So thinking about picking up a new car...

[Ralphie]

I currently have a 2009 Altima 2.5s.

It's ok. Get's me to work and back. Hasn't had any MAJOR issues but it is cheap in some regards. At the end of the day, it nets me around 500 miles to a tank if I am conservative. It will do 430 miles ALL DAY.

But my sister in law needs a car as she just totaled her 2006 Civic. Well, insurance totaled it out.

So her parents offered to take the car off my hands and throw me some money to cover whatever id have gotten for it.

So my plans were to get something with AWD since I do 60 miles a day for work and in the winters, it can be a hellish commute during bad storms.

I was planning on just taking over my wifes CRV when she got a new car, but she wants to hold out for the 16 Pilot so we have a while on that.

So I am thinking Subaru.

I like the Impreza 2.0i hatchback and the 2.5 Legacy.

2013 ish.

Seems to be about the same price roughly.

So I am looking to see if anyone who currently owns a Subaru or has had one has any input.

Still got to go out and drive one but I have consistently heard good things about them.

A few co-workers have had them and they liked them.

My needs really are AWD, Sedan, Blutooth/Handsfree, 2012 or newer, and 20k or less.

Thanks all!

[Ralphie]

Here are some local options-

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-s...05718097&Log=0

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-s...04993609&Log=0

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-s...94216763&Log=0

I know it's not the most exciting in their linup, but they are solid cars from what I have read and they have all the options I want at a good price point.

[AccordWarrior]

Ah, Subaru.

High oil consumption being reported in the NA 2.5L compared to other makes, but some of that is most likely due to the thin oil being specified on these cars for fuel economy reasons. The turbo ones are very finicky when it comes to oil choice, but I don't know if that extends to the NA models.

The paint is garbage and they haven't improved upon that. I'd highly recommend you get a light color to hide the inevitable scratches, chips and swirls. Interior materials seem to have improved (my Mom just purchased a 2015 Forester and I'm impressed by the materials inside). That being said, inspect models you're checking out for wear just to see what's going on.

I think plugs are due at 60K and are a joy to do, and very costly at the dealer. They're not impossible, but budget a solid 1.5-2 hours to do it correctly. Tires are a bit finicky to since you need to do them in pairs, and in a perfect world all 4 at once.

I don't think they're a bad option. My Mom absolutely loves her new Forester and I really like it for what it is. It's leaps and bounds ahead of her 2012 Rogue. I like the Subaru 2.5L much better than the Nissan 2.5L and the CVTs aren't in the same league IMHO.

I unfortunately cannot comment on the 2.0i versus the 2.5i motors. If you want the Impreza hatch make sure you're okay with the rear visibility. The rearward visibility is the reason my Mom sold the Rogue and picked the Forester.

Hope that helps a bit.

[c91bse7]

I've had 2 Subarus , an 04 wrx and currently a 96 Impreza with an 02 wrx swap. Haven't had any major issues with ether of them and they do really well in the snow. My friend has an 04 forester and his wife an 07 Impreza 2.5i and they haven't had an issues ether. I know these are all older then what your looking at but hope it helps a little.

[Ralphie]

Ah, Subaru.

High oil consumption being reported in the NA 2.5L compared to other makes, but some of that is most likely due to the thin oil being specified on these cars for fuel economy reasons. The turbo ones are very finicky when it comes to oil choice, but I don't know if that extends to the NA models.

The paint is garbage and they haven't improved upon that. I'd highly recommend you get a light color to hide the inevitable scratches, chips and swirls. Interior materials seem to have improved (my Mom just purchased a 2015 Forester and I'm impressed by the materials inside). That being said, inspect models you're checking out for wear just to see what's going on.

I think plugs are due at 60K and are a joy to do, and very costly at the dealer. They're not impossible, but budget a solid 1.5-2 hours to do it correctly. Tires are a bit finicky to since you need to do them in pairs, and in a perfect world all 4 at once.

I don't think they're a bad option. My Mom absolutely loves her new Forester and I really like it for what it is. It's leaps and bounds ahead of her 2012 Rogue. I like the Subaru 2.5L much better than the Nissan 2.5L and