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Outback for MBC

dante

dante

Unabomber
Feb 13, 2004
8,807
9
looking for classic NE singletrack
MtnBikerChk said:
They don't make an awd pathfinder and the 4wd is not recommended for dry roads.
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I had similar issues in my XJ (Jeep Cherokee), particularly when it went from normal road surfaces to patches of snow and ice. There were definitely a few panic-grabs for the 4wd lever, and as great as it was in deep snow, it sucked for light snow/rain/etc where I wasn't comfortable using the 4wd 100% of the time.

However, since going to a FWD car, all of those issues went away. It be came much less "holy crap I'm about to spin out" and became much more stable and planted. Even using the stock tires that were universally despised in the rain, I rarely had any issues. Then after I moved to WI, I bought snow tires and have had zero issues ever since.

Depending on how much/deep snow you drive in (and how steep the hills are), I wouldn't rule out FWD. Obviously if you're regularly driving in 6" of snow, get AWD.
 
Leppah

Leppah

Turbo Monkey
Mar 12, 2008
2,294
3
Utar
I'm curious as to why some people are so worried about having a car with a lot of power. I could understand if it's a truck that's going to be used for towing. Or a van full of people. But if power is the issue, just get an STI. I think it would be pretty hard to find power, great mileage, and a cheap price tag.
Besides, subaru's don't get that great of mileage. They're almost like an SUV. Honda's get better mileage than they do. Same with Toyota's.

If you want good mileage and want a subaru, get an impreza. If you want good power and ok mileage, get a WRX or Legacy GT. If you want more power and way more fun when you drive, get an STI.
 
Sandwich

Sandwich

Pig my fish!
Staff member
May 23, 2002
21,155
6,122
borcester rhymes
SkaredShtles said:
Hmmm... sounds like a societal thing.

Smart driving will get you out more often than excess power. :monkey:
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I've found myself in plenty of situations where having adequate power to pass somebody could have eliminated a situation rather than prolonging it. You don't have to drive like a bat out of hell all of the time, but being able to pass an "at-risk" driver, quickly, beats the hell out of waiting for him or her to finish her text before slowly creeping by. The combination of passing power and a smart driver is good, just extra power is bad....mmmkay:boss:
 
MikeD

MikeD

Leader and Demogogue of the Ridemonkey Satinists
Oct 26, 2001
11,700
1,751
chez moi
My 2.5 Impreza Outback was fun to drive in twisties and could go easily on the highway up to around 80, although you weren't blessed with a real top end of any sort. No matter-worked fine and I love(d) the car. (Dad has it now that I'm overseas.)

Mileage really wasn't that great, though...like 23 around town, 27 on the highway.

Manual was MUCH better with the older cars; the autos were sluggish. The new autos have a tiptronic, right?

And when I drove the bigger Baja with the small engine, it was sort of a dog.
 
HAB

HAB

Chelsea from Seattle
Apr 28, 2007
11,582
2,012
Seattle
Sandwich said:
because passing people is awesome and being able to get out of hazardous situations when you want to is good?
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Passing in my car is all kinds of fun. It's like a game. Goes something like this:

-get stuck behind someone slow
-decide I want to pass
-wait for a passing lane
-see one coming up, get excited
-realize it's going uphill, wait a bit
-finally get a passing lane on a flat bit
-downshift, gun it
-creep by minivan going 2mph faster than them
-get funny look from soccer mom driving said minivan as I inch by, yelling obscenities and urging my car to go faster
-complete pass, only to have them turn off 100 yards later.
 
MikeD

MikeD

Leader and Demogogue of the Ridemonkey Satinists
Oct 26, 2001
11,700
1,751
chez moi
I still say the 4bangers are great if driven aggressively...what's the mileage difference (if any?) with the 6 cyl?

New Zealanders I knew said "you Yanks like your engines big, don't you?" when I told them I had a 2.5l. They were astonished when I told them this was the smallest Subaru engine available in the States.
 
gsweet

gsweet

Monkey
Dec 20, 2001
733
4
Minnesota
for reference-sake, i just got back from a 7 mile alewife morning commute in the new (to me) subaru. my god, what a glorious machine in this messy new england crap! buy one and never look back! granted, i only get in the mid to high 20 mpg range on the highway (compared to north of 40 in my old honda), but days like today make me so happy i bought it...
 
gsweet

gsweet

Monkey
Dec 20, 2001
733
4
Minnesota
MtnBikerChk said:
Update: dealer didn't
Give me what I want for my car so when I get back from vacation I'm going to another dealer. Bastids!
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sell privately! seriously, when i was looking at a trade-in value for my car, i was getting low balled at every corner. i sold the car privately on craigslist and pulled in 150% of what the dealers were offering me
 
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