Subaru Outback Wagon vs. Volvo Cross Country

[Jeff Higgins]

I bought the Soob after looking at both of these last year; it just seemed like the better buy. It has been an absolutely fantastic car for us over the last year and a half. No issues whatsoever. Couldn't be happier.

Now my meathead little brother goes out and buys the Volvo. I think he knows the Subaru is actually a better car, at a better value, but... I don't think his wife would be caught dead dropping the kids off at daycare in something as pedestrian as a mere Soob. I think he is willing to take a hit on maintenance costs, reliability, depreciation, and all of that just to be a rung or two higher on that dubious yuppie pecking order. I think he's a limp-wristed moron who's wife wears the pants in the family, and I tell him that at every opportunity. What are big brothers for, after all? I used to give him noogies and wedgies when we were kids, but he is too far away for that now (lives in Boston). About all I can do is keep the heat on him from afar...

Oh, and he is a "car guy" by the way. He still owns a '69 Super Bee that he bought way back in about '79. He knows better. He caved. He has slinked his way into a pussy-whipped middle age existance. He needs help. But never mind any of that for now; I need to kick him while he is down. I need ammunition to help reinforce just what an idiot he is. (All in good fun - I love him like a brother... heh heh heh...)

[pwd72s]

Buy him a "save the whales" bumper sticker...

[craigster59]

Originally Posted by pwd72s

Buy him a "save the whales" bumper sticker...

Better yet, a "Hillary/Obama '08"..

[Porsche virgin]

Not that this has anything to do with your issues with your brother, but my wife and I are looking at an '08 Legacy 2.5i Limited sedan and an '08 Outback tonight. The Outback is a few grand higher than the Legacy (given comparable options). Do you think it is worth it?

[berettafan]

don't forget your bike racks and PETA stickers there Mr. Crunchy

phew, talk about the pot calling the kettle black! never thought i'd see the day where a subie driver would bust a volvo driver's balls for being a sheeple. did you get the LL Bean edition? be sure to find a swamp collie or lab to dress up the rear of your crunchy-mobile. what's your favorite brand of granola bar? have you been hiking lately? do you people ever actually use those kayaks you carry around on your subies or are they just to determine pecking order when you all meet up at the Starbucks (wooden boats at the top, kevlar next and plastic at the bottom)?

the V70's have a lot of space and very comfortable cabins. they are a beautiful design (XC70 maybe not so beautiful though) and are just about the only wagon with chutzpah out there! some folks just can't get past dropping $25k+ on a car that feels like an '88 Corolla inside as the subies do.

[The Gaijin]

Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins

......I don't think his wife would be caught dead dropping the kids off at daycare in something as pedestrian as a mere Soob.........

I think she is trying to deflect Heather's "two mommies" at the daycare center. Subie's are realiable, cost effective and all around excellent cars - BUT and it's a BIG BUTT - they are, ahem, favored by certain "lifestyles".

[craigster59]

Originally Posted by The Gaijin

I think she is trying to deflect Heather's "two mommies" at the daycare center. Subie's are realiable, cost effective and all around excellent cars - BUT and it's a BIG BUTT - they are, ahem, favored by certain "lifestyles".

[Icemaster]

Get over it ya homophobe.

Volvo drivers are trying to prove their not gay. Subaru drivers just don't give a crap if you are or not. Not that there's anythign wrong with that.

Ahem.

Mine:

[onewhippedpuppy]

Did the Subaru better match your Birkenstocks? C'mon now, an Outback isn't exactly much for bragging rights. Baja GT, with the 2.5 turbo? Better. WRX wagon? Better. Or if you want to really put him in his place, how about a BMW 535 wagon with the 300 HP twin turbo 6? Or a Hemi Dodge Magnum, with loud dual exhaust. THAT you could call a man wagon.

I may be whipped, but at least my wife's mommy-mobile has a 320 HP V8, and does 0-60 in 6.5.

[CurtEgerer]

Jeff - we rented one of those Volvo wagons for Treffen (the beer wagon ). My driving impressions: heavy, SUV-like in feel, solid build quality, numb steering, poor throttle response, plenty of space for multiple cases of beer, thick carpet that absorbs spills readily. Probably a great car for a busy soccer mom who knows nothing about cars. I haven't driven a Subaru lately, but have owned a few and they all were fairly fun to drive. The Volvo was not.

