage as such?

    Thanks,
    Joe
  • evilizardevilizard Member Posts: 195
    I'd be a little leery. Why does someone who piles on high miles ditch a car at 76K. Most long haul drivers like that tend to either keep the car until the warranty runs out (take no chances) or until something goes wrong with it (burn it up). Considering its the cheapest you could buy I'd suspect the burn up theory.
    Course they could have just made a bunch of $$$ and want a better car.

    Any high milage drivers car to share your strategy?

    At any rate it seems like a fair but not excellent deal. Hopefully the car has been well maintained (oil). I'd bet you could chop a few hundred off the price as the car is the bottom of the line model (usually not very popular) and high milage for the year (thus suspect).

    Keep in mind you've got a bunch of stuff comming due at around the 100K mark. Belts, timing belt, tune up, possible valve work. Also your CV boots are currently suspect as are your shocks. Tires you can see for yourself.

    Then at around 130K start looking at your alternator, water pump and starter motor.
  • otis123otis123 Member Posts: 439
    In '92 I bought a new Camry LE for $400. over Consumer Reports invoice. In '96 I bought a new Accord LX for $400. over invoice. This year I bought a new (obviously) LLBean for $400. over invoice. I don't care who makes or sells the car, I buy it the last week in Dec. or Jan. and pay no more than $400. over invoice....
  • goosegoggoosegog Member Posts: 206
    The dealer we bought our 00 OB from also sold Volvo. We had considered the V70 wagon but by the time we got to the dealer had already made up our minds to buy the OB. After doing the deal and picking up the car the salesman shakes us by the hand and said, "Well, enjoy the car. I don't suppose we'll see you again".

    I asked him what he meant and he said, "Oh, we never see our Subaru customers again until they want to buy another one. The Volvo people are back here all the time." He refused to elaborate.

    Re the cargo net: I now see why the diagram, despite originalbitman's improvements, is confusing. The instructions refer to the "tail light access panel" and show this dinky little door that I had not even noticed. I thought they meant the panel you remove to change the bulbs, but they really mean the one that gives access to the bolts that hold the tail light assembly on.
  • roflickroflick Member Posts: 14
    I am looking forward to buying a Subaru in the next few weeks. The cost difference between the Legacy GT and Outback LTD. is around $2K. I am considering the Outback because of the comments I've read regarding it's superb handling in snowy conditions. Is the handling of the GT comparable? I know the specs for the Outback say that it has 1 inch of ground clearance over the GT, but it seems like more.

    For anyone interested, there are very reasonable prices on CarsDirect. $21.5K for GT and $23.7K Outback LTD.

    I would appreciate any information anyone can give me before I make my purchace.
  • subearusubearu Member Posts: 3,613
    The Legacy GT seems to have bit of a sportier ride than the Outback. The Outback rides smoother, perhaps. I believe the difference in ground clearance is an inch or so (?), but the Outback also has bigger tires I believe. The GT may also 'feel' a bit quicker due to the lower profile tires.

    If you haven't already, drive both and see which one suits you. You may prefer the way one 'feels' compared to the other. They're both great in the snow, and rain too. Where are you located - does it snow much there? If not, the GT would probably be fine, even if it did snow a lot.

    We chose our '00 Outback because of the all-weather package (heated seats, mirrors, lsd, wiper de-icer). I believe the '02 GT gets this package now too. So, if that's all you're looking for, then the GT would be the choice based on price.

    -Brian
    (probably didn't do much to help you choose one over the other)
  • roflickroflick Member Posts: 14
    I am looking forward to buying a Subaru in the next few weeks. The cost difference between the Legacy GT and Outback LTD. is around $2K. I am considering the Outback because of some of the comments I've read on this very informative discussion board regarding it's superb handling in snowy conditions. Is the handling of the GT comperable? I would love to be able to save the $2K. For anyone interested, there are very reasonable prices on CarsDirect. $21.5K for GT and $23.7K Outback LTD.

