Vehicles of western roadgeeks

[cahwyguy]

Mod Note: After Plutonic Panda mentioned purchasing a Subaru in this post in the CA 33 thread, about a page of related discussion emerged. Posts in this thread dated 1/16-17/2024 were split from the original thread to promote continued related discussion among more users. —Roadfro

BTW what Subaru? Got a Crosstrek recently, was on 33 last weekend.

I wonder if there is something with Roadgeeks and Subarus. We have two (mine is a 2016 Impreza with about 43K on it; my wife has a 2018 Outback, and I plan to pass the Impreza to my daughter to replace a 2012 Sonic as soon when the 2025 Hybrids come out (either Crosstrek or Forester). I know Max R. also has a Subaru.

[Plutonic Panda]

BTW what Subaru? Got a Crosstrek recently, was on 33 last weekend.

I wonder if there is something with Roadgeeks and Subarus. We have two (mine is a 2016 Impreza with about 43K on it; my wife has a 2018 Outback, and I plan to pass the Impreza to my daughter to replace a 2012 Sonic as soon when the 2025 Hybrids come out (either Crosstrek or Forester). I know Max R. also has a Subaru.

In my opinion, they're just all around great cars. I got my first electric car as well. A Mustang Mach E. I saw a California route one addition which has almost 100 more miles of range than my current one, which is the premium trim.

But as far as Subarus go, they're great cars. I've always wanted an Impreza. How do you like yours?

[cahwyguy]

In my opinion, they're just all around great cars. I got my first electric car as well. A Mustang Mach E. I saw a California route one addition which has almost 100 more miles of range than my current one, which is the premium trim.

But as far as Subarus go, they're great cars. I've always wanted an Impreza. How do you like yours?

I like it a lot (although, as I've gotten older, it's a bit lower to the ground than is comfortable).  You should be able to see both of them at https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipPJL8BDJzzV1OjsOwR7V7k-1OLv46IcspNxXtpH , which is when we got the Outback.

[Max Rockatansky]

BTW what Subaru? Got a Crosstrek recently, was on 33 last weekend.

I wonder if there is something with Roadgeeks and Subarus. We have two (mine is a 2016 Impreza with about 43K on it; my wife has a 2018 Outback, and I plan to pass the Impreza to my daughter to replace a 2012 Sonic as soon when the 2025 Hybrids come out (either Crosstrek or Forester). I know Max R. also has a Subaru.

2019 Impreza specifically.  Definitely get the most out of AWD given there is a fair amount of good dirt and chain control prone roads by me.

[Quillz]

I got the Crosstrek to replace my Wrangler, which had 150k miles on it. I enjoyed it and drove it all over the state, but the mileage was bad and it was a base model, so had barely anything on it. I had been interested in Subaru for years, due to them having a good reputation and a very loyal following, I was specifically interested in the Outback. But then I found out about the Crosstrek, which is basically a smaller Outback, and was perfect for my needs. The AWD is nice, considerably better mileage, been using the adaptive cruise control, has wireless CarPlay, etc. Just an all-around good car. The trip to the Morro Bay Area (where I used CA-33) was its first real road trip. Have a drive up to Monterey Bay planned for end of the month. (Originally was going to do the redwoods again, but couldn't get as much time off as I wanted).

[cl94]

Subarus are great for us western road enthusiasts because they get around chain controls and can handle unpaved roads with ease.

I drive a 23 base model Crosstrek with a manual. That thing can get anywhere and it is a nice balance between tolerable gas mileage, large fuel tank, and ability to handle rough high clearance roads. Where I live, chain control is common enough that AWD was a necessity when I was looking for new cars, plus I wanted something that could go off-road. Lord knows I have taken mine on enough unmaintained BLM roads.

[Quillz]

I want to take it to the Mammoth/Mono Lake area. I know 395 sometimes has chain controls but maybe they'll let me slide.

[pderocco]

I bought a '23 Forester Wilderness in Massachusetts, and spent 16 days driving it home to San Diego. It's a dream. I haven't taken it on anything really rugged yet, though--waiting for warmer drier weather up in the mountains.

[Rothman]

I bought a '23 Forester Wilderness in Massachusetts, and spent 16 days driving it home to San Diego. It's a dream. I haven't taken it on anything really rugged yet, though--waiting for warmer drier weather up in the mountains.

