Still thinkin Posted August 2, 2005 Share Posted August 2, 2005 Hello My name is Mike. I just joined today. I recently found out my wife is having twins and may need to trade off her Jetta. I really like the safety and performance of the Subaru vehicles. If you guys have time please make some points on which vehicle I should be looking at. The only cars I am interested in are the turbo's, because if I have to go the family wagon route I only want to grow up half way. Cheers guys, Mike M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bjwirth Posted August 2, 2005 Share Posted August 2, 2005 get a tribeca Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swc7916 Posted August 2, 2005 Share Posted August 2, 2005 Sorry to say this, but believe me - getting kids in and out of car seats is a big pain in the rear. I would recommend some kind of a minivan, preferably Honda or Toyota. When our kids were little we had a Vanagon. You could open up the sliding door, step into the van, and get the kids all buckled up while standing in the car. This was particularly nice when it was raining. As a matter of fact, the 2001 Outback that I owned had been traded in for a Chrysler van by a couple who found that it was too much trouble getting their child in and out of the car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Still thinkin Posted August 2, 2005 Author Share Posted August 2, 2005 Tribeca is out of the price range, unfortunately. And I will be very dissapionted with the performance of almost any mini van, not to mention their AWD capabilities. If anyone out there has less common sense please convince me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gbhrps Posted August 2, 2005 Share Posted August 2, 2005 Still Thinkin, I have to agree with SWC 7916! I've owned 2 OBW's since 97 and I LOVE THEM. They are the ride of choice when winter comes, even over my wife's Lexus. BUT...my nephew, another Subaru freak, has gone the Honda Odessy route for the arrival of his new daughter, and I have to agree. Its built like a Swiss watch and has powered door acess to both rear sides. Not only that, but while driving, his wife can get out of her seat to attend to the munchkin if need be, by walking between the front seats to the back. Try that in the Subie. Yeah! There's no all wheel drive, but it is front wheel drive with a bullet proof power train. They aren't cheap to buy, but are rated as the best minivan going. My advice.....try out the Honda in a test drive, and try the car seat issue by fastening one into the van. Then do the kid in and out of the seat (even if you use a doll) in as many senarios as you can think up. If you still feel the Subie is the way to go, you really couldn't go wrong with either the Forester or the OBW, but at least you'd know for sure whether a van should have been your first choice or not. Good Luck! and CONGRATULATIONS on your new arrivals! You must be excited as hell? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strakes Posted August 3, 2005 Share Posted August 3, 2005 We have 2 Legacy wagons and 2 kids. A minivan would be nice, but all the super-sized minivans today are too cumbersome manuevering around parking lots and spaces for my wife. She does like the smaller minivans like the Mazda MPV and new Mazda 5. I don't know anything about the reliablity of those two vehicles though. We aren't going to get rid of the wagons anytime soon because they are paid for. But if one was to die, we'd seriously consider a minivan. The wagons are plenty large enough to carry all your stuff with a few trade-offs. Keep in mind when you have to shuttle your twins to school, band practice, and sports, that it may be very hard for them to bring along a friend because of all the car seat safety requirements. Find the smallest car seats for your precious ones, ones without all the cupholders and extras hanging on the sides...that way you can actually get 3 car seats across if needed. If both want to bring a friend each, watch out...you can't put a kid in the front seat anymore, so effectively a 5-6 passenger car is only at max, a 3 kid car. Many families these days don't want to be seen in a minivan and want tons of space and utility (car seats and all) so they end up getting large SUVs based on image with a price they pay at the gas pump. A minivan, I think, is a good option for most families without the lousy gas mileage penalty the typical SUV has. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jnaught Posted August 3, 2005 Share Posted August 3, 2005 Forrester has gobs of headroom, good for boosting kids in and out. Brick like aerodynamics lessen economy. However, it is great in the snow, the ultimate winter safety feature. JN Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rweddy Posted August 3, 2005 Share Posted August 3, 2005 Tribeca is out of the price range, unfortunately. And I will be very dissapionted with the performance of almost any mini van, not to mention their AWD capabilities. If anyone out there has less common sense please convince me. Just my .02. My wife and I were in the same boat, we have owned 10 Subaru’s and lots of other vehicles. We ended trading our 40th Anniversary ed. Landcruiser for a 03 Honda Odyssey, best move we have ever done. We have a dedicated set of studded snow tires on this Honda and now it handles better in the snow than my outback does on its all-seasons. For getting kids in out, safety, dvd players, convince, etc. there is no caparison, plus the Hondas have 250hp so they are no slugs on the road. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zooma37 Posted August 3, 2005 Share Posted August 3, 2005 Still thinkin, I own a 2003 Forester, and I recommend the Honda for kids, even though it's - yipes - a minivan. The Forester is a good car, but rear-facing car seats are a problem. There's not enough room in the rear seats to place a car seat rear-facing and to give the adult in the front, especially if he/she is tall, enough legroom to drive or ride. When I drove, we placed our son behind the front passenger, which worked only because my wife isn't tall. I highly recommend you think about rear-facing car seats BEFORE you buy the Forester. You certainly won't have that problem with the Honda or Toyota. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strakes Posted August 3, 2005 Share Posted August 3, 2005 I agree with zooma37. I forgot that we had to find rear facing seats without the grab-handle on top. That way it wasn't so wide and could fit between the gap on the front seatbacks. That allowed us to place the car seat in the middle rear position giving both front passengers leg room. Good grief. I remember growing up and my parents letting me and my brother having the whole back seat to roam without seat belts. Listening to some today makes me wonder how we made it to adulthood with the things we were allowed to do as children. Now if we have a long road trip, the kids can get highly irritated at having to be straight-jacketed into a car seat without any entertainment for extended periods of time. No wonder so many parents rave about dvd players in their minivans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweet82 Posted August 3, 2005 Share Posted August 3, 2005 Hello My name is Mike. I just joined today. I recently found out my wife is having twins and may need to trade off her Jetta. I really like the safety and performance of the Subaru vehicles. If you guys have time please make some points on which vehicle I should be looking at. The only cars I am interested in are the turbo's, because if I have to go the family wagon route I only want to grow up half way. Cheers guys, Mike M When we were looking for a Subaru, we didn't care what model we found. The differences/spec. are insignificant for my purposes. Looked at many Outbacks, Legacys and Foresters. I think both will get the job done for you. I ended up with a Forester because I was able to pick it up for a grand under low book. My decision was based off getting the best deal. I don't think it really matters, they are so similar. Buy the one you like. Glenn 82 SubaruHummer 01 Forester Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Still thinkin Posted August 3, 2005 Author Share Posted August 3, 2005 Thanks for all the advice and for the congrats, it is appreciated. I now have some interesting food for thought. I really want to stay away from FWD because where I live( rural Canada) we can sometimes be two or three days without a snowplow, and when it comes it often blocks the driveway, not enough to stop my truck but usually trouble for the Jetta even wth good Nokians all the way around. One thing I find about the car with very good winter tires is that on ice or packed snow it holds the road better than the truck. So now that I have more info I may consider an AWD minivan, but an new Sienna is $62,000 Cdn after tax-that is way out of my league. Could look at a Dodge but really really don't like the high depreciation. Please keep the info coming I really appreciate having different trains of thought to help me make the best decision. Take care, Mike M. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevetone Posted August 4, 2005 Share Posted August 4, 2005 My twins (now 5 years old) have always travelled in our 1995 Legacy Wagon LSi. Even when the car seats were facing backwards, there was plenty of room to get them in and out and transported safely. Have we ever wished that we had even more room? Occasionally. But we were unwilling to sacrifice any of the other benefits of owning a Subaru. Congratulations! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Still thinkin Posted August 4, 2005 Author Share Posted August 4, 2005 Can anyone tell me what year the turbo forrester's and legacy's became available. I will be forced to purchase a used car. And after reading about the performance gains with a turbo I am intriged(sp?). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cookie Posted August 4, 2005 Share Posted August 4, 2005 but in a used car I try to stay away from turbos dues to the extra operating and repair expense. I love turbos under warranty..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
humanistic Posted August 4, 2005 Share Posted August 4, 2005 We have two kids and two car seats. We also have two Foresters. I liked the Honda van, but my road is too bad. The Foresters have worked out great. I would assume the same is true with the Legacy wagon. Happy hunting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevetone Posted August 4, 2005 Share Posted August 4, 2005 Can anyone tell me what year the turbo forrester's and legacy's became available. I will be forced to purchase a used car. And after reading about the performance gains with a turbo I am intriged(sp?). Take it from a man with experience -- once your twins are born your life will seem high-performance enough! