Cam & Lori's 2017 Subaru Forester

[Cam]

Now taking submissions for name suggestions for our new Forester. I was thinking of naming it after a blue cartoon-ish character. For example: Mystique, from X-men or Sully from Monsters, Inc. However, more interesting names will be considered. Smurf-related suggestions will be ignored.

GO!

[Kchrpm]

Here are five:

Katy Perry.
- Because she's Smurfette.

Eiffel
- Because https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgV1O0X4uXI

Cookie
- Short for Cookie Monster

Genie
- From Aladdin

Stitch
- From Lilo & Stitch

The Tick
- From The Tick

(see what I did there?)

[Cam]

That's exactly what I'm looking for.

[Kchrpm]

I have also noticed that multiple blue cartoon characters are named some form of the word blue. I left those off the list for obvious reasons. I also left off the blue Care Bear, Grumpy, because that didn't seem fitting.

[novicius]

Grover? Nightcrawler? Dr Manhattan?

[Cam]

I kind of like Mystique, but Mercury had a shitty car named Mystique. :|

[Cam]

By the way, two syllables is the optimum. :D

[Yw-slayer]

Daba

As in, Blue Dabadedabada.

[thesameguy]

http://warnermcgee.com/modo/Grover01.png

A+ :up:


Although having a car with an phd would be a strong, strong second choice.

[21Kid]

http://www.cartoonnetwork.ca/tv/fosters-home/images/fosters-home-background-static-overlay.png
http://www.mrbreakfast.com/cereal/mascot_2.jpg
http://www.cartoondistrict.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Images-of-robot-cartoon-characters8.jpg
http://toonbarn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/Top-20-Scariest-Cartoon-Characters-Number-7-Skeletor.jpg
https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcShXxEL7UDrQFr_9qBEEIrURx1S8Wp70 wetXid-HazHvFKS-qDN

[Cam]

Who's the first one?

[FaultyMario]

Something mansion. A show about destitute monsters.

How about Squidward?

[Kchrpm]

The first one is "Bloo"

[CudaMan]

East coast autocrosser had a blue WRX Cookie Monster:
http://www.imgrum.net/media/1009779781994695142_145862705
http://cdn.growassets.net/user_files/scca/gears/000/000/482/medium.jpg?1433972132


Dory?
Neytiri?
Sonic?
Towelie? :lol:

[Phil_SS]

Quartzbaru....of doom.
Kikori: Lumberjack in Japanese
Ao: Blue(sortof) in Japanese

[SportWagon]

Stealing from an earlier post...
Clementine ?

[21Kid]

Yeah, It's Bloo... from Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foster's_Home_for_Imaginary_Friends)

[speedpimp]

Essie, as in environmental scientist.

Cocky, as in Gamecock.

Fud, because...who wouldn't want to drive a Fud?

[Yw-slayer]

What about Rich?

As in, you know, Richard Burns. And speedpimp.

I chose a # plate for my BRZ starting with RB for that exact reason. Burns, that is, not pimpy.

[M4FFU]

Blue?

Bubbles :D

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/03/e4/c3/03e4c3682735ce571d45123dec7efb9a.png

[SportWagon]

How about Regina, since you can't call it Rex?

[Cam]

The front-runner. :lol:


Frosta is a character from the 1985 animated series She-Ra: Princess of Power. Frosta was the beautiful Queen of Castle Chill in the Kingdom of Snows on Etheria. She was a powerful ice sorceress and brought her formidable powers to bear as a member of the Great Rebellion.

http://he-man.wikia.com/wiki/Frosta

[Kchrpm]

I can dig it.

http://www.hemanworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/frosta-3.jpg

I just hope it leads to Cam as He-Man for Halloween.

[Cam]

I wouldn't mind seeing Lori go with me as Frosta. :D

[21Kid]

...with me as Frosta. :D picturing Cam in that outfit... :hmmmm:

[Cam]

Grammar fail. :o

[thesameguy]

Frosta c2017.

