Cam & Lori's 2006 Subaru Impreza Outback Sport (Deedee)

[Cam]

1120

Bought new in Irvine in 2006, Deedee now has 86,000 miles on the clock. She just had a regular service and four new Falken Azenis tires put on this morning. As you guys know, she's been from California to Nova Scotia, from British Columbia to Florida and nearly all parts inbetween. She's faithfully seen us through two major moves, many other adventures and never asked for anything in return, except for the occasional set of new shoes. She's run practically bullet proof, despite being in a major accident in her first 1,000 miles. She's looking and running great for being almost ten years old. The only problem she has at the moment is minor. The clutch throw-out bearing is making noise. Dealer mechanic says it's OK for now. That kind of surprised me as I figured they would jump at the chance to make work for themselves. This dealership's service department seems alright. I'll be sad the day we replace her, but that's a way out yet. If only I had a job rather than being a student... :)

[Kchrpm]

Sounds like a nice little love letter to a reliable friend :up:

[samoht]

There's just something fundamentally right about Imprezas (and Legacies), even if they aren't fast ones, I see them as a cut above most 'normal' cars, I guess as having a fundamentally better chassis & drivetrain layout. Glad to hear this one is treating you right :-)

[pl8ster]

I think I had the pleasure of passengerness when you stayed over here on your way back to Cali once, yes?

[M4FFU]

Funny – had no idea you had this. Which engine do you have? I’m looking at the 3.0 versions at the moment as do-it-all car.

[Cam]

pl8, I don't remember you riding in it, but I drove it to your place once in a snow storm. :lol:

M4FFU, it has a 2.5 litre, 173 hp engine. As far as I know, all base-line Imprezas that year in North America had the same engine. If you wanted something better you had to buy a WRX. Oddly enough, if I remember correctly, the WRX only had a 2.0 litre, turbocharged, of course.

Edit: WRXes did have a 2.5 litre that year.

[Yw-slayer]

Yes. I wouldn't get the 2.5L turbo due to reports (internet never lies amirite!!!) of it being unreliable.

[Cam]

Owners beat the crap out of their car and wonder why it doesn't work. :rolleyes:

[Godson]

Owners beat the crap out of their car and wonder why it doesn't work. :rolleyes:

:lol:

[Kchrpm]

The 3.0 only went into Legacy-based Outbacks AFAIK, not Impreza-based.

[Yw-slayer]

I dunno man, at least Ali here didn't like the 2.5 turbo on his STI. Anyway, I'm waiting for the next STI which will hopefully come with a turboed FA20.

[Cam]

Seems I jinxed it. CV joint boot cracked and sprayed grease everywhere. :(

[Cam]

Yep, really jinxed it. Now the clutch is gone. :(

[Yw-slayer]

Not too bad for a 9yo car.

[SportWagon]

Why did you call it Deedee? Something to do with its original registration plate?

Hmm. There's a Deedee Automotive in Cambridge NS.

http://www.autoshop-canada.com/dealer/deedee-automotive-322804.html

[Cam]

I had a 1990 Honda Accord EX-R before Deedee I named Dexter. I think because the NS plate it had at the time started with DX. When we bought the Subaru, we named her Deedee because Dexter from Dexter's Lab has a sister named Deedee. I sold Dexter shortly after.

[21Kid]

We call our 2006 Saabaru (Sabrina)

[Cam]

:up:

[FaultyMario]

Sabrina

Why?? (http://p2.trrsf.com/image/fget/cf/600/600/images.terra.com/2015/04/05/04-sabrina-sabrok.jpg)

[SportWagon]

Shouldn't it be Saabrina?

[21Kid]

It is. ;)

[Cam]

Lori requested a quote on a new Forester. :eek:

[SportWagon]

What about a CrossTrek?

[Yw-slayer]

Sounds good?

[Cam]

What about a CrossTrek?
We have considered it.

[Yw-slayer]

I personally prefer the Forester to the Crosstrek, if only because you can get the Forester with a turbo option, whereas the same does not apply for the Crosstrek.

[Cam]

Forester turbo is only available with automatic transmission in North America. :mad:

It's hard to find a new vehicle with manual gearbox here these days. :smh:

[SportWagon]

The paddle-shift fake manual CVT doesn't seem too bad.

Their published figures claim better fuel consumption for CVT than manual.

But turbo with automatic only is just plain weird.

[Godson]

CVT is the devil's juice.

[TheBenior]

But turbo with automatic only is just plain weird.

Not really, Subaru is probably missing out on less than 50 sales by not offering a Forester XT manual in the US.

99.9% of potential Forester XT manual buyers will just buy a Subaru anyway. It's not like they can go buy a manual 2.0T Santa Fe or Escape instead.

