Mazda Forum - Mazda Enthusiast Forums - So my dad flipped his car last night.....

It's OK. Actually I was just foolin' with ya', but with a purpose.
I knew what you meant, but wanted you to think about what you said and how you said it... to open your mind a little bit. 'Seems it worked. Good for you.
Once you've got gasoline in your blood, and the sound of a sweet engine in your ear, you never really lose that. I got it early in life... I think I was about 5, and I'm the only one in my extended family to this day that loves cars, and racing... even though I don't do that anymore. My wife knows it, but she doesn't understand it, and never really will.

I was just today telling someone else about my first car and how I put everything I had into it.
It was a '57 Chevy 2-dr. I wanted a '57 from the time I was about 10 yrs old and no other car would do. So I spent 6 months convincing the former owner that he should sell the car to me, and in late January, 1973 he did. I wouldn't be 16 until early May and during that time "played" with it.
The 283 that was in it, already a replacement engine, was junk (it was originally a 6-cyl car,) and I replaced it w/a rebuilt 300hp 327, added a Carter 4-bbl carb in place of the 2bbl Rochester, chrome air filter, an 11" HP clutch, had the valve covers chromed, and a few other personalized "mods." I spent all kinds of time (and what little $$$ I had) trying to get the car to look good, cleaning it, repainting things like the instrument bezel, steel wheels, pedals and rear end.
6 months after I got my license, I was t-boned in the right side. Because I was making a left-hand turn at the time, the accident took out most of the right side from the back of the front fender to just ahead of the rear wheel andof course all the glass on that side.
I had no bumpers on the car at the time because they were out being replated (I had an older friend that was in the business and volunteered to help me restore the car.) Only the brackets remained and all the cop at the scene could do was ask me, "Where are your bumpers, Son?" Like they would've helped under the circumstances.
I was crushed... absolutely heart-broken, and broke.

Now, my opinons of the other cars you mentioned, and please keep in mind they are ONLY my opinions:
Anything made by Chrysler in the past 10-15 yrs, the exception may or may not be the RAM trucks, is liable to be crap. Generally, they are not known to get the best mileage compared to other equivenlent vehicles either.
Before (and I do stress before) the take-over, they (generally) had the worst reliability record of any cars foreign or domestic. They are said to drive like a dead horse and handle just about as well too.

My sister-in-law had an Outback that she absolutely loved, and keep in mind that neither she, nor my brother-in-law know squat about cars, really.
They still live back in Pa, where we visit family/friends every couple of years and they usually pick us up from the airport.
My main experience w/this car has been riding in the back seat for about 1-1/2 hrs @ a time, which may be the worst place in the car to be, I don't really know for sure. It's flat and hard, and for my tall, skinny frame quite uncomfortable.... but she LOVED that car.
Other than that I know very little about them. They are Subies so I would expect them to be pretty good on gas and very reliable as well.