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/12/06/b5/1206b5ac018782d8cf31637292fefe87.jpg

This is who rules Castle Chill.

[Cam]

Our car came in a month early. Unfortunately, we can't finance it until the house deal is closed. I asked the dealership if they would hold it for us until then. The sales manager would not guarantee it. :rolleyes: The salesman claimed he would try to keep it around for us. He also added that there is a good chance the car would still be there in three weeks because it's a manual. He called me back later to say that he parked the car out of the way and put the keys in his desk. :lol:

[thesameguy]

Should have put a service tag on it so they'd think it was a customer car. ;)

[Cam]

Bought it today. The salesman was not willing to negotiate whatsoever. :x I guess because we special ordered it, he would not budge. Oh well.

2336

[thesameguy]

Well, on the upside since it was a special order and they wouldn't budge on the price nobody else bought it out from under you in the last 30 days!

[Cam]

It seems that Frosta has become Lori's car and Deedee is my car. That's what always happens anyway. Lori buys something new and I get her cast-offs. :(

I'm OK with that. Deedee is lighter and more powerful. :D

[novicius]

:up: #househusband #coilovers

[Cam]

Wood tools > Car mods

[Random]

With some ingenuity, you can have both!

http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2017/04/12/Canadian-driver-used-wood-log-and-chicken-wire-as-cars-suspension/4711492011543/

[21Kid]

Of course it's Canadian too. :lol:

[Cam]

In such a remote, harsh climate, you have to be resourceful. :lol:

[Cam]

After a few months of ownership, I feel qualified to write a short review. I can only fairly compare it to the last two cars I owned, Deedee (2006 Subaru Impreza Outback Sport) and Dexter (1990 Honda Accord Coupe). Both of those cars were somewhat small, somewhat sporty cars. They felt good to me with adequate power and nice handling. Frosta is luxurious in comparison, with ample room, even for us tall people. It's the only car I can remember where I don't have the driver's seat all the way back! I have not been in the back seat since testing it during the buying process, but it seemed roomy too. The seats are comfy. I think it will be good for long drives. It has all the comforts you would expect in a modern car. It feels solidly built and I think it looks pretty good... but certainly not distinctive. I wish we could have gotten a brighter colour. There are more colours available on Subaru's sporty models. I think the colours should be available on all models. Oh well.

Most of the miles on the odo have been Lori commuting to work. I rarely drive it unless we are going shopping or out somewhere together, like a movie. Although, we are driving to Greenville today, so that should be a small test of its road-trip capability. According to the telemetry screen, we get about 22 mpg city. We do not have enough data for highway. The Forester is heavier, obviously, and the suspension seems softer. It has less power than Deedee. All these things combined has Frosta feeling sluggish. The price you pay for comfort! :lol:

My biggest problem with the car seems to be the ECU. It seems like it is constantly changing the performance of the engine, leading to inconsistent throttle response. Not only that, sometimes the engine stays spinning at a certain RPM when changing gears. For example, I accelerate away from a light or whatever, and go to change gears at say, 4,000 RPM. When I push in the clutch and let my foot off the gas pedal, the RPM stays at 4,000 for 1-2 seconds. :erm: It only happens occasionally, and only above about 3,500 RPM. There is a display for the throttle sensor on the in-dash screen and it shows as a percentage. It happens even when the throttle sensor says "0%". This does not seem normal to me. I will discuss it with the service dept. at the dealership when Frosta gets her first service. I have no doubt they will be like, "Nothing's wrong." :rolleyes:

Overall, I am happy with the car so far. It is as expected; comfortable and functional, but nothing special.

[Phil_SS]

Sounds like it has Rev matching?

[thesameguy]

It could be for emissions. Lots of cars will hang engine speed without throttle input to ensure a clean burn of whatever's already in the pipe.

[Cam]

Averaged 31 mpg today on a ~5 hour drive.

[neanderthal]

It could be for emissions. Lots of cars will hang engine speed without throttle input to ensure a clean burn of whatever's already in the pipe.