Why buy it from somewhere so far away?

[Max Rockatansky]

I bought a '23 Forester Wilderness in Massachusetts, and spent 16 days driving it home to San Diego. It's a dream. I haven't taken it on anything really rugged yet, though--waiting for warmer drier weather up in the mountains.

Why buy it from somewhere so far away?

I bought my Challenger in November 2015 in Orlando two months in advance of moving to California.  In my case I just wanted to get on a chain of select roads across the southern United States that I thought might be fun.

More practically though, I ordered my car with a limited edition color that probably wasn't going to be available in January 2016.  A side benefit was that my car didn't come with P65 stickers affixed to it.

[tawnuskgrevy]

BTW what Subaru? Got a Crosstrek recently, was on 33 last weekend.

I wonder if there is something with Roadgeeks and Subarus. We have two (mine is a 2016 Impreza with about 43K on it; my wife has a 2018 Outback, and I plan to pass the Impreza to my daughter to replace a 2012 Sonic as soon when the 2025 Hybrids come out (either Crosstrek or Forester). I know Max R. also has a Subaru.

Adding one more to the roadgeek-with-a-Subaru pile; I've got a 2012 Impreza hatchback that's still going strong at almost 239k miles. She definitely uses more engine oil than when she was new, but other than that and some cosmetic dings, I see no reason why I couldn't get her to 300k and beyond.

[pderocco]

I bought a '23 Forester Wilderness in Massachusetts, and spent 16 days driving it home to San Diego. It's a dream. I haven't taken it on anything really rugged yet, though--waiting for warmer drier weather up in the mountains.

Why buy it from somewhere so far away?

So I could spend 16 days driving it home to San Diego. If I bought it in San Diego, I wouldn't be able to do that, now, would I?

[cl94]

I want to take it to the Mammoth/Mono Lake area. I know 395 sometimes has chain controls but maybe they'll let me slide.

You don't want to slide.

But seriously, unless you're running summer tires, you'll be fine unless chain controls are R-3. You're technically supposed to carry chains and they reserve the right to check, but more often than not they will look at your car and wave you along. I would still recommend carrying a set of chains to placate CHP, even if they don't fit your car.

District 9 almost never goes above R-1 (chains OR "snow tires") and they rarely run checkpoints, or at least don't run them nearly as often as the west slope and SoCal districts do. That covers 395 south of Reno.

[Plutonic Panda]

Could anyone recommend a good set of chains to buy? it seems like all the chains that I buy wear out pretty fast and they're usually cheap ones. I don't mind paying a bit more for higher quality.

[ClassicHasClass]

I drive a Honda Civic Si Sedan currently, but we'll probably get a Crosstrek as our second car next (once we've recovered from our current large expenditure). Both my wife and I like the look of it and it comes in a plug-in hybrid.

[Max Rockatansky]

Could anyone recommend a good set of chains to buy? it seems like all the chains that I buy wear out pretty fast and they're usually cheap ones. I don't mind paying a bit more for higher quality.

I usually just buy the cheap ones as a placation for CHP in R2 control zones given I just have to "carry them."  Since I've return to the west coast I've only ever put them on once when encountering an R2 in my old Sonic.  My thought is that CHP will just plain close a highway rather than issue R3 chain controls where AWD would be required to wear them. 

All the same, most cars/car based platforms will only handle snow cables. 

[cl94]

Could anyone recommend a good set of chains to buy? it seems like all the chains that I buy wear out pretty fast and they're usually cheap ones. I don't mind paying a bit more for higher quality.

I usually just buy the cheap ones as a placation for CHP in R2 control zones given I just have to "carry them."  Since I've return to the west coast I've only ever put them on once when encountering an R2 in my old Sonic.  My thought is that CHP will just plain close a highway rather than issue R3 chain controls where AWD would be required to wear them. 

All the same, most cars/car based platforms will only handle snow cables.

This. If you're driving and actually need chains with an AWD vehicle, you probably shouldn't be driving. My cheap cable chains that I bought for my previous vehicle are solely to placate CHP in R2 zones if they're running a checkpoint, and that's not guaranteed away from a major road. I have driven through California chain control on a few occasions, but have never passed an active checkpoint. The only place I know of them frequently running checkpoints with less than R2 is along I-5 north of Redding, where they'll sometimes screen everyone for chains/AWD well before the chain control zone.