    I would appreciate any information anyone can give me.
  • originalbitmanoriginalbitman Member Posts: 920
    I have the 2001 GT and like it a lot. If I'm not mistaken the ground clearance is mostly if not all do to the size and profile of the tire with the OB have a taller tire. I've driven in moderate snow (3 inches or so) and it handled just fine. But again because the OB has a more aggressive tread pattern it will get a better grip than the RE92s on the GT. I rented an OB for a long weekend trip to the Sierras and when I later test drove the GT it seemed a bit more spirited with less body roll. I also have the 5 speed which I highly recommend. It takes better advantage of the 2.5H motor and also gives you a 50/50 split of the AWD. Finally, I prefer the monochrome paint of the GT over the cladding of the OB.

    For the most part very similar vehicles and unless you need the inch of ground clearance the decision is more a matter of taste than actual performance.

    Here's my GT: http://bitman.com/gt/
    bit
  • shoobsubeshoobsube Member Posts: 7
    Who knew that with only 15,000 miles on my 2001 Outback, and with a brand new clutch, I'd find myself stranded on the narrow shoulder of a busy freeway in the Bay Area?

    This is a follow-up to my post #2182. Subaru replaced my clutch assembly, pressure plate and fly wheel last week under warranty at 15,000 miles. They blamed me for prematurely destroying the clutch, but they said they would replace it as a "goodwill gesture", even though the warranty doesn't really cover these parts since they are "wear" items. After a full week at Carlsen Subaru in Redwood City, I picked up my 2001 Outback on Wednesday afternoon. Everything seemed fine except for a minor popping sound from the gearbox when shifting into 5th gear. One of the things I had complained about besides the chattering and burning clutch was a clicking sound when shifting into 2nd gear. They fixed the clicking sound by insulating the shifter clips, so I assumed the new 5th gear sound was nothing major.

    I drove away happily and confidently. I drove home about 10 miles and went out later that night. Upon returning home after maybe another 10 miles of driving I noticed that while the car was in idle in the garage, the tachometer was revving up and down from 1,500 rpm's to 750 rpms back and forth with my foot not on the gas. This was not normal. I then heard a rapid dripping sound and found a trail of liquid leading into my garage and walked around to the right front tire to investigate. There was rapd dripping of what seemed like a watery substance forming a pool about a foot inside from the rt. front tire. Since it was late, I put paper bags down and decided to follow up in the morning. The next morning, the bag was fairly wet and there was still a foot-wide pool of a watery substance on the garage floor. I called Howard at Carlsen to ask his advice since I didn't know if it was OK to drive it in. He assured me that since I had the defroster on the night before, that it was just AC condensation. I cautiously proceeded up the freeway to Carlsen to have them check it out just to be safe. About 5 miles up the freeway I heard a terrible screeching at rapid intervals. I merged over to the slow lane, pulled off onto the shoulder with the noise worsening, and then, "Bang!". The car wouldn't go forward and there I was on the side of the freeway. I figured my transmission had just gone out. The emergency call box operator called AAA for me and also patched me through to Howard. I asked Howard if he could get me a tow any faster than AAA and if I needed a flatbed. He didn't seem to know if a flatbed was necessary and he said if it was the transmission, then it was "already wrecked anyway." Exasperated, I stuck with the AAA idea and waited on the side of Hwy 101 for an hour. I checked the owner's manual and it said NOT to have any wheels on the ground if transmission trouble was suspected.

    When we arrived at Carlsen with my car on the towtruck's dolly, everyone completely ignored us for 10 minutes. No one looked at me, much less asked what was going on. Then 6 mechanics started circling the car, not saying a word. I asked if they wanted to see where the liquid was coming out of the car and was ignored. I was later told again that it was the AC condensation. After they pushed it into the garage, Mark, the mechanic showed me my old clutch, fly wheel, and pressure plate as I had asked the day before. He was very nicely explaining the discoloration, etc of the parts when Howard yelled at us that I was to get out of the garage. We walked out of the garage while continuing to discuss what might be the problem, and Howard pointed to his watch, and said, "watch your time, Mark!" So my conversation was cut short. I was given a loaner car and told they'd call me later with a diagnosis.

