Martinjmpr

Well, as I've said before, the Tribeca is the answer to the question: "What ever happened to the idiot who designed the Pontiac Aztek after he got fired from GM?" Now we know: The answer is he went to work for Subaru and designed the only vehicle in the world uglier than an Aztek. And yes, I've seen it in person, and it's utterly revolting. It's also overpriced. I can get a Lexus or BMW for the same price as this hideous POS. Why would I buy a Subaru? Oh, and it's ugly. Did I say that already? Or did I mean "Fugly"? I can't believe this was designed by the same company that designed the gorgeous 2005 Outback.

Any news on whether the Baja will be back for '06? I'd love to see a Baja with the '05 Outback look.

Between $31k-$36k, which would also buy you a Lexus, Honda Pilot, or even a low-end BMW AWD wagon. Plus, if you bought one of those vehicles, you'd save a lot of money b/c you wouldn't be buying paper bags to wear over your head. File this under "what were they thinking?"

If you're getting that low on fuel and the light's not coming on, then it may be that the light's just not working. Mine quit back in March on the way down to Daytona. Worked OK on the trip down, but on the trip back, my fuel gauge got lower and lower and still no light. At one point I tried to make it to CO to (hopefullY) get cheaper gas and the car bucked and almost stalled, indicating it was on fumes. Fortunately I was a few blocks from a station at that time and filled it with about 15.87 gallons (in a 15.9 gallon tank!) At no time did the fuel light come on. I also noticed it's stopped coming on when I start the car up, which leads me to believe it's just burned out.

The funny thing (to me) is that the interior doesn't look significantly bigger than the OBW. That small back seat is not suitable for anyone over about 4'6" (if that.) I think they could have gotten their 3rd seat with something like a stretched Forester.

Saw one "in the flesh" when I took my OBW in for its 90k service a couple of weeks ago. For those of you who haven't seen one yet and who say "it can't possibly be as ugly in person as it looks in those pictures", I have to say: Yes, it can and it is. I didn't test drive one because I forgot to bring a ski mask and was afraid someone I knew would see me in it and I would die of embarrasment. For those who say 'this isn't aimed at the typical Subaru customer', I have to agree, but I would remind Fuji Heavy Industries that people who are blind and/or insane are probably not a good market upon which to base an all-new vehicle. Or does Subaru think that someone's going to walk into a dealership and say "excuse me, my good man, but I currently drive a Pontiac Aztek, and I'm looking for something that seats 4 adults and 3 toddlers, and is marginally less ugly than the vehicle I currently drive. Plus I'm going to spend as much on it as a Lexus 330, Honda Pilot or Acura MDX." How many of these Customers does Subaru think exist? If this was GM, I wouldn't be so frustrated, since almost all of their current vehicles are hideous (best line ever: An auto reviewer who said that the current crop of GM cars all look like "Angry kitchen appliances.") But Subaru has made some gorgeous vehicles, including the current crop of Outback Legacy, Impreza and Forester. Unique styles but also pleasing to the eye (and hell, the Outback style must be catchy because first Volvo, then Audi, copied it, and now Ford is trying to do the same thing with the Freestyle.) I thought what Honda did with the Pilot was brilliant: After the CRV made itself so well known, they basically made a "super-sized" CRV, one that is so similar in configuration that I still have a hard time telling them apart at any kind of distance. Plus, it's a functional shape. Subaru could have done the same thing by making a "super-sized" Forester. The XB9 body is goofy just for the sake of being goofy. The interior is tiny! My summary of the XB9 is that the body looks like a minivan and the front end looks like a crime against nature. How does it drive? I'll never know because I'll never slip behind the wheel except at gunpoint. Now, one of those 2005 Outbacks is really calling to me, and I would die of happiness if they would apply the '05 Outback styling to the Baja (but instead they're probably going dump the Baja, at least from the rumors I've heard. ) The faster the XB9 disappears from the Subaru lineup the better.

