Mileage like “142,000 miles” is a key ownership metric because it hints at how the car has been used and how much wear it may have. For enthusiasts, higher-mileage cars can still be great if they’ve been maintained well. It also sets context for the host’s claim that they still enjoy driving their Subaru daily.
With a manual transmission, you use the clutch and gear stick to choose the gear you want. That means you control how fast the engine spins. Many drivers find that more fun and more engaging than an automatic.
Overland Expo is a big event for people who like road trips and off-road adventures. You can see different vehicles and gear setups and talk with other owners.
A PA system is the sound system that makes sure the person talking into the mic can be heard by everyone in the audience. It uses a microphone and speakers.
“Hit some trails” means drive on rough dirt or gravel paths instead of smooth pavement. People do it for fun, and Subaru owners often like that kind of driving.
LIVE
Hello. How's it going? Welcome to another edition of the Soobie Scoop. I hope everybody
had a very happy and good Easter. I didn't really do a whole lot. I just went to my mom's
house and chilled out there and hung out with family and then came back home and did
a little bit of work on stuff. But it was a good day. So no Easter bunny for us. We're
kind of past that phase. But for those of you with little kids that do that, that's
always fun for Easter time and for celebrating Easter for other reasons as well. But hope
everyone had a good day overall. It's kind of crazy that we're already in April. I mean
2026 is moving along pretty quick. And next thing you know it's going to be 2027 and then
another year and another year. Let's not worry about that right now. There's not a whole
lot to talk about in this edition of the Soobie Scoop. There really hasn't been a whole lot
going on. It's been very anti-climactic as they say. But you know we're all still here.
We still have our Soobroos hopefully and enjoying them. Mine is you know over 142,000 miles
and I just I still appreciate it every single day. I know pretty much everybody does. You
especially if you're an enthusiast and you love your Soobroo, you love this community.
And any chance you get to drive your car, it's a good day. And I know that that's what
brings many of us joy is driving our Soobroo, hanging out with other people, just getting
out, whether it's just driving out on the road or hitting some trails, whatever it may
be. But we enjoy them. And I still I mean mine's a manual and I still enjoy driving
it every single day or every day that I actually drive it. I just I don't ever ever take it
for granted that I have a manual. It's still like every once in a while just hits me like
oh my gosh this is so cool. I have a manual. And so for those of you out there driving
a manual, then you know, you know what it's like for those of you that don't have a manual,
but maybe you have had one or maybe you've driven one, you know what it's like to. But
I wish that they would keep it more manuals around because they're they're really fun
to drive. And it just it helps to really enhance your driving experience. So again, I've said
this before, if you've never driven a manual, if you don't really know how but you want
to learn how, ask a friend if you have a friend that has a manual, ask them if they'll help
you drive it, learn how to drive it, because it really is a fun driving experience. So
go seek out a good friend and let them ask them if they'll help you out. Of course,
the other thing that's still going on is my granddaughter is now three weeks old. And
she's super cute. I haven't really seen her a whole lot because my daughter and her husband
wanted the three of them to just be a family for a while and not have a bunch of people coming in
and out of their house. And I totally get that and totally respect that. So I'm looking forward
to being able to spend time with her. And but you know, my daughter's sending me pictures and
videos and stuff. And she's super, super cute. So it's, it's really cool to see that. And I look
forward to being able to hang out with her. Also, don't forget that Overland Expo is coming up
next month. So it's a little less than a month and a half. It is May 15th through the 17th. And
it is in Flagstaff, Arizona. So if you do not have your tickets and you want to go, go ahead and get
your tickets, if you're going to be there, stop by the Subaru booth and say hello to all of us.
There's going to be quite a few of us there. And let's all just hang out and chat. And if I haven't
met you in person, if you haven't met the people in person that are going to be there, that's going
to be really, really cool to get to meet new people and hang out and talk Subaru and look at new
vehicles, look at the owner vehicles that are at the booth. That's always a lot of fun too. But I
will see you there if you're going to be there. I also found out that this year's going to be a
little bit different for me because I am going to have, there's going to be, well, there was a
stage last year that there's a stage again, but I'm actually going to be up on stage. And I'm going
to have my microphones with me to record with a guest, but they're also going to have like a PA
system so that me and my guests can have a mic and then they'll have a speaker so that as I'm
recording with the person, anybody that's sitting there at the stage can watch and listen. And so
that's going to be a really cool experience. And I'm actually going to record video this year of
those conversations. So I'm planning to do one on Friday, Saturday and Sunday starting at 9am.
And I'm going to, the plan is to pick somebody from, I believe Camp Subaru to fill those spots
with me and kind of give them, you know, a different experience. But I'm also going to be
walking around and doing audio interviews like I did last year. So, but I'm going to be putting out
more content this time. I'm going to be doing more reels that I can post on Instagram, TikTok,
and you do as YouTube shorts. And then the video that I record with me up on stage with the other
person that's going to go on as a long form YouTube video. So I'm going to be putting out more
video content this year from events like that. But I'm again, I'm just really looking forward to it.
I'm looking forward to seeing people again that I haven't seen in a while and looking forward to
meeting new people. So please stop by and say hello. And when you go out to Overland Expo,
whether it's Expo West or any of the other ones, be sure to show up in style. Grab some Subaru gear
from Subarugear.com. Use the code SUBI and U 2026 to get 20% off your purchase. If your purchase,
or if your total is over $50 after the 20% discount, you'll automatically get free shipping. So,
show up in style. Show up with some Subaru gear. Show your Subaru pride. Show everybody what you
got because they've got some really cool stuff on there. Especially explore the new tab because
they have a lot of new products from their spring lineup that are in there. And I'm going to be
putting together some videos of some of the products that they have sent me. Because that's
another thing that I'm doing a little bit different this year, is I'm actually going to be getting
products to have on hand so that I can actually show them to you rather than just throw images up on
a reel. So I'm really looking forward to that, to putting out more content with and for Subaru gear.
So thank you so much Subaru gear for sponsoring the SUBI and U podcast and bringing this really
cool offer to our listeners. So I mentioned a little while ago, TikTok and YouTube. So if you're
not following me, please go get me a follow on TikTok and YouTube. They're both just at SUBI
and U. That's where you can find it on TikTok and on YouTube. So I've been putting out more content
there. So I'm trying to do stuff on Pearl's page on my TikTok page, and then also as YouTube
shorts. But that's a lot of stuff. So I'm trying to do what I can to put put content out. But
that's where you'll also see the videos that I'm doing for Subaru gear, Instagram, TikTok,
YouTube shorts, and then full length YouTube videos. So go subscribe to my YouTube channel. If
you haven't already, please, I would really, really appreciate that. And if you haven't
given a review on Apple podcasts and you listened to the podcast through Apple podcasts,
you can rate it and leave a review. And if you leave a review, I will read it on an episode.
So thank you all so much for listening to the podcast, for continuing to listen to the podcast.
I really appreciate it. Thank you so much to all my patrons for supporting the podcast
and for my sponsors. It really means a lot. Thank you all so much. I hope you all have a
wonderful week. If you can get out there and hit some trails or meet up with some friends
and just have fun and enjoy this, enjoy your Subaru and this community. Much to be love, Raph.
About this episode
After a quiet Easter and a slow news week, the host keeps the focus on community and driving joy—especially the magic of still having a manual Subie, now over 142,000 miles. A new family highlight follows: a granddaughter who’s only three weeks old, with updates coming via photos/videos. The big announcement is Overland Expo in Flagstaff (May 15–17), where the host will be recording on-stage interviews and expanding video content across Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts. There’s also a SubaruGear.com promo and calls to follow/subscribe.
