Snowman Posted October 19, 2005 Share Posted October 19, 2005 A thread in the historic forum got me thinking about all the crazy stuff I've done in order to keep my subarus going, and figured that the people who freqent this board must have some good stories about the lengths they've gone to for their soobs. So, what's the farthest you've driven to pick up a new car or rescue an old one? Broken the law in order to get/keep your car? Any other stories of insanity? I guess I'll start off with my two interesting stories: 1. When my car threw a rod on the way home from college two years ago, I hitched a ride 400 miles home, then came back the next day with a truck and a tow dolley and hauled the car home. Just an extra 800 miles of driving and the associated fuel costs for a (then) plain old EA82 wagon. 2. In order to complete my EJ22 swap this year, I ended up making not one but two 500-mile round trips to Whitehorse for all the parts. One of those trips had to be done at 90mph in order to get done in time. I also didn't have any of the paperwork for the engine to bring it through the border, so I almost got in DEEP trouble with US Customs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbone Posted October 19, 2005 Share Posted October 19, 2005 Well, Miles Fox comes to mind on this topic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FirstSubaruGLwagon Posted October 19, 2005 Share Posted October 19, 2005 LOL Thats the first name that poped into my mind also:lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scoobywagon Posted October 19, 2005 Share Posted October 19, 2005 Me three! Well....I once broke the law by switching license plates from a not-running car with good plates to a running car with bad plates...just a couple days, mind you... I'm about to drive nearly 2000 miles (to Laramie, WY and back) to rescue my poor 82 GL wagon. Is that dedicated enough? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uss_essess Posted October 19, 2005 Share Posted October 19, 2005 So, what's the farthest you've driven to pick up a new car or rescue an old one? 4815 miles, according to my tripmeter. Flew to Newark, NJ, on the 3rd of October, had the car delivered on the 4th, caught a Devil's game on the 5th, left town on the 6th, and got back to Anchorage on the 10th. I am not sure I ever want to do that again. After spending the better part of 2 days without radio or cell phone reception, you start to get a little funny. I never realized that my girlfriend's initials are also the name of a sandwich..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bucky92 Posted October 19, 2005 Share Posted October 19, 2005 I think Moosens and Pat have won this award for the effort to get Pauls 74 (?) coupe across country. Pat towed that car through all sorts of weather and some mechanical problems ..if I remember right..just to deliver this little beauty here to the east coast. And I believe Pat then picked up a Legacy in PA and towed that back to the west coast. Also there is the trip Paul and me made to pick up the 82 GLF (the 32K one paul is driving now that was mine) ..a 5 hour drive up to Rochester NY and tow dollied it back here to CT ....with Pauls 84 GL wagon...over mountains and through the woods. The couple scarey moments where the GL didnt exactly want to stop.......or turn...or go up the hills. Then there was Andrews (WagonsOnly) trip to Georgia to get his GORGOUS split gate. And Hocrest and LeakingOils multiple trips for Melis' 3 door and her new XT6. I have to say there are some dedicated members here!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted October 19, 2005 Share Posted October 19, 2005 1 a few years ago, techwood avenue a block from the Georgia Tech football Stadium. a friend (ben webb) comes in and says "gross, they're towing your car". with a handful of friends watching and the frat boys across the street i ran outside and the truck was just pulling away, i ran after it, passed him in the center of the road, jumped on his windshield and beat it until he pulled over (he didn't have much choice). the police came and i explained he was towing my car from somewhere that i was allowed to park in. police made him give me my XT6 back with no fees/fines. 