Subaru owners: Let's see your expedition rigs!

DJGoo

Too much WoW
I really enjoy the manual. Definitely makes the Forester more enjoyable. I would rather have the 2.5 with the 5-speed than the XT and an auto. I will admit, though, that if I off-roaded this more often (I have an old Wrangler for true wheeling) I would go with the auto. Without low-range you really have to ride the clutch and drive too fast to keep from stalling off-road.

That's a small problem I had when we did the open house trail ride. Following the Jeeps, I eventually just had to let the clutch go and hope it would pull out from 500 rpm. Which it did, every time. But that's with the '97 DOHC EJ25. It has a bit more torque on the low end than the newer, SOHC's
 

BBerry4430

New member
But that's with the '97 DOHC EJ25. It has a bit more torque on the low end than the newer, SOHC's
Agreed. I had a 97 Outback and I loved how well that engine pulled from the low end. I stalled a few times the time I took this on a really rough Jeep trail. I made it with no problem and had grip to spare in all situations, but definitely missed low range.
 

Waltzing Matilda

Adventurer
Nice Baja setup Trabkabab.

I'm considering a Baja, with cap, to take into Mexico (yes, Baja) for some OH travel, but mostly hwy. I'm looking for a more comfortable alternative to my lifted truck w/camper, and possibly as a daily driver.

How would you set this up for South America? Would you have space to sleep inside with the rear seat folded down? What additional modifications do you plan?

There are a few Baja's for sale near me in Southern California. One's a 2005 turbo, 220 hp. The others a 2003 sport 5 speed, no hp listed. They are asking between $9500- 10,000.

Seems high, but I guess these hold their value since fewer were produced?

My basic question is: does anyone think there is an advantage to a Baja versus the other four door Soob styles?
 

trabkabab

Member
Thanks for the kind compliments! The major advantage with my capped Baja vs. Foresters and Outback is the increased cargo capacity since I think the Baja has an additional six inches in length compared to the corresponding Outbacks. I also like having a solid barrier between my gear (and respective odors!) and the cabin. The unfortunate part of this is that there is only a small pass through between the bed and cabin, which may limit the size of your items you can pack.

Regarding my sleeping arrangements, in the past, I usually open the pass through so I can stick my legs in the cabin, with the rest of my body in the capped truck bed. It works great and I find it much better than sleeping in a ground tent. You can probably fit two people this way, but I haven't tested that out.

With the South America trip, I purchased a rooftop tent, a Tepui Ayer. It is the most cost effective and lightest tents I found. I was a little concerned with the load capacity of my ARE truck cap. I reached out to them and they informed that the cap has a load capacity of 125 lbs while moving and up to 800 lbs when the car is parked. I installed a Vantech 50" ladder rack, which required some drilling on the cap. I test fitted the RTT and it fits perfectly, and the cap seems to not notice the additional load.
photo (5).JPG

I don't have any other planned modifications for the car, although I originally wanted to get a JDM transmission with a low range for the trip. But I figured I probably will not need that, since most of my driving will be on tarmac and dirt roads. Maybe in the future, especially if I'm interested in doing some sand driving.

A trip to the Baja in my Baja is definitely in my future plans. Keep us all in the loop. I love my Baja and there hasn't been a day I regretted buying it, although I do wish it had a turbo. But I'm glad it doesn't for my South America trip, just because of the added complexity and increase cost of higher grade fuel.
 

machine1

Explorer
Hello,
I've owned my Forester a little over a year. It's taken me on plenty of adventures.

I've installed A/T tires, mud flaps, and a 2" trailer hitch. It's a work in progress.

















 

Dirtytires

Explorer
Ours was sideswiped in the ice storm last Friday. It took a good lickin and the amount of damage is minimal
all factors considering. They are heavy duty cars. Our Outback has about 5,000 worth of damage.
Compared to the other 5 cars and 1 Police car. We turned out to be on the blessed end of the whole pile up.
Chinese or not these cars are heavy duty. :)
 

Laxaholic

Adventurer
Japanese?

Ours was sideswiped in the ice storm last Friday. It took a good lickin and the amount of damage is minimal
all factors considering. They are heavy duty cars. Our Outback has about 5,000 worth of damage.
Compared to the other 5 cars and 1 Police car. We turned out to be on the blessed end of the whole pile up.
Chinese or not these cars are heavy duty. :)
 

fike

Adventurer
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This is my 2010 Forester with a Maggiolina rooftop tent on it. It can go lots of places and carry a heap of stuff. I have the five-speed manual trans without the turbo. I would have been happier if I had gotten the turbo Forester. The 2.5 is kind of slow when weighed down with the tent and gear.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 

Dirtytires

Explorer
  • Most of the Subaru's for the US are made in Atlanta, GA. Only a few models are actually made in Japan, such as the some of the Forester models are made in Japan and some of the early model Tribeca's. Toyota Motor Company owns half of Subaru.
 

trabkabab

Member
  • Most of the Subaru's for the US are made in Atlanta, GA. Only a few models are actually made in Japan, such as the some of the Forester models are made in Japan and some of the early model Tribeca's. Toyota Motor Company owns half of Subaru.

I thought a majority of Subarus in the U.S. were built at the plant in LaFayette, Indiana with Toyota owning around a 16% stake of Fuji Heavy Industries which is the parent company of Subaru.
 

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