: [s-cars] New or nearly-new car purchase

[Wayne Dohnal]

I'm really impressed with the civility of this group discussing other cars.
I once said something nice about Subarus in a rec.autos...audi uucp
newsgroup and got reamed so bad that I'll never forget it.  Having gotten
that out of the way I'll admit I also own a 1995 Subaru Legacy and will give
a short comparison with the S-car.  I test drove a new Subaru 2-1/2 years
ago before buying the S4 and found that they had changed little from 1995,
which is why I didn't get a new one.

For short trips the Subaru is great.  The lower 'waistline' gives a feeling
of openness.  It feels quick and nimble, easy to scoot around in.  Handling
is surprisingly good.  The S4, by comparison, feels like pulling the Queen
Mary out of the dock.  But for a longer trip the Subaru can't compare to the
comfort and solid feel of the Audi.  I feel better after 4 hours in the S4's
seat than after an hour in the Subaru's.  And the noise from a rough road is
punishing in the Subaru.  At highway speeds the Audi's feeling of stability
if very apparent..  For short hops I like the Subaru.  For anything over 30
minutes or so I'm just not interested in using it.

Another thing I can't help but notice is that the Subaru takes a licking and
keeps on ticking, while the S4 is always begging for more new parts.

Wayne Dohnal
1994 S4