David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64587
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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SUBARU!!!
Before Toyota... and the benefit of having a TRUCK was needed... I was in love with my SUBARU!
Actually, I owned three... The economy (25 mpg) in the 70's was amazing... and so well built, too. No problems except for CVJ boots being weak and
replacing a few of those!
Here is my first 4WD Subaru, a 1977.5 model ('78, but sold before legally could be called a '78) on the road just south of Calamajue Canyon... on the
Baja 1000 course pre-running for the Nov. '79 1000.
I just made it through the Gonzaga road from Puertecitos (the old, really bad road)... and my exhaust is still back there, somewhere... The little
1600cc motor sure is noisy without a muffler!
Subaru offered a 'safari' kit that included the white wheels, pushbar, skid plate, side 4WD decal stripes... I added a pair of KC lights.
Here's a bit earlier that day, in the canyon...
[Edited on 2-21-2009 by David K]
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DENNIS
Platinum Nomad
Posts: 29510
Registered: 9-2-2006
Location: Punta Banda
Member Is Offline
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| Quote: | Originally posted by David K
Before Toyota... and the benefit of having a TRUCK was needed... I was in love with my SUBARU!
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I can see the contented look on its grill.
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woody with a view
PITA Nomad
Posts: 15938
Registered: 11-8-2004
Location: Looking at the Coronado Islands
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Mood: Everchangin'
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guezhunteight!
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Udo
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6337
Registered: 4-26-2008
Location: Black Hills, SD/Ensenada/San Felipe
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Mood: TEQUILA!
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I had the same year Subaru, and it was a GREAT car. It did make several trips to San Felipe, Gonzaga bay, and as far south as the beaches west of El
Rosario. We have owned several Subarus since, and the last one was a 2004 Outback edition, which was traded-in on a 2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser...the best
Baja vehicle to date (and that includes three Jeeps, (a CJ-5, a CJ-7 and a CJ-2, Ken).
[Edited on 2-21-2009 by udowinkler]
Udo
Youth is wasted on the young!
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Mexitron
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3397
Registered: 9-21-2003
Location: Fort Worth, Texas
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Mood: Happy!
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We're considering a 2009 Forester but the clearance isn't good enough to really get on bad roads...
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64587
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Mood: Have Baja Fever
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There is no low range either... simple All Wheel Drive
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bajaguy
Elite Nomad
Posts: 9247
Registered: 9-16-2003
Location: Carson City, NV/Ensenada - Baja Country Club
Member Is Offline
Mood: must be 5 O'clock somewhere in Baja
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I have an excellent condition 1986 Subaru BRAT that is for sale. Has a 4sp manual transmission and the dual range (Hi and Lo) 4WD. If anyone is
interested, please u2u.
Sorry for the Hi-Jack, David  
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Paulclark
Nomad
Posts: 357
Registered: 10-13-2008
Location: Castillo de Arena
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2.0 turbo Subaru -- The best way to explore Baja
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Paulclark
Nomad
Posts: 357
Registered: 10-13-2008
Location: Castillo de Arena
Member Is Offline
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picture - maybe?
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woody with a view
PITA Nomad
Posts: 15938
Registered: 11-8-2004
Location: Looking at the Coronado Islands
Member Is Offline
Mood: Everchangin'
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WOW!
picture envy, if there is such a thing!!!!!!
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Mango
Senior Nomad
Posts: 685
Registered: 4-11-2006
Location: Alta California &/or Mexicali
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Mood: Bajatastic
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Heres a picture of my '06 Subaru Forester just north of Gonzaga a few years back.
Ground clearance really has not been an issue for me. It's no jeep, but has much better ground clearance than any other car and even many stock
trucks or SUV's.
It does great on sand and on the road. When you get a really rocky road you just need to slow way down, put it in low on the automatic. As David K
pointed out, it does not have a transfer case and thus no super low gear for extended crawling.
I don't think of it as a off road vehicle. It's uni body and not really made to take endless pounding and crawl through rock gardens like traditional
off road vehicles.
I think of it as a car that does wonders on really bad roads. If there is a bad section of the road I can get past it and not be forced to turn
around like I would if I was in a regular car.
It handles great, sips gas, and is very reliable. I really like the narrowness of it. Thats good on Highway 1 and good weaving down a rocky road to
the beach.
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Barry A.
Select Nomad
Posts: 10007
Registered: 11-30-2003
Location: Redding, Northern CA
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Mood: optimistic
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My son has a 2005 Subaru "Baja", which essentially is an "outback", and is not nearly as competant as the Forrester. And yet, he drives that thing
to the most radical of places, including Gonzaga Bay-----------I am constantly amazed at where he drives it to-------GREAT VEHICLE-------and this guys
"other" vehicle is an old Toy FJ-40 
I am constantly thinking he will DESTROY the poor Subaru, but never does. 
Barry
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bajadogs
Super Nomad
Posts: 1058
Registered: 8-28-2006
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I have an 06 Subaru Outback. It floats over soft sand and mud. If my Ram blew up, I would not hesitate taking the Outback. No Baja miles because of
insurance, plenty of Anza Borrego miles.
Subaru still make a great car.
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Paula
Super Nomad
Posts: 2219
Registered: 1-5-2006
Location: Loreto
Member Is Offline
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I had a 2001 Forrester stick shift, and I loved it. We do a fair amount of off-road driving, and it made it through some amazing bad roads in Baja
and Montana, and still had that nice solid feeling after 5 years. Clearance was never an issue, but but I must say when we did the road from Rancho
Canipole to La Purissima in the pick-up I was glad we had the clearance and gears, and that Don was doing the driving, not me, and we had the truck,
not my car.
Because we had nearly 100,000 miles on that car and Subaru parts are hard to find down here, we sold it and bought a Honda CR-V. I like the Honda
too, and it has never let us down, but I think the Subaru was a slightly better car, and I think it would outlast the Honda
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Steve&Debby
Nomad
Posts: 335
Registered: 12-18-2007
Location: Colusa,California/ Percebu
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Subaru is fine for graded dirt roads,but if you want to get off the graded roads and get in the rough stuff ,get a JEEP!!!!
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64587
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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What got me to post the photo of my 4WD Subaru from 1979, was the discussion about reliable/ trouble free vehicles... in another thread.
I owned a Jeep... really loved it... but it spent more time being repaired than in Baja... there is a limit to my love! Toyota and Subaru have NEVER
disappointed me in Baja!
Admittedly, the new breed of Subaru is AWD not 4WD... and no low range or extra ground cover... and so they are for graded or sandy/ snowy roads... I
am disappointed in them for not offering the all terrain models anymore!
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