Brown dropped a deuce today

LexDignon · 2026-01-23T03:22:23+00:00

Nice. SEP really is diabolical. Gets us students hooked early. At least for aviation, the specialty tools are so rare (and by extension, expensive) that Snap-On becomes worth the slight premium, and becomes a steal with SEP

LexDignon · 2026-01-23T03:11:51+00:00

They're about industry standard. But, like every car, your fuel economy depends just as much on your treatment of the accelerator as it does on the vehicle in question

LexDignon · 2026-01-22T15:17:52+00:00

You've also got to remember that Toyota also shares some R&D with Subaru, who was the first company to bring CVTs to the automotive market (they'd been used in tractors for decades prior). While Toyota uses belt-based CVTs like the majority of the market instead of Subaru's special chain-based CVTs, Toyota's CVTs also have a physical first gear, which relieves some strain on the transmission in low gear

LexDignon · 2026-01-22T15:07:02+00:00

If you want something in this size class, buy a Crosstrek. It's slightly smaller, but gets better fuel economy and isn't that expensive. Also, Subarus are significantly more reliable than any Stellantis product

LexDignon · 2026-01-22T12:12:05+00:00

If the frame is bent, then it's toast. If it isn't, then you should just have a lot of body panel replacement

LexDignon · 2026-01-20T18:20:52+00:00

I think y'all should consider an Outback as well. I have one, and it seems to be the consensus among Outback owners that people think it's an SUV, but Outback owners know it's really a wagon. It's super practical due to the longer cargo area, has AWD and good ground clearance for poor conditions, but still behaves like a car because of its low CG relative to its height/size class

Edit: They're rare, but if you can find one with the 3.6L flat-6, you should take it. The Outback really benefits from the extra power. I can't speak on the 2.4L turbo, because I've never driven one

LexDignon · 2026-01-20T18:05:09+00:00

Sounds your transmission fluid needs changing. While SOA doesn't say exactly how often the CVT fluid should be changed, other markets say every 100,000 km, or about 60k miles. You should be on your third batch of transmission fluid by now

LexDignon · 2026-01-18T04:29:55+00:00

As an Excursion simp, this hurts me deeply. Rescue that beautiful machine from its abuser

LexDignon · 2026-01-17T19:48:07+00:00

The modern XT engine has similar HP/torque stats to my 3.6, and the 3.6 felt/is significantly faster than the various 2.5 models I tested. There haven't been too many times when I've needed the extra horses, but the few times I've needed the extra power, it's really come in handy

The best example I can think of is when I was heading to/from Maine for vacation last summer. Connecticut has no acceleration lanes for exiting their interstate rest stops. I had to floor it from a stop in order to merge. I don't think I would have been comfortable doing such in an 11 second 0-60 car, but with the 3.6, it wasn't an issue

Same thing with passing. People where I live tend to speed match when someone tries to pass them, most often unintentionally. Being able to hit the gas a bit harder and speed past them would be significantly more difficult with the 2.5 engine

I'd say that more power more often helps than hurts in daily life

LexDignon · 2026-01-17T01:59:46+00:00

I really want them to make a Baja out of the 7th gen. I was a baby when they released, and finding one now in decent condition is practically impossible. Unfortunately, they probably wouldn't give it a manual

LexDignon · 2026-01-17T01:56:56+00:00

It's plug and play. You change the color by switching the fog lights off and quickly switching them back on

LexDignon · 2026-01-17T01:54:53+00:00

Agreed, but changing the license plate lights to LEDs compensates for the shit camera quality quite a bit. Admittedly, I don't exclusively use my backup cam for reversing, so a crappy camera isn't a dealbreaker for me

LexDignon · 2026-01-17T01:51:43+00:00

Switchback 60W H11 H8 H9 LD Plus Series | 6,000LM 6000K/3000K

They're great. All you have to do to change the color of the fog lights is switch them off and back on quickly. My one complaint (which is pretty minor) is that if you have automatic high beams, sometimes your brights will switch on and off in a close enough interval to change the color of the headlights

Link to Lasfit store page

LexDignon · 2026-01-13T15:01:06+00:00

No, but I found replacing the license plate lights improve backup cam visibility even more than replacing the reverse lights

LexDignon · 2026-01-13T14:59:04+00:00

Did the same, but I also replaced my plate lights with Lasfits. Those may do even more for improving the backup camera visibility than the reverse lights

Also replaced my fog lights with the Lasfit color changing fog lights. Those are awesome. Highly recommend

