Originally Posted by daiheadjai
Unfortunately, most good things must come to an end.
My 3 year lease of the BRZ is wrapping up this July (I am already about 10,000 km over my 60,000 km limit), and I need to think of the next car.
Some context though: My wife and I are planning to have kids in the near future, so it must be practical and allow for decently-easy ingress/egress with a car seat (rear-facing is a must).
This means another Twin is out of the question.
I have the option of leasing a new WRX, and it does have a number of things going for it:
1) 4 doors and a practically-sized/shaped trunk
2) Manual available, likely offers a somewhat similar experience to the Twins
3) Very good value (lower payments and insurance than the BRZ for arguably more car)
4) Lots of nice features that contrast with the spartan BRZ (not really a big issue - about the only thing I might consider important is the rear camera) - modern amenities like bluetooth
5) Worry-free motoring due to 36 mo. warranty
6) Similarities with the BRZ in terms of things like DIY oil changes, some interchangeable parts
That being said, I took it for a brief test drive (had to test drive the salesman's personal vehicle, as Subaru apparently doesn't have any models to spare for test drives - they are all spoken for), and I was not impressed by the shifter/clutch or seating position (didn't really get to drive it too hard, since it was a short test drive, I wasn't accustomed to the car, and the salesman was there - so no comments on the handling except that it is more compliant over bumps). Being used to the BRZ's snug, cockpit/cocoon-like feeling, the vast expanse of dashboard in front of me in the WRX feels strangely distant and cavernous.
Some options that I have considered in the past (it may give an idea of what kinds of cars I like/enjoy):
-MR2 Spyder (no longer on the list due to family duty requirements, and lack of availability/high price in Canada)
-IS300 M/T (still on the list, but concerns about reliability/quality - need to hunt for a good one - also not sure how it would handle compared to the WRX)
-E46 M3 M/T (this is one that I would love to own some day, perhaps permanently - having ridden in a E46 330ci, the back seats appear to be far easier to get in and out of than the BRZ)
-Older WRXs (I've always liked the bugeye - but reliability could be an issue)
-E39 M5 (longshot - might be too big for my tastes)
Ideally, I'd like to find something for no more than $10-15k Canadian (the WRX payments work out to something like $18k over 3 years).
Used appeals to me, because there are some great analog cars out there for decent money, but of course, YMMV in terms of reliability and mechanicals (plus, the missus would prefer an interior that doesn't look too worn out).
Having had the BRZ, I'd love to get back to something with a cable-actuated throttle, enjoyable driving dynamics, but also some practicality.
The car might see very occasional track use, and winter use (I don't mind RWD in winter at all).
Any thoughts and suggestions?
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