Subaru WRX as Daily Driver

[wn1998]

I have been looking quite a while for a new car to replace my jeep. I stopped into a subie dealership after work on Friday and test drove a base model used 2012 WRX sedan. All I can say was that I LOVED IT! The manual transmission was like butter and the turbo would definitely make my 10-mile commute to work something to look forward to.

Originally, I have been thinking of very vanilla 4 door cars. I thought I would looking for reliability and mpg. I went into the dealership to test a base model impreza hatch and saw the wrx just sitting there. After my test drive I asked to test drive the base impreza hatch I originally went there to drive and was told "it looks like this car but not as fun to drive"

I am a little concerned that I would have to run premium fuel and the gas mileage (19 city/25 hwy) isn't much better than my 14 year old jeep!I also have long term reliability concerns about the turbo as I tend to keep my cars 7-10 years and put on 150-175k on them before they are replaced.

Anyone daily driving a wrx? What are you thoughts?

 

[Solo2driver]

I've had an '11 and a '12 WRX. Tons of fun. My 3 and 5-year olds love it, plenty of room for all of their stuff, definitely one of the most fun "family-friendly" cars you can own. Also, a great track toy or autocross car on the weekends, and can handle all kinds of weather. One of the most well-rounded cars around, and you can get better fuel mileage if you stay out of boost. Do it!

 

[simple_gifts]

Probably not telling you something you don't know, but make the "gut call" but temper it with rational thought. It all comes down to how much having a nice(r) ride is important to you.

Premium gas would annoy me, as would the extra expense of the car, but look what I drive. Make sure you can comfortably afford it. Should you buy it is a question about you, really, not the car.

 

[Solo2driver]

PS I've (briefly) owned a 2012 Impreza 2.0i as well with the CVT, liked it a lot, but was bought back as a Lemon due to airbag issues. YMMV.

 

[wn1998]

The price doesn't really concern me as the wrx is only about 6k more than a brand new 2012 2.0i impreza. I am more concerned about the long term price of fuel (premium at that). Also, I'm 32 years old, will people think this is a mid-life crisis? (my version of a vette?)

 

[yonyon]

Just get one of each. A base model Impreza is a fine commuter car that drives beautifully. Leave the WRX at home until the weekend unless you're running a little late one morning.

 

[jigen]

Awesome cars. I was looking hard at a 2011 WRX a little while back. It is a little aggressive looking, and in a way that I know it would attract teenagers throwing me revs all day long. That was just something I didn't want to deal with having my daughter in the back 80% of the time. That stuff happened so much with my z28 that I'd even call it a security risk... lol Some of those kids are lunatics.

 

[rjundi]

The car is a hoot as a daily driver. The reliability is very high in my experience with a 2004 WRX wagon (8yrs/90k) and 2005 Legacy GT wagon which shares the same motor as 2012 WRX(140k miles and counting).

Fuel economy was not good with the WRX although you had to wind the then puny 2.0L for power as it was a slingshot not smooth like our 2005 Legacy GT and expect 2012 WRX.

I only managed 21MPG around town and 24MPG the best on highway with our WRX. Interestingly my current Acura MDX 07 gets 20MPG in similar driving.

My wife does manage 24MPG average with our 2005 Legacy turbo wagon but it is more aerodynamic and has 250HP not 286HP in current release.

I bought my WRX at 32 cash. Ours was redundant to the Legacy GT wagon and we needed 4 kids at times in vehicle, high clearance AWD, and extra cargo capacity so off to a SUV.

 

[ARCOgraphite]

Some other choices:

Certified BMW x3? New Focus turbo? Mitsu Lancer Ralliart?

 

[adolan21]

I was looking at buying one too but those mpg numbers started to scare me. I used to own a Legacy GT that was tuned to Stage 1 and it was pretty quick but the best mpg I could do in town was in the teens and on the highway driving from NH to NY was 27 mpg. Also, my insurance on my current car (Accord) is little over $100 a month but with the WRX it's around $240! This is someone who is 25, no tickets, and no accidents. I would get an insurance quote first and see.