Anything SAE Class S should work on most cars, but check forums and the like.

Note also that California and other states will ticket you if you crash in a chain control zone and are not carrying chains. They don't need to be on, but you need them in your possession.

[Quillz]

My car doesn't use chains. I either have to have all-weather tires (I have the standard all-season tires), or go with something like tire socks. Chains would damage the car.

[Quillz]

I drive a Honda Civic Si Sedan currently, but we'll probably get a Crosstrek as our second car next (once we've recovered from our current large expenditure). Both my wife and I like the look of it and it comes in a plug-in hybrid.

I might be wrong but I think the plug-in hybrid model of the Crosstrek was discontinued. So you'll have to get used, which go for almost as much as new. But I believe Subaru is bringing them back for either the '25 or '26 MY. There is the Solterra, but it's built by Toyota and uses Subaru badging.

[cahwyguy]

I drive a Honda Civic Si Sedan currently, but we'll probably get a Crosstrek as our second car next (once we've recovered from our current large expenditure). Both my wife and I like the look of it and it comes in a plug-in hybrid.

I might be wrong but I think the plug-in hybrid model of the Crosstrek was discontinued. So you'll have to get used, which go for almost as much as new. But I believe Subaru is bringing them back for either the '25 or '26 MY. There is the Solterra, but it's built by Toyota and uses Subaru badging.

Correct. The 2023 Crosstrek Hybrid was discontinued. The rumors are that the 2025 season will bring a Hybrid Forester, on the Toyota platform (Subaru and Toyota have a number of joint ventures). I've heard one rumer of a Crosstrek Hybrid as well (which would make me happy). So I'm waiting until the 2025s are out. The 2023 Hybrid Crosstrek reportedly wasn't worth the price differential for the slight improvement in mileage.

[Quillz]

Yeah, the rumors I've heard are it will be for the Forester, which is far too big for my needs. I assume a hybrid Crosstrek will make a return, probably still needs to have some improvement in the technology. Although overall I'm pretty happy with the Crosstrek's mileage, I average around 33 mpg or so, and my range is usually around 500 miles. This is a big improvement over my Wrangler, which was around 20 mpg and I was usually running close to empty just past 300 miles.

[Max Rockatansky]

If Subaru still offers base cars with no drivers aids by the time I need something new (probably two years max) I'll likely be buying something from them again. 

[ClassicHasClass]

I drive a Honda Civic Si Sedan currently, but we'll probably get a Crosstrek as our second car next (once we've recovered from our current large expenditure). Both my wife and I like the look of it and it comes in a plug-in hybrid.

I might be wrong but I think the plug-in hybrid model of the Crosstrek was discontinued. So you'll have to get used, which go for almost as much as new. But I believe Subaru is bringing them back for either the '25 or '26 MY. There is the Solterra, but it's built by Toyota and uses Subaru badging.

Correct. The 2023 Crosstrek Hybrid was discontinued. The rumors are that the 2025 season will bring a Hybrid Forester, on the Toyota platform (Subaru and Toyota have a number of joint ventures). I've heard one rumer of a Crosstrek Hybrid as well (which would make me happy). So I'm waiting until the 2025s are out. The 2023 Hybrid Crosstrek reportedly wasn't worth the price differential for the slight improvement in mileage.

Bleh. Well, hopefully it'll be out when we've recovered from this particular financial kidneystone, which may well be in 2025 or so ...

[cl94]

If Subaru still offers base cars with no drivers aids by the time I need something new (probably two years max) I'll likely be buying something from them again.

They miiiiiiiight still have the stick Impreza. I'm pretty sure that's the only stick Subaru left (apart from the WRX), and all Subaru CVTs have driver assist features.

The manual Crosstrek was discontinued early-ish in the 2023 model year, maybe even before January 2023. I lucked out by accepting delivery in November 2022.

[gonealookin]

I drive a Toyota RAV4, the 2012 V6 version with AWD.  The V6 is good for mountain roads because you can floor it and pass somebody in a very short distance.  Even with the AWD, living full time at Lake Tahoe I think dedicated winter tires do a lot to enhance safety and stability in the snow, so I have Bridgestone Blizzaks mounted on a second set of rims and make that switch around the end of October and then the middle of April every year.

Lots of Tahoe residents drive Subarus and those are also excellent for the conditions and would be near or at the top of the list if I needed a new car soon.