Subaru Automobiles

[MossRoad]

Zoom Zoom?

 

[TractorTYMe]

I had an 1987 Subaru GL10 station wagon 5 speed with a Hi-Low transfer case. That thing had 275k miles on it, topped out at 75Mph but was an absolutely mountain goat. I had it as a winter beater.

 

[Torvy]

Did you beat winter? I gave up and moved south.

 

[TractorTYMe]

Did you beat winter? I gave up and moved south.

I think I did, I bought a tractor and it didn't give me more than 4-5 inches of snow max for each storm ever since. That's liveable.

 

[1Mech]

My California Subaru. Not a spot of rust. I bought this new in 1999.

I was loading the other car (gets better mileage) to return to the ranch and noticed the Subaru, after its semi-annual wash, still looks great. So I took this photo today.

View attachment 826318

I'm trying to decide if it is worth putting $1k into the recommended and overdue maintenance - timing belt etc, valve cover gaskets, flush & replace all fluids. The head gaskets are original, a known trouble point for this engine. Also get the driver's door to respond to the remote.

It's at 150k miles now. Only used some 3k miles per year, it's tempting to just keep running it until something finally breaks. Like I have for the last 15 years.

I'm concerned that it could eventually need surprise expensive work, for example the exhaust system, that can be over $1k before considering replacing the cats. The transmission seems bulletproof.... 24 years is a long time for a car to simply run without needing anything.

At any rate I love my Subaru. We've taken it on many offroad adventures over the years. (photos).

You would defiantly want to change the timing belt and water pump !! If the belt breaks it gets expensive to fix, real fast. If you are just a bit handy, it is not too hard of a DIY job. I have done a few from that era.
I much prefer that era Outback body style, the newer ones are getting oversized to me.

 

[1Mech]

My wife has a 2019 Outback. She loves the car. 85000 miles and the only problem was the touch screen went out and had to be replaced.

The only issue I have with the car is the radio automatically starts when you start the car. Even if you turned it off before shutting it off. Annoying to me.

Anyone else have that issue and found a fix?

Pull the fuse, maybe you could wire in an inline switch. You would think the dealer could program it out too!

 

[Hay Dude]

People in MY area that drive Subarus are mostly old ladies with Bernie Sanders stickers on the bumper.

 

[Torvy]

People in MY area that drive Subarus are mostly old ladies with Bernie Sanders stickers on the bumper.

If libs started buying and driving AGCO tractors, does that reflect badly on the tractor?

Personally, I drive what my experience, research and analysis say are the best vehicle for my situation. I don't worry to much about what other people think.

 

[Hay Dude]

If libs started buying and driving AGCO tractors, does that reflect badly on the tractor?

Personally, I drive what my experience, research and analysis say are the best vehicle for my situation. I don't worry to much about what other people think.

Huh? I don’t get the analogy.
Like I said, that’s in MY area. In your area, it may not be same.
I think they are a practical vehicle.

It’s just a phenomena in my area I see every day.

 

[Rockbadchild]

More the tech more information they gather... Glad my vehicle don't have any of this new tech...

https://www.axios.com/2023/09/08/car-data-privacy-record-listen-mozilla-report

 

[Hay Dude]

I heard that Nissan collects the most driver information. They have cameras that watch eye movements and load all that info into a data system.
Most people don’t know that when they sign an agreement to buy a vehicle, there’s an agreement by the buyer to literally be spied on, have their data collected, then be constantly pestered with offers, advertising, etc.

 

[Oaktree]

People in MY area that drive Subarus are mostly old ladies with Bernie Sanders stickers on the bumper.

They do seem to disproportionately appeal to people of that particular slant, though not just old ladies. Actually, around here toyotas seem to be the choice of the bluehairs, poking along doing 40 in a 55.
Suburu sedans seem popular with the "ricer" crowd with the fart-can mufflers. Not sure why.

Most people don’t know that when they sign an agreement to buy a vehicle, there’s an agreement by the buyer to literally be spied on, have their data collected, then be constantly pestered with offers, advertising, etc.

Never been able to get a straight answer on this...is it possible to disable all that telemetry on a modern vehicle and still have it run?

