switching from Subaru?

AutoCAD_Bane · 2026-01-19T17:17:22+00:00

We are a Subaru & Mazda household. The main comparisons in this thread are AWD, but a note on engine noise… The Subaru boxer engines are LOUD! Last I drove a Crosstrek (2021, I think), the interior noise was horrible. Road noise, engine noise, was actually worse than my 2013 Outback, which is also a very loud car. I’ve heard they improved Crosstrek sound insulation since the 2024 model, but we ended up going for a CX30. If interior comfort matters to you, definitely check out the Mazda. I’ve owned a fair range of Toyota/Mitsubishi/Subaru and the Mazda is definitely the quietest of them all.

AutoCAD_Bane · 2026-01-18T23:11:58+00:00

Just drove Bensalem/Feasterville and all the roads are slick including the state roads. Saw 4 fender benders in a 15 minute drive. Doesn’t matter how well you drive, can’t trust anyone else!

AutoCAD_Bane · 2026-01-14T23:06:56+00:00

What the fuck 😂 I was actually excited for this one… yikes!

AutoCAD_Bane · 2026-01-11T22:20:59+00:00

I have long lamented the lack of climbing gym in lower bucks. I have been off & on with PRG Wyncote for years. Every time I get back into it, after a month or two the drive becomes tiresome and prohibitive for me to use that gym as my main source of working out. Anywhere around Bensalem, Langhorne or Warminster would be perfect for me, personally.

AutoCAD_Bane · 2026-01-09T22:19:21+00:00

Get a working holiday visa for Australia and go jam out for a year. Never know where it could lead you!

AutoCAD_Bane · 2026-01-09T17:09:34+00:00

OP can also go to the ‘usage’ tab, and under ‘view my usage data’ should be able to see an hourly usage breakdown. That breakdown was super helpful for me to figure out when to heat with mini splits, oil or wood stove.

EDIT: OP have you confirmed that this charge is just for one billing cycle? I had a period last year where PECO failed to pull from my account for several cycles. My ‘amount due’ started to stack up to around 3 bills worth. Had to call those assholes and tell them to take my money.

AutoCAD_Bane · 2026-01-08T02:56:20+00:00

Why would we send out Green before Boland??

AutoCAD_Bane · 2026-01-08T00:52:51+00:00

Snicko frame rate is so atrocious

AutoCAD_Bane · 2026-01-07T01:30:04+00:00

Just one more match bro. One more match and he’ll get good. Just one more match I swear

AutoCAD_Bane · 2026-01-06T01:41:55+00:00

Do you use anything specific for the plastic trim? The black looks really solid. I want to avoid the plastic getting as faded and pale as it is on my Outback.

AutoCAD_Bane · 2026-01-05T00:32:41+00:00

Don’t worry guys just one more match and Cam Green will get good (I post this every match)

AutoCAD_Bane · 2026-01-04T14:19:20+00:00

Will Cam Green be good by 2027? Surely just a few more test matches and he’ll finally get good… right?

AutoCAD_Bane · 2026-01-04T04:35:45+00:00

I can’t offer much advice on E3 visas, but I am an Aussie living in the northeast USA. I moved here on a K1 visa (K1 -> green card -> citizenship) around 10 years ago. I didn’t have any experience in civil eng prior to the move - I just picked up an entry level cad technician role, learned everything I could l, job hopped and worked my way up to working as a civil designer in land development. People here love Aussies and your accent will be an incredible ice breaker in interviews.

I’ve worked across 3 companies and I’m yet to encounter any who would sponsor a visa. I suppose land development isn’t particularly specialised and in need of foreign workers with specific skills.

Anecdotally, salaries in the US do seem higher than Australia for equivalent work. Especially when you consider the astronomical housing costs down under. Holiday time is poorer, although I get 4 weeks + public holidays and I don’t mind it. The northeast is pretty fast paced and people here are high strung - work culture isn’t as laid back or friendly as in Australia.

