About Subaru Ambassador Robert

I am a Subaru Ambassador sharing my love of Subarus, Off-Roading, Outdoors and Charity! I’ve got many eclectic and varied interests in life, including cars, computers, video games, charity, volunteer work, construction, camping, hiking, exploring and photography.

About my Subaru

Currently, I drive a 2019 Subaru Ascent Touring in Magnetite Grey Metallic. It’s one of the first Production Ascents ever built, and it’s seen me through over 60,000 miles (as of July 2020) of driving, thousands of which have been off-roading all over the country.

My Ascent has the OEM tow hitch installed, and OEM side rain deflectors, along with a variety of other accessories. It is one of the few Tourings with blue first row footwell lighting.

My Ascent was the first Production Ascent to go off roading (June 30, 2018), the first Production Ascent fitted with 17″ wheels and all terrains, and currently is one of the highest mileage Production Ascents in the country.

Off Roading and Ascent Adventures

Not counting a drive across Liberty Subaru’s lawn with only 7 miles on the odometer, my first #AscentAdventure was on the day I brought my Ascent home from Liberty Subaru in Emerson NJ. I was already hooked on off-roading in Subies from before I bought the Ascent. Since that very first day, I’ve went on thousands of miles of off road, soft road and short overland adventures, and have many more planned. I make it a point of trying to meet other Subaru Enthusiasts on my country spanning adventures, and have been honored to meet hundreds of you during my adventures.

MtnRoo TriState, Mid-Atlantic, NorthEast, Florida, Utah, New ENgland & More

One of the best parts of my off-roading experience has been joining the MtnRoo Community, being a part of chapters all over the country, and then becoming an Officer in MtnRoo Tri-State.

MtnRoo is a Community of responsible off-roaders who love adventure and modifying cars for a better and safer outdoors experience.

MtnRoo hosts a wide variety of meets, participate in social events and seasonal cars shows throughout the year and is an all-inclusive off-road community based on sharing our passion with all members new and old.

My Many Other Ascent Adventures

I’ve spent thousands of happy miles off roading all over the country. I’ve off-roaded in three of the United States’ four deserts, from California to Montauk Point, from Vermont to Florida, and many places in between.

Since I have a great love for the outdoors, I find being able to off-road to remote places in some of our beautiful National Parks to be an amazing experience.

My Subaru Story

I Always Wanted One...

I always wanted a Subaru. I worked for Marine Midland Automotive Financial Services in the late 1980’s. We were Mazda American Credit, Porsche Financial Services, Saab Scania Corporation, a bunch of others, and most relevant (to this discussion) Subaru Credit Corporation (now that Marine Midland Bank is no more and HKSB isn’t doing this stuff, Subaru’s financing is done by Chase as Subaru Motors Corporation).

Anyways… I worked in the repossession department. Not the “go out and grab that car” department, but in the department that dealt with getting someone their car back, or selling it and applying the proceeds to their loan.

So, I dealt with a TON of cars, and had the opportunity to buy a bunch at auction. I wanted a Subie since then, after researching what the

could do.

Almost got a 2005 Honda CR-V...

Years later, in 2013, I finally bought a used 2010 Outback Premium 6MT with 105,035 miles on it, all because of a shady salesman at a horrible mega-dealership-conglomerate who tried forcing me into a car (totally different brand) I didn’t want and refused to show me the car I did want. I owe him one – thanks to him, I finally got my first Subie.

The way they treated me, you'd have thought I bought a brand new Touring...
I didn't... it was used with 105,035 miles on the odometer

Since then, Subaru has treated me phenomenally, even though my car was bought used. That they do far better at taking care of customers than other brands made things even better (like the 10 year warranty for headlights on my former Outback because people complained about the difficulty in replacing them and about them burning out). Don’t get me wrong… perhaps they don’t always get it right – that’s part of what being a big company can cause. But they sure as heck really seem to try, while some other car companies don’t even seem to care.

Subies and Snow... takes more than a foot to stop an Outback...

My brother, who works Suffolk County Medical Control, would have to get to work in blizzards where the roads were closed to all but essential personnel. Well, if Medical Control can’t dispatch ambulances and answer drug and care questions, route patients, etc, there’s problems – so, he’s essential…

…and I had the Subaru. Those few who would venture out in the travel ban would be stuck in the snow, on the road or off… and we’d cruise by. On the way back, I’d help the cops yank people out. They’d be out there in Hummers and massive 4x4s, and I’d cruise up in my Subie with the yank straps that they for some reason forgot to equip their winter vehicles with.

