Thinking about buying vehicles...

[Southpaw]

Just go with a good Land Rover....

Whenever I see one of these , I expect to see Stewart Granger step out .

 

[ikold]

Electric cars are really making strides and have virtually no maintenance costs. Used Nissan Leafs can be had for 10k.

 

[flhrci]

 

[3393RP]

Honda Pilot ?
Been Tempted when my CRV needs replacing .

While I have owned multiple Honda vehicles and they have all been pretty much bulletproof, I take issue with your recommendation for basically one reason.

Nate has health problems that may escalate. I have pretty bad arthritis and have had both knees replaced, so I'm commenting from that viewpoint.

Both vehicles are small, and getting in and out of them requires a lot of effort for me. I'm 6'2" and 235 lbs, so once I'm in the vehicle, they aren't comfortable. The inability to extend my legs in the available space is the biggest issue.

I don't know Nate's physical size, but with his challenges, it may be an issue with either of those vehicles. Other than that, a Honda is almost always a great choice.

 

[Skyrys62]

Final note: A great friend from all the way back to high school days says I’m a cheap son of a ***** and just go buy two new cars and stop screwing with it. LOL.

Well.. if you do that, you'll have quit being cheap, then you'll just be a ...

Seriously though, I was with you all the way through the post for a Tacoma, with a camper shell even. But then you mentioned the two old dogs (Dog 2, Driver 1) could have trouble, sooo....hmm.

Did you look at the Toyota Rav4 Adventure AWD?

 

[denverpilot]

I don't know Nate's physical size, but with his challenges, it may be an issue with either of those vehicles. Other than that, a Honda is almost always a great choice.

5’ 11” so a little easier than you.

I don’t think I’ll be joining this guy though...

Holy crap. We saw one of the Circue du Soleil shows tonight.

 

[denverpilot]

This dude is juggling on a unicycle on a slack line.

 

[Skyrys62]

Almost looks like he's flippin the bird lol.
Hard to beat a good Cirque show.

 

[denverpilot]

Almost looks like he's flippin the bird lol.
Hard to beat a good Cirque show.

We sat behind the family of one of the singers. Dad was super proud. And she was really good!

 

[schmookeeg]

Electric cars are really making strides and have virtually no maintenance costs. Used Nissan Leafs can be had for 10k.

I had a Leaf before my i3. It was a cool starter EV and I liked it a lot. Insanely good value.

I bought it for 5K, before Oregon released used car EV incentives of $2,500, which means I sold it for $7,500.

It had an 80 mile range which was great for city folk like us.

Unless you want to run the heater. Then it had 50 mile range. Ours was a 2011 model, which had some crapshack heater. 2013+ do better I hear.

Unless it rains. Then it had 35 mile range.

Unless it rains hard one day while driving to the airport. Then it had 22 mile range. Not enough to get to the airport and back home. I had to sit at the library for 2 hours and charge up. It is frequently cold and wet here.

And that is when we sold the leaf and leased the i3 to replace it.

For cold, wet, offroading work in Denver? I'd probably skip the leaf.

 

[3393RP]

This dude is juggling on a unicycle on a slack line.

I know how to ride a unicycle, and I know how to juggle three balls, but I sure as heck couldn't do both at the same time.

I've seen a few Cirque du Soleil shows in Las Vegas with my wife, they are always fascinating.

 

[denverpilot]

For cold, wet, offroading work in Denver? I'd probably skip the leaf.

Heh. Yeah. A normal office commute for me round trip is 81 miles. I don’t go to the office every day.

We really aren’t off-roading out here. My XJ would do mild off-roading Colorado style, back when I owned it, with a pretty significant risk of damage doing even that. Our books full of Jeel trails lists them as Easy, Moderate, and Hard and a stock XJ is really only equipped for the Easy ones. A Moderate will dent skid plates at best. Worst, someone will help you cut an axle off to get off the hill. LOL.

