mmarshall

We haven't really had a real spring yet in the D.C. area (and in much of the northeastern U.S.) as relentless cold and wind still hang on from winter, but several of my neighbors and colleagues from the swimming pool/fitness center I use regularly got bitten recently by spring new-car fever, although one had no choice when her car was totaled. I'll post cell-phone images as I get them uploaded and transferred...this is a relatively new image-system, and I'm not used to it yet.

First, this white Subaru Crosstrek was recently acquired, just a couple of weeks ago, by a lady who works the front desk at the center. Her old 2Gen Toyota RAV-4, though reliable for a long time, was showing signs of having seen better days. So, she asked me for advice, tried several new vehicles, and decided she liked the way the Crosstrek drove.



This new Buick Cascada convertible was also acquired by one of our Condo Board members. He is an auto enthusiast like me, and we often talk cars.




More shots will be coming.

Toys4RJill

mmarshall

I liked the Cascada, too...everything except the ride comfort with the standard 20" wheels. Very well-built....one of the small Opel-sourced Buicks, using the same platform as the Verano.

mmarshall

This midnight-blue (almost black) RAV-4 is less than a week old.....one of my close neighbors. (Went and got this one on his own....didn't ask for my advice LOL)

Toys4RJill

mmarshall

....and this silver Crosstrek, about three or four weeks old, belongs to another of my close neighbors (like me, one of the original town-house buyers here when the development was new). She had had an older, dead-reliable Acura TSX (Acura really built a solid car in those days) that recently got totalled (doesn't take much damage to total a car if it is old enough). So, Presto, a new Crosstrek....the AWD should come in handy for future winters.

mmarshall

Yes...a number of my neighbors do, though not necessarily in my specific courtyard (we have 9 different courtyards). Perhaps the most remarkable one in my courtyard was an old LS400 from the 1990s (either a '96 or a '99, if my memory is correct) that belonged to a Nepalese-American family that has since moved on. That car had over 200,000 miles on it, and was built like a tank...I saw it on the road not long ago (recognized it by its bumper sticker), and, as far as I know, he is still driving it.

And, of course, there are also the ever-popular ES and RX.

MattyG

I dunno mmarshall, I think this contradicts your long standing argument that older folks are still a market for cushy cush big boat sedans (unless you have more pics). Seems like a lot of these vehicles are very youthful including that nice looking Cascada. I kid

These are very good choices for your area, the RAV, Crosstreks. Easy step in step out height and decent fuel economy, some cargo carrying ability. AWD without having to resort to winter tires.

mmarshall

A fair number of men (not sure about women?) go through what is called a mid-life crisis, often in their 40s, and buy a sports car or something else to remind them of their youth. This fellow is generally past that...but I can still understand his attraction to the Cascada (though he sure didn't get a very sporty color LOL)....I like it myself, except for the too-large wheels. Many people his age, though, if they are not in the ever-growing SUV crowd, are driving traditional luxury or near-luxury sedans. I've said before......personally, I liked them even in my youth, though I was probably not your average teen-ager in that department.

Many here on Car Chat argue that there is no substitute for winter tires, no matter what kind of powertrain layout you might have. That may be true to some extent, but my experience, from six years of Subaru Outback ownership myself, on Bridgestone RE-92 all-season tires, was excellent in even the worst of winter conditions.

mmarshall

Another of my colleagues at the fitness center (and her husband) just got a new Mazda CX-5 (dark blue/ivory interior) a few weeks ago. She told me her husband liked the way it drove, and she didn't have any problems with it. I'll post it when I get a shot of it. I liked the one I did a review on a couple of years ago, except for the cheap way they did the instrumentation.....red/blue warning lights for engine temperature instead of a gauge. (the Crosstrek, BTW, does the same thing, as do most entry-level and/or non-turbo Subarus). The vast majority of new vehicles have gauges for engine temperature...and Subaru even does in the Japanese market, but not here.

Johnhav430

I used to notice that stuff since I was walking my dog 365 days/yr. come shine or rain, and I had 4 different patterns. My wife would say how do you know which car has a stick and which doesn't, are you peering into other peoples' cars? Through that I learned that Mazda 5's (mini van?) had sticks....I would also be amazed how many cars a person could have through my dog's life. One woman must have had 5 BMWs...starting from the original X3, to a 550i? That's gotta be 6 figures worth of lease payments...

Another time, and I know how it feels to lose a dog, this little kid had their dog cornered (it got loose) and this young mom reversed her Mini fast down the block, I knew from that beautiful whine that it was a stick...interesting she had one of those new clubmans, and went to a E46 330--guess she likely got rid of a lease. Would notice all that stuff.

mmarshall

You can figure that the average domesticated dog, in the U.S., under average conditions, lives about 13 years. With most people, that would probably be two or three new cars.

Johnhav430

btw I just took my snows off the LS430 yesterday (I can't stand this job because I jack each wheel one at a time, but I did just get a DeWalt 20V XR impact wrench--takes each lug off in < 1 sec, put back on by hand). I really think that many people don't have a realistic idea of how their vehicle performs. It's like that deputy in Broward Co. who stood there and did not go inside--he almost made it and retired with nobody knowing what he was really made of.

I bet my LS430, on 4 snows, is worse than your Outback, on all-seasons. This is the opposite of what most believe, they think that snows means invincible. Even an Outback on 4 snows is not invincible. I just know that with how poorly the roads are cleared where I live, snows are highly recommended. But when I see my shed and an additional 16 tires/rims on top of others I think man what an idiot....all the jacking that I do there has to be a better way.

mmarshall

It's fine to remove lugs with an impact wrench, but, as you note, DO NOT use one to tighten lugs. Most of the time, air/impact wrenches are set for too much torque...which can over-tighten the lug nuts and lead to stripped threads and/or warped brake-rotors. Usually, it's best to use a hand-held torque-wrench....most lighter-duty vehicle lug-nut specs call for a tightening to around 75-80 ft lbs.

True....no vehicle is invincible in snow or ice, but my 2006 Outback with the standard N/A 2.5L engine and 4-speed automatic, on Bridgestone RE-92s was pretty darn close. I had it it through six winters (a couple of them quite severe by D.C. standards), and it was never stuck....even in a two-foot blizzard. I only spun the wheels once, and that was a mild spin-up while getting started once in six inches of solid sleet (ice pellets) on the road. Fortunately, I was only going a couple of miles to the subway station.

Since you mention the LS430, did they come with AWD as an option? From my memory, the LS460 was the first LS version to offer it, but I could be wrong.

MattyG

Very good advice. I once had a shop junior apprentice screw up my rotors and even twist off one of my lugnuts doing this quicky job with air/impact. Fooling around with lugs and wheels without torque specs usually doesn't turn out well. With a good shop it's so cheap to swap out wheels/tires with pros, I would just let them handle it as a general rule.

Yeah 4LS was the awd option.

I always thought, the small issue of the LS430 was the fact that it didn't offer an awd option. It was effectively a summer/no snow vehicle.

That, and the fact that it looked too close to the MB products from the era. But WRT to the Legacy, absolutely that is a wagon that ate up winters no problem. Big difference between John430 rwd setup and yours at the time IMHO. Subaru built its rep on these wagons. Wanted one of these but their head gasket issues kept me away.