The real reason why I like the SVX

I ran this once on that other site I no longer frequent so I'm running it here because I now utilize this one. I'll be sending some dough.

My mother purchased an SVX in 1992. I did not like her car. I thought it looked like a spaceship and preferred my 64 El Camino. One day I was to drive her car to the airport and pick her up at noon. Her flight hadn't connected and she would be arriving at midnight instead. I had 12 hours so, and needing something to do with the time, headed for Missoula to see a friend. In the first twenty miles, a record time was unfolding. Had I taken fuel in Kalispell, it would have been very fast indeed. Needing gas, I filled up in St. Regis, taking ten minutes and letting 30 to 50 recently passed cars and trucks around. I still made a sizzling trip and driving the car fast made me a fan of the SVX. After meeting Ed in Missoula, we took it out on I-90 for 30 minutes between a hundred and 140 mph. I was hooked on the odd looking car, but this isn't what really made me like it. Two summers ago I was heading to West Glacier for the mail in her car with Jute, her 115 pound Shepherd riding in back in the rear cargo area. We were exceeding the 70 daytime limit but the road was clear so I was on it pretty good. A pickup pulled out in front from the left. I figured to pass him on the right and lined up for the move but when he finally saw me, he darted right thinking he could get out of my way. Having committed right, I had to nail it even more to get around him on the right side. I hit a reflector post that shattered the windshield, slid into the slight rise of an approach and slightly over-corrected left. I feared it might not be so pretty. I was sliding back onto the road after getting around the pickup but was looking at two cars coming at me and a head-on with one or two of them if I corrected right to straighten out. My only move was to continue across the highway in a left moving four-wheel drift, thread between the two cars, and take our chances with the far side. We went into the left-side ditch after turning 180 degrees, moving sideways and backwards. We rolled 2 1/4 times, came up almost on the passenger side then slammed back down on the wheels. It was a hot day. All windows were down—no open sunroof—good thing. The car was filled with dust. My glasses were covered. People were running toward us. I turned to see if Jute was ok. He was excited and seemed only to wonder why we had stopped. We stepped out unmarked. My Birkenstocks hadn't come off my feet. The airbag hadn't filled. All the opposing force had been sideways and a roll. People were amazed that nobody was dead. The guy who had pulled out in front of me ran up and said he had just seen what he thought was the most amazing work of driving in order to avoid colliding with him and then avoiding a major head-on crash. The highway patrolman had me help him in calculating the speed and we came up with 105 crossing the highway. He sited me for a basic rule violation—too fast for conditions. The guy who pulled out was seeing clear highway with me as far from him as I was and closing. He was not faulted. He did however, applaud my ability to thread through the cars. My mother's pearl SVX was totaled. I bought it from the insurance company and with internet searching found her a claret 92 in Denver with 28000 miles. Hers was hitting 63000—she forgave me. I started buying these cars for daily drivers and started offering the car for sale to friends when I found nice ones. I've stuck with 92s. The first one I bought was teal with 45000 from Florida, sold it when a black one with 32000 showed up in Arizona, got another lowered pearl low miler off the east coast and bought four more with 60, 85, 90 and 34 thousand off e-bay and other sites. I think second hand SVXs are the finest automobiles for dollar value. The car was not only designed to go fast in comfort; it was also designed for survival on impact. I have had transmission problems with only one so far. I swapped the spare I salvaged out of my mother's. For transmission life, I run in third gear unless going 70 or more and want overdrive gearing. Pulling a grade, I drop to third. Third gear offers a one to one ratio, and has to be easier on the transmission and the engine can handle the revs. The loss in fuel consumption is affordable. This is why I became a fan of the SVX. It’s safe and it likes to go fast. But be careful. May everybody be always as lucky as Jute and I were when we discovered the beauty of the SVX.

[Beav]

Hmm...the claret wouldn't happen to be a LS model by any chance? I bought one in '92 and traded it in '96, in Denver.

The seller was a retired Air Force guy who had purchased the car new. He had taken Subaru up on a wine you and dine you package the company put together to sell the car. They gave him a place to stay, put him in the car with a driver on a track and showed him what the car would do. He ordered. Seems like he said he answered an ad in a magazine about buying the latest and greatest from Subaru. It would have been fun but if I had to pay 30 to 35 thousand, I'd still be running my Dart as daily driver.

[Beav]

Oh well, someday I may run into the person that has the car now.
I think I paid 22k for mine new. I'd have to dig up some old Quicken or Quick Books back-ups to be sure though.

[svx_commuter]

Welcome to the club and may the "Force" stay with you.

John

[LarryIII]

Lakefive Henry,


Welcome to the SVX World Network from a fellow Yahooer.
You will like this site, once you learn the best ways to navigate around here. I will always prefer the old Yahoo site but navigating this site is easier than the "new & improved" Yahoo.

Larry III