Stargazer's Garage

This is what makes a Subaru, a Subaru! Thanks to Tijmen Fongers for finding this awesome video for me :0)

2006 Subaru Impreza WRX STI Originally uploaded by istargazer . I was just looking at the stats on my Flickr account and discovered something interesting. For some reason, this particular picture--out of all the 900+ pictures I've uploaded--has the most views of all. As of this post, it has been viewed 26,787 times (not including myself). I wonder why that is because it hasn't generated as many comments or favorites as some of my other pictures.

Version 2: Was it a dream? Originally uploaded by istargazer . I watched an episode of Test Drive on the Speed channel this afternoon on the new 4-door Porsche Panamera. I've seen it a few times now on different shows and being on the Porsche mailing list I've seen the official literature on it, too. The look is growing on me, although I do like the view mostly either full-frontal or directly from the rear. The side profile has some nice aspects, but the overall look definitely takes some getting used to. For some reason, it made me really, really miss my 2006 Subaru Impreza WRX STI.

420 Originally uploaded by istargazer . I took this picture almost 2 years ago shortly after I had the RCE Sport springs installed on my 2006 Subaru Impreza WRX STI. The location is a Park and Ride station and I thought it was an interesting spot. I had no idea the significance of "420" until someone posted a comment. I had to google it to find the meaning to educate myself--LOL! Anyway, there was a huge crowd in downtown Vancouver today commemorating the occasion.

I really miss my STI!

Ken Block in a 2006 Subaru Impreza WRX STI specially prepared by Crawford Racing. Absolutely amazing!

Now that I'm looking for a new car I'm getting a little excited despite the upcoming loss of my R. My absolute requirements are navigation and HIDs. Navigation from manufacturers are often massively over-priced, but with my R I've realized the exorbitant prices might be worth it. More beneath the fold.... There was no nav option with my R, so I've been making do with a portable GPS. Except I don't carry it with me all the time, and I don't leave it in the R. A few occasions I found myself wishing I had brought my GPS with me -- only a few occasions but nonetheless highly aggravating ones. Anywhoo, I liked the navigation system on my dad's G35 so that's what I looked at first. The dealer has an excellent deal ($7-8k I looked at the 1- and 3-series, but they're expensive and not too practical. Pity. When I think of practical I think of space, which means hatchbacks. I kind of like them. Big surprise, eh? I looked at a MazdaSpeed3 -- great pric...

When I went down to Point Roberts, WA, last Thursday, I got there quite early. Actually, I arrived at 1 PM exactly when I planned--I even saw the FedEx truck pull away from the shipping dock. But when I went inside I found out that FedEx Ground wouldn't be arriving for another hour. Luckily, I was able to use that time by finishing a movie that I had started the week before: The French Connection (1971) , starring Gene Hackman. One of the features that I really like about the rear entertainment/navigation system on our 2007 GMC Yukon XL Denali is the ability to watch a DVD on the front navigation screen when the vehicle is parked. I simply sat in the driver's seat and reclined it like a comfy leather arm chair and enjoyed the movie in Dolby Surround Sound. It made the hour pass by so quickly that the next thing I knew, the movie finished, I looked up and saw the FedEx Ground truck arrive and a fellow Vancouver Impreza Club member, Spore, in the parking lot. The only thing that...

After getting the RAM mount for my STI and testing it out, I realized that I didn't post any pictures of how it actually fit. It worked out quite well except that there wasn't enough clearance for me to use my Sony DCR-PC1000 camcorder. If the arm was longer, I could probably have extended it out more away from the rear window and have enough clearance. I think RAM sells longer length arms so that's always an option for me in the future. A longer arm will also.... ...allow me to put the mount on my Suzuki Burgman. Luckily, my point-and-shoot camera fit fine and with a 4BG memory stick I was able to record almost an hour's worth of video. In terms of track time , that meant I could record two full 25 min. sessions. What I like about this type of mount was that I was able to attach it to one of the child tether anchors on the rear shelf without having to make any modifications to the STI.

The camera mount that I put into the STI worked pretty well at the track. What you see here is 2 laps around the track at Mission Raceway. We were divided into groups and took turns being the lead car while the instructor sat beside us giving tips. This is the 3rd out of 4 runs we did during the afternoon (so I'm a lot smoother than I was at the beginning) and I'm following a 2006 STI right before it's my turn to lead.

