canalligators

Thanks for the pointers. I bought the car new in April, with the standard sound system. It has always done this, I s'pose I'll ask the dealer. I've always chalked it up to characteristic of the system, there really isn't much distortion, just really strong bass. Perhaps they are trying to get subwoofer effects without the cost of installing a subwoofer. I currently have the bass at minimum (-8) and the mid and treble up just a little (+2). Agreed, it's not a blown woofer. I know what those sound like. I could also temporarily splice in another pair of speakers to test it.

I bought a Subaru instead of "Brand V" because I could get it with Emmanuel Transmixer. Now I don't have the token automatic in my family any more. We did a tranny swap on an '88 Saab 900 a few years back, because the crappy BW was failing right on schedule, 150K miles. Took us a week and a lot of advice from a Saab-knowledgeable friend. Sign of the times; the same operation on a '58 Ford took three of us about three hours, and two man-hrs was me hanging the third pedal and setting up the linkage.

Well I have to turn the bass all the way down to keep it from sounding terrible. There is some low level distortion, and the bass is way too strong. Has anyone changed out just the speakers? I'm wondering if I can get a fix for less than a hundred bux. Not looking for audiophile quality, just decent sound. I suppose I could do the speakers and if that doesn't fix it, replace the whole unit too. If I replaced the stereo, I'd probably replace the speakers too, so no money wasted.

The last few posts had to do with the money aspect. I was just stating that it's not something I, or by inference the OP, was interested in doing a lot of - at least on my car.

I like to have a car that handles reasonably well in somewhat aggressive driving. Aside from that, I'd rather spend a couple of kilobux on a good touring kayak or a fast dual-650 recumbent bike. I like cars, I have somewhat high expectations of mine, but they're not my passion.

I'm one step ahead of you. Just sold my '94 965 with 210K miles. I was thinking about all the pricey stuff that hadn't failed yet and decided to change vehicles. Cars are generally more durable than they used to be, but this old car was on its original alternator, steering gear, rear suspension bits, universal joints, etc. The wife is still driving (happily) a '99 S70, 160K mi. I really like that car. It has excellent controls and is great in the snow. That said, I'm looking forward to checking out my new Subaru with four high-performance snow tires. I don't usually buy new, but the 2010 Outback met a particular size requirement I have and pre-2010 did not. We also drive cars to high mileage. I was glad to learn that all new models have the upgraded head gaskets. Ours is a 4-cyllinder, manual shift. I was pleased at the accessibility of things for repairs. I was amazed at the room around the front transaxil. I bet changing a clutch is relatively easy (but probably not as easy as it was on my '85 Saab). All that said, ask me in about 180K miles/300K km and I'll let you know if it worked out. The vehicle has big shoes to fill. BTW, replacing the heater core in my 240 was an all day job.

I'll be adding a hitch and wiring soon. I've done this operation before on other cars, by running a fused wire from the battery or junction block, to the converter box located inside the rear of the vehicle. My application will not use brakes, trailer GVW is about 900#. My question is: the Outback has a place in the fuse box for trailer supply. Is there also a wire running to the rear, or do I have to run one? Naturally, if in doubt, I'll just run a #18 wire with heavy insulation...

I have no doubt the car will handle it ok. I was pondering the time with the old car when the driver had to make a near-panic stop (I95 when the Greyhound decided to pull out in front of us). My son gave exactly the right amount of braking - exactly as much as needed to stay six feet off the bus' bumper. In that case, it's the brakes that mattered, not the driveline. But what if we have to evade by steering? I'm presuming that you keep your foot on the gas and pray that the trailer comes with you, hopefully upright, hopefully still behind you.

Any Subaru-specific advice on towing a light utility trailer? I'm an experienced tower so I already know the general driving advice like leaving enough following distance and watching your inside radius, weight balance, watching your engine temp, braking techniques, etc. But all my experience is with RWD (yes, another Volvo defector). What I'm wondering is if there are any peculiarities to AWD or Subarus in particular that I should be aware of. I'm towing a single-axil trailer with GVW around 800# or 350 Kg, 2010 Outback, manual shift, 4 cyl.

I don't really want to ask the dealer this question: Will aftermarket anti-sway bars void the warranty? (2010 Outback, picking it up Thursday.) I'm planning to put on Rallitek bars. There is a bit of body roll in tight corners that I'd like to tame. Does anyone have experiences +/- with these items? It's pretty easy to find Volvo owners who will rave about the IPD sway bars (Rallitek is IPD's Subaru division).

I'm in process of buying a 2010 Outback. This is my first Subaru, although my daughter has been driving them for >10 years, I really don't know much about them. I figured a good service manual would be a good place to start. Can someone recommend an informative manual? With Volvos, you bought the Bentley and skipped the *&^%$ Haynes - I presume that Haynes manuals for Subarus are as "helpful" as ever. (My 240 manual said, "Remove the instrument cluster." Really. How?) One option is to buy the electrical and fuel system factory manuals. That could get pricey. My intent is to learn about the car and do minor repairs. As the car is new, I won't need the manual for a while so I can look around.

Amen, 3eyed. Officers in the major agencies, like State Police, learn how to go into controlled four-wheel drift, do emergency lane changes, etc. - all that fun stuff that racers learn. They also know the limits of the vehicles. And you can't outrun a radio. They also learn that, as public servants, that if you have the choice of piling up your cruiser and risking your own life, vs. hitting somebody else - even a perp - you take the chance on yourself. Like our military people, we can never repay the risks you choose to take for the good of the public. It means little, but thank you.

I'm going to pull the trigger on a new Forester tomorrow. This is a big deal, not only am I committing to a lot of money for a car, but it's new (I usually buy used) and not a Volvo - so I've got some major paradigm shift going on. The factors driving the decision were: Looking for something big enough to put a recumbent bike in the back because I commute halfway to work by bike. I want somthing with manual shift, dammit. Traditional automatics have to be tickled and prodded to upshift earlier and downshift later, and CVT automatics have a bad reputation. And sticks are better in the snow and I just plain prefer them. Manual shift Saabs and Volvos are hard to find, and I'm uneasy about buying one off a used car lot five hours drive away. I want it to get 30 mi/gal on the highway. This criteria and the one before rule out minivans. Looking for a vehicle that will go to 200K miles trouble-free, though I expect to start replacing stuff >150K (cooling, suspension parts, etc.) Need something that handles well and is good in the snow. I am planning to put a set of Ipd/Rallitek anti-sway bars on it. I was satisfied that it stayed under control when I lifted off the gas in a tight turn. But it did roll more that I cared for. The marque comes well recommended. My daughter had a '94 Legacy 2.5GT, replaced @ 170K with the '07 version of same. Wish me luck.