S&YE220 - That One 3.0R Guy
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Company
Eccentric Designs
Eccentric Designs is a business that makes special vinyl stickers and overlays that can be fitted to Subaru cars to make them look unique or to protect the paint.
Term
vinyl overlays
Vinyl overlays are like stickers made of a special material that you can put on your car to change its look or protect the paint. They can be removed later if you want.
Part
ignition knock sensor
An ignition knock sensor is a part of the engine that listens for unusual sounds when the engine is running. If it hears something wrong, it helps the car adjust to run better and avoid damage.
Company
Subimods
Subimods is a company that sells parts and accessories for Subaru cars, helping owners customize and improve their vehicles.
Car
Nissan 370Z
The Nissan 370Z is a sporty car that is designed for performance driving. It has a strong engine and is built for speed and agility, making it fun to drive.
Car
Chevrolet Chevelle
The Chevrolet Chevelle is a cool old car that was built to be fast and look good. People love it because it's a classic muscle car that brings back memories.
Car
Chevrolet Nova
The Chevrolet Nova is an older car that many people liked because it was affordable and fun to drive. It's now a classic that some collectors really enjoy.
Car
Volkswagen GTI
The Volkswagen GTI is a sporty version of a regular car called the Golf. It's known for being fun to drive and has a powerful engine, making it popular with car lovers.
Part
brake rotor
The brake rotor is a round metal part that helps the car stop when you press the brake pedal. If something gets stuck between it and the brake pad, it can make a loud noise and affect how well the brakes work.
Part
head gasket
The head gasket is a part in the engine that keeps oil and coolant from mixing together. If it fails, it can cause serious engine problems, which is a known issue in some Subaru models.
Term
flat-six
A flat-six engine is a type of engine where the cylinders are laid out flat on either side. This design makes the car more stable and can help it handle better on the road.
Car
Subaru 3.6 R
The Subaru 3.6 R is a model of Subaru that has a 3.6-liter engine. It's known for being reliable and good for families because it has all-wheel drive, which helps with traction in bad weather.
Part
spark plugs
Spark plugs are small parts in a car's engine that help start the engine by creating a spark. If they are worn out, the car might not run well, and it can feel like there's a problem with the transmission instead.
Car
Subaru Outback
The Subaru Outback is a car that can handle both city streets and rough trails. It's popular with people who like to go camping or hiking because it has a lot of space and can drive on different types of roads.
Car
Subaru Impreza
The Subaru Impreza Outback is a type of car that is good for driving in different weather and road conditions. It's known for being tough and reliable.
Part
DC Sports exhaust
A DC Sports exhaust is a special part you can add to a car to make it louder and help the engine work better.
Car
Ford Bronco
The Ford Bronco XLT is a large SUV that was made in the 1990s. It was known for being tough and good for off-road driving, and the XLT version had more comfort features.
Part
5.8 liter Windsor
The 5.8 liter Windsor is a type of V8 engine made by Ford. It's known for being strong and reliable, and it was used in many Ford cars and trucks during the 1980s and 1990s.
Car
Saturn SC2
The Saturn SC2 is a small, sporty car that people enjoyed driving. It has a stick shift, which means you have to change gears yourself, making it more fun for some drivers.
Car
Hyundai Accent
The Hyundai Accent is a small, budget-friendly car that is good on gas. The 2018 version is a hatchback, which means it has a rear door that opens upwards, but it might not have much room for carrying things.
Car
Hyundai Elantra
The Hyundai Elantra GT is a small hatchback car that has more room in the back for carrying stuff than a regular sedan. The 2018 model is designed to be comfortable and practical for everyday use.
Car
Subaru 3.0R
The Subaru 3.0R is a car that has a special type of engine called a flat 6-cylinder engine. This engine is different from the more common engines found in most cars, making it unique for Subaru.
Part
Subaru boxer motor
A Subaru boxer motor is a special kind of engine where the cylinders lie flat instead of standing up. This helps the car handle better and makes it more stable.
Term
H6
H6 means a six-cylinder engine that is laid out flat. This design helps the engine run smoothly and keeps the car stable.
Term
flat 6-cylinder engine
A flat 6-cylinder engine is an engine with six cylinders that are laid out flat, rather than standing up. This design helps the car be more stable and balanced.
Term
poor man's Porsche
'Poor man's Porsche' is a way to describe cars that look or perform like a Porsche but are much cheaper. It's for people who want a sporty car without spending a lot of money.
Car
Porsche Mans Porsche
The Porsche Macan is a fancy small SUV that drives really well and looks great. It's popular with people who want a stylish car that feels good to drive.
Car
Subaru Legacy
The Subaru Legacy is a car that is similar to the Outback but is more of a traditional sedan. The fourth generation refers to the model made between 2003 and 2009.
Car
Subaru Legacy Outback
The Subaru Legacy Outback is a type of car that is both a sedan and an SUV. It's great for families and people who like to go on adventures because it can handle rough roads and has a lot of space inside.
Term
all-wheel drive
All-wheel drive means that power goes to all four wheels of the car, which helps it grip the road better, especially in bad weather like snow or rain.
Car
Subaru Crosstrek
The Subaru Crosstrek is a small SUV that can handle rough roads and is great for outdoor activities. It's popular for its ability to drive in different conditions.
Term
base model
The base model is the simplest version of a car, with just the basic features. It doesn't have any extra upgrades or fancy options that more expensive versions might have.
Term
track build
A track build is when you change a car to make it better for racing. This usually means making it lighter and faster, and improving how it handles on the track.
Car
Acura Tl
The Acura TL is a fancy car that feels nice to drive and has lots of cool features. It's a good choice for people who want a comfortable and stylish ride.
Car
Ford Mustang
The Ford Mustang is a famous American sports car known for being fast and having a cool design.
Car
Chrysler PT Cruiser
The Chrysler PT Cruiser is a small car that looks a bit old-fashioned but is fun to drive. It's popular because it has a lot of space inside and can be used for many different things.
Car
Subaru WRX
The Subaru WRX is a fast and sporty car that can handle tough roads and weather. It's loved by many people who like to drive quickly and enjoy the thrill of racing.
Car
Jeep Wrangler
The Jeep Wrangler is a tough, boxy car that can go off-road, meaning it can drive on rough paths and trails. People love it for its adventurous spirit and ability to handle all kinds of outdoor fun.
Car
Chevrolet Camaro
The Chevrolet Camaro is a sporty car that looks really cool and goes fast. It's popular because it's fun to drive and has a strong engine, making it a favorite for people who love cars.
Car
Volkswagen Jetta
The Volkswagen Jetta is a small car that is easy to drive and good on gas. It's a popular choice for people who need a reliable car for getting around town.
Car
Ford F350
The Ford F-350 is a big truck that can carry heavy things and tow trailers. It's popular with people who need a strong vehicle for work or outdoor activities.
Car
Ford Explorer
The Ford Explorer is a big family car that can carry a lot of people and stuff. It's good for road trips and can handle some rougher roads if you want to go on adventures.
Car
Ford Model Ford
The Ford Model T is one of the first cars that many people could afford, and it changed how cars were made. It helped a lot of families get their own cars and travel more easily.
Car
Subaru BRZ
The Subaru BRZ is a small, sporty car that is fun to drive and can go around corners quickly. It's loved by people who enjoy racing or just want a car that feels exciting on the road.
Car
Dodge Ram
The Dodge Ram is a big truck that can carry heavy loads and is great for work or fun activities. Many people like it because it's strong and has a lot of space inside.
Car
Toyota Prius
The Toyota Prius is a car that uses both gas and electricity to drive, which helps it save fuel and be better for the environment. It's popular with people who want to be eco-friendly and save money on gas.
LIVE
Hey everybody, this is Zach, and you can find me on Instagram at ThatOne3ORGuy.
You're listening to Episode 220 of the Subian New Podcast.
That's right.
We are here for Episode 220 of the Subian New Podcast.
Welcome back to another episode.
Hope you all had a great weekend.
I hope that 2026 is going well for you.
We're like moving through it already.
We're like two-thirds of the way done with January.
As you just heard, we have Zach on the podcast today, and it was great to talk to him and
hear all about his Subaru journey and just get to know him a little bit better because
that's what this podcast is partially about is getting to know the people behind the
car that are driving the car, having fun with the car and getting out there and
just enjoying their Subaru.
We will get into this conversation here in a little bit, but first I got to give a huge
shout out to my buddy Ben, who's over there hosting the Dirt Subis podcast.
I was on his podcast, and then he was on mine, so we're cross-promoting.
If you have not listened to his podcast yet, go check it out.
He has quite a few guests on there already, and he does a really good job of interviewing
his guests as well.
He does it a little bit differently.
His gets into more technical aspects of Subaru's, which I think is really, really good because
I've actually learned a lot by listening to his podcast.
So go check out the Dirt Subis podcast with Ben, and thank you, Ben, for all of your
support of the Subi and you podcast.
I really, really appreciate it.
But now we're going to hear from one of our sponsors.
The Subi and you podcast is brought to you by eccentric designs.
For those of you who don't know, eccentric designs is a small, community-driven business
that offers custom fit vinyl overlays for most Subaru models.
This includes various designs for the rear reflectors, tail lights, and side tail lights.
I also offer fun, detailed designs like the popular fender stripes and stickers.
To find designs for your Subi, head on over to eccentricdesigns.com.
There's always more projects in the works, so be sure to follow at eccentric.designs
on Instagram.
And of course, as always, thank you so much eccentricdesigns for sponsoring the Subi and
you podcast.
Go check out her website.
She also has an Etsy page.
And of course, she is on Instagram, so you can find her in multiple places.
I know it was a couple of days ago, but I want to give a shout out to my buddy Sierra
who goes by SLT Trek because she had a birthday on Saturday the 17th.
So happy birthday, Sierra.
I hope you had a really good day and I hope you had a good weekend.
All right, but one more thing.
So if you've been listening to the podcast for a while, you know this.
But if you're just now tuning in, Sierra is the reason that I asked the question
whether people prefer waffles or pancakes.
She started that.
It's her fault and I've continued to do it.
So thank you so much, Sierra.
So today we will probably be working on Luke's car on his outback because he needs
to replace one of his ignition knock sensors.
He's had that code come up a few times before.
So he ordered the part and we're going to put that in there and hopefully help take
care of his car a little bit more because we've done quite a bit of work on it.
But yeah, so also today is a holiday, as you know.
So if you have this day off, I hope you are enjoying your day off.
If you have to work, I'm sorry.
I actually had to work on the holiday years and years ago.
We had a contract with Charlotte area transit system and we went out there and actually
worked on MLK and that was okay because I got paid for the holiday and I got paid for
working at the same time.
So that was kind of cool.
But yeah, if you've got the day off, I hope you enjoy it and have a shorter
week this week.
As you should all know by now, one of my other sponsors is Subaru Gear.
If you've not checked out SubaruGear.com, what are you waiting for?
Go over there, check it out.
There are so many great Subaru branded merchandise items.
There's also a bunch of different collections.
Of course, there's some Bucky Elastic merchandise.
There is Subaru Motorsports USA and they also have a new section.
So if you click on the new section, you will get to see a lot of new products that they have
added to the site.
So highly recommend going to check it out.
If you've never been there before, make 2026 your year to stock up on Subaru Gear and
represent your favorite car brand.
When you go fill up your cart, use the code SUBINU2026 at checkout to get 20% off
your purchase.
And if your order is over $50 after the 20% discount, you automatically get free shipping,
which I think is incredible.
Thank you so much Subaru Gear for sponsoring the SUBINU podcast and offering this great
discount for our listeners.
And of course, our other sponsor is Subimods.
