|
So my beloved GL is on it's deathbed. Because of loving maine road salt cancer  It has some superfishial sheet metal rot in the back, but today I was jacking it up in the front, wheel just came off the ground and CRUNCH!!! Jack went all the way through the rocker leaving a huge pile of rust in my garage. So now I'm looking for a clean GL wagon to swap my dual range transmission, ea81, lift, etc into. Sad sad day. This car and I have had a lot of adventure, sad to see it dying.
|
#
?
Jan 9, 2012 21:40
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 13, 2024 15:40 |
|
|
This isn't going to help at all, but I saw a pristine GL sedan in the junkyard here on Saturday. It brought a tear to my eye. Might be worth popping up into a part of Canada that's too cold for road salt to get your car (i.e. not Quebec or Ontario). Of course, if you're going that far just go to California.
|
|
#
?
Jan 9, 2012 21:46
|
|
|
I've seen some really nice GLs in PA junk yards. I wonder if I could get the whole car and some sort of branded title. Who knows. These are getting so hard to find these days. Thought about driving one back from CA or somewhere, the problem is this. In stock configuration the GL is, quite frankly, a pile of poo poo. So to un-poo poo it, I will have to swap all the good parts from mine. But getting it in CA means driving a POS 3000 miles across country... Or driving mine over and finding somewhere to do the swap. Now that sounds like fun... 
|
|
#
?
Jan 9, 2012 22:38
|
|
|
The only problem with bringing a GL over here is that it'll quickly start rusting away if you drive it in the winter at all. There's always this if you can figure out getting the title sorted: http://york.craigslist.org/bar/2730926164.html  Edit: 72k original miles: http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/cto/2785442197.html 
Jared592 fucked around with this message at 00:00 on Jan 10, 2012 |
|
#
?
Jan 9, 2012 23:53
|
|
|
chrisgt posted:So my beloved GL is on it's deathbed. Because of loving maine road salt cancer You can fix this. It's just a bit of effort. http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3439775&userid=0&perpage=40&pagenumber=3#post396700891
|
|
#
?
Jan 10, 2012 00:06
|
|
|
Jared592 posted:The only problem with bringing a GL over here is that it'll quickly start rusting away if you drive it in the winter at all. The hatch... I'd love one of those. But I've learned not to buy other people's porjects.... Title? pah. In Maine you don't need no stinkin' title for something that old. The 2-door sedan. drat I love those! Hmmm. There are some lovely GLs people have linked me to now. I have to decide on one 
|
|
#
?
Jan 10, 2012 02:36
|
|
|
Well after a lot of hunting I finally bought the car I've been lusting over. 2008 Outback XT with 35,000miles. What a huge upgrade from a 1992 Honda Accord. So far after a 12 hour road trip to get it back home, I couldn't be happier. The day after I bought the thing it snowed.  IMAG0068 by Shane Duff, on Flickr
|
|
#
?
Jan 10, 2012 06:28
|
|
|
Very nice. I really like the wheels on those. Is it stick shift?
|
|
#
?
Jan 10, 2012 06:55
|
|
|
Seat Safety Switch posted:Very nice. I really like the wheels on those. Is it stick shift? Sure is. That's the main reason it took so long to find. There didn't seem to be very many of these popping up in CA, so I flew over to Salt Lake and picked it up.
|
|
#
?
Jan 10, 2012 07:03
|
|
|
Dear god I didn't know they made the outback XTs in stick shift after 05. I thought it was only 05 for the leggy gt and obxt wagons....
|
|
#
?
