Subaru Automobiles

[MossRoad]

You would actually have to remember to hit the paddles

Past two cars we've had (Mazda and Buick) both have a slap shift option on the gear shifter. Other than playing with it with the Mazda just to check it out, we never used it.

Same for the Buick. I've accidently engaged it once.

I use the gear selector in our Impala fairly often going downhill. Wife and I go to a lot of state and national parks and recreation areas with sketchy roads. People kinda look at us funny when we show up in an Impala.

It's in a stupid location with both up and down behind the left hand on the steering wheel.

 

[cqaigy2]

I hit the paddle shifter going down hill too. Mine are on each side of the steering wheel, left side is down shift, right up shift. I think.

 

[BX23S-1]

@MossRoad
I bet that Subaru Outback will serve you well. Love the color of yours! My wife bought her Outback last summer, she loves it. It`s loaded right up nicely. We did shut off a few of the features though. Neither one of us wants a car to drive for us, (we know how to drive). Always felt like we were fighting it to keep in the lane where we wanted to be. Especially when you`re trying to avoid potholes like where we live. Other than that, i`m a truck guy myself, but i love driving her Subaru. Fantastic driving car, and very comfortable! I`m very surprised how peppy it is! Seems more powerful than her Subaru Legacy was. This is her second Subaru. She had such good luck with her last one, zero problems ever, so she bought this second one. If it runs as long as her last one did, there'll never be a complaint from us. If i were a car guy, i wouldn`t hesitate buying the Subaru Outback after driving hers.

If there is only one thing that really annoys me with hers, its how the remote start is set up. You remote start it, then when you go out to get in the car, as soon as you open any door, it shuts the engine off. I wish knew how to delete that feature.

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

They don't use the starter to restart the car. The computer stops the engine at the exact point that all it has to do is fire off that spark plug.

I can't say I've been looking at new cars anytime recently. But my brothers Chevy absolutely used the starter. You could hear it. Every. Single. Time.

I think it was a '12? Malibu.

 

[Bocephous]

We've had 3 Subarus: An '02 Forester, an '05 Outback, and a '17 Legacy.

The Forester was totaled in an accident in which an immobile vehicle with no hazards or lights on was parked in the right north bound lane of interstate 81. My wife clipped its left rear with the right front of the Forester at 65mph and flipped it into the median. She had a bruise on her shoulder from the seat belt; that's it. Very good car in the snow and well built.

The '05 Outback suffered from the notorious head gasket leak. It also went through wheel bearings and brake calipers on a regular basis. We had the head gasket fixed at around 125,000 miles and we traded it at 148,000 on the Legacy.

The '17 Legacy was a great car. I put all weather tires on it and for all its meager ground clearance it was very, very good in the snow, and the most comfortable vehicle I've ever owned. It got great mpg (30-32) with summer gas, average mpg (26-28) with winter gas. I drove it for almost 5 years and traded it in at 58,000 miles on my wife's 2022 Mazda CX-5, her first new vehicle and 50th birthday present.

Overall, I really like Subarus, but something deep down inside me has a distrust for the durability of CVT transmissions. I really wish they had stuck with a traditional 6 speed automatic.

 

[Egon]

They don't use the starter to restart the car. The computer stops the engine at the exact point that all it has to do is fire off that spark plug.

You mean there is never any compression leak down when the engine is shut off.

 

[tacticalturnip]

I'm a fan of Subaru; the missus has had two of them, and I enjoyed both quite a bit.

 

[jjeff]

I'm a fan of Subaru; the missus has had two of them, and I enjoyed both quite a bit.


View attachment 788524View attachment 788525

Sweet brat/baja, how was that one? always intrigued my somewhat different taste in cars.

 

[tacticalturnip]

Sweet brat/baja, how was that one? always intrigued my somewhat different taste in cars.

It was fun, a lot of fun. For most of the time we owned it we were living in Texas; the flat, curvy, open roads made for fun driving. It was naturally aspirated, and while it wasn't a speed demon it was quick on the back roads. When we moved back to Maine the car was a champ come winter; it could climb icy hills with no issue, and really hugged the road.

Unfortunately it only sat 4, despite seemingly having a rear bench; when we started having kids we had to get rid of it. We actually sold it to my in-laws, and they still have it, though it sits most of the time these days. The only issue we ever had was the head gasket; we replaced one, and my in-laws replaced another.

We both loved that ca(t)r(uck).

 

[reb]

Not sure why you think adaptive cruise control wears the brakes. I've only seen it use the throttle. It lets up or gives it more gas.

The adaptive cruise control on my Toyota truck brakes when it detects a vehicle changing lanes ahead of it. Using the throttle would be ok, I guess.

 

[MossRoad]

The adaptive cruise control on my Toyota truck brakes when it detects a vehicle changing lanes ahead of it. Using the throttle would be ok, I guess.

Well, I brake if someone changes lanes ahead of me as well, so I can't see the difference. I've got the Outback set for maximum distance right now. It's always just let off the throttle when I come up on someone going slower than me. It holds me about 2.5 - 3 seconds behind the car I'm following, which is what I try and maintain when I'm driving manually. I like it.