You've probably seen the big, giant setup at Subifast, BoxerFast, WickedBigMeat.
They also sponsor a lot of different aspects and parts of the shows, but Subimods is one
of the sponsors.
They have a lot of great products for Subarus.
Of course, that's why it's called Subimods because it's all about Subaru.
They also have a really, really great membership program where you can sign up and get rewards
and points for money off your purchases.
So be sure to go check that out as well.
Thank you so much, Subimods, for sponsoring the SUBINU podcast.
Be sure to go check out their website and see what they have to offer.
With all that being said, we're going to get into this episode now with Zach and
hear all about his Subaru that he currently owns and hear about his Subaru journey and
learn some other stuff about him.
So let's get into this episode.
Hey, man.
Welcome to the podcast.
Welcome.
Welcome.
Thank you for having me.
You're welcome.
It's fun to get connected and see you because I like that technology allows people to come
together in different ways.
And through Zoom, we at least get to see each other even though we don't get to be in person,
but it's a little bit nicer of a way to do this.
Yeah, that's for sure, man.
Yeah.
So of course, the first and most important question of all that I have to ask is whether
you prefer waffles or pancakes, and then we can go from there.
I'm going to throw you a curveball.
Oh yeah?
Instead of waffles or pancakes, let's go French toast.
Oh, there you go.
I've had somebody else do that too.
Specifically stuffed French toast.
Stuffed?
Stuffed.
How's that?
Cream cheese, cream cheese cinnamon stuffed French toast.
That sounds good.
It's amazing.
There's a local restaurant by me called Harvest Moon and they have all sorts of
different stuffed French toasts.
Amazing.
That sounds really, really good.
That one I haven't heard before, so that's a new one for me.
Mm-hmm.
I told you I threw you a curveball on that one.
Yes, you did.
It's always good to get a curveball.
I like pancakes, but I like French toast too.
And I haven't had French toast in a really long time, but it's good stuff.
So the other thing that I wanted to talk about before we get into Subaru stuff, because
you and I were chatting a few nights ago and I told you that you were going to be Episode
220 and you were like, no way.
And then we went into this whole thing about the number 22.
So I know you were excited about being Episode 220.
So let us fill this in on the significance of what 22 means to you.
Man.
And so it's fate, and it has to be, because when you said Episode 220, I kind of freaked
out.
I was like, no way.
22 is in that number, and that is my lucky number.
So that has been my lucky number ever since I can remember.
So I was born on August 22nd, 1993.
So from the jump, 22 unknowingly has always been my lucky number, and it's always showed
up in some way, shape, or form throughout my life.
And the earliest things that I can think of were my first school bus was school bus
number 22.
My first grade desk, because we had assigned numbered desks, was desk number 22.
How crazy is that already starting off, you know?
Nuts.
Absolutely nuts.
And then the other one that sticks out to me the most is in my entire life of having
Chinese food, takeout, and all the fortune cookies that you get.
The only one that I've ever gotten that's had 22 as my lucky number said something
to the extent of, what was it like?
One day you're going to be on a podcast and you don't know it?
Yeah, something like that, I think.
It was something about your advice and your help is always wanted and accepted or something
like that.
And that hits because I'm constantly given advice to friends.
The strange fact that of all the times I've had Chinese food with fortune cookies and I've
only ever had one with my lucky number, that's crazy.
Yeah.
Yeah, I mean, it's so weird how certain things show up in your life, whether it's
a number or a person or an event or whatever, but yeah.
So yeah, I told you too that there was actually a couple of people ahead of you on the list
and one person's Instagram page got hacked and he had told me what his new page was.
But in order to find the message from him, I'd have to scroll forever and I think it
was similar to what his old page was, but I couldn't find it.
And then the other person was on the Dirt Subbies podcast very recently.
So I wanted to like, let me just give some space and get that person on a little bit
later just so that they, you know, we've got time between when they were on the Dirt Subbies
podcast and my podcast.
And then I'm like, oh, well look, Zach is next on the list, let me send him a message
and then I tell you that it's 220 and then there we go.
So like you said, it's fate.
It was fate, man.
It's meant to be.
Yeah.
So like when it comes to Subarus, where did your interest in Subarus come from?
Like, because I've had a lot of people that say, you know, their families had Subarus,
so they grew up with Subarus and their family, or they had a friend in high school that
had one, or like they just remember seeing one as a little kid or something like that.
So where did your interest in Subarus come from?
And like, do you have like an early, early memory of seeing a Subarus at some point?
So ironically, mine was definitely not family because my dad's a Mopar guy and he is very much
against Japanese or any imports.
He's very American, very American muscle.
I mean, he's got a scat back challenge right now.
So yeah, he's not going to put himself into a little Japanese import, although one time
you did try squeezing into a 370Z.
That was hilarious.
But no, so my first introduction to Subarus was actually the Jim Kana series with Ken Block.
Yeah.
That first one he ever did when he had that hatchback Subarus, that was my introduction
to Subarus right there and watching him just slide that thing around effortlessly
and the sound of it.
I was like, dang, that's a cool freaking car.
What is that?
I think I like Subarus now.
Does your dad give you a hard time about owning a Subarus?
I mean, he doesn't.
The person who gives me the hardest time about owning a Subarus, actually my boss at work.
He's a Chevy guy.
He has, I want to say it's a Nova or a Chevelle or something like that.
Oh man, Chevelle's a house.
Yeah, so he's constantly just busting me down for owning a Subarus.
It's all in good fun.
I know he's just doing it with me.
But constantly, you wouldn't have such problems here at work if you didn't own a Subarus.
Yeah.
Just stuff like that.
There's the job I used to work a couple of jobs ago.
A long time ago, this girl had Volkswagen GTI and she was driving back from lunch one day
and she heard this really bad squealing and we all kind of came to the conclusion
that there was potentially a small rock or pebble in between her brake and the rotor.
I think that's what it ended up being, but there was this older guy in our office
who was like 100% American cars, import cars or crap and I don't want any of that Japanese stuff.
And he told her, well, if you had bought an American car, you probably wouldn't be having
that issue and we're like, that's like the dumbest statement ever.
It has nothing to do with it being an import car.
Subarus are great, man.
I love them.
Yeah, well, then you also got to remember owning a Subaru, even though mine's not
a four cylinder, not that I'm busting on the four cylinders,
but mine's got the flat six, which isn't known to have head gasket failure,
but the amount of times I get jokes about head gasket failure, I'm like,
I don't own that kind of Subaru.
It's a flat six because it's the same head gasket issue.
Yeah, my son has a 2010 3.6 R.
Yeah, he was having some issues with it.
We thought it was transmission because it kept slipping and it happened a lot when he was in
third gear and between a certain mile per hour and stuff.
And so he started looking up stuff online and found out that if the spark plugs are bad,
or going bad, that they can simulate what feels like transmission slippage.
So we changed out all six spark plugs.
Actually, he did it himself.
He did like 95% of the work, which was very impressive.
Yeah, because I've heard that it sucks.
I heard that it sucks, but he did it.
And I was like super proud of him.
Like he did a great job.
And after that, he hasn't had any issues.
So we knew that it was the spark plugs, but he's had some other issues with it.
But other than that, it has 215,000 miles and it still drives really, really great.
Still kicking.
That's awesome.
I'm so glad that I work at a shop with technicians that know what they're doing,
because I did the same thing.
I looked it up and I was like, do I really want to change my spark plugs?
I think I'm just going to have one of the guys that work to it.
Yeah.
No, it was cool.
It was, we're proud of him doing it.
But so like when it comes to Subaru, you saw the Jim Kana you said and Ken Block and the hatchback.
So is this your first Subaru, by the way?
It is not.
So this is my second Subaru.
Okay.
And I know we're going to get into it a little later about my first car and first Subaru.
So I do have a story for that later.
My first car was a Subaru.
Okay.
So I feel like it was in Evan.
This is only your second car ever?
No.
No.
Oh, okay.
What?
I think this is car number eight.
Oh, okay.
So you said your first car was a Subaru.
So my first car ever was a Subaru.
Gotcha.
Okay.
I thought maybe like you'd had that one for a long time and then you've had this one
for a while.
But you've had some in between is what you're saying.
Gotcha.
And I've had all sorts of makes and models in between.
Okay.
All right.
So like I guess just tell us what it was back then just real quick and then we can
still get into it later in more detail.
But what was your first Subaru?
So my first Subaru was a 1998 Subaru Impreza Outback nicknamed Nancy.
Okay.
And I riced the hell.
I had everything from the AutoZone special isle that you could think of on that thing
from a DC sports exhaust to all the little vinyl stickers and emblems and all that.
Yeah.
So when you, so you had that one and then you had some other cars before what brought
you back to Subaru?
So I was looking around because prior to that I had had my grandfather's 1993 Bronco XLT
with the 5.8 liter Windsor.
Oh.
Yeah.
Nick named the OJ Mobile because it was actually from California.
It was white.
Oh, very nice.
I could go off for days on stories on that thing.
But unfortunately I had to sell it and I had two of my grandmothers.
I had two cars at the time.
My other car was a 2002 Saturn SC2 coupe, manual transmission, which was also a blast.
But I was like, yeah.
Well, at that time I was working in the gas field up here in Pennsylvania working security,
third shift, 12 hour shifts at night, 7pm to 7am.
I was like, this little front wheel drive manual tiny little coupe isn't going to cut it.
And me and the wife were already pregnant.
So we're like, well, one of us needs to get a family car.
And she had a, I think it was a 2018 Hyundai Accent or Elantra GT hatchback with zero space
in the back.
Yeah.
And I had saved up enough money from working in the gas field.
I was like, well, I got enough for a down payment and my bank is pretty good.
So with their interest rates, let me go get a loan for like $8,000.
We'll see what I can find.
So I was looking around and looking around.
I kept coming upon Subaru Outbacks and I'm like, they're pretty freaking cool.
I like how they look.
I just happened to find a little place in Hanover, Pennsylvania that had an 06 Outback 3.0R.
I was like, what the hell is 3.0R?
What makes that different than any other Outback?
So I had never heard of that at that time.
So I started doing some research on that.
I was like, oh, that's my four cylinder.
Yeah.
So what is the 3.0R for, because like I'm still learning about stuff.
I know my cross-trick and that's pretty much it.
And I know a little bit about my son's car.
But you know, there's so many like different engine types and sizes and everything over the years.
And I hear people say, oh, I have this.
And I'm like, okay, I'm sure that means something.
So for my benefit and maybe some people that are listening,
that may also not necessarily know, explain what the 3.0R is.
So the 3.0R H6 EZ30, whichever you want to call it from that era,
is a 3.0L 6-cylinder, flat 6-cylinder Subaru boxer motor.
So it's a flat 6, kind of similar to your Porsche's hence why I have a sticker that I made for my car.
That's Porsche with an extra O. It's the poor man's Porsche.
So I was like, I've never seen a flat 6 and a Subaru.
That's different than any other Subaru I've ever seen.
So I went all the way down to Hanover.
It's, I think it's like an hour and a half, two hour drive from me.
And I brought my parents with me and looked at it, test drove it.
I was like, damn, this thing's fun and it has space to spare.
Like plenty of space for kids in the back and a bunch of cargo space.
Yeah.
This is the one.
I fell in love with it on the test drive.
Isn't that how it happens sometimes?
Always.
Yeah.
You fall in love with it.
Yeah.
And it's a 2006, right?
Correct.
Yep. 2006.
And what generation is that?
Because that's the other thing is like, I don't remember all the generations of the outbacks
because I know we're like, what, into generation six now with the newest one or something?
Maybe seven.
I can't remember.