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gnuman Posted August 4, 2005 Share Posted August 4, 2005 I would stay with the NA (non turbo) Legacy (or Outback) wagon, if you cannot get a good deal on a Tribeca. The main problem with the Tribeca calling itself a 7 passenger car is that the two rearmost seats are too small for anyone but kids. As the Tribeca just came out this year, you will not find any used, but the sales have been slow and you may be able to get a good deal from a dealer that just wants to get rid of one. I have a 92 legacy wagon, and it handles bad weather conditions very well. The Tribeca should be about the same in that regard (Subaru has been doing All Wheel Drive for a long time). they list for 30K to 40K (US) so they may actually be a better deal for you than most of the others. . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bjwirth Posted August 4, 2005 Share Posted August 4, 2005 Take it from a man with experience -- once your twins are born your life will seem high-performance enough! Aint that the truth. we didn't have twins, but we have 2 less than 2 years apart and I can't imagine having twins. You said you were replacing the wife's car. Does this mean she'll be driving? Does she even care about performance? Buy whatever car you want, but I think there's going to be more important things to consider other than quartermile and 0-60 times when it comes to hauling your kids and all their gear. If you've got the money, buy 2 cars- that way you can have your cake and eat it too. But if you don't, its time to start prioritizing your life. But getting back to your question, check out the back seat of both these cars. We have a forester and we have 2 car seats in the back. the rear facing seat is behind the passenger seat and as a result the front is kinda cramped. I don't know how big the legacy back seat is, but you may want to check this out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zooma37 Posted August 4, 2005 Share Posted August 4, 2005 I agree with bjwirth. I never owned a Subaru until I purchased the Forester in 2003. Overall I like the car but I have some issues with it - gas mileage, cramped rear seats, the need to replace all four tires at once, and the fact that there are few mechanics around who can work on the car, unlike Hondas and Toyotas. If I were having twins, I would definitely choose the Honda. There's just far more space for kids than in the Forester. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vic Posted August 5, 2005 Share Posted August 5, 2005 Thanks for all the advice and for the congrats, it is appreciated. I now have some interesting food for thought. I really want to stay away from FWD because where I live( rural Canada) we can sometimes be two or three days without a snowplow, and when it comes it often blocks the driveway, not enough to stop my truck but usually trouble for the Jetta even wth good Nokians all the way around. One thing I find about the car with very good winter tires is that on ice or packed snow it holds the road better than the truck. So now that I have more info I may consider an AWD minivan, but an new Sienna is $62,000 Cdn after tax-that is way out of my league. Could look at a Dodge but really really don't like the high depreciation. Please keep the info coming I really appreciate having different trains of thought to help me make the best decision. Take care, Mike M. I am in similar situation regarding living in rural area and snow. I had considered a Honda mini van but the lack of ground clearance was a major problem. In my experience with rural snow, lack of ground clearance has been more of a problem than FWD. Never had much problem with my 1982 Saab Turbo, but many problems with my 1986 Honda Accord. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Still thinkin Posted August 10, 2005 Author Share Posted August 10, 2005 Hello Guys Thanks for all the replies. I now have some serious thinking to do. Unfortunatly all you Subaru owners are too smart to buy a new Sub and turn around and sell it 18 months later and taking a depreciation hit. The point about a non turbo is well recieved. My bank account may force me to be looking at something early 90's for myself and my wife will get my nice new pickup truck. An early 90's sub would be really fun for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rweddy Posted August 10, 2005 Share Posted August 10, 2005 Hello Guys Thanks for all the replies.I now have some serious thinking to do. Unfortunatly all you Subaru owners are too smart to buy a new Sub and turn around and sell it 18 months later and taking a depreciation hit. The point about a non turbo is well recieved. My bank account may force me to be looking at something early 90's for myself and my wife will get my nice new pickup truck. An early 90's sub would be really fun for me. A cared for 90's subaru will go 300k easy. My brothers 91 just hit 220k and he beats the living $%it out of it. You will be hooked on subarus from now on!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonlow Posted August 11, 2005 Share Posted August 11, 2005 I bought a new 1993 Impreza wagon when my 1st son was a month old, because our mid-'80s Civic hatchback did not have AC, and because getting an infant seat into the rear of a 2-dr car was a back breaker. We thought the Impreza was amazing with all the extra room. The kids are no longer in car seats, and now we have a current-version Mazda MPV as the large, family vehicle, and a current-version Impreza as the small, commuter car. Perspectives change. I think the Mazda 5 is a great intermediate-size option, and reliability should be good. I read that while the vehicle is new to North America, it has been sold elsewhere for a couple years. The Mazda 3 is very reliable, and the 5 shares much of the chassis and powertrain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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