Do you drive a Subarau Forester or Ford Escape?

[Irulan]

What is the Element image and stereotype?

me three, tell us! I know about Forresters but not Elements.

[Irulan]

well, I just got this:

As I was giving my Subaru to my son, had to replace it.
Our requirements were wagon, affordable, +30 mpg, nice trim level.
Mazda 3



I honestly don't understand why anyone buying a car today would look at less than a 30 mpg vehicle. Subarus are great and all that, but until they can bring their mileage up I wouldn't consider buying another one. I hear that if you are really, really careful you can squeak about 28 out of them, but that is not most people.

[KnottedYet]

I get 32 mpg out of my Impreza, 36 on the freeway if I stay at 65 mph. (Imprezas are the little Subies with the regular engine.)

I still wanna know about stereotypes for Elements and Foresters.... anyone wanna PM me?

[Irulan]

I get 32 mpg out of my Impreza, 36 on the freeway if I stay at 65 mph.

I still wanna know about stereotypes for Elements and Foresters.... anyone wanna PM me?

Oops, I meant for Outbacks.

[KnottedYet]

Yeah, the larger Subies are not the best at mileage. My Legacy (the big wagon, but not as sexy as a Legacy Outback) got 24 mpg or so on a good day. Then the engine kinda went toes-up and i was getting 17 mpg!!

A new engine was tooooo expensive, so I traded it in on my Impreza. But I was pretty tempted by the Element and the Scion XB. I was looking for room for the dog/kid/bikes/junk.

My concern with the Element was that at the time it wasn't available with stick and all wheel drive. The dealer tried to convince me I'd like an automatic just fine, but nope. I was also a little worried about getting SKnot in and out of the car through the overlapping doors, and the stability of the "B" pillar. (now that he's big enough to sit in the front seat that's no longer an issue)

[Irulan]

I could get 30 mpg out of my 95 legacy on the highway, on a good day,with a tail wind.
But that car is gone now.

[OakLeaf]

Yeah, the larger Subies are not the best at mileage.

They all spec the same (or used to under the old EPA mileage ratings) - is the reality different? Both times we kept looking at the Imprezas and noticing that they got the same claimed mileage as the Legacy/Outback, so why not get the bigger capacity.

[KnottedYet]

they all have the same engine (except the big engine in the one Legacy Outback trimline, and the turbo in the WRX) but there does seem to be a difference Impreza to Legacy in actual use.

My uncle and I have each had both Legacies and Imprezas, and we've each gotten better mileage in the Imps. Maybe cuz we haul more in the Legacies, maybe cuz they're a heavier car, I dunno.

I still want the Subaru diesel boxer engine... gimme gimme!

[Blueberry]

I still wanna know about stereotypes for Elements and Foresters.... anyone wanna PM me?

I'd like to know too - PM is fine Just wondering what my car says about me

[Irulan]

I'd like to know too - PM is fine Just wondering what my car says about me

heck, there's 25 pages of google on the subject...
http://lesbianlife.about.com/od/othe...esbianCars.htm

[tulip]

I love the one about the Dodge Magnum! The boyz in my old 'hood in DC would be chagrined if they knew Magnum's reputation!

[Blueberry]

heck, there's 25 pages of google on the subject...
http://lesbianlife.about.com/od/othe...esbianCars.htm

Very interesting Thanks for the link!

Funny - I associate most of the cars on the list with other things - being hip (Mini), being environmentally friendly (Prius), etc. Interesting to think about

CA

[emily_in_nc]

Yeah, I too was wondering what Starfish referred to about the Element. I've been driving mine since 2004 and don't know if I fit any "profile" or not (married, no kids, 40-something, active, athletic). I do know that when I did my original research on the Element, Honda originally positioned them as cars for 20-something males who were into camping, hiking, mountain biking, and other adventures, but quickly found that Baby Boomer couples (like DH and I) and empty nesters were buying most of them!

Emily

[firenze11]

heck, there's 25 pages of google on the subject...
http://lesbianlife.about.com/od/othe...esbianCars.htm

Huh. Once again I learn something new everyday. I guess I feel kinda naive or something because I had no idea there were broad stereotypes about cars and sexual orientation. I only knew of the Subaru one, which I actually read about in a major newspaper up here about a year ago.

I guess I've always associated cars with people I know and have seen drive them. The Element owner I talked to was a very outdoorsy guy and talked up all the room his had for bikes and surf boards and dogs and stuff. I kind of associate Jeeps with the hot athletic guy I had a crush on in high school. Acura Integras were the popular girl car. My parents bought me my first car, an old Volvo, that I felt was a very dorky I wanted a cute, sporty, popular girl Integra (but it got me from A to B faithfully, just couldn't stand up to our winters)

[Starfish]

heck, there's 25 pages of google on the subject...
http://lesbianlife.about.com/od/othe...esbianCars.htm

Well, this was not what I was referring to.

But, you can all understand why I would want to bow out of the discussion, right? If I write a list of stereotypical attributes that I didn't want the Element to say about me (in other words, if I described the stereotype I did not want to be identified with), then I have immediately implied an insult to everyone here who does have those attributes.

Do you see?