Was about to say exactly this.

[CudaMan]

My dad's Forester has inconsistent throttle as well, in both accel and decel. I always thought it was a CVT mapping/response issue. It's one thing to live with less engine braking on decel than you expect, it's another to have a lot less throttle response than you expect when pulling into traffic.

[Cam]

500 freakin' miles on the odo and someone does a parking lot hit-n-run. :angry:

2624

[novicius]

Savage AF. :smh:

[thesameguy]

That sucks! I guess that's what UIM policies are for, though.

[Yw-slayer]

Haters gonna hate.

[TheBenior]

Years of street parking in Chicago have numbed me to bumper damage that doesn't result in holes or the bumper hanging off :/

[Cam]

I discussed the throttle/revs issue with the service representative a while ago. He responded, "They all do that, even the WRXes." :twitch: He could not tell me why though. Moog from Mighty Car Mods bitched about this problem in a video about his Forester. If I take my foot off the accelerator, I expect my car to slow down. :erm:

We drove Frosta to Nova Scotia, then to Ontario and back a few weeks ago. In total it was about 6,700 km (4,200 miles.) Fuel economy varied wildly from day to day. Just going by the on-board computer, the average fuel economy for the entire trip was about 7.8 L/100km or about 30 mpg. I did not track real numbers. Our first couple of days driving we averaged 33-34 mpg, then the third day, it dropped significantly to about 28 mpg. Long days in the cockpit were comfortable, for the most part. The seats are pretty good and it has loads of leg room. It rides nice. What can I say, the Forester is good, but it sure is bland and unexciting. :lol:

[SportWagon]

Realistically, I assume 10L/100km. (550km per fillup) from my 2016 2.0L 5door Impreza. The best I'll get for the display estimate plus mileage travelled since last fillup for the 55L tank is 800km or about 6.9L/100km. But that may require travelling downhill a lot. (E.g. 401 down Guelph Line to Burlington).

[Leon]

I've had three Subbie flat 4 turbo's (first gen Legacy RS, first gen WRX, first gen Sti). Every one of them seemed to use 10l/100km.

Must be an EJ20 thing :)

[SportWagon]

My 2016 Impreza is 2.0L non-turbo. It probably gets slightly better than 10L/100km.

The display I leave it on, "estimated range", possibly has a "don't empty the tank" factor built in. So even though at my last fill-up that display was 100km, and distance travelled was about 440km, after I refuelled, the estimate was 630, rising fairly quickly with about 16km of country driving to 650. (For the 55L tank). I have the raw numbers I need to do the calculation. On paper.

[Cam]

Frosta has been slow cranking in the past few days. Battery going, I think. It should still be within the 30 month warranty.

I have to drive to Charlotte today to give a talk. I hope she starts. Oh well, I have AAA.

[Cam]

Had the battery replaced under warranty, so there was... no charge. :p

[dodint]

Awesome value!

[George]

:smh:








:lol:

[Yw-slayer]

Hell yeah.

[speedpimp]

At least you didn't have to apply Dockanomics® to CCAs.

[Cam]

Had to have the brake rotors turned recently. It was covered under the bumper-to-bumper warranty.

[Cam]

Looks like Subaru did not expect anyone to get 100+ mpg. :down:

(Taken coasting out of the Blue Ridge Mountains several weeks ago.)

3397

[dodint]

Breaking down barriers, man.

[Cam]

Hypermiling! :lol:

[21Kid]

Ours doesn't do that even while running on electric. ��

[George]

Is that a trip odometer? Fanciest one I've ever seen, if so. 'Course, I hardly ever ride in anyone else's car these days, so I'm always amazed when I do.

[Cam]

Frosta had a spa day a couple of weeks ago. All new tires, fresh fluids and filters and a bit of preening (32,000 mile service.) She seems happier and in the prime of her life. :D

[Yw-slayer]

No expense spared. That's how we treat all of our Subarus.