Jan 10, 2012 12:44
|
|
|
c355n4 posted:On my NA 2.5RS, I went from the stock 16x7s to 15x7s specifically due to tire choice and cost. I found it was easier and cheaper to find good 225s in 15". It also helps that that tire size is popular with miatas. Oh, and if you get the right 15x7s you can fit WRX (4/2 pot) brakes without an issue. Thanks Jamal, Seat Safety Switch and c355n4! The E30 is just the same with tyres. 195/45 15 and one other slightly larger size are cheap as poo poo, and even the recommended 205/55 aren't too bad. But go into 16" rims and the price doubles or even triples (!). Don't even know exactly what it has on the 16s, except that they're Firestones. I had Firehawks ages ago on a 330ci and those were decent (as good on the roads as the SP9000s I was using), but these are probably something cheap hewn out of granite. The car's basically for thrashing around back roads while commuting, snow days and a few farm tracks and unsurfaced roads. I definitely wouldn't be using high profile 195s, except maybe for winter tyres. Anyway, I think the message is to wear out the 16" rubber and look out for some cheap used 15x7s to powdercoat the obligatory gold. Brake swaps are more complicated on mine because the 2.0 NA classics have drum rears. I'd be hosed on insurance if I started replacing the back end of the car to fit rear discs. I will read up on the front swap - though I'm guessing you need a WRX master cylinder and discs? diff lube - PO says he's just done an oil change but won't have touched the tranny and diffs. How awful is the center diff for access? I have a friendly shop that will do it for me, otherwise I just have jack stands to work with, which I really don't like relying on in terms of crawling right under a car. The tranny on the EJ20 NA cars appears to have an inspection or filling plug (yellow plastic) on top that you can get a funnel to from the engine bay - I assume you use that? Was going to use this in the diff/tranny - is it the right sort of thing? http://www.opieoils.co.uk/p-68901-fuchs-titan-race-syn-5-75w-90-fully-synthetic-gear-oil-was-silkolene-syn-5-75w-90.aspx Really would like not to spend £100 on Redline/Miller superunobtanium gear oil if I can reasonably avoid it.
|
|
#
?
Jan 10, 2012 13:14
|
|
|
Redline is really really good, though. I cannot shift into first while rolling right now because I used walmart partially synthetic to refill my trans. (Fearing I may have to drop it again after doing the clutch). Now that it runs good I am going back to redline.
|
|
#
?
Jan 10, 2012 13:19
|
|
|
Lord Gaga posted:Redline is really really good, though. I cannot shift into first while rolling right now because I used walmart partially synthetic to refill my trans. (Fearing I may have to drop it again after doing the clutch). Now that it runs good I am going back to redline. Great, now I'm paranoid!
|
|
#
?
Jan 10, 2012 13:31
|
|
|
Slow is Fast posted:Dear god I didn't know they made the outback XTs in stick shift after 05. I thought it was only 05 for the leggy gt and obxt wagons.... 05 was the last year of the Legacy wagon. Just in general. But I too thought they did away with the 5speed obxt. I can see Dan spending all day at work looking for a blue one now...
|
|
#
?
Jan 10, 2012 13:40
|
|
|
Saga posted:Anyway, I think the message is to wear out the 16" rubber and look out for some cheap used 15x7s to powdercoat the obligatory gold. I would imagine any automotive powdercoating shop knows this already, but it appears to be a problem on at least the Porsche forums.
|
|
#
?
Jan 10, 2012 16:08
|
|
|
Just got some oem 17" rims for my bug eye. I think it looks a lot better now. 
Amandyke fucked around with this message at 06:13 on Jan 11, 2012 |
|
#
?
Jan 11, 2012 05:36
|
|
|
06, huh? Looks pretty good on the bugeye. I'm toying around with picking up 16" wheels (either 2.5RS coupe or early WRX) to put on the Outback Sport in conjunction with some lower-profile 205/55/16 RS3s or something. It's really hard to find something with some grip in the stock 205/60/15 size for some reason. Now if only the locals would bother selling theirs instead of using them for winter wheels. Seat Safety Switch fucked around with this message at 06:07 on Jan 11, 2012 |
|
#
?
Jan 11, 2012 06:04
|
|
|
I'm typing this really lightly because I don't know if I'm wandering in here to piss everyone off unintentionally but I figure this is the place to bring this up. Please be gentle... TL/DR: I may be buying my first Subaru this week and I want to know what you guys think. Back story: I am looking for a new AWD vehicle around $30K that I want to drive and may be stylish/fun. I have narrowed it down to a 2012 WRX Limited and a Mini Countryman S All4. I drove them both and immediately fell in love with the WRX to the point that I will probably be picking it up Thursday if all goes well. The Mini was a very nice vehicle (not really a "car") and had some advantages over the Subaru, but it came down to looks and that is where I am leaning. Which brings me here. "Buying a car because it looks nice" aside, is there some major issues I should know about these cars? I don't plan on tracking it or even modding it out, probably at all. If my current car hadn't poo poo the bed I was planning on something much MUCH nicer in the Fall, but life sucks and here I am looking to spend some money on something new right now. The one at the dealership is pretty base modelish. Is there anything I should look for as far as dealer-installed (or aftermarket) necessities? I will be honest...I didn't read all 250+ pages of the thread and I know that most of my questions are probably answered somewhere in those pages, so I apologize if that is the case. I post in the cigar thread a lot and when someone new comes in and ignores the first post, it is cool that someone new is there and it is frustrating because they're dumb. Now I'm the dumb. Thanks for your help in advance. Here's a picture: 
|
|
#
?
