Name what you like/dislike most about your Subaru (or Subaru in general)

[OLsubedrivr]

Likes: The Spartan approach to vehicle design, but most of my Baru's were pre 90, liked my 2 early 80's 4wd GLW series. Rugged, reliable and practically trouble free under 200K. Took me a while getting accustomed to going so slow. Liked my new 1990> AWD Legacy wagon but I haven't driven anything newer than my 2 current used 04 Foresters. like being able to fix most of the issues listed below for cheap. REALLY LIKE knowing when you buy a solid used Subaru it will outlast most new,(similarly capable), cars and do so for far less money! L

 

Dislikes, Mostly minor pet peevy stuff: No lights in my glove boxes...really? agree on the cup holder, especially the rear seat ones. Sun visors way too short,(length wise, Foz only?), especially when used on sides...really? The wind noise from the window gussets, should have been fixed after the first two years. The leaky cold weather fuel lines. Some of the big issues bug me too, head gaskets, etal=Mfg. stubbornness on lingering issues, probably know we're going to fix them ourselves.

 

But overall, there really aren't any vehicles that can do what a Subaru can and do it as long and economically.

Edited October 13, 2014 by OLsubedrivr

[pearlm30]

Likes: Excellent reliablity. Cheap and easy to maintain. Parts are all over the junk yards.

Dislikes: Rusty bodies and brake lines if you live in one of salt belt states. Options of Diesel engines for US drivers.

[Loyale 2.7 Turbo]

... Options of Diesel engines for US drivers.

 

Seems like this ~► www.boxeer.com  is the easier option for a Diesel Subaru in USA

 

Kind Regards.

(Edit: Sorry for Hijack the Thread)

Edited October 15, 2014 by Loyale 2.7 Turbo

[Bushwick]

Dislikes

 

Before Subies, I drove German cars. All were Audis or VWs. The Germans do a much better job of engineering suspension systems that are a firm, yet have a comfortable ride, and have excellent handling, and steering feel. My Subies don't measure up to even VW standards in suspension and handling. That is what I miss most in driving my Subies. However, Subies are much better in reliability.

Depending on the car you are referring to, add a 1.5" drop MAX (front/rear) with a progressive rate spring, add higher-end adjustable shocks (front/rear), add the thickest rear sway bar you can afford (18-20mm roughly) and consider a thicker front bar; add aluminum stabilizer end links to replace the plastic factory ones and outfit them with urethane bushings, add aluminum front a-arms with urethane bushings, add double adjustable aluminum bars for the rear axle + urethane bushings there as well, then get an alignment and I'll bet any amount of money it'll handle better than a VW. Can go a few steps further and add urethane steering rack mount clip inserts, a front strut tower brace (very easy to DIY) and consider adding a custom rear 3-4 point strut brace that ties the rear top shock bolts to a bar that also bolts to the floor. I did this with my Saab and the rear brace alone had the biggest improvement next to aftermarket springs. You'd be amazed at hard you can enter a turn and remain flat. Good news is most stuff from a WRX can fit or be made to fit. For $500-700, you can have an awesome handling car w/o really sacrificing road comfort. Go with 1.2" drop for a little more comfort and use say Eibach springs. Pick tires based on preference; handling vs. comfort vs. something in between.

 

 

Dislikes, Mostly minor pet peeve stuff: No lights in my glove boxes...really? agree on the cup holder, especially the rear seat ones. Sun visors way too short,(length wise, Foz only?), especially when used on sides...really? The wind noise from the window gussets, should have been fixed after the first two years. The leaky cold weather fuel lines. Some of the big issues bug me too, head gaskets, etal=Mfg. stubbornness on lingering issues, probably know we're going to fix them ourselves.

Go to Auto Zone, buy a prewired rear license plate bulb (comes in a tiny housing that angles light one way) and also get an interrupt switch, and a small spool of wire + a fuse holder and 5 amp fuse OR find a non critical fuse in the fuse box for say dome lights and tie into that.

 

Drill a tiny hole large enough for the interrupt switch to sit through, so that when the glove box door is open, the switch is on, closed, switch breaks circuit. Mount the light near the back up top. Wire into a non critical fuse i.e. don't use an ECM or fuel pump fuse. Electrical tape your wire crimps and you now have a glove box light.

 

Other option would be to find a car that came with a glove box light factory (Lincoln, Cadillac, etc.) and remove it's light housing, the door open/shut switch, and immediate wiring to the the light and switch.

 

Then wire that into yours. LED bulbs are really nice for these types of custom add-ons as they don't pull much current, nor do they get hot. Only thing to watch for is avoid excessively hot bulbs and make sure they aren't touching anything as they can melt plastic. All in all, it's a 2 wire set up. One wire is hot and runs to fuse, other wire is ground and can be grounded directly to chassis. Very easy to do this.

Edited October 15, 2014 by Bushwick