time for a 4door?
 

Just wanted to get some feedback from the community to see what other have done.

*

I have a 2013 FRS, the car is great and have been wonderful to me.

But with a growing family I may now need to look at options. 1 15months old and another one coming.

*

Here are some of the cars I’m looking at.

*

2012 WRX manual – straight trade or maybe 5k up on my end

2011 EVO GSR manual – trade and maybe 8k up on my end

2013 Toyota Sienna –trade and maybe 5k up on my end

2014 Nissan Rogue – straight trade or maybe 1-3k up on my end

*

2015 Audi S3 –trade and maybe 15-20k up on my end

*

Just wanted to see what your thoughts on these cars and or any other advises you can share having 2 car seat on an FRS. So far I am leaning towards the WRX but I don’t know how good they are, it will be the most cost effective and fun.

*

Thoughts? Any regrets?

Any and all would be better for your needs.
Whichever fits your budget and personal tastes.

2012 wrx

cost effective, fun, decent mpg

sienna/rogue are just in completely different classes all together.

Do you have any other vehicles? If no, maybe a small suv like roque would be good...


WAY too many variables for us to decide for you haha

the only firsthand experience I have with any of those cars is the Evo. I would highly recommend against buying one. Especially in Vancouver.

I'd like to throw a contender in there. The Focus or Fiesta ST. Just at least test drive one. Trust me.
As for the list, I'm guessing people here will lean towards the WRX. My point is for the Evo.

OP Don't get that '12 wrx. Those years blow chunks. WRXes in general that aren't hawkeyes are bleh...

From my personal experience the 2014 Nissan Rogue (bought my parents one) is a very capable crossover. Plenty of storage in the back and the rear seats have plenty of leg room, which is great for a growing family like yours. The engine department is lacking in my opinion, a V6 would've been nice or the MR16DT engine from the Juke would be excellent. Overall it's a Jack of All Trades type of vehicle, a 7/10.

thank you for the feedback

yes we do have a small suv already which we use on daily. but just didnt want to be that selfish dad lol.

like mechanical issue or just that the appearance is ugly?

thanks

Hell then! Keep the FRS and only take one kid at a time!!!!

definitely don't go with the audi...its not bad by any means, but at that point you might as well keep the frs and buy another vehicle...like a 2010-2013 small suv/crossover

Let's face it, time for a minivan. Stop kidding yourself.

they are just inferior. Heavier, sloppier. not really any more power or any further capabilities.

The powerplant is not the current FA20DIT; suspension is meh; appearance to me is absolute mazda copycat bland shit; typical subaru drivetrain feel (this is NOT a pro); shitty 5mt that is based on a 25-year old antiquated design..
@2much hit the nail on the head

YMMV, but my opinion is that it will be a huge waste of your time and money to go that route. The WRX is just a shit car after '07... and arguably still even with the new 6mt and FA20DIT given the price they now charge. The '12 STI is awesome, though. Completely different beast.

in that case go with wrx or something similar...no point having two suv's

Let's face it, you are headed in the Sienna direction. 2 kids grow up quick and you need the space. The FRS is a fun car for us old farts. Keep them both since you probably need 2 cars. If only one, you get the van and come back when you can afford 2. We bought a Sienna to make my wife happy and the grandkids. You will outgrow all the others very quickly.

yes

*

All of those cars have 4 doors

*

My one regret is not making more money to get more cars.

*

There are more unique four doors out there but I have a feeling that you're the kind of guy most satisfied when he

*

Goes with his gut, I would avoid advice if I were you, just do lots of reading and less bothering people for their opinions.

*

Since you're considering minivans anyway, mazda5 comes with a manual transmission and I know a guy who claims he can get lift-off oversteer with his and it's not a complete bore to drive.

******
Good Luck.

I have driven my Son in Law's Mazda 5 and it actually is pretty sweet for what it is. I would however be deathly afraid of getting it into a lift off overseer situation with the COG that the thing must have.

Eh, 'lift off oversteer' makes it sound more severe than it is, more like you can coax some rotation out of it with the right throttle inputs.

In any case, I would do bad things for a new Mazda6 Wagon.

not everything we've said were opinions bruv

namely the merits of a 2012 wrx are: 5mt prone to breaking at anything over OEM power; EJ255 engine that is essentially the same as the hawkeyes; suspension that is understeer prone.

Those aren't opinions.

HA HA HA I have no idea why my brain decided "off" should have been in that sentence! Ya lift "off" over steer may be a tad excessive!

http://rs2img.memecdn.com/we-have-li..._o_1149639.jpg

lol so true but so hard to accept.
was also thinking about the venza...is not as bad as a sienna right? or should I say less minivan ish type

I only have a 9 month old, but I have pretty much set my mind on the 2015 WRX. It's one of the safest cars on the road, AWD for New England winters which gives piece of mind about not getting stuck anywhere, not a boat like "full-size" sedans, and you pretty much can't beat the value on the dollar for what you get when comparing other similarly equipped "compact" sedans without looking to pay $5-10k more by jumping into a luxury brand.

Is it really that big of a deal to lean a driver/passenger seat forward to put a kid in the back seat of a car like the FR-S? I mean... kids are small... kid seats are small... what's so unpractical about it?

Not sure about the other ones, but don't get the Evo. I test drove one and the interior felt like a cheap rental Hyundai. I did some research and apparently the are pretty unreliable. I remember finding a list of reliability mods you should perform on your new evo before driving it. Also the seats literally tear apart after a couple months.

I like the cut of your jib!

OP, throw the kids in the trunk and call it a day. The older one can pretend they're camping and the baby won't know any better. Problem solved.

I did not comment on anybodies opinions much less any statement on a WRX in this thread, I am not sure how my posts would elicit this response.

Obviously never tried to put a kid in a car seat that is right at a open door much less in the cubby hole we call a back seat!

Focus ST. Practical and cheap used.

Buy a cheap used 2nd car like an Accord or something.

New Focus ST's can be had under $20k, OP is willing to shell out $20k for an Audi and loose the FRS, I think we have a winner.

I think the fiesta is a better balanced and all around car. Focus.... too much power for FWD application, cog higher, etc.

It's not selfish if you twist it like this:
The parent who is driving the kids on any given occasion takes the SUV.
The other one takes the little fun car.
Got to hold on to the fun stuff in life, if it goes away it tends to not come back.

OP's looking for a bigger car for a growing family, Fiesta is a little on the small side for that purpose.

Focus ST would still be fun and handle decently well, but also give him more room for the bambinos.

yup. I completely neglected the whole growing family situation when I said that.

sorry I just read this, "Goes with his gut, I would avoid advice if I were you, just do lots of reading and less bothering people for their opinions."

feedback is great to help a guy decide if he's on the fence, especially if he trusts the source/community that he's asking.. just wanted to point out that we aren't just giving him opinions, but accredited artefacts and facts of the situation for systems we have experience in

What you want is an 11+ WRX Sedan or Wagon. It's what I wish I had gotten, to be honest. I love my car, but AWD would be so nice 'round these parts, and that turbo...

uhh..

did you miss the posts in this thread about how the 2011-2012 wrx were terrible compared to their immediate before and afters?

I've been in the wrx game for going on 6 years. Own a bugeye putting down 240whp on the stock td04. Been in dozens of different wrxes. Trust the people who know- those are terrible years if you're looking for a newer rex

Lexus IS 250! If you can afford it.. Lol if I had to hunker down with a family car it would probably be a used IS 250. The gas mileage isnt the best but they are comfy and pretty nice to drive from what i've heard.