[Cam]

Last year, we got a letter from Subaru notifying us that the warranty on the air conditioning had been extended. It failed this week. I have to take Frosta to the dealer to have them look at it.

[21Kid]

Coincidence? I think not!

[Cam]

Lori found that there was an active recall on our car related to the AC. Called the dealer to schedule an appointment. "There is an active recall on your car." said the rep. I replied, "Yeah, our AC stopped working." "Oh, OK, bring it in." :lol:

[Cam]

Had an appointment for the April 19. Had to reschedule because I double-booked myself.

Me: "Can I reschedule?"
Service Rep: "Sure, when works good for you?"
Me: "The first available appointment is fine."
SR: "How about May 3?"
Me: "May 3 is fine."
SR: "Sorry, May 3 is not available."
Me: :erm: "Uh, OK, may I have the first available appointment, please?"
SR: "How about May 14?" (Over a month later than my original appt.)
Me: :erm: "Wha? Uh, May 14 it is then, I guess."

Normally, if I make an appointment with them, I can get one within about a week. *shrug* Luckily, I am not in that much of a hurry for AC.

[Cam]

Dealership called last week to cancel my appointment. "Our machine is broken." :erm: They said they would call back to reschedule once it is fixed. Our AC has been broken for two months.

Called back today to get an update because summer is here. Forecast says upwards of 100F this week-end. Their machine is still broken and they are waiting on parts. "We were told two days two weeks ago." Ooookay... They are the only Subaru dealership within 90 miles. Called a dealership in Augusta. Got transferred to service, but no answer. WTF? :erm: Called a dealer in Charleston. "Give us your VIN and we'll call you back." Called a dealer in Charlotte. "We can get you in today." We could not do today, but we are going tomorrow.

The Columbia, Charleston and Augusta dealerships have no (Subaru) competition. Charlotte has three Subaru dealerships. Seems like Charlotte is trying harder to do good customer service. :shrug:

[dodint]

I'd tease you but we just found out the AC is out on the MINI. :lol:

[Cam]

:sadhorn: :P

[Cam]

OK, I take what I said about customer service back. Arrived at 10:00 am for a 10:30 appointment. I made better time on the 90 mile drive than anticipated. I was given a loaner and told that I would be called in a couple of hours. They parked Frosta out back near the service door. I went to the NASCAR Hall of Lame, then had lunch to kill a few hours. Arrived back at the dealership about three hours later. The service rep said that he would go get an update for me. I could see Frosta was parked in the same spot as when I left, but that does not necessarily mean it had not moved. The service rep came back and said that they were still working on getting the AC compressor off and that it would be another hour or so. :erm:

I am too nice. I did not say anything, despite the realization that they had not touched my car in the three hours I was gone and that he was lying to my face. Me giving the guy grief would not help me get my car fixed. I said that I would wait, despite them offering me the loaner again. I figured they would get it done quicker if they knew I was actually waiting there for it. It took them an over an hour to get back to me and was told they are charging it. Another 20 minutes or so later, it was ready. By this time, it was 3 pm. I should have been home already. I look forward to being asked to review my service appointment with this dealer.

The AC worked nicely all the way home.

[George]

Ah, hell...that's just life, isn't it?


[While in Charlotte,] I went to the NASCAR Hall of Lame

Glad you found something to do in my former hometown. It's a dull, boring place.

I may be back in your fair state in September. I'll PM you if so to give you the opportunity to get out of town that week/weekend.

[Cam]

The more I get out of town, the more I believe Columbia is uninteresting. Although, I will never be bored, as long as I have video games. :D

[Cam]

Lori and I drove to Nova Scotia to visit my family. We just got home. We drove just under 4000 miles (6400 km) on the trip. Burned about a quart of oil.

[TheBenior]

That's a bit disappointing. I had thought that Subaru had gotten past their oil consumption issues as of ~2016.

[Cam]

Yeah, it's not surprising. Friends here with an Outback say it burned oil from new. I do not remember the Impreza having that problem.

