2012 Subaru Impreza Sport Limited

Something-something, gets 36 mpg highway which is great for AWD. Moonroof, winter package, etc. Prob not as good stereo and no SYNC or 8" LCD but has basic bluetooth streaming, handsfree phone, usb etc.

[ 09-02-2011: Message edited by: Cacophonous ]

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Impreza is safer with AWD. We do have snow about 5 month a year in mitten state.

Both cars get similar mileage, maybe slightly better on FWD Focus.

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Also, a very well performing hatchback on the same price range and a surprisingly roomy car (in that I can fit comfortably) is the Mini Cooper. But they're not nearly as reliable as most of the press would lead you to believe. Mine had more fluid leaks than anything I've ever driven, and blew the motor with about 74k on the odometer. Got it parked right now just waiting for me to find the time and clear some space to rip into it.

So I'm also thinking about the next purchase but I'm leaning toward mid to full size and RWD. Probably the Charger's going to be the only one that makes sense. That new pentastar looks perfect on paper but I'd probably spring for a V8 anyway. And I'm looking forward to trying each of the pony cars as well CTS's and C300's.

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Titanium Focus as I have it equipped is 22,800. Only extras are moonroof, winter package (heated seats and all weather floor mats) and rims.

I will probably get the Focus to spite Burble.

[ 09-14-2011: Message edited by: Cacophonous ]

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We have a 2005 Saab 92x Aero (Saabaru) which is basically an Impreza WRX. Steph drives it for the most part due to the poor milage but she works close to home. I drive it in the winter on really bad days where I don't mind paying more for gas to stay safe. Love that car. It has 44k original miles. Fast car.

What is your Subie? STI?

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Yeah, yeah, I know that the Forester has a reputation as being the "slow cousin" of their sportier, smaller cars, but a lot of it is undeserved. A Forester Sport with the STI bolt-on's can still put 320bhp to the asphalt...that's nothing to sneeze at.

This isn't my car (I found it on wikipedia), but it's the same year and is fairly similar:

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I was considering the 2011 Forester this time around but want something that gets 35+ highway since I drive 90 miles a day round trip to work.

I had a Subaru Tribeca before my current car which is a 2009 Focus SES, which I would be trading in for the 2012 Focus Ti. The dealer will give me 2k more than I owe and I put zero down back in 2009 and racked up 45k miles in two years. So I am leaning toward the Focus which gets 37-40 mpg highway.

Our Saabaru is exactly like this one. Same color too:

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quote:

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Originally posted by Cacophonous:
Burble you do know you can get an entry level Focus for 16k right? You can add only the options you want right? All new cars work that way. You order them with the options you want. You probably never ordered a car before eh?

Titanium Focus as I have it equipped is 22,800. Only extras are moonroof, winter package (heated seats and all weather floor mats) and rims.

I will probably get the Focus to spite Burble.

[ 09-14-2011: Message edited by: Cacophonous ]

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i was working for a ford dealer when the new focuses started coming in. they were all the 'titanium' model and all were 24-25k or more. there were a few sedans for like 18k that were junk.

i will take my <20k 3 over ANY focus any day of the week, but go ahead and troll more. ;P

it's just a pointless car. you want a fiesta or a fusion.

and a fiesta will just make you want to drive a 2. which will make you end up buying a 3.

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Also I discovered that I know way more about the Focus options than every salesmen I talked too. Ford must do very poor training on new models. I would ask simple questions and they either did not know or gave me completely incorrect answers. So working at a Ford dealer means nothign to me. I spent hours reading about the trim levels and options on the Focus Fanatics forum (and other websites) to learn eveything I needed to know to help decide on trim levels and options.

Mazda 3's handling is what most of its competitors (including the Focus and Impreza) shoot for in their design. It's pretty much the standard for cars in it's class. I almost bought a Mazda 3 hatch a few years ago but the front end is a total turn-off. I can't deal with that smilie face front end. Love the handling and rear/side view tho.

I don't care for the Fiesta front end as well and it's too small for me. Fusion was a major consideration but I don't want another sedan and need better mpg. I want a hatch for putting big junk in back. Having a almost 4 y/o boy I need room to throw stuff in back. My current 09 Focus SES is a sedan with a high lip trunk with a small opening and I know I prefer the hatch.

