Explanation of a Boxer engine:

Perrin Performace Shift Knob

I recently installed my Perrin performsnce shift knob and I  could not be any happier with my selection. It feels better in my hand over the stock piece. This shift knob has a rubberized texture to it and is anodized aluminum for durability and longevity. I opted for the larger diameter to make it easier to grab the gears and for a more stock like look. The shift knob came with a 6mm hex key, instructions, 2 shift knob decals (one that says "Perrin" and one with the pattern and Perrin on the side), and 2 Perrin decals for your vehicle. I was going to do a video on installation, however, the installation is pretty self explanatory. All you have to do is screw the old shift knob off and pull the collar of the shift boot off and reverse the process.

2014 Subaru Forester Review:

    As you all know I own a 2013 Subaru Crosstrek. But what I did't tell you is about a day after I bought my car, my parents went down to Braintree, and bought their 2014 Forester from Quirk Works Subaru as well. Now my parents are in their upper 50's and enjoyed the features such as heated seats, review camera for the price they paid.  Their Forester is a Dark Gray Metallic with the Premium trim package. For those who are new to the way Subaru sets their packages up on the Forester, it goes like this: 2.5i, Premium, Limited,  Touring then the 2.0 XT Premium and XT Touring. The difference between the Base and premium is that the base has no roof racks, HD radio or reverse camera.  Price between the two is about $2,000 just for the trim package and on both the CVT is additional 1000 for the base and an additional $1,500 for the premium. Now as you step up to the Limited and above, the only transmission you can get is the CVT. These packages are adequate for someone who take trips to the farm or the beach and do not really have any intentions of going up and down steep grades as neither have Subaru's (Electronic Decent Control) as you would on the 2.5i Limited, 2.5i Touring, 2.0XT Premium, 2.0XT Touring packages. Now with that being said there is a Subaru for anyone in your family. I love my Crosstrek but it wasn't the right fit for my parents as they wanted something a little bit bigger than what I have, but not something as big as a Navigator or an Escalade. They knew that they wanted heated seats and a few extras, without paying a premium price. That is what I think Subaru does best, delivering a well packaged vehicle for a reasonable price point. Prices on Subaru's lineup starts at 17,895 with the Impreza and can range up to 34,095 with their flagship SUV, the Tribeca. This is the same process that my parents used when settling on their forester. of course you could buy a Mazda,  pay more, and get stuck in the snow, or a Honda and pay the price of a Tribeca (or a Cadillac SRX) after you add the AWD.

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Last Night's Meet...

   So last night's Owner's Meet did not go as I hoped due to nobody showing up. I have decided to reschedule the Subaru meet for Thursday, February 13 at 7pm. The location is still to be determined as I am still working that part out. I want a large group so I will schedule so far in advance that people can do what they have to to make it.  I hope that everyone follows me on Twitter that reads this as I will be posting the information for upcoming meets on there. I would like to make this a monthly or biweekly event. I already have a meet scheduled for owners who like skiing and snowboarding for Tuesday, March 4 from 11am-4pm at Ski Ward in Shrewsbury. But that is still way far down the road. Stay tuned as I will post pictures of other owners' vehicles as time goes on. I like winter, as I snowboard, but I like all the other seasons for other reasons such as car shows, meets and hitting the sun filled beaches in Hampton. That's all for now! I will be taking the weekend off so I will post on Monday. Thanks for following!

My Experience dealing with Quirk Works Subaru in Braintree, MA

Everyone is probably wondering where I went when I decided to buy, right? I landed at Quirk Works Subaru after scouring hours upon hours online looking for a XV Crosstrek Premium. Then one Sunday morning my dad brings home the Boston Globe, for whom he works for, and what do you know? There was an ad for just that, a 2013 Subaru XV Crosstrek Premium 2.0i 5-speed in silver. Obviously, I did not get that one as it was already sold by the time i got there as it was a special offer for $18,699. My sales consultant, Lideon, had 2 others on the lot, one was in "Tangerine Orange Pearl" and was a CVT, or the one I opted for, the Venetian Red Pearl. So I figured I drove all the way down here so I'm not leaving here with out one for a steal. By this time I have poor Lideon running around like a mad man, seeing if there are more Crosstreks coming in with the options I want and what have you. Eventually I said "you know what?" Lideon was looking at me like "what?" I told him "the red is starting to grow on me."  He's said "okay" So we sat down and started doing the deal. After that Lideon, my dad and I sat down and started negotiating prices. Like all deals, there was some going back and fourth on price. Lideon worked with us the whole way through the deal. I would recommend anyone that is looking to buy a Subaru to deal with him and Quirk Works Subaru. One Last thing, their parts department has some of the lowest prices around. Their eBay store prices are the same as in-store. 

