mtsmiths

state car. The only thing there are more of is F-150s

Then ask him if it's 'normal'. You took it in for service when it was under warranty and they shined you on. The complaint was registered (you CAN document this visit, non?), they are still on the hook. If you get any flak demand a Zone Rep meeting.

We drove our '00 auto Legacy wagon from Montana to DC to Texas and back to Montana, plus six weeks of runnning around the DC area and Maryland. The 10,000 mile or so average was 25.5 mpg. Highway cruise at 70-75 mph our worst was 24.3, our best 28.7. I'd be surprised if a 5-spd did much better, unless you are being a very 'careful' driver. But, there you go.

'87 GL 4WD D/R 5spd Right as I start or stop, intermittant. My indie checked everything and couldn't find anything loose or worn out. Feels like it's mid car, somewhere. Been around for 5K or so, getting no worse. I have new U-joints, CVs, etc. No loose rims.

Thanx, Smitty

... or at least they used to be.

With the exception of the swooshed fender lines it's the current Legacy body scaled up to fit the 7-seat scale. All the cars mentioned before that "It looks just like a ..." are similar because they're designed to fit a platform that seats three rows. Throw in aerodynamics and they are going to look pretty much the same, it's the old mission driven 'Form follows function.' scenario. If you look at the current crop of cars across the board, except for the retro botique cars like the Mini, New Bug and that awful Honda stagecoach thingie they ALL look pretty much alike.

Also into my airplanes (regardless of what the FAA says), including into the gas whenever I use mogas instead of avgas. My old dragster buddies always coated all internal parts with it as they assembled engines too. Great stuff, what ever it is ... it's a mystery.

might have been the perfect donor car for my 'beach buggy'. Can you raise Imprezi?

I checked my OM and it does take GL5, it looks like one gallon will do both the tranny and the diffy. I'll do it this weekend. Prolly needs changing anyhow, it's been about 50K.

... I'd rather hit any other critter in north America (humans excepted, well maybe a few of THEM too) than a moose. Those damn long legs just always put that huge body mass above hood level, and wham, moose lap dance every time. We get a few moose/car tangles every year around Whitefish too, never pretty. Glad you were OK, cars can be replaced (jobs too, hint-hint).

Assuming you are 26 or older (married it may not count), go rent a car with unlimited mileage, should be able to find a mid-size for less than $30.00/day, even less for a weekly rental. Don't jump right up and tell 'em you gonna drive it to Oregon, but it really doesn't matter. Brand new (or nearly so) car, breakdowns are someone elses problem. If you have coverage on your personal cars you can safely waive the insurance. There ya go, have a good trip!

GL wagon, D/R4WD 5spd. Has always had a 'notchy' shifter (hasn't gotten any worse in 75,000 miles. Not hard to shift, just can feel it (maybe just needs linkage adjust?). No tranny or differential leaks or noises. If it even MIGHT smooth out the shifting it would be worth it. Now, the engine I'm disinclined with 205,000 miles unopened.

I have owned well over 100 cars in my admittedly long life. (Prolly closer to 200 if you count the 'flips' that never got registered). Much of it my driving has been in snow country, high Sierras, mountains of Arizona and New Mexico, N/W Montana (and all the surrounding states and Canada), hell, even in fresh fall on the top of Mauna Kea, in Hawaii. I have owned 4WD Jeeps, Power Wagons, Toyota FJ, and all three generations of Subarus ('78, '87 (2), '00). I've owned stick and auto versions of each, except for the Power Wagon, which was a '51, and the FJ, which was a '67. Company 4WDs driven in LOTS of snow include Dodge Rams, Durangos, and several Fords (all autos). I've driven on black ice and in unplowed snow that came over the hood. I will state uncatagorically that, IMHO, an auto beats a stick in snow driving, hands (and clutch foot) down. The power delivery is smoother, more even, and it's far easier to keep the torque transfer down. The LAST thing you want to do in snow is spin your wheels. The ONLY thing a stick beats an auto for is rocking out of a hole, and I take that back unless it's a 3-on-the-tree for straight low/reverse rocking (the gates just don't line up on most four and five speeds). Now, having stated my vitae, I will additionally state that the BEST snow car I have ever driven is our '00 Legacy wagon with studded tires, after that it was my son's '88 4EAT turbo wagon. We can always get out of our driveway, no matter how much snow with the GLs, but the AWD just ignores snow. Low and second lock in the 50/50 split which we use around town and in really deep sh!t, but I've driven the Lagacy in 18" of unplowed snow (first over the St. Regis to Paradise part of Lookout Pass during a fresh fall) in [D] at a steady 45 - 50 mph and it felt like it was on dry pavement. Only problem I had was having to stop every few miles and scoop the snow dam off the front so the headlights could shine. If you are serious about getting-around-driving, as opposed to 'playing' (notin' wrong with THAT, mind you) get an automatic.

