I think the common saying about Subarus was mostly limited to the lower-end of its line, and it wasn't that the cars necessarily died (although the hyperbole of implying such makes for a nice flat statement) -- it was that Subarus would go and go and go without the least issue and then as soon as the odometer hit 80K, you were pretty much in for some bizarre and continuous issues: the wiring harness, the ignition system, the fuel injectors... like built-in obsolescence or something. Which was pretty much what happened to our Subaru (a little 4WD Justy) -- I think we made it to about 83K and within the next thousand miles we lost the gas gauge, the rear windshield wipers, the odometer, then the speedometer (all signs of the wiring harness going bad, actually). Like every two hundred miles, poof!
Of course, then someone ran a stopsign and took off the front foot and a half of the car, so there wasn't much reason to worry about repairs, after that.
BMWs and Porsches are most definitely designed for long-legged drivers who don't mind slouching just the tiniest bit. Korean cars are okay for short-legged or long-legged, but definitely (like many of the Japanese cars) are designed for short-torso drivers. I don't mean in terms of head-room, but in terms of proportion of seat-to-steeringwheel-to-gearshift-to-pedals. I mean, I'm 5'6" and in test-driving the Honda, I couldn't see the top half of the controls on the console -- I could see the needle for rpms until about 2500 and then the rest was hidden behind the steering wheel! Definitely preset for a shorter-torso driver, but with allowances for longer/American heights via the steering-column adjustment.
Actually, in driving various Porsche, Volkswagon, and BMW models, those are the only cars where setting the seat at a distance good for me didn't also mean having the gearshift knob at barely fingertip. In other words: the pedals are set forward, rather than the seat being set back, if you get what I mean. In Asian cars, the pedals are closer proportionally to the steering wheel, such that moving the seat means you're farther away from everything, while in German/Swedish cars the pedals are farther into the engine compartment, with the steering-wheel and gear-shift at the midpoint, so moving the seat up to reach the pedals can put the steering-wheel right in your lap, if your legs are really short.
Never driven a Saab, though I really did like the design and reported handling of the 93 series. CP turns his nose up at the 93 body design, so that was pretty much out of the question, anyway. Now, if I really ruled the world, I'd have an Audi TT, because it's the most adorable jellybean design, hiding a viciously awesome driving experience. Take that over the BMW Z3 any day, actually -- the Z3 is just too smooth, like you're disassociated from the road or something. It's eerie.
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Date: 31 Jul 2010 11:23 pm (UTC)Of course, then someone ran a stopsign and took off the front foot and a half of the car, so there wasn't much reason to worry about repairs, after that.
BMWs and Porsches are most definitely designed for long-legged drivers who don't mind slouching just the tiniest bit. Korean cars are okay for short-legged or long-legged, but definitely (like many of the Japanese cars) are designed for short-torso drivers. I don't mean in terms of head-room, but in terms of proportion of seat-to-steeringwheel-to-gearshift-to-pedals. I mean, I'm 5'6" and in test-driving the Honda, I couldn't see the top half of the controls on the console -- I could see the needle for rpms until about 2500 and then the rest was hidden behind the steering wheel! Definitely preset for a shorter-torso driver, but with allowances for longer/American heights via the steering-column adjustment.
Actually, in driving various Porsche, Volkswagon, and BMW models, those are the only cars where setting the seat at a distance good for me didn't also mean having the gearshift knob at barely fingertip. In other words: the pedals are set forward, rather than the seat being set back, if you get what I mean. In Asian cars, the pedals are closer proportionally to the steering wheel, such that moving the seat means you're farther away from everything, while in German/Swedish cars the pedals are farther into the engine compartment, with the steering-wheel and gear-shift at the midpoint, so moving the seat up to reach the pedals can put the steering-wheel right in your lap, if your legs are really short.
Never driven a Saab, though I really did like the design and reported handling of the 93 series. CP turns his nose up at the 93 body design, so that was pretty much out of the question, anyway. Now, if I really ruled the world, I'd have an Audi TT, because it's the most adorable jellybean design, hiding a viciously awesome driving experience. Take that over the BMW Z3 any day, actually -- the Z3 is just too smooth, like you're disassociated from the road or something. It's eerie.