 

[fdcg27]

If you're only driving 100 miles commuting each week, plus weekend driving of course, then fuel economy and cost are not that great of a concern.
The AWD will make the Rex a capable snow machine over the winter, and there is no better AWD system than Subaru's.
If you really want one, why not?

 

[eljefino]

At $3.80 vs $4 a gallon, the premium for premium fuel is only 5%. You can get that back with a rewards credit card.

The insurance angle is a doozy though.

You can decontent a WRX to make it a sleeper and look like an impreza to most.

 

[joaks]

You are too young for a midlife crisis! The reliability should be good/very good even with the turbo. Gas milage is a real concern and will depend upon your driving style. Lots of room in such as small car and, as mentioned, the AWD can't be beat.

 

[faramir9]

Originally Posted By: wn1998
The price doesn't really concern me as the wrx is only about 6k more than a brand new 2012 2.0i impreza. I am more concerned about the long term price of fuel (premium at that). Also, I'm 32 years old, will people think this is a mid-life crisis? (my version of a vette?)


Hehe. If you are in mid-life the rest of us are in big trouble.

A big long-term cost factor is insurance. I hear the insurance premium for a WRX over a base Impreza is huge. Also, tires will be more expensive, etc. I think the long-term price premium on TCO for the WRX is pretty significant---but man it's a fun car to drive on deserted-but-paved back roads. (Actually I've only ridden in it, not driven it, but I could tell.)

I second the advice given earlier: If you can afford it, get a gently-used vanilla sedan for a DD and also get the WRX to keep in the garage till the weekend. If, like most of us, you can't afford that, then you gotta decide for yourself how much it's worth to you.

Good luck and have fun.

 

[VicVinegar]

If it weren't for the gas mileage, it would probably be at the top of my list. The WRX or a previous generation 2.5GT.

Unfortunately I have a nearly 90 mile round trip commute, so low 20's fuel economy with premium gas adds up. I might check out regular Impreza though, or one of the previous gen Outback Sports. Ultimately though, I really don't need AWD (this area gets more icy conditions than snow, and is more a tire issue IMO, plus I drove in Upstate NY with all-seasons and FWD from the age of 16-23) but if I bought a fast car, I'd like the AWD for those January mornings where I head out at 5AM for the office an don't know what kind of conditions I will encounter.

 

[wn1998]

Originally Posted By: yonyon
Just get one of each. A base model Impreza is a fine commuter car that drives beautifully. Leave the WRX at home until the weekend unless you're running a little late one morning.


I wish I could afford two cars but looks like one is all I can swing.

 

[SubyRoo]

Ive put almost 107k on my sti and have not had a single issue other than normal maintenance. When I had the exhaust off a while back to replace a gasket the turbo had zero shaft play.

 

[VicVinegar]

Just for the sake of the discussion, how "dangerous" would folks say it is to buy even a slightly used WRX? My concern with cars like this is the owner may have pounded on the car, even if it was for only 12,000 miles and a year. How much damage could be done in that short of time?

 

[dparm]

Originally Posted By: VicVinegar
Just for the sake of the discussion, how "dangerous" would folks say it is to buy even a slightly used WRX? My concern with cars like this is the owner may have pounded on the car, even if it was for only 12,000 miles and a year. How much damage could be done in that short of time?



From what I have read, the motors are very solid.

My friend had an older one and it was the REST of the car that was a problem.

 

[Lead Shoes]

Originally Posted By: VicVinegar
Just for the sake of the discussion, how "dangerous" would folks say it is to buy even a slightly used WRX? My concern with cars like this is the owner may have pounded on the car, even if it was for only 12,000 miles and a year. How much damage could be done in that short of time?


It cannot be as bad as some 10-20 year old Honda/Acuras that have been passed around that I've seen. I really wouldn't worry about it was made to be ran hard and they hold up very well if you properly maintain them.