What's up folks? New to the Subie family...from NJ

[WaggyBoy]

A little background info on myself: I used to drive a Honda...rocked a Red 1997 Honda Prelude Type SH (which only came in stick). Unfortunately, after 210,000mi. (lasted a lot longer than anyone expected), the motor finally retired and blew out.
I was strictly a Honda Boy, even the desktop background on my computer was filled with Honda emblems and cars. Coming from a Honda forum, my experience there was a pleasant one filled with good times and great memories. Almost everyone was knowledgeable and helpful. With all the meets ranging from bbqs held in the summer time going to restaurants for dinner, it really almost was like family.
Well i got a really good deal on this 1995 Subie Leggy Waggy (stick-shift, ofcourse)...and now i'm a Subie Boy. To be honest, up until i bought my subie leggy waggy, i knew nothing about Subarus, except that they were all-wheel drive and were good in the snow. But it's definitely growing on me...heck just with all the utility it provides, i can ramble on and on about it now.
Obviously, i'm new to Subarus, so please be patient, i'm still trying to get myself acquainted to the engine bay (it's just so foreign to me) and i'm even having a bit of a challenge trying to locate the simple things such as the manual transmission dipstick. My hope is that this forum will be as great as (if not, greater than) my previous Honda community, and that you also welcome me with open arms, knowledge and helpful insights as they did.
With that said, i'm glad to join the Subaru community (man, is it just me, or did any other people have trouble trying to sign up for this forum? it was so hard because when i kept trying to register, it said it wasn't currently possible, and this went on for days!).

Pics:


hmmm...if i can only get that dent out from the bumper side...
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2011/02/5419332853_25f8d61f6e-1.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/59183637@N07/5419332853/)
1 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/59183637@N07/5419332853/) by AscensionBoy13579 (http://www.flickr.com/people/59183637@N07/), on Flickr

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2011/02/5419937056_aebed1fca6-1.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/59183637@N07/5419937056/)
2 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/59183637@N07/5419937056/) by AscensionBoy13579 (http://www.flickr.com/people/59183637@N07/), on Flickr

yeah, there's some painted masking tape on that rear wheel well... from the previous owners...i don't really mind...i think it's supposed to be a rugged car and it's a welcome change from the sports car i drove, which i always toiled to try to keep shiny and clean
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2011/02/5419333035_5513b49853-1.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/59183637@N07/5419333035/)
3 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/59183637@N07/5419333035/) by AscensionBoy13579 (http://www.flickr.com/people/59183637@N07/), on Flickr

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2011/02/5419333185_1e23c239db-1.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/59183637@N07/5419333185/)
4 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/59183637@N07/5419333185/) by AscensionBoy13579 (http://www.flickr.com/people/59183637@N07/), on Flickr

wow, look at all that space! coming from a cramped sports car,
i could def. get used to it...plus, i've got a rear windshield wiper, a first for me and i like it! haha
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2011/02/5419937368_0017c14a7e-1.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/59183637@N07/5419937368/)
5 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/59183637@N07/5419937368/) by AscensionBoy13579 (http://www.flickr.com/people/59183637@N07/), on Flickr

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2011/02/5419333339_b6966b331b-1.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/59183637@N07/5419333339/)
6 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/59183637@N07/5419333339/) by AscensionBoy13579 (http://www.flickr.com/people/59183637@N07/), on Flickr

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2011/02/5419333417_68d8563b3e-1.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/59183637@N07/5419333417/)
7 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/59183637@N07/5419333417/) by AscensionBoy13579 (http://www.flickr.com/people/59183637@N07/), on Flickr

one of the very first things i did to it was take off the hubcaps and rock steelies! there's a glimpse of my previous ride...
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2011/02/5419333479_caee863a64-1.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/59183637@N07/5419333479/)
8 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/59183637@N07/5419333479/) by AscensionBoy13579 (http://www.flickr.com/people/59183637@N07/), on Flickr

[WaggyBoy]

Pics of my previous ride, just if anyone is curious:

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2011/02/5419537645_f047d554d2-1.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/59183637@N07/5419537645/)
1 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/59183637@N07/5419537645/) by AscensionBoy13579 (http://www.flickr.com/people/59183637@N07/), on Flickr

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2011/02/5420142326_7a70169bd1-1.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/59183637@N07/5420142326/)
2 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/59183637@N07/5420142326/) by AscensionBoy13579 (http://www.flickr.com/people/59183637@N07/), on Flickr

