Purchase information: Purchased on December 22, 2012 at World Subaru in Tinton Falls, NJ. After a couple months of research and a few weeks of contacting and visiting dealerships, I finally bought the car off the lot for a sale price of $24,166 plus tax, motor vehicle fee and document fee. MSRP (sticker price) was $27,424. 12 miles were on the odometer.
Vehicle information: 2013 Subaru Outback, 2.5i Premium in Twilight Blue Metallic with six-speed manual transmission. Packages include: Option Package 02 (All-Weather Package) with heated front seats, heated side mirrors, windshield wiper de-icer; Popular Package #2 with all-weather mats, rear bumper cover, splash guards, wheel arch molding, and rear seat back protector.
Originally I did not want the wheel arch molding, but the look grew on me and the functionality makes sense. All the other options were exactly what I was looking for, and nothing more. To most it probably seems pretty plain, but I truly do not need navigation, a moonroof, leather seats, etc. I am happy with the Outback I ended up with
Two days after I took her off the lot, the Outback went to the detailer for new car prep and clear bra application. I went to Detailer's Domain located in north Jersey, a company I had found on my old car forum and previously purchased detailing supplies from. They did great work, although because of the cold weather I may need to bring it back in the spring for some touch-ups on the clear bra. Either way, the front end is well protected now!
The clear bra was applied to the full front bumper, full hood, A-pillars and side mirrors. I picked up the Outback from Detailer's Domain last night and was going to take some pictures today, but we're getting a nice layer of fresh snow!
Planned modifications/accessories for the near future: Yakima RocketBox Pro 11 Cargo Box (ordered and received, plan on installing it tomorrow - the Yakima fit guide says it will fit and clear the rear hatch, however it looks HUGE! Verdict coming soon..); 19mm RSB; replace the stock horns; front windows tinted to match privacy glass; front plate bracket; and OEM tweeter installation.
Accessory: Yakima RocketBox Pro 11. Purchased from Amazon.com for $284.33 (great sale price, plus an additional 15% off cargo boxes, free two-day shipping AND no sales tax for NJ! I love Amazon!!!)
Installation was very easy; it took about 30 minutes the first time and now that the brackets are in the right spot, it shouldn't take more than five minutes to install/uninstall. It clears the rear hatch with room to spare, and that's with the box pushed back as far as possible. It says it fits skis up to 210cm, so should be plenty for my 166. It also has a decent amount of space for backpacking/camping gear, if I need it in the summer. Perfect for my needs and can't beat the price.
I've only had the car for two weeks and plan on taking three other people up to the mountains this weekend, which means passengers, luggage and four sets of skis; so the roof box is necessary.
And also just because the Outback is a rugged vehicle doesn't mean I have to treat it like crap, keep it dirty, get it dinged and dented, etc.
Just purchased a very very similiar outback to yours this month!
13 2.5i Premium 6-Speed in Silver!
Got the rear bumper protector and all weather mats from factory, as well as Body Side Moldings as a dealer install. I also have a Thule 6-ski rack for the roof.
I have since put on Rally Armor Mudflaps as I thought the Subaru ones were essentially useless. Don't plan on driving it much in the next 6-8 months so I'm going to leave it as is for now. Great car so far!
And what better way to celebrate getting out of the break-in period than a solid road trip? I went up to Killington this past weekend with the girlfriend and another couple. 649 miles round trip and the OB performed admirably.
Although the forecast called for wintry mix on Friday we actually didn't hit anything on the way up. There was some light snow the following morning driving to the mountain base, but other than that the weather was great (besides being 0 degrees!). The OB was comfortable for five and a half hours in the drivers seat, and my passengers had plenty of space. Thanks to the roof box, three sets of skis and a snowboard fit no problem, with the rest of the gear in the boot.
Just before the trip to Killington I took the dive and bought WeatherTech Digital Fit Mats for the front and rear. I'm really glad I did because salt, sand and mud piled up in the front and back after a weekend in the mountains. It's a no-brainer to go with the WeatherTech: the driver's side coverage is considerably better under the gas pedal and next to the dead pedal, and covering the center hump in the rear sold them for me. Looking at all the crap I'll be cleaning out this weekend, I definitely made the right choice!
Ticked over the 2,000 mile mark during the last ski trip up to Windham, NY. The drive up in the morning was cake, but coming back when Winter Storm Nemo had arrived was a white-knuckle drive; roads unplowed, multiple cars spun out and in the median, and darkness. The OB held it's own though.
So here's the short-term plan for my 2013 OB. Once warm weather rolls around I'll be able to get outside and do some work. I personally don't think any of these mods are so important that they're worth doing in the cold, so all of these are pending warm weather, free time and most importantly, funding
Summer 2013:
-Hardwire Valentine V1 with stealth display and on/off switch
-Summer wheels (2014 Forester? Crosstrek? TSW?) with OEM tires (I realize there are better tires out there, but I'm not going to trash perfectly good tires with plenty of life on them)
Fall 2013:
-Snow tires on OEM wheels
-Additional functional exterior lighting, TBD
Future:
-Rally Inovations Light Bar w/ TBD lights (Hella or LightForce)
ill never understand why anyone wants to disable the DRLs. get some 16" wrx wheels, light as **** and very cheap. big wheels look nice, but kindof defeat the purpose on a car like this.
Accessory: WeatherTech Digital Fit front and rear floor mats. Purchased from Amazon.com and installed in January.
Accessory: OEM Subaru Rear Cargo Net and Rear Side Compartment Nets. Purchased from SubaruGenuineParts.com and installed easily myself. These are a no-brainer accessory for any small things carried in the trunk - grocery bags, backpacks, boxes, etc. so they don't roll around at every turn.
Modification: Removed the warning stickers on driver and passenger sun visors. On every car I hate having those stickers up there, they're just plain ugly. Easily removed them and wrote a quick DIY: http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/525015-post3.html
I toyed around with the clutch stop today...almost have a better replacement figured out. Coming soon!
Also rolled over the 3,000 mile mark this past week. Nearing an oil change.
