martinbo
Staff member
So I was trawling through my old imageshack images and came across a couple of classics. Man - Time flies and I'm getting old. So it's now around 9 years of owning Subarus for me. One would think I'd move on from there but I guess I just love the products and I'm happy with the amount of money spent vs the value in return. They've worked magnificently for me and my family and ownership has been a pleasure. An M3? One day, one day...
2003 Forester MkII XT Manual (155 kW)
Much younger back then. This was taken way back in 2003 upon my ownership of my first Subaru. With the little one on the way the GTI was just too small for a pram and baby stuff and so on... I was worried that I'd be losing out on the driving pleasure afforded by the excellent GTI with its 1.8T 20V engine. I needn't have worried and never looked back. This car was not glitch free and would sporadically go into limp-mode on hot summer days. Not unusual for a turbo'd car up here on the Reef - an ECU reflash sorted the issue out.
LOL! Dunno why the need to prove ownership back in the days of the old germancarforum.com but I did anyway. By that stage I had been interacting with many of the people still here today for about 2 years already. So to all of you lot who've been around since then - Just_me, HighestofHigh, bum-man, klier, Tycoon (departed), Tarek, Osnabrueck, cawimmer, Giannis, Tine, Beemer Boi, Naruto, Gene, GTA, Yperion (Yannis), Centurion (Luwalira), warot, PHYBENZ, MikeJ, The Artist, Michael, Tumbo, Merc1 and too many that I've forgotten - here's to you!
2005 Forester XT MkII Manual (Facelift, 169kW)
Subaru referred to the facelift of the mark 2 Forester as a "BMC" for, wait for it, "Big Minor Change". Unfortunately Andreas Zapatinas got stuck in with wielding the ugly stick to create a facelifted car that was uglier than its predecessor. Just like he did with every other Subaru he was entrusted with "improving". This was a tremendously good fun vehicle to drive hard but in the process of utter hooliganism it ate tyres faster than a Great Dane hoofing down a dog biscuit. It was with this car that I did my first 720 degree drift on the skidpad. Back then Forrie didn't come with VDC electronic stability systems. I recall Richard Meaden of EVO saying something along the lines of the Forester XT being, in some strange way, very satisfying to drive hard along a challenging road. I can attest to that and boy-oh-boy, this car was just plain up for it and gave many an unsuspecting passenger the absolute heebie-jeebies.
It was also terrifically good when put to use on long journeys and was a faithful companion on a number of long trips. Here's the car in its natural domain:
2008 Forester MkIII XT Manual
This shot was taken shortly after coming out of Mozambique. Damn, this Forester impressed me with its load carry capability and amazing ability on hot, soft beach and coastal dune sand. We had four up, supplies for two weeks, luggage and dive kit and this Forester didn't miss a beat until I stupidly punctured a tyre on a pothole the size of a small town on under-inflated pressures. Thankfully, a full-size spare wheel meant that I could do what BMWs can't: change the wheel and take the damaged tyre to be repaired. What a car for an African adventure. I always regarded the suspension as being a touch "sproingy" with too much rebound; this was mitigated completely by a fully laden vehicle and not once was the car's impressive ground clearance of 225 mm compromised. Unladen, the car was simply too bouncy to be appealing as a driver's car.
Well this shot is just great for me because it shows Forester in its element. The Forester just eases its way along off the beaten track to get to locations like this. This paints a picture of exactly why I buy Foresters.
2008 Forester XT and 2009 WRX
This marks the occasion of there being an all-Subaru presence in the garage; delightful, faithful, reliable VW Polo daily commuter having made way for the WRX for me to use on a daily basis. I've said it before: this is a car that's simply sublime on real-world roads (barring the crap brakes) and properly rubbish on a circuit. I love its comfortable ride and the fluid, predictable dynamics that Subarus are renowned for. It's not a proper WRX - it's far to soft-core for that name - this car should've been called 2.5 GT. There are some styling details that I really don't like but I've always judged a car more on what it feels like from behind the wheel. I do a lot of mixed road driving to and from clients and this WRX fits the bill perfectly - it's fast enough to get on with it on freeways and easy enough to trundle on through the urban grind.
2011 Forester XT Manual
[Looking much older now] Here's a picture I'm fond of; me and fellow GCF member "Human" at the end of a fabulous day of "automotive networking" (I call it) in Clarens last year. My wife and I still reminisce fondly about the day.
Another shot of the XT next to Human's X1 for comparison purposes. Interestingly the Forester's more utilitarian nature is all the more apparent: the X1's more sophisticated surfacing and upmarket accessories clearly marking it out as a premium product. So why buy exactly the same car - save for the colour - as the one I'd already got? Pre-facelift special + last of the manual turbo Forester XTs in South Africa is why. With the introduction of the more powerful 193 kW S-Edition (as per Aussie KA spec) Subaru have dropped the manual 169kW turbo XT, the S-Edition being only available with a five speed, old-school automatic. My wife and I gave the S-Edition a thorough evaluation and the auto 'box was the key objection in the decision making process. The less powerful manual simply feels miles more responsive. Suspension bump and rebound was re-tuned after the first year in the model's lifecycle so it's much more pleasant to drive enthusiastically now in any event. If the S-Edition was available in a six-speed manual then it'd have been a different story. This particular car is the best I've ever owned. Not a glitch. Not one. Nada.