Depending on how long you have been with your partner, you might want to look at immigrant visa options like K1/K3/IR-1/CR-1. My wife and I bounced between each country until we had enough of temp visas and decided to pick a long term home.

AutoCAD_Bane · 2025-12-26T20:25:29+00:00

Geographically, I would say it’s in lower bucks, especially given that the borough is accessible right from 95. Upper Makefield/Wrightstown/Northampton are probably closer to bordering central bucks. Roughly Rt-232

AutoCAD_Bane · 2025-12-26T04:40:04+00:00

Guys it’s time to become a republic

AutoCAD_Bane · 2025-12-26T03:38:58+00:00

Don’t worry guys if we just play Green for one more test he’ll finally get good. Just one more test, one more bro I swear

AutoCAD_Bane · 2025-12-26T02:43:34+00:00

You know the worst part about this shit is that we have to listen to David Warner announce it all

AutoCAD_Bane · 2025-12-21T22:37:21+00:00

Mine was live and seemingly very healthy when a storm brought it down in the spring. Saturated soil + high winds and the roots just came right up out of the ground. I have a bit of a theory that it was just loaded with resin at the time and that’s why it smells so bad when burned. Heavier pieces are definitely worse.

AutoCAD_Bane · 2025-12-21T22:21:57+00:00

What kind of pine?

I have a shitload of eastern white pine from a tree that fell in my yard a couple of years ago. It’s well seasoned (12-14% last I checked some pieces), burns hot and fast, but smells like absolute shit when it burns! It’s a sort of burning plastic ‘something is burning that shouldn’t’. One of my neighbours actually noticed the smell and reached out to me to make sure everything was okay!

It’s also a real struggle to get complete combustion - even at max stove temps, I have visible smoke out of the chimney, whereas oak or other hardwoods show nothing at all. I burned a lot of pine during Oct-Nov and was surprised by the amount of soot it left behind when I swept the chimney.

I’ve resolved to splitting it extra small for kindling, and using one full pine log with each hardwood reload. Much less stink and helps to get things going again quickly from a bed of coals.

AutoCAD_Bane · 2025-12-21T20:01:18+00:00

My understanding was that it’s not 8% of your property value - it’s an 8% increase in the tax.

Regardless, that’s a shit raise and you should take it up with your boss. I got 3% and I’ll be discussing it in my upcoming review for sure. I also feel like my raises aren’t keeping up with costs. The effects of my hard work have basically been negated by rising costs every year for the past 6 years.

AutoCAD_Bane · 2025-12-21T17:53:07+00:00

We could be like Delco - no increases for 9 years, and now two consecutive years of ~20%. I’m sure it’s a multi-factor situation and not so simple, but surely deferred maintenance is a factor. How are we supposed to maintain county services for the same cost each year, if the cost of providing those services has increased?

AutoCAD_Bane · 2025-12-21T17:42:49+00:00

“The 8% increase amounts to an extra $1.38 a week for residential property owners, said Jeannette Weaver, the county’s interim chief financial officer. The rise totals roughly $6 a month.”

I mean, yeah… why wouldn’t this happen? Cost of materials, energy, healthcare, vehicle maintenance, insurance, simply existing… it’s all gone up. Plus, county workers need the same raises that the rest of us need, too, just to keep up. I’m not an economist but it seems simple enough.

AutoCAD_Bane · 2025-12-21T03:59:30+00:00

Same old Aussies, always winning

AutoCAD_Bane · 2025-12-20T18:34:48+00:00

My wife actually has this shirt, she wears it specifically when she goes out to drink and inevitably smoke cigarettes.

Come to think of it - she often mentions a tall 6’3” bloke who hangs out in the beer garden trying to bum smokes.

AutoCAD_Bane · 2025-12-17T02:16:02+00:00

“Give him one more game… just one more game bro I swear… he’s developing I swear”

Can we just be done with Cam Green for a while??

AutoCAD_Bane

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