It might be seven.
I don't know the new ones too well.
But here's where it gets confusing with my generation of outback.
Oh.
Yeah.
So my outback is a third gen outback based off of the fourth gen legacy platform.
So the frame and chassis itself is a fourth gen legacy outback
but the actual outback portion of it itself is just a third gen.
Gotcha.
Yeah.
Come on, Subaru.
Messing with us.
Yeah, I know.
I said this on the last episode with Ben but like me and my kids will see like a legacy outback
something and we're like, how is it a legacy and an outback at the same time?
Or like we'll see like an impresa legacy outback
something or like that's just confusing.
Yeah.
Yeah, because I know there's the legacy outback going back to my first car.
It was an impresa outback.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I mean even the impresas back in the 90s had an outback trim.
Yep.
Yeah.
One of these days I'll learn it and figure out how that all works.
But even me being a Subaru fanatic that I am, there's still so many different
Subaru's that it's hard and all the different trim levels and engines, platforms, it's too much.
So you did a bunch of mods on your first one.
You said you had it riced out.
So when you were buying this one, you were looking for more of a family car or something
with more room.
Obviously, I'm sure something with all wheel drive just for safety and everything.
But what was your intention when you bought it?
Was it just to have more of like a daily driver family car?
So I didn't even really at first intend to do much to it.
My first thought was I need something with enough space for my wife and kid
and it needs to be safe.
It needs to be all wheel drive and it needs to be good in the snow,
which Subaru's been known for.
Yep.
And at that time, like I said, I was still working in the gas field.
So I was like, I need something that's going to be able to handle these lease roads
that I'm driving up and down every night and not have an issue and not struggle to get up the side
of a mountain.
Yeah.
And then obviously with that having the flat six, I was like,
I highly doubt this was going to struggle.
Yeah.
So now like when did you start thinking like, okay, I want to do some more stuff with this thing?
So I think within the first year, ironically, it's sitting right behind my laptop here,
but my wife had bought a cricket vinyl printer.
Oh, yeah.
So I was like, maybe she can make me some vinyls for it, you know, make me some stickers.
Yep.
So I started out the simple thing had her make me some stickers, had her make like a
Yoda baby on board sticker with like the baby Yoda and something like that.
Oh, yeah.
So with how my mind works, as soon as I started putting the stickers on, I was like,
well, I think I need to start putting some more stuff on this.
Think about what I want to actually do to it now.
Yeah.
Besides just the vinyls.
Yeah.
That's where it kicked in.
And I was like, well, I got stickers on it.
It's already customized for me now.
So now I just need to actually customize it.
So what was the first thing that you did besides like putting the vinyls on,
like more of a physical modification?
So the first two things, I can't remember which one I did first.
I want to say it was the wheels.
I found actually my buddy found me on Facebook.
Someone had a list thing, it's like 45 minutes to an hour away from me for 2015
Cross Trek wheels and tires, all four of them.
It was like 250, 300 bucks.
Man, that's crazy.
That's good.
And they were like just taking off the vehicle.
He got rid of the vehicle.
So he had these wheels and tires sitting around.
He was like, I don't know what to do with them.
I don't know what the market is for these things.
They were just my stock wheels.
I don't need them.
First one for, you know, first come, first serve, whoever's got the money,
come get them.
So I was like, okay, I'm getting them.
So what was it about the ones that were on your car that did you not like the style
or what was going on with those?
So I don't know.
I still have them.
They're in my shed.
I might eventually paint them.
They're just that typical, not as cool looking OEM Subaru wheel in that silver color.
Yeah.
I was just like, I need something that has a little something to it.
More style.
So then he sent me those Cross Trek wheels.
And I was like, now those black and silver, that's pretty cool.
Yeah.
Those do look good.
And then, then I started looking into even more of the Cross Trek wheels and Cross Trek
wheels in general, just OEM or kind of, in my opinion, some of the coolest looking
Subaru OEM wheel designs.
Yeah.
The ones that came on my Cross Trek, because I have a 2021.
I really liked the ones that came on mine, but I didn't necessarily like the
ones that were on the premium trim.
And then I think even the ones that were on the sport were a little bit different.
But mine was a base model.
And I'm like, I really like the wheels on the base model trim.
And I'm like, I'm kind of glad I got the base model just for the wheels sake,
because I wasn't too crazy about the other ones.
But yeah, they've got some really good, nice wheels for the Cross Trek.
I agree.
Yeah.
Other than like STIs, obviously, with like the VBSs from Factory, I honestly feel like
the Cross Trek for whatever reason has some of the nicest and cleanest wheel designs from Factory.
Yeah.
They did a good job with them.
They did.
They definitely did.
There's actually, there's a couple different sets of Cross Trek wheels that I consider,
but some of them are just ridiculously expensive for no reason.
And there's one set that kind of looks like a fake bead lock.
Like it has the little bead lock nuts around the outside edge.
I can't remember what the pattern looked like, but they're pretty decent.
And then there's another one that I can only describe as like,
they look like the letter R going all the way around the wheel.
Like that's kind of the wheel design.
There's black and silver, but the silver part looks like an R.
I don't know.
Yeah.
I just like them for some reason.
I don't know why.
I think they look cool.
Yeah.
No, it's, it's, you know, I mean, wheels are important because you want your,
I mean, it's your car.
You want to personalize it.
You want to, you know, make it look good and definitely something that you want.
I just scrolled back on your account and I can,
I see the ones that you're talking about that it came with.
So I see what you mean.
Yeah.
They're almost just like the basic legacy wheels that came on the legacies of that generation.
I was like, I mean, they're not bad, but they're not stand out.
You know, they don't look that cool.
Yeah.
I can see how the pattern and style that if you were to do some sort of paint on them,
that they could look better.
Like they have, it's like they have potential.
Yeah.
They definitely do.
And that, that was kind of the plan before getting the cross-track wheels.
And I was going to go with Plasti Dip.
Yeah.
And I was like, I've heard too many horror stories about Plasti Dip.
Yeah.
So I think I'm just going to go with the whole, just get a different wheel altogether.
Yeah.
And for the price, that's for the wheels and the tires.
That's not bad at all.
Oh my gosh.
Yeah.
And the fact that it came with some decent tread left on the tires and for,
I think, like I said, it was like 250, 300 bucks,
45 minutes to an hour away.
I was like, why wouldn't I?
Yeah.
So what year did you end up buying your outback?
Okay.
That was, I think it was five years ago at this point, so like 21, 22.
Okay.
Ironic, 22.
Yeah.
Yep.
So having it, you know, for the past several years, like what is it that you
like most about your, this generation and your outback?
Not like considering the mods, but just like the car itself.
Yeah.
So I just, I've grown to love it, but as I see all of these other people on Instagram,
they're just, they're so unique.
They're not like any of the other Subaru's.
Like I feel like now, if you look at the current lineup, it's almost like
two cookie cutter.
Like everything just kind of looks to bland and too similar to a certain extent.
And back then in early 2000s, it was like, that one really stood out to me personally.
It was like, it didn't look like any of the other, you know, the rest of the cars in the lineup.
Yeah.
And not only that, but there's, there's just so many ways you can go with them
and they'll look good regardless in my opinion.
Yeah.
So like you can do what I'm doing and lift it.
You can lower it.
You could keep it as a track build.
You could do rally.
You can do, you know, so many different ways and they'll still look good.
Yeah.
And I think the Subaru's across the lineup back then compared to other manufacturers
were just different, you know, looking, because that's a big part of what made
Subaru stand out as being different.
Yeah, exactly.
So like as far as other mods, like, I know before we started recording,
you talked about a mod that you just did today.
So we can go ahead and jump into that and then we can talk about any other mods
that you've done that you like.
So it was actually this past Saturday.
Oh, okay.
Gotcha.
No, you're good.
But I just put a two inch lift kit on it and damn, was that a struggle?
Yeah.
So like I was talking to you about the front 10, 15 minutes,
my buddy Lucky had that on and done.
I was like, sweet.
This is going to be painless.
You know, we got to the rear.
Oh my God.
Not so painless.
Two hours, two hours later and we'll finally get it done.
I'm like, thank God.
Yeah.
At least my car is lifted now, but thank God.
So how does it look to you now with the lift?
So I love it, but it definitely needs bigger wheels and tires now.
Yeah.
Maybe not bigger wheels, but definitely bigger tires.
Yeah.
So I've been looking around now.
I found a set up in, I believe they're in Sarah, Pennsylvania,
which is up towards the New York border.
And the guy originally had these things listed for 600.
He has them down to 550.
I don't even know what the brand is.
I just like how they look.
Are they all-terrain tires?
So yeah, they kind of look, well, their wheel is not tired.
Oh, the wheels, gotcha.
But they're brand new in-box by 100-luck pattern, never been mounted,
never nothing.
They're still in the box.
Nice.
And they're kind of off-roady looking, if that makes sense.
Yeah, yeah.
So I was like, I've been thinking about getting them.
And I'm just, I'm cheap.
I'll be honest, I have enough to get up.
But I'm like, just wait till the next paycheck.
Yeah.
And then the next paycheck comes.
I'm like, we'll just wait till the next paycheck.
Yeah, maybe they won't be sold yet and he'll lower the price even more.
But I mean, even at 550, that's not too bad for a set up.
And is it just four wheels or is it a-
Yeah, it's all four.
Okay.
But like I said, brand new in-box and then just gotta go get them.
But damn.
I'm such a sucker with my money.
That's good.
That's not a bad thing.
Yeah, it's not.
Do you have a full-size spare right now?
I don't.
And that's, I actually, my OG wheels, so the ones that came on the car,
my buddy actually found me an extra one for like 25 bucks at a yard sale.
Nice.
So my stock wheels that I have had on my car, I do have five of.
Okay.
Thinking eventually I'm going to run those as my winter setup.
Yeah.
And then have the fifth full-size spare mounted on the basket rack.
It's so funny when I talk to people about having a winter setup,
because here in Houston, we don't have to worry about that.
Yeah.
Good old Pennsylvania, man.
We get enough snow up here where that's a valid option.
Yeah, because I remember doing the podcast and hearing somebody talk about that,
like really early on in doing the podcast.
I'm like, what?
Winter setup?
What do you mean?
What do you mean you think your wheels for winter?
What's that about?
I don't have no idea what that is.
But yeah, I mean, it totally makes sense because, you know,
the climate in other parts of the country is much different than it is here.
Or candy.
Oh, yeah.
Yeah, I mean, I have a buddy that used to live down in Texas.
I mean, he said, I think that they've gotten snow a couple times in his life.
Oh, yeah.
And I'm just sitting up here in Pennsylvania like, I see snow every year,
and I've had snow every year of my life.
Yeah, I think the last, so we had snow, I think it was last year,
and it snowed and then it was like gone the next day or melting the next day.
And it, so we had a big snowstorm back in 2021 in February of 2021.
And that was pretty decent.
That was when I got out and was doing donuts in this parking lot and was having fun.
And I was hoping to get out and do the same thing last year,
but the ice on the parking lot was like melted in spots.
And so I was trying to do donuts and I just kept hitting asphalt.
And I'm like, come on, man, this isn't gonna be fun.
Yeah, you catch traction.
You're like, oh, I don't want to do this anymore.
Yeah, so I'm like, I just gave that up.
But there was like a field with some snow on the grass.
And so we just went and drove around in that.
And that was fun.
But yeah, we don't really get much snow here.
I haven't driven my car in proper snow, but I have driven Subaru's in proper snow,
which is, which is really nice.
So, yeah, I like that.
Oh man, they're blasted and snowed.
Oh yeah.
That's where you get some of the most fun out of Subaru's.