[Jeff Higgins]

Originally Posted by berettafan

don't forget your bike racks and PETA stickers there Mr. Crunchy

phew, talk about the pot calling the kettle black! never thought i'd see the day where a subie driver would bust a volvo driver's balls for being a sheeple. did you get the LL Bean edition? be sure to find a swamp collie or lab to dress up the rear of your crunchy-mobile. what's your favorite brand of granola bar? have you been hiking lately? do you people ever actually use those kayaks you carry around on your subies or are they just to determine pecking order when you all meet up at the Starbucks (wooden boats at the top, kevlar next and plastic at the bottom)?

the V70's have a lot of space and very comfortable cabins. they are a beautiful design (XC70 maybe not so beautiful though) and are just about the only wagon with chutzpah out there! some folks just can't get past dropping $25k+ on a car that feels like an '88 Corolla inside as the subies do.

Our Soob is sporting NRA, Ducks Unlimited, RMEF (Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation), and VHA (Varmint Hunter's Association) stickers in the rear window. My Golden Retriver loves to ride in the back with her pile of dead ducks she retrieved that day. We usually split a roast beef sandwich and a beer for lunch (neither of us is reall big on granola) when we are in the blind, although our tastes in beer differ. My plastic Old Towne canoe rides on top, usually dripping duck blood on the roof. The feathers start to blow out as they dry while we drive down the freeway. They don't make as big of a mess as the dead deer that was up there, though. You see, "hiking" for me involves carrying a rifle and shooting things with big brown eyes (but my poor dog has to stay home on those trips). I'm afraid to drive the damn thing into Seattle, much less to a Starbucks, in that condition. Too many Volvo drivers would stare, wringing their hands, covering their kids' eyes, dropping their latte's and cell phones, saying "oh my..."

[Icemaster]

Not to pick a fight (least of all with a fellow OBW owner...), but why does your brothers choice in car have to meet with your approval?

[911boost]

It sounds like you enjoy giving your brother a good ribbing, nothing wrong with that. I have a friend who's Outback by 50,000 miles had turned into a complete piece of ***** and he couldn't wait to get rid of it. I have another friend that drives a ton from Washington DC to NY, and his V70 has over 200,000 miles on it, and has been perfect. I really think it depends on how well either car is taken care of.

So I guess if you belive 100% of what Consumer Reports says, than yeah, the Outback is better car.

I have owned a number of Subaru's and a couple of Volvo's. My wife won't drive a traditional wagon, so the V70 or the Outback weren't in contention when we looked last time.

I found the completely vague steering of the Ourback to be a huge turn off when I last drove one, and the interior really didn't impress me very much.

With regards to showing off at daycare, that is totally retarded. I mean who does that? Who wants to look cool in their car, whether it be for other mommies or other car guys? I serisouly doubt any Pelican's try to impress with their cars. I know I don't try to impress anyone, I just show-em the tail lights....

Bill

[peppy]

I do not know about the subi, but the volvo is a POS. Well the xc is anyway. We had an 01 and the check engine light would come on sometimes but not when you took it to the dealer and no fault codes were stored. Same thing with abs and some other warning light, I do not remember which one.
The tps when out called the dealership they said $1200-$1500 to fix, so we called an indipendent shop he told me it was a recall on the tps.

Maybe we just had a bad service department.

[911boost]

Yeah, you had a bad service department. We didn't have the tps on our 01 S60, but a low battery caused a couple of minor problems. It was even out of warranty and they replaced it for free.

Bill

[onewhippedpuppy]

Worth bragging about:






Not so much:

[dd74]

You guys and your puny kids hauler. Here's where bragging rights end:

[Jeff Higgins]

A little more background may be in order. I sold my '71 FJ40 Landcruiser before we bought the Outback. Rust had gotten ahead of me after almost 30 years of ownership and half a million faithful miles. It went to a good home; an old four wheeling buddy is completely restoring it. Anyway, little brother was merciless when the Soob showed up as its "replacement", although it was anything but. It's my wife's car ("yeah right", he says; "like Kerry's 'wife's' Suburban..."). My daily driver is a '70 Beetle. Anyway, what goes around comes around. I'm not gonna let up on this one until he whines to mom to make me stop... This is too good of an opportunity to let pass. He'll be out for Christmas, and I'm sure he already knows what's coming.

[stevepaa]

Jeff, we looked at the Outback but then bought the 04 Volvo wagon. The turning point was the lack of dual climate controls in the Outback. We will relook at the Subaru in ten years.

[berettafan]

higgy when does your duck season open? ours opened this past Saturday and although i shot for crap we did manage 3 woodies and a teal. no excuse for not bagging 4 woodies as we certainly had the opportunities.