 

[jjeff]

The adaptive cruise control on my Toyota truck brakes when it detects a vehicle changing lanes ahead of it. Using the throttle would be ok, I guess.

It uses the brakes on my wife's Honda. I suppose I could drive behind her and tell her to drive towards an immovable object then take a picture of the brake lights coming on? Nope, after further consideration I will not bring that up to her.

 

[California]

The '05 Outback suffered from the notorious head gasket leak. It also went through wheel bearings and brake calipers on a regular basis. We had the head gasket fixed at around 125,000 miles and we traded it at 148,000 on the Legacy.

Before I bought the '99 Outback I read a lot in the then-Yahoo Subaru group.

re head gaskets: Someone who adapted Subaru engines for light aircraft (where they have to be reliable), had advice that has worked for me: He said every head gasket case he knew of was caused by heavy throttle, causing localized uneven heating, before the engine was fully warm with everything at uniform temperature. Works for me. At 140k miles on the '99 the head gaskets are original, and that year was notorious for the head gasket problem appearing when Subaru went from 2.2L to 2.5L OHC a year or two previous.

Why this works for me is both home and ranch have a few miles of quiet residential or country-lane pavement before reaching an on-ramp or anything that needs heavy throttle.

Incidentally one thing from that Yahoo group that I've confirmed: Under 3k rpm the Outback is calm, unobtrusive, genteel. Use the shifter to keep RPM in the 4k~6k range and its a whole nother beast.

Wheel bearings? All original.

Brakes? At 10 k miles I want to the nearest Subaru/Ford dealer for the first tire rotation and a general checkup by a 'Subaru Professional'. Got robbed. The idiot there torqued the lug bolts so hard that he warped the rotors. At 20 k miles we couldn't stand the heavy vibration when braking so I had my usual neighborhood shop replace the rotors and I think, pads. Then the 'first' brake job at 135 k miles.

Overall, I really like Subarus, but something deep down inside me has a distrust for the durability of CVT transmissions.

Me too. Just a suspicion. But I can't see how slipping a belt against a pulley can be as troublefree as the torque converter in my 4EAT A/T. I bought the Subaru to replace a 4 cyl 5 speed Trooper that was killed by the neighbor's tree falling on it. And chose the A/T version Outback specifically for being able to nudge one tire at a time over significant obstacles without a low range. Doing this with a CVT just doesn't sound right. But I've read that after that first year when they upgraded an inadequate bearing, the CVT is fine.

 

[cqaigy2]

But I've read that after that first year when they upgraded an inadequate bearing, the CVT is fine.

I had suspicions about the CVT as well, but it sounds like at least the later model vehicles have pretty much figured it out. I have a 2014 they used a bushing for the shifting solenoid the last year for that. I had to replace it at 110K miles. The replacement uses a real baring. I've talked to some people that have replaced/flushed the transmission fluid after 100K miles.

 

[IndyIan]

They don't use the starter to restart the car. The computer stops the engine at the exact point that all it has to do is fire off that spark plug.

I don't subaru is using that system? I had a 2022 Legacy as a loaner and it seemed to crank normally after every stop. I can see how it saves gas if you have a lot of long stoplights in your normal driving.

 

[California]

Here's why I need a small SUV.

The Outback followed years of used 4x4's. Willys Wagon, 2 of them. $500 with Studebaker V8 (SBC) then a $1k one with a Ford Y-block 292. But both so old that stuff kept breaking so I sold each after a year. (I was poor back then). Then a good 4 speed 302 Wagoneer that I ran for years until it was hit while parked. A later Wagoneer, that had an overwhelming number of undiscovered problems. AMC Eagle, $7k used, ok until I cooked the transmission towing a light travel trailer in 105 degree weather. Bought a new 88 Trooper. Troublefree until a tree fell on it at year 10. Then the '99 Outback bought new. The only major repair has been $1100 for a new speedometer / instrument panel assembly, oh and I put an alternator in it a couple of years ago.

Every one of these was bought with a specific task in mind. To make it out the 20 miles of logging trails from our gold mining claim to the pavement. Even with light snow overnight making this climb from our camp, slippery.

 

[AnotherBueller]

Ddin’t Nissan try CVT transmissions and they were a failure?

I have a 2009 Nissan Maxama with a cvt and I've had NO problems with the trans.

 

[cqaigy2]

A buddy of mine has a gold mine, looks like similar enough countryside that i did a double take at your picture. Was a great place to go camping with pretty good fishing in the creak down below.

 

[Oaktree]

I have a few friends that own Subarus and have nothing bad to say of them. I keep telling myself that car is for her not me I just have to occasionally relearn everything I know in order to get it out of my driveway.

I hear ya on that. Many Suburu owners I know are very loyal too, but their cars just don't do anything for me. Quirky controls, rather uncomfortable driving position, not for me.

Wife looked at them last time she was car shopping, and of the dealers we visited the Suburu dealer was the most knowledgeable and easy to work with. But neither of us liked the car.

 

[MossRoad]

Got curious. Found this video of a Subaru CVT transmission tear down.

Turns out it's belt made out of chain. With pins that run through the links. It appears the pins are what ride on the sheaves.

Pretty darn cool!