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Comments
-mike
What tires do you run for winter?
My Forester has been on the beach, the Pine Barrens trails, and a few orchard hay ride trails. Those lil' Subies hold their own.
-juice
..Mike
..Mike
There is a slight hesitation when you floor the Bean on the highway, but when it kicks in it flies like a rocket. I had to escape from two 18 wheelers last night on the Whitestone expressway near Shea Stadium in Queens NYC. I crossed three lanes and left the trucks in the dust. As I grinned from ear to ear, it reminded me of why I went for the H6 - for that reserve power when you need it.... I could hear the truck drivers say, "that's an Outback?"....
-juice
Are they still clear? YES
No yellowing? NO
Does dirt get caught in the edges much? NO
Does it make cleaning the lights difficult (edges stick up, etc)? NO
And finally, do you have a lot of gravel/rocks on your roads up there? NO.
I live in Greater Vancouver and virtually all local roads are paved properly. During road resurfacing as is being done to my residential street right now, the local yahoos find it amusing to roar along at full throttle in their 4x4 pickups spraying rocks everywhere including over cars and any hapless pedestrians, leaving them choking in clouds of dust. (Probably the only "off road" use these vehicles ever see.) One of these fine upstanding young men almost rear-ended us the other day as he found it difficult to slow down in the loose material from the 60 kph he must have been doing to our more circumspect speed of about 25 kph.
During our occasional sub zero weather municipalities use salt or sand, sometimes both, and occasionally neither (Burnaby). But we find ourselves on gravel roads during our summer road trips or even some day trips to various local lakes or hiking spots. Some are active logging roads and you'll appreciate what a logging truck throws up as it goes by (almost as much as a speeding 4x4 pickup). If anything has ever hit these lights I can't see the evidence, but I do have a couple of chips out of the front edge of the hood. BTW, they sell strips for that too, but I'm not sure if there's one for the Legacy/OB.
I have no interest in X-Pel other than as a customer but I recommend the product based on my experience.
The URL is: 'www.sheepskinexpress.com' and we ordered the Custom version. There's a Tailored version that's more expensive for Ferraris, Vettes and other limited volume vehicles. Great product and these are genuine Merino sheepskin at a good value.
Goose - thanks for your feedback.
IdahoDoug
Cheers!
Paul
IdahoDoug
My Bean flies when it finally decides to, it just takes its sweet time getting there - I think my next step is to ride w/ a Subie mechanic (or three) & get their feedback.
Jillian
..Mike
Y'know, as close as we are, we really ought to catch a cup of coffee sometime... let me know!
Cheers!
Paul
Thanks.
My Miata's was scratched up badly, so I got some sill plates to cover and protect them.
Funny thing is they're not custom - I went to an auto parts store and measured, then bought ones intended for a full-size GM pickup, of all things!
-juice
You may want to consider door sill covers if it keeps happening. Or be a little more careful getting in and out. :-)
-juice
They are annoying and return on a regular basis. I blame my wife!
Ralph
PS Noticed my '01 Bean registered 30005 miles as I was driving home from a Mets game yesterday. Time to look up what needs changing. I assume air filter, fuel filter, pcv valve, tran. fluid. Plugs & wires are 60K -or longer, I think. Brake fluid? Coolant at 45K? Anyone know 30K maintenance for H6? Thanks.
Also swap the wiper blades if you haven't already. And do the rear diffy fluid, it takes the same oil as your tranny (75w90).
-juice
If you do it yourself, take a whiff of that gear oil - whew, that is some nasty stuff!
-juice
This should probably be in Maint & Repairs but while we're on the subject of gear oil, I'm planning to use Redline gear oil @ my 60k change.
Exactly which one goes where - 75w90 or 75w90ns in a Legacy L, 5 spd, no LSD. I recall that the manual tranny and front diffy share the oil.
Thanks,
Jim
That's strange on the newer ATs they have the front Diffy built into the AT, on my SVX I have a separate fluid spot for the front diffy witha dip stick to boot.
-mike
Anyhow, hit me offline and let's swap cell numbers. I don't get to Spokane often, but if either of us heads across the border we could hook up, eh?
IdahoDoug
Cheers!
Paul
Jim, you may want to look in your owner's manual..it clearly outlines what needs changing at 30k mi....I just did my 30k mi service myself...piece of cake...saved a bundle!