    Howard called me a couple hours later and told me that I needed a new transmission. I asked what happened. He theorized that it might have been a bad bearing, dropping metal chips into the transmission gearing and causing metal on metal that morning. (This, after blaming me for the destruction of the clutch.) Or, later, he said it might have something to do with the clicking and popping sounds I had heard from the gearbox, like a loose piece of metal that broke free into the transmission.

    Patti, I want to get to the bottom of these problems! I have lost any feeling of safety or faith in the reliability of the car and also the dealership in making my car right. How do I know when I get the car back next time that the problem is really solved? How am I to be assured that any and all collateral damage from the "metal on metal" transmission failure will be completely fixed? I am not an expert on cars, but the dealer is supposed to be! If they had the car for a week putting in a new clutch and then handed it back to me, only to have the transmission fail the next morning, how do I know when and if this car is going to be safe and reliable?

    Patti, I haven't called Subaru-3 yet, but I will on Monday morning. I feel like I need to have a district rep investigate these problems so I can feel safe driving my car again. I have to say that I don't trust the dealership to make it right after going through this experience. I also am not sure that whatever happened to the transmission isn't something that they did or didn't do while it was in their shop for the week prior, or if it was something very wrong with the car from day one. Either way, it's not good.

    I'd appreciate Subaru's district invlovement in this matter.

    Shelby
  • subearusubearu Member Posts: 3,613
    It seems like your dealers service dept is the one's at fault for a poor repair job. Don't blame SOA for that.

    What color was the fluid that leaked? If it was clear, then it probably was the condenser. If it was tan (or red for an AT), then it's tranny fluid. But, it sounds like it was condenser from what you described.

    I would think that SOA would be able to help get this situation rectified. I'd also choose another dealer for future servicing of your OB!

    -Brian
  • sibbaldsibbald Member Posts: 106
    My friend has a 2000 Outback which would down shift a little harsh from drive to third. Our dealer replaced the transmission (cost of $6.000 to Subaru Canada) no questions asked because they wanted him to be happy.
    I agree with Brian, sounds like you need a new dealer!

    Good luck, Tom
  • jonw2jonw2 Member Posts: 49
    I'm new to Subaru,having purchased a new Legacy wagon last year, and so far we are very happy with it. I would keep meticulous records of the events you mentioned and advise those responsible for warranties at Subaru Headquarters of your difficulty. It sounds like the dealer is putting the onus on you. No one is giving you "good will" by changing a faulty transmission at 15K miles. It would only be expected from a reputable firm. There must have been an inherent mechanical problem in the transmission from the beginning.

    I don't know much about Subaru cars, but I've driven manual shifts for close to 50 years and I have never had one go out like that. In fact, I have a 1987 Saab with the original clutch and transmission. It's never given a problem in 180K miles. Good luck to you.
    Jon W.
  • twrxtwrx Member Posts: 647
    Roflick, I had my Forester (7.5" clearance) for about six months and my wife had only bought her 2.5 RS the month before a big snow in Feb. '98. The RS has only 5.5" ground clearance and has the same wheel and tire combo as a Legacy GT (205-55-R16 Potenza RE 92's) I have read many a post blasting these tires as no good in the snow. Ha! I went out looking for the worst places to drive the Forester the morning after the snow (I'm a teacher and did not have to go to work) and of course I could not get in trouble. We had about 15" of snow in 24 hours. The evening of the snow when we already had somewhere over 10" my wife set off for work for here midnight shift hospital job. The county road we live on was drifted over and unplowed in several places. No problem in the RS. To pick up friends for work required driving into unplowed driveways. Again no problem. You can't go wrong in the snow with any Subaru.
  • roflickroflick Member Posts: 14
    Thank you all for your information. I live in the San Bernardino, CA mountains at around 6,000 ft elevation. We get occasional snow storms up to 12-18 inches. It's nice to know that the RS can accommodate that amount of snow. I to am a teacher, but do not get snow days on account I work in the flat lands. We should be allowed "hostile work environment" days.