Yeah.
So, but you know, like I went out to Moon Rocks in Nevada.
I want to make sure and say it correctly for my 50th birthday.
And I got to drive an outback and then I drove, actually drove a Tacoma there as well.
And then me and my son went, met up with a guy in Lake Tahoe.
And he had a first-gen cross-track and we got to drive around in some pretty decent snow there.
And that was, that was a lot of fun.
But so I'm glad that I've at least been able to experience driving
a couple of Subaru's in the snow.
I just wanted, I want to drive my own, but it's really like, we would have to drive pretty far.
Like at least Dallas area gets some snow up there.
But like, you know, if we went up there, we'd be driving around on the roads.
We don't have like, there's not really any trails to go out and drive on the snow.
Because like when we went to Tahoe, there was like all these, you know,
trails in the mountains that are snow covered and you go drive on the trail here,
just be driving on the regular road in the snow.
So it's a lot different.
We don't, there are some, like if we got some really, really good snow here,
a little more than an hour north of Houston, there's Cheeseburger Loop,
which is like gravel roads.
But if it got covered in snow, that would be, that would be a lot of fun.
Because at least we would have that.
Yeah, there you go.
But it's still far away.
Well, if, let me be the first to invite you then, if you want to make the real big drive
to come and get some snow in your Subaru, there is plenty of places up here
in north central Pennsylvania that you can come and drive.
Yeah.
So what other like, so you, obviously you have a basket
because you mentioned winter setup, putting your tire up on the basket.
What are some of the other like, I guess, bigger mods that you've done?
Well, obviously we talked about the two inch lift.
We got that.
I have a dual nameless muffler delete that I bought off of a guy, I want to say in Vermont
on Facebook Marketplace.
He was selling them used.
I think he was doing 200 local pickup, 250 or 300 shift.
So I was like, shift them to me, bud.
Yeah.
So I got that.
I had a buddy at work cut my resonator out and replace it with a piece of tubing.
So I have a resonator delete in a sense of big mods.
I really haven't done too much other than that.
But I have.
Do you have skid plates?
No, I don't.
I had, ironically, I do have a legally obtained street sign in my shed.
I know a lot of people go that way, you know, stop sign, pedestrian sign,
whatever kind of sign you can throw under there.
So this one is a kids at play sign.
Well, that's kind of appropriate, isn't it?
It kind of fits, doesn't it?
Yeah, of course.
Yeah, I mean, we're getting out there with these things and acting like kids,
you know, I mean, why not?
Exactly.
I'm just a big overgrown kid.
Yeah.
Aren't we all having fun, you know?
Yeah.
Uh, let's see, do you go off-road much with it?
So when I first got it, yeah, I did obviously because I was working in the gas industry.
So I mean, I was driving middle of mountains in the middle of Pennsylvania,
but nowadays working at a dealership, you know, Monday through Friday, getting up at 5am,
not leaving work until a little after 5pm.
I don't really have too much time to get out and do that anymore.
Yeah.
I love to, absolutely.
And then I guess weekend is family time and...
Exactly.
Yeah.
Yep.
So it gets hard, you know, being a dad to get out and enjoy your weekends anymore.
Yeah.
Well, that's understandable.
So with all the mods that you, or with the mods that you have done,
what would you say is your favorite?
Uh, if you'd asked me that prior to Saturday, I would have said the nameless muffler delete
because loud noises, but now it's probably the two-inch lift kit for sure because it just,
it makes it look so much better.
And once I get a more aggressive wheels set up, maybe that's really gonna pop.
I know, like I love the way a cross-track looks and like I would love to lift mine,
but I just, for me, it would be purely aesthetic because I have no reason to lift it.
And you know, I just, it's not that I couldn't have come up with the money before.
I just like, I'm not gonna spend money on something that's not an inexpensive mod
just to have a lift and just to, because it looks cool.
I mean, if I had like just ungodly amounts of disposable money, yeah, I'd get a lift kit, of
course.
But yeah, I mean, who wouldn't?
Yeah, but I actually, I mean, I like the way that it sits now.
I like the way that it, because it doesn't sit low.
It just sits at normal, you know, stock ride height, but I just, I like the way that it looks.
Yeah, I love your cross-track, man.
Thank you, thank you.
Yeah, it's, I don't have a lot, I don't have like a bunch of crazy mods or anything,
but like what I have is functional for me and I like, you know, it works.
Yeah, and it definitely works for other people too, because man, I can't say enough how much
I love that thing, but I also have a soft spot for cross-tracks too.
I just like, I love how they look.
Yeah, I'm glad that with the cross-tracks too, that first, second and third gen, all three of
them still look like a cross-track.
Like they didn't deviate so much that it's starting to look like something else.
And I hope they continue that trend when they, you know, end up doing a fourth gen cross-track.
Because like I fell in love with the first gen, then they came out with the second gen
and I was kind of disappointed and then they came out with the third gen and I'm like,
man, I really was liking the second gen, but my daughter has a third gen and because of her
having a third gen, I've really started to like them more because I see hers often
and I've driven it and, you know, I've just been around it a lot and I love the color
that she has too, which I think was a new color for the third gen because she has the
sun blaze pearl, which is kind of like an orangish looking color and it's like so unique and
she fell in love with that color. She was actually looking at like a blue and a gray
and then I said, well, when we go up to the dealership, they may have a color that you see
that you didn't see online or that you weren't expecting that you end up
liking and sure enough, she sees this other color and she's like, I really like that.
So she got it, but yeah, they're fun.
The cross tracks have always had like fun colors, I feel like compared to the rest of the lineup.
The color that my buddy, PYP Dadwagon, is that plasma yellow. Man, that's such a color and
even in my opinion, it changes in the light too. It'll look more yellow, it'll look more
high vis green. It's such a cool color.
Yeah, the first time I saw it, I wasn't sure how I felt about it, but I've seen
cars in person that are that color that I think like when you add stuff to it,
add mods and add decals and everything, I think it really helps that color to stand out.
I think that color just all by itself, not that it doesn't look good, but I think when you accentuate
it, it really kind of makes it pop because I've seen Patrick's who goes, you know, it's Orbis
Overlanding. I've seen his in person and then Kathleen who goes by Autrek, it's Yagi.
Those are the two that I've seen in person that have that color, that plasma yellow and I really
like it and they have some really nice modifications that kind of help that color just shine through.
If you have all these other decals and things on it, you don't see just like all of that color,
you see like pieces of it popping here and there and I don't know, I think it just makes it look
even better. Yeah, for sure. So what other mods besides like wanting to get
upgraded wheels for your car, what do you have other things on your list that you're like,
okay, I would like and within reason, not like wish list stuff that you
is potentially unattainable, but like, are there things that you are ideally wanting to get that
you know that you can get like in the near future or like next several months or something
besides the tire army, besides the wheels? Absolutely. So I actually a lot of the things
I planned or plan on doing to my Outback, I kind of loosely based it off of Out to Rome
on Instagram. Oh, yeah, yeah. Have you ever seen his man? His setup is like,
so awesome. And that's kind of I'm kind of stealing his idea, but I don't want to go like full on his
idea. Because I feel like that's like, it's inspiration core. Yeah, definitely inspired by
but not going to be like copy paste. So my wife actually got me traction boards for Christmas.
So I'm going to put those on the roof basket. Eventually, I want to do
the full size spare up there. I have a jerry can that I'm going to put up there some other stuff.
Definitely been thinking about the canopy idea, like the awning. Yeah.
I feel like that's a decent idea. And the amount of times we go camping a year,
I feel like it's valid. Oh, yeah. Just have like an extra awning at the campsite.
Yeah, it's especially if you're like hanging out during the day and want to get out of the sun
and just chill for a while. Even like in the evening, it's a nice thing to put up if you
want to like wrap lights around it or something, you know, that that can be fun too. So it's
multi-purpose besides just using it during the day for shade. Yeah. And then like if you go like
around here, we have boxer fest and I saw so many other people in the off-road section. Yeah.
When I was there, I was there in 2024 in the show in the off-road section. Oh, nice. And there
there was so many other people there. Ironically, a lot with cross tracks.
Yeah. That had that had the awnings. I was like, man, that is sick.
Was was there like, was there 22 off-road cars there?
There might have been. There might have been a little more than 22. Yeah.
But yeah, that that was fun. I got a lot of inspiration from there too, because just in
the off-road section alone, there's there's so many different variations to off-road,
Subaru builds. Yeah. And I mean, from from me, I think I was the only one there with a third gen
outback in the off-road section. Yeah. Cross tracks. There was newer outbacks, newer foresters.
There was older foresters. Actually, I take that back. There was another guy who had a third gen
outback. And his, I think, had like a four inch lift on it. But his was so heavily custom,
like every inch of that thing was custom. His ironically was also a three O.R.
And he lives, I want to say in like Ceilings Grove, which is all of about half an hour for me.
Yeah. So on the way home from Boxer Fest, him and I actually kind of like played Frogger
on the highway with each other, just going back and forth on the way home. We got a blast.
I ended up finding them on Instagram after that and messaged them. I think he actually just sold
his recently. Oh, man. Sad because I didn't have enough money to buy it. Yeah. Now, I mean,
Boxer Fest and just car meetups in general is, you know, those are, and of course online,
but seeing a car in person versus seeing it online is so different. Like you can see like all the
photos in the world on Instagram, you know, videos, photos and think like, oh, man, this thing looks
so cool. But then when you see that person rolling up or when you roll up to their car,
like already sitting there, it's like, whoa, that thing looks super cool. It's like,
I've seen this thing a million times online, but seeing it in person is,
there's something about it. It's like so different and it's like just brings it,
makes it real, I guess, you know, but it's always seeing, cool seeing cars in person.
Yeah. That's like, I had followed a lady by the name of Wicca Wanderz, who I think also has
been on here. Yep. And I followed her for a little bit before Boxer Fest, found her,
I parked like diagonally behind her at Boxer Fest and man, seeing that thing in person,
just like you said. Yeah. You get to see all the little details that you wouldn't see
in those pictures and you're just like, damn, the amount of time and dedication
that you spent on this thing is incredible. Yeah. Yeah. That's one that I know that I would
definitely see in person and be like, what? That is really cool.
Yeah. Because I drove up to, I drove up to,
come on, get it. Oh, I drove up to Subaru Flatfest in 2022 and I met up with
Jen, who goes by Ghost X Trek. She also owns eccentric designs. And then I met up with
Patrick from Orbis Overlanding. And I think there was three other cross treks there.
And of course saying, I didn't know the other people, maybe I chatted with them some on Instagram,
but I knew Patrick because he had been on the podcast. I knew Jen because she was my first
guest and I bought decals from her. So at least seeing those two cross treks in person for
the first time, I was like, this is so cool seeing your cross treks. And then it was funny
because like I had wheels and tires. I had a roof, I had just gotten the spider no drill
roof rack on. I had my spare tire on the roof. And then I had an awning. And then I had
ditch lights on my hood. And that was really about it, which, you know, looking at that
compared to 100% stock cross trek, you know, mine would look really, really nice and like,
oh, that's cool. But pulling up next to those cars, all of the cross treks that were there,
I'm like, my car looks like so minimal and like so close to stock compared to these other ones.
