Subaru Outback...A Portland Phenomenon? (Eugene: fit in, home, school)

[subsound]

Who needs a statement? They are good cars. I almost got one, but bought a new RAV-4 V6 instead. There was trouble related to the AWD slip computer from consumer reports at the time. They are good in all weather conditions and light off roading.

Eventually those old VW's break down unfortunetally, so why not upgrade? My wife had to sell her old bug a few months ago because it took huge amounts of time to repair.

[ozymango]

Originally Posted by subsound

Eventually those old VW's break down unfortunetally, so why not upgrade? My wife had to sell her old bug a few months ago because it took huge amounts of time to repair.

I have a '68 VW Beetle (inherited from a dear departed aunt who was the original owner), and I love old cars, I LOVE OLD CARS! ... but man, I am not a fan of older air-cooled VWs. I do understand that people love these things (my brother had an old VW microbus he pretty much lived-in for a while, drove it from San Jose to Boulder, the nutball), but ...

I appreciate that they're relatively easy to work on (and if you can't unscrew a rusted exhaust bracket, it'll snap off with just a little force!), you can still get parts for 'em, the Bus has got it's own counter-culture charm ...

But man those things are deathtraps. There's virtually no structural metal of any impact resistance ... my brother sold his van when one of his physicist friends basically diagrammed what would happen in a head-on collision -- "first .25 seconds of impact, knees snapped, lower legs pushed back, steering wheel through midsection" ...

Yes a BIG part is if you're a good driver, you can avoid 90% of accidents just by paying attention. When I drive the Beetle I visualize myself riding on a lawn chair in traffic and plan all moves accordingly, figuring everybody's out to kill me. But I also ride bicycles and motorcycles so I've got that paranoia already.

[juliempdx]

I think this post is funny because I have discussed this subject tons of times with my youngest sister. We always joke around about how any outbacks and foresters there are in Portland and it's always the same kind of people driving them. Our oldest sister drives one.

[John Shaft]

This thread made me laugh as well. I didn't know people actually drove Outbacks until I moved here, and suddenly they were everywhere.

I did drive a Forester the other day and was impressed.

The Subaru phenomenon does indicate the socio-political angst of Portlanders who want to buy local (but purchase non-US built cars) but also stick it to the George Bush Establishment (in the form of Big Auto).

[ozymango]

Originally Posted by John Shaft

The Subaru phenomenon does indicate the socio-political angst of Portlanders who want to buy local (but purchase non-US built cars) but also stick it to the George Bush Establishment (in the form of Big Auto).

I always thought it was just because people here were cheap and like to go skiing. But as for your viewpoint ... I can dig it!

[Tesaje]

You see a lot of Subarus in any part of the country that gets snow. They are all-wheel drive with a stable car frame and great in slippery conditions. You see a lot of Subarus in non-snowy parts too. They are a popular high rated car. Is it any surprise tehy are in OR too?

[pendemic]

lmao i thought i was the only one who noticed it too

[cdelena]

Originally Posted by Tesaje

You see a lot of Subarus in any part of the country that gets snow. They are all-wheel drive with a stable car frame and great in slippery conditions. You see a lot of Subarus in non-snowy parts too. They are a popular high rated car. Is it any surprise tehy are in OR too?

Right... very popular in Alaska, New England, etc. where a moderate size/price 4WD is wanted.

[crazylegs5150]

As someone who grew up with Subi's in my young life, I can appreciate them. I grew up n a small mountain town in northern Cal. where many friends of mine had 3rd and 4th generation hand me down Subi's for their first cars with hundreds of thousands of miles on the engine and they were awesome! Their lifespan is just awesome. When I became an adult somewhere down the line ,or so I was told, I wanted a newer Subi just bcause I always loved them. I found myself living in florida and have to say that they are certainly only found n certain regions of the country which explains why hardly anyone drives them n So Cal or Florida as they are meant for mountain/bad weather driving. I finally bought a used Forester and had it for about 3 years and LOVED it. I was sad to see it go when we bought a new car and wish I had kept it as it was gorgeous with only 75k on the engine being 4 years old. They are perfect for areas like Oregon and the Northeast because they have all the amenities you need like heated mirrors and seats, all wheel drive so no worries about losing traction, decent gas mileage (great compared to SUVS) plus room to haul stuff. I found the Forester a bit more roomier which is why I chose it as the Outback felt cramped to me. I felt the windshield came right up into my face while the Forester gave me more "space" as well as it had more cargo room for my token golden retriever. I have to say that I was in a BIG minority by owning one n FLorida and RARELY ever saw one. In fact, I had to drive 5 hours to Atlanta to buy that car! It was worth it. Portland is perfect for them and when I was there I too noted the abundance of them. I was happy:-)

[SubieBabe]

I love my new 2009 Subaru Outback Limited Edition! I fell in love with the OB's looks a few years ago and noticed that its numbers here in Boulder, CO were growing by leaps and bounds. It seems that one-quarter to one-third of all cars here are now Outbacks, Foresters and Legacys. My son recently totaled his Civic and I jumped at the chance to give him my 1990 Accord and finally buy my dream car in February. The dealer even gave me the PZEV model at no extra cost. A few days ago I parked downtown and noticed that there was a total of four or five OB's parked right behind me and directly across the street, all in one short block! They are indeed very popular here. Boulder and Portland are a lot alike in many ways, it seems. I never suffered from a cold bottom but the standard tushy-heater front seats feel sooo .... good! I notice that when guys look at a new car, they right away look under the hood, but we women look at the exterior and interior. I know nothing about what's under the hood but I think it's beautiful and it drives very well. I also love that it's higher off the ground. Too bad the Eddie Bauer model, which I would have preferred, is no longer being made but I love and adore my sweet "Baby Blue" just as she is. I think I'll be a Subie lover for life no matter where I may reside.