A couple of years ago, we were on a camping trip in the Forester and the oil light came on. Found a service station to get some emergency oil. Ever since then, I've carried a quart in the car. Normally, we get the car's oil changed often enough that is not an issue. We do not put a lot of miles on the car; less than 10,000 miles a year. This was an extended trip, just after me driving to Ohio and back the week previous. Basically, we put 5,000 miles on it in the last three weeks. I have to go back to Ohio again next week.

[Yw-slayer]

Other than time and cost, is there really a major issue if cars use more, rather than less, oil? Serious question.

[Cam]

As long as the engine is performing normally and within specifications, I do not believe it is a problem. It's just that many modern Subarus seem to burn noticeably more oil than other similar vehicles.

[TheBenior]

Higher oil consumption tends to be correlated with more engine problems in general. If you look at the engines reported to consume more oil in Consumer Report's surveys (https://www.consumerreports.org/car-maintenance/some-newer-cars-can-burn-lots-of-oil-a1065338868/) they don't tend to be known for reliability.

Subaru had some issues with faulty piston rings, and settled an oil consumption lawsuit on 2.5-liter engines in the 2011-2014 Forester, 2013 Legacy and 2013 Outback and the 2.0-liter engines in the 2012-2013 Impreza and 2013 XV Crosstrek. The older EJ 4 cylinders and EG/EZ flat 6 cylinders have been noted for head gasket failures for quite some time.

If you look at the Audi 2.0T's inclusion, oil consumption is high in the Gen 2 EA888 years, and the Gen 2 EA888 was known for various engine issues (https://vwtuning.co/vw-ea888-engine-problems/). As somebody who's on the Golf MK7 forums, the Gen 3 EA888 seems to have been pretty big improvement on the earlier version of the engine, with intake valve carbon buildup being less rapid and turbo failures being rare outside of early 2015 production cars. Thermostat housings are still known to leak, so leaky the VW cooling system component tradition carries on.

The BMW 4.4L V8 is on the list, and that's another famously unreliable engine (https://bmwtuning.co/n63-engine-problems/).

[Cam]

Good info.

[Yw-slayer]

Thanks man. I read about the apparent issues with the EJ25 but didn't know they had a correlation with higher oil consumption.

[Cam]

We just got another notification from Subaru that they are extending the warranty on something else in the car. As Lori said, "So much for having a J in our VIN." referring to me wanting the quality of a Japanese-made vehicle. There have been a few recalls and extended warranty notifications on our car. I seem to remember hearing that Subaru got in trouble for questionable quality control at their Japanese factories at the time our car was made, but I don't remember specifically what it was. Apparently, there is a class-action lawsuit against Subaru for the battery life or something. The whole deal has turned us off of Subaru. :(

I made an appointment for a spa day for Frosta at the end of the month.

[JoshInKC]

I don't know if it's actually the same issue, but even today Outback owners (maybe other models too, I haven't looked) find the stock from new batteries to be at best hit or miss - Lots of complaints amounting to "My car is only 9 months old, but I walked out to find the battery totally dead this morning and it won't take a charge." IIRC, one supplier's batteries suck, but others are totally fine and normal.

[Cam]

.
Had the battery replaced under warranty, so there was... no charge. :p.

[CudaMan]

Are you positive?

I had to replace the battery in my 328i shortly after I bought it... as a 9 year old car. It had the original battery installed in Germany. I was impressed.

My Dad's 2014 Forester has been fine. It has had a couple recalls taken care of by the dealer, the latest one was for rear spring corrosion in salty climates or something. We're not in such a climate but the dealer was supposed to have a look anyway and decide whether to replace them.

[Cam]

Our car has had several recalls and warranty extensions on multiple parts. We also had the battery problem and the brake rotors needed resurfacing, covered by the warranty. :|

[TheBenior]

Our car has had several recalls and warranty extensions on multiple parts. We also had the battery problem and the brake rotors needed resurfacing, covered by the warranty. :|

I'd be disappointed too. You'd think by the 4th model year, things would be pretty well figured out.