It felt weird, but I was also like, I feel like I'm in the presence of greatness, you know, because
and then it was cool because like we're all, we had all met up at this spot, we were getting
gas. And then we drove the rest of the way to the motor speedway where they were holding flat
fest because this was on a Friday, the actual event was on Saturday. So we were all meeting up,
but driving to the event and or to the venue. And it's all cross treks. I was like, man,
this is so cool because I think that was the first time I had ever like, like rolled out with
multiple that many cars because I had gone to Colorado before that in 2021 and I was with like
two other cars and they were both outbacks. And so that was cool. There was like three of us,
but this was like, I think there was like five or six of us and it was all cross treks. And I'm
like, this is really, really cool. It was a lot of fun. Oh yeah. Yeah, for sure. That was like
me sitting in the lineup for boxer fest 24. I think I was down there like, I want to say like
six, seven o'clock in the morning. And there's just so many different superiors. And ironically,
I was there with like a bunch of the off road section. And I remember distinctly, there's
this guy who was in line next to me. He had a lifted O2 WRX. Oh, nice. And it was like,
I want to say it was like bed liner, white paint. He had spray painted like all sorts of random stuff
all over his car. He had a basket rack with like some demonic little baby thing from
Superior Halloween. Like his car was just so crazy. But the thing that caught my eye the most, he had
these LED whips that like the off road sandbuggies use. Oh yeah, yeah. They're just these huge LED
and they're just like flashing like crazy just on the top of his basket rack. And I was like,
that's sick. And now I've been trying to find those. Yeah, it's interesting to see like
what people end up doing with their builds, because I know like, like you were saying that you were
being inspired by the other build. And like for me, when I first got my cross trek, I was inspired
by Ghost X Trek, like with what she was doing. And because I did the rooftop basket, she had a
rooftop basket, I put my tire up there, she had her tire up there. And so I wasn't trying to
make mine look just like hers, but she inspired my build. Because hers is white, mine is white.
And but like, when you see somebody that just has like something that looks way different than
everybody else is like, man, that's like, where did you come up with the ideas for this? Because
it's like just so out there and so crazy. But but you do see a lot of similarities between builds
and then all the little differences where people made it personal to them. And that's
that's what's really cool to see too. Yeah, I have plenty of ideas. And I feel like in my head,
it's just like a combination of all the different builds that I've seen that I'm kind of like
picking and choosing from all the different builds that I've seen online. Like, yeah. Oh,
this guy has this that kind of like that idea. Okay, let's bring that in here. This guy has,
you know, like those LED whip lights, like that's cool. Let me implement that into my build.
Or maybe even like, like my buddy Luciano has VIP slammed, cambered, accurate TL. But I actually have
the same interior swap fabric in my Outback that he has in his TL. Nice. So like, we have the
exact same interior fabric. So I was like, okay, non Subaru, let's take this aspect from that,
put it into my build. And it's just, it doesn't even have to be Subaru specific.
No, if I see if I see something that I like in general on someone's build, it doesn't even have
to be even off road specific. Just like my buddy's VIP Acura. Like that's, that's an awesome freaking
idea. Yeah, I have this cool fabric interior. That's definitely not stock, but it's just
so unique. I was like, I got to do that. Yeah. Yeah. So you're talking about your buddy,
you should talk about him. We talked about Shane PYP Dadwagon and Rue, who goes by Wicca Wonders.
So like, who are like some of the other people that you would normally hang out with and either
when you get a chance, because I know you're busy and you don't always get a chance to do
stuff. But like, when you're able to get together with other Subaru people, like who
are some of the people that you get together with the most? And then, and then what do y'all
do? So ironically, the only other Subaru guy that I hang out with consistently outside of
work is my own brother, Nick. Okay. I can't remember his hand. I know it's debt Subaru guy.
I'm going to say like three, eight, four, four, eight, five or something like that.
I know my own brother. Yeah, come on, man.
But yeah, probably him. If I had the option to, man, I mean, Shane, Zack Snyder, they're also
they're relatively close to me. I'd love to go hang out with them. Yeah. If I could,
like more often, like I've seen them at shows. I've been to,
um, what was that? I think Shane actually works up at WNL Mazda. And last year,
they had their first ever cars and coffee up there. Oh, nice. He invited me up there.
So I went up there, had a blast. That was fun. Yeah. It's, I mean, it's not easy to,
for some people, depending on where you live or what's going on with your schedule and
everything, it's not always easy to meet up with people. Like I was over at my friend's house all
day today and I was telling him like, I have, like there's a lot of people that I've met,
just either because we've connected online or I've had them on the podcast and I've met them and
like I would love to hang out with them all the time, but they're in other states,
like all over the place. Yeah.
And it's tough. And I'm very, very grateful for having met a lot of the people that I have
being able to travel because of the podcast and everything. So that's always cool. But whenever
I find out that I'm going to be able to go to an event and either see somebody again that I've
met before and hung out with, that's exciting. Or whenever I find out I'm going to get to
meet somebody for the first time, I'm like, this is so cool because we've been talking
forever and now we get to meet in person. And that's still always my favorite thing.
Yeah. Yeah, there's a couple of other people that I've met recently on Instagram
that we've actually been trying to plan out something.
Damn. I think it's Plague Outback is the same generation Outback that I do. I think
it just happens to be a two-five, but it's the same color. It's gold champagne oval,
and his is lower. And I think he lives like two hours away from me. So we've been trying to figure
out a good time to get together because he does some crazy reels with some of his buddies.
I'm like, man, if we get together the same color Outbacks, the same gen, and we just park our cars
up somewhere and get some pictures, get some videos together, that would go wild on Instagram to see
a slammed and lifted version of the same car at the same time in one video.
Yeah, that would be really cool. So when you get a chance to do stuff like that,
it's always exciting. And sometimes it takes a while, but then it's like worth the wait, you know.
Oh yeah, for sure. So you mentioned Boxerfest. How many times have you been to Boxerfest?
So total I've been there twice, but I've been in it once, and that was my most recent time there
when I was in 24. And I want to say I went there
maybe like 2018, 2019. Okay. I know it's like a pretty good drive away, but would you ever
try to make it up to Wicked Big Meat? Was that like three plus hours from you?
It's a drive, but I've always wanted to go, and me and my friends have made
it. Not really planned so much as like we should totally go and we plan out the idea of going,
and then it just never really evolves from there. I definitely wanted to go. I've definitely had the
plan in my mind before to go. It would be a blast to go there for sure.
I want to go to eventually, and I've had so many people say, hey, can you come up to Wicked
Big Meat? I'm like, I would love to, but it always ends up like, so the first couple of years Wicked
Big Meat was like always around the time of my girlfriend's birthday. So I'm like, I'm going up
to my girlfriend's for her birthday, you know, like that's that's my priority. And then I think
like the next year, I was doing something else. So I didn't have time like, you know,
I didn't have enough PTO to do that and the other things I was going to. And then last year,
it was the same thing. I was doing Overland Expo. I was going to five different events,
plus I had a family vacation. And I'm like, I only have like so much PTO that I can't because like
if I go up to Wicked Big Meat, I'm not going to just go up there for the weekend. I would
have to like, I would want to go up there like on a Thursday and spend time up there,
not just go up there for the event that day, like go up the day before and then fly back the day after.
If I'm going to go up there and see these people for the first time after all these years,
I want to be able to take the time to actually go up there and spend time with people before
and after the event. And that's what I haven't really been able to do.
Yeah. I mean, if that kind of a distance to get to that kind of a meat, at least for you,
I feel like there'd be no other option than to go up and spend a decent amount of time up there
because like it wouldn't be worth it if you're just going up there, okay, fly in, go to the
event, fly out. There's all these people up there that you talk to for years over the
internet. Like, I want to get to know these people in person.
Yeah. Yeah. Because like when I went out to Subifes, California, I think it was on a Sunday
and I flew out on a Friday, hung out with some people. And then Saturday we hit some trails
like all day. And then Sunday was the event. And then, or it may be it was Saturday,
but whenever it was, I had a full day the day before Subifes, Texas. I mean,
Subifes, California. And so, you know, I had time to spend with people and that was really,
really cool. So that's the way I would want to do it. At least, even if I'm leaving the day
after the event, I would want to have one full day before the event to do, you know,
to hang out and do stuff. But one of these days. Go out, see the town, see the local food
thing. Yeah. Something. You got to explore if you're going out. Yeah. So in your
profile, it says in your bio, it says the unnoticed shows and the Subi collective,
what are those? So the unnoticed is, I mean, we're a brand, we're a family, we're a company,
but at the end of the day, we're just four friends who found each other on the internet,
just all happen to be local to each other. And we're all from different walks of life.
And we just, at the end of the day, we love hanging out with each other. That's who I was
with this weekend, this past weekend, getting my lift kit put on. Okay. It was all four of us
in one tiny, two big garage, just manhandling a Subaru, you know, and then you had my buddy with
his Acura, wherever he's doing his oil change, you know. So we got me, who's got the lifted,
you know, quote unquote, off-road Subaru. You got Lucky with the Slam VIP,
frame banging Acura TL, you got Brendan with, he's got two Mustangs, he's got an EcoBoost Widebody,
one-of-one with an RTR body kit. And he's got a, how was the other one? I think a Mach 1,
like an older muscle car Mustang. And then you got Rob, but as an Audi that's like
performance track. So it's like, we're all different walks of life. And we just want to show
everyone that like, it doesn't matter what car scene, click, group you're from.
Like, we're all one community. Yeah. And that's what's nice. There doesn't need to be these
clicks. You know, you don't need to go to a specific show like, yeah, it's fun. We have
boxer fest that's Subaru specific, but even at boxer fest, I mean, there's
so many different builds, different styles. So it's like, we want to broaden that even more
and say, you know, you can have a truck, you can have a lifted, a lowered truck,
you can have a low rider, you can have a PT cruiser, shout out my buddy Brandon in
St. Louis, Missouri, who's got a PT cruiser. You know, you can have whatever it is. Like,
if you're a car guy at heart and you have a car and you want to get together for an event,
come, like, we want you to be a part of it. Yeah. Every walk of life to be involved with
unnoticed shows. That's what we're all about. Yeah. And like, that's the way the car culture
should be and unfortunate. And a lot of people are, but you know, it should be such that
no matter what brand you have, no matter what you've done to your car, that we should all have
respect for each other's builds, even if it's something they're like, I don't really like the
way that looks. I don't, you know, I don't dig it, but I respect, you know, what you're doing
because it's your build. You don't have, you're not building it for somebody else.
Exactly. Because like, I just feel like with the off-road community, especially,
I feel like most of the people that I've met that drive Subaru's have respect for
other off-road builds, but it's not always the reverse. And, you know, I would say that,
like, pretty close to 100% of people that I've met personally, like on the Subaru side,
have respect for other off-road builds, but it doesn't go the other way around.
We're like, but I mean, there are a lot of people that do have respect for,
because a lot of people end up becoming friends because you just want to go off-road and have a
good time. And, you know, and that's the beauty of bringing different brands together is,
because you might have somebody that's been a friend and you're a Jeep guy or a Toyota guy
or whatever, and then you're a Subaru guy, but you're friends and so it doesn't matter
what you drive. So it just, it would be nice if more and more people could come together
that way. Yeah, like, I have a high school friend who lives right down the street from me,
been friends since high school. He had a Subaru at one point. It was a lower WRX. It was red.
Beautiful. Loved it. Obviously, a Subaru guy. I love that you have a Subaru,
but it was, it was too much for him or something with tuning. I don't remember
the exact reason. He sold it. Now he has a Jeep Wrangler. I'm not going to stop being
friends with you because you have a Jeep Wrangler. Yeah, exactly. Like, sure, I don't like Jeep
Wranglers. They're not my thing, but if it's your thing, you're still my friend. Like, I love that
you love it. Yeah, because I mean, how sad would it be to break up a friendship because
you bought a different brand car? You know, that's not a true friend then, you know?
