Talk me out of it: 2017 WRX

[daiheadjai]

Originally Posted by serialk11r

You said the WRX had a long shifter throw and high seating position...well, shifter throw can be changed if you don't like, but the rest of the cars you listed also have a pretty high seating position too.

Personally, I think in this class of car there's only so much you can ask for, and the WRX is probably as good as it gets. Decent power, AWD, and a slick gearbox compared to the BRZ's IMO.

The E46 M3 sounded really cool to me and I strongly considered buying one...until I read about it and got that thought out of my head quickly. It has a belt driven radiator fan for god's sake...even for 2000, that is next-level dinosaur tech, and the rear sub-frame apparently can get bent? That turned me off from the BMW brand enough that I never even bothered to read about the E39 M5.

Between those I'd go WRX, since I don't really like the 2JZ-GE engine in the IS300. Are IS250s that bad? I've always wanted to try a manual transmission one...

Apparently the IS250 has an awful shifter that makes automatics the preferred choice.
The WRX shifter bothers me, not by the throws, but the sloppy, vague feeling (and rev hang) - if I do go WRX, definitely will be grabbing a shifter stop and shift knob (carry over from the brz). Have heard that these mods make huge improvements to the shifter, so I'm optimistic.

Entirely possible that I'll just get used to things like seating position.

[serialk11r]

Originally Posted by daiheadjai

Apparently the IS250 has an awful shifter that makes automatics the preferred choice.
The WRX shifter bothers me, not by the throws, but the sloppy, vague feeling (and rev hang) - if I do go WRX, definitely will be grabbing a shifter stop and shift knob (carry over from the brz). Have heard that these mods make huge improvements to the shifter, so I'm optimistic.

Entirely possible that I'll just get used to things like seating position.

Now that you mention that I remember it now, yea the WRX throttle response is horrendous, and the rev hang is so annoying. Wonder if it can be fixed...

I thought the shifter was okay though, my FRS shifter isn't that great imo. The best shifter I've felt is the 991/981 Porsche shifters, they're perfect. Crisp, but not clunky.

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[zberz]

Originally Posted by serialk11r

Now that you mention that I remember it now, yea the WRX throttle response is horrendous, and the rev hang is so annoying. Wonder if it can be fixed...

I thought the shifter was okay though, my FRS shifter isn't that great imo. The best shifter I've felt is the 991/981 Porsche shifters, they're perfect. Crisp, but not clunky.

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Throttle response seems fine to me. Turbo lag is weird since I've always had NA cars. My wife has the short throw shifter in her WRX and it's awkward at first, but it clicks into gear very nicely. In my experience, the 986 I drove had the best shifter feel. The WRX is different, but not bad (at least with the short shifter).

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[klondike]

Originally Posted by daiheadjai

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

Any thoughts and suggestions?

There was a BRZ with no bluetooth?

[daiheadjai]

Looking back, I could've phrased that better. I think I meant that I'd like something with Bluetooth as a minimum.

I ended up going with a base CVT impreza for family duty, and got myself a AP1 replaced the headunit with one that has Bluetooth. Now to solve the winter car problem...

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[strat61caster]

Originally Posted by daiheadjai

I ended up going with a base CVT impreza for family duty, and got myself a AP1 replaced the headunit with one that has Bluetooth. Now to solve the winter car problem...

Buy another impreza

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by daiheadjai

Looking back, I could've phrased that better. I think I meant that I'd like something with Bluetooth as a minimum.

I ended up going with a base CVT impreza for family duty, and got myself a AP1 replaced the headunit with one that has Bluetooth. Now to solve the winter car problem...

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The HU in ours is great.

[daiheadjai]

I think one Impreza in the household is enough! Might look for a Mazda 6 wagon! Although @strat61caster and his other oder Impreza idea could fly!

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[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by daiheadjai

I think one Impreza in the household is enough! Might look for a Mazda 6 wagon! Although @strat61caster and his other oder Impreza idea could fly!

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Just get one of each gen body style and call it a collection.

[daiheadjai]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

Just get one of each gen body style and call it a collection.

New life goals:

To become a connoisseur of fine vintage Imprezas.

[Jordanwolf]

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?

So I kind of group the WRX into the hatchback community, the two I can think of off the top of my head(also not sure if they were mentioned, didn't read entire thread) are the Ford focus, st or rs and the vw golf, gti or R, these cars are also closer to your budget it would seem compared to BMW

[daiheadjai]

Originally Posted by Jordanwolf

So I kind of group the WRX into the hatchback community, the two I can think of off the top of my head(also not sure if they were mentioned, didn't read entire thread) are the Ford focus, st or rs and the vw golf, gti or R, these cars are also closer to your budget it would seem compared to BMW

Totally agreed - I've heard enough horror stories to let my E46M3 dream die.
I need to look for a winter car to complement the S2000 so a FiST/FoST or similar would be fun (maybe a bit expensive though).

I'm looking at old Mazda 6 wagons.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by daiheadjai

Totally agreed - I've heard enough horror stories to let my E46M3 dream die.
I need to look for a winter car to complement the S2000 so a FiST/FoST or similar would be fun (maybe a bit expensive though).

I'm looking at old Mazda 6 wagons.

Careful with any Mazda prior to about 2015. They are very prone to hidden rust in structural areas. I have seen some nasty stuff in the 3s and 6s.

[Slammillionaire]

Originally Posted by daiheadjai

Totally agreed - I've heard enough horror stories to let my E46M3 dream die.
I need to look for a winter car to complement the S2000 so a FiST/FoST or similar would be fun (maybe a bit expensive though).

I'm looking at old Mazda 6 wagons.

Like Tcoat said, be careful with these. I had a Mazda 3 and it was VERY good for a FWD econobox but once they get higher in milage they tend to fall apart.