Andrew & Anne Gantimuroff - '99 Outback
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This is our first foray into the Subaru owner fraternity. In a relatively short
time after purchasing our Outback, we have been convinced this will not be our last Subaru. Our only other offroad
vehicle was a great weekend and holiday machine - Mitsubishi L300 camper. Unfortunately, being only a 2 seater, it
became obsolete with the arrival of kids. We purchased the Outback because it was a good sized family wagon
(Forester seemed too small for us). We envisaged taking it to slightly more remote locations than we were able to
reach in our Honda Accord - not in my wildest dreams did I imagine it was capable of the sort of offroad performance
we have already achieved. |
Rainbow Beach - Double Island Point
No lift kit yet
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To date our Outback has certainly been experiencing a bit of a Jeckyl and Hyde personality - a
comfortable work car during the week and a getaway machine on weekends. It has performed admirably in both its roles.
With standard features like power steering, climate control, dual airbags and ABS it is very much at home in any
suburban setting for the modern urban dweller. Then with the all wheel drive system, lift kit and low range gearing it
is just as much at home in off-road situations. Its only slightly frustrating feature was the very low front air
dam/thingy which may look great but was slightly annoying when it doubled as a grader on deep rutted tracks (hence the
replacement front bumper and bullbar to improve approach angles and ground clearance).
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Monsildale Creek |
In our first six months we trialed the car's performance on some very interesting
weekend trips ranging from coastal sand dunes to state forest tracks all within a few hours of Brisbane. Our first
weekend away was to Double Island Point and Freshwater. The front air thingy was also good at ploughing through soft
sand! That was our first trip with a camper trailer and except one incident where we bottomed in soft stuff on
Freshwater Road; the rest of the trip was excellent. Also worth noting that we learnt the snatch strap should not be
placed in the spare wheel compartment when fully loaded rear section! |
Other trips we have done included the Old Nanango Coach Rd, SE Qld State Forests (Amamoor, Imbil, Mt
Mee & Jimna), Condamine Gorge, Monsildale Ck Rd, Girraween Nat Park, Mt Mee, Bribie Is, Stradbroke Is, Fraser Is, Duck
Ck Rd, Balina Beach, Bundjaling Nat Park and Border Ranges Scenic Drive. Most of our trips we either followed route
notes from 4WD books or in organised outings with the Subaru Club. The Mighty Outback has performed above and beyond all
expectations we had for the car when we purchased it.
Since purchasing the Outback we have done several modifications to the standard setup. Most of the
work has been carried out by Scorpion Automotive (Capalaba) and I have been thoroughly happy with all the log book
services that have been performed by them. List of modifications/accessories done so far:
Recent Beach Trip |
- Tinted windows (Ming)
- Sheepskin seatcovers
- Rola Roof racks
- Rust Proofing (Ming)
- Clarion CD Stacker
- Body & spring lift kit (70-80mm)
- Lower (Forrester) gear ratio fitted
- Set of 15" alloys and offroad tyres (Toyo Transpath 205/70)
- Radiator Fan cut off switch (SubaXtreme)
- Alloy Sump Guard (SubaXtreme)
- Alloy Bullbar with replacement front bumper (SubaXtreme)
- 100W Spotlights (Lightforce)
Other modifications I have been thinking about are:
- Alloy rear bumper with towbar (SubaXtreme) - very soon
- Rear wheel and/or jerry can carrier - possibly with rear bumper replacement
- Better offroad tyres (BF Goodrich AT look good) - when current wear out
- H6 3.0 Engine replacement - in a few years when it is more affordable |
In terms of reliability our Outback has passed its first 100,000 Km test with flying colours. Apart
from regular logbook services, maintenance so far has included :
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- 3 flat tyres (2 of the original Yokohama Geolanders were staked on trips and one
while parking)
- Replaced CV lubricant under warranty (too thin for Qld conditions)
- Alternator problem (repaired and then replaced under warranty)
- Fuel tank recall notice (inspected and cleared)
- New more powerful battery (just recently fitted) |
Damn no Axe -
I'll have to go under the tree |
Just recently we had a slight scare while on Fraser Island when one of the mounting points (the right
front end trailing arm) was ripped out of the body. The lift block remained attached and we did manage to get it welded
back on to get home. Scorpion Automotive have now added a modified bracket to reinforce the stress point on both sides
of the front end.
Currently we are planning our next big trip - the Simpson Dessert crossing. This could be the first
Outback to attempt the crossing and I am also keen to get the Outback to Cape York.
Outback - Making Tracks