[21Kid]

We had a Forester XT auto... My older standard RS w/o turbo would win races until I shifted to 3rd. It was sufficient for the wife though.

[SportWagon]

Not really, Subaru is probably missing out on less than 50 sales by not offering a Forester XT manual in the US.

99.9% of potential Forester XT manual buyers will just buy a Subaru anyway. It's not like they can go buy a manual 2.0T Santa Fe or Escape instead.

So why should Subaru offer manual at all?

[TheBenior]

For other countries where higher manual transmission demand is spread across smaller dealer networks and they don't have two sets of emissions regulations to deal with.

[thesameguy]

Not really, Subaru is probably missing out on less than 50 sales by not offering a Forester XT manual in the US.

99.9% of potential Forester XT manual buyers will just buy a Subaru anyway. It's not like they can go buy a manual 2.0T Santa Fe or Escape instead.

This is really it - and even though someone like me might go hit up the Ford or Hyundai dealer, I'd wager most Subaru shoppers are going to buy the Subaru regardless, just like most Apple buyers are gonna buy the Apple product.

I of course prefer a manual in virtually any vehicle, but with direct injection and variable vane twin scroll full-lockup torque converters the days of "bad turbo auto" are long in the past. Okay, maybe not that long ago - I remember test driving an automatic WRX when they first showed up in the US and thought it was a death trap, but the automatic Outback XT and Forester XT (~10 year old) we drove a couple months ago were fine.. and even those were pretty primitive compared to what you can buy now!

[TheBenior]

I forgot to add that the take rate on bigger engines in people movers is pretty low in general. Something like 15-20% of US Accord production has V6s. Most people buying CUVs want better fuel economy. When Toyota came out with the previous gen RAV4, they expected V6 models to make up 30% of sales. It ended up being around 10%, which is why the current RAV4 doesn't offer a V6.

[Cam]

Should I just go auto then? Manuals are hard to come by in non-sporty vehicles, it seems. She does not want a WRX. :(

[KillerB]

I'd just get a real truck-based SUV. That's what my non-manual-driving wife wants. At least then you get more capability to go with your slushbox.

[Cam]

Coincidentally, we have considered a pickup. :lol:

[thesameguy]

Unless you are towing or hauling, I'm not sure what real trucks get you anymore. Many of them have independent suspension at one end or the other which reduces "real" offroad capability, and at the same time very few of them have adopted full-time 4WD systems which limits usefulness on the road. If you've got a boat or a race car or want to be "the friend with the truck" I can't see the real advantage of a Tahoe vs. a Traverse in 2016. I'd save the payments and the gas and get something unibody.

[Cam]

After test-driving the auto, we decided to order a manual Forester. We even sat in Mazdas and Nissans. Forester simply had the most leg room. This is important for long legged dudes like me.

[Godson]

Unless you are towing or hauling, I'm not sure what real trucks get you anymore. Many of them have independent suspension at one end or the other which reduces "real" offroad capability, and at the same time very few of them have adopted full-time 4WD systems which limits usefulness on the road. If you've got a boat or a race car or want to be "the friend with the truck" I can't see the real advantage of a Tahoe vs. a Traverse in 2016. I'd save the payments and the gas and get something unibody.

This.

While I love my F150. Seeing 15.6 mpg show up on my dash and calculations can be disheartening.

Especially on a 36 gallon fuel tank.

The 4wd on it though is top notch.

[thesameguy]

After test-driving the auto, we decided to order a manual Forester. We even sat in Mazdas and Nissans. Forester simply had the most leg room. This is important for long legged dudes like me.

I haven't been in a new Forester, but I get the impression they are pretty darned big. Even the Outback seems huge these days!

[Godson]

I haven't been in a new Forester, but I get the impression they are pretty darned big. Even the Outback seems huge these days!

Everything is huge these days.

Only thing that has stayed *about* the same size is the fucking Miata.

[Yw-slayer]

Nice one, Cam.

[21Kid]

After test-driving the auto, we decided to order a manual Forester. We even sat in Mazdas and Nissans. Forester simply had the most leg room. This is important for long legged dudes like me.
Word!

[Random]

:up:

[speedpimp]

Congrats.

[novicius]

Fantastic, Cam!! Always a good time getting a new ride! :up: :up:

[Cam]

We are going to the dealership tomorrow to put down a deposit on a blue Forester Premium with 6-speed manual gearbox. :)

Probably won't be here until March. :(

[CudaMan]

CVT is the devil's juice.
It was perfect for the small displacement turbo motor in the Juke.

Congrats on the new Subie, Cam!

[Cam]

We tried on a Juke, but it was too small for me. :(

[CudaMan]

I could see it. It was the Goldilocks car for 5'11" 32-inseam me.

[Cam]

Ordered! 6-8 weeks.

[SportWagon]

Congratulations. I was going to say, after seeing the new (2017) CrossTrek it no longer looks like an interesting vehicle. Perhaps because the new Impreza is somewhat larger than previously.

How red is your new Forester?

[Cam]

It's as red as blue can get! :P

We ordered it in blue. We did not like the red that was available. It is too close to Gamecock garnet. :lol:

[FaultyMario]

Congrats to the scientist and the artist.

[Cam]

Just got the order confirmation. It is not scheduled to arrive until the end of April.

[novicius]

:up: :up:

So... a New Monarchy Subaru? ;) EDIT: Duh, just re-read that you ordered it in BLUE, not red. My bad! :lol:

What options did you get? Have a name chosen yet? :D

[Cam]

I wanted a more vibrant colour, but there are none available. They even got rid of the orange that you could get on the Crosstrek. That time I met Art Fitzpatrick, he lamented the lack of colour options on cars these days; something to the effect of, "They only come in black, white and some shade of grey."

It is a premium model, so it comes with a lot of standard features, such as heated seats and sunroof. Other than that, we did not order many options. We got the bike rack, of course, and a few other little things like rear bumper guard and auto-dimming rear-view mirror. It's kind of pedestrian, really. It is a compromise between our needs and desires. I wanted something more sporty. Lori wanted a hybrid or electric. Electric is not possible for us at this time.

Most cars do not have enough leg room for me (36 inch inseam). Lori talked about doing road trips, so I wanted something that would be more comfortable for me for long drives. Lori was not fussy. When it comes to cars, she trusts my choices and why I make them. She really wants an electric car eventually, but we need the infrastructure to have it. We don't own our current home, so we can't install a charging system.

This is what I wrote to her on a FB post about electric cars last year:

I would love to have an electric car. However, it is not practical for our lifestyle. We do not commute by car. We drive less than 9000 miles a year. Remember that time I said, "Let's get rid of the car altogether?" Your response was, "No, I want to go on road trips." Good luck going on road trips more than about 100 miles from home.

Let's look at the Chevy Spark, for example. Base model is about $13,000 and gets about 40 mpg. EV model is over $25,000 and has a mere 82 mile range, *just barely* enough to get us to Goodale State Park and back. How long would it take us to recoup the extra cost in gas at $2/gallon, which is more than what gas costs here now? If my calculations are correct, we would be spending about $450 a year on fuel in a gasoline-powered Spark at our current fuel usage and current fuel prices. It would take us over 26 years to recoup the extra $12,000 for the EV model.

I want to support new technologies and alternative fuel sources. I really do. Alas, it is not practical for us at this time due to cost and lack of charging infrastructure.
We go canoeing at Goodale SP. Twenty-six years is much longer than the expected life of the car.

So, yeah, we're getting a 2017 Forester. :)

[Cam]

2137

[Yw-slayer]

This is what I wrote to her on a FB post about electric cars last year:

You mean, you wrote it to her, but really you wanted everyone else to see it?

[Cam]

Could be.

[SportWagon]

Did you need to order a rear cargo cover as a separate option?

Having a hybrid or electric car you don't drive much might result in much deterioration of the little-used batteries?

[21Kid]

For her, I'd think that it's more than just the $$$ gas savings.

Personally I'd still buy an electric, when we had the infrastructure to support it.

Even if it were 10-15% more than an ICE car, because of the environmental savings. Besides the emissions, the maintenance savings might make up for it eventually.

[Kchrpm]

CHEVY BOLT!

[Cam]

As I said already, I suggested to Lori that we get rid of the car altogether. She said no. She was the one that wanted the new car.

Having an electric car is not as environmentally friendly as not having a car at all.

[Yw-slayer]

In general, yes, but it depends on your lifestyle.

http://www.yaleclimateconnections.org/2015/09/evolving-climate-math-of-flying-vs-driving/

If you fly on short trips often and take a taxi at each end to get to the airport and back each end then it may be more environmentally friendly to have an electric car and use that instead.

[21Kid]

Some lawmakers think riding a bike is worse!


Representative Ed Orcutt (R – Kalama) does not think bicycling is environmentally friendly because the activity causes cyclists to have “an increased heart rate and respiration.”
“You can’t just say that there’s no pollution as a result of riding a bicycle.”
“You would be giving off more CO2 if you are riding a bike than driving in a car,” he said.
However, he said he had not “done any analysis” of the difference in CO2 from a person on a bike compared to the engine of a car.:lol:

[Godson]

Is this guy trolling us right now? Or is he that fucking stupid?

[thesameguy]

Are you trolling us?

[FaultyMario]

Why are y'all trolling cam's car post?

[Kchrpm]

Who trolls the Trollmen?

For whom the bell trolls.

[Yw-slayer]

Are you trolling us?