Perusing recalls and TSBs (https://www.carcomplaints.com/Subaru/Forester/2017/tsbs/), I only see one recall (airbag related), but quite a few TSBs. Most seem to be related to noise complaints (especially related to the electric power steering) and part revisions, which could simply be a minor change or supplier change. There are some more concerning TSBs like rusting rear subframe bolts, redesigned oil control solenoid valves, ECU reprogramming to avoid knock in high temperatures, a change in valve springs, oil seepage diagnosis, and some others.

Honestly, all the little running changes remind me of how VW does things. My 2019 GTI is on something like the 7th software revision for an engine that debuted in 2014, and had an oil specification and pump change in 2019.

[Cam]

Frosta had a spa day last week at the dealer; ~45,000 mile service. I briefly chatted with the salesman that sold her to us about the lack of inventory on the lot. The demand outweighs the supply at the moment. He has 13 customers waiting for cars.

[Cam]

Lori made the last payment on the car this week.

[Kchrpm]

Awesome!

[dodint]

I'd tell you to knock on wood but that's kind of already your thing.

[CudaMan]

Hooray for car payment elimination!

[Cam]

Lori clipped the corner of a short, brick wall the other day when parking. The contact broke off the piece of plastic trim off the bottom of the passenger door. There does not appear to be any damage to the metal. Checked my local Pull-a-Part, but they do not have any late-model Foresters. I'm going to guess that buying the part from the dealer will be several hundred dollars, just for a piece of plastic trim. :rolleyes: Oh well, shit happens. Frosta needs a service anyway.

[Cam]

...Aaaand Frosta gave her life tonight to save Lori. Thankful for modern car safety features. Lori was t-boned by a red light runner. Frosta suffered heavy damage on the right side from a Toyota Camry that, according to witnesses, was going 50-60 mph. I am pretty sure it is a 35 zone on that street. Lori seems OK, but will probably be sore tomorrow. Frosta had ~51,000 miles on the odometer. :(

[Yw-slayer]

Damn, hope Lori remains OK. A car can, of course, be replaced.

[Kchrpm]

Damn! Glad Lori is ok.

[dodint]

Damn, Cam. Good vibes to Lori.

Ash was T-boned in a similar situation a few years ago. Scary stuff.

[JoshInKC]

Good on Frosta!
Most importantly Lori is okay - but if you're anything like me, you're amazed and delighted that you didn't have it serviced and repaired yet.

[Cam]

:lol: Yeah, there's that.

Of course, Lori and I were talking new cars last night. She REALLY wants a hybrid vehicle, so I guess I have to work with that. I would like something sporty, but those two things do not necessarily go together. Vehicles that do combine those things are outside our budget. The biggest problem with buying new cars right now is availability. Demand outweighs supply at the moment and cars are selling higher than MSRP. It is going to take some searching just to find something that is close to what we want. Forget about special ordering one from the factory, like we did with Frosta. At least our car was not our daily driver. We have the motorbikes and can still get groceries, since we have carrying cases. Even the prices of used cars are inflated, despite the fact there seems to be a surplus of them. *Searches for "hybrid" on Carvana* Oh look, 80 pages of Priuses. :erm: :lol:

[dodint]

Yeah, horrible time to buy a car. Might be worth it to buy something older and inexpensive, then trade it on what you really want in 12 to 18 months. That is how I ended up buying my buddies Saab wagon.

[Cam]

Yeah, it will not be difficult to get a used car. :shrug:

[Cam]

I kinda want this. :D

3948

[Cam]

Most car manufacturers: "What shade of grey would you like? If you want a little more colour, we also have black and white." :rolleyes:

[George]

Glad Lori is okay. And I agree about the colors on modern cars. Lately I'm seeing more green vehicles, which I like. Seems like they've been gone since the 1990s.


