upgrading from subaru outback to ???

WARNING You are about to make a discovery that will piss you off royally.

What Your Insurance Company Will Never, Ever Tell You:

Buy car insurance a full year's worth at a time, one payment. Ridiculously less money than even twice a year. 21 year old son (admittedly still getting breaks pooled in with parents) just got his annual bill for "new" 2010 Tacoma 4x4. Less than $800 for full coverage. Sorry, pretty painful, isn't it?

Hey, Christian. We are on our fifth Subaru now (an Outback), and haven't found anything to beat them.

If you decide to keep yours (good move, I think) and look into something towable, check out Lets Go Aero. They're good folks, and are located in Colorado Springs, an hour or so south of Denver, and make excellent towable vehicles. We have one that'll accommodate a queen size bed and a ridiculous amount of stuff. It only weighs 500 lbs. empty, which is **nothing** for a trailer. We love it.

Good luck, and remember the cowboy wisdom: the best way to double your money is to fold it over and put it back in your pocket! :)

Never lived out of my vehicle except on roadtrips. That said, the option of a trailer behind your Subbie sounds like a potentially bad idea unless you can essentially drop that trailer 99% of the time in a livable location on cinder blocks.

Ever drive in town with a trailer attached? Back up, turn around, etc? Skilled trailer-drivin' folk will probably find it to be less of a big deal, but for everyone else it makes driving and doing "things" significantly harder. The thought of driving around town, getting groceries, gas, getting lost and having to turn around in a less-than-ideal place with an effing trailer attached to my vehicle all the time would cause me to panic at the thought of going anywhere most days.

Good luck!!!

Damn. This is getting controversial.
Few things:
-my whole goal of doing this all is to have a good, comfortable vehicle that's ready to go when I graduate. I'm a forestry major and plan to be doing seasonal forestry work and long climbing trips for a few years if not longer. So I want a setup that will allow me to be comfortable, mobile and rent free in the future
- I can pretty much count on having access to that parking spot and place for the rest of my time in school. And for significantly less than 200
-I'm already committed to not renting a room. I'd rather funnel that money into something lasting
-I'm pretty happy and comfortable in my car. Also, the situation with ladies hasn't been too much of a problem. So its only uphill from here. I think I'd be totally fine in the wagon for the rest of school even if I didn't have this place to park. The town where my school is is pretty chill when it comes to sleeping in vehicles, my school has free showers, there's a library, etc.. I mainly want the more spacious/ self sufficient setup for when I graduate
- I realize that this is going to cost some money. To me, its just a matter of what that money is spent on: renting a place a month at a time, or a vehicle that's still mine for years after?
-I'd rather have a van with my own personal space than share a room with someone

Hey, friend, choose the rig that appeals, set up the money how it suits you, and go for it. You've got plenty of years to live like a cautious old man. Go for the "bold, satisfactory flash"! Best wishes, have a blast!

Christian C wrote:Damn. This is getting controversial. Few things: -my whole goal of doing this all is to have a good, comfortable vehicle that's ready to go when I graduate. I'm a forestry major and plan to be doing seasonal forestry work and long climbing trips for a few years if not longer. So I want a setup that will allow me to be comfortable, mobile and rent free in the future - I can pretty much count on having access to that parking spot and place for the rest of my time in school. And for significantly less than 200 -I'm already committed to not renting a room. I'd rather funnel that money into something lasting -I'm pretty happy and comfortable in my car. Also, the situation with ladies hasn't been too much of a problem. So its only uphill from here. I think I'd be totally fine in the wagon for the rest of school even if I didn't have this place to park. The town where my school is is pretty chill when it comes to sleeping in vehicles, my school has free showers, there's a library, etc.. I mainly want the more spacious/ self sufficient setup for when I graduate - I realize that this is going to cost some money. To me, its just a matter of what that money is spent on: renting a place a month at a time, or a vehicle that's still mine for years after? -I'd rather have a van with my own personal space than share a room with someone

Awesome! Have fun and be smart, :)

Christian C wrote:-I'm pretty happy and comfortable in my car.

If this is true, then stick with your car. Really you just need a place to sleep. It's not like your gonna throw dinner parties or something in this new van. The benefit is it'll reduce your student loan debt, which you won't appreciate until you have to start paying it back!

the only question is will you be living "down by the river" ???

This thread is hilarious.

Shame on anyone trying to get a young man into debt! He doesn't even know what he wants, let alone get into debt for something as frivolous as single-man living arrangements. Yeah, if you have kids to house then MAYBE get a mortgage, but a single man right out college? Who do you guys work for, Goldman Sachs?

Cargo vans are cheap. Forget the Sprinter if your budget is $10k. Forget a small RV if your budget is 10k. Get a cargo van like an express/savana or econoline. Look around and you can pick one up for $4k and have money left over for the INEVITABLE problems that WILL arise! Nothing feels better than having van-replacement-money when your engine starts acting up.

