Hi folks, new here!
I'm an old-hat with Subarus, and back in April I took the plunge and bought what I had thought was my dream car, a 2013 WRX STI. Traded in my four-year-old WRB WRX for it, too. And I thought it was simply awesome.
Then the costs hit.... and even after sticker shock wore off, it still hurt, as I wasn't racing the car, wasn't AutoXing, etc. Very powerful, a blast to drop the hammer on, but ouch the cost!
And then I started reading the WRX/STI forums... about the BRZ. Long time STI owners with gorgeous built machines selling or trading them in (small numbers of these folks, but several notables had done so) for BRZs or FR-S's. And not regretting a SINGLE THING.
Took a test drive in July to see what all the fuss was about, since on paper the numbers were just anemic. And I felt what everyone was raving over. I wanted this car. Badly. It wouldn't have been bad if the daily/monthly costs of owning and driving the STi hadn't hurt so bad in the wallet, and I could have just dealt with it like I did for 4 years in the WRX... but no, this just wasn't do-able. Not with the government preparing to ream me next year over their health-care racket. I needed to get into something less expensive to own/operate/fuel/insure.
So, 2 days ago I began what I thought was going to be a few months of deliberation over several options: A NISMO Z-series, or a MX-5, or one of the 86 twins. Yeah, that only lasted a day. The 350-Z I looked at was good, for what it was, but it just didn't feel right. The FR-S was definitely a deal-sealer, but I'm a Subaru guy and always have been. That, and my local dealership was ready to bend over backwards (or a close approximation thereof)... and the limited is just, in my honest opinion, nicer-looking than the 10-series.
Well, they made it work... all the numbers. Even though after trade-in, I was slightly upsidedown on the STI (only by a few hundred, actually), they got me in a 2014 Limited BRZ for less monthly at a lower APR. Pair that with better mileage, cheaper insurance rates and I'm one happy camper price-wise.
Not to mention I simply LOVE driving this car. I couldn't be happier.