She REALLY wants a hybrid vehicle, so I guess I have to work with that. I would like something sporty, but those two things do not necessarily go together.

A guy I work with who likes to go fast (since I've known him, he's had a Dodge Charger Daytona and generic-looking twin-turbo Infiniti sedan that is apparently quite the sleeper) just bought a Telsa Model 3 and seems delighted with it. He offered to take me for a ride to experience the acceleration but that hasn't yet happened.

Crazy expensive, though. And I didn't realize they used power just sitting there. He gave me quite the education and even answered all my "where are the Tesla service department" questions, since around here, they sell Teslas in a shopping mall.

[SportWagon]

wow. The 2023 Bronco appears to look even more like the original.

[Cam]

They call it the "heritage edition." The goal IS to make it more like the original.

[George]

Ford must be selling them in record numbers. I see them everywhere.

Some look as harmless as Honda CRVs and Toyota RAV4s but others look like they're ready to star in the movie Fury Road 2: Even More Mayhem!

[Godson]

Dang, I'm terribly sorry to hear about this accident.

I hope nothing happens long term to Lori from this, and it is just soreness, and sadness for losing frosta.

[Cam]

Fury Road 2: Even More Mayhem!

WHEN IS THIS MOVIE COMING OUT?

[Kchrpm]

I'm always shocked at how HUGE the new Broncos are. But I guess there are different models and maybe they're not all the same size.

[Phil_SS]

Correct, there is a Bronco Sport and a Bronco. The Bronco Sport is more like a retro looking Escape aka Compact SUV. Where as the Bronco is a full size SUV.

If Lori still wants an SUV and a Hybrid, I would recommend the Toyota RAV4 Prime. It has full electric mode and a gas engine. Thus for short commutes/trips you can use full electric. Hope Lori ends up only sore and she has no long term damage.

And Prii aren't so bad. I like the Prius V Five I drive. Gets me from point A to point B in comfort and is fairly large inside. Does good on long trips as well. Unfortunately they no longer make the big Prius anymore, though that is because they are now offering Hybrid SUVs.

[Cam]

New car availability is extremely limited at the moment. Used cars are priced above MSRP when they were new. :rolleyes: Getting a another car will be difficult.

[TheBenior]

Sorry to hear about the crash Cam, my father lost a mid 1990s F-150 20 years ago in a similar crash when a Mitsubishi Eclipse driver ran a red light. Given the lack of safety features compared to modern vehicles, his saving grace was that he was seated a fair bit higher than the front end of the Eclipse.

I live in a pretty large auto market, and RAV4 Prime are such hot sellers that they are sold before they get to the lot, or are marked up so much higher over MSRP that they make no sense over a regular RAV4 Hybrid. Or both, perhaps.

Heck, used asking prices on the RAV4 Prime are $10-20k more than a new RAV4 Hybrid. That much money will buy you a lot of gas at the 40 mpg that the Hybrid gets.

However, if you're willing to travel, some Toyota dealers by me (Chicago area) are selling new RAV4 Hybrids for MSRP. Just make sure to compare the dealer's price breakdown to Toyota's website pricing. A couple of local dealers are adding on BS packages.

[Cam]

Went to a Ford dealership today and looked at the Bronco Sport and Escape. $7,500 additional dealer markup on the Broncos. :|

[Leon]

Rav4 hybrids here are on a near 12 month wait list from Toyota.

Sorry to read about the crash, that's pretty scary stuff.

[TheBenior]

Went to a Ford dealership today and looked at the Bronco Sport and Escape. $7,500 additional dealer markup on the Broncos. :|

You might be best off perusing Atlanta metro area dealers on cars.com or autotrader and trying to work something out before going there. Generally, dealers that aren't doing mark-ups on higher demand vehicles have them sold before they arrive.

[dodint]

Go to Asheboro Ford and ask for Mike Sperber.

Tell him you heard about it from 'the brown board' or 'rrax' or 'the sandbox.'

He will work with you remote or in person.

