Opinions on new chase vehicle and accessories.!?

[Jordan Doane]

Hey y'all. Since the volkswagen buy back went on we've been unable to find a diesel jetta wagon and after hearing about electrical issues with them as well id like to hear some new opinions on this car.

We've been looking at a 2004/2005 Subaru Forester xs (non turbo charged version.) Personally after looking at reviews they seem very reliable, I know the timing belt at 100k miles is important and I've heard about blown head gaskets as well but lots of positives!

Just Any positives or negatives on that car would be much appreciated! OPINIONS PLEASE!

Heres some images of the model and some accessories id put on it from the get go.




Mock up of full sized roof rack/front windshield hail guard.

No orange flashing warning lights because in my opinion they say look at me to much. Instead id prefer the big reflecting stickers on the tail end and maybe the sides when headlights hit them they reflect.

Thank you for your Opinions!! It all helps!

 

[John Erwin]

I've never owned a Subbie but have mostly heard great reviews on them in a chasing context.

On the license plate antenna mount: not sure what band you'll be using on it but I would not expect great performance with it. License plates usually are bolted through a nylon/plastic "nut" and therefore that mount is likely not going to be bonded to the body of the car. In addition the location of the antenna overall is not going to favor an omni-directional pattern, although antenna selection might mitigate that somewhat. Also, some LEO's are picky about anything obscuring your plate, although that mount seems to have been designed to minimize any issues on that.

On the inverter: It's never made sense to me to convert 12vdc to 115vac only to convert it back to dc again via various adaptors. Where possible I almost always use the applicable 12v adaptor for the device I'm using. In some cases there isn't much choice however. Be aware that cheap inverters can cause a lot of problems, so buy carefully (I don't know anything about the model you mention).

Good luck!

 

[Marc R. O'Leary]

I chase in a 2007 Forester XT. No issues at all. My only complaint would be fuel economy, but since you're looking at non-turbo, it'll be ok. Still not comparable to a newer gen subaru though.

 

[Jordan Doane]

I've never owned a Subbie but have mostly heard great reviews on them in a chasing context.

On the license plate antenna mount: not sure what band you'll be using on it but I would not expect great performance with it. License plates usually are bolted through a nylon/plastic "nut" and therefore that mount is likely not going to be bonded to the body of the car. In addition the location of the antenna overall is not going to favor an omni-directional pattern, although antenna selection might mitigate that somewhat. Also, some LEO's are picky about anything obscuring your plate, although that mount seems to have been designed to minimize any issues on that.

On the inverter: It's never made sense to me to convert 12vdc to 115vac only to convert it back to dc again via various adaptors. Where possible I almost always use the applicable 12v adaptor for the device I'm using. In some cases there isn't much choice however. Be aware that cheap inverters can cause a lot of problems, so buy carefully (I don't know anything about the model you mention).

Good luck!

Thank you! ya I'm not sure on the reach of the antenna but its just CB I've got everything mounted in my old car at the moment but will be installing it for the heck of it in the subaru. Also ya i know about cheap vs real power inverters. You always want to go with Pure sine wave other wise it could possibly damage electronics. Theres multiple things that would require power, my cooler, phone chargers, iPad, computer. Just handy to have extra power. Especially for camera batteries. Thanks for the reply!

 

[Jordan Doane]

I chase in a 2007 Forester XT. No issues at all. My only complaint would be fuel economy, but since you're looking at non-turbo, it'll be ok. Still not comparable to a newer gen subaru though.

Thank you!

 

[Todd Lemery]

Hi Jordan. I'm assuming that with a 1000 watt inverter that you will be wiring that up directly to the battery. If so, you can get a inexpensive electric cooler to keep some water or snacks cold in. If it's plugged into a 12 volt power outlet, it may overload the system, but would be no problem if the inverter is wired direct.
I also noticed the back window in your picture is unprotected by the hail guard. 3M makes a bullet proof film that could be attached to the back window. It's not very expensive to have installed. It may not prevent the back window from being shattered, but it would keep it in one piece so you aren't riding around with nothing at all back there.

 

[Jordan Doane]

Hi Jordan. I'm assuming that with a 1000 watt inverter that you will be wiring that up directly to the battery. If so, you can get a inexpensive electric cooler to keep some water or snacks cold in. If it's plugged into a 12 volt power outlet, it may overload the system, but would be no problem if the inverter is wired direct.
I also noticed the back window in your picture is unprotected by the hail guard. 3M makes a bullet proof film that could be attached to the back window. It's not very expensive to have installed. It may not prevent the back window from being shattered, but it would keep it in one piece so you aren't riding around with nothing at all back there.

Hello! Thanks for the imput! I'll show you the cooler it's 12v and you can buy a wall plug for it too if needed. The inverter would be hooked directly to the battery. I'll be able to shut off the inverter via power switch when the car is keyed off.

A cooler something like this (just a reference for me in the future)

Also yes I have done some research into the 3m window film as well. In fact it's the same stuff that Daniel Shaw has on his Toyota RAV4 windows. After seeing how his car held up in the winds from The El Reno tornado I was sold. It's crazy that wind dident blow out a single window of his.

 

[TJKLECKNER]

Needs more light bars, just make sure you don't use them along with the cooler


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[Jordan Doane]

Needs more light bars, just make sure you don't use them along with the cooler


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haha, ive got a 32inch curved 180w bar already. I've also got a backup light bar i want to instal. Much better than crappy stock reversing lights. Its a little one like 8inches, 18w flood led.