[Blue Fox]

Subaru's always sound tick like crazy when they're cold, it's completely normal. If it's a cool morning, I usually let the car warm up for around 30 seconds before I start to drive it. On a warm day, I don't wait at all, and just go. If it's winter, I usually let the car warm up for several minutes before heading off.

Rule of thumb, I drive it very gingerly until it gets to normal operating temps (keeping the revs as far under 3000 as possible). If you have a 4EAT, I would drive it normally, but don't rag on it while it's cold. I wouldn't put it in 2nd, as you are actually putting more strain on the engine to produce power in 2nd, rather than having it in 1st and have it shift to 2nd.