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Impreza WRX Wagon
Super (permanently) temporary page dedicated to my new car :D
Brief Writeup:
2007/02/28
My 1996 Honda Civic EX suffered massive oil leak all in a sudden in early Feburary 2007. After a few trips to the shop, the conclusion is that it cannot be fixed. I have to buy a new car.
I have a few cars in mind: Subaru Impreza WRX, Volkswagon GTI, Mitsubishi Evolution, Mazdaspeed 3, Honda S2000, Nissan 350Z. I test drove the first 3 cars, and the WRX felt so good I decided that I can skip all my other test drives.
The dealer was trying to screw me on a MAJOR SCALE by selling me the car at MSRP, 7% interest rate on a 72 months loan, and a super low trade-in value for my civic. Do I really look so dumb?
I went online and got a quote from carsdirect, and they also sent my request to Thousand Oaks Subaru. I got a very decent quote on the car, and after chatting with the dealer in email back and forth for a few days, I went there on Feb 28, 2007 and picked up the car. Except that the dealer is quite far (I'm in West LA), I have to say, what a decent car buying experience. All the negotiations have been done in the email, so there's no hassle no haggle, and unlike those horror stories you read online from time to time about those scam dealers, these guys didn't change the terms on the documents I sign. No little games, no cheating. I like it a lot.
I have always wanted a blue WRX, but no dealer has a blue wagon with moonroof in the entire SoCal area at all. The white is pretty, although it doesn't suit my personality (blue is agressive but white looks like a luxury car), but since this is what they have, I'll take it. I love it more and more now.
2007/03/10
My first mod!!! Took the car back to the dealer to have the short throw shifter installed. The original shifter is not bad, but having a short throw is so badass you HAVE to have it. No... seriously, the shifting is more fluid and precise with the short throw, I think it's worth every cent.
Woke up at 6am and dropped off the car there around 7. Guess when I got my car back? 3:30pm. If I have less patience I would have died of boredom already. They got me a loaner car for the day so I can drive around the area. The loaner car is a 2007 Subaru Forester 2.5x L.L. Bean edition. (I thought they would use an older car for these purposes) The car is huge but surprisingly, it handles better than my old civic. I can't believe this. I am impressed. It has a huge moonroof (I NEED moonroofs) and the seats can lie flat for whatever you wanna do in your car. :P Good car.
2007/03/16
Some things about different car manufacturers. I think there has always been a Toyota/Honda myth planted in most people's brain. Most people seem to think Toyotas and Hondas are better, because... emmm.. because of what? Most people can't answer that. They'll just say it's good because it's Toyota/Honda.
Let me tell you what's good. They are reliable and they have high resell value. They are also gas efficient. However, if you want handling and performance, look elsewhere.
Did you notice Toyota is not making sporty cars anymore? Their new cars are all femaine, soft looking, and the interior feels plastic. I guess people like this combination, that's why they're going to be the largest car maker in the world very soon. Hondas are sportier than Toyota. I like them a lot. I like my civic. They have understeering problem, but apart from that, handles well enough. The civic SI is a super bang to the buck. 200hp for 20k, what more do you want? Awesome. But, but... but... but after I test drove the Impreza, I don't want to drive a Honda as my everyday car anymore (If I need a large van, I probably would buy their odessy). I'm not saying Honda's handling is crap. I've been driving my civic for a long time and it absolutely has no problem. Just don't drive over 100mph and you are fine (My civic shakes like it's going to disintegrate once it reaches the 100mph mark. When it reach 105mph you have to grab the steering wheel super tight to keep it going straight... and that's the fastest I have ever gone on it). The Impreza, however, you can feel you have complete control over it. The car basically sticks to the ground. This is impressive. I've driven my brother's BMW Z3, and even that car can't do this.
Price-wise, toyotas and hondas are better off. The subarus are in the same class as the hondas (japanese cars), but performance-wise they are far superior. It is worth the extra money, or at least, it is a worthwhile alternative to the tons of corollas on the street.
2007/03/17
I put a Turbo Timer in the car. In theory the WRX doesn't need this but having it gives me peace of mind, plus it's cool to have one, so I got one.
I got the Apexi TT with O2 sensor voltage and air/fuel ratio readings. Those readings are basically crap because you need to install a wideband O2 sensor to get the real A/F readings. My other choice is the Blitz TT with turbo boost readings. I am going to install a boost gauge anyway so I don't need the boost feature of Blitz. Moreover, Apexi looks more sexy... The TT functions, by itself, are doing a nice job. It automatically sets the cool down time for the car based on my driving, so I can take out the keys, lock the car, arm security and walk away while the engine is still running and shuts off itself after cooling down. From now on I can just give a smile to people telling me I forgot to switch off the engine.
2007/03/21
Received my rally piggy decals for my mirrors :D
2007/06/16
3k miles. First oil change at the dealer. It is a little surprising it took me 3.5 months to drive 3k miles.
The car breaks in fine, drives fine, however there is a significant lack of power at low revs (below 2.5k, before turbo kicks-in). I guess that's not too big a problem as I don't drive in that range when I'm on the freeway.
The boxer engine sounds like diesel, which surprisingly, I actually like. What's better is the turbine sound after turbo kicks-in though. For a short while I have thought about upgrading the car speakers but I guess I don't need those anymore. I drive most of the time without music because I can't get enough of the turbine sound.
The car doesn't feel fast anymore. Actually it stopped feeling fast after 1k miles. SPEED IS ADDICTIVE.
2008/03/20
Car reaches 9999 miles today, and I managed to take a picture!!
Some quick links for now:
NASIOC - North American Subaru Impreza Owners Club
northursalia.com
I-Club
iwSTi
Scooby Mods
Scooby Blog