New Parts coming in...

 This week I finally ordered the Perrin Performance shift knob for the WRX 5-speed. I know it fits my car as my car's thread size is the same as the old WRX 5-speed (12mm x6.25mm thread) and it has the same shift boot. Next week I'm getting the the Aero bars for my roof so I can eventually mount a plethora of accessories to it such as a Basket or snowboard rack. Eventually I will be adding Seat back protectors and side cargo nets to help keep the boot of my XV clean. I will be posting a how-to for the shift knob on here with pictures when it gets here via USPS. So as always check back soon as I will post more up.  

The Crosstrekker’s Creed:

This is my Crosstrek. There are many like it, but this one is
mine.

My Crosstrek is my best friend. It is my life. I must master it as
I must master my life.

My Crosstrek, without me, is useless. Without my Crosstrek, I am
useless. I must Drive my Crosstrek true. I must drive faster than my enemy
who is trying to beat me. I must beat him before he crosses the finish line. I will...

My Crosstrek and I know that what counts in this war is not the miles we drive, the noise of our exhaust, nor the tire smoke we make. We know
that it is the miles that count. We will go...

My Crosstrek is human, even as I, because it is my life. Thus, I
will learn it as a brother. I will learn its weaknesses, its strength, its
parts, its accessories, its shifts and its handling. I will keep my Crosstrek
clean and ready, even as I am clean and ready. We will become part of each
other. We will...

Before God, I swear this creed. My Crosstrek and I are the racers
of my country. We are the masters of our Competition .  We are the saviors of my life.

So be it, until victory is mine and there are no competitors.

We used to do stuff like this in Boot Camp... just bringing back some memories.

How the Subaru AWD system works compared to others (Videos)

Subaru's symmetrical  Vs other All Wheel Drive systems:

Why a Subaru vs something else?

       I bought a Subaru XV Crosstrek Premium 2.0i 5-Speed over something else because of one thing: value and functionality. It has the same ground clearance of a Jeep Grand Cherokee, with a lesser sticker price and better fuel economy. Although, it's not a full size SUV like the Jeep, it has about the same off road capabilities and get you to a cabin in the woods if you so choose. Subaru has a wide array of accessories for the XV like it does for its whole lineup. It is based on the Subaru Impreza sport chassis and shares the same 2.0 Boxer engine, but has a suspension that is based off of the new Forester.  Now there are other vehicles that the XV competes with such as the Suzuki SX-4 and the Mitsubishi Outlander Sport. The Suzuki is smaller and with a base MSRP of  $16,999 may cost about $4000 less than the XV, but  according to someone I know who owned one, until it hydroplaned and got totaled was that it is very light. With a MSRP of $21,995, the XV's price is about mid range when comparing it to a Mitsubishi Outlander Sport CVT ES ($22,070) and a Suzuki SX4. The  Outlander sport come with AWD standard and would have to go up a package in order to get it as an option. The Mitsubishi only comes in white or gray and Like the Crosstrek, the CR-V comes in an assortment of colors. With that being said the XV is a versatile crossover at a mid-range price and can take you whereever you would like and with confidence.

Pro's:

• Has the ride height of the Grand Cherokee, with out the sticker price. 
• With up to 33 MPG Highway and 25 when cruising the city, The XV has the best fuel economy in its class.
• The Crosstrek, like all Subaru vehicles (except BR-Z) come standard with all wheel drive. 
• It has some of the best safety features out there.

Cons: 

• The Crosstrek is very popular, so finding the color you want with the options you would like will take sometime. 
• The CVT is somewhat whiny
• It's not the quietest cabin and could use a little more insulation.

Overall

Whether you are traveling though the backwoods or your local shopping center, you will be at home with the 2013+ Subaru Crosstrek. 

Starting Discover my Subaru's potential part II

   This winter has not been easy, it's been below 30 degrees for longer than I can remember; and it's not over yet. The climate change around here can be tough for any vehicle let alone my Subaru. Despite the fluctuation in temperature, my car is doing well. I now have almost 9,000 miles on it and is almost due for its 10,000 mile service. A couple weeks ago my friend and I decided to go to Skiward for their sweet lift ticket deals. So I folded the seats  we packed both our gear and board in the back and away we went. No issues whatsoever, except it was all of 12 degrees outside. The car performed great like always. I feel safe and confident driving it. This car doesn't have winter tires on it yet (I will wait until the off season to purchase them dude to lower pricing.) it still handles respectively well, I have driven in wicked snow storms with whipping winds blowing snow across the roads, and I even went through the thanksgiving day storm on a 4 hour drive north to Vermont's Northeast Kingdom. Snow can't stop this thing, the cold sure doesn't. Let's see what happens during rain season. Mud Anyone?