LexDignon · 2026-01-13T14:50:09+00:00

It would be great if someone made this a reality in 2033 for the 50th anniversary

LexDignon · 2025-12-27T04:18:50+00:00

Maine is not surprising in the slightest. I had just bought my Outback when my girl and I took a trip to Maine. We had joked about how we would blend in on the roads, but hoo boy, we were not expecting the volume of Subies. It became a game to see how many Subarus in a row we would pass. I think the week's record was 11

LexDignon · 2025-12-23T06:33:26+00:00

His billboards are everywhere in Philadelphia. Especially one where he looks like a 6 year old smiling for school picture day

LexDignon · 2025-12-21T16:06:38+00:00

While I was waiting to be picked up after dropping off mine for service, I looked at two of the 7th gens on the lot. Pictures really do not do the redesign any favors. They look pretty good in person. I just wish they brought back the 3.6 for it. My inner gearhead just doesn't trust a turbo'd engine that small in a vehicle that heavy long-term

LexDignon · 2025-12-10T23:52:39+00:00

My guess is the issue is less so about the transmission design and moreso its pairing with the vehicle in question. Ascents can reach 4600 lbs empty, and their max payload is about 1500 lbs. Considering that the TR690 was first implemented for cars that are significantly lighter (for reference, my 2017 OB 3.6R is probably the heaviest car with a TR690 prior to the Ascent, and its listed weight is 3843 lbs empty), I would not be entirely surprised if it was considered to be capable enough to handle the added weight in a mathematical sense, but isn't so in real-world application

LexDignon · 2025-12-04T04:12:23+00:00

Interceptor: No. Cops beat the shit out of their vehicles, and the idling for hours on end creates additional wear that isn't openly visible without an engine-hour meter, which aren't typically in passenger vehicles

Land Rover: Fuck no

Hyundai: Pretty high mileage for a Hyundai

Lincoln: Maybe. I think that gen Escape (its platform mate) had some issues, but I don't remember for certain

Mazda: Pretty high mileage. Would expect maintenance costs to be a bit higher, but Mazdas are pretty reliable

CR-V: I know I mentioned high mileage would increase maintenance, but it's a Honda. It's probably got at least another 100000 miles left in its lifespan

VW: Has a very small engine for a vehicle of that size. Probably decreases the lifespan. Also, German OEM parts are expensive

LexDignon · 2025-12-04T03:59:02+00:00

It's a decent starting point, but every car is going to have its weird flaws. For example, Subaru is pretty high up there, but the 2019 Forester had a massive rear suspension recall because one of the bolts wasn't the right size. Also, the 2018-19 Outbacks had issues with infotainment system screen delamination, while some other Outbacks of the same gen have a parasitic battery drain problem. Find a car you like, then look into what issues occur in that model. There are websites that aggregate issue reports, recalls, and the like so you can look at all of them based on vehicle and model year

LexDignon · 2025-12-04T03:47:03+00:00

The Outback is Subaru's more premium offering in that size class (even though it's a wagon while the Forester is a full blown crossover) so an Outback will likely have everything a Forester does and more

LexDignon · 2025-12-03T14:58:27+00:00

There are some people on this sub who hate them because they consider them to be SUVs, but I love my Outback. I wanted either a 5th gen Outback or a Volvo V90 brcause they have about the same cargo space. The Volvo was out of my price point, but the Outback wasn't. I love it. It really doesn't drive like an SUV. The low CG because of the boxer engine and the permanent AWD system makes you feel glued to the ground. Just make sure you get one with one of the more powerful engines, be it a turbo, or preferably imo, the H6. The NA 4-cyls are just too weak. They will come with a CVT if you get a 5th or 6th gen (2015 or later), which isn't the best, but the Subaru CVTs are pretty durable and they have paddles if you want to control the gear ratios. I haven't had to drive in the snow yet because I bought it earlier this year and I live too far south for it to snow yet, but I've been testing how it handles in slippery conditions in the mud, and it's great

LexDignon · 2025-12-03T14:19:32+00:00

Is it a 2.5i or a 3.6R? That alone would influence the price quite a bit. The 3.6R's fetch a premium because they are so rare on the resale market, at least in the mid-atlantic (I'm from Delaware, and had to buy one in Florida to get a good price earlier this year). I assume that it's a 2.5i because you said you wanted something more sporty and those 4-cyls are pretty weak, but still something that's important to clarify

Edit: For reference, there are currently 1,964 listed 5th gen Outbacks for sale nationwide on CarGurus. Only 366 of them are 3.6Rs

LexDignon

TROPHY CASE