After about three months of having a 05 Outback as a fuel efficient daily driver; compared to my 80 series anyway, I've decided the FJ Cruiser doesn't look so bad after all. The Outback is a nice little car, but visibility sucks; I've never owned a car before, always Toyota trucks and Cruisers. It's so low to the ground that every time I get in I end up sitting on my nuts, so it's like a 5 minute procedure adjusting things to get comfortable before I can drive. Plus when I do drive it to the mountains, with 2 whitewater kayaks and my MTB plus my rocket box on top; it only gets like 18 miles to the gallon going up and down those moutain highways which kinda sucks, however it'll get about 24mpg around town if I go easy on it without all the crap on the top. But still.
Besides that, the Outback just seems kinda gay even though I've seen a lot of folks other than tree hugging lesbians driving them around here lately. But I don't feel too bad because dad bought a new RAV4 as a back and forth to work ride and I would say the RAV4 is a lot gayer than the Outback. It's funny seeing my father who is a peg legged former Marine with the beard and all getting out of his RAV4. All he needs is an eye patch now, he already has a Cockatoo for his shoulder.
Plus when my wife and I have another kid, the Outback is gonna be obsolete, there isn't any room behind the front seats for 2 car seats with kids in them, unless your a little fawker and have the front seats all of the way forward. I'm 6'3". As it is my almost 2 year old daughter is in the middle with both feet on the back of the front seats, I have to be careful with her legs when I'm putting her in. I just don't feel safe with my daughter in the car that low to the ground looking at everyone elses bumper. I saw a Explorer and a Taurus Sunday that hit head on, the Explorer rolled but I would still rather have been in it than the Taurus that was smushed all to hell. Not a pretty sight.
So by placing the FJ Cruiser in the same class as the Outback, it now seems like a better option. I know it's never going to replace my 72 FJ40, but it will probably get around 20 mpg highway/should anyway and could be driven everyday worrie free. Plus it will be a Toyota even if it is a funny looking taco4runner. At least I know that 4runners and Tacomas can handle more abuse offroad than an Outback.
Besides, I'll still have at least 2 real LandCruisers.
Besides that, the Outback just seems kinda gay even though I've seen a lot of folks other than tree hugging lesbians driving them around here lately. But I don't feel too bad because dad bought a new RAV4 as a back and forth to work ride and I would say the RAV4 is a lot gayer than the Outback. It's funny seeing my father who is a peg legged former Marine with the beard and all getting out of his RAV4. All he needs is an eye patch now, he already has a Cockatoo for his shoulder.
Plus when my wife and I have another kid, the Outback is gonna be obsolete, there isn't any room behind the front seats for 2 car seats with kids in them, unless your a little fawker and have the front seats all of the way forward. I'm 6'3". As it is my almost 2 year old daughter is in the middle with both feet on the back of the front seats, I have to be careful with her legs when I'm putting her in. I just don't feel safe with my daughter in the car that low to the ground looking at everyone elses bumper. I saw a Explorer and a Taurus Sunday that hit head on, the Explorer rolled but I would still rather have been in it than the Taurus that was smushed all to hell. Not a pretty sight.
So by placing the FJ Cruiser in the same class as the Outback, it now seems like a better option. I know it's never going to replace my 72 FJ40, but it will probably get around 20 mpg highway/should anyway and could be driven everyday worrie free. Plus it will be a Toyota even if it is a funny looking taco4runner. At least I know that 4runners and Tacomas can handle more abuse offroad than an Outback.
Besides, I'll still have at least 2 real LandCruisers.
