Mr. Gibson's (elfstones) blog

GM, Ford, Mitsubishi, Subaru are all companies that publicly say car sales continue to plummet while trucks, SUVs, and crossovers rise.

In Oct of 2018, Subaru release this chart.  Overall sales are up, but sports cars BRZ and WRX are down.  Sedans/hatchback Impreza and Legacy are down.

Carline Oct-18 Oct-17 % Chg Oct-18 Oct-17 % Chg
MTD MTD MTD YTD YTD YTD Forester 15,981 13,430 19.0% 137,905 145,460 -5.2% Impreza 5,499 6,733 -18.3% 65,039 71,322 -8.8% WRX/STI 2,277 2,416 -5.8% 24,234 26,572 -8.8% Ascent 6,008 0 0.0% 22,588 0 0.0% Legacy 2,752 4,538 -39.4% 33,832 41,999 -19.5% Outback 11,574 15,786 -26.7% 149,566 156,277 -4.3% BRZ 254

What can we expect from Ford concerning the future of the Mustang?

March 2018 Ford published [edited/shortened]:
All-in push on hybrid-electrics to bring new capability and features to customers on high-volume, profitable vehicles the Mustang; battery electric vehicle rollout starts in 2020 with performance utility and six BEVs by 2022. The Mustang Hybrid will be all about delivering V8-like performance with more low-end torque.

Does V8-like performance translate to 350 plus horse power?

Hybrid cars don't come across and impressive or cool. How will Ford market this aspect?


Ford announces Ford Co-Pilot360™, a package that includes standard automatic emergency braking, blind spot warning and other driver assist features.

I was expecting to see this on future Mustangs, but I wonder, why is Ford so behind on this package compared to several other car companies?

I have made myself a part necessity and part dream list for my `15 Subaru Crosstrek.

Crosstrek todo:

In order of importance for me:

Rust repair This is a must and short term goal. I just posted about this a few day ago. At 22K on the odometer, there should be no rust, but there is.

New tires Another must. Still have factory tires on from my Feb 2015 purchase. Only rotated once (I know, I'm a horrible car owner) so the rear tires are more heavily worn than my current front tires.
The car came with P225/55R17 95H. So many choices and still comparing.

Seat detailing Something I need to do for having the car as an every day beater
. New Infotainment system I have one of the blah-est Infotainment systems ever put out by Subaru, or anybody else for that matter. I would love to upgrade this. A couple of photos from my current system.


Inside door handle replacement I have significant wear on this door handle. This is the only interior piece of trim that ha…

I have what appears to be a rare factory defect on my paint job. I say rare, because my previous daily Subaru car has zero rust on it still and no other Subie owners out there I know has this issue. The rust is in the driver's door jam and still easily fixable, right under the trim.

Pulling up the trim and it looks to be surface rust.

I have purchased the following items. for the removal, 80 grit sanding paper. All based on other's work and experience on similar tasks.


to be continued.....

I would love Ford Motor Company to address any of these Mustang rumors:

o There is an AWD version of the Mustang in the works

o There is a four door version of the Mustang in the works

o 2019 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 will be 700HP and better performance than the Camaro ZL1 and Challenger Hellcat.

o There is a performance version of the Mustang in development that outperforms the Dodge Demon in multiple aspects.

Below are my first two Subaru vehicles I wrote about in my last posts. On the left is Premium Impreza and on the right, 2015 Premium XV Crosstrek. So similar at first glace, and yet truly from the same platform, but could not be much more different vehicles. [see previous blog https://elfstones69.blogspot.com/2018/11/subaru-owner-topic-snow.html]

After having the Crosstrek through several winters, I can tell you this car is a beast in snow. Even in serious snow storms.



I actually like the looks of the back-ends of '13 thru '17 better than the '18+


The center console was never top end, but not low end. Newer Subaru's, like my '19 Accent, have much better systems.

When driving in snow, what matters?

Experience has taught me there are 5 primary factors for a vehicle that matter. I had assumed 4WD or AWD is what mostly mattered. I was very wrong. Hopeful, I can explain clearly in this post. So, I'll start at the beginning, where I learned this valuable knowledge with my first disappointment with my first Subaru car.

In February 2013, I sold my last Jeep, a trail Jeep Commander. I loved the vehicle. Great storage, power, and mud and snow handling. Better than my Jeep Grand Cherokee. What I didn't like was that I lived 12 miles out of town and gas was at a all time high. Additionally, the windshield was constantly being repaired or replaced because it was so vertical (I drove behind a lot of big trucks). Like always, I did a ton of research and in the end purchased my first new Subaru. I wanted something more sporty, better gas mileage, and would handle snow like my Jeeps had always done. I was told all Subaru's were awesome i…