I drive a Subaru ('02 Outback LL Bean Edition) and I’m a delivery driver. The PNW got smacked hard with a cataclysmic wind/snow/cold/ice storm of about two weeks duration that hit maybe a couple weeks after I started the new job, for which we use our own vehicles and get paid mileage along with hourly and tips. Anyway, I had been cursing my luck because a month earlier I picked up a bigass screw in the sidewall of one of my tires, which on an AWD car means you have to replace ALL the tires if one gets fuxxord. True to my covetous nature I just HAD to pick the spendiest set available for my car, Bridgestone Tri-Peaks, because a post 2000 Subaru will not allow tire chains or pretty much any other traction device because it screws up the AWD system something awful.
So, by Hobson’s Choice I found myself in possession of a very capable vehicle and I went on my merry way, delivering to all and sundry all through the horrendous storm mess (my only failed delivery was one to a house where every single approach road was closed due to work crews from the city clearing about a million board feet of blown down trees) and feeling safe as houses with my little car with the grippy tires. One delivery had to go up into the West Slope, which is the western side of the hills that rise above downtown Portland, after the worst of the storm was done but there was still about four inches of solid ice on every road not travelled by a million cars per day. I just took it slow and really I had a worse time with trying to walk around on the slidy ice than I did driving. I was coming back down the hill from making a drop when I spotted a huge late model lifted black on black emotional support pickup truck trying like hell to get up the street I was coming back down. It was slipping and sliding and going all sideways, then the driver stopped it and got out (and OF COURSE he was wearing shorts because, well, look at his truck–that’s a MAN’S TRUCK and MEN DON’T FEEL THE COLD) and he actually had manual 4WD locking hubs and he was locking those down. I tootled on past him just as solid as can be and as I went by I rolled down my window, tutted in my very best old lady manner and said “Oh dear, should’ve bought a Subaru” and my goodness, the look on his face would have curdled milk still in the udder. I’m sure if he could have gotten his massive vehicle to move at all he’d have tried to road rage at me but by the time he could have tried I was already a half mile down the road.
THAT was satisfying AF I can tell you. So, Subaru owners being snarky? NAH!
Thank you! I entered the thread to ask this question. I’ve been seeing those frequently around here and wondered what it meant. My neighbor’s jeep has the dash completely filled with them.
So, there’s the “Harley” wave, and ducks on Jeeps. I wonder what other symbolic auto-related gestures are out there that most of us aren’t aware of?
Brought her (cars always do better by you if you give them a name-mine 2013 Outback is named Scarlett, by my granddaughter, after her favorite therapy dog at school)home Monday. Waiting for my first rubber cow to show up. Took 6 years for it to happen for my daughter and SIL, so patience will be required and maybe parking it daily on the land grant University’s ag campus, like he does.
There’s also a Corvette wave. I only know about this because we now own a Corvette, willed to us by my late father-in-law a few years ago. My wife is religious about doing the Corvette wave when she’s driving it, and is playfully offended when another Vette driver doesn’t wave back.
Many years ago when I had an Impreza, I was a member of NASIOC. That’s the North American Subaru Impreza Owners Club, which is really more just a big fancy name for a vBulletin board. And by a member I mean I signed up to read the forums a bit. Which still exists though unlike my Impreza.
Anyway, the point was that there are still specific forums for things out there and might be worth a look.
I’m a member there as well, I can type in any issue and someone somewhere has opinions and fixes. Search infotainment system, I had major issues with mine when the car was barely off the lot brand new.
Currently my 2020 OB is intermittently flashing all the idiot engine lights and disabling RAB, eyesight, cruise, xmode etc.
I was on the road away from home when it first happened a few weeks ago. I called a local Subaru dealer, service gal mentioned gas cap. Yep it was loose. There’s even a warning on the cap that says loose cap will trigger engine light warning. In fact it never really gets tight. I turn it to the right as far as possible get one weak click. There’s nonresistance to opening it up again.
So it resets itself eventually all lights go away car continues to drive fine. Then it happened again. Currently no idiot lights but it’s annoying. I’ll mention it at my next service. Still under warranty.
We had a Jeep Cherokee for about 1.5 years, but sold it because it didn’t seem to be worth bringing it to Switzerland. My husband even had a Jeep t-shirt, same as this ad.
Some years ago we bought a WRX STI and learned about the wave for the ‘other’ Subaru enthusiasts. I’ve never seen a wave from a Forester, Outback, but we always get a wave from other WRX STIs. And my husband always waves when he’s driving.
We both also say “Subawoo” when we see any Subaru. But neither of us have any Subaru clothing.
I always name my cars–the Subie is Agnes Tripp (third of her name after Agnes Day and Agnes Dove), the '92 Dodge pickup is Wilbur and my venerable old Chevy G10 van is Time Bomb (it runs on propane and this is my mordantly humorous way of dealing with the potential if I ever get into an accident with it.)
No ski bibs. I do have a flannel shirt which predates both the Jeep and the Subaru. And I wore my outdoor Birkenstocks yesterday. Not to be confused with my indoor Birkenstocks.
Since this thread started, a couple of drivers have waved me to go head when both of us were stopped and either could have had the right of way. All of them Jeep drivers.
I’d pick Jeep. Only because I know owners of Jeeps who are nice people and are nice to each other in online groups when looking for parts or advice. I’m don’t know any reason why Subaru owners would be different but they don’t have the long history associated with their cars that Jeep has. I think a tradition of sharing and cooperation by Jeep owners in earlier times carried forward into the digital age. Possibly Subaru owners online don’t have that history and their organizing efforts have been susceptible to the high level of mean spirited negativity that invades much of the online world.
Now to go back and see what people in the thread say.
to show up. Took 6 years for it to happen for my daughter and SIL, so patience will be required and maybe parking it daily on the land grant University’s ag campus, like he does. 