No. Like, you were obviously just friends for the person for the idea that you guys had
the same like in car, make, model, whatever. Yeah. And now you're going to blow a high school
friendship because, oh, they bought this car that I don't like. No, who cares? It's a car. You guys
are both still friends. You both are still car guys. Like, that doesn't have to stop
you from being friends. And that's kind of the whole point of unnoticed. Like,
you can have a muscle car. You can have a low rider, off road, stance, cambered,
whatever it is, bring it to one of our events. Like, we want to have you there so we can bring
everyone together. We're not going to park you in your own section with other
like, like no work. You're all mix them all together. Yeah. So we just had a show
that was called Static Wars. We had it inside of them all. I was parked next to a slammed
forester. Right down the road, you had a Camaro. And then you had a motorcycle.
Then you had a lifted truck. They had my buddies with the Audi and the Acura in the middle.
You had, there were slam Subaru's. There was, I think there might have even been like a
a Volkswagen Jetta. Like, we had a little bit of everything there. There's, I think there was
40 or 50 plus cars inside of them all for one event. It was crazy. Yeah. That's cool that when
you can have that kind of diversity of people coming together and just admiring other people's
cars. And you know, again, you may not necessarily like that particular whatever,
but you can at least pay a compliment and feel like, I see what you did there,
you know, or something. Exactly. I mean, like respect the fact that they put
the amount of time, effort, blood, sweat, tears into their build. Sure. Yeah. Okay. So I don't
like, let's say Ford's, you know, there's that guy's lifted Ford F350 that he had at the show.
Sure. I might not like Ford's, but look what he did to that truck. Like he's got air ride
suspension. He's got all these different custom LED lights. He's got custom parts on it. He's got
like a custom exhaust stack that runs through the bed. Like you can't just sit there and deny the
fact this man has spent countless hours, months, weeks, years building this thing, all this money
and just crap on them because you don't like Ford's. Yeah. Respect the fact that that build
is his baby and he has put that much time and effort into it and be like, I respect it.
I may not like Ford's, but I can respect it. Yeah. So what is the Subi Collective?
So the Subi Collective I found on Instagram just scrolling one day. I kind of looked into it
and I was like, that's pretty cool. Again, it's not like one specific genre of Subaru. It's a mix
of everything. So I was like, that's cool. Like just a bunch of Subaru fanatics with all different
builds from all different walks of life all together. And then they asked me to join their
group chat. And I was like, well, heck yeah. And it's been a blast ever since. Just getting to talk
to other Subaru owners from literally all over the world. I mean, it's nuts.
Yeah. Well, that's cool. Yeah. I just, Alex, go ahead.
No, I was just going to say shout out to Purple Source Rex who is the president of the Subi
Collective because she is awesome. Yeah. Yeah. It's just like, I like seeing how many
different builds there are at Boxer Fest. Cause I've seen so many off-road builds that,
not that you've seen one, you've seen them all. But you kind of almost know being in that
part of Subaru, you almost kind of know what to expect. But then when you see all of these
tuner cars and the stuff that they do, it's like, man, that is just like insane, you know, with
the amount of money and horsepower and mods and stuff that they put in some of them. It's just,
it's so cool to see so many different versions of all these cars. I mean, it's mind boggling
some of this stuff. Even just on Instagram alone, just scrolling and you're like, damn,
the amount of dedication and years that you put into this build, it shows. Yeah. Like that is,
that is a killer ride. Like no matter what it is, like it could be a drag race specific
Subaru and you're like, damn, that's awesome. Yeah. Yeah. So what does your daughter think about
your Subaru? Does she have an opinion being, I know she's still young, but does she have like
an opinion like, oh, this is cool or anything like that? Oh, she sure does. She has one specific
word for it every time. And if we're going out, it's a, Daddy, can we take the race car?
It's not a race car, honey, but sure, we could take the race car. Yeah.
Hey, she probably thinks it is. Yeah. If that's what it is to her, then, yeah, Daddy owns a race
car. Yeah, exactly. Play into that and enjoy her describing it as a race car. Oh yeah. And I
totally feed into it too. And I'm totally not fueling a future car addiction at all,
but I'm constantly coming home with new hot wheels for monster trucks. Yeah. She has a bigger
hot wheel collection than me and that's my own fault. Yeah. That's cool. That's cool.
Well, she loves it. Yeah. It's the race car. It's Daddy's race car. She loves being in it.
She likes the sound it makes because, you know, noises. Yeah, that's fun. If you could drive
anyone else's Subaru for a day, who's would it be, you know, with all the ones that you've
probably seen out there either in person or online? That's tough. For the sake of seeing
what it would be like to fully build my generation of Outback, I'd have to say Out to Rome. Yeah.
That one is so nice. For the aspect of seeing what it's like to drive something that's lowered,
Zack Snyder. Yeah. In the aspect of seeing what a cross track is like,
Shane PYP wagon. Yeah. Yeah, there's some, that's, no, that's, that's good. That's an
interesting point because I think that's a solid list there. Yeah. Three comparisons of the
Subaru lifestyle. Yeah, that's good. I don't think I've ever had anybody break it down
like that. So, bringing all kinds of different stuff here. Yeah. So, here's a question I like
to ask sometimes. You have an older generation Outback, you really, really like yours. If somebody
were to say, hey, you can have any new, like current model Subaru out of their lineup right
now, which one would you choose and why? I think I'm going to stick with Outback,
but I'm going to go Outback Wilderness. Okay. Specifically because I know what it's like to
own an Outback, but as a station wagon. Yeah. Because the generation after mine is when they
turned it into an SUV. So, Outback Wilderness for the large SUV factor and that's specifically
wilderness. So, it's already pre-lifted from the factory and more off-road capable slash camping
friendly. Now, are you talking about the 2026 Outback Wilderness? Sure. Why not? Okay. We'll
go brand new. Okay. If someone's offering me something fresh off the lineup, we'll go 2026.
All right. Okay. What do you think of the 2026?
There's so many mixed opinions about it. Okay. Let me take that back. Let's go 2024,
just so I know it still looks like an Outback. Okay. And we'll put it to discussion here because
I forgot about the 2026 being different if we're being honest. Yeah. And now that you said that,
I do remember that a lot of people are comparing it to like a Ford Explorer. Yeah. I can't
unsee it now that someone has said that. And it does. It really does look like a Ford Explorer.
Yeah. I've seen it in person at Overland Expo in Virginia, but they had the Wilderness edition there.
And actually, I liked it. And then they had just like the regular model at Subifest, Texas.
And, you know, it was all right. Like, I don't, the interior, though, man, the interior is so
nice. They did a really, really good job with the interior. They brought back the
touch controls for the AC and not just being all on screen. So that was a really nice touch.
But the interior is just, man, it's really nice. I like it. And again, I don't, I know like,
you know, the people say that it doesn't look like an Outback anymore. And
they should have just given it a new model name and not called it an Outback.
And I get all that. But, you know, it's going to appeal to somebody that maybe does it. I mean,
and if you're talking about Subaru's looking different than other cars, I mean, it has some
similarities to others. It's no longer like really a, you know, it's more of an SUV because
like even the ones before was still more like a wagon, not necessarily like a station wagon, but
still more the wagon style. But I don't know. It's, it'll be interesting to see some out on the
road at some point. And it'll be nice to see, you know, somebody at some point is going to
eventually take one and do some crazy off-road mods to it. And somebody may be like,
dude, this would look so sick dropped, you know, lowered. And, and so we'll see,
we'll see what the next few years bring with people doing stuff with them.
Pretty sure I've actually already seen someone slam one already. Oh yeah.
I think I have already seen that. Okay. Yeah. But think, think of it this way though, if it does
have similarities to a Ford Explorer and you want to bring people in from different manufacturers
into liking Subaru's, let's say there's someone out there that currently has
an older model Ford Explorer, but they want a new vehicle just so happen to go to a Subaru dealership
and they see this and they're like, that's weird. It kind of looks like a Ford Explorer. The logo
is kind of similar. It's still a blue oval. Why don't I, why don't I just give this thing a go
and then maybe we turn a Ford owner into a Subaru owner. Yeah. You know, that could work.
I still think that depending on where you live, I just, I really like that, you know,
with the exception of the BRZ and the new, one of the new electric models, they're all,
all wheel drive, you know, you don't have to like pay for an upgraded package to get all
wheel drive. I mean, I think that's one of the beauties of Subaru's. It just comes with it,
that's standard. Yeah. And it is kind of, kind of crappy that there are some brands where it's like,
oh, you want all wheel drive, you're going to have to pay for a specific package.
Yep. Like no, Subaru, that is what you get standard. Yeah. Do you have like an all-time
favorite Subaru? Like just not necessarily like one that somebody has modified, but just
thinking about the lineup over the years, is there like one Subaru you're like,
if I could have that one even just stock the way it is, like that would be kind of like my dream
Subaru. So I have two of them. Okay. One being a 22B STI from the 90s for the rally aspect,
obviously, and the rarity mainly for the rally aspect of it because being here in Pennsylvania,
we have STPR. So I grew up around rally and Jim Khanna, you know, can block rally.
Yeah. So like my Subaru background does come from the rally aspect. So there's that.
But then the other side of it, a 2012 Impreza STI hatchback because I am a sucker for hot hatches,
always have been. I love station wagons and hatchbacks. Yeah. First car was a hatchback. I've had
multiple wagons over the life. And now I have another station wagon. So like a Subaru hatchback
STI motor. There's absolutely nothing negative in my brain about that vehicle. Stock modified.
I could own it whichever way and be happy. Yeah. This is my second hatchback and I will never go to,
I will never go back to having a trunk. And unless I have a second car that is just like
a sedan that really, really appeals to me and I can have a second car. But other than that,
if I'm only going to have one car, it's going to be a hatchback. I just, I love the
the accessibility of being able to open a hatch and having just open access to all that space.
And then just the look. Like I love the way hatchbacks look. All different sorts of hatchbacks.
Yeah. Hashtag long live the long roofs, man. Yeah. Yeah, exactly.
You got to love a station wagon and a hatchback, man. There's something about,
like you said, being able to just open the hatch, open the tailgate, you know, it's up above you
and you can just, you got everything right in front of you. Yeah. That's honestly one of the
biggest draws to my Subaru, other than the fact that, you know, it's the flat six and all that
stuff. But like just having that cargo space and you can fold the seats down, you have even
more space and it's like, I don't need a truck because I have basically truck bed length inside
of my car. Like I can put up to a certain extent the same stuff you can put in the back of most
trucks in my car. Yeah. The only place where you would need a truck is if you have stuff that
you're going to consistently be hauling around that's a heavy payload and you need a truck
that's like heavier duty or you have stuff that's like really tall that you're going to be
carrying around all the time. But yeah, just having all that space, it just serves so many
purposes. Yeah. Like if I, I guess, ever, like my cousin does like junk runs and dumps people's
trash for them. So like that's consistent. Like he needs to have a truck with a bed. Oh yeah.
I get it. I'm not doing that. I don't need that. Yeah. For the little bit of here and there stuff,
you know, I can, I can always, my dad has a Dodge Ram. I'll just borrow my dad's truck for the
few and far in between times that I need a truck bed. Exactly. Yeah. You always,
almost always have access to somebody that has a truck. Boom. Someone always knows someone
that has a truck. Yeah. How would you say that your outback matches your personality?
I could go with two words. I could either go loud just because it's physically loud
and I'm kind of personality loud or we could say metal because I'm obsessed with heavy metal.
Nice. The theme I'm kind of slowly transitioning my outback into, you know, once I really get it to
where I want it to be is like, like I said, like I'm doing like the off-road thing, but I also want
to introduce like my own personality side, which like music is a huge part of my personality
having metal being most of that. Like I want to start implementing that into the bill.
