Figured I should introduce myself ... been looking around for a good forum, and I think I found it - wow! You folks ROCK!!!

 

Okay, a preface: Maybe some of you all have gone thru this before already ... this was new for me:

 

I do construction. For years, I drove around in a 1991 Ford E-350 Cargo van that was 7’ tall and had no windows and tool shelves in the back. Oh yeah, and the roof-racks. Gotta have the roof racks. And parallel park? Fugettabout! This old van had really seen better days, and here in Michigan back in December when it was 12 degrees, I was beginning to realize that I was pushing it more than I was driving it, so I decided that I needed to get something else to work in.

 

Next step - I checked-out craigslist and did a search for something to replace it with ... and ended up (almost on a whim) finding the cheapest dorkiest cars I could find. Hell, why not? So I sent some emails, made some calls … and lo – 45 minutes later I had negotiated myself into a 1990 Subaru Loyale Wagon with 155k on it. Bad shocks, bad battery, horrible bearings on the alternator, tires were shot, it kinda stank, even in December, but hey – a) it ran, it had heat, c) it had a (albeit meager) radio, and d) I could fold the seats down and put tools in the back.

 

I was golden. I gave her the $500 bucks and drove away.

 

License & registration was next – insurance was $1100 a year LESS than what I paid in the van. Just paid for the car twice. Sweeeet. Then came tires. $138 out the door. Did you hear that?

 

$138 out the door. I used to pay $200 bucks-a-smash EACH for my 16.5” Load-Range “E” van tires. Just paid for the car twice more. Battery from Sears, Alternator from Ebay, I could live with the shocks-a-rockin' for now ... but nothing prepared me for the next Monday when I 1st pulled up into work the next Monday. You should have seen the faces on the guys. Oh yeah. Uh huh. Then came the comments: things like,

 

• "Hey Davalos! Nice Car! Bwaaaaaaaaaahahahaha!!!! What’d you do, roll some old-lady? BaaaaaaahHAhahahahaWAAHAHAH!!!"
  
• "Hey, Baby! C’mere! Wanna kiss? Oooooh baby! Let’s fold those seats down & get busy in the back, Baaaaahwa ahaha!!"
  
• Hey, Davalos, Where’s the kid-seat? Did you have it removed? BAAAAAHWAHAHA!!!
  

 

And of course, my favorite:

 

• "Hey Davalos -– on the way home, pick me up some groceries! Yeah, and maybe ou should get some new panties, Bhaaaaaaaaaawahwhahahah!!"
  

... Two of them had to be taken to the hospital because they soiled themselves laughing when I opened up the hood for them & they saw the spare tire … hehe

 

Okay, so it took a couple weeks, but they’re starting to get used to me rolling-up in this thing, and okay, so they tell me I’m never gonna get laid for the rest of my life – yeah, whatever. But hey – keep in mind, they still all drive giant small-penis pickup trucks and giant rapist-looking vans, so maybe they won’t either. And I put $30 into my tank now instead of $150 (yeah, no kidding!), and it lasts me THREE TIMES as long, I swear! Okay, so I won’t be getting laid after pulling up on a 1st date in my rusty Subaru Loyale Wagon, ok. I get it. But hey - it’s a nice car anyway, hehe!!! I have to admit, it’s grown on me. Besides, I went from 7 mpg to 33mpg overnight, and that’s even with the check engine light on … WOW!!!

 

And I can get a friggin’ apartment-sized REFRIGERATOR in the back! I almost blew a nut when I found that out – holy crap!

 

Now, I know – you’re all tellin’ me: “OMG, Davalos! Why the HELL would you use such a great car as a work vehicle! It’s Sacrilege!!” What can I say? I didn’t know what I was getting into whe I bought it – it was just a car.

 

But now I think I’m becoming a convert. I admit, it’s a dorky little car as-is. But I think it has potential.

 

So here I am. And there she is: I'll get some better pics pretty soon here. Not much to look at now.

 

Welcome to the club. Get used to being razzed, imagine what all the jeepers tell us when we show up on the trails with one of those things lifted running swampers.

 

Its even worse than what your co-workers say.

 

-Brian

I work for a drywall compamy (estimator), so I know the feeling. Surrounded by very tall fords and chevys is my little EA82 sedan. I guess since it's not a wagon I don't get as much flak, but I did for the Brat. They shut their holes when I drove in with my lifted wagon a few times. The mud spatter and body damage plus the aggressive look.....I don't hear much anymore now.

 

GD

heh heh ... yeah. I still have a Ford-osterone machine that I've modded a lot ... I suppose if I start feeling low about my manliness, I can spend the $20 bucks it would cost me in gas to drive it one day ... that damned thing holds 60 gallons of gas - can you imagine going thru that almost every week?

 

But hey - you look cool when you press-down the switch that kicks in the hydraulics ... was my 1st hydraulic install ... I wonder if I could do something with the Loyale & Hydraulics, heheh! Hey - maybe I could get the Loyale to tear itself in half for the Guys, heh heh. Now THAT would rock!

 

Nice car and welcome. Im new too

Hey, you can always pick up chicks on the ski slope. Ski chicks dig 'Burus.

 

As for the mocking, you shall get none from me. Three things Loyales do best:

 

Carry stuff

Commute

Not drain the wallet

 

Edit: Oh yeah, if you REALLY miss the roof racks, you can install some...

welcome to the club man. Well, we might as well get u addicted now.. my car http://usmb.net/gallery/album280/000_0497?full=1 There are a lot cooler roo's on here than that.

welcome! another thing to keep your eyes on is the fender wells. rust is the biggest killer of these cars.