Jan 11, 2012 06:06
|
|
|
Don't get the automatic, even if you don't know how to drive stick.Amandyke posted:Just got some oem 17" rims for my bug eye. I think it looks a lot better now. Nice wheels but you should use the large thumbnail version, http://www.imgur.com/rPEmil.jpg (just add an l to the end of the file name) Hugh G. Rectum fucked around with this message at 06:08 on Jan 11, 2012 |
|
#
?
Jan 11, 2012 06:06
|
|
|
Do they even still make a WRX automatic? I thought that died in 09 with the Impreza GT.Flyinglemur posted:Which brings me here. "Buying a car because it looks nice" aside, is there some major issues I should know about these cars? I don't plan on tracking it or even modding it out, probably at all. If my current car hadn't poo poo the bed I was planning on something much MUCH nicer in the Fall, but life sucks and here I am looking to spend some money on something new right now. Almost none of the dealership options are worthwhile; if they still sell the armrest extension for the '12, that was a pretty good addition to previous generations of WRX/Impreza. There are a few mods which make day-to-day life a lot easier even if you're not a performance driver; the various shift bushing kits improve shift feel substantially and are what the car should have shipped with from the factory. Keep in mind that the WRX may very well change substantially in 2013; the 2011 and 2012 are very good cars however. Seat Safety Switch fucked around with this message at 06:13 on Jan 11, 2012 |
|
#
?
Jan 11, 2012 06:10
|
|
|
Oh no, it has a 5 speed and that is what I wanted. As for Accessport, you might as well have hit me in the face with a cat because I would have understood that better. Well, not really true...I'm guessing it is a chip reprogram thing?
|
|
#
?
Jan 11, 2012 06:13
|
|
|
And yes, I'm "The Guy" mechanics see coming from 3 miles away \/\/\/\/Thanks.
|
|
#
?
Jan 11, 2012 06:14
|
|
|
Yeah, the Accessport is an aftermarket piece of electronics from Cobb which lets you change the car's software from the diagnostics port, no wrenches or anything required. edit: Also, it's worth thinking about putting a 3M paint protection film on the car but the dealership usually way overcharges for that. Look to an outside provider for it as the Subaru paint is really thin.
|
|
#
?
Jan 11, 2012 06:14
|
|
|
law abiding rapist posted:but you should use the large thumbnail version, http://www.imgur.com/rPEmil.jpg (just add an l to the end of the file name) Ah sorry, I uploaded it from my phone and didn't realize it didn't scale down on the proper site.
|
|
#
?
Jan 11, 2012 06:17
|
|
|
Seat Safety Switch posted:Yeah, the Accessport is an aftermarket piece of electronics from Cobb which lets you change the car's software from the diagnostics port, no wrenches or anything required. Or if there is a tuning shop near you, you could have them upload an off the shelf map for likely a lot less than buying an accessport. That said you wont have all the wizzbang features that the accessport gives you (real time monitoring, logging, map swapping, etc etc)
|
|
#
?
Jan 11, 2012 06:21
|
|
|
Amandyke posted:Or if there is a tuning shop near you, you could have them upload an off the shelf map for likely a lot less than buying an accessport. That said you wont have all the wizzbang features that the accessport gives you (real time monitoring, logging, map swapping, etc etc) I live within 30 minutes of downtown St Paul (a bit further to Minneapolis) so there is a chance I suppose. If I end up getting this, I will definitely have to look into a shop near here. Roughly speaking, how much do those go for? I would probably do the off the shelf map because I don't need RT monitoring or anything like that.
|
|
#
?
Jan 11, 2012 06:25
|
|
|
I wouldn't worry too much about it. Yeah it's not uncommon, but there are a lot more cars out there without problems than there are that blow a ringland or crack the oil pickup. plus it's under warranty. I'd say buy it, drive it around for awhile, and then if there's something you want to change come back for recommendations on what parts to buy. Also the stock tires aren't going to work so well in MN during the winter. The nice thing is that you can get an older set of wrx 16" wheels for cheap (<$200) for snow tires. jamal fucked around with this message at 06:31 on Jan 11, 2012 |
|
#
?