So like your heavy metal band logos, that's kind of what I want to redo like my vinyls and stickers
and stuff and kind of make it more heavy metal looking. Yeah, that would be cool. Yeah. If you
could describe your outback in one word, what would it be? Definitely loud. Yeah. Or obnoxious,
I guess. Yeah. I mean, currently I'm running. So I got someone pulled in front of me about a
year and a half ago when I was on lunch break at work and smashed up the one side of my car
on the front. Idiot. So ironically, another Subaru. Oh, come on. Of all things. And an old,
I think it was like a second gen Forester right in front of me. You know, he did not have the
right away. He just pulled right out in front of me across two lanes of oncoming traffic. I just
happened to be the poor guy that hit him. So I had a buddy of mine, my brother, Nick, he had,
his uncle had an extra,
I think it was like a year older or newer than mine, but it was the same color
outback sitting at his shop and he was just getting ready to move out of that shop. He's like,
hey, I know that Zach has the same color outback. Whatever you guys want from it, take it. Because
after you guys are done ripping everything off of it, it's just going to the scrap yard.
Well, that was convenient. Well, how convenient is this? Because I need a fender.
Yeah. So let me grab one of those fenders. And then he's like,
what do you want to like re-paint it? Because it was kind of like the clear coat was fading off of it.
And I was like, I mean, if we're going to sand it down and do something anyways, why not do something
different? So with the loud in mind, I went through his whole collection of spray paint cans
and I tried to find the color that he had the most of. The one color that he had the most
of was high vis green. I'm talking like construction site, safety vest, high vis green.
So I was like, let's do that color. So we sanded the fender down, painted it. I had a buddy at work
clear coat it for me. And I have a high vis green passenger side and a fender.
So it's obnoxious. It's loud physically in the sense of decibels from the exhaust and just
what it looks like right now. Yeah. When you have an opportunity to do something
different and kind of fun, then go for it. Yeah. And I kind of based that decision
also off of like, I know a lot of people right now with like the VAs and VVs that company Perrin
has like that high vis green. I think it's like all the engine bay, deck decor,
whatever you want to call it, like touch up kits. So I was kind of like, well, all these newer
Subaru, they're running all of this high vis green accessories in their engine bay.
Why don't I put it on the outside of my car? How is owning a Subaru changed your life?
Oh man, I have met so many great and fantastic people. I mean,
you among many other people that I have met through the Subaru community, it's honestly
life changing. There has been so many just amazing people in general that I would now,
even having never met some of these people in person that I would consider like lifetime friends.
And that's just from owning a car. That's wild to me. You can own a specific brand,
put it out on the internet, you know, Instagram, TikTok, whatever it may be.
Instant friends.
And you'll get all these people like my buddy Plague Outback. He's like I said earlier,
two hours away from me. Same color, same gen. We comment on each other's videos and pictures
here and there. And then we're messaging each other and now we're like talking like we've
known each other for years. Yeah. And it's just it's so awesome.
And it's cool too because like you can be talking to somebody for like six months and then finally
meet up in person and it's like super great. Give each other a big hug and like you said,
you feel like you've known the person forever. But because of owning a particular car brand,
you can have been chatting with somebody for like two days and just about have the
same feeling as somebody that you've been chatting with for six months and like meet up with them
and be like, oh, it's so great to meet you. I know I just started talking to you yesterday,
you know? It's, it's crazy, but it's super cool.
Honestly, that, and that happens all the time where no matter what social media
outlet it is, it's like, hey, this person commented on my post. Let me like thank
them for commenting. Yeah. And then the next, the next day they comment on again,
you get a little bit more in depth with your reply. And then the next day they're messaging you man
like, hey, dude, like I love your car, blah, blah, blah. And then it just starts and just
pops off from there. Yeah. And now a week later, you guys are talking every day.
Yep. Yeah. Do you think you'll always own a Subaru?
Absolutely. Okay. Without a shadow of doubt in my mind, I think at this point,
I am locked down to solely Subaru. Nice. And I can't, I can't see myself in anything other
than a Subaru at this point either. Yeah. Whether it's a somewhat newer, because that was
the eventual plan. My wife has a 22 Hyundai Santa Fe. I think that gets paid off in
like the next four years. Yeah. So I got plenty of time still with my car.
And I don't think I'm actually ever going to get rid of it. I might put it like off on the back
burner, like park it out behind my house and maybe get like a 15, 16 outback and maybe start
using that as the daily. So then I can really start pouring into my current, well my now current
outback and make that what I want. But yeah, I can't see myself getting anything other than a
Subaru at this point. Yeah. They're just, they're good cars for many different reasons. And then
you get the whole community, the community that comes with it. So well, this last segment
is to get to know you a little bit better, but who is Zach as in describe yourself?
Just an easygoing guy, man. Family guy, not the show, just a family guy. Love my wife and
daughter. Love my friends, my family. Loves to make people laugh. That's kind of my thing.
That's always good. And yeah, it's just, once you get to know me, man, it's hard to
not, not being like cocky here, but it's hard to not like me. Yeah. Unless you like
really are out to just hate me. And then at that point, I'm just, I'm not going to give
into it anyway. Yeah, exactly. Like feed into the hate. So at that point, it's just like,
okay, I'm just not going to answer you or you're going to get blocked anyways.
So like, if you're a person and you have a personality, like I'll get along with you.
Yeah, that's guaranteed. Yeah, that's always nice. What is a favorite memory from your childhood?
Oh, man. So this is a story and a funny one at that. All right. So I think I was like seven
or eight years old. And if you remember the, not remember, but if you know the,
the brand Pepperidge Farm. Oh yeah. So back in the day, honestly, like early 2000s,
they had this TV commercial where the little kid puts a plate of cheese out for Santa Claus.
And then the next morning he wakes up and under the Christmas tree is like piles of Christmas
presents for the kid. And it was like, their whole point was like to get into the mind of a kid and
it worked. Like, hey, put, put cheese out for Santa instead of cookies, and he's going to give you
a whole lot more presents. Well, okay, I'm doing that. I see the queue. I see what you're saying.
I'll buy into that. So like, seven, eight year old me was telling my parents like, hey,
can I put cheese out for Santa Claus? I saw that commercial that if you put cheese out,
he gives you a lot of presents. And my parents fed into that and I love them to this day for that
because I don't know what they did or who got a bonus check or in my, honestly, they probably
just went to like the dollar store. But in my little seven, eight year old brain,
I saw the literal stack of presents Christmas morning that I, in my head, looking back,
was like halfway up the wall, covered half the Christmas tree. And like it was me and my sister.
So like one side was hers, one side was mine. And it was just half. Again, in my mind,
it was like half of the living room on both sides. That's awesome. Because up to halfway up the wall,
just presents covered in presents. The marketing worked. It sure did.
Your poor parents. My poor parents that year went all out there like, okay,
we're going to make this kid's Christmas dreams come true. And it worked. But on the other side
of that, the same, actually, if that was when I was eight, I want to say the year prior,
another Christmas related because it sticks in my mind. My parents, it was prior to Christmas.
My parents had this little ladder that they would put up against the Christmas tree.
And it had these little wooden elves. So it made it look like the little elves were
climbing up the Christmas tree to help put ornaments up on the tree. Well, I was
helping my parents put ornaments on the Christmas tree without them knowing that I was helping them
put ornaments on the Christmas tree. And I was like, well, I'm too short to reach up high. Hey,
there's that little ladder. Let me try that. Because in my seven year old brain, I was like,
that's definitely going to hold me. That is definitely a sturdy and trustable ladder.
Was it just like a one sided ladder that was leaning against the tree?
Yep. It sure was. It was exactly that because I went on it and then I wasn't.
And then I was screaming because my ankle hurt and my parents rushed me to the hospital and I
sprained my ankle at seven years old. Wow. I just wanted to help.
I did. I just wanted to help mom and dad. Yeah. Well, there you go. Good Christmas
stories. Good childhood memories. Yep. A lot of those come from Christmas for me because
other than Halloween, Christmas is my second favorite holiday. That's good. Always has,
but always will be. Yeah, very fun. You kind of hinted on it earlier. I know you're working
a shop, but what is it that you actually do there? So I am the Parks Department Manager
at a Kia dealership. Okay, cool. Got you. I run the whole Parks Department with my counter guy.
It's Kia, so it's not too fun, but I love it though. Yeah, that's good. Regardless to the brand,
I love my job. It's really awesome. I can't complain with it. There's a bunch of good
guys there. It's a smaller shop and just a good bunch of guys. Everybody gets along.
I know a lot of companies are like, oh, we're just one big family. Sometimes that isn't true.
This one, honestly, between Parks and the Tex, we actually kind of are. It's nice. It really
does help you get through the work day. Yeah, it's important to work with good people.
It's important to enjoy what you do. So if you've got that, then that's good.
Do you have a dream job that if you could do anything, I would want to be doing this?
Man, if I had it, so there's two. If I want to go with the more obtainable, I guess,
even though it's not really as obtainable as I might think it is, but maybe it is. I don't know.
If I could stick with the idea of being a parts manager, but for being Porsche,
parts manager. Yeah. Outside of Subaru, I am obsessed with Porsches. Yeah, that's my dream
car. So if I could work as a parts manager for a Porsche dealership, now there is one,
like an hour and a half away from me. So that's a bit of a drive. Yeah.
But if they were offered, I might consider. So Porsche of anywhere local to me in North Central
Pennsylvania, if you're ever looking for a parts manager, just hit me up.
But if I had to go with something that would actually be like a dream job, and I would just
absolutely love to do it in some way, shape, or form, if I could make a living off of just
going to car events, whether that's interviewing people or just making videos, taking pictures,
documenting the experience, or whatever in some way, shape, or form, to be able to travel the world,
going to car related, whether it's specifically a car event or car-esque related events, shows,
meets, and actually be able to make a living off of that, like that is like a thousand percent
the dream job. Like Larry Chen? Yeah, exactly like that. Yeah, that dude, he does some pretty cool stuff.
Yeah, or like there's another guy I follow on YouTube, I think it's either DC Dino or Dino DC,
but he's constantly like, he goes to Tokyo Auto Fest, he goes to Thailand, he goes to Germany,
he's in the US, he goes to Canada, like this guy is all over the place, but he's super humble,
he's like such a nice guy, and his videos are like almost soothing, kind of like ASMR because
he's so chill. Yeah, that's good. I could literally watch his videos all day long,
or like I could put one on before bed and fall asleep watching it, because like I just love
his videos. Yeah, that's cool. But what he does is my dream job, just going all across the world
and just being invited into people's shops, company shops, these exclusive events.
Like I think the one I watched, he was at the RWB headquarters in Japan,
like that's crazy to be in the very shop that started RWB for Porsches, like that's crazy to me.
Yeah. Yeah, it's, you know, some people just not necessarily, I mean, I guess you can kind of
call it lucky, but you just, sometimes people start something, they have a vision when they're
young, and they start working towards something, and they just happen to meet the right person,
and then that helps them get kicked off. So what is something that makes you want to get out of bed
every day? Seeing my wife and daughters face at the end of the day, when I come home, it just
happened today, ironically, like not all the time does that happen, but a good majority of the
time, you know, you come in, either it's been a good day, bad day, doesn't matter, but it's even
better on those bad days where it's like, you're just having a crap week, a crap day, and you
know you're going to come home, walk in the door, kick your shoes off, put your jacket up on
the coat rack, and there's your daughter just staying there, my little four-year-old daughter,
daddy, I missed you all day. I'm like, oh, that is, it's hard, it's not really heart breaking,
but just like, it pulls at your heartstrings, and you're like, this, this is what it's about
right here, that if you have a kid, obviously like, I know you understand it, but like,
having a kid and coming home every day from work to your kid just loving up on you
is the best feeling in the world. Yeah, yeah, I agree. It's seeing their, seeing their excitement
of getting to see you. Yeah, and they have that, that whole world of amazement in their eyes,
and you can just see it, and it's like, for them to step out of like, just that whole world of
like, they could be doing a million different things right now, but daddy just came home,
and that is my only thing that I see right now is daddy's home, love him, like,
I gotta go give him a hug. Yeah, precious moments, man. It is. Yeah, what is something that makes
you want to stay in bed? Yeah, the fact that I have to get up at five o'clock in the morning.