    I am leaning toward the GT. I'm having a hard time justifying the extra 2K for leather and the weather package. Subaru is making a mistake not offering these options on the GT station wagon. They do come standard on the GT LTD sedan, but the sedan will not accommodate my family's needs as well as the station wagon--car seat, stroller, kid accessories, dog, dog accessories, etc. etc.

    I would welcome any more comments from others who have a legacy or other subaru with similar ground clearance who live in a snowy climate.

    Nice pic of the GT bitman.
  • originalbitmanoriginalbitman Member Posts: 920
    Thanks. We got the cloth interior and love it. Cleans up easy and stays cool in summer. As a matter of fact other posts here complain about the seats being too firm and lacking some bolster support... all seem to be regarding the leather and not the cloth seats which I have found to be very comfortable even on a 9k road trip.

    bit
  • rk_goark_goa Member Posts: 11
    I went through a similar process to decide. Based on the responses I received, I concluded that the OB is better for 1) off roading and 2) if you drive on country roads with heavy unplowed snow. For paved roads, it seems to make no difference. GT handles better and is a little quicker due to lower profiled tires.
  • breckcobreckco Member Posts: 62
    Very happy with our 2000 OB 5 speed but have recently noticed that when the car is first started it takes a great deal of concentration to drive smoothly from a stop. I don't recall this happening when we first bought it. The car has been driven very sanely and is extremely well maintained. The only way to eliminate this problem is to increase the rpm's and release the clutch a little more slowly. I'm a bit concerned about premature clutch wear with this method. After driving about 5 minutes or 5 miles it is much easier to drive smoothly.

    Any thoughts?

    Chris
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    I was speaking on a large scale selling price, not your individual case. In general Yodas and Hondahs will sell closer to MSRP than other makes.

    -mike
  • pkl88pkl88 Member Posts: 8
    Hi Guys,

    I asked the board what differentiate the L and OB models a few days ago and I thank you for your helpful comments.

    The situation is that I want an L/OB and my wife want a Mazda MPV for our next family hauler. I'm sad to report that I'm a wuss and we purchased an MPV this weekend...

    I'll still watch the board for entertainment value but unfortunately I won't share your L/OB comradeship in the near foreseeable future.

    Best of wishes!
    - Paul
  • cptpltcptplt Member Posts: 1,075
    I've mentioned this before but my 98 GT wagon got me from Des Moines to Chicago twice in a snowstorm after the plows had been pulled off the interstate. Once I did it with the original tires (about 3 weeks after I had purchased the car - never would try that with those pathetic RE92s once they lost tread)) and once with winter tires - Blizzaks. There is a big difference in roadhandling when you have winter tires on. On my 3rd Legacy (can't stand how the Outback looks) and survived 7 winters in MN and 3 in IL so far with a Legacy.
  • rgarbacciorgarbaccio Member Posts: 42
    99 Outback or a 00 Legacy L.....I understand there was a remodel for the 2000 year. Did this have a big impact on car safety/reliability? I like the syling of the 99 better..but wouldn't want to miss out on improvements. Please advise...thanks.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    I personally like the DOHC engine and lighter on it's feet feeling of the pre '00 Legacies. I drove my uncles '97 OB back to back with my cousin's '00 OB, and liked the '97 better.

    -mike
  • evilizardevilizard Member Posts: 195
    Don't know about the reliability issue, generally speaking the 00+ seems more complicated and optimized.

    From a safety point is is better. Stiffer safety cage, bigger, heavier.

    Got a big more space in the back and limited slip is availible on the rear.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    I believe the pre '00 outbacks did have an LSD on the winter package.

    -mike
  • 20llbean20llbean Member Posts: 83
    Just an update to the forum on my LLbean. So far so good! We just got out of a heat wave on the east coast forcing me to drive the car with the A/C on all the time. Mileage avaeraged out to 22 MPG with a mix on city and highway. The car is in for the 3K oil change and a check of the wheel shimmy at constant highway speed. The wheel shimmy has lessened somewhat and is not as pronounced as originally felt (tire break in ?). Performance has been excellent. The car is slow to accelerate but once is gets going the other get out of the way. I had the car up to 95 MPH recently (on a highway) and there was no sense of car wheel loss. It stuck to the road and I felt that I could have taken it higher with no problem. By the way, has anyone topped out the H6 engine wrt speed? When does the givernor kick in?

