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Hubby and I are in the market for a "new" car. He's got a sports car that is not family friendly (we are trying to conceive), and has decided it's time to get rid of his car. Fortunately we can get a decent amount of money for his car, and put that towards a used car. I have told him it's up to him to pick the car, my only request is that it can be used as a family car (4 doors) and gets good gas mileage.
So anyways, we found a 2005 Subaru Baja, with 130k miles on it. The car looks to be in good condition, and hubby's boss's mechanic said that is a good car.
Tomorrow we plan on taking the car to a mechanic to have it checked out.
My question is, is it a good idea to buy a car with 130k miles on it? I have read Subaru's are amazing and can go for well over 200k miles, so we could have this car at least another 5 years, which is what we are hoping for.
Baja was around for 5 years; yeah it's a great car. I would suggest you look at a WRX, it gets the same gas mileage and would allow him to keep a sporty car. The 5 door hatch is particularly versatile, too. That's what we have.
The Baja is not really a truck as the bed is not very funcitonal. It is based on the legacy platform. If you live in the Snowbelt the AWD will come in handy, though.
He's in love with the small truck bed idea, me personally I don't care, we also saw a Subaru legacy, which is about $1,000 cheaper and three years newer. My husband is into cars that are not typical *shrug*
Unless you're buying the WRX for it's performance, or driving into the snowbelt areas in So Cal ...
buying an AWD subie is probably not the best use of your transportation dollars. You pay a full time penalty in fuel economy and tire wear to have the AWD compared to other cars of this size range and amenities.
Unless you're buying the WRX for it's performance, or driving into the snowbelt areas in So Cal ...
buying an AWD subie is probably not the best use of your transportation dollars. You pay a full time penalty in fuel economy and tire wear to have the AWD compared to other cars of this size range and amenities.
On average, what is the exact tire life expectancy difference on an AWD vs a FWD in terms of wear? I will be needing new tires soon and I have to replace them as a set on my Forester. Yes, I live in Snowbelt (relatvie to most of the US) and it has been through a good amount of snow up north by Lake Superior.
On average, what is the exact tire life expectancy difference on an AWD vs a FWD in terms of wear? I will be needing new tires soon and I have to replace them as a set on my Forester. Yes, I live in Snowbelt (relatvie to most of the US) and it has been through a good amount of snow up north by Lake Superior.
There's a substantial number of factors that affect tire wear ...
how the car is driven, how much load, the speeds, the road surfaces, tire pressures, tire quality .... and tire rotation.
So an exact number is a difficult to ascertain, but ....
I've driven Subie's that saw only 36,000 miles on a set of "cheapies" put on by a used car dealership to well over 65,000 miles on a set of top-line Michelins (that also rode better, handled better, were quieter, and delivered better fuel economy).
The differences that will show up in a FWD compared to the AWD ... the AWD set-up (suspension and power delivery) puts wear on the tires all the way around, while the typical FWD puts less wear on the rear tires (while the fronts do all the steering and power delivery). That allows you to rotate the tires Front-to-Back at intervals through their service life to balance out the wear. For a comparison, I've seen FWD Audi 4000's get 80,000+ miles running top of the line tires vs an Audi 4000CSQuattro using the same tires only get 65,000 miles ... the two cars essentially used over the same roads for the daily commute by drivers who essentially drove the cars in very similar fashion (commuting from Denver to up into the mountains 5 days/week, all year around). FWIW, both cars were very capable throughout the winter months.
Based upon what I've seen lately running two virtually identical Subie OBW's here in Wyoming (and throughout the Rocky Mountain region), one with Bridgestone's and the other with top line Michelin's ... if you are going to keep your Forester for any length of time ... get the top line Michelin's. For the difference in cost you will get better ride, handling, braking, snow/ice/wet performance, a quieter ride, and better tire life with the Michelin's.
There's a substantial number of factors that affect tire wear ...
how the car is driven, how much load, the speeds, the road surfaces, tire pressures, tire quality .... and tire rotation.
So an exact number is a difficult to ascertain, but ....
I've driven Subie's that saw only 36,000 miles on a set of "cheapies" put on by a used car dealership to well over 65,000 miles on a set of top-line Michelins (that also rode better, handled better, were quieter, and delivered better fuel economy).
The differences that will show up in a FWD compared to the AWD ... the AWD set-up (suspension and power delivery) puts wear on the tires all the way around, while the typical FWD puts less wear on the rear tires (while the fronts do all the steering and power delivery). That allows you to rotate the tires Front-to-Back at intervals through their service life to balance out the wear. For a comparison, I've seen FWD Audi 4000's get 80,000+ miles running top of the line tires vs an Audi 4000CSQuattro using the same tires only get 65,000 miles ... the two cars essentially used over the same roads for the daily commute by drivers who essentially drove the cars in very similar fashion (commuting from Denver to up into the mountains 5 days/week, all year around). FWIW, both cars were very capable throughout the winter months.
Based upon what I've seen lately running two virtually identical Subie OBW's here in Wyoming (and throughout the Rocky Mountain region), one with Bridgestone's and the other with top line Michelin's ... if you are going to keep your Forester for any length of time ... get the top line Michelin's. For the difference in cost you will get better ride, handling, braking, snow/ice/wet performance, a quieter ride, and better tire life with the Michelin's.
Thank you very much for that info, it is much appreciated. In terms of the Michelin tires, are you referring to the standard all seasons? I would be looking for 16'' set and I am prepared for costs to run well over $600. I'm sure that figure is too low for a top line set. Yes, I am keeping the vehicle for a few more years so I think it is worth the investment like you mentioned. I definitely like the extra confidence of having a good set of tires for snow driving, particularly when I encounter extreme winter driving conditions closer to Lake Superior. If you've done any driving up that way in winter it can be brutal.
Subaru Baja? It's really a good vehicle. It's a nice carrier of small items and it's actually a half decent all terrain vehicle. I have gone mudding in it successfully (I wouldn't recommend it though). I own one to this day and it's fun to drive if you get a turbo model.
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