Thank God I live in AZ....

welcome , i get the same thing , since all my cars are subaru's , also might check out the timing belts, water pump, radiator, all can be bought cheap,

I've been a carpenter my whole life. I've been running a brat for the last 15? yrs. I can do 90% of my work (running around, tool carrying ...) in the suby. I once sunk my f250 on the job and drove circles around it with my '78 wagon until it dryed up enough to pull it out. The ford stays parked until I need it. I fill the bed of the brat with two Irish wolfhounds and a Dane. That's pushing it!

Thanks everyone -

 

It's awesome to see I'm not alone here! ... hehe.

OMG - I gotta get pics of this ...

 

This morning, I took the risk and went to Home Depot & brought some rope with me in case I needed to put a sheet of plywood on top....

 

But GUESS WHAT - I got it INSIDE in the wagon! Yes, it stuck out the back, and YES, I ate a lot of exhaust becaue the hatch doesn't shut, but WOW! Awesome! I might just build some removable blocks to do this more often ... all you gotta do i keep it up high and watch out for the rear seatbelts & you can canteliver one in there.

 

Rock on!

I ran a handyman business for a couple years out of my Loyale wagon. Intended to buy a pickup, but never needed it. 24 ft Ladder on the roof, everything else in the back. I once carried 6 sheets of drywall in it - it squatted down quite a bit, but handled fine.

Put a trailer hitch on it, and get a utility trailer to go with it. Who needs a pickup truck? You can carry ANYTHING a pickup can, for an extra $50 a year in insurance, and you only have to drag all that extra around when you need it.

Welcome to the world of Subaru, your officially addicted.

A couple weeks ago some guy on CL here in the Seattle area had a industrial type lumber rack on a Subaru Wagon. This was the type you see on pickup trucks. And it was all proportional to boot. To bad he was selling the whole car, the rack would have been cool to have.

Welcome!

 

I'm new here, too and have a Loyale ('93) 2WD wagon.

 

I've gotten a lot of great advice from the Soob Experts on here (much appreciated!).

 

I used to own a 87 Legacy wagon AWD, and REALLY miss having AWD now..not only was it great for the hills out here in Central Texas, but somehow having AWD makes the car seem not quite so "nerdy" hahaha!

 

I'm thinking of a lift kit and other mods, but I'm just learning about how to work on the "Loyale with Cheese" (as I call it!).

 

Martha Clark

Austin, Texas

Put a trailer hitch on it, and get a utility trailer to go with it. Who needs a pickup truck? You can carry ANYTHING a pickup can, for an extra $50 a year in insurance, and you only have to drag all that extra around when you need it.

 

I sold my truck too.

 

A trailer is the way to go

 

Tow don't haul your extra crap!

Heh .. I feel like the Hilti-Guy right now ... all my Hilti cases in the back in bright-red, just ASKING for people to look ... ack!

 

Better get my tinting done QUICK!!!!

You need a cargo cover. Try posting in the WTB forum for one.

so when's the lift?

the obscene cb antenna (obscene = way too huge for that car... thinking noah here)

more lights on the roof that a football stadium

 

and if they still give you crap

a gunrack

 

and a proper sticker... (i've got one, truck folk think it's funny)

Once again, the Subaroo (or “Booperoo”, as the guys still call it) fails to disappoint.

 

This morning, I drove over to Lowe’s to pick up some cabinets that were ordered for a side-job I was doing – I headed up there for a CPU slip – “pick up the rest of the cabinets, Davalos” – Sure, no problem. I’m thinking a couple cabinets short – from what they were talking.

 

When I got there, I gave them the P.O. slip & hung-out by the commercial sales desk – the guy thumbed “over there, Boss . . .” & gestured to the wall. When I looked over, I thought there was some kind of mistake – there was a pallet of cabinets sitting there! Evidently, they had ordered more than I thought.

 

Ed, the commercial desk guy had me sign the slip & said “Pull your vehicle up to the overhead door & we’ll get you fixed-up. At that point, I was faced with a decision: admit that I brought a 1990 Subaru Loyale, or not.

 

I chose to not. I admit – I wussed-out. I looked at Ed & said “Nah – that’s cool – I got it – thanks!” I got a flat-cart & started loading-up & took the whole load out side to the parking lot … it took a few moments to think it all thru, but 5 minutes later, I was pulling the empty flat-cart back to the desk.

 

When I got back to the commercial desk, Ed handed me a $5 bill. I asked what it was for, and he said “I just won $15 bucks, I figured you should have your share” Evidently, he won $5 bucks each from the other guys at the commercial desk who bet against me, heh heh. They were bettin’ I’d come-in & ask for some twine to tie the last one on the roof … heheh

 

So there she is - with all-5 cabinets in there, with the doors closed. We’re talking 168 inches of cabinet in there, plus my tools! I just couldn’t let that one go without taking a picture ... She rode a little low, and I sure as Hell couldn’t see in any direction, but I got ‘em… woohooo!

 

If I’m not a convert now, I’ll never be, haha!

 

 

uh oh ... looks like I should learn to re-size these things ... Sorry aboutt that!

Hey nothing wrong with those old Loyales....My 92 FWD 5 Spd has been with me for 3 years...not bad for a $600 car. I personally dont care what people think about it. All my friends have new/newer Dodge Trucks or whatevers and would NEVER be seen as even a passenger in my wagon. But I sure do like to laugh at all of them at the gas pumps....these FWD 5 spd Loyales can easily get 40+ miles to the gallon.

Oh ..and just so you know...you CAN haul your refridgerator in them....You are lucky yours isnt white like mine...cause it looks like a fridge then!