    This past Friday evening, the east coast was hit with a terrible storm, at one point it rained 1 inch per hour. I hit a real wet spot, that would have hydro planed a car easily. I felt a brief hydroplane (about a second of wheel spin) then normal. I found out that the road had 5 inches of standing water on it and I drove through it at 65. I was impressed.
  • mrdetailermrdetailer Member Posts: 1,118
    rgarbaccio: Purchasing an extended warranty is clearly a balancing act. I would clearly purchase one if there were some evidence of abuse. (No those things are not clearly discovered before purchase). But any less than that would be a difficult decision. My experience with the Boxer engine is nothing less than fantastic. After 11 years, the most I have had to do is change the timing belts, crank and camshaft seals, and sparkplugs.

    Subbie transmissions are good if they have been well maintained. I would get an extended warrenty however if fluids were not changed every 30,000 miles, or if there was metal shavings in the bottom, or if the fluid was cloudy, brownish or black, or smelled burnt.

    Any other optiions on Extended Warrenties
  • nygregnygreg Member Posts: 1,936
    Shelby - Sorry to hear about your tranny. The dripping does sound like the AC - condensation from the humid weather we have been having. I too would search for another dealer. Good luck.

    Paul - MPV is a nice minivan. Lots of luck with it. Your still welcomed to "hang out". :)

    OB vs GT - yeah, what everyone else said. We bought the OB - we like the way it looks. There are a few GT wagons running around where I live and they are very sharp looking, especially with the Al wheels. Either way (heavy duty suspension, SUV type styling, OB goodies vs. cleaner look, tighter handling, slightly quicker) you can't go wrong. Good luck deciding.

    Greg
  • originalbitmanoriginalbitman Member Posts: 920
    "heavy duty suspension" ? Are the suspension parts on an OB any more heavy duty than on any other Legacy ?

    bit
  • roflickroflick Member Posts: 14
    Thanks for all the input. Sounds to me that GT is very capable in the snow, but the tires leave much to be desired. The ride height doesn't seem to be an issue. I do like the styeling of the GT, but I would like the goodies in the Outback.

    I haven't heard yet that the GT is a slouch in the snow.

    I have some soul searching to do before I make my decision. I would still appreciate any more input that people might have on the issue.
  • nygregnygreg Member Posts: 1,936
    The 02 GTs come with the all weather package - heated seats, heated windshield (read wipers) and heated side view mirrors. Other goodies the OB have are: rear power outlet, temperature readout, roof rack, weatherband radio. Not sure if any is significant enough to sway the decision.

    Heavy duty suspension? I'll let others more knowledgeable then me on this answer.

    Greg
  • roflickroflick Member Posts: 14
    The only problem is that the goodies only come on the GT LTD sedan. We have a one year old and need all the room we can get in a station wagon.

    If Subaru produced a LTD SW, the decision would be easy.
  • originalbitmanoriginalbitman Member Posts: 920
    In 2001 the GT got outside temp gauge and of course they do have the roof rack too.

    bit
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    I don't believe they are any heavier duty than a legacy. From what I've been told the springs and the mounting points on the struts are lower on the OB, so that it is raised up.

    -mike
  • nygregnygreg Member Posts: 1,936
    and snow.

    Greg
  • originalbitmanoriginalbitman Member Posts: 920
    I kind of suspected that the components were the same and that the Heavy Duty was just a marketing thing like the Sport Tuned suspension on the GT. Same components just different mounting points and different tires.

    bit
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    I think the GT has the same mounting points as the other legacies, but I think it gets stiffer spring rates and stiffer struts. The OB gets higher mounting points on the struts, beefier springs, and mooshier shocks. Other than that I think the part #s are the same for OB/Legacy/GT Oh, sway bar may be thicker on GT too, but not even sure of that. Also the lower profile tires give it a lower center of gravity.