Right now I'm just planning on doing the HG. The car has 92k on it right now and everything else works great. One of the reasons I looked at Strictly Automotive was that they offer a 1 year warranty on their work, which impressed me. But I know there are other Subaru shops in the metro area, too. In fact, there are two of them in Fort Collins, and they are only about a mile away from each other! Just shows you how popular Subarus are around here.

Wondering if anyone's had any experience with the shop called "Strictly Automotive" in Denver. I am shopping around to find a shop to do the HG replacement on my OBW. I know we have several in the Denver area, just wondering which ones people have had good experiences with.

Thanks for all the info. I'm not going to worry about it until/unless it starts to manifest itself in some way. Fortunately, there are a number of independent Subaru service shops around here, and quite a few dealers, too, so I'll have ample opportunity to shop around. Come to think of it, $1200-$1500 is a relatively small price to pay if the car is in good condition otherwise, and so far it certainly seems to be. I haven't had a spot of trouble with it in 2 years/50,000 miles, and that includes two hard winters in Laramie, Wyoming.

Hi, folks. Been away for a while, riding my motorcycle since the weather is nice now. Anyway, my '99 OBW is at the shop for it's 90k service, and the service manager called and said there was a small internal HG leak on the engine. He is putting the additive into the coolant (coolant flush/fill was part of the 90k service.) My question is this: Is the internal leak worse than the external? I can't remember which one does more damage. So far I've never had any overheating problems in my Subaru, even when stuck in heavy traffic and running the air conditioner. Second, realistically speaking, how long do I have before I'm going to have to do something about this? The service manager quoted me a price of $2650 to do the HG replacement, timing belt, etc, and I told him I wouldn't do it now, but I'd keep it in mind. The car is paid for, and I just graduated school, expect to find a decent job some time this Summer, so if I'm going to sink $2600 into something, most likely it'll be into a new car, not into fixing up this one (as much as I like it.) For those who have been in this situation, can I expect to get 10k miles out of this car before it needs serious attention? Thanks for any help.

While we're fantasizing, what I'd really like to see would be the return of the panel truck, but in a compact form. Over in Europe, they have a class of vehicles called Car-Derived Vans. These are similar to sedan deliveries (anybody remember them?) but are based on compact FWD vehicles. Ideally I'd like to see a mid-sized AWD CDV with decent ground clearance that was capable of functioning as either a passenger vehicle or as a small camper. A 1.8l Tdi engine would be economical and long lasting as well. This is a basic "cargo" CDV, but I have seen versions with windows on the side and passenger seats that folded flat. Add decent ground clearance, small turbo diesel and AWD and it would be the perfect vehicle for me.

Two points: Has anyone stopped to consider that maybe what has "changed" hasn't been the quality of the cars, but rather, our expectations? Talking to my dad, he was telling me that he never bought a new car in the 60's that he didn't have to put a new water pump in before 20k miles. (Remember that until about the mid-late 70's car warranties were usually 12 months/12,000 miles.) I vividly remember when a car with 100k was due for a serious overhaul, if not a rebuild of the engine. I think it's unquestionable that overall automotive quality has improved in the past 30 years, but our demands and our assumptions have also changed. So, if we now expect a car to be completely trouble-free for the first 100k miles, we are going to be more critical of even minor glitches. The other thing to consider, when thinking about the apparent "decline" of Subaru in the mid-90's, is that perhaps what happened was not that Subaru went "downhill", but rather that other competing companies started coming up to Subaru's standards, which meant that Subarus, by comparison, no longer towered over them and looked diminished in comparison. Second point, regarding Subaru making an AWD "econobox", depending on how you define the term, they do. My mom and brother were both able to get brand new TS wagons for under $20k, both with automatics. Granted, it's not a $12k Kia or Suzuki, but under $20k is damn good for a sophisticated and feature-filled AWD wagon.