(unless you have rich parents then do whatever the hell you want you privileged sissy)

A full size van can accommodate a futon (freebie on craigslist) and plenty of places to stash ropes & gear. Don't bother trying to engineer the perfect crag van from scratch; instead try living in it and adding as you go because you WILL make mistakes building the interior.

Ball wrote:This thread is hilarious. Shame on anyone trying to get a young man into debt! He doesn't even know what he wants, let alone get into debt for something as frivolous as single-man living arrangements. Yeah, if you have kids to house then MAYBE get a mortgage, but a single man right out college? Who do you guys work for, Goldman Sachs? Cargo vans are cheap. Forget the Sprinter if your budget is $10k. Forget a small RV if your budget is 10k. Get a cargo van like an express/savana or econoline. Look around and you can pick one up for $4k and have money left over for the INEVITABLE problems that WILL arise! Nothing feels better than having van-replacement-money when your engine starts acting up. (unless you have rich parents then do whatever the hell you want you privileged sissy) A full size van can accommodate a futon (freebie on craigslist) and plenty of places to stash ropes & gear. Don't bother trying to engineer the perfect crag van from scratch; instead try living in it and adding as you go because you WILL make mistakes building the interior.

+1, Nailed it. Why work for a bunch of greedy scumbags on wall street when you can live free?

erik wellborn wrote: +1, Nailed it. Why work for a bunch of greedy scumbags on wall street when you can live free?

Nice. As if there is such a thing.

Ball wrote:This thread is hilarious. Shame on anyone trying to get a young man into debt! He doesn't even know what he wants, let alone get into debt for something as frivolous as single-man living arrangements. Yeah, if you have kids to house then MAYBE get a mortgage, but a single man right out college? Who do you guys work for, Goldman Sachs? Cargo vans are cheap. Forget the Sprinter if your budget is $10k. Forget a small RV if your budget is 10k. Get a cargo van like an express/savana or econoline. Look around and you can pick one up for $4k and have money left over for the INEVITABLE problems that WILL arise! Nothing feels better than having van-replacement-money when your engine starts acting up. (unless you have rich parents then do whatever the hell you want you privileged sissy) A full size van can accommodate a futon (freebie on craigslist) and plenty of places to stash ropes & gear. Don't bother trying to engineer the perfect crag van from scratch; instead try living in it and adding as you go because you WILL make mistakes building the interior.

Your post should be moved here: mountainproject.com/v/not-r… . It had reached that canned sort of feel. As will the ones following, i'm sure.

Don't own a Subaru so I can't say for sure but most shocks are literally 2 bolts go buy a wrench and some shocks. Use the jack that came with your car. It might take you 2 hrs and cost like 150- 200 bucks tops.

Dude just go for it. Who cares if its not the ideal situation for some people. If you want it to work for you, it will. To me this would be a look ahead 20 years and ask yourself if you will have regretted not doing it. If the answer is yes. then you should do it.

He said rear. Coil over spring compressors are like 30 bucks. O'Reilly will loan it to you for free. Either way needing to replace shocks isn't a very good reason to get a new vehicle. I know it's not as fun but really fix the damn car. If you just wanna buy a vansion because it's cool, fun whatever than go for it! But saying I need a new car because the shocks are bad is silly.

Subarus in general have coil spring over shock "struts" front and rear.

Using auto parts loaner spring compressors is indeed scary and risky if you don't know what you are doing. It is very easy to break bones with compressed springs. I would not recommend anyone winging strut rebuilds without some tutelage.

And, if you are working on your struts with just a jack supporting the corner you are working on, you are asking to die.

Doing this kind of work without knowledge or instruction is as risky as climbing without knowledge or instruction

A shock is not a strut they are different. The kid said his rear shocks are no good. I SAID A SHOCK IS 2 BOLTS. I don't know anything about station wagons or soccer mom subarus. They suck I'd buy something else 2. Before the head gasket blows and you need a new engine. But if I had bad shocks I'd fix em. That's me. I'd fix a wear item on a car. If you need to have a shop do it then go that route. I would not buy a different vehicle because a wear item wore out.

mountainhick wrote:Subarus in general have coil spring over shock "struts" front and rear. Using auto parts loaner spring compressors is indeed scary and risky if you don't know what you are doing. It is very easy to break bones with compressed springs. I would not recommend anyone winging strut rebuilds without some tutelage. And, if you are working on your struts with just a jack supporting the corner you are working on, you are asking to die. Doing this kind of work without knowledge or instruction is as risky as climbing without knowledge or instruction

I agree, those spring compressors are serious business. I have seen one pop off and rip clean through a wall into the next room. I also agree that trusting your life to a wobbly OEM car jack is extremely dangerous. Even trusting a standard 3-ton hydraulic jack is risky as best--that's why mechanics use lifts, and if lifts are not available, jack stands.

Just get this: