Spring 2003 Forward to a Friend


Your Turn Letters from our Readers





Parking Tips Not Overkill
“Quick Stops” in the winter 2003 issue of Drive magazine (which I read from cover to cover) mentions the importance of parking correctly on hills. Many drivers may think this is overkill and nothing to worry about. Twice driverless cars that were incorrectly parked hit my house in Bountiful, Utah! In each case, the owners had failed to set their parking brakes. After we sold that house and moved away, my former neighbor to the uphill side of the home daringly jumped into yet another vehicle – a runaway pickup – and stopped it on his lawn. It was headed right for my former house. Hills can be very interesting problems!

Bob Davis
Salt Lake City, UT


Sonoma

Imagine my surprise when I was reading your magazine and found an article about Sonoma, my hometown. I have lived in Minnesota now for 34 years and get home about once a year. As I read the article, I could feel the “feel” and smell the smells that are so Sonoma County. I could see the mist around the vineyards and taste the salt at the beach. Many a summer day was spent at the Russian River with friends. Thank you for the brief trip home until I can get there for real. As is often the case, we take for granted what we have until we no longer have it.

Barbara Kinney
Oakdale, MN


Impreza WRX STi

I have been a Subaru fan since I first saw your World Rally Car on display at the 1999 Los Angeles Auto Show. I was finally able to purchase a used Impreza 2.5RS last August, and it’s been worth every penny. My Impreza is fun, safe, sporty and stylish. I also love the uniqueness of Subaru cars (and most of the Subaru owners I meet). I feel like I’m a member of some special Subaru Drivers’ Club or something.

I just read the specs on the new Impreza WRX STi, and I cannot wait until I graduate college and am able to afford one. Thanks for supporting the enthusiasts out there. I plan on buying a 300HP Impreza in four years; please continue building them!

Scott Borg
San Bernardino, CA



Still stylish after 20 years.
Yellow Euphoria

My 1983 Subaru GL-10 has served me well over the years. I taught my wife and three kids how to drive a stick with that car. However, my family would often make fun of the yellow color. They thought it was so outdated and stuck out too much in a parking lot. I just bided my time. I knew that yellow would come back someday. Imagine my euphoria when I saw the 2003 Subaru WRX in sonic yellow! I just had to get one. Now my teenagers think that it’s cool to drive a yellow car. Too bad for them that the WRX is Dad’s!

Pete Neuman
Fort Collins, CO


L.L.Bean Towing

In 2001 I purchased a new L.L.Bean Outback as a replacement primary vehicle. Since then I have been extremely pleased with the vehicle’s performance, looks and versatility. One of the few options that I asked for was the factory trailer hitch. For years I have owned a pickup truck for heavy towing, but in 2001, my needs were reduced to light towing only. I was not interested in purchasing an SUV for the few trips I needed to tow. In winter I snowmobile away from home one or two times, and in summer I take my small boat to service or to launch. This car has done it all. The L.L.Bean Outback handles the load perfectly, delivering excellent fuel mileage. I keep my vehicles longer than most – the pickup was 14 years old – so I look forward to many happy miles to come.

Gary Kullman
Cambridge, MN


Back row, L-R: Kathy Kern, Mark Renzoni, Christy Chappel, Rebecca McCorkel,
Mary Carlson, Sue Everett. Front row: Susan Selby, Angie Dowdy, Anita Hittle.
Not pictured, but also Subaru owners at Boltz: Charli O?Dell and Rich Dixon.


Educated Choice

When our staff at Boltz Junior High realized how many Subaru wagons were in our school parking lot, we knew we had to send you a photo! Imagine arriving late due to bad weather or because your car breaks down with no one to cover your class of 30 junior high school kids – a scary thought! Our Subaru vehicles get us there before the bell rings. In Colorado, the “educated” choice for safety, reliability and versatility is an All-Wheel Drive Subaru!

The Subaru Fans at Boltz Junior High School
Fort Collins, CO

Blizzard of 2003

I drive my Subaru in the Northeast and got my money’s worth when the Blizzard of 2003 hit southern New England. I woke up three hours early for work and got to the office before more than an inch or two had fallen. But on the drive home, snow filled the sky, visibility was lower, and there were several inches of dry powdery snow all over the roads. The snow was blowing and intersections were a mess. No worries. I made it home safely, easily pulled through the snowbank forming at the end of my driveway and hunkered in for the rest of the storm. Friends at the office who all drive Subaru vehicles reported good stories. I took a few pictures of my Outback just for fun. The Subaru is rugged, it’s tough and it can survive a storm happily and ready to go again.

Kate Shorey
Windsor, CT



Charmed

When we flew to Denver and rented a Subaru Outback Sport wagon, we fell in love with its remarkably smooth drive and top performance. We had never driven a Subaru vehicle, so it was a totally new type of riding pleasure for us, and an adventure we shall not soon forget. The All-Wheel Drive feature made a lasting impression on us because, for the first time, we felt completely safe as we snaked through the steep Denver inclines that had been frightening experiences in the past. When we returned home, we knew that we were hooked. I talked my husband into trading in our Buick for a Subaru! Although the Outback charmed us, we ended up buying a Legacy with all of the extras, including the power moon roof that we both wanted.

PS: We’ve convinced two couples we know to buy Subaru vehicles! They chose a Baja and a Forester.

Harry and Joanne LaCerte
Olathe, KS

Correction

Canine Companions for Independence is mentioned in the article, “Pets: The Shadow Population” (Drive, winter 2003). We are misrepresented in the statement, “Organizations such as Canine Companions for Independence and the Delta Society regularly recruit former strays – some of which are then trained by prison inmates – for careers as service or assistance dogs.” Our dogs are all products of our own breeding program, which includes Labrador retrievers, golden retrievers and crosses of the two breeds.

Pete Rapalus
National Community and Public Relations Manager
Canine Companions for Independence


Editor’s Note:

The winter 2003 issue of Drive included a book excerpt from The Pet Surplus which addressed the problem of pet overpopulation.

This feature generated more comments than any other article we have ever published. Many were complimentary for drawing attention to a difficult and complex problem – pet overpopulation. Some readers, however, took offense at what they felt was an “anti-purebred” or “anti-breeder” bias on the part of Subaru. This was not our intent and we sincerely apologize to those who may have been offended. Please understand that our purpose was not to endorse a single solution or agenda, but to provide focus on the issue.

We appreciate the passion that Subaru owners have for their pets. That’s why we ran the article. We also appreciate those who took the time to respond.





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