Re: Subarus...

[jafo@tummy.com]

In article <199701230452.VAA21438@mailrelay.csn.net> you write:
>On the other hand, I rented an Outback for three days last week while on
>business and... liked it! The body roll was way less, handling felt solid
>and it did well in the snow. I drove it hard for me (car rented -:) ) and

I've owned a couple of Subaru's in my time.  The first was an '81 1800
wagon.  It was cheap winter transportation ($1500).  A year or so later
I traded that in for an '86 GL-10 turbo which I kept for about 3 years.
Subaru got me interested in AWD.  Actually, it's more like Subaru got me
ADICTED to AWD.  I used to blast through fields when it was snowy, and
loved it.  However, with the GL-10 turbo I knew my next car would have
full-time AWD.  The turbo combined with FWD (part-time AWD) kind of
sucked.

So, a couple of years ago we were looking at a replacement.  We checked out
the Subaru Impreza sedan.  We both liked it, the body was nice, engine
nice, full-time AWD, interior was nice.  Everyone was complaining about
the lack of power, but it was speced at like 110HP.  I figured "how bad
could it be"?  They were right, the thing wouldn't get out of it's own
way.  Both Evelyn and I couldn't make the 2-3 shift on the first try
on several occasions.  There's inexpensive, and there's cheap.  The Impreza
was cheap.

We decided we wanted an Audi, but couldn't find any new ones (in 3 states)
that was what we wanted.  We finally found a '90 90q20v.  It was a couple
of grand cheaper than the Subaru, but much nicer.  Loved the wood
interior, and all the other toys.  Had good power in the engine, etc...

When we were looking again recently, we looked at just about everything
else that was AWD (not SUVs or vans).  There isn't much...  I could have
been tempted by a new Galant or Diamante AWD, but they haven't had them
for years.  BMW was in the same boat.  The Eclipse and 911 C4 were just
not what we wanted (we want to be able to carry stuff, and I've already
got an RX-7 that doesn't carry anything :-).

So, the Subaru was the only choice.  We looked at the Legacy this time.
Yeah, it was ok, but not great, and it was like $20K to $25K.  Too close
in price to the Audi to not get the Audi.  The SVX was MORE expensive
than the Audi, and we couldn't find one to even look at...

Yeah, Subaru is good.  In general, I'd recommend a Subaru to somone looking
for a car.  I'd recommend a new Audi MORE, but for cars in the $10K to $15K
price range, I'd recommend the Subaru more...

You can have my '97 A4 when you pry it from my cold, dead, fingers.  :-)

Sean
-- 
 "I can sum it up in one word:  Indescribable!"  -- Gonzo
Sean Reifschneider, Inimitably Superfluous <jafo@tummy.com>
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