Mentioning that since the definition of “off road” varies throughout the country. But that’s ours!

The type of off-roading many do partake in out here is just getting stuck in a ditch overnight. LOL. Far more common.

We sat home knowing when a weather forecast has hit that point for out here last March. Story link below. But for various reasons a pile of people were out there 7-12 miles from our place stuck.

Full tank of gas, keep the snow drifts off of the exhaust pipe, you’ll be just fine. Slightly more comfortable if you always have water and a snack in the vehicle during that kind of silly weather. And a blanket.

https://www.thedenverchannel.com/we...nded-in-their-cars-overnight-in-elbert-county

No way I’m sitting in something like that in an EV. But no way I’d have continued out that road in that weather either. There’s a nice mall and big parking lot five miles west of where most of them got stuck ... with an IHOP. LOL. I like coffee and pie more than sitting in a ditch, but that’s just me.

Of course we wouldn’t both be out on a day like that anyway. Too much chance the animals wouldn’t have anyone home. One of us might go out with the other warning it’s time to get out of the city long before it got that bad. That’s pretty common.

“Getting bad out there?”
“Yeah. Here’s a photo.”
“Alright I’m leaving. Will text if I end up at the IHOP. Should be all set on generator fuel if so, but I’ll pick up another five gallons for the snowblower.”



The fire station mentioned in the article is volunteer and two miles up the road. Half of that got paved last year. That’s also where the mailbox is.

If it’s tough getting to the mailbox we don’t go anywhere else. The county usually runs a grader down the paved part within 48 hours.

The funny part is, more than one guy out here has a snowplow service and they’ll usually plow OUTward from the neighborhood at least once early on to get to town and make money clearing parking lots and such. If you really have to get out, and not come back, follow one of those guys.

The guy who sold me my ZTR was dumping his extra one because snow removal made him considerably more money than mowing and one of his plows needed repairs last summer.

 

[Southpaw]

One of my 11 vehicles is a 92 Isuzu Trooper . Plane Jane ,tough rig. I had a newer one but gave it to kids. Wanted to buy new one but out of production . Bought a Honda CR-V to pull behind Motor home. Really like my Trooper and its here to stay till the end.

 

[Half Fast]

Heh. Yeah. A normal office commute for me round trip is 81 miles. I don’t go to the office every day.

We really aren’t off-roading out here. My XJ would do mild off-roading Colorado style, back when I owned it, with a pretty significant risk of damage doing even that. Our books full of Jeel trails lists them as Easy, Moderate, and Hard and a stock XJ is really only equipped for the Easy ones. A Moderate will dent skid plates at best. Worst, someone will help you cut an axle off to get off the hill. LOL.

Mentioning that since the definition of “off road” varies throughout the country. But that’s ours!

The type of off-roading many do partake in out here is just getting stuck in a ditch overnight. LOL. Far more common.

We sat home knowing when a weather forecast has hit that point for out here last March. Story link below. But for various reasons a pile of people were out there 7-12 miles from our place stuck.

Full tank of gas, keep the snow drifts off of the exhaust pipe, you’ll be just fine. Slightly more comfortable if you always have water and a snack in the vehicle during that kind of silly weather. And a blanket.

https://www.thedenverchannel.com/we...nded-in-their-cars-overnight-in-elbert-county

No way I’m sitting in something like that in an EV. But no way I’d have continued out that road in that weather either. There’s a nice mall and big parking lot five miles west of where most of them got stuck ... with an IHOP. LOL. I like coffee and pie more than sitting in a ditch, but that’s just me.

Of course we wouldn’t both be out on a day like that anyway. Too much chance the animals wouldn’t have anyone home. One of us might go out with the other warning it’s time to get out of the city long before it got that bad. That’s pretty common.

“Getting bad out there?”
“Yeah. Here’s a photo.”
“Alright I’m leaving. Will text if I end up at the IHOP. Should be all set on generator fuel if so, but I’ll pick up another five gallons for the snowblower.”



The fire station mentioned in the article is volunteer and two miles up the road. Half of that got paved last year. That’s also where the mailbox is.

If it’s tough getting to the mailbox we don’t go anywhere else. The county usually runs a grader down the paved part within 48 hours.

The funny part is, more than one guy out here has a snowplow service and they’ll usually plow OUTward from the neighborhood at least once early on to get to town and make money clearing parking lots and such. If you really have to get out, and not come back, follow one of those guys.

The guy who sold me my ZTR was dumping his extra one because snow removal made him considerably more money than mowing and one of his plows needed repairs last summer.

Nate, you do know that there are milder climates in the US, right? Just sayin'....

 

[denverpilot]

Nate, you do know that there are milder climates in the US, right? Just sayin'....

We’re chatting about that. The entire family is here. Even the ones who left and came back.

We still also need significant space for Dog 1.

Plus it would probably be entertaining to find an employer as understanding about a significant medical issue eating most of three days a week.

There’s a bunch of reasons we’re stuck with snow for the moment.

 

[GRG55]

Nate, you do know that there are milder climates in the US, right? Just sayin'....

Speaking as someone who also lives on the lee side of the Rockies, but north of Nate, the problem with milder climates is 'gators, poisonous snakes and all manner of objectionable and nasty bugs.
Snow, AWD vehicles and other similar toys seems a small price to pay to avoid all that.
Just sayin'

 

[rpadula]

Nate, you need one of these:

Driver 1 currently has a hard time getting in or out of either one of his vehicles. He also MIGHT have to stop driving or need a %^*+^>£^1! Mini van or similar crappy thing to get in and out of. Avoiding it. LOL.

As they say on r/askcarsales, just get the minivan! They say everyone thinks they look cooler with an SUV, but realize little kids (the excuse for said suv) self-load much better with a minivan. Probably goes for doggies and driver 1 too.

 

[imQ]

Gotta agree with you on the Cherokee. I bought a 2 door Pioneer new in '89, still have it at 275k. at 140k I pulled the engine and bored it .030 over and added a header. Then eliminated the slip yoke and went with a dual carden driveshaft. Finally swapped out the Dana 35 rear end for a Ford 8.8 with discs. the thing is bulletproof, though it's starting to get a little rust. I can't find anything new that can do what it does as competently or reliably.

My daughter is currently in a 2000 Cherokee. Approaching 275k miles. Still original just about everything. (except radiators.) We are tossing around the idea of replacing it, or repainting and refurbishing. I love that she still likes it. Hate that it's going to be a pain to find something she likes half as much. She's had it 8 bullet proof years now.

 

[denverpilot]

...all manner of objectionable and nasty bugs.

I loathe bugs. A lifetime here where it’s stupidly dry means I’ve never dealt with them. I was totally disgusted that houses have to be tented down south. Gross. Other friend’s stories of household infestations and termites and bleh... from all over the country are just nasty. I was fit to be tied over a month of fighting some sugar ants that decided they liked my kitchen sink here a couple years ago.

Also did the cockroach infested apartment building thing long long ago when I was broke. Nothing like cockroaches to motivate you to go to work and GTFO of a crappy apartment. I don’t even want to know what the neighbor’s place looked like since the colony mostly lived and ate there. Ick. Nasty. I would just get the occasional straggler and I would murder it if I could. Sick little things would have a two or three way meetup in my kitchen and scatter when the light came on.

Haaaate bugs in the house. Hate most of them outside. Funny thing is big huge ones don’t bother me. Those giant beetles and stuff are fine. Just stay outside. In some places family has lived they had lizards eating that stuff all over outside and on the house. That was fine too.

As they say on r/askcarsales, just get the minivan!

Arghhhhh trying to avoid that. LOL. But I didn’t know about that subreddit. Now I am going to have to peruse it. Ha.