Whoo, hoo! I just completed my first track day! This was an event organized by Geremy from Specialty Subaru in North Vancouver specifically for Subaru owners. The instructors were from Driving Unlimited and I had an awesome time practicing techniques like heel/toe shifting and trail braking. Going down the straightaway hearing the roar of the boxer engine at full throttle had the theme music from Gran Turismo 2 playing in my head and put a huge grin on my face. The event was held at Mission Raceway Park and started at about 8:30. There were 24 vehicles (including a few non-Subarus) registered for the course and once everyone signed the waiver.... ...the instructors began explaining basic concepts about setting up the proper seating and mirror positions on our vehicles. They also explained the three warm-up exercises that we would be doing on the track. Slalom: To practice our distance vision an instructor stands at the end of the slalom and signals when we need to skip a gate. Avoid...

After buying this RAM mount for my camera, I finally installed and tested it out tonight. I was unable to put our digital camcorder on it because there wasn't enough clearance from the roof, but the Sony point-and-shoot fits well. .

GPS City Canada RAM Mount Aluminum Video Camera Zinc Coated U-Bolt Mount I really like the Internet. I've always known how handy it is to get information about something by searching for it online, but today I was reminded of it when I was looking for some way to mount a camera inside my car.... I signed up for a track day in late June and I thought it would be neat to get video footage of me driving the STI. I've heard that most tracks don't allow you to have a camera, but I figured even if they said no, at least I'd have something to use another time. I searched for lots of different solutions and decided that I would like something that could fit the tether anchor bolt on the hat shelf behind the rear seats. I saw lots of DYI projects and some professional ones that didn't seem to fit where I wanted it. So I posted my question on a forum and this morning followed a link that someone gave me that looked promising. Then I Googled the part number, found a Canadian c...

I was approached a couple of weeks ago to include one of my pictures in a full page ad for Subaru of America. It's part of a collage of other pictures they found on Flickr. It was published today and will be republished again on Wednesday, April 30. Mine is the b/w picture with the tracks in the snow. Here's the original picture: Surprise, snow! on Flickr - Photo Sharing! Here's the ad: "Love driving roads so bad you get them all to yourself. Love using every part of the odometer. Love being proud of the plant your car was built in. Love that the baby in the backseat may end up driving it to college. Love having people in crosswalks know you'll stop. Love knowing it would give it's life to save yours. Love thinking, at least once everyday, that you may have gotten more car than you paid for. Love. It's what makes a Subaru, a Subaru." I actually almost forgot to buy the paper today. I had to dash out just before the stores closed to try and find one. It...

Red Button Originally uploaded by istargazer . One of the other things I installed yesterday was the JDM red hazard button. This was not a standard item on the 2006 STI in North America and is purely cosmetic, but I feel good about it :0) Click to... The other thing I did was update the Accessport to the latest firmware (it now includes live Fuel Consumption data) and reflash the new maps back in.

Wet Chalk Originally uploaded by istargazer . Somehow the planets must have aligned yesterday because: #1 - The weather was nice and warm on a Saturday. #2 - I had no commitments, appointments, or errands to do. #3 - I was motivated to get off my butt. Click below to.... In this picture you can see that I swapped out the winter tires (did it for the Honda Odyssey (23456 km), too) and installed the new front lip. I broke the old one the day after I took the Cold STI picture.

I love this!

Cold STI Originally uploaded by istargazer . I've been lazy. But the large amount of snow we got overnight is supposed to last a few days and more is coming on Tuesday. So today I decided to mount the BBS wheels with winter tires on the STI. Boy, I really, really like the benefits of a locked differential. It gives me the ability to steer with the throttle and keep total control as I navigate icy, snow-covered streets. I have to admit that it's a little bit fun, too! :biggrin:

2006 Subaru Impreza WRX STI Originally uploaded by istargazer . It's been awhile since I took a picture of the STI. Here it is as of yesterday with its latest bobble: the Autospeed License Plate Trim.

I changed the wiper blades on my 2006 Subaru Impreza STI before I went on the cruise to Alki Beach 3 last weekend. I wanted to get Bosch Icons, but LORDCO didn't have the right size (22" and 17") so I got Trico Innovisions instead... The Trico wiper blades are similar to the Bosch Icons in that they are frameless. My original STI blades were quite worn and streaking and should have been changed long ago. I also noticed that they lifted a bit at high speeds. Overall though, they lasted for 1.5 years and that's not bad. The Trico Innovision worked reasonably well. It gave even pressure all along the wiper blade and there was only a little lifting of the bottom edge of the driver's side wiper at high speeds--nothing that affected my vision. The look takes a bit to get used to, though. I might try out the Bosch Icons next time around.