I believe cruise control is much less efficient in hilly country. I usually turn mine off until I get into the flat lands. It's just that the cruise control is "dumb" and can't really plan to efficiently use the engine's power. So the CC holds the vehicle right at the set speed, even when engine speed drops due to the slope, causing the tranny to downshift. On moderately flat roads, though, I think CC rules. It allows me to set an efficient speed and not fluctuate up and down.

Got my '99 OBW in April of '03 with 42k. Am now at 86k and no problems other than very minor ones. I'm very impressed with the overall quality, fit and finish, and reliability of the car. Like many, I've been walking on eggshells hoping my head gaskets won't go, but other than that I don't have any serious complaints. I'd originally thought of the OBW as a "poor man's Volvo", but given some of the stuff I've heard about Volvos lately, my next vehicle may be another OBW. I'd really like a truck, but there aren't any out there that would really want to own.

Well, I just got back from my first "long" trip. I drove down to Daytona Beach for Bike Week (I've got a friend who lives there and we both ride.) Anyway, here are my stats: Miles driven (odometer): 4561 Miles driven (GPS): 4391 Total fuel consumed: 168.3 gal Average MPG: 27.10 (odometer) 26.09 (GPS) Overall it was a good trip, but the only real gripe I had was with the drivers seat. Like many older Subarus, my seat has gotten worn to the point where it's very uncomfortable. Does anyone know of an upholstery shop in the Denver metro area that will re-stuff or re-shape the seat? I don't want to replace the seat, I'd just like to restore it to a new or better-than-new condition, while still keeping the overall shape and the in-seat heater that is so nice in cold weather. The minor gripe I had is that the low fuel light seems to have stopped working some time on the trip, which is annoying but not critical, since the gas gauge itself still works. The Subaru is noisier than I like, but since I'm used to driving trucks (the Subaru is the first "car" I've ever owned) it's not that bad. Maybe the newer ones are better.

I just noticed the same thing on my 99 OBW. On the way down to Florida, the light did come on (when the needle was just below the E). On the way back, it didn't come on, no matter how low the needle went. I wasn't sure if it was just that I hadn't run the tank down low enough, but when the car started coughing and bucking due to starvation (fortunately, I was about 2 blocks from a gas station) I realized the low fuel light just didn't work. I still haven't decided if it will be worth it to get the light fixed, since I normally use the gas gauge and the odometer to determine when I need to fill up (typically around 325-350 miles.)

It's a bit of a distance, but there are about a million of them in Colorado. The nice thing is that they won't be all rusted because we don't use salt on the highways out here. Last week I went to Daytona Beach, FL, and was surprised at how few Subarus I saw once I got outside the Rocky Mountain region.

Fill the tank Set the trip odometer to 0 Drive around until the tank is empty Fill again Divide miles driven by gas consumed, = MPG It helps if you use the same gas pump each time, as different pumps have different "shut off" settings. Also, I've noticed on my 99 OBW, the filler neck "burps back" quite a bit, so if you pull the filler out after the first time the gas shuts off, you will be a couple of gallons short of full. The important thing is consistency: Whatever you do at one fill up, do at all of them, that way your mileage figures will be more accurate. BTW, I get around 22 in our small town and 26-27 on the highway in Winter (running 85 octane at 7200' elevation), that's with 81k on the odo.

I think the only 1st gen Legacy's (90-94) that had LSD were the turbos, right? AFAIK, no 2nd Gen Legacy (95-99) had LSD.

I believe that is the standard dealer price. I have seen posts from some of the DIY'ers here saying that they have been able to do it for around $200-$400.

