We used old Subarus extensively in the 80s and early 90s. They would get through mud better than the much heavier trucks at the time. The much lighter car sits on top of the mud much more effectively and doesn't sink in. This is what causes the vehicle to get stuck when the tires get too deep in the mud. I wish they would go back to the incredibly light weight chassis with the part time 4wd system they used in the 80s. The issue I'm having with current ones is they're running the 4wd all the time which burns twice the gas for no reason. Also they seem to weigh considerably more. You could get close to 30 mpg with the old system and disengage the 4wd when driving on the pavement. This was in extremely remote northern Nevada and having the ability to do that meant you didn't run out of gas half way to where you were trying to go. The entire automotive industry seems to have put on weight somehow and cars of the eighties weighed half as much. I can't imagine how much gas and road maintenance we'd save collectively if we went back to 2000 lb cars with smaller engines. I know some safety systems weren't available in the 80s like airbags and crumple zones but they sure did their job well in remote areas without all of those features. Anyway I could rant all day but I like seeing old Subarus because they bring back nostalgia and would like to hear current stories about any old ones people have on here. I don't see them around much anymore which is a shame there's got to be plenty still sitting around begging for a restoration.
04-06-2024, 07:51 AM
'79 Subaru and '85 Wagon GL
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