Joining the Subie Cult...it's real...

I used to think the force was made up, just some far off mystical story that people made up. But it's not! It's true, all of it... the power, the stories, the following... all true.

The power and truth that I speak of is the cultish following that is a part of all Subaru owners. You have no idea it's happening but once you realize it has, you always find yourself sitting there saying to yourself, usually while sitting in your Subie, "Huh... would you look at that... I am in a cult... and I kinda LIKE IT".

Subaru has been pumping out the same 4-6 models of AWD vehicles for the past decade and has grown an incredible following from all sorts of people. This is no surprise if you look at the failed history of the company. Some time ago Subaru was part of a five family Japanese automotive company. As the stories go, Japan wanted to reel in all of their Auto companies and produce them all under one roof to stabilize the market. Subaru, or better know as Fuji Heavy Industries, was handed off the General Motors as part of Nissan obtaining ownership in a European company. Subaru was essentially doomed.

But in the 60's the underdog came back. Swinging and missing left and right, taking shot after shot to the chin. And just went the ref would call the fight, the ol' boys eyes gave off a sparkle of hope and was back up with fists raised. With the marketing push for the young and LGBT community, which at the time had no money, and great punch lines like "cheap and ugly does it" and "Not a Japanese Beetle" which refers to the engine design coming from VW beetles, they were destined to get some looks and bot did they get looks. The early Subarus were so ugly, they were awesome.

Subaru then added their own version of All Wheel Drive not reproduced by any other company as well as their horizontal Boxer Engine and they were off! Eventually they were adopted by the U.S. Olympic ski team and tipped their toe into the sporting arena.

Nobody expected an AWD ugly cheap Japanese car that had no right being on the tarmac, gravel and dirt with other Rally Racing legends. but yet, there they were... eyes on the prize and ignoring the judgment. The brand changed the sport forever. After becoming the most proven Rally Racing car made, they became the standard, the staple, the car to beat on the track And later down the road, Colin Macrae flips his Subaru and continues on, taking silver in the X-Games.

Rally is not what introduced me to the brand. It was a really bad blizzard that happened back when my wife and I was sporting a 2004 Chevy Malibu, biggest piece of crap we ever owned and believe it or not, it was in much better shape than the 2001 Outback that replaced it.

What introduced me was when my brother in law had purchased a beat down 95 Legacy Sedan. Only modification was a muffler. When the blizzard came we were housebound with no way to get out. No shovel to dig out either.  My brother heard and insisted that he come pick me up and together we would go get shovels... in the middle of a blizzard. Within 30 minutes there he was. I stepped outside, got into the little dirty white sedan and that was the first time the cult reached out to me. As the snow continued to fall, the Subaru kept going. Eventually we made it the store, got back into the car and my BIL found a nice long road that had yet to be discovered by plows. This was the second time that the cult contacted me. At that point, there was no way I could say no. I have witnessed, first hand, the power of the All Wheel Drive capabilities that Subarus machines wielded. I signed on the dotted line right then and there.

Within weeks me and my wife were at a used car dealership giving up the Malibu for our first Ru-ster (pronounced Rooster).

The 2001 Subaru Outback was our first...of many. Like I said, it's a cult. Once your in there's no getting out. No matter how tempting others may look. This car was great. The AWD was incredible. The all weather features were wonderful such as the heated mirrors. Heated landing pad for the wipers and there was even some sort of shovel on the wipers as well. This car was meant to be in the thick of it. The interior was big and comfortable and I have had wagons in the past for the utility sake and this was the best one by far. 

The car did come with or develop a couple quirks. Sometimes the transmission would fail to catch and we would sit at a light just revving the engine. The AC went rather quickly as well. Not fun when your only car has no AC in the middle of a heatwave in July. And of course the shaking that occurred when you were at a complete stop. Other than these issues the car was incredible. Always started, always got me to Red Bank in the snow and it never quit. Since then I have leased my way through the line. I've had 2012 Impreza, aptly named Equinso Ocha, 2013 Forester, for my wife. 

Then we traded the Impreza for a 2015 Legacy which was wonderful and now my wife has a 2016 Forester. We had to get rid of the Legacy due to our baby being so damn expensive. I am now always on the prowl for an Outback that's old, beaten and loved that I can reclaim as my own.

I have seen other offers. Toyotas are a dime a dozen. Hondas are being given away. Kias are affordable and always pushing. But I belong to a cult that does not disappoint. A great example of knowing you are accepted into the cult is when you park your car in an empty lot and when you return, theres another Subaru parked next to yours. This happens way too often but I have grown to love it. There.s an old saying that Birds of a feather will always fly together. This could not be more true. Subaru every year has a gigantic meet that takes place in scattered spots across the country, as most cults do, where Subaru drivers all come together and... I don't actually know what they do. These meets always seem to happen far away from me. But from what I have seen from Social Media, everyone from moms to gardeners and farmers to outdoorsy types belong to the cult. Tech gurus, nerds and muscle heads, actually it doesn't seem many muscle heads are in. The point is that no other car company has branded themselves in a way that creates such a strong sense of community. Ask a Honda driver if there is anything like this for them. They will say no. Chevy drivers are just stubborn and believe that their truck is the greatest accomplishment by man. Which does not explain why they advertise rather than buying a new truck, just fix the old one and it will keep going...what are you saying about your new trucks Chevy?

Another perk of being a part of such a cult is the add-ons. Like any organized religion, group, party or fellowship, you have something physical that dictates that you belong. Yeahhhh... the Subie Cult has that too. Not only do you belong once you obtain a vehicle from Subaru but getting one come with perks in the form of special Subaru related magazines and even special badges to put on your car. If you are ever on the road and you come across a fellow Subie and you see special badges on the back then you know that they are true believers fully engrossed in all things Subie.

To any members of the Subaru community that may be reading this and have not taken a look around at how their surroundings changed since the time you got your Subaru, open your eyes and you will see. It's not made up... it is in fact real.... all of it.