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2011/02/5420142344_89ca8c552a-1.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/59183637@N07/5420142344/)
3 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/59183637@N07/5420142344/) by AscensionBoy13579 (http://www.flickr.com/people/59183637@N07/), on Flickr

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2011/02/5420142370_a254a970b0-1.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/59183637@N07/5420142370/)
5 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/59183637@N07/5420142370/) by AscensionBoy13579 (http://www.flickr.com/people/59183637@N07/), on Flickr

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2011/02/5420142360_ca7b706c38-1.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/59183637@N07/5420142360/)
4 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/59183637@N07/5420142360/) by AscensionBoy13579 (http://www.flickr.com/people/59183637@N07/), on Flickr

[mike-tracy]

Welcome! I think you made a good choice. The car you have there has Subaru's most reliable engine. I had the sedan version of your car (in the same color), it was my second Subaru, and I really enjoyed it.

Maintenance is a breeze on these things - once you familiarize yourself with the engine bay. With a friend and an engine lift you will be able to pull the motor in about an hour after the 2nd or 3rd time. Not that you'll be doing that too often, but as these get older the oil seals tend to leak onto the exhaust.

The dipstick for the manual transmission is located (looking in the engine bay) on the left side of the tranny. It's a short yellow colored loop about halfway up the side. Kind of hidden. Nice thing about the manuals (other than them being manual of course) is the front diff and transmission share the same gear oil. The drain plug is located about the middle of the tranny, on the bottom.

Oh, and the search box is hidden in the "SLI" logo on the upper right of the screen. Catches newbies up sometimes. :grin:

[WaggyBoy]

Welcome! I think you made a good choice. The car you have there has Subaru's most reliable engine. I had the sedan version of your car (in the same color), it was my second Subaru, and I really enjoyed it.

Maintenance is a breeze on these things - once you familiarize yourself with the engine bay. With a friend and an engine lift you will be able to pull the motor in about an hour after the 2nd or 3rd time. Not that you'll be doing that too often, but as these get older the oil seals tend to leak onto the exhaust.

The dipstick for the manual transmission is located (looking in the engine bay) on the left side of the tranny. It's a short yellow colored loop about halfway up the side. Kind of hidden. Nice thing about the manuals (other than them being manual of course) is the front diff and transmission share the same gear oil. The drain plug is located about the middle of the tranny, on the bottom.

Oh, and the search box is hidden in the "SLI" logo on the upper right of the screen. Catches newbies up sometimes. :grin:

Yeah, thanks for the welcome miketracy. Yeah, i've heard Subies are really reliable and i definitely am taking confidence in the fact that it's awd... it's definitely already proven itself numerous times recently with all these snowstorms we've been having here in the Northeast...definitely alot different from how my Prelude reacted in snow...i didn't have to worry about feathering the clutch too much in snow.

Yeah when i learned that i had a BK series and that it was 2.2L, i also learned that it was the NON-INTERFERENCE ENGINE that it had. I was elated... it gave me so much peace of mind, in addition to the all-wheel drive, in addition to all the cargo space, in addition to not having to worry about a wagon getting stolen, in addition to not having to worry about where to park it (because it just blends in), in addition to ALOT OF OTHER ADVANTAGES!

Thanks for the helpful info, i'm learning new things already! Hopefully this forum has alot more posters like you bro.

Is it just me or are there not too many people that are active on this site. Compared to the Honda site i've been from, it seemed like there were 10-20 new posts an hour over there compared to 1 post a day over here...i don't know...maybe it's the weekend?

[chuckthefuk]

Welcome to SLi.

You just bought the BASTARD subaru love child.

You came from a Honda lifestyle so you know that the guys rocking Accords don't have much to say besides the standard B/D/K-series chit chat.

Legacy's are special (that sounds lame) we are bigger fancier and run much smaller numbers.

The Impreza has all the glory but in the end a chassis is a chassis so you can bolt/wedge/glue/weld whatever you can find.

You'll notice more BAD ASS legacies from Australia/New Zealand/Europe/Japan.. Us North American guys try hard to source cool go fast bits and eventually start rocking cars that look much nicer then Imprezas.

Check out all the sections and don't forget to get a copy of your factory service manual from the literature section.

-Chuck