-r
-mike
I had the same problem with my OB - blamed the boss and her high-fashion shoes. I've used a product for years that does a great job on such problems: Dobie cleaning pads (by Scotch-Brite). It's a small sponge encased by a nylon mesh. Just abrasive enough to get off scuff marks, tar, and bugs, but not nasty enough to mar the paint. I regularly throw one into the bucket whenever I wash the cars (helps soften up the mesh a bit to soak it first), then use it as needed - typically in the front during bug season or along the sills and other lower areas that attract crud. For tough spots, I might squirt some 409 on first, let a few minutes pass, then go after it with the Dobie. If that doesn't work, try a cleaner wax, or some polishing compound (gently!). Of course, a couple of 409/Dobie treatments will pretty much take off any wax, too, so re-wax as needed.
Ken in Seattle
Before I contact the dealership I wonder:
a) Will this damage allow corrosion to spread (I assume it will)?
b) can such damage could be repaired by grinding, polishing & relacquering?
c) should I demand new wheels, or is this unreasonable?
But since you noticed that small detail, let me welcome you to our OCD club. ;-)
-juice
-mike
-juice
I think clearcoat over jagged metal won't seal well. I think the metal needs to be smoothed out first. But I'm leery of them managing to make it worse. I'm tempted to fix it myself. After all, I have nothing else to do.
Sorry juice...OCD club?
I'm like that, but often I try to convince myself to ignore them before I do something that makes it look worse.
-juice
In fact, we should nominate an OCD behavior of the week here. My entry would be using dielectric grease on the boots AND copper based antisieze on the threads when I replaced my sparkplugs recently.
IdahoDoug
I love the feel of the GT, but worry I won't have enough clearance to do much off-road driving...
Is the clearance issue between the OB and the GT a concern?
I have an option to buy a 97 GT with 67K, and an OB with 75K...they're asking about the same price...$12,000. My research shows these prices are too high for the year, and that the GT is worth more...
I'm trying to buy this week. PLEASE HELP! Thanks.
alyce
For me I like the extra inch or so just to get in/out of the car. My off road is limited but consists of a farm field or tractor lane along with a few fire roads to find that favorite fishing spot.
both are great cars and like you have found each has its little plus...
--jay
alyce: do you drive aggressively on smooth roads (GT), or smoothly on aggressive roads (Outback)?
Shop around, though, Outbacks especially are popular and finding a used one should not be hard. The '97s are sweet - you got 165hp on 87 octane for the first time.
-juice
Mark
is 11, 500 too much to pay for an OB with 70 or 78 K ???
I'm going in tonight to test drive again, so any info prior to 5 pm PST would be again much appreciated!
You guys have really helped. THANKS!
ps...my offroad would be some backcountry roads to get to trailheads, rivers, etc...I've thought all along the Outback was better suited, but the GT is a SWEET looking car...and fun to drive! I just felt a little low to the ground, and have had 2 Subies before...I don't recall feeling so low profile!
Alyce
Any how, good luck. Demand definitely varies by region and your climate would make me expect higher prices than say, Florida's.
-juice
Try to use the Edmunds TMV figures as a bargaining chip. You can take the position that you *know* that these are fair numbers and you aren't paying more. The advertised prices for used cars are typically 1 to 2 K higher than what they'll often accept to make a sale, so don't give up too quickly. Good luck!
Steve
The prices I'm quoting are from private parties, and after a little negotiating. There's just SUCH a discrepancy, still, between edmunds and the price they would accept...but most OB's are around the original price they were asking...12,500...can regions be inflated as much as 1 or 2 K over TMV?
I'm not much of a bargainer...thanks for the courage!
alyce
mike k
ya wanna know what something's really worth, post a full description with color, miles, and geography over at smart shopper forum, real-world trade in values discussion. tell terry mathias sent you :-).. he'll fill you right in.
whenever i look at a '97 or an '00 for that matter, i do the following math: what can i get a new one for, equipped like i want, vs. this one here. then work out cents/mile and how many thousand $ per year vs. new. with those subies, i'll bet you're looking at less than 20cents/mile depreciation... you can't drive the new one for less, just do the math. buy it new or wait for a good deal to come around.
good luck, and let us know!
-Mathias
East Lansing, MI
If you are "not much of a bargainer" and money is a problem, you can get a good price with patience. Do your research, find good cars, check them out (with a mechanic if the mileage is significant) and then make your offer based on TMV. If they refuse that offer (which many will, if Subies are hot in your area) just smile and say you have a limited budget. Leave a card with your phone number and move along to the next prospect.
You don't have to negotiate aggressively like a street Arab. If you make your offer politely enough times, someone will get antsy and go for it (or something like it). But you might not care to mess with it that long. Your call.
Steve