I gotta admit, I was not really trying to troll. I was just trying, half-heartedly, to be a facetious smartass. Maybe I was half-heartedly trolling?

[thesameguy]

Six of one, half dozen of the other....

[Cam]

Deedee is about to hit 100,000 miles. I took her in this morning to replace the timing belt and fix the non-functioning AC. I was supposed to get a loaner, but none came back in the night before. They gave me a rental instead, a 2017 Ford Explorer. :erm:

[novicius]

If the shoe fits... :lol: ;) #jk

[TheBenior]

Some dealers go the loaner route, some do rentals.

Back when my Sentra needed some warranty work done, they gave me a Suzuki Aerio rental car.

[thesameguy]

How did you like that thing? On paper they seemed kinda neat - like maybe a less nice Fit with more power... just not sure how the driving dynamics might be.

[Cam]

It feels like a big... thing. Loads of power. Fully loaded, so it has all the comforts. Alaming lack of leg room, though. Interior seems cheap and plasticky, at least the dash and door bits. It has leather seats, which are not as comfy as I would hope. I heard some rattles and squeaks, which is disappointing for a vehicle with only 4600 miles on it. Drives OK. It makes me appreciate my 11 year old Impreza.

Wait, what vehicle are you asking about? :lol: I am talking about the Explorer.

[thesameguy]

I was actually asking about the Aerio, but I'm not adverse to hearing about the Explorer - it's always been one of those vehicles I like on paper but somehow always find a way to nitpick it to death when I'm in it. :lol: Have you happened to put down the rear seats? What's in like back there? I've not been in any of the newish ones - both times I tried to rent one I got a GM equivalent. I think it's been since the '00 that I had a Ford as a rental... a horrible base model brown in & out SPI Focus. Blech... and I like the Focus.

[TheBenior]

I don't remember too much about the Aerio other then it being slower and softer than my Sentra SE-R. Oh, and it didn't have enough off idle torque to prevent it from rolling backwards on very slight inclines when you stepped off of the brake pedal. My rental was a sedan. I remember being annoyed by it having manual locks and 4 doors. Manual locks on my father's regular cab pickups or my Miata, fine. Checking the back doors? Eff that. :lol:

[Cam]

I realised this morning that there is a third row of seats in the Explorer. They electronically fold flat. I did not attempt to fold the second row, but it appears that they can fold.

[Cam]

I'm seriously considering selling Deedee and getting a cheap, small pickup truck. Gotta haul wood. :thppt:

[Kchrpm]

Perhaps an El Cam-ino?

[Cam]

Could be. :D

Deedee's AC stopped working pretty much as soon as I drove it home from the service dept. :rolleyes: Scheduled another appointment for tomorrow.

[SportWagon]

Deedee obviously got upset because you bought a new car.

[Cam]

I got a guy coming over tonight to buy Deedee. He's a service dept. rep. at the Subaru dealership who, the last time I had the car in for service, said something to the effect of, "You got the five-speed? I'm jealous." I asked if he was interested because I was going to put the car up for sale soon. Fast-forward a few weeks and he got a small loan from the bank to buy the car. He told me he has a cashier's check and that he's coming over tonight after work. I'm happy and sad. It is a great car.

[Cam]

She's gone. :(

[SportWagon]

:(

I really miss my 2000. Really. Even with just 2.2L it had that little bit of power to always feel comfortable.

Only really nice thing about the 2016 (2.0l) is it is better-balanced on snow. (At least with the traction control off) But it could use two more inches of ground clearance. Although so far it's ploughed through okay. Don't think it could get over the buggy bridge, though....

[Godson]

She's gone. :(


She's in good hands. Evidence by the way he went about it all. Saying he is jealous, then turning around and making the deal happen in short order. The idea makes me smile. I hope I am lucky enough to know when I sell the monster it will go down in similar fashion.

[21Kid]

My RS went to an enthusiast. It eases the sadness a little knowing it went to someone who will take care of it.

[Cam]

Deedee's new owner called me last night. Someone hit-and-ran him the night before--rear-ended. He believes the perp followed him after he picked up some Uber clients then deliberately smashed into them. The police are investigating.

[dodint]

Why did he call you? :lol:

[Cam]

I don't know. Just to tell me about the car, I guess. I think he thinks we're buddies or something.

[thesameguy]

So Deedee is Ubering?

Wonder what the motivation for smashing into an Uber would be... ? Angry Lyft driver?

[Random]

Picked up the smasher's ex?

[Leon]

Oh *that* explains the smashed Subbie photo I saw you commenting on earlier. That looked like a big hit.

[Cam]

I learned today that Deedee got totalled earlier this year. No injuries, thankfully. I did not ask about the circumstances.

[dodint]

:(

I always want to splurge on a bunch of Carfax's and see how my old cars ended up. They made them expensive though.