PHOTO: A 2016 Subaru Crosstrek all-wheel drive automobile is shown, in the foreground, beside a 2011 Toyota FJ Cruiser 4-wheel drive motor vehicle, and are shown parked in the garage of my private residence. I've named the Subaru Crosstrek Raiju (Japanese for thunder beast), which is a legendary creature from Japanese mythology, and I named the Toyota FJ Cruiser Kaiju (Japanese for strange beast), which is a race of amphibious creatures genetically engineered. Although I am too blind to drive anymore, I am fortunate to still be wealthy enough to own both of these cars, which I let other people use when they drive me to the store, doctor or dentist appointments. If I need to save money in the future, I can use the Dial-A-Bus service or the city bus, but the nearest bus stop is nearly a mile away and I have become too paralyzed to walk that far. I bought the new Subaru for its fuel efficiency and reliability, after considering buying a less fuel-efficient van with a wheelchair lift, but my optimism gives me hope it won't be necessary before I die. (see Subaru Crosstrek 2016 model year brochure (PDF 26MB) accessed Jan. 19, 2016)
In my experience, buying a new automobile is always more work than it needs to be. Similar to most states in America, local car dealers in Oregon have successfully lobbied both Federal and State legislators to pass laws to protect their businesses from buying a car from Amazon. While I agree it is nice to have local car dealers and service, and I am willing to pay for it, I still believe the buying process should be easier than the many times I've bought new cars in states wide apart as Virginia, Minnesota, Colorado, Washington, California and Oregon. Hopefully, I will be able to blog some more on my experiences and suggestions for how it could be improved. (See New 2015 & 2016 Subaru Inventory in Corvallis, OR subarucorvallis.com accessed Oct. 12, 2015)
PHOTO: gray color WeatherTech all-weather floor mats are shown installed on the driver's side of my 2016 model year Subaru Crosstrek all-wheel drive automobile. The standard factory installed ivory cloth seats, with orange stitching, and the black interior, work well with these gray colored aftermarket floor mats, which also are available in tan and black colors. The black mats would also work, but the interior is too dark to begin with. These mats look like they will keep the mountain snow and Oregon rain from flooding the floor better than other mats.
UPATE 1/27/16: The Subaru Crosstrek is a considered a small sports utility vehicle, which is not as huge as a standard SUV because it is built on a all-wheel drive car chassis instead of a truck frame. As a result, it can't climb over as big of things as a big four-wheel drive SUV can do, but it has much better fuel efficiency. In fact, my first city gay mileage reading was more than 22 miles-per-gallon doing short three-mile trips, and my first full tank highway drive at 60 MPH got over 34 miles-per gallon of gasoline fuel economy. This is the most fuel efficient car I've ever owned. Many people call these small SUVs "cute-utes" short for cute utility vehicle. (See article by Keith Naughton, "SUVs Are T-Boning the Family Sedan," Businessweek, Jan. 18-24, 2016, p. 31, "Small SUVs, Once Mocked as Wimpy, Are About to Rule U.S. Market," washpost.bloomberg.com posted Jan. 11, 2016 and Keith Naughton, (c) 2016 and Bloomberg, "Once mocked, small SUVs are set to rule U.S. market," chicagotribune.com posted Jan. 11, 2016)
See previous posts and related links:
- LED track lights for my home office computer room (10/21/15)
- LED Pixi flat panel light replaces under cabinet fluorescent light over kitchen counter desk area (9/25/15)
- LED Pixi flat panel light replaces my laundry room light (4/10/15)
- LED and CFL bulbs hard to see with blue-orange-yellow color blindness due to their higher color temperature (8/1/15) - includes photo of burned out bulb in a row of ten old-fashioned incandescent lightbulbs)
- Bennett Hall, "John & Phil's gets new owners as Phil Doud retires, So long, John & Phil's Toyota Subaru Scion," gazettetimes.com posted May 09, 2013 -- one of the last of the small town car dealers in Corvallis -- now owned by Steven and Barbara Jackson who started as Texas auto dealers
- "R&H Construction Breaks Ground on Toyota of Corvallis, Toyota of Corvallis held a groundbreaking ceremony today at 10:00 a.m. to mark a major renovation for the auto dealership.," rhconst.com posted April 25, 2014 accessed Oct. 30, 2015 -- the Subaru facility at the same location will be remodeled after they get done with the Toyota dealership
- Oregon POLST for Thomas Kraemer -- Oregon Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment form or POLST for Thomas Kraemer POLST registry number OR19943
