Zephyr

I love my mp3 player. I am never going to lug around books of disks, tapes, records ever again! When buying my 05, I never gave the stock radio much consideration because I had every intention on pullilng it and putting in something more capable. I wash crushed to learn that I am forever stuck with the unit that it came with. So, out come the stupid binders once again.

Nice work Pilgram. I too was having the exact same problem. I can live with a used car's little personality quirks and such, but cruise control induced sea sickness in my brand new car is extremely disappointing. I'm going to go to battle with my dealer next... if you ever get the bulletin number, please let us know, I will attempt to do so as well.

The sunroof on the Legacy/OB wagons is easily one coolest sunroofs on the market right now. I would have paid a lot of money for one in my 05, however you can only get it with the leather option which I did not want in my utility vehicle. You also mentioned the stereo... the L/OB 05s have a one piece environmental control/radio unit in the dash instead of having the radio being a seperate- standardized size radio. The radio you get in the car is the radio you are stuck with unless you want to drop an aftermarket model into the glove box or upgrade the factory stereos. At the very least, the VCD car comes with an MP3 player which should read burned CD MP3's; however I don't believe it has an auxilary jack if you have a portable player.

Nipper is correct, you need to be on AVG and not CURRENT. The AVG MPG will not start calculating until it has been running for over a mile. Enjoy the new ride!

For the "above and beyond mechanic", a chilton's manual I own says the last step in changing the t belt would be to leave a piece of tape or a tag on the inside of the t belt cover that has the date/mileage of the maintenance.

Doh! Buzz kill...

I have been trying it for a week, still havn't gotten it to work. Did you have the engine running? Did you start with the sequence with the belt in or out? :-\ I feel like a small brained monkey jamming my seat belt in and out like that when the rest of my life is spent over obsessing the pampering of the car.

Consumer reports goes either way. But some helpful things to consider: The make of the vehicle- good reliability here. If you owned a Ford or a high maint euro toy, extended warranty would be advisable. How soon are you planning on paying it off? If you have a loan for 5 years, you will be paying a car payment and possibly car repairs at the same time. If you pay it off in three, then that money will be "available" for repairs instead. CS recommends contacting the manufacturer directly. You can usually always buy an extended through them at any time during the initial warranty. This may sometimes be a better deal because the dealer isn't taking their piece of the pie.

My legacy is tuned the same way. I have noticed that at most distances it keeps the direct light out of the rear view mirror of the person in front of me as well.

Yup, that sounds about right! :cool: After seeing the specs for the new civics, I'm actually interested in a test drive myself. My Honda loyalty has grown large enough over the years that I will always be shopping their product line; however only if I already have a Subie in the drive way!

Have you tried replacing the wire yet? I have heard of mechanics seeing this effect as a result of bad wire insulation.

Looks like the same stupid one piece environmental/radio unit. That's too bad.

Not sure about Costco, but you can also check out... http://www.lnt.org/membership/index.html If you search this board for the program, you will see most agree it is a fairly decent savings along with a zero haggle experience.

You mean you haven't test driven the Sube yet? No wonder you are still comparing! Recently bought an 05 Legacy Wagon, I am a converted Honda guy. I was needing more internal volume in my vehicle- I wanted desperately for any of the Honda models to suit my likings, but they all fell short. Not to mention, I had already been driving a civic for a decade and was ready for something a bit more peppy. Maybe the newer higher horse power civics may have cured this want, but of course the wouldn't have given me the cargo capacity I needed. Here in Kansas, I really don't have an big need for 4wd. My front wheel drive Honda actually did very well in the snow and ice here. However, in the end I went with the Subaru over any other wagon/hybrid because of the feel of the drive. The subaru- I LOVE to drive it. The Honda- I appreciated it's fuel economy and reliability. I have gone from a car I appreciate to a car I absolutely love. After years of putzing around in an unresponsive heavy car, it feels great to drive something I love. The fuel economy isn't so bad for me to adjust to, I live a relatively very short distance to work. Since you aren't looking for internal volume and you are comparing sedans, I may suggest that the Honda may still be your better choice for your stated criteria. The need for a wagon was really my main criteria. Sorry for the rambling. Hopefully you can get out of this what I was trying to say... too sleepy to proof read. Also, I liked the comment from the previous poster about buying two cars. I don't believe any other car on the market can replace a subaru's features and reliability when comparing dollar for dollar. You need a utilitarian vehicle for your activities. A used sube that will let you pound the snow would be a blast on your trips. Then during the week get back in your well vacuumed economy car and putz around town. By the way, let us know how the test drive worked out.

http://floridadisaster.org/Hazards/Hurricanes/HurricaneWeek2003/Flood.htm

Once she brings the car back home, gut the interior for weight savings.

My first thought is that the AT 03' GT model was probably never rated for 25 mpg. I'm seeing tests stating it as 18/23. If you are seeing others reporting 25, I'd be suspicious. Thought I would mention (but you probably already know): Proper tire inflation Clean air filter Synthetic fluids Remove any unnecessary weight from the car- anything "stored" in the trunk?

I think those could be a reminder to a person towing the vehicle that it needs to be on a bed and not towed with one axle dragging. Might be a good idea to leave those on.

How's the response time of the shift buttons in the AT Legacy GT? I know the "manual" shifting in my AT 2.5 Legacy is horribly slow. It's better suited for gear selection on hills rather than performance handling.

because of gas prices, if you went with the GT I would suggest a lease. Premium only in a relatively thirsty car... It doesn't look like we are making a whole lot of new friends in the middle east.

Exactly why I was asking.... I was wanting MP3 capapbility and figured I would just swap out the factory head unit anyhow. Well, of course, until I learned about the problems associated. Once you have it worked out, I'd be interested to see what your solutions were. Thanks!

I don't know anything about satelite radio... How does the SR unit interface with the factory unit? Have you worked out these details yet?

New or used?

I for one have not been able to afford new tires in the past.... or oil changes.... or gas... or insurance. Not making escuses, but just that I've been there. Are there conditions that promote dry rot? Is there anything one can do to prevent it? I never knew that about garages being legally responsible for the condition of the vehicles leaving their shop but it makes perfect sense. I once had a garage let me drive away without any brakes! Sounds rediculous I know... but the bad part is that they never told me the brakes were out of order. They even left the keys in it for me for after hours pick up.

Awesome, I'm going to call around this weekend! Thanks for the tip!