I'm recommending a Subaru Impreza for a fren's daughter (do you agree?)

I liked our Impreza but didn't put enough miles on it to really gauge reliability. One nice thing is that their resale value is so high that she shouldn't lose money if she doesn't like it and decides to trade. We sold ours at about the 2 year mark for more than we had paid for it new.
 
fisher83 said:
I liked our Impreza but didn't put enough miles on it to really gauge reliability. One nice thing is that their resale value is so high that she shouldn't lose money if she doesn't like it and decides to trade. We sold ours at about the 2 year mark for more than we had paid for it new.
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Why'd you unload it so soon?
 
AmBeRnEcTaR said:
Why'd you unload it so soon?
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We unloaded both of our financed cars at that time and replaced them with cash cars. Prices were crazy so we were able to sell them both to Carmax and eliminate the monthly payments. We eventually went back to a newer financed car for my wife and stuck with an old paid for one for me. In hindsight we probably should have just kept the Subaru. That timeframe is pretty normal for us though. I've owned a lot of cars but only kept most for a year or two.
 
lizpat said:
I'm recommending the Impreza because the Subaru is only new sedan that still has good VISIBILITY: it has visibility that is about as good as a vehicle manufactured over a decade ago, it's forward visibility is about as good as my 2007 Corolla...
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That's a good point. Have her test drive a few cars and see what she likes.

I have complained often about poor visibility and poor ingress/egress from the Corolla. It is a cramped little rolling blind spot on wheels. In comparison, the Impreza is roomy and airy with the outward visibility of a car from days gone by. I am sure at some point they will "fix" what isn't already broken by following the lead of part-owner Toyota.
 
This should be good value come hammer time.
I especially like the manual transmission, and equally dislike the gold emblems, colour scheme, and liberal usage of tire shine.
That being said, should last a while in competent hands...
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JayhawkRoy said:
One reason I don't recommend Subaru AWD vehicles to young people is the cost of tire replacement. After about 20K miles, our experience is that you will need to replace all four tires rather than one or a pair. Most young people don't have the money ready to do
that.

This perspective comes from a family that has owned four Subarus so far.
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That is interesting. I recall getting about 60K miles on the first set of OEM tires on a Subaru Forester, before I was concerned about them no longer being considered legal for non winter use. I expect to get similar mileage out of the replacement set (but may change them a bit sooner if I want tires with a safe / legal winter tread depth on that vehicle this winter.)
 
lizpat said:
A fren has come to me seeking advice for a new car for his just-turned-20 daughter. He's been out of the loop (he was never in the loop) when it comes to cars, so they will take my advice seriously.

Naturally, he's leaning towards the Honda Civic and the Toyota Corolla as people generally do because it's become something of a 'default' choice.

I'm pushing them away from these choices and steering them towards a Subaru Impreza because this car is what I would choose if I were to buy a brand new sedan (or hatchback based on a sedan chassis) today.


Their reasons for the Civic/Corolla are the usual reasons: reliability, low insurance cost, low cost of ownership which includes the fact that many 100's of 1000's will be produced which means aftermarket parts and factory parts will be easy to source and will be affordable. Some other benefits are that these cars will have a large online community, which definitely helps too. Aftermarket performance parts like 'coilovers' will be available soon too.

I'm recommending the Impreza because the Subaru is only new sedan that still has good VISIBILITY: it has visibility that is about as good as a vehicle manufactured over a decade ago, it's forward visibility is about as good as my 2007 Corolla, and the side visibility is even a little better, but the rear visibility is definitely not as good. It has good driving dynamics and the CVT is at least as good as the Civic and Corolla. However, there are some potential downsides to owning a Subaru as well such as the possibility that this low volume seller might be discontinued. Insurance cost appears to be slightly higher, and parts availability is a little worse. It also appears to be harder to work on. Frankly speaking, the Subaru is not as attractive as the Civic, it's downright ugly on the outside whereas the Civic is very attractive and elegant looking (but horrible rear visibility.)

I find the driving dynamics of the Impreza to be superior to both the current Corolla AND the current Civic (11th generation) though it is not as good as the 10th generation Civic. My reference point is the 2023 Impreza, but there's a new one coming out with the expectation that it will be even better.


Do you think I am serving them well?
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Jmoymmv.

I think kids need to get a car on their own.

Now from my own experience it’s a mixed bag. I’ve had friends say the same and when kids turned 18 brand new Camry or Highlander which they claimed kids don’t want so this and that.

What all of this produces imho? We have 26 yo high achiever kids at my work. One had 2018 bmw 540i (very old car very very old) and says she hopes it breaks so she can get rid of it and her dad gets her a Tesla. I get this behavior was around when we were 26. But it’s more prevalent.

So imho let the kid get whatever they want, but they should pay for the car, insurance, maintenance. Have skin in the game. I get my opinion is grossly unpopular but we need to turn things around. 🙂
 
Al said:
Says it all.
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I have only ever owned one Subaru, but would buy another one tomorrow if I wanted another similar vehicle.

My Subaru may not have been quite as trouble free as some other vehicles I have owned, but I really like the AWD in typical snow and ice conditions in the winter where I live. (I own two other AWD / 4x4 vehicles and the Subaru is often the one I would pick if I had to drive on a typical snow or ice covered paved road..) Years ago I got a Subaru as a rental and ended up having to drive on some snow and ice covered back roads in the Northern Western US in the winter and was very happy with how well that Subaru performed on snow and Ice, I subsequently purchased one.

As usual the experiences and oppinons of others may differ from mine.
 
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