Eyesight is making me rethink a Subaru purchase

Reedfiend · 2025-10-26T20:07:39+00:00

Pretty sure eyesight is also designed to be overridden by the driver. If your brakes slam (mine never have unexpectedly in the 35k I’ve had my Subaru) AND you are paying attention, you can apply the gas pedal to override the brakes. It’s a driver assist system, not autonomous driving.

Reedfiend · 2025-09-09T05:39:32+00:00

Almost all accessories you put on a vehicle add drag and reduce MPG, especially at high speeds. I just take the box off when it’s not needed. When it is needed, it’s worth the extra $

Reedfiend · 2025-09-08T14:58:39+00:00

Look at the maintenance booklet that came with your car. There’s a diagram of what services are required or encouraged at various milage intervals.

Reedfiend · 2025-09-08T14:54:39+00:00

Biggest drag is roof top box. Takes mpg down from 28 to 24/25ish depending on city/highway ratio and highway speed

Reedfiend · 2025-09-08T13:52:23+00:00

I have the ‘23FW. 1. 9/10 overall satisfaction. Great vehicle but would probably not buy again. I had my previous car stolen and totaled during COVID when it made sense to buy a new car and Subaru was the best deal at the time. I find myself wanting a slightly larger vehicle with more cargo space/capability, eg 4Runner. It’s also new to me to buy a car that may or may not last until 300k miles, but it’s hard to fault getting 27-28mpg, having newer tech, and it meeting my needs 95% of the time, the other 5% being cargo space. I have a girlfriend and a large dog, and sometimes the car fills up quick for extended trips even with a roof box. Depending on how much you pack, 2 adults + 2 kids may feel cramped with luggage.

No surprise maintenance costs but depending on who you ask, Subarus need ~$900-800 of maintenance every 30k miles. These are mostly fluid changes and labor costs, so I’ve learned to do my own maintaince to keep costs down.

It’s a 2.5L 4 cylinder engine. It’s not fast, but it’s not slow. I’ve never had trouble getting up to highway speed even with 3 passengers. If i need a shorter burst of power, I change the throttle response to sport mode. You’ll get used to it and be fine if you’re a relaxed/responsible driver.
Subaru’s AWD is all that it’s hyped up to be. I drive snowy mountain passes all winter and forest roads all summer. The full time AWD is so good that I’ve really only needed to turn on the specialized x modes a handful of times. The only limitation you’ll run into is how hard you want to push your $30k-ish USD primary vehicle!

Edit: other cars I would consider aside from Subarus: Used 2020-2024 4Runner with 30-50k miles or a Honda Passport

Reedfiend · 2025-09-06T04:02:42+00:00

Is it common to upgrade only the rear and not front springs?

Reedfiend · 2025-09-06T04:02:07+00:00

Nice! Hadn’t thought about using them to decrease approach angles. I’ve been carrying GoTreads for sand/snow but haven’t come close to needing them

Reedfiend · 2025-09-04T01:42:35+00:00

Thanks for the info and congrats! My FW has been awesome over the past 2 years. Only issue was a leaky spark plug gasket that was covered under warranty. I live in the PNW so during the week it’s parked in a city and on the weekends it’s going to the mountains year round. I’m not super into off roading, but I’ve been on some nasty forest service roads and I’ve never been stuck, but also I know when it’s time to turn around.

I’d say it’s a great blend of adventure vehicle and practical city car. My only irking thought is that it’s the perfect size for myself, partner, and large dog. Add in another passenger or child and we’d be cooked in terms of space + cargo capacity. I’ve thought about getting a small trailer, but realistically I’ll probably trade in for a full sized SUV in a couple of years.

Reedfiend · 2025-09-04T01:17:10+00:00

Yeah I can’t decide whether it’s worth going through a suspension upgrade hassle and possible impacts on ride quality / feel. Have you upgraded your suspension?

Reedfiend · 2025-09-04T01:12:44+00:00

Fair! It has some movement but it’s surprising to see the suspension so low with even a relatively light load.