Well that's it then for prosterity sake. Hopefully I'll have something to add in the next 10 years.
2003 Forester MkII XT Manual (155 kW)
Much younger back then. This was taken way back in 2003 upon my ownership of my first Subaru. With the little one on the way the GTI was just too small for a pram and baby stuff and so on... I was worried that I'd be losing out on the driving pleasure afforded by the excellent GTI with its 1.8T 20V engine. I needn't have worried and never looked back. This car was not glitch free and would sporadically go into limp-mode on hot summer days. Not unusual for a turbo'd car up here on the Reef - an ECU reflash sorted the issue out.
LOL! Dunno why the need to prove ownership back in the days of the old germancarforum.com but I did anyway. By that stage I had been interacting with many of the people still here today for about 2 years already. So to all of you lot who've been around since then - Just_me, HighestofHigh, bum-man, klier, Tycoon (departed), Tarek, Osnabrueck, cawimmer, Giannis, Tine, Beemer Boi, Naruto, Gene, GTA, Yperion (Yannis), Centurion (Luwalira), warot, PHYBENZ, MikeJ, The Artist, Michael, Tumbo, Merc1 and too many that I've forgotten - here's to you!
2005 Forester XT MkII Manual (Facelift, 169kW)
Subaru referred to the facelift of the mark 2 Forester as a "BMC" for, wait for it, "Big Minor Change". Unfortunately Andreas Zapatinas got stuck in with wielding the ugly stick to create a facelifted car that was uglier than its predecessor. Just like he did with every other Subaru he was entrusted with "improving". This was a tremendously good fun vehicle to drive hard but in the process of utter hooliganism it ate tyres faster than a Great Dane hoofing down a dog biscuit. It was with this car that I did my first 720 degree drift on the skidpad. Back then Forrie didn't come with VDC electronic stability systems. I recall Richard Meaden of EVO saying something along the lines of the Forester XT being, in some strange way, very satisfying to drive hard along a challenging road. I can attest to that and boy-oh-boy, this car was just plain up for it and gave many an unsuspecting passenger the absolute heebie-jeebies.
It was also terrifically good when put to use on long journeys and was a faithful companion on a number of long trips. Here's the car in its natural domain:
2008 Forester MkIII XT Manual
This shot was taken shortly after coming out of Mozambique. Damn, this Forester impressed me with its load carry capability and amazing ability on hot, soft beach and coastal dune sand. We had four up, supplies for two weeks, luggage and dive kit and this Forester didn't miss a beat until I stupidly punctured a tyre on a pothole the size of a small town on under-inflated pressures. Thankfully, a full-size spare wheel meant that I could do what BMWs can't: change the wheel and take the damaged tyre to be repaired. What a car for an African adventure. I always regarded the suspension as being a touch "sproingy" with too much rebound; this was mitigated completely by a fully laden vehicle and not once was the car's impressive ground clearance of 225 mm compromised. Unladen, the car was simply too bouncy to be appealing as a driver's car.
Well this shot is just great for me because it shows Forester in its element. The Forester just eases its way along off the beaten track to get to locations like this. This paints a picture of exactly why I buy Foresters.
2008 Forester XT and 2009 WRX
This marks the occasion of there being an all-Subaru presence in the garage; delightful, faithful, reliable VW Polo daily commuter having made way for the WRX for me to use on a daily basis. I've said it before: this is a car that's simply sublime on real-world roads (barring the crap brakes) and properly rubbish on a circuit. I love its comfortable ride and the fluid, predictable dynamics that Subarus are renowned for. It's not a proper WRX - it's far to soft-core for that name - this car should've been called 2.5 GT. There are some styling details that I really don't like but I've always judged a car more on what it feels like from behind the wheel. I do a lot of mixed road driving to and from clients and this WRX fits the bill perfectly - it's fast enough to get on with it on freeways and easy enough to trundle on through the urban grind.
2011 Forester XT Manual
[Looking much older now] Here's a picture I'm fond of; me and fellow GCF member "Human" at the end of a fabulous day of "automotive networking" (I call it) in Clarens last year. My wife and I still reminisce fondly about the day.
Another shot of the XT next to Human's X1 for comparison purposes. Interestingly the Forester's more utilitarian nature is all the more apparent: the X1's more sophisticated surfacing and upmarket accessories clearly marking it out as a premium product. So why buy exactly the same car - save for the colour - as the one I'd already got? Pre-facelift special + last of the manual turbo Forester XTs in South Africa is why. With the introduction of the more powerful 193 kW S-Edition (as per Aussie KA spec) Subaru have dropped the manual 169kW turbo XT, the S-Edition being only available with a five speed, old-school automatic. My wife and I gave the S-Edition a thorough evaluation and the auto 'box was the key objection in the decision making process. The less powerful manual simply feels miles more responsive. Suspension bump and rebound was re-tuned after the first year in the model's lifecycle so it's much more pleasant to drive enthusiastically now in any event. If the S-Edition was available in a six-speed manual then it'd have been a different story. This particular car is the best I've ever owned. Not a glitch. Not one. Nada.
Well that's it then for prosterity sake. Hopefully I'll have something to add in the next 10 years.
D) 