A Canadian (Imperial) gallon is five quarts, not four like a US gallon. Instant 20% increase in mileage, eh?

On the bay about 8 miles S/E of Baltimore.

The guy (under the hood) said he got rearended really hard and the car was basically totalled from the back doors on. But, it still ran and drove fine ... so he whacked it off and built the Okie truck bed out of whatever junk he found lying around the ranch. I've been seeing this thing running around Whitefish and up on the mountain for a couple of years, I finally had my DC with me when I passed, so I whipped into the hardware store parking lot and shot the pix. As for 'Klack', I decided to have fun after I did some rust work (minor around windshield and a couple of other teeny-tiny spots). I figured it's a winter car, so I did it in Soviet Air Force winter camo. No one paid it much attention in Montana, but the folks coming across the country, and in Maryland can't believe it.

I want to make sure my wagon is still running to take me back to Montana after my contract is up here (now extended to mid-Nov). I get back from a conjugal visit to Whitefish 10/21, so the next weekend should be good (at least I'll be 'relaxed' ;-O ) Shall I bring back the sun visors for someone out here?

... who can host them? This is a classic, caught on the streets of Whitefish, MT.

I need a drivers side interior door upper trim (the vinyl panel). Mine's sunshot, the rest of the interior is good (even the dash), so that one panel really looks ratty. THANX Smitty I could trade you the gray velour sunvisors that came out of our '00 during the debrightonization (they surfaced when I cleaned out the junk for a garunge sale while I was back in Montana). I really should meet some of you eastcoasters somewhere in the middle while I'm out here in the Peoples' Republic of Maryland! Now looks like I'll be here for another six weeks or so (less conjugal visit back to Whitefish).

If the car is light, go white, if it's dark go a complimentary color (blue/grey, red/tan ... etc.). No matching problems, it'll give the car a bit o' 'class' and maybe even keep it cooler inside.

Remove all the trim, acccessories, badges, etc. that you can. Make sure you get sanded right up to what you can't remove (always where peeling starts). The main reason to stick with the original color is so the door jambs, underhood, sills etc. still match. It will make the car worth more when you eventually sell it, even if the new paint is old by then. Personally, I wouldn't clear-coat any car. Every paint job I have had that 'sunburned' was the clear coming off. I always stick to a good thick 'mud' enamel with no metallic, it is the easiest to match and always looks the most original. Make sure you order enough extra paint to keep a (very well sealed) quart or so extra for later shopping cart visits. Make sure you do a good solvent wash and tack rag just before you shoot it. Another trick I learned from an old pepper tree mechanic is to 'set' the paint with a cold water mist if it isn't oven cured. After the car is fully shot, and tack dry, spray it gently with cold water set on mist. It will gloss the paint and set it hard (no, I don't know why it does, but I have done it with every car I've ever painted, and it works). Mind you, I'm NOT a car painter, nor have I palyed on on television, but I've shot five or six, plus one airplane over my long life (I'm one of the board geezers). Still, I would prep it and have a pro shoot it and bake it (one of the best reasons to have Maaco or Unca' Earl do it is the ovens).

Better, do the body work (panel replacement, dent filling, etc.) sanding and detail masking yourself. Make nice with the manager at Maaco or Earl Scheib and have it painted as close to the original color as possible. Make sure the car gets a really good solvent clean and tack-rag before they shoot it. Go talk to them before you start and make sure you are doing the filling and sanding right. If you get it ready and work with them on schedule, and talk quality rather than trying to get them down on price you should get a good job. If you do the make-ready yourself you can get a pretty good paint job out of the 'drive-thru paint' shops. They do use good quality materials, they just can't spend much time doing a good job on the prep. I've done a half-dozen cars this way and all have come out really well (but you won't get a warranty, 'cause they don't know what you did on the base).

1. Does this year GL have them? 2. If yes, how do I tell if MY car has them? 3. If yes, how do I tell if they are adjusted up? 4. If no, how do I adjust them? Point of information: the car has about 10" ground clearance in rear, 9" in front (measured to the frame rail). THANX Smitty

Here's what was done. T-belt, pump and seals, transmission serevice, install cruise control (part of the debrightonization), all fluids, filters, etc. The total bill was just over a grand. I'm guessing that the engine work was about $520.00. They also did a complete pre-purchase inspection (even tho' we had already bought it in Spokane) so, it could have been a bit less. Hey, it's been over two years.