Jan 11, 2012 06:28
|
|
|
jamal posted:Also if you're in a snowy location the stock tires aren't going to work so well. Yeah the salesman mentioned that they come with "Performance" tires and he recommended All Seasons. I'm sure I could go to Walmart and make that happen I'm kidding.
|
|
#
?
Jan 11, 2012 06:31
|
|
|
the performance tires are great, during the summer on pavement. You get much better braking and cornering ability out of them over an all season. I would just go with a second set of wheels and actual snow tires.
|
|
#
?
Jan 11, 2012 06:40
|
|
|
Oh I was in total agreement with you, I just wouldn't get it done at Walmart.
|
|
#
?
Jan 11, 2012 06:41
|
|
|
Flyinglemur posted:Yeah the salesman mentioned that they come with "Performance" tires and he recommended All Seasons. I'm sure I could go to Walmart and make that happen I'm kidding. Then go do some ice driving events with the audi club, they let subarus tag along. --- Honestly, I never got a real good feeling about any of "tuners" in Minneapolis. I got my work done at Metric out in like Woodbury, and they did a bang up job (and they're pretty honest), but they don't do tuning. There's supposedly some good ones in Chicagoish area. jamal posted:plus it's under warranty. I'd say buy it, drive it around for awhile, and then if there's something you want to change come back for recommendations on what parts to buy. All the Subaru dealers in Minneapolis suck for service, by the way. The one out on 394 sucks the least. Probably. nm fucked around with this message at 07:40 on Jan 11, 2012 |
|
#
?
Jan 11, 2012 07:33
|
|
|
I can't seem to find any ice driving/winter rallyx type stuff in Montana. maybe I'll have to see what it takes to set something up at a nearby mountain lake. Once it actually gets cold anyhow.
|
|
#
?
Jan 11, 2012 07:51
|
|
|
Picked up my EJ20 N/A Sport and it's basically in good condition, albeit I've seen better. It's definitely had some grief in the past though - there's an invoice with it, which coincidentally happens to be from our local Subaru dealer, detailing how it came within a gnat's chuff of eating its cambelt due to pretty much every tensioner and idler pulley failing at 45k, and which also notes that it "appears to have had a replacement cylinder head".  Curse of the Subaru head gasket, I'm guessing. Is it safe to assume that if it's quiet (no bearing / pulley noise at all), I can run it out to the specified cambelt interval (or until something starts squealing)? It came with turbo wheels (painted white, which actually works quite well) and the tyres are Firehawk TZ200s, which, as predicted, appear to be hewn from granite. On the plus side, it's a cheap 12 year old Impreza with four matching tyres and approximately even tyre wear, so I'm just going to leave them on. Can anyone recommend a decent set of perforated/transparent foglight covers? The spots on it are in good condition and I'd like them to stay that way. A very nice silver '99 wagon I looked at had a set of STI style covers that were sort of a mesh (but painted body colour and with the sti logo, so you could use the spots to some degree but still be safe from rocks). Google hasn't yet found them - anyone know the kind I'm talking about? e: driving technique? What's the best way to approach corners with the Subaru? I'm used to the simplicity of RWD. Feels like the Impreza wants to carry more speed into corners and have its nose more loaded at turn-in than I'd have it in the E30, but then again it could be I'm just not getting on the throttle early enough. Do you basically get on the throttle hard as soon as you reach your turn in point (and presumably never, ever back off?)? Saga fucked around with this message at 10:13 on Jan 11, 2012 |
|
#
?
Jan 11, 2012 08:45
|
|
|
jamal posted:I can't seem to find any ice driving/winter rallyx type stuff in Montana. maybe I'll have to see what it takes to set something up at a nearby mountain lake. Once it actually gets cold anyhow. Saga posted:It's definitely had some grief in the past though - there's an invoice with it, which coincidentally happens to be from our local Subaru dealer, detailing how it came within a gnat's chuff of eating its cambelt due to pretty much every tensioner and idler pulley failing at 45k, and which also notes that it "appears to have had a replacement cylinder head". quote:Is it safe to assume that if it's quiet (no bearing / pulley noise at all), I can run it out to the specified cambelt interval (or until something starts squealing)? quote:Can anyone recommend a decent set of perforated/transparent foglight covers? The spots on it are in good condition and I'd like them to stay that way. quote:A very nice silver '99 wagon I looked at had a set of STI style covers that were sort of a mesh (but painted body colour and with the sti logo, so you could use the spots to some degree but still be safe from rocks). Google hasn't yet found them - anyone know the kind I'm talking about? quote:e: driving technique? What's the best way to approach corners with the Subaru? I'm used to the simplicity of RWD. Feels like the Impreza wants to carry more speed into corners and have its nose more loaded at turn-in than I'd have it in the E30, but then again it could be I'm just not getting on the throttle early enough. Do you basically get on the throttle hard as soon as you reach your turn in point (and presumably never, ever back off?)? Obviously, depending on your diff setup, tires, and the specific corner things will change. Left foot braking also works really well. Seat Safety Switch fucked around with this message at 15:51 on Jan 11, 2012 |
|
#
?
