which one? The MKv GTi or Legacy GT? I'm guessing you mean the Legacy, but the GTi does have a pretty nice exhast note :)

Legacy. The GTi isn't bad (a buddy of mine has a modded '06) but I'm afraid it doesn't sound like a flat 6.;)

turbo subie wagons new for 23k???

I thought part of the reason for the FJ idea was that you expected to go offroad with the boy on weekends?

The WRX seems like a great car, Subarus in general seems like good/great cars. But

there are a lot of used FJs out there for sale. I've always like them, and they seem to be incredibly capable off-road (which is where it would spent much of its time

I'd be off road probably every other weekend.

Is this the start of a "fleet"?

yup (well, 23 and change). Currently below dealer invoice. And this is just a straight email quote, no haggling.

That's what I'm interested in. I'd go test drive one if that was the price.

I'm just semi-suprised by what I'm hearing as far as the WRX handling goes. Magazine tests pretty consistently showed the Speed3 beating it out on handling tests, which kind of turned me off to them before I even drove one. That, and the price (until now).

I "tried on" the FJ and it just isn't me. I need a performance car around town. The Subie will do light off-road, and I'll have roof racks to carry stuff. I also won't care so much about the interior (relative to the leather in the A3).

I had three different dealers email me back pricing all in the same ballpark. Here is an example:

2009 Subaru WRX Sedan (Dark Gray 9JO)
Stock# 10957
Suggested retail 25,823.00
Dealer invoice 24,388.00
Selling price 23,138.00 Plus tax and licence.


2009 Subaru WRX Hatch (DARK GRAY 9LO)
Stock# 11450
Suggested retail 26,353.00
Dealer invoice 24,883.00
Selling price 23,799.00 plus tax and licence.
Equipment: arm rest
Special interest rates also apply: 2.9% up to 72 months on approved credit.

Nice choice. I really liked my WRX.

I am not a fan of the new FJ either, btw.

What kind of interior are you getting with the WRX? Personally I think leather is best cause it's easy to clean. I guess vinyl would be similar but ugly and uncomfortable. I'll never get a cloth interior again.

The Subaru site shows the WRX Wagon starting at $25K and goes quickly to $38K. You must be getting a relatively basic/stock model for $23K yes?

Yes, please tell us how it is optioned.

God, my wife is gonna be SO pissed- I change my mind about cars daily, and this would be like the 4th time this month. :D

Seriously?! I'll take cloth all day long. Proper leather care with Leatherique is anything but easy. My wife's van only requires vacuuming and the occasional spot stain treatment on her cloth interior.

Actually, don't sell vinyl short. The "leatherette" interior in BMW and Audi has the same look and feel as leather but doesn't wear and crack. I had an A4 with 95k and the leatherette interior, it still looked and felt like new. BMW also uses it in the base model 3-series. If you didn't know, you wouldn't realize that it was not leather.

Only options are extended arm rest and iPod kit. I'm adding crossbars as well. No premium package because I don't want a sunroof. Also adding sat radio module but stock radio kinds sucks.

I'd rather have cloth. Leather and faux leather (audi has a mix) cracks over time and requires maintenance. The cloth I don't care much about and I can slap a seatcover on later and call it good.

Ya got me there Matt. Leatherette is fine though I don't put it in the same league as vinyl...thinking of the '80's plastic when I say vinyl.

Cloth just gets nasty. It holds onto smells, fades quickly, and shows wear after a 2+ years. With kids in the car cloth is a non-starter for me as would any car that is going to see dirt/dust/mud.

David, our 4-runner had cloth seats (with vinyl backing) and while the cloth did stain, it stood up to abuse pretty well. The vinyl actually was the weak spot on the interior. And my son basically grew up in that thing so it got about as much kid abuse as you'll find.

My issue with leather is that trips to the beach, desert, etc, it needs some degree of care. And at 40K miles the seat portion of the Audi looks like it'll start cracking in the next year or two. The other thing is that with cloth I just don't worry so much. I can put Wet Okole covers on and not give a damn about what gets tracked into it. With leather I'll actually care...

The Touring package in the Mazdaspeed3 has leather on the bolsters and some suede-ish stuff in the middle. Its really nice. It has very good seats.

Jack O. bought a Subaru???:D

Jack is gay?

so the 'WRX' model IS a turbo right? what does the STi model add? higher state of tune?

i'm shocked at the pricing. we looked hard at subies (both the lesbo special -don't laugh it's a very practical car- and the outback wagon) and just about everything was wrong. small interior on the better looking outback, noisy anemic base engines, turbo models were really pricey and req'd premium, marginal gas mileage, limited stock on hand locally....just about everything was wrong.

WRX is a 2.5L turbo - 265hp/244ftlb
5 speed manual only, AWD

There are other Impreza variants including a NA 2.5 (cheaper) and the STi which is just over 300hp, 6spd, trick differential and suspension, etc (hence the $38K price).

Right now the "base" WRX is a bargain imho. $23K for a very quick AWD car. The interior isn't as nice as my Audi but is passable. About the same interior size.

If you want luxury, the base Subies are not for you. If you want bang-for-buck performance and usability, they are great. Yes, it likes 91 octane but so does the Audi and most other "performance" cars. It will run on regular though - you'll just lose performance. No limited stock in SoCal - the dealership I bought from had 5 WRX base wagons in dark gray.