Also the Focus has MFT (My Ford Touch) which I want and you can't get on the Fiesta or Fusion plus other features I like.

So staying with hatchbacks that get good mileage but are big enough for a 6' 2" guy and a car seat in back I found the Focus Titanium the best looking model hands down.

Better than Mazda3, Toyota Matrix, Subaru Impreza, etc.

The Focus was engineered in Germany and it shows.

Here is the Mazda smilie face front end I dislike. Imagine it with a big red tongue.

BTW I appreciate the feedback guys... That is why I posted this.

[ 09-20-2011: Message edited by: Cacophonous ]

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Other observations from the show:
The mopar LX/LY platform is the only viable choice for my money, due to package issues with the others. The mustang will not likely fit anyone over 6'2. I would be able to drive the camaro but its seat track needs an extra inch or two rearward travel. And the Camaro's trunk is one of the dumbest expressions of form over function that I have ever seen. It's a tiny hatch with an awkwardly shaped compartment. I hope i means that a full sized spare was tucked under its floor but it could definitely use some reconfiguring. The car srikes me as a scaled-up soltice, with all the good and bad that brings to the table.

The second generation CTS feels less roomy than that the first but oddly enough, would be drivable for me. This is due to the redesign of the dash board. It now has a more organic shape. The old one was angular and surprisingly far from the seats (read: my knees didn't touch) but the lower angle jutted right through where my shins needed to be to reach the pedals. The new interior contacts me on all sides and my knees touch the dash but I have enough freedom of movement to operate the vehicle. But not enough to open my checkbook.

The new Taurus is absolutely atrocious inside. The B-pillar is completely in the way of the seat. There's maybe 18-20 inches of space from the wheel to the pillar. You have to kind of get in and back. And what starts as a curious and odd design choice carries on. The bulky interior appointments waste space. The door pockets gobble up left knee room. The humongous center console is in constant body contact. While I've gotten used to B-pillars taking a little shoulder space in most cars, this one also eats away at bicep, elbow, torso, and hip space. Getting in and out is as awkward as their use of space. It is a series of actions about as elegant as Jeremy Clarkson's TVR challenge. I'm sure onlookers were reminded of the rhinoceros scene from the second Ace Ventura movie. I'm sure they were going for the 'cockpit' feel but it comes off more as 'cocoon' or 'coffin' to me. Especially with the black interior of the show model. It was shockingly, appallingly bad. Shame on Ford for for that mess.

Two pleasant surprises were the Mazda6 and the Chrysler 200. Both are available with beefy v6's, though neither v6 has a manual transmission offered. Both have reasonably comfortable interiors and neither really breaks the bank. Of course, for the price of either, I could get a v8 charger and actually be comfortable and have a much more usable vehicle. I'd probably be more inclined to reach for the Challenger, however, because a performance-minded car and a performance-minded driver should have to try to shout to each other through a slushbox.

While I'm on the soapbox, I'll also point out the ridiculousness of the retro styling trend in today's pony cars. I see it as a tacit admission that cars we loved are gone. While a modern re-imagining of the old designs would be great, there's just not enough imagination in their body styles. The charger concept from the late 90's was fantastic. Low-slung, aggressive, sleek, but still reminiscent of the old through a few subtle clues. The new challenger, it just looks big and hokey, and while the major lines are pulled from the old challenger, the re-proportioned body to fit the LX chassis just looks bloated and awkward. The new mustang looks like a wax scultpure of the old mustang that was set a little too close a heater vent. It's like seeing a picture of a really fat guy that lost a lot of weight fast and even though you can tell he's not fat anymore, he still looks... droopy. And the camaro, come on, its body design is as anachronistic to its platform layout as the Panamera is its own. Both show this best in their trunks. The prosche has no need for a beetle-back because there is no engine behind the axle. The camaro's recessed greenhouse and flaring rear fenders present an awkwardly shaped deck that does not lend itself to a proper hatch while the IRS eats up most of the usable room. It is clearly a poorly compromised design decision. And the Charger, I loved the LX charger. Its styleing was a slam dunk. My main gripe is that it never should have been called a charger. It would have made more sense to be called an Intrepid (which was the old dodge-badged 300) or even better, since it is now finding use as a police cruiser, would have been to call it a DeSoto. Maybe even throw in some design cues to the old ones. And the LY charger, I like the new tail light. But all the other shee metal changes were bad. They took one of the most strikingly aggressive car designs of the last 20 years, a real brand-builder of a car, and managed to tweak it to where the only striking aspect is how bland it is. It is focus group design at is worst. But at least I can sit in it. With Ford finally putting the panther to rest and chevy having nothing worthwhile in RWD platform, and the new Taurus falling to such an unbelievably poor interior implementation, I have a feeling that the next 10 years will see a LOT of chargers sold into livery fleet applications.

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I love the WRX and fit in it fine but I need something that gets good milage hence the new Impreza or Focus in my radar. The latest WRX only gets 26 higway. Also we already have that Saab 92-X Aero (shown a few post back), which is basically a re-baged Subaru WRX.

I can't believe you did not try sitting in the new Focus! I find it just right for me and I am 6' 2" @ 210

BTW I ordered my Focus Aug 30th and it should arrive to the dealer today. I only put a 100.00 deposit and if I don't like it for some reason I don't have to take it but unless it has a major flaw I prob take it.

If I didn't have a child and didn't care about mileage I would have probably gone with Camaro or Challenger.

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I owned a focus back in 2000 and it was really terrible. Nothing but problems. They may have improved it a bit since then, though.

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I currently have a 2009 Focus SES and have had zero problems. Not sure what they were like back in the day.

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As luck would have it, my dad introduced me to TrueCar yesterday. I had heard of it through Edmunds and TTAC but never bothered with it until now because I didn't want to bother with registration or get real quotes from real salesmen (I used to just surf cars-direct for pricing information). But they put me in touch with a dealer in downtown LA with a deal I just couldn't refuse. And also as luck would have, I don't have children or really care much about mpg. So I came home with an el-strip-o stickshift 2011 Challenger tonight, grinning the whole way.

I really wanted the Super Track Pack option (shorter diff ratio, thicker rear sway bar, different suspension tuning, goodyear tires, and the ability to fully disable traction control) but there were none left of the 2011 model with a stick and an order for a 2012 would have cost about $4000 more to get the $450 option. So I settled for the base model. And what a ride. Just a smooth rumbling chorus of torque and anger. Even just a quarter throttle to 2500 RPM lets you know it's serious. The high beltline and short greenhouse presents a view reminiscent of piloting a tank. Looks good, sounds good, feels good. I don't think I was this giddy when I got my mini, and I loved that car (at least until it started fulfilling the stereotypes associated with both German and British cars)

Anyway, I'll try to get some pics when I have some sunlight.

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[ 09-27-2011: Message edited by: WillyTrombone ]

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The Saab 92X Aero does 0-60 in 5.9 seconds with a 4 banger. 1/4 mile is about 14.5

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Anyway, here's some pics. I was going to get some interior shots as well but I noticed a big scratch in the door from some of the LA harbor area's road detritus and just wanted to get the hell home. (I'm confident it'll buff out)

What I saw when it was time to go to work.

Catching the afternoon sun in LA. I love the clean lines and the way Chrysler's paints catch the sun. I hope you get to see one of these in the pearlescent orange in bright natrual light. It is just sublime. (IMO, that orange is the best looking color, but it a bit too ostentatious. I like the anonymity of grey)

I took this one to show off the pad of my left ring finger, but it's also a pretty decent picture of the car.

The you-have-mere-moments-to-consider-the-folly-of-your-ways shot.

The tail lights on these and the second gen chargers some of my favorite accent treatments of any recent cars.

Gratuitous gut shot. Under that cover is the most bizarre assembly of wires and sensors I have ever seen. It has an almost steampunk air to it. (and chatting about the strange configuration of the hemi's valve covers, the salesman remarked that the pentastar V6 actually doesn't have valve covers. I don't know how exactly that's supposed to work... )

[ 09-29-2011: Message edited by: WillyTrombone ]

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Your Challenger > My Focus > Burble's 3

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I've gone through a bunch of VW and Mazda stuff... zoom fahrvergnügen zoom my ass.

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