Personally, I'd have a hard time paying 10K for something with a Hundred Grand on the odometer, unless it was really, really cherry. My 99 just went over 8k and I don't consider it to be worth that much. I don't know what the Subaru situation is there in Arizona, but if you're willing to travel you could probably find one that is newer and/or has lower miles than the one you mentioned. Colorado is lousy with Subarus, so if you don't find what you're looking for in AZ, try anywhere in CO. In my (very biased!) opinion, the '97-'99 was the best looking OBW made, although the new '05-up models are handsome, too. The styling of the '00-'04 models leaves me cold, mostly because of the excessive lower body cladding. OTOH, there is a big advantage in getting the '00-up model, and that is that all of the Outbacks (to my knowledge) had a limited slip rear differential, which was not available at all on the 97-99 models. I beleive the '00-up models are also less likely to have head gasket problems. So far my '99 has been stone-ax reliable. The only problems I've had have been very minor and the car has always done what I've asked it to. Mileage is 22-25 in the city and I've gotten as high as 31 on the highway. Still, if I had to do it again, knowing what I know now I might have gotten an '00-up model.

You might look into just a hood protector rather than a full bra. I got one for about $25 through JC Whitney for my previous vehicle (Ford Ranger pickup.) It goes on the front of the hood and protects about 1' back. The nice thing is it's easy to remove for cleaning and it doesn't interfere with opening the hood. This will protect the front of your hood. My '99 OBW had the factory bug deflector on it when I bought it in '03. Unfortunately, it has worn some of the paint off at the corner of the fender where the rubber "stop" rubs against the paint. Because of this, I have decided to leave it on (my rationale is that it can't get any worse and at least the deflector covers up the ugly paint damage.) However, one unexpected benefit is that I have no chips or cracks in my windshield or my hood, even after 80,000 miles on Colorado and Wyoming roads. My brother, who has an '02 Impreza TS with less than 30k, already has a couple of nice cracks in his windshield from gravel and rocks, as well as a nice "peppering" of paint chips on the front of his hood. I think the bug deflector either intercepts the rock before it can hit the windshield, deflects it out of the way, or at the very least slows it down enough so that by the time it hits the windshield it's not going fast enough to chip or crack the windshield. In fact, this is the first vehicle I've owned in over 20 years that I've driven this long without getting any cracks in the windshield. Personally, I'm willing to trade some inconsequential paint damage in exchange for protecting my hood and windshield.

Just a quick question for those in the know: Ever since I got my OBW in '99, I've noticed that when I get my oil changed, the dealers have a nasty tendency to overfill the oil by a noticeable amount (like about 1/2" higher on the dipstick.) Now, I haven't studied anything automotive since I took shop class in Jr. High in the 70's, but I've always beleived that overfilling the oil is bad because it puts excessive pressure on the seals in the engine. Does anyone know if this is true and/or if the Subaru F-4 is more or less vulnerable to damage under these circumstances? The reason I ask is because every dealer I've been to except one does this (the one exception is Hueberger Subaru in Colorado Springs.) It always leaves a bad taste in my mouth since, to me, it indicates either ignorance, laziness or just sloppiness (and in the past, I've even told the ticket writer to make sure the oil isn't overfilled, but to no avail.) I'll be due for an oil change this month, and there's a local dealer in town. But, since they've overfilled my oil twice (and once they failed to completely tighten the drain bolt, which left a class II leak that I only noticed, thank God, because it was very snowy and icy and every time I parked there were a few oil drips under the car), I won't be taking it to them. Still, I really don't think I'm going to drive 440 miles round trip to Colorado Springs, either, which means I'll be going to a dealer in Cheyenne or Fort Collins, neither of which I have any experience in using. So tell me, am I making too big a deal out of this? Is a little excess oil okay in these engines?

But, in the end, it's like comparing a Harley-Davidson to a sport bike. Even a 600cc sport bike will outrun, out-turn, out-stop and generally run circles around a Harley. So what? To Harley guys, it doesn't matter how fast their bikes are, it's how cool they are. Harley riders stopped bragging about performance in 1969 when Honda introduced the CB-750. And Ford isn't going to brag about performance, the whole purpose of that Mustang is so rapidly aging boomers can fantasize about being the coolest kid in High School one last time before they go to the Old Folks home. (Present company excepted, of course!)

Resistance is Futile. You will be assimilated. (another former anti-auto tranny fanatic - my Subie is my 8th vehicle and the first Auto I've ever owned and I love it.)