I don’t hate minivans. I’ve rented them for visitors and stuff and they don’t bother me as much as they bother Karen. Ha. She really doesn’t want one around. But if it means I get myself places, I’m sure she wouldn’t care. Her barbershop quartet can often be seen piling out of a new-ish Pacifica one of the other girls drives for all her kiddos. Ha.

I created a monster convincing her to buy that pickup truck. LOL.

My daughter is currently in a 2000 Cherokee.

That was my model year of my second XJ. I loved that thing. I ran across a great deal on the Yukon right when a family member very badly needed wheels so we gave it to them and through no fault of their own, it died a horrible death with a NYC limo or cab (two tried to race around a corner and one lost) embedding itself in the back all the way to the back seats while it was parked in Brooklyn. Poor Jeep.

Amazingly they had “their guy” (it’s NYC after all) get it somewhat drivable and it was sold as a salvage not too long after. Maybe someone fixed it but I doubt it.

Originally I was going to daily drive the Yukon and turn the XJ into a rock crawler. But family you know... big brother taking care of folks. No real regrets about that other than I probably should have just offered to help with a beater Civic or something. But I wanted to give them something I knew was reliable for sure. Oh well.

 

[GRG55]

I loathe bugs. A lifetime here where it’s stupidly dry means I’ve never dealt with them. I was totally disgusted that houses have to be tented down south. Gross. Other friend’s stories of household infestations and termites and bleh... from all over the country are just nasty...Haaaate bugs in the house. Hate most of them outside...

Friend of mine had recently got transferred to Houston. Short time later his neighbor got transferred out. The movers wouldn't pack the garage full of insecticides, so he gave them to my friend, who promptly got busy with the sprayer and did all his trees, lawn and shrubs. BIG mistake. All the bugs moved into his house. Took him months to deal with the infestations.

...I don’t hate minivans. I’ve rented them for visitors and stuff and they don’t bother me as much as they bother Karen. Ha. She really doesn’t want one around. But if it means I get myself places, I’m sure she wouldn’t care. Her barbershop quartet can often be seen piling out of a new-ish Pacifica one of the other girls drives for all her kiddos. Ha.

I created a monster convincing her to buy that pickup truck. LOL...

Same story. My wife used to have a mini-van, which she regarded at the time as a necessary burden. Then I bought her a new, heated-leather-seat filled extended cab GMC Sierra 4WD pick-up in 2003. It's now got 300k on it and I cannot get her to give it up. She made me put new tires on it at the start of this winter. It's like a favorite pair of old slippers apparently.

 

[steingar]

You guys are going to hate me for saying this. Nate is going to hate me for saying this. I hate me for saying this.

Nate, there's a strong possibility things will get worse. My philosophy has always been hope for the best but prepare for the worst. Instead of worrying about the cars perhaps you should think about the drive itself.

 

[azure]

On the other hand, if you do any driving on mountain roads, especially in winter months, an SUV is practically mandatory. I've gotten by here in VT for over 5 years with a 2012 Chevy Sonic station wagon, but the state car is the Subaru Forester and there might be one in my near future. It's only got about 115,000 miles, but the check engine light comes on now every couple of days, stays on for about 100 miles, then goes out. Wash, rinse, repeat. My mechanics have replaced spark plugs, an engine valve cover, and the O2 sensor, and it still does it. They had to disconnect my rear wiper motor because once it shorted the battery nad ran it completely dead overnight, even with the switch in the off position. Now I have to stop at a gas station every few dozen miles and squeegie the window. It might just be time to cry uncle, but I'm going to give the garage one more crack at it Thursday.

But also, Michael is right... you do need to prepare for the worst in terms of physical health. For that matter, we all do...

 

[Bill]

OK, I have an amended recommendation for you, advise when ready to copy:

Toyota Sienna minivan (I don't know why they're called minivans anymore, there's nothing "mini" about them, but I digress) is the only one available with all wheel drive. Maybe the Toyota all wheel drive minivan and an Outback?

 

[rpadula]

Arghhhhh trying to avoid that. LOL. But I didn’t know about that subreddit. Now I am going to have to peruse it. Ha.

I don’t hate minivans. I’ve rented them for visitors and stuff and they don’t bother me as much as they bother Karen. Ha. She really doesn’t want one around. But if it means I get myself places, I’m sure she wouldn’t care. Her barbershop quartet can often be seen piling out of a new-ish Pacifica one of the other girls drives for all her kiddos. Ha.

Yeah, it's a good one, although it's more about answering "am I getting screwed or a good deal", "what are these bullstuff fees the dealers are charging", and "I'm upside down $8000 in my junker, have a 500 credit score and need a new car - can I get approved" kinda questions. They also like to crap on any FCA products. If a minivan is in your future, it's probably Toyota Sienna or Honda Odyssey.

You want r/whatcarshouldibuy (seriously, that exists!)

 

[denverpilot]

You guys are going to hate me for saying this. Nate is going to hate me for saying this. I hate me for saying this.

Nate, there's a strong possibility things will get worse. My philosophy has always been hope for the best but prepare for the worst. Instead of worrying about the cars perhaps you should think about the drive itself.

Nah I certainly don’t hate ya for it. Truth is truth. This car is either temporary or not depending on the neuro fun. Get to go see the neuro today and see what she thinks or doesn’t think. Have a long list of questions, and such.

Plus the left side is good so I’ll see if she can at least sign the NASCAR release waiver. All left turns, gas pedal on the floor... lol.

We already know a move is coming. It’s more a matter of when than if. Right now keeping Dog 1 out here is best even if it’s a little tougher for Driver 1. We have to decide if we are paying the Denver penalty of sticking around this overpriced city, too. Construction continues on a new clinic Karen is supposed to go manage when it opens. My job is stable until it isn’t.

Neither of us relish re-entering the rat colony to the west. LOL.

The minivan and wheelchair can have matching flames painted on them right?

Karen has a patient who has a lifted pickup. It also has a crane on the back for his chair and him (separately) and a remote control for the crane. It’s pretty wicked.

That’s the next thread of course. ”Thinking about an all radius 2000 lb crane for my fat ass....“. Lol.

 

[charheep]

If you go look at the Porsche SUV's, I am interested in your reviews. The wife likes the way they look and Porsche seems to always be near the top of the reliability charts.

 

[denverpilot]

You guys are going to hate me for saying this. Nate is going to hate me for saying this. I hate me for saying this.

Nate, there's a strong possibility things will get worse. My philosophy has always been hope for the best but prepare for the worst. Instead of worrying about the cars perhaps you should think about the drive itself.

Ahh it’s okay if you say it. I certainly won’t be mad at you for it. It’s already in my head.

The neurologist cleared me to drive NASCAR next week. They just crash anyway and the left arm works well for all those left turns. LOL.

Nah. In all seriousness this vehicle becomes Karen’s way to haul my dumb butt around if we go way down that path.

So...

We went and sat in various stuff to see what actually works with my ass to seat height ratio.

CX-30 : Decent. Slightly low but workable. Amazing amount of room inside for being on the Mazda 3 platform. Great interior. Loved the seating position.

CX-5 : Better height. Bit more room. Fine.

CR-V : Nice height. Way too much crap under the steering wheel for the height/extension adjustment. Hit my right knee on it every time.

Odyssey : The king of getting in and out. Bar none. Not sure we need that much space even with the dogs.

Forester : Slight lip to swing leg over but otherwise the best pure car platform vehicle.

Ascent : Tiny almost imperceptible difference getting in vs the Odyssey. Again too much room but awfully tempting.

Karen ruled out the Outback.

Right now it’s the two Subarus in the lead with the Odyssey right behind. Odyssey FWD only probably kills it from the short list.

Should probably drive the Mazda CX-5. Already know what Subarus and Hondas drive like.

 

[chemgeek]

Foresters are tanks in the snow, especially with winter tires. My ride of choice in curling country. Never missed a game because of weather. The Eyesight stuff works great. On my 3rd Forester. I drive them into the ground. If something bigger is useful, the Ascent is very tempting. Thinking of trading up at some point to be able to transport my curling team with more room. (Cheaper than a 6 place plane with FIKI capability. )

 

[denverpilot]

Well we did the deed. 2017 Outback. Has all the goodies. Went with the normally aspirated 4 banger. Had right at 30K miles on it. Lease return. Turned in a few months early.

Pretty impressive little machine and playing with the adaptive cruise and climbing and descending the roller coaster hills on the county road to home was impressive. Never seen a cruise control nail a speed like that up and downhill. It clearly uses the CVT to slow without revving. Interesting.

CVT is a tad odd. Their fake “shift points” are fine, if unnecessary, but you can make it hunt a bit if you mess around. If you drive normally it just feels like any normal auto.

Typical pilot. Went back outside for an hour with the POH in hand and sat in it looking up every button knob and switch and worked through every menu in the touchscreen.

Did get a tip from a fellow owner. He pointed out a software bug. If you get in and the stereo is loud and you put it in reverse to back up (activating the rear camera), the push to power on and off physical volume control stops working. You can twist volume up and down but slapping the power off is impossible with the backup camera displayed.

I mentioned the steering wheel mute button and he said he forgets that one is there and it’ll probably work but neither of us have tested it yet.

The Yukon went away at just under 190,000 miles and 16 years old. I drove it for 12. It had more miles in it but climbing on running boards in snow or ice was somewhat frightening now.

Karen already loves the thing and wants to find its twin to replace her truck “sometime soonish”. LOL. She’ll happily drive it if my stupid medical condition continues downhill.

With so much gadgetry on board we extended the manufacturer bumper to bumper to the full. 7yr/100,000 of the drivetrain.

We test sat or drove...

Mazda CX-30. It’s REALLY nice. Too low for me getting in and out and slightly too small for the giant dog but damn. Nice machine. Was very tempted.

Mazda CX-5. Correct height and size. Just didn’t spark any feelings at all. It’s a boredom bubble.

Honda CR-V: This was literally perfect in size and height and everything but the giant moving box Honda put around the tilt steering height adjustment constantly got in the way of my right knee getting in and out. You couldn’t leave the seat in the correct driving position for me at 5’ 11” with longer legs than torso and not whack your kneecap swinging the leg in. I really thought I must be doing something wrong and tried various seat positions. Nope. It just doesn’t work for me. Highly annoying.

Honda Pilot : Sat in it. Too tall. Had a huge running board and easier than any full sized truck but nope.

Honda Odyssey : Great if I get worse. But we decided not to go there yet. Cavernous. Too big for a daily driver kinda like the Yukon was. FWD only was a minus also for now where we live. Found an excellent used one and thought hard about it.

Subaru Forester : Nearly perfect. We were leaning toward a new one heavily but the dealer had over 30 lease returned Outbacks. Really hard to justify new over used with that much used selection only a few years old to choose from. Also the distinct lack of lighter interior colors being ordered and on the lot was a turn off. Minor but we ended up with a white exterior with creme leather. Not really available in the Forester inventory.

Subaru Ascent : If you need to haul people this was impressive. Since I have no reason to haul anyone, it got to the short list but got axed for just not needing the space. Just don’t need a family hauler but it gives the Odyssey a run for the money if you don’t need sliding doors.

We simulated stuff like getting into all of them with a big truck parked right against your door and such. The Odyssey and Forester won that demo hands down with the Outback in close second place. We decided we could live with that.

Karen likes the thing so much she started calling it “ours” before they’d even unburied it enough on a crammed lot to test drive it. LOL.

The tech is super impressive without being overwhelming. The 2020 Outback with the 18” touchscreen is overdone and ridiculous. They screwed up in removing manual climate controls IMHO. They kept real volume and tuning knobs though. Weird. Trying too hard to look like a Tesla. It’s a utility vehicle.

Anyway... Only complaint is we had an appointment but a walk in had the sales guy tied up and they were severely understaffed in finance and final paperwork. We waited almost four hours for paperwork completion after inking the initial deal. Mostly had to stick around because only the finance guy has the warranty numbers.

Sales guy is a student pilot and is going to Metro State for aviation in the fall. So at least we had something to talk about to pass the time. Karen just shook her head when she realized I had found another pilot to talk to. Hahaha.

Karen even ran into a patient who was buying a car Friday night! Haha. Not quite as entertaining as the propane farm across the highway exploding like when we bought her truck, but we’ve managed to have two very eclectic dealership experiences in a row now. Explosions and fireballs at one, and aviation and talking about blowing up turbocharged things at the next.

Oh yeah the sales guy married his wife in a drive thru chapel in Vegas. They wanted the Elvis chapel but it was Elvis’ day off. LOL!

 

[Everskyward]

Karen ruled out the Outback.

Guess she changed her mind.

I wondered why she ruled it out.

 

[murphey]

Otherwise known as "Arrest me" Red.

As opposed to “Hands on the hood”

 

[murphey]

Mari makes an extremely valid point that I failed to mention. And while you’re at it, Nate, you should start buying heavy equipment. I also have considered buying a fire truck.

A red one, not the barfy lime (altho it is high visibility)

 

[murphey]

Speaking as someone who also lives on the lee side of the Rockies, but north of Nate, the problem with milder climates is 'gators, poisonous snakes and all manner of objectionable and nasty bugs.
Snow, AWD vehicles and other similar toys seems a small price to pay to avoid all that.
Just sayin'

Or incredibly dry, hot summers where is goes down to 95 at night.

 

[denverpilot]

Guess she changed her mind.

I wondered why she ruled it out.

I think it was a combo of Forester was “perfect” and noticing there were 30 lease returned Outbacks, some just totally loaded.

So $10K difference wasn’t anything to ignore, but the real kicker was the interior. The tan leather is fairly rare and it’s really nice compared to being surrounded by all black.

As soon as she saw the interior she started calling it “ours”. She is already taking about getting rid of her truck haha.

 

[denverpilot]

So I’m actually riding and she’s driving while answering this and asked Karen what else was originally a turn off on the Outback @Everskyward ...

She said since we were sitting in the 2020, the giant touchscreen was a huge turn off for her too.

She says “I like the look of this dash better. That giant screen — manufacturers need to back off on that!!”

 

[denverpilot]

Happy Karen.

 

[Bill]

Congrats, Nate. We have a ‘17 Outback 3.6R Limited, I love it. Nice car. May it serve you well for many years!

 

[schmookeeg]

Hard to beat those OBs I do like Eyesight, but the people in my family who have it never use it and are afraid of it, even at the Granny spacing.

Anyone know anything about the 3.6 Tribecas? Have been considering "something different", and those seem to be rare as hell, unknown, and mostly hated at. We could use the third row "occasionally" so there's some appeal there, and the bonus of the "known good" 3.6+5EAT drivetrain confers benefits. Also the Tribecas seem to have skipped all of the gadgetry stuff, and supposedly they have a better front row, sit higher, and have slightly more room inside (like 3 more CF than the outback, which wouldn't even get noticed)

 

[flhrci]

Congrats! But I think you should have gone with a luxury pickup truck. F-650ish.

 

[denverpilot]

Hard to beat those OBs I do like Eyesight, but the people in my family who have it never use it and are afraid of it, even at the Granny spacing.

Aww that’s sad. It’s impressively good. We’ve played with it quite a bit already.

Buddy who owns a 3.6R says it needs to be tuned a little better for the bigger engine but it handles the 4 banger very well.

He also joked it needs a setting between 2 and 3 and it would be perfect in traffic.