Decided to become a Subaru Ambassador - and they decided to have me!

So, on July 27, 2016, I became a Subaru Ambassador – I was already sharing my love of Subaru and doing a lot of charity work – now I get to do it in some nice t-shirts with the Subaru Ambassador logo on them and some Subaru Ambassador car magnets on my Subie.

It’s a great ongoing adventure, meeting so many other Subaru Enthusiasts around the country!

Subaru and Safety...

I bragged for years about how safe Subarus were. I promised everyone that the Ascent would be the safest vehicle of its kind – and IIHS agreed with me shortly after the Ascent came out. Heck, we’re already ready for the 2025 3rd row safety tests. Who else can say they are?

I Finally Got My Ascent Touring!!!
And My Outback Gave Its Life to Save My Brother's!!!

On June 30th, 2018, I took home my Ascent Touring. I gave my brother my Outback at 221,990 miles. He crashed into a stationary construction vehicle at 70mph in my former Outback. He literally walked away without a scratch. Literally not one scratch. I’ve seen enough accident reports from back in the late 2000’s when he and I did data entry for the ambulance companies. There’s plenty of accidents like that which would come back “Signal 50” – those were the gruesome ones. On the best case ones, people would be airlifted or rushed to the hospital for injuries large and small… after being cut out of the vehicle. He walked away without a scratch.

It's All About Trust...

I “pre-ordered” from Liberty Subaru, Inc., Emerson, NJ 8 days before pre-orders opened. I trusted Subaru of America that much when I pre-ordered, and I trust them even more now that my Outback kept my brother safe. My last car was a Subie. This car is a Subie. And unless the company suddenly changes, my next car will be a Subie as will the ones after that.

So, not just do I trust Subaru to take care of us, and generally go above and beyond what other manufacturers will, and not just do I love what my Subie can do in the snow and off-road, and not just do I love their charity work and environmental stuff… but now, I owe them my brother’s life – or at least his well being. Every day I get into my Ascent, I trust it will keep me safe. I trust that it will get me through the best weather and the absolute worst weather. I trust Subaru of America, Inc. to keep making cars like my former Outback and my Ascent.

Subaru and Charity... Fits perfectly with who I am...

As I learned about their environmental and charity stuff (stuff I am also very into), I was even more enamored with the brand. Here’s my car in the 48hrs of Tristate #Subaru Enthusiast Charity Drive for Make-A-Wish New Jersey. We raised $41,005 this year’s drive (2018). Subaru sponsored our breakfast, donated a bunch of gifts for the participants, and donated a chunk of that $41K total. (Liberty Subaru of Emerson NJ, Metric Subaru of Huntington, Competition Subaru of Smithtown, Goldstein Subaru and a number of other Subie dealerships jumped in and donated as well).

Charities and Fundraising and Volunteer Work

I’ve been lucky to have been helped by others in my times of need, and, I like being able to pay it forward to others – or just help others, because I can, and they need the help. To that end, I have been fortunate and honored to be a part of some great charity events, as well as run some of my own charity events.

National Parks Foundation

Not all of my activities are “fun and games”. Even my 8,400 mile cross country road trip was about more than just fun. I raised over $2,000 in offline donations and sponsorship for the National Park Foundation, and another $500 in online donations through the GoFundMe/PayPal Giving Fund.

Check out my Instagram, YouTube and this site for videos and pics from my visits to many of our beautiful National Parks.

48Hrs of Tristate Charity Drive & Make-A-Wish

Every year, my friends and I run and participate in the 48hrs of Tristate Subaru Enthusiast Charity Drive, along with 50-100 other Subaru Enthusiasts, where we raise money for Make-A-Wish.

In the last seven years alone, we’ve raised $453,619.32 for Make-A-Wish and helped grant over a dozen wishes.

This is a wonderful adventure for a wonderful cause, and I hope all Subaru owners in the area join us each year.

ASPCA & Little Shelter Animal Rescue

I am the proud Forever Human of Peanut the House Panther. Peanut is a rescue kitten (cat now) who thinks he’s part human, part dog and part cat. He l0ves playing fetch, walking on a leash (though he gets distracted a lot), playing with his dog friend Carson, and greeting me at the door. This beautiful cat was rescued by Little Shelter Animal Rescue, and, you can help their mission, or help the ASPCA, by donating to one of the links below. I donate to both, as I can, as thanks for saving Peanut and so many other furry friends like him.