Post
by pitrack_1 » Fri Feb 08, 2013 12:29 am
Lovely Valiant, Venom. I remember lots of the 'Safari' wagons carting the Lebanese families around (Catholic school) when I was young...the vehicles went by a name that's politically incorrect now- bit of a shame, it's wonderfully descriptive.
Back on topic... I still have my best car- my 1990 Nissan Pulsar Vector SSS LSD (what a mouthful), in a colour I call "stark raving blue". Purchased with 70672 km on it, it now has >400000km on an unoverhauled original engine. I can still park it for a month, then insert-key, turn, start. It only once (dead batteries aside) 'failed to proceed,' due to a dud ignition module.
I've done far more dirt/mud/off-road in that thing than in the Forester. I'm far more comfortable in it on dirt roads, I know what it's capable of, how it handles and what it'll do. It's forded the Wolgan River, overtaken Landcruisers in mud coming out of the Wolgan valley and been to Cooktown and back (clicked over 300,000 during). You can throw it around and it won't bite you. I'm sure the FWD LSD makes a huge difference, no probs planting the foot out of a corner. Whilst no sharp sports car, it rewards correct (for it) driving technique- throttle balanceable front/rear/four wheel slides are all possible. Many times I happily took it out, just for fun, on a wet night at 11pm for a ~200km run on country roads ("Fright nights", I called them). I don't know how many times I had a loopy grin on my face, in a four wheel slide, in the middle of nowhere, at night on an old highway, with no-one but me to know...fun times!
I've hung on to the Pulsar and believe it's worth rebuilding/restoring/maintaining because of the 'fun factor', reliability, toughness and Aussie parts. In short I trust it, driving-wise, more than the Forester.
Patrick
Ex- 2010 Forester Diesel