This is the easy button, I am not kidding.

[Cam]

No shit. I will discuss it with Lori. Thank you.

Cursory glance: Bronco Sports available on their web site have a +$5,000 "market adjustment." Just to let you know.

[dodint]

Mike doesn't apply those adjustments to people in the racer community. You don't need to be cloak and dagger and pretend you're a user there, just say that one of us put you in touch with him.
I haven't worked with him personally but he's been great to a ton of us. Give him a call and see how it shakes out, he's a genuine good guy and a car guy to the core.

[dodint]

Not sure what your budget is or if you are willing to travel a little way for one, but this looks pretty cool:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mSTCx2qyKb5abqd2jh5ib8KiRJXXZtwe/view?usp=sharing

6-speed manual, with the suspension upgraded and fresh brakes, looks real clean. If interested I can PM the guy and get his contact info for you.

[Cam]

We are waiting to hear back from our insurance company before we make any decisions.

[dodint]

Good luck. If you feel like you're getting jerked around, talk to an attorney. Consults are free.

[George]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUhamxPnY_I

[Cam]

Note from insurance adjuster: "Obvious total loss."

[dodint]

Obviously.

[Phil_SS]

Totally.

[Yw-slayer]

I am lost.

[Cam]

Took a little ride to the Subaru dealer to talk to the sales rep. that sold us the Forester. They have zero new inventory and he as 41 customers waiting for cars. :eek: However, there is a pretty hoss-looking, used Outback Wilderness Edition with ~6K miles on it. :D

[Kchrpm]

*googles*

Yeah, that's relatively hoss-looking for sure :)

[Cam]

I've sold Lori on the Outback. :D

[FaultyMario]

Now I want pictures of both of you in Cork hats!

[Cam]

I don't get it.

[FaultyMario]

https://cdn.ecommercedns.uk/files/5/229105/2/5326242/97305.jpg

Hats that were supposedly worn to drive away insects by men wandering in the Australian outback.

[Cam]

Crikey! I don’t want to look like a bloody bogan! ;)

[Cam]

I put a deposit on the Outback today.

[Phil_SS]

I saw one at Starbuck's this morning and it looked proper.

[Cam]

We got our insurance payout. Lori and I agreed that it is a fair market value, slightly higher than we hoped, actually. It will be good to have a nice downpayment on the new vehicle.

[Cam]

When Lori was involved in the collision, Frosta came to rest against the front bumper of another vehicle that was waiting at the intersection. That vehicle was driven by a lawyer. His car was not even damaged. There might have been a scratch on the bumper. Now he's suing Lori for damages for injuries, mental stress, etc. WTF? He was not hurt and Frosta barely touched his car, a large SUV. I was talking with him after the collision. He was perfectly fine.

Piece of shit.

[CudaMan]

Really. How's that even possible? Lori was hit by a red light runner, laywer guy should go after the person at fault.

[Cam]

I should not write too much publicly, but the police report partially faulted her for the collision; she turned left in front of an oncoming car. The fact that the other driver ran a red is irrelevant. The other driver was not insured. The lawyer is claiming up to our liability limit. This tells me it's just business for him. It's nothing personal against Lori. He just wants what he can get from our insurance company. He's still slime.

[Cam]

Wait, I misunderstood. There is not a lawsuit yet. The lawyer guy is making a demand to our insurance company for damages.

[Godson]

I *highly* recommend everyone have a dashcam on always.

It has save me over 10k in what would have been coined as *at fault*

[Yw-slayer]

Dashcams are vital nowadays. I assume, of course, that everyone here is not in the wrong.

Check out what goes on on HK roads here: https://youtube.com/@hkpkdriving

At the very least it will save you from obvious attempts at insurance scams.

[Phil_SS]

Some states are no fault.

[Cam]

Wait, I misunderstood. There is not a lawsuit yet. The lawyer guy is making a demand to our insurance company for damages.

We were informed by our insurance company that this demand has been settled. No details about how it was settled. :shrug: