::.tHIS is why I own a Subaru.::

[hANNAbONE]

lET'S burn some BFG tires up....

 

 

http://video.kenblockracing.com/flash/small_player/preloader.swf?vendor_id=204&media_id=9183&bgcolor=FFFFFF&autoplay=0

 

 

 

 

D A Y - Y U M

[OoPEZoO]

I guess my insurance company saw that video too. The WRX got crossed off my short list when I found out that my insurance would almost triple if I bought one.

[David]

Cool video. I really like the section where he's circling the poor sucker on the "upright pit bike."

 

Great cars--but here's what happens when you overestimate the lateral G-force loading available on stock tires on a race track after a hard days work, pitting the family Subaru against a rental Pontiac and a borrowed Corvette.

 

 

[Huzband]

Somehow, YEEEEE-HAWWWWW doesn't quite describe my feelings.

 

I wanna ride with him.

[Highway41]

I can't drive like that even in my dreams.

Never heard a 4 banger sound so good.

Bill

[OoPEZoO]

Subaru engines have always had a great sound to them......maybe I'm partial to the whole boxer thing, but during high school and college I had a '88 Subaru XT6.......they looked like this

 

 

Mine was all white with black trim. It was all wheel drive and had a 2.7 litre 6 cylinder boxer motor in it that sounded awesome once you got rid of the stock exhaust. I really miss that car. They only made them for 4 years and it was just impossibly expensive to keep it in the condition I wanted to.

[hANNAbONE]

hERE'S something to ponder - he's drifting that rod with AWD..!

(*note the front tires smokin'???)

 

I mean that first run full out and sends it into a sideways romp...what the.....dewd has some serious skills.!

[hANNAbONE]

(*aND bALLS..*) ahem....

[Huzband]

hERE'S something to ponder - he's drifting that rod with AWD..!

(*note the front tires smokin'???)

 

I mean that first run full out and sends it into a sideways romp...what the.....dewd has some serious skills.!

 

That's what got me gigglin'.

 

After that, it was full tilt laughter.

 

The guy on the Segway? That's what I call faith in your fellow man.

[bimmers]

probably brake power between rear and front is adjustable like in real Rally cars (WRX is one). He clearly drove it against front brakes in circles. The 4WD is also adjustable I think so adjust power to front or rear through a diff of some kind.

 

Impressive (Impreza) and yes when you master it you can do almost anything. It is amazing though how you can drive in straight line and turn 90deg at 60mph+ ?

 

Tire mfctrs love this kind of sports.

[Jerry Johnston]

Geez us my wife drives just like that !

[Effjay]

Extremely Impressa-ive! That combo of AWD vehicle capability and driver skills do get the juices going - no? A whole lot different experience for sure than slow racing my Jeep TJ in 4:1 4X4 crawl mode. Thanks for sharing!

 

 

Jeff

[John Ranalletta]

I guess my insurance company saw that video too. The WRX got crossed off my short list when I found out that my insurance would almost triple if I bought one.

You must've been looking at a STI because my WRX doesn't merit an upcharge in rate.

 

We've had the '04 since new and are very pleased with it.

[yabadabapal]

Thats it. Im in. take me to the nearest subaru dealer.

That was amazZZZZing

[BULLman]

Remember you're mileage may be different

[OoPEZoO]

I guess my insurance company saw that video too. The WRX got crossed off my short list when I found out that my insurance would almost triple if I bought one.

You must've been looking at a STI because my WRX doesn't merit an upcharge in rate.

 

We've had the '04 since new and are very pleased with it.

 

Nope, I was looking at the standard WRX. There was a jump in insurance rates from the standard 2.5RS to the WRX, and then another jump if you wanted the STi. Take into account that I'm under 30, not married yet, and that I'm also comparing costs with my current ride ('97 Isuzu Rodeo)

[John Ranalletta]

I guess my insurance company saw that video too. The WRX got crossed off my short list when I found out that my insurance would almost triple if I bought one.

You must've been looking at a STI because my WRX doesn't merit an upcharge in rate.

 

We've had the '04 since new and are very pleased with it.

 

Nope, I was looking at the standard WRX. There was a jump in insurance rates from the standard 2.5RS to the WRX, and then another jump if you wanted the STi. Take into account that I'm under 30, not married yet, and that I'm also comparing costs with my current ride ('97 Isuzu Rodeo)

Yep, I get the geezer discount, though I did pay a temporary upcharge for a 30-over ticket a few years ago.

[TyTass]

OMFG! That was REALLY impressive!

[Gregori]

Hmmm... Professional driver on closed course - don't try this at home, eh?

 

FWIW - Ken Block is a top-ranked professional rally driver for the Subaru team... (A friend of mine is VP at the outfit that builds their rally cars here in the US...)

 

Ken Block is seen here under Travis Pastrana (also a Subaru Rally team driver.)

 

 

 

[VinnyR11]

That is just sick. Amazing car control skills. Big boxer fan as well.

 

As an aside, for anyone who thinks "this looks like fun", you should sign up for a local autocross event. Doesn't matter what you bring, you're guaranteed to have a great time. Safe, relatively easy on the car other than tires, good car control training, cheap, and a total blast.

[Gregori]

Ditto on the Autocross...

 

Years ago (before children decimated all my available time and resources) I used to campaign a GTi (8v) and then a couple of '90 Miatas. (Back before they were tossed out of the "C" class. You didn't want to be in C-stock if you didn't have a Miata...)

 

Heck, now that I think about it - I still have some Miata parts... Anyone want a brand new, real leather (aftermarket, of course) shifter-boot for a first gen Miata?

[Gregori]

Yeah - he has WAY too much fun in that car...

 

 

 

 

[bakerzdosen]

Yeah - he has WAY too much fun in that car...

 

 

 

See, that's why I hate rally car drivers. They always take forever in the ski lift line.

[lawnchairboy]

thanks for posting that, loved it. It would be really something to command that kind of control over a vehicle.

 

chris

[ERdok]

I gotta get me one of those...

[Matts_12GS]

SCHWINGGGGG!!!!

[Mike]

I gotta get me one of those...

 

I did . . . well, sort of. This is my STi:

 

 

I don't have the money or the skills to do what that guy was doing, but I can appreciate it.

 

BTW, the above is Subie # 3 in our household. I never thought I'd go down that road, but they're pretty impressive vehicles. Plus, they're boxers . . . which is cool.

[hANNAbONE]

I gotta get me one of those...

 

I did . . . well, sort of. This is my STi:

 

 

I don't have the money or the skills to do what that guy was doing, but I can appreciate it.

 

BTW, the above is Subie # 3 in our household. I never thought I'd go down that road, but they're pretty impressive vehicles. Plus, they're boxers . . . which is cool.

 

 

 

 

 

dITTO

[Knobby10]

They are great. I've got two..WRX for me, Tribeca for the secretary of war!! I've been a car guy all my life and I think they are the best driving cars I've driven.

[russell_bynum]

OK...questions for the subaru guys....If I wanted a WRX, but didn't need/want the turbo (maintenance, longevity, fuel economy, premium fuel requirement), would it make any sense to buy a regular Imprezza and put some decent springs/struts/swaybars on it? i.e. Is there any real difference other than a stiffer suspension and the turbo?

 

Also,

What about longevity? Is a non-turbo modern Subaru a 300,000+ mile car?

 

Eventually my old 3-series (which just passed CA Smog again, btw) will get to the point where I'm tired of messing with it. Its replacement needs to get good mpg, and have excellent handling. And it needs to last. I'm edging past 350K on my current car. I'm not interested in something that will fall apart at 150k or nickel and dime me to death. Are they easy to maintain?

[OoPEZoO]

They are pretty decent cars. The standard Impressa 5-door hatchback is is on my VERY short list of possible next vehicles. Either that or the Outback Sport. The only real weak points on a Subaru are the fact that they have aluminum heads AND block. Its great for weight, but they are very susceptible to warping and/or cracking. This is of course only a problem if you ever allow it to overheat. They also periodically need the timing belts replaced.........but you should be familiar with that due to your E30. Other than that, the motors last damn near forever. We have had a few of our station wagons over the years last 250K+ miles before selling them. We have never had one die on us. In fact, I don't recall having to do much of anything to them while we owned them. Replace the occasional rubber hose and wheel bearing was about it.......and we had a sensor or two flake out, but they were all easy fixes.

 

The way I see it, only real downside to a Subaru is the somewhat poor gas mileage. Its not that its bad, its just disappointing to me. I've always thought it should be better considering your only driving a 2.5 liter 4 cylinder.

 

It would make perfect sense to get a standard Impressa and upgrade it however you see fit. I don't know anyone who has ever been disappointed after buying one.

 

 

[Rocer]

Keith - we're just going to have to import you for the ice racing series. Why, you've even got the prerequisite hat! Lots of subees on the track. On you tube check out ice racing Minden ON (3hrs. north of Buffalo) for all the fun you can have. No two wheels Yet.

 

Paul

[AZKomet]

lET'S burn some BFG tires up....

 

 

http://video.kenblockracing.com/flash/small_player/preloader.swf?vendor_id=204&media_id=9183&bgcolor=FFFFFF&autoplay=0

 

 

AKA Barrel racing in the horse world......not bad for a car!!

 

 

 

 

D A Y - Y U M

[Rocer]

Gives new meaning to "Honey, I'm just going to the gym."

[Gary in Aus]

We have a 2007 RS Imprezza hatch ,the last of this model before the new shape .

 

We have only done about 25,000 kms in it but it has become my favourite car out of all our vehicles . Other cars are a 2008 Holden Caprice 6.0 litre , 2007 Holden Acclaim station wagon and a 2007 Holden Rodeo Dual cab 4wd.

 

When going to our farm which is 3 and 1/2 hours away at Sofala ,we have to cross the Great Dividing Range and the Blue Mountains. Its a fairly winding road and can sometimes get fog and rain .

 

If we are not taking a load of food or equipment and it is just my wife and I ,I prefer the Subaru every time , the all wheel drive and suspension just seem to make this car feel like it is on rails.

 

While the fuel consumption is not great ,it's better than the Caprice .

 

Another thing I like about the Imprezza is it's size in that with the other cars ,parking spots need to be large but the little Imprezza fits where the others won't.

 

I am a happy owner.

[Ken H.]

I think the real whack job is the guy on the Segway!

[bootzilla]

 

With the totally funky steering wheel! I always wanted an XT6 Turbo when I was a kid...and I REALLY wanted an SVX....actually, I still wouldn't mind an SVX, come to think of it.

 

I had a chance to ride shotgun on some hotlaps in a race-prepped WRX at Summit Point - left me smiling from ear-to-rear, and because of the series it was running, it hardly had anything done to the motor - I can't even imagine a 500+ hp STI.

[Gregori]

Who needs a Subaru?

 

 

[hANNAbONE]

yEAH..bABY..!@