the ugly wood dash is killing me!

[Wolfy]

Originally Posted by Treppiede

I think that the wood-wanna-be trimming used in our SVXes is ugly and cheap as well.
The only example I've seen was on my father's '95 SVX, I can only imagine how nasty the one on the '92 models that you guys are mentioning can look.

Fortunately mine came without wood-wanna-be trimming, I like the clean, plain look much better.

Sometimes I wonder what the heck was going through the minds of the people responsible for certain SVX choices. Was it supposed to be Subaru's answer to Supras, 3000GTs, 300ZXs and RX7s? If yes, why in the world did they choose AT over MT? Was it supposed to be a sports car or a luxury car? I love my torquey flat-6, beautiful piece of engineering (especially the non-interference part ) but why didn't they offer any forced induction option?

I love SVXs but when I think of the quantity of owners (including myself) that have to make substantial changes to truly appreciate them I wonder whether it's fair to say that Subaru has made some very stupid choices for our cars. Something to think about, no?

-Walter

wat i honestly think they tried to do was make it the "most luxurious" of all the competition, prolly for more of the older aged consumers who like the 3000gt and rx7, but dont want to bother being cramped and playing with a silly stick to make the car go. they figured that the consumer would rather sit back relax, and slam the gas pedal down for an amusing growl once and a while.. all in the while of lookng at some "classy" wood finish and decide wether they want their wipers hidden or not :P

[Treppiede]

Originally Posted by dcarrb

but I'll never understand what motivates those who persist in trying to make this car into something it's not.

dcb: I hear your points, but those people probably love the look, love the overall quality, the EG33 and more.

The AT part is what I'd really choke the members of that deciding Team over at Subaru Corp in the late 80s for. The only reason I bought it (despising AT so much) is because I stumbled across a clean one, my Father had just gotten his and I had the swap in mind anyways.

Make no mistake here, we're (I'm) not talking about power mods or appearance touches (which I define as personalization), we're (I'm) mostly talking about an important drivetrain option which these cars were never offered with, an option that people (especially outside of the US) wanted!

Bottom line is: there are aspects of our cars that are so well designed that can make a potential purchaser overlook other things. The numbers speak for themselves: there are numerous SVXs converted to MT out there and there would be even more if the process was simpler and more affordable.

Didn't Subaru actually lose a few thousand dollars for each SVX sold? I understand they wanted to introduce a semi-luxurious model to prove to the world they could produce such vehicles, but I am almost certain that with a nice MT and (why not) mild Forced Induction (although the NA EG33 is a great motor) they probably would have made it out even, or even made a bit of profit off of them.



-Walter

[bwb3]

If I understood what the book "Where the Suckers Moon" said, Subaru didn't have the financial means to develop an SVX unique transmission and used what was available off the shelf. An auto was their only choice for the torque. Regarding the plastic wood, the later models with the lighter wood and tan leather are quite handsome. Really defines the car as a luxurary tourer, not a sports car ricer. Nothing wrong with that market segment and why I bought a '94 to start with. The '92 does leave a lot to be desired. At least my '92 hasn't turned purple yet.
Gene

[Wolfy]

Originally Posted by bwb3

If I understood what the book "Where the Suckers Moon" said, Subaru didn't have the financial means to develop an SVX unique transmission and used what was available off the shelf. An auto was their only choice for the torque. Regarding the plastic wood, the later models with the lighter wood and tan leather are quite handsome. Really defines the car as a luxurary tourer, not a sports car ricer. Nothing wrong with that market segment and why I bought a '94 to start with. The '92 does leave a lot to be desired. At least my '92 hasn't turned purple yet.
Gene

mine did lol 155.JPG

[bwb3]

Wow! Nice car man. I'll can't wait to see what your solution is.
Gene

[dcarrb]

Originally Posted by Treppiede

dcb:
Make no mistake here, we're (I'm) not talking about power mods or appearance touches (which I define as personalization), we're (I'm) mostly talking about an important drivetrain option which these cars were never offered with, an option that people (especially outside of the US) wanted!

Honestly, I would prefer a manual transmission simply because my cars are old, I rely on them daily, and manuals generally don't give up without warning and leave you walking, the way automatics can. Still, I'll never be a candidate for such a transplant (nor a 4.11, 4.44, or whatever). I like the fact that my cars are pretty much as they came from the factory, in spite of the dopey fake wood. If ever there is a collector's market for these things, the few unadulterated examples left will certainly be the most valuable.

I don't buy the premise that Subaru used an automatic due to the unavailability of a sufficiently beefy manual. They wanted to showcase a new transmission that at the time a unique piece of work, and I suspect they also misread the sport/luxury market, which really didn't even exist back then. (Automatic=Upscale.) Had the SVX sold in sufficient numbers to be profitable I'll bet they would have read customer and dealer feedback, made some engineering changes, and introduced an MT by 1994 or '95.

dcb

[lhopp77]

Originally Posted by Wolfy

mine did lol Attachment 10896

You should at least get the wheels on right.

Lee

[oregondave]

what about using factory exterior colors and brush painting that on? I was thinking pearl white would look awesome in place of my 92' crappy woodgrain. Then you wouldn't have to remove all the parts?

[benebob]

For everybody complaining about the auto. Remember nearly 1/2 of all Vettes are autos.

[sperry]

The only thing that's kept me from pulling all my wood dash pieces and painting them semi-gloss black is knowing there's no way to paint the A/C surround and end up with factory quality, back-lit text.

I don't totally hate the wood, but I'm really not a fan. Especially since it's plastic. When it was new, perhaps it looked like real wood, but over the years mine's faded enough to look fake. Or maybe it's just always looked that way.

Shame on Subaru! I bet for just a hundred bucks or so more in build cost, they could have put real wood in the car and actually up-classed the interior. For a car that MSRP'd for $33k in 1992, real wood should have been included!

[dannmarr]

For the lettering, you can use a label maker with white on clear or black tape. It's clean and professional looking.

[sperry]

Originally Posted by dannmarr

For the lettering, you can use a label maker with white on clear or black tape. It's clean and professional looking.

But doesn't back light when the dash lights come on.

[redlightningsvx]

My woodgrain is flat black and you can still read the a/c. But it needs redone as it has a hole in it.

[sperry]

Originally Posted by redlightningsvx

My woodgrain is flat black and you can still read the a/c. But it needs redone as it has a hole in it.

Got any pictures of it? I'm curious to see how it turns out if you paint it.

[redlightningsvx]

Sure, here's the only pic i could find though. You can see the hole under the HIGH button.