Cellphones and their aaps are great tracking devices too.

 

[California]

When I bought the Outback in 1999, Subaru had discovered some who bought new Outbacks and Foresters were independent women who liked women. So a portion of the marketing subtly played to that. I took some good-natured kidding at my choice of vehicles.

In reply to the kidding I quoted a friend: "I don't have anything against that preference except it takes two hot women out of circulation!"

 

[ericm979]

Suburu sedans seem popular with the "ricer" crowd with the fart-can mufflers. Not sure why.

The Subaru WRX and WRX Sti are fast affordable small cars. They have been making them for a long time so there are affordable used ones out there for kids to buy. Just like in my generation when kids were buying '67 Malibus or whatever and hot rodding them. There's also the BRZ which while it's not AWD or turbo, handles well.

Never been able to get a straight answer on this...is it possible to disable all that telemetry on a modern vehicle and still have it run?

Sometimes. Supposedly it can be done in VW Golf Mk7s, with quite a bit of work (if you want to keep the nav system working). That's the one I know about, I'm sure there are others.

Some newer cars use over the air software updates now. If you disable the telemetry on those you would not get the updates.

Close to 15 years ago I interviewed with a company that was going to do the security for automaker OTA and telemetry. The car companies were already working on it then, seeing that in the future a lot of updates were going to be software only.

Cellphones and their aaps are great tracking devices too.

Yes, phone apps are generally terrible for tracking and privacy violations.

 

[Hay Dude]

When I bought the Outback in 1999, Subaru had discovered some who bought new Outbacks and Foresters were independent women who liked women. So a portion of the marketing subtly played to that. I took some good-natured kidding at my choice of vehicles.

In reply to the kidding I quoted a friend: "I don't have anything against that preference except it takes two hot women out of circulation!"

Why are women who like women “hot” women????

 

[California]

Why are women who like women “hot” women????

Guess you've never met a teasing hottie college girl who presents herself with a big smile as a GUG (Gay Until Graduation) ?

 

[Hay Dude]

Guess you've never met a teasing hottie college girl who presents herself with a big smile as a GUG (Gay Until Graduation) ?

Maybe thats a “San Francisco” thing???

I tended to gravitate to the women who like guys.

 

[Torvy]

Most of the women that I know who like other women are not in the category I would call hot. I suppose there are a few, but definitely the minority.

 

[California]

Maybe thats a “San Francisco” thing???

True. a lot of people move to where they can meet their own kind. Ie, SF.

An interesting consequence is DINK female couples making Silicon Valley incomes are buying the small farms around here and putting in showplace 'ambiance' vineyards. Two such within walking distance of my place. Good decent neighbors.

 

[Sigarms]

If I missed it, apologies. We have a Honda Pilot that averages about 18 MPG local driving, and can get up to about 23MPG with the vehicle loaded for long (plus 2 hour highway trips on way), but with it being just my wife and I this December, we feel that the pilot is getting to big for us for the fuel economy.

Couple of questions...

1 - Everyone who owns a subraru, what is your average gas mileage and what model is the vehicle?

2 - What's the towing capacity and do you tow anything yourself?

3 - What are the models you want to look for particuarly in the outback model? Been looking on Auto Trader for some time now on the outbacks, and it seems they have a lot of different models and it gets confusing for me. Do like the way the trekker (sp?) looks in the outback model.

4 - Would you buy another subaru again (we would buy another pilot, bought it used for 15K years ago with 75K on it, and other a heavey maintence bill when it got to over 200k, it's been holding well for another 25K miles.

5 - Genearlly we buy used, cash, paid in full and look for the best deal to limit the variables of new car pricing. That's why I'm wondering about all the different models over the last couple of years. Any particular model of the outback you would stay away from?

Always fond of my buddies subaru in the 80-90's, but back then it always seemed to be an oil problem over 100k on the odometer, but I believe from reading here that issue seems to have been resolved.

Genearlly we will ride the vehicle for at least 300k on the odometer, and since it's going to be just me and the wife, may contemplate actually buying something new and not used. That said, our nature is something used with under 100k on it and find the best deal.