Boston Winter snow storm Jan. 2, 2014

Rally Armor Mudflap install oversight

       I bought a set of Rally Armor mud flaps for my Subaru to protect the paint from road debris such as gravel and pebbles that are found on our highways here in the states. These mud flaps come with all the brackets and hardware you would need to put them on your vehicle, providing you order the ones that are application specific. Rally Armor also has some different logo color options as well to match the scheme of your vehicle. The Quality overall is a high grade polyurethane with a glossy finish, which I know some people have complained about and ordered a different brand because of it. To me however, it is not that big of a deal and actually prefer it as it just looks good with the color of the car and looks like it came that way straight from Subaru. Another great thing is that every vehicle specific set you buy will come with detailed instructions on how to mount them on to your vehicle and there will be no fuss or need for fabrication. The install only took me 45 minutes because of in house distractions and running in and out to grab the right sized sockets and different screw drivers. The price for a set of four is about $145.00 (USD) for the 2013+ XV Crosstrek models and will vary on what application you have. Each set is made at their factory in New York and all the materials they get are from inside the U.S. 

An ordinary freezing day

    Today it's only going to be 13 degrees outside in Manchester, NH. My Subaru with its heated seats and cold weather package is more than up to the task of keeping me safe and warm. Today I'm heading out to run a couple errands and this car can do just about anything. Yesterday while driving, I hit a patch of black ice. I thought that was the end of my Subaru's short life. But, with its VDC, and AWD I managed to swerve left and right and avoid hitting anything and drove it on home unscathed. I know if I  was in my old vehicle, a 2004 Scion Xb , it may have been a different story. But that was yesterday. 

Mission: Hitting The Beach

    This summer I am packing my Subaru and headed to the beach with my girlfriend, I just don't know which one as of yet. I feel like I may end back up in Hampton, NH. It's great there and the beach is a good stretch. The only downside I see is that you need to get there early. But I am looking for dunes too. I've heard of some in the south you can drive on. Cape Cod has that too, but I believe it's for off road vehicles, not street legal vehicles like my Subaru. Stay tuned to see what happens this summer. 

Why I joined NASIOC:

        One of the first things I did when i bought my Subaru was join a forum/ car club. I joined NASIOC or National Subaru Impreza Owner's Club. I figured seeing I now drive essentially a lifted Impreza Sport, I mine as well join a place that has more knowledge than I would just in case something should  occur with my vehicle. Luckily nothing has happened yet, but considering it just broke 8500 miles yesterday, I'm not surprised nonetheless. Also I figured if I had any questions about modifications and what have you they would be the ones to guide me through it. They also have a place to add meets on there, and I've set up a couple around where I live.

Starting to explore my Subaru's potential

      On an early autumn day I decided to do something that I've never done before, take a vehicle down a trail. I was a suburban kid who's parents didn't really do too much outdoors adventures. We mostly took trips to the beach or go fishing at the nearby lake. But we always had a family sedan which limited us on where we could go without getting stuck. Anyways, I found this wicked cool place in Rutland, MA that is set back behind the state park out there and I  thought it's only a 40 minute drive out there so, why not? Why not indeed! So I grabbed my keys and ran out the door to check my subaru's capabilities out. Not only was I surprised that it could make it around these trails with ease, but it did it better than I could have imagined. I'm used to having friends with their heavily modified vehicles to go down trails with.  The near 9 inches of ground clearance works great on rough terrain while still delivering a smooth ride due to it's independent suspension on all four corners. The engine's power and torque feels adequate at best and delivers plenty of passing  and hill climbing power while still sipping on fuel. I have a few pictures from that day:

How it began....

      I began searching for my first new car while I was sitting in the squad bay of the Medical Rehabilitation Platoon (MRP for short) at Parris Island, SC. It was there where my journey began. As a kid I always had a large stack of car magazines but never thought of owning a Subaru that is, until one day I came across a Car & Driver magazine with this funny lifted wagon in it. As I started reading about it, the more intrigued I became. It was weird yet cool concept. The 2013 Subaru XV (XV Crosstrek here in the U.S.) was something I thought could take me where I  wanted to go, someplace off the beaten path or take my dog to the park. I never made it past Marine corps. boot camp but I did end up buying that car in August of 2013. Here it is: