What about a Subaru?

[amorak]

Originally Posted by schteve_d

I've always wanted to date a girl who drives a Subaru. I don't really know why; I suppose it's an image thing.

You like lesbians?

[MRCboicgy]

Put some Continental ExtremeContact DWS on them. In my recent experience (and I'm far from a car guy), an Impreza with those on them is a great combo for spring thru fall

[-TC-]

they are versatile, but, expensive to fix and the powertrains are a bit harsh and noisy. Also the interior materials are a step down from other brands

[schteve_d]

Originally Posted by amorak

You like lesbians?

You mean to tell me that there are people out there that don't like lesbians?! Ludicrous.

[simmonjam1]

I see a lot of rainbow stickers on the back of Subaru wagons....

[STeeLy]

I've owned my current 2004 WRX Sedan for 4 months now.

Drivers great, lots of power.

But yes, if you want a fuel efficient car, Subaru isn't really quite the way to go, but if you want something that's good in the snow, handles well and gets you out of a lot of sticky situations, go with Subaru. (I also know someone who works at a Subaru Dealership in Calgary.)

[Sylvanfan]

Originally Posted by schteve_d

I've always wanted to date a girl who drives a Subaru. I don't really know why; I suppose it's an image thing.

My brother once commented that people who drive Subaru's tend to be people who'd fata their car instead of their girl friend if they could. Does that have something to do with it?

[Delthefunky]

I currently drive a '90 legacy, and have had 3 in the last 10 years. I personally love them, just because the engine is historically bullet proof, and they just keep going. My first car when I was 16 was a chaser, and it had 350,000 MILES on it, and started fine every day.

As far as new Subaru's go, I would spend some time sitting in it, because I know that they have merged all the chasis' into 1 or 2 models (I believe the impreza now shares the legacy chasis). I believe they did this in 2006, so an Impreza before that year should have the good old impreza chasis.

But overall, a big thumbs up, especially if your driving up to K-country every weekend

[mac_82]

I've had my WRX for 5+ years now, and love it. AWD + winter tires and you can't go wrong. My next car in the next 1-2 years will be a Subaru.

And +1 for subarugenuineparts.com. It is way cheaper ordering parts from the states.

[hkstylez]

I've got a subaru and its fun to drive. It's AWESOME for winter (but I'm sure most cars are).

[keratosis]

Originally Posted by schteve_d

I've always wanted to date a girl who drives a Subaru. I don't really know why; I suppose it's an image thing.

Have a thing for Birkenstocks do you?

[pylon]

As a car biz guy, specifically a VW guy, I would say if I left VW tomorrow, Subaru would be my first stop looking for a new gig. They are awesome cars, that fill a really cool niche. They are a little rougher around the edges than their Japanese competitors, but make up for it with a near German tank like build. They age very well as well. Honda, Toyotas, Nissan, etc... seem to get a very tired and worn out feeling to them after 120 or so kms. I have seen used subs come in with 200 + kms on them, and they drive and feel very fresh. I think part of it goes back to the fact that their parent company is a heavy equipment / industrial manufacturer.

[Mad Mel]

My car is an '02 Forester. Admittedly, I don't drive it that much due to a 2-wheel addiction, but thus far it's been absolutely reliable. It's fairly utilitarian, but that suits me. I think the newer ones are bit more polished.

[Draug]

Not much to add that hasnt been mentioned ...

I bought new, and still have, a 2007 Subaru Legacy GT Ltd (wagon). Next to the STi, its the highest performance car they have (had) and one of the most expensive. In 2007, the best price I could get here in Calgary for one off the lot was $52,000 all in. I bought mine in the US for $35,000 Cdn counting the trip to go get it. At $35,000, its a hell of a deal ... at $50,000, I wonder what else would be out there??

I really love the car. It has been super reliable, with one exception, and I have 110,000 kms on the car now. The only problem was with the exhaust outlet valves; they wore in an abnormal way and caused the engine to throw a misfire code due to the eratic change in outlet pressure. I had that fixed at about 90,000 kms and have had no further problems since.