2 severe wobbling driving to georgia a couple years ago on I77 through charlotte, NC at 2am in the morning. Pulled over and the wheel was barely seated on the hub at an angle with one remaining lug nut. tightened up my one lug and limped to the next exit (less than a mile). pulled under a gas station awning and got to work, 4 lug studs had sheared off????? after looking and looking over the whole car, i found that the brake caliper bolts are the exact same thread as the lug studs. so i removed one brake caliper bolt from each front caliper and tightened up the one bolt holding the caliper on. the bolt is really really short and doesn't really want to go through the hub and wheel enough to grab the nut so you have to make sure the wheel is seated tight and reach behind the access hole and hold the bolt in there while grabbing it with the nut in the other hand. then tighten as best you can. finished the drive to atlanta with one stud and 2 brake caliper bolts as temporary studs. i think i just had sockets and such...no hammer to borrow studs from other hubs, i recall trying to get one out. continued on to atlanta and picked up new studs at the subaru dealer. had my friend call around atlanta for me and found a dealer right on my way. 3 a friend told me he knew a guy who had an XT6 i could take it away for free if i came and got it (blown head gaskets). nowhere to put it in georgia so i borrowed a truck, borrowed a tow dolly (from friends) and drove 750 miles to maryland (where i'm from), turned around and drove back to class. still got that one, it's a nice car. and swapping tags....don't tell anyone but i do that all the time. i have 5 running XT6's and one set of tags. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subeman90 Posted October 19, 2005 Share Posted October 19, 2005 I bought a bunch of years ago a 92 legacy turbo sedan in Rockford Il. It was about a 1600 mile round trip to get a car I bought for $750 that had a bad automatic in it. We (it was my dad and I that went in his 95 full size chevy)rented a trailer here and took the trailer out with us to get the car and put it on the trailer for the return trip. Then on the return trip we were about to Somerset PA on the PA TPK and I got the "runs" if you know what I mean......the last leg of the trip was awful.:-\ Good times....good times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chef_tim Posted October 19, 2005 Share Posted October 19, 2005 We drove through one of the worst blizards of the year, two years ago, to pick up the motor for my hatch from CCR. Counted 67 vehicles in the ditch on the way. Good ol' Rosy was just loving it. Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
northguy Posted October 19, 2005 Share Posted October 19, 2005 Well, I've been beaten for distance drives, except I've done it twice: once to Portland and once to Olympia. I guess the combined mileage is close to USS Esses's record. I just must be stupider for having done it twice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A DOG Posted October 19, 2005 Share Posted October 19, 2005 I drove down to lakewood colorado from montana to get my XT6. It's not too far, but on the way back we couldn't leave till 1 in the afternoon because we had to wait for our friend to get out of jail(DUI). So we drove till 4 in the morning to get back in time. It was all worth it for the XT6. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
84gl Posted October 19, 2005 Share Posted October 19, 2005 well the wagon have my aunt bought new in 1986 so, its part of the family anyway two years ago I heard she was going to have it crushed because unknown to me the car was wrecked in 1999 (bent frame etc and had 495,000 on it ) and she said it was not fixable. well the car was 100 miles away i drove my 80 sedan up it see how bad it was so after looking it over i bought it for $100 and started to work try to get it started no go the feul pump was bad from setting so i drive back home get a spare feul pump fenders bumper etc and go back get it running clean the rats nests out put good head lights in and leave for home now the only brakes the car has is the e brake no tail lights and hasn't been dove in four years a still makes it home Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hooziewhatsit Posted October 19, 2005 Share Posted October 19, 2005 Not the best of the ones listed, but, I made three or four trips from Klamath Falls to Grants Pass (about 100 miles one way) to work on my '85 twagon which was sitting at the in-laws place. One trip to buy it and have my father in law tow it to their place... one trip with a new fuel pump to get it running... one trip to fix the busted main seal on the 3AT... another trip to finish everything else up and bring it home. Oh, and the trip home Car hadn't run in at least 6 years... I was by myself, no cell phone, and had to take the thermostat out so it wouldn't overheat, and no windshield wipers (still don't work). and now it's just sitting there with a broken driveshaft u-joint waiting for me to get the rest of the parts needed for a 5spd swap... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
operose Posted October 19, 2005 Share Posted October 19, 2005 I drove to Oswego New York (few hours trip) and back to pickup my first car... sight unseen, with no knowledge of subarus whatsoever... that little beat up FWD XT6 served me well.... but I have a lot of interesting stories about getting it stuck, and having it break down, and me towing it with a 4dr '89 toyota camry and a 5ft rope.... among many other things... then I was in this junkyard and found an xt6 with a rotten bottom that had been hit on the side... spent a very long time haggling with a mean old junkyard owner to get it released into my custody... THEN, being the smart-rump roast guy that I am.. I drove 20hrs continuosly, only breaks being picking up my new xt6 with a bad transmission that I paid $500 for, and stopping for gas in the gas guzzling truck.....needless to say I was very tired after this one, but happy to have another xt6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoahDL88 Posted October 19, 2005 Share Posted October 19, 2005 As Michigan as the base of operations First Subaru i picked up in Baltimore, over a weekend, there and back in 30 hours, with a 5 hour layover for sleep and food. 4th Subaru i picked up, was driven out from seattle by Austin, i picked it up from him in MSP, also a weekend trip. Spare engine, picked up in CT from Moosens, another weekend trip. 5th Subaru, picked up sight unseen from New Jersey, weekend trip. two summer trips to and from Seattle, every other trip i broke a timing belt, in Montana. All combined 11,680 miles And my most dedicated action, i'll be moving to seattle to be closer to the Hatch Patrol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcbrat Posted October 19, 2005 Share Posted October 19, 2005 let's see. Des Moines, IA as home base. Minneapolis, MN (Ham Lake) (4 hours away) to get my first Brat with blown HG for $100. towed back with mini-van, after overheating the minivan, and needing a new radiator... Lincoln, NE (3 hours away) 2 Brats. 1st trip to get parts brat, flat towed with minivan. 2nd trip to get 2nd Brat from aformentioned trip. drove it back with no rear suspension (torsion bars broken) $350 both Ames, IA only about 30 miles. picked up 2 soobs. 1st trip used a tow dolly to get 86 XT 4wd Turbo for $100. 2nd trip to get 85 GL 4wd Wagon with broken timing belt. $100 Cambridge, IA about 25 miles. picked up 82 DL wagon with 250k, no brakes, and a bunch of spare parts. $99. drove it home Decorah, IA about 5.5 hours from my house, but was only 1.5 hours away when I went to look at a 85 4wd wagon. passed on this one, as it had been used as a chicken coop Sioux Falls, SD (5 hours away) went to pick up a turbo brat. tried flat towing, but front frame rail piece pulled off because of prior accident. had to return 2 weeks later with a tow dolly. Renner, SD (5.5 hours away) Visited Chef Tim, and trailered back a 87 4WD lifted wagon anything further away, I've had shipped. Turbo Brat from MD Ski Wagon from ID 82 Brat from AZ via WI seller Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caboobaroo Posted October 19, 2005 Share Posted October 19, 2005 I traded a '87 Justy for my '78 Brat... well since the Brat didn't have any plates on it even though he had it registered, I decided to throw a good set of plates on it from my '79... I mean my '78 wagon since they had come off of a '78 wagon. I drove it like that for about 3 months and whenever I got pulled over, I'd show the title for the '78 wagon, show him the title for the Brat and the registration and tell him/her that I had put the frame of the wagon under my Brat since the frame under the Brat was rusted to crap. Always got away;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowman Posted October 19, 2005 Author Share Posted October 19, 2005 I traded a '87 Justy for my '78 Brat... well since the Brat didn't have any plates on it even though he had it registered, I decided to throw a good set of plates on it from my '79... I mean my '78 wagon since they had come off of a '78 wagon. I drove it like that for about 3 months and whenever I got pulled over, I'd show the title for the '78 wagon, show him the title for the Brat and the registration and tell him/her that I had put the frame of the wagon under my Brat since the frame under the Brat was rusted to crap. Always got away;) That's good stuff:lol: . It's a good thing the cops don't know anything about subarus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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