FamilySherpa
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Tangled up in Rhododendron
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Post by FamilySherpa on Feb 26, 2016 6:35:08 GMT -8
I just had my Subaru 60,000 maintenance and its mpg is now under 20! Part of that is the rack, but it was on before the maintenance. Our Subaru has 130k on it now and average mpg is 23 with the yakima rack on. I don't really ever remember it being anything over 26ish with the factory rack & 30k miles when we bought it. Then again, we've always had O2 sensor & cat converter issues, so i'm sure the computer is having trouble calculating the most optimum air/fuel mixture.
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Post by trinity on Feb 26, 2016 6:52:37 GMT -8
Really helpful stuff, and some good things to consider. Thanks for the feedback, I really appreciate it. I'll probably find out early next week whether the patient can be saved. The Matrix is old and falling apart, but I'm really enjoying not making car payments.
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rebeccad
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Post by rebeccad on Feb 26, 2016 8:06:46 GMT -8
This is my dilemma right now. If it helps, we haven't regretted it Of course, we are also willing to drive the Prius on dirt roads, and generally accept that we beat cars up more than your average user--not with city driving, but with driving places it probably shouldn't go. That was equally true of the Outback, BTW
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daveb
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Post by daveb on Feb 26, 2016 8:06:59 GMT -8
Here's our 2013 during a day of wild seed collecting. (that's my girlfriend) I went with the 6 cylinder and love the power but I really don't need it here in Texas. The steering is hard for me to deal with, really stiff but I think they corrected that on the newer ones. The AWD is nice in our Texas winters for my long work commute, (we don't get snow, we get ice...occasionally), and it's comfortable for a big guy with plenty of leg room. I've driven the Tribecca (which they don't make anymore) in Wyoming and Montana during our visits up there the last two years and I prefer the taller vehicle. My friend just got the forester and it seems to have more window visibility. The outback windows aren't as tall and when sight seeing. I test drove the newer small model of subaru crosstrek and it seemed sort of cheaply built. If I bought another subby I'd go with the forrester. All in all I love my subaru but the maintenance cost does seem a bit more than all the toyotas I've own. (250,000 on my tundra, 302,000 on the lexus now). I work with a girl that just got a 2013 hyndai santa fa turbo or whatever it's called. The sunroof opens all the way over the back seat with rear heated seat and sun screens. Really nice perks but I don't know about their reliability yet. Anyway, I rode in it the other day and kind of had buyers remorse.
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rebeccad
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Post by rebeccad on Feb 26, 2016 8:11:00 GMT -8
Our Subaru has 130k on it now and average mpg is 23 with the yakima rack on. One thing we did with our Outback, which helped with gas mileage, was we took off the crossbars from the manufacturer's rack. Then, when and only when we needed a rack, we put on the Thule bars and pod or bike rack as needed. That helped keep our mileage up most of the time. But like you guys, we found a serious drop-off in gas mileage somewhere past 100K. One reason we did that with the rack was that their bars weren't well adapted to the pod and could bear less weight. But reducing wind resistance was a bonus.
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FamilySherpa
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Post by FamilySherpa on Feb 26, 2016 8:18:41 GMT -8
Our Subaru has 130k on it now and average mpg is 23 with the yakima rack on. One thing we did with our Outback, which helped with gas mileage, was we took off the crossbars from the manufacturer's rack. Then, when and only when we needed a rack, we put on the Thule bars and pod or bike rack as needed. That helped keep our mileage up most of the time. But like you guys, we found a serious drop-off in gas mileage somewhere past 100K. One reason we did that with the rack was that their bars weren't well adapted to the pod and could bear less weight. But reducing wind resistance was a bonus. ideally, we'd take our rack off when its not in use as well. Its just that we have so many different things that go on the rack between bike trays, a cargo box, ski clamps, etc that I have to have the spacing between the bars just right. So its kind of a pain in the butt to get out a measuring tape each time. Plus, the bars are offset a little to one side for one of the attachments, and i think you have to loosen the bars to get the rack off, and then re-measure the offset again upon re-installation. It actually hurt my brain to think about all that.
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Post by Lamebeaver on Feb 26, 2016 8:26:27 GMT -8
You might want to take a look at the Mazda CX 5
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Post by hikerchick395 on Feb 26, 2016 10:48:05 GMT -8
OK...I have owned a Subaru wagon since 1978. The first was one was quite a little gem...wish that I still had it except that it was a four speed. The '85 ran til it just about fell apart. (It's probably still functioning in Mexico.) Did some good off roading in it...had four wheel drive and 4WD low, came with skid plates and we traded it in with 389,000 miles. Got a 2007 Subaru Outback and am not as enamored with it. Sorta wimpy. The clutch and gas pedals are not even and I have to sit a bit cattywompous to drive. No skid plates. AWD not 4WD. And we did get in a fairly major accident...close to $14,000 damage. Not real happy with it since. That being said, it is a dream driving on winding mountain roads and that is where it regularly gets 30mph.
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Westy
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Post by Westy on Feb 26, 2016 11:24:05 GMT -8
2012 Subaru Outback gas mileage explanation. They added a feature CVT or Lineartronic which essentially means you can glide or take the foot off the gas pedal and continue forward at a high roll speed. Also driving 65 MPH on the highway helps.
As for cost of ownership: Have dutifully met every manufacturer suggested maintenance service. Currently at just over 75,000 miles my maintenance cost per mile is $0.061 per mile. This includes the purchase of Blizzak snow tires and replacing the original equipment tires. I do not use the roof rack at all. Everything can be packed in the interior of the vehicle. Skis are placed inside with the rear seat in the down position.
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amaruq
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Post by amaruq on Feb 26, 2016 12:54:15 GMT -8
That's an oxymoron isn't it? Subes are nice vehicles. Most of the models aim to bridge both city-flier and dirt-road-driver. That being said, I just upgraded to a Civic last year and have had no troubles on rough backcountry roads nor through Ontario winters.
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daveb
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Post by daveb on Feb 26, 2016 13:15:57 GMT -8
We have a day or two...from time to time.
Alright, you got me.
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Woodsie
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Post by Woodsie on Feb 28, 2016 17:45:34 GMT -8
Woodsie, Roger, and several others have Outbacks. Some towing capacity, large space for gear, decent gas mileage, CR likes them. Actually, I have a Forester. I bought it in July and so far am very happy with it
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walkswithblackflies
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Post by walkswithblackflies on Feb 29, 2016 7:17:14 GMT -8
My wife drives a 2005 Outback. Still chugging along just fine. Great car, though repairs are more expensive than comparable vehicles. Actually, everyone in my wife's family owns an Outback.
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Post by Lamebeaver on Feb 29, 2016 8:23:21 GMT -8
So I had a little time over the weekend to think about what we should get when my wife's Forester dies.
For what it's worth, a couple of options I came up with were the Mitsubishi Outlander, and the Nissan Murano.
Personally, I really like the Murano. Nissan's 3.5L V6 is a very trustworthy engine, but my wife doesn't like the way the grill looks.....
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reuben
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Post by reuben on Feb 29, 2016 8:29:39 GMT -8
my wife doesn't like the way the grill looks..... Lipstick can fix that.
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