The paint has held up nicely. The interior, with the leather seats, still looks and feels brand new. The "new car" smell is still faintly noticeable, but hauling around two kids definately erodes the "new car" smell of an interior. I cant speak for all Subaru's, but the higher end Legacy GT Ltd doesnt seem to consist of lesser quality interior pieces (to me) as someone mentioned above.

I agree that the factory tires were garbage. If I remember correctly, they were Bridgestone Potenza RE92's ??? Whatever they were, they sucked. In the winter, I use Dunlop Sport M3's and they are awesome. With the all-wheel drive, and winter tires, snow or ice has never been a problem for us, and we drive every day in Calgary all year round.

I feel Subaru's are quite safe also. My prepurchase research led me to that conclusion. Then, earlier this fall, a friend of mine witnessed a T-bone collision which involved a Subaru Legacy T-boning a Grand Am. Basically, the Grand Am was squished to less than half its width and squished the whole cabin of the car way past center. The Subaru was a write off also, but the driver wasnt hurt; the engine bay collapsed nicely right into the dash and firewall but left the cockpit basically undamaged.

I like Subaru's enough that when it comes time to replace our second car, I'll definately be hoping to afford an 08+ STi.

[Fozzie_DeBear]

I have an 05 Forester XT...overall very happy with it

Love the:
Handling and Speed
Reliability
Epic sunroof
Safety

Meh:
Interior and comfort

Don't like:
Fuel economy
Rear legroom

I wanted a fast wagon that came with a manual transmission and was uber-reliable and reasonable $$$ to maintain (i.e. no Volvo's, BMW's Audi's). That is a pretty short list...Mazda 6 wagon, Forester XT and Legacy GT/XT

[GoFlamesGo89]

pretty much ditto to everything here-- have a '10 Outback, and absolutely love it. My wife drives it more often than I do, because she feels much safer and it handles really well. The only complaint is that it sucks noticeably more gas than our civic (not a fair comparison, but still...). Would buy another Subaru any day.

On the servicing-- Allmakes Auto Repairs are Subaru certified specialists in an industrial area of the NE, and are much cheaper (and friendlier in my experience) than dealing with the dealerships. They can do all maintenance without impacting your warranty, but can't do any warranty work in and of itself. I had a Subaru in the late '90's and dealt with them, and still do, they've been around for a long time.

[Shin Pad]

When I was looking for an SUV last year, I test drove a lot of different ones, but it came down to a choice between the Toyota Rav 4 (V6) or the Subaru Forester with the turbo engine. The Subaru had more features and plenty of power, but, it used premium gas. That was the point that convinced me to go with the Rav 4. If you don't go with the turbo engine, and you're happy with the power of the regular 4 cylinder engine, then Subaru is the way to go. My Rav 4 has more power than the Subaru with the turbo engine, and it uses regular gas.

[Scoopdogg]

username, forget the subaru idea and go with this http://forum.calgarypuck.com/showthread.php?t=99976

You mentioned that you want lots of room for skis/snowboards, well what's better then a dodge Grand Caravan with Sto N Go? Nothing is better, and with the winter tires on that bad boy you'll easily make out to BC for your ski trips.

Oh, and I almost forgot to mention the fuel efficient 3.3 V6 engine.

If you're single, you'll be beating the ladies off with a stick driving this chick magnet around town.

Special price for CP members of $9,000. Let me know if you're interested.

[username]

This has been excellent everyone, thanks for all your input.

Looks like I know what my next ride is going to be - I'll probably check out the dealership this weekend.

Scoopdogg - while that Dodge Grand Caravan looks pretty sweet, I'm going to have to say no. I'm pretty sure that if I ever got behind the wheel of a minivan I'd commit suicide by driving it off a cliff somewhere.

[Scoopdogg]

Your loss username!