Jan 11, 2012 15:43
|
|
|
Saga posted:Can anyone recommend a decent set of perforated/transparent foglight covers? The spots on it are in good condition and I'd like them to stay that way.  http://www.rs25.com/forums/f14/t170272-bakemono-mesh-foglight-covers-stock-again.html Check ebay maybe?
|
|
#
?
Jan 11, 2012 16:38
|
|
|
nm posted:Go get some Nokians from Norm's Tires in Little Canada. Snow tires+ subaru make winter fun. Thanks for the advice. I'm going to school in Center City and live in Stacy so I'm right up here in the Chisago area and know the places you are talking about (I have driven by there) and will certainly check them out.
|
|
#
?
Jan 11, 2012 16:42
|
|
|
Seat Safety Switch posted:You could write a book about cornering on a stock Subaru. My personal introductory opinion: The car is monstrously nose heavy depending on generation so your best tactic is to get the car rotating through trail braking (throttle lift seems to work poorly every time I've tried it), and then jump on the throttle as soon as the nose is pointing in a direction that resembles where you want to go. The understeer will lock you in and off you go. It's a facelift classic wagon and a non-turbo with no a/c, which means very little in the engine bay and more bodywork at the back. So it's probably about as tail-heavy as they get. I think the "Sport" spec cars we got in the UK have the full Turbo 2000 chassis and bodywork (minus only the hood scoop - boo!), but with 15" rims instead of 16x7 and obviously no turbo. I guess basically I'm having a bit of trouble figuring out what you have to do to get it feel planted in corners. The E30 weights up very easily on turn-in, and then you can adjust it delicately with throttle and possibly unwind a bit of lock as necessary. Once you pick a line, it basically steers from the back and you just unwind as the revs increase and the corner opens. Taking the Impreza down my regular back roads, it's hard to get it to settle - the steering doesn't seem to weight up mid-corner and it basically feels like it hasn't found its happy corner speed. It sounds from what you're saying like I need to carry more brake into the corners, carry more speed up to the apex and then get on the throttle at about the same time and let the AWD keep the car vaguely pointed at the exit, rather than playing with the wheel or moderating throttle. Alternatively buy a Type RA and use more throttle, but the £2,000 insurance bill is a bit much. c355n4, those are the ones alright. But painted body colour with the STI logo. Cool!
|
|
#
?
Jan 11, 2012 16:44
|
|
|
Even the non-turbos are pretty out of shape; my 1997 Outback Sport wagon is 58% F/42% R. My tactic is to basically let the car's inherent understeer make it go straight, but I think in general you need to use way more gas in every situation.
|
|
#
?
Jan 11, 2012 17:01
|
|
|
More gas, I can do that.
|
|
#
?
Jan 11, 2012 17:03
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 13, 2024 15:40 |
|
|
So I think I developed an exhaust leak in the Outback Sport. It started as a small rattle on deceleration over the weekend. I was giving it the beans for a relatively small amount of time on Monday night and suddenly the engine started to sound much better and the rattle became much more pronounced (enough so that I can hear it over my disintegrating transmission). At idle on Tuesday morning, the car now emits a moderately loud hiss from the underside of the car, and while I haven't gotten someone else to sit in the car and rev it I can hear the engine note is much louder than before and this morning I noticed my throttle response has gone to poo poo below mid throttle / 4000rpm. I suspected during racing this season that the cat was plugged (loss of power under sustained WOT until I lifted and planted again) but I didn't expect that it would produce enough backpressure to blow a hole in something. Since it's snowing and cold, I don't want to get under the car for an extended period of time. Is it common for one of the the exhaust/header gaskets to fail under this kind of situation? Last time I was under the car, nothing on the underside of the exhaust looked rusty. Seat Safety Switch fucked around with this message at 23:02 on Jan 11, 2012 |
|
#
?
Jan 11, 2012 23:00
|
|