    -mike
  • originalbitmanoriginalbitman Member Posts: 920
    Someone posted that even the struts were the same just different mounting points which seemed odd... but possible.


    bit - 2001 GT Wagon

  • kmcleankmclean Member Posts: 173
    Greetings, all, from the (sort of) cool PNW!

    Just finished a trip down the California coast highway (from Seattle - 2350 miles in 8 days) and will add the following tidbits to the board:

    (2000 Ltd wagon, 5-speed, 15K miles.)

    Gas mileage (family of four, usual stuff, clean configuration): on the two-lane sections, no A/C (cool on the coast), speed rarely over 60, LOTS of curves and up/downshifting: 30 mpg. Interstate with A/C, 70-75 mph: 27 mpg.

    Reliability: perfect, with one comment. I did notice the "cold clutch" tendency to chatter the first couple of starts in the mornings, then nothing after that. I don't drive the car much, but as an old manny-tranny guy, this did catch my attention - a couple of times I remembered in time to try to avoid it, but it required very careful pedal management to avoid. On the other hand, there was a TON of up- and downshifting along the coast with not a hint of a problem.

    Fun road: if anyone wants to learn the handling capabilities of your Subie (and perhaps yourself), try the stretch of Highway 1 where it leaves Highway 101 at Leggett (between Eureka and San Francisco) heading down to the coast. Holey moley! About 25-30 miles of continuous hills, turns, switchbacks - all on two narrow lanes bordered by trees and cliffs. I couldn't keep up with the locals (after all, I DID have the family in the car), but did pretty well, including a couple of more-or-less planned 4-wheel drifts. I'm glad I didn't Armor All the tires before the trip - they sure need it now (especially the outer two inches of the front tires). I run the tires at 34-35 psi.

    A/C did fine keeping us cool as we came up through the valley with temps reaching 105. Figured out how to get more comfortable in the driver's seat (remembering to take my wallet out of my right rear pocket helps a lot!).

    I'll change the air filter this weekend and will let you know if that Fram CA-3909 is, indeed, the same size at the OEMs I bought.

    So far, so good, but I'll be watching that clutch (all but one - when I lived in DC - have lasted more than 100K miles).

    Cheers!

    Ken M.
  • jchvsjchvs Member Posts: 3
    Hi,

    So my wife and I are down to deciding between a '97 Subaru O/B with 92000 miles for $12,900(private sale) and a '99 Taurus Wagon with 29000 miles for 10,900(dealer). We found one of each that we could like. The one thing with the O/B is the current owner had problems with the head gasket that he had fixed. I think we could get him to lower his price some, but I'm not sure about the head gasket. Can someone give me some advice? We plan on getting the car checked out at the mechanic before we make an offer.

    Thanks,
    Joe
  • originalbitmanoriginalbitman Member Posts: 920
    Ken - next trip try and take HWY 211 off 101 just below Eureka. It is a nice winding strip of 2 lane that goes over to the coast and then back to the town of Honydew where you catch Matole RD back to101. It comes in through the back side of Humboldt Redwoods State Park. Equally as much fun as the piece of HWY 1 you mentioned but here you will share the fun and views with no one. You would be lucky to see another car. Did you have a chance to cruise the Avenue of the Giants?


    bit - 2001 GT Wagon

  • nygregnygreg Member Posts: 1,936
    Joe: Others are more experienced in Subs than me. However, I owned two Taurus' - a 93 and 96 (Company cars). Overall both were decent and the 93 proved to be fairly reliable. My 96, however, started to have tranny slippage at 80K miles. That's when I traded it. Taurus' are known to have transmission problems around the 80K mark so be careful. I believe this problem was mainly with the smaller 3.0 liter engine. The larger engine had a different tranny and I BELIEVE it it better. As for the difference in performance (handling, ergonomics) there's no comparison. The OB is better. My wife didn't like the Taurus because she felt she had to work at driving it and the visibility wasn't great. I would have to agree with her after recently driving a sable for 2 weeks on business and then getting back into my 01 OB. Just my 0.02. Good luck deciding.

    Greg
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