OT: Looking for a new(er) ride

[jimruffi at gmail.com (Jim Ruffi)]

FWIW, I love my Forester.  Yes, I wish I had a GTi or Rabbit and wish I had
a Jetta diesel wagon even more.  My selection criteria placed equal
importance on three factors:
Small boat towing ability
Fuel economy
Cargo space (for a drumkit)

Next in line but significantly important was bad weather performance and (of
course) reliability.

The result: my 5 speed manual trans Forester does an excellent job of towing
my boat, carries my drums well, consistently returns 24-26 mpg (mostly 75-80
hwy driving, would be better at slower speeds) and is *outstanding* in rain
and snow.  I know it will be super reliable, it's easy to maintain and has a
simple, but purposeful interior.

There was a nice rebate available on the 2.5x "Sports," a base model with a
new nice extras, such as: upgraded radio with AUX jack, upgraded seats, auto
climate control, turbo style front spoiler; it was a mid year, a la
Wolfsburg edition.

I was intimidated by the VWs because I was concerned about reliability.  The
Subaru almost does everything *too* well; I think the VW would have been
more fun to drive.  I would likely have bought a Jetta diesel wagon if they
were available, although the new ones are pretty ugly, IMO.

But I do love the Forester.  I heard a diesel is on the horizon for Subaru.
my $0.02

>-----Original Message-----
>From: Lexan Blanchard [mailto:lexan_122874@xxxxxxxxxxx]
>Sent: Friday, July 13, 2007 7:37 AM
>To: scirocco@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>Cc: scirocco-l@xxxxxxxxxxxx
>Subject: Re: OT: Looking for a new(er) ride
>
>
>OK, so here is where we are with suggestions...
>
>Jetta:  nope kids, too predictable and 4-door :(  I really think
>these (and
>Passats) are the some of the ugliest cars out there.  And every Marine and
>his wife here drives one.
>
>Subaru:  Forrester was recommended, and I have always thought those Bajas
>are cool.  Little too pricey, and they get worse gas mileage than I
>currently get in the Montero (and she is completely paid for).  I
>was kinda
>digging this idea.
>
>Mazda:  OK, I looked up what I rented the other week, and it was a
>Mazda 5.
>I was so excited to see the rental car, just knew I would fall in
>love.  The
>car SUCKED.  Seats were uncomfortable after 1 hour.  Car was extremely
>squirrelly in the rain.  This rental was still new, it had less
>than 10K on
>it.  I am sorry to say that this experience in a Mazda for 5 1/2
>hours will
>keep me away from their dealership.
>
>Honda Fit:  I will actually look into this one.  I have only seen 1 here,
>and it was in someone's driveway.
>
>I don't have to worry about the roof rack system, as my Yakima round bars
>and Kayak loader are going with me, I just need to make sure the
>roof of the
>new car can handle what I am putting on top.
>
>No love for the Rabbit or new GTI???  I will probably still humor
>myself and
>test drive a Rabbit to see if they are any good (I love 2 doors!).
> Plus, I
>"built" one online last night and what I want is on about $17k, which puts
>it in the same category as Old Salty's Honda Fit.
>
>Thanks again!!!
>Lexan
>