Jump to content
Ultimate Subaru Message Board

fastwgn286

Members
  • Posts

    257
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Posts posted by fastwgn286

  1. still not as bad as a mazda. the stereo is part of the center console (on all of the new ones except the tribute and truck), so a new aftermarket stereo requires cutting the console. ouch.

     

    be lucky that it removes with a few screws....

     

    have you searched for some way to plug in your ipod without getting a new headunit? like a fm transmitter or a tape player converter?

  2. P.S. And I would never understand mods like removing driver airbag for a fancier steering wheel.

     

    to one his own opinion. some like, some don't like, but we aren't judging his car like that.

     

    you should aim for a teenager to buy it, for all the reasons stated above. unfortunately, teens have no money, so don't get ripped off too badly.

     

    let your step dad help in negotiations. who's on the title? might help deter away the thought that an 18 year old has been driving it like a video game if his parents are on the ownership end.

     

    and use any other psychology tricks. thats what car selling is all about - psyching out the other party. welcome to the experience....

  3. umm...don't judge a book by the cover, dude. i work with concrete, drive a truck that has equipment thrashed in the pickup bed, own a hard hat and work boots that are used every day. while i drive an outback, i am a working man who does work on construction sites. i don't have the luxury of throwing large, heavy objects into the back of my wagon or company truck, i still wouldn't throw them in if given the chance. the kinetic energy of a large rock hurdling toward the bottom of the bed is too much of an insurance risk from my point of view. why drop stuff like that when you can take two seconds to place it in the bed? besides, end result: baja can still haul it if not dropped in bed.

     

    it could handle the stuff i haul in my company rig if the bed was a little longer. easy if it was available in a brat-like 2-door model. while its bed isn't drop a big slab of concrete in there capable, it will drive it where ever you need it. and thats the important part.

  4. Some comments here from a guy I knew who did oil analysis (limited to dino oil since synth wasn't available then:rolleyes: ). Basic oil all starts as 30 weight; after adding all kinds of ingredients, it comes out as 10W-30 with the API engineers seal of approval for meeting various minimum standards. The first time you start your engine after the oil change, those ingredients start to go away and at 3000 miles after the oil change, you are back to basic 30 weight oil and whatever other grunge your filter didn't catch. From that I took the following approach: I change my oil and filter every 2000 miles and generally use whatever oil I find on sale and buy it by the case. Over the long haul, the cost of savings buying "cheap" oil exceed whatever savings are gained by lower gas consumption. Over the last 40 years, most of the cars we've owned lasted to 250,000 miles (baring an external disaster like an auto accident) and were still running when we sold them. The one exception was our current '91 Legacy wagon. I bought it with 93K on it, and at 100K switched to a full synthetic with oil changes at 5K (I got tired of changing the oil every three weeks). I didn't have any problems with leakage, but did develop a severe case of "blow-by" (rings?) at 155K which required an engine swap. Whether that was the fault of the oil or not is immaterial. From a purely economic consideration the most cost effective way is to do oil changes often with the least expensive dino oil that meets API specifications. There are no long term savings in gas consumption or cost repairs that will justify the cost of going to a synth oil.

     

    cool. that gives me a better understanding on why it does that.

     

    the problem with full synth oils in older cars is that they are too expensive and can clean away too much grime and sludge in the engine and expose leaks in worn gaskets, which should be replaced and fixed anyways. since its older, its probably not too economically smart to replace every leaky gasket, so leave the grime and the gasket doesn't leak. viola! i know my engine needs a little cleaning, not sure if i'll try a blend or seafoam, but i got lots of time before my next change (and other car parts to change under there anyways)....

  5. you should only need a 20 degree drop anyways. as much as i like my car feeling like a refridgerator, i dont need 40 degree interior temps in 80 degree weather. but the way it works is it cools the air going in the system, so twenty degree drop across the board looks pretty reasonable and makes sense.

     

    if you want to keep the cabin cooler: tint windows, avoid direct sun, etc.

  6. cable ties are quite cheap (5 bucks for a hundred or something, found at hardware store)

     

    you'l have to ask someone with the same engine as yours which plugs to get. i know that subaru used ngk plugs for a while. you can go to a dealer (or just email one) and ask for the oem part number, and search for what the actual plug number is (don't buy the plugs from the dealer, they charge 25 bucks a pop!)

  7. no analysis, just looking at the stuff at the end of the dipstick, gas mileage, etc. the 10w30 i had in there went from a nice honey-ish hue to a thick dark brown in about 2500 miles. gas mileage from 30 on a highway trip (not scientifically accurate, i know, no butting heads here) to about 26 on the return trip. i dunno if my headgaskets caused some of it or the frappy filter, but it did happen on the first oil change and the subsequent ones. i think i'll run a syn blend to clean the engine a little and see if anything changes....

×
×
  • Create New...