There's not really a grand tale here. There's really not a lot of explaining to do. We bought a 2013 WRX Premium yesterday. We traded in our '12 Forester 2.5X for something smaller, and frankly, more entertaining. The Forester is a fine automobile for what it is, and one of very few AWD cars with a manual transmission option. They are very good at hauling stuff, people, and having some ground clearance when doing so. However, as my wife, Mercedes, and I decided, it wasn't for us.
Ultimately, we decided that having a fun, entertaining car with plenty of modification potential—and something smaller than than a Forester—outweighed the frugality and practicality of the Forester. Don't get us wrong, the WRX hatchback is still plenty practical. But it's 5.7" shorter in length than the Forester and feels much more nimble. While it's still 11" longer than our old SX4, it's not a bad compromise between size and practicality. Oh, and it goes like stink.
So while this WRX isn't going to sip gas or drink 87 octane, it will be a lot of fun, still be practical, and allow us to get to the ski areas and trail heads. No, we're not looking forward to the fuel costs, but this car won't see a ton of miles (that's what our Yaris is for). But it does have the AWD, the moon roof, and the manual transmission we were looking for in a vehicle. Having 265 horsepower doesn't hurt either.
4 comments:
"Oh, and it goes like stink." I recall the limited options you had when trying to just get wheels and tires for the Forester. Admit it, you just wanted a go-fast toy, the Yaris has all the work it's going to get. It's ok, you are among friends here :)
Just curious, given your geographical location...what happens when you buy a new car that comes with summer tires on a cold, wet, winter day? Nervous driving home on them? How did they do?
Yes, you got a new WRX and I'm asking you about the tires. I know how odd that sounds.
Duke,
We don't have to worry too much about that in our neck of the woods. The rain doesn't worry me too much on summer tires.
With that being said, I am looking for a set of 205/60/15 snow tires for the vehicle (I've already got a second set of wheels waiting in the wings that were going to be used on our Forester). If I still lived in, say, Minnesota or Wisconsin, I think I'd run right out and get some winter rolling stock.
Didn't know they still made the WRX hatchbacks - they don't make it very clear on the build-and-price.
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