: Oh, and I car top 16-20' lengths of lumber on my Outback all the
: time. Make sure you have a flag!

Good to hear! I've been meaning to pick up a couple flags, anyway. They're handy to have. Like Bill mentioned below I'll probably bind them to a cheap 2x6, just to provide stability.

As for the plywood, I've sourced a 4'x8' 1/2" thick MDO plywood sheet for ~$50, here in Albany. $20 gets me a Lowe's pickup truck for an hour. I might just be able to pull a favor or two from my apartment maintenance group and get them to rip the sheet into quarters for me. That'll fit into the back of an Outback without issue. I'm fine with a few 16' boards on top of my Subie. I'm not fond of slapping an airfoil on it, though (a brick will generate lift if you move it fast enough...)