The Next Car Swap

[maxtdi]

eh, I guess (but I thought you were talking about an Impreza, not a Honda/Toyota). The Camry rental cars I've driven have been depressing, the new Mazda stuff is not. I haven't been in an Accord but it has to be better than the Camry.

I want impreza for him and partially for myself. It would make a great road trip car being a hatch and AWD for the occasional snow trip (I am going up this weekend for ex, and I am buying chains )

The camry would just be an appliance commuter.

 

[Wykdtron]

ya always comes back to that. steelies and tires would cost more than just some good tires if i stay with my same rims. i was hoping for a bolt on solution i could do in my own garage.

conti DWS all seasons are $148
general G-MAX all seasons are $120

lot of money difference for maybe not so much per performance difference.

dont want summers, long lasting wear is my #1 requirement.

I have had excellent luck with my Michelin pilot sport a/s 3 so far. They handle extremely well almost as good as a summer tire and they are excellent in the rain. The only flaw they have is they are terrible in snow/ice/slush (not a problem for me because I have winter tires for snow season).

 

[Tk_mkv1]

I have had excellent luck with my Michelin pilot sport a/s 3 so far. They handle extremely well almost as good as a summer tire and they are excellent in the rain. The only flaw they have is they are terrible in snow/ice/slush (not a problem for me because I have winter tires for snow season).

Terrible as in, easy to get stuck on snow?

I had as3's as well, got em installed last april and only had em for 7 months till my mk6 got totaled, so no snow test. I also hate the mk7 tires, they lack grip, and i noticed the throttle is more sensitive as well.

 

[NYCSuits]

Terrible as in, easy to get stuck on snow?

I had as3's as well, got em installed last april and only had em for 7 months till my mk6 got totaled, so no snow test. I also hate the mk7 tires, they lack grip, and i noticed the throttle is more sensitive as well.

My friend in NY regrets buying the AS3 for his wife's car...he told me they wear slightly better than the Super Sports on his BMW and they are terrible in temperatures below freezing. They ride like bricks in 10-33F and they can't handle even a dusting of snow in NYC without spinning the tires in partial throttle.

 

[Wykdtron]

Terrible as in, easy to get stuck on snow?

I had as3's as well, got em installed last april and only had em for 7 months till my mk6 got totaled, so no snow test. I also hate the mk7 tires, they lack grip, and i noticed the throttle is more sensitive as well.

Terrible as in better than driving on summer tires in the snow, but they do not like to grab traction well from a dead stop on snow. But take snow/slush/and Ice out of the equation and the tires are amazing! I should add they do not feel like bricks under 30 degrees like summer tires tend to, so that's probably why they are "all season" rated. But put the temp at anything below 25 F and they are bricks.

 

[DaveSTR]

My friend in NY regrets buying the AS3 for his wife's car...he told me they wear slightly better than the Super Sports on his BMW and they are terrible in temperatures below freezing. They ride like bricks in 10-33F and they can't handle even a dusting of snow in NYC without spinning the tires in partial throttle.

Michelin has been upfront about the AS3 - Its a 3 season tire with little to no actual winter capability. It has summer tire performance and excellent wet weather performace. Its designed for non winter climes.

Temps at or below 7C average are for winter tires. Im amazed how many people still dont understand how winter tires work. Its a function of temp. Its not about moisture in the larger sense.

 

[johnny_p]

Yah I think in your situation if you really wanted a suby your best bet would be to pay for a legacy instead of the impreza. The one thing about the impreza though is it tricks you into thinking its fast because it sounds like it is and the awd helps that feeling. My sister had an 02 Acura TL before the Impreza and she seems to think the impreza is faster (Ive driven both her old TL and the Impreza and she is crazy thinking the Impreza could even remotely keep up with the TL). So who knows your dad may think hey this Impreza is fast just like my sister did/does.

My dad used to have a Legacy. He loved it, gave it to my brother when he moved out to California. Its still a great car, even though it had the obligatory Subaru head gasket failure. Actually, that's all that has gone wrong on that car in about 140k.

 

[J-Cooz]

Only thing worse than the Camry rental was the Altima IMO.

Agreed. I rented an Altima in Honolulu a few weeks ago and it could have been one of the worst cars I've driven. Marshmallow suspension, steering, and brakes. It was so floaty feeling it was crazy. CVT is gay as hell and it had zero power.

 

[Tk_mkv1]

Agreed. I rented an Altima in Honolulu a few weeks ago and it could have been one of the worst cars I've driven. Marshmallow suspension, steering, and brakes. It was so floaty feeling it was crazy. CVT is gay as hell and it had zero power.

Tell me about it, i spent good 4-5 hours in that POS from DC to NY. I would rather go there in a passat 1.8t, because i rented one in miami and it was hell of a lot better, i couldve easily past those left lane hoggers on turnpike, where in altima i was flooring it and still struggle at times.

 

[maxtdi]

My dad used to have a Legacy. He loved it, gave it to my brother when he moved out to California. Its still a great car, even though it had the obligatory Subaru head gasket failure. Actually, that's all that has gone wrong on that car in about 140k.

A headgasket is kind of a big deal... :laugh:

 

[PetrolHead]

A headgasket is kind of a big deal... :laugh:

Not if you have a Subaru. It's a way of life.

Failed headgaskets. It's what makes a Subaru, a Subaru.

 

[johnny_p]

Not if you have a Subaru. It's a way of life.

This is true. But really overall it has been a good car. He would get another in a second. One major repair in 10 years isn't too bad IMO.

 

[maxtdi]

Not if you have a Subaru. It's a way of life.

As I mentioned in my earlier posts... 150k + miles on these cars is a shitshow... I wouldn't dare it.

0-100k however should be oil changes only.

That stupid boxer shortcomming. I applaud them however to sticking to
AWD+Boxer in all their cars for 20+ years (with the exception of BRZ)
that is an impressive run.

 

[PetrolHead]

As I mentioned in my earlier posts... 150k + miles on these cars is a shitshow... I wouldn't dare it.

0-100k however should be oil changes only.

That stupid boxer shortcomming. I applaud them however to sticking to
AWD+Boxer in all their cars for 20+ years (with the exception of BRZ)
that is an impressive run.

Yep, and they're showing no signs of changing it either.

 

[maxtdi]

Yep, and they're showing no signs of changing it either.

If it ain't broke why fix it...

A subaru is kind of like swiss army knife. It does everything. Nothing well but everything decently.

Decent Reliability
Decent Performance
AWD So it is capable in every part of the country
Priced no higher than non AWD competitors
Non horrible dealers
Not horrible looks
Very decent interior Space
Easy to use
Decent MPG
Best Resale on the market
Better image than Big 3 and german cheap cars.

That is honestly a really long list that has no competitors. Which is why... I think they they are doing so well.

As a subaru owner you could own a new car for peanuts for 5-10 years trade it in at an amazing value and drive a new one without taking a bath. Hence the insane brand loyalty.

If you tried the same with VW or GM/Ford you'd take a 15k bath in 3 years and never buy again.