Yeah, I can imagine. The moon's still out, I shouldn't have to be up at this time,
can I please stay in bed for a couple more hours? Yeah. But again, it's for my job, and I love my job,
and it kind of gives me that extra time in the morning, where it's like, I get, I'm the first
one to the shop, I get to open up, unlock everything, turn the lights on, it gives me that time to
just kind of like, relax and sit there, enjoy my coffee, enjoy my energy drink, check my morning
order in, check up on e-mails, do my morning paperwork, kind of get myself prepared for the
day's chaos, you know, whatever today may bring. I get that like first, because the texts don't
get there until eight o'clock in the morning, so that gives me that first couple of hours
of the day to just kind of like, all right, let's settle in, let's get the main stuff done
and out of the way, so then I can just prepare myself mentally for whatever gets thrown at me
today. Yeah, that's good. It's nice to have that little kind of time to prep for the day
before everything else gets started, so I get that. What is something that really scares you?
I mean, I'm going to give you the easy one. I think everybody in some way, shape, or form
is afraid of death, so the obvious answer being death, but the more specific one
being in some way, shape, or form not being able to help my family, like whether that's
financially, mentally, physically not being able to actually help them,
like the biggest fear being when I'm older, not actually being able to help them.
Yeah, I get that. But not anything you really have to worry about right now,
which is good, because you have to try to just go through every day as it comes and not
dwell on things in the past or things in the future that are yet to come.
Yeah, I definitely don't try to dwell on what the future holds. As much as I can,
I try and live in the moment. Yeah, that's good. So besides your outback
and obviously your family and especially your daughter, what is something that really excites you?
So honestly, my biggest thing is, and it's probably not anything that most people would be
too overly excited about, but it's something really simple for me. And that's just getting
out of the town, getting out of my county for a little bit, whether that's going out to a restaurant
or like me and my wife love going to thrift stores. So like finding a new thrift store
that we've never been to before, it's kind of like that excitement where you don't know
what you're gonna find or go into a new city where you're like, well, we've never been
here. Let's explore the city a little bit. Yeah, I totally get that getting out of your own town.
I mean, like I live in West Houston and I, the town, so I live in Katie and it's,
Katie's gotten like really, really big since I've been here. I've been here since 91.
And it's like huge, you know, it's not Houston or anything, but we have so much stuff here.
And sometimes we'll drive to a small town that's not too far away to it and just see like
drive through the downtown of a small town just to see like what kind of shops they have,
the, you know, what kind of square they have there for the town. And like that's kind of,
you know, that's exciting for me and my son. That's kind of like our thing is we like to go
drive around and just explore, even if we don't get out of the car, just go drive around and
see what we can see. So I totally get that. Ironically, that's kind of also the same
thing. Even like me and my mom, like I'm a total momma's boy. So like since I lived with my parents,
like kind of my later teenage years slash end of high school, like our thing has always been
going out and just picking a city, whether that's state college or Wilkes-Barre
or wherever, we pick a city, we go there and then unplanned most of the time. We in the moment,
as soon as we get there, like cool, we'll find a place to like go get breakfast or something.
And then while we're sitting there getting breakfast or coffee or whatever it is,
both of us will be looking like things to do, places to go. Are there any local thrift stores?
Are there like any cool little quirky shops? Is there like an Asian food market? Like me and
my mom are obsessed with Asian food. Oh, it's so good. We'll look up like is there like a little
tiny Asian food market? Or is there like a farmer's market? And we'll spend a whole day
like a like a Saturday and just pick a city, go there and just
you know, figure it out when we get there. Yeah, whatever you're gonna do. Yeah, that's fun.
It's nice to do that. I love it. Spontaneous and not we're not really have a plan. You know,
let's just go there and figure out what we figure out. Yep, exactly. I love doing that. Yeah.
What would be your best bit of advice to give to someone about anything?
If you think you can't do something, try it. Just try it. That's all I can say is because
you never know what you're capable of or able to do or even if you're really, really good at it,
if you never try it. Yeah, 100%. That is the best advice I've ever been given.
And when it comes to like a tough moment, you're like, I don't know if I want to do this.
Just do it. Yeah. What's the worst that can happen? Okay, I'm bad at this. I'm never doing it
again. Okay, well, that's a learning experience. Yeah. Or you do it. Are you doing you're like,
man, I had a blast doing that. Okay, well, you just made a memory.
A good memory to have. Or you do it and you're like, damn, I'm really good at this.
You might have just found something that you're really good at that you can eventually
make into like your own business. If it's something like skill related. Yeah. Yeah,
because you never know. I mean, you're not going to know unless you give it a try. And I know a lot of
it, a lot of times for people is fear based, you know, fear of either failure or a fear of like,
I just don't feel like I have it right. So I'm not even going to start it in the first place.
And then, you know, there are certain things that you kind of have to think about,
you know, like maybe something else in your life that at one point maybe you were scared
and unsure. And it's something you've been doing for a while. And then you look back and think like,
man, I'm really good at this now. Remember when I was scared, try this new thing. Yeah. Yeah,
exactly. Like for the longest time on Instagram, I'm sure you saw a lot of my older stuff is
just pictures. Yeah, like I would, I would just take pictures and edit them and put a song
to it. And for the longest time, I was like, I don't know if I want to do reels. Like,
I can't imagine. I didn't either. I can't imagine just going out and filming my car
like out in the middle of town or like at this little gas station or whatever. Like,
God, that it just feels so weird to do that. And now I've been doing it more because I was like,
Well, you know what, I think one of the first ones I did was outside of my own work.
Obviously, like I just told you I'm the first one there, it's still dark out. So I'm like,
well, it can't be too bad. I'm the first one. Hey, no one's going to see. Let me just fill
my car real quick. And I put it together or made an edit. I got used cap cut or something like that.
Throw it together, throw it up on Instagram and everyone liked it. So I was like,
maybe I'll just keep doing this. So I just can't be doing it.
Yeah, you keep doing it and then you find out that you enjoy it and then you get
better at it and better at it, you know, and then you start getting more creative with it and think
of different ways to do it. And then next thing you know, it's like, Hey, I've been doing this for
a while and it's fun. Yeah, I've definitely enjoyed it a lot more now. Yeah, me and the guys
from Unnoticed were just out this past weekend, like I said, doing the list kit.
But prior to that, we actually on our way to my buddy's shop, we were on the way there
and we found this metal foundry off to the side on the way there and we're like,
should we pull in? And then Lucky just threw his turn signal on and started going in.
So like, I guess we're going in. Yeah, let's do it. So we go in and like we're definitely
not supposed to be there, but it's a Saturday. Like there's no one there. We looked at the parking
lot. There's like one truck and I think there's like a Prius up front. So we're like, screw it,
let's just go. Like let's just film some content. And I think it was honestly some of the best
content that I personally or us in general have filmed ever. Yeah. It was just on a whim.
And we're just like, why not? Let's just do it. Yeah, sometimes those are the best ones when you're
like not sure that you're supposed to do something or if you, even if it's not something that,
not a situation where you think you shouldn't be doing it, but just like on a whim decide to do
something. And then it turns out to be like, this is one of the craziest things that we did
and it was fun and it came out nice and yeah. Yeah. And with how the internet works
nowadays, it's like you never know what's gonna hit, what's gonna pop off, what's gonna go viral.
So it's like, you don't know unless you do it. And if you do something on a whim
and it turns out to be the most fun you've had, but then you put it up on the internet
and it gains some traction and you're like, holy crap. Yeah. I didn't even,
I didn't even mean to do this and it's just going off. Yeah. Those are, those are always fun.
So well, thank you so much for your time. Thanks for hopping on and
recording your episode with the 22 in it. Absolutely, man. It's been a blast, man. I
am so glad that fate worked out the way that it did. Yeah. Yeah. It's just funny how those
things turn out and you know, you just never know what's gonna happen. But yeah,
it's been great chatting with you and to get all this put together for your own episode.
I don't even know when it was, but it was a while back. You said maybe I'll be listening to my own
episode one day. Here we are. Yeah. Eventually going to be listening to my own episode of
Subi and you podcast. Yeah. Cool. Well, I hope you have a good evening and I hope you have
a good week and we'll keep in touch. Absolutely, man. Thank you. You're welcome. All right. Have a
good night. Yep. You too. Hey everybody, thank you for tuning in to another episode and thank you
so much, Zach, for taking the time to record with me and be a guest on your very own episode of
the Subi and you podcast. If you're not doing so already, go give him a follow. It is that
underscore one O-N-E underscore three point O-R underscore guy, that one three point O-R guy.
So go check out his account, check out his build and send him a message. Let him know what you
thought of the episode. Again, yeah. Thank you so much for tuning in. I hope you all have a
wonderful week and again, if you had the day off, I hope you enjoyed the day off. So we
will see you next Monday for the Subi scoop. And then in two weeks, we will see you for another
Subi and you podcast guest episode. Have a good one. Much to be love. Raph, the Subi and you
podcast is hosted by Raphael and a closet in Houston produced by Raphael in a room next to
the closet in Houston and edited by Raphael on a computer in the room next to the closet in
Houston with music by Luke Ruiz in another room in Houston. You can find the Subi and you podcast
wherever you listen to podcasts, including Apple podcast, Spotify and many more. To support the
podcast, please head over to patreon.com slash Subi and you podcast. Once you join, you will
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get in contact with the show, you can find them on Instagram at Subi and you podcast
online at Subi and you podcast.com or by email, Subi and you podcast at gmail.com. That's all for this week.
About this episode
Zach shares his unique Subaru journey, detailing how his interest in the brand began with Ken Block's Jim Kana series. He discusses the significance of the number 22 in his life, which he considers his lucky number, and how it serendipitously aligns with being featured in Episode 220. The conversation also touches on the playful banter he receives from his dad, a Mopar enthusiast, and his boss, a Chevy guy, about his Subaru ownership. The episode is filled with personal anecdotes and insights into the Subaru community.
5.8 liter Windsor
all wheel drive
base model
brake rotor
DC Sports exhaust
Eccentric Designs
flat 6-cylinder engine
flat six
head gasket
ignition knock sensor
Acura TL
Chevrolet Camaro
Chevrolet Chevelle
Chevrolet Nova
Chrysler PT Cruiser
Dodge Ram
Ford Bronco
Ford Explorer
Ford F-350
Ford Model T
Ford Mustang
Hyundai Accent
Hyundai Elantra
Jeep Wrangler
Nissan 370Z
Porsche Macan
Saturn SC2
Subaru 360
Subaru BRZ
Subaru Crosstrek
Subaru Impreza
Subaru Legacy
Subaru Outback
Subaru WRX
Toyota Prius
Volkswagen Golf
Volkswagen Jetta
Original notes
Zac hops on the mic today to chat about his Subaru Outback, living in Pennsylvania, and shares his excitement for being on episode 220! Zac also talks about his passion for The Unnoticed Shows and The Subie Collective.
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Rafael Ruiz
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