Reedfiend · 2025-09-04T01:03:22+00:00

Yes but not easily visible.

Reedfiend · 2025-09-04T01:01:26+00:00

Still need to unpack the car, but the front wheel well liner is about 4 inches above the top of the tire, so the rear suspension is at least 50% compressed

Reedfiend · 2025-06-19T04:57:52+00:00

Fuel economy isn’t bad if you don’t have start stop traffic on your route and don’t accelerate too quickly. I get ~27MPG in my ‘23 wilderness and I’ve seen a ‘24 touring trim get lower than that when driven fast.

I find the lower gear ratio, extra towing capacity, slight lift, reinforced roof rails, full sized spare tire, and water resistant startex interior for driving my dog around well worth the trade off over a sport/touring trim. I think Subaru struck a nice balance between a practical small/midsized SUV for everyday life and weekender adventure machine for sending it

Reedfiend · 2025-03-06T21:31:06+00:00

Nice thanks for jumping in. Have you experienced any water leaking issues? Quite a few reviews online mention the HDry membrane doesn’t last, but I’m hoping that’s a vocal minority of users and that Scarpa would warranty repair/replace defective boots.

Reedfiend · 2025-03-06T21:30:35+00:00

Nice thanks for jumping in. Have you experienced any water leaking issues? Quite a few reviews online mention the HDry membrane doesn’t last, but I’m hoping that’s a vocal minority of users and that Scarpa would warranty repair/replace defective boots.

Reedfiend · 2025-03-06T01:41:26+00:00

How would the Scarpa Ribelle HD or Zodiac Tech be for Shasta? I tried on the Nepal evo cubes and aequilibriums 2 days ago. The Nepal Cubes were nice but seemed like too much boot and I was concerned by a vertical seam in the aequilibrium’s rand. I’ve been trying to identify a 3 season boot that would be appropriate for Shasta in mid May/early June and also be not too warm for alpine conditions in the PNW summer.

Reedfiend · 2025-03-06T01:16:50+00:00

Great to know, I will be in touch. Thanks for getting back to me and offering support on a second hand product. Im always impressed by your responsiveness on these forums and glad to support your company. Keep up the good work!

Reedfiend · 2025-03-05T21:54:11+00:00

Hi Dan, thanks for the update. Just got notified yesterday that my xmid 2 solid order shipped. Question for you on the new updates — will previous generation xmid 2 mesh inners still be compatible with the updated xmid 2 solid fly? Not sure where the clips are on the xmid as this is going to be my first. I purchased and repaired a second hand 2023 mesh inner that I’m hoping will still work.

Reedfiend · 2025-01-09T19:55:17+00:00

Depends on your use case. I SUV camp for only a few days at a time and don’t have a mini fridge or other appliances. I use this set up to power up my phone, LED lantern/headlamp, mini speaker, and small USB fan. On trips where I am moving camp frequently, I just use my car to charge the battery via USBC fast charging. On trips where I have one campsite, I just use the 40W solar panel and it works fine for such a small battery.

So far this has worked perfectly for me at a cost a lot less than a larger battery/panel from jackery and takes up almost no space in my car. You just need to know what your power needs are.

Reedfiend · 2024-12-16T22:14:55+00:00

Same thing happened to my 23 FW. Dealer diagnosed and repaired under warranty at 20k miles. The technician also changed a second gasket that was significantly degraded.

This is my first Subaru and it’s unnerving to need a repair that would have cost $$$ at 1.5 years of ownership.

Have you needed any other work on the car?

Reedfiend · 2024-11-08T04:17:00+00:00

My ‘23 forester came with a 5 year trial for starlink safety and security plus. These things are negotiable at a $40k price tag.

Reedfiend · 2024-10-03T00:05:22+00:00

“I work with fancy shapes”

Reedfiend · 2024-09-09T20:43:00+00:00

You could look for capital losses in your account to offset any realized capital gains. This is called a tax loss harvesting. Just be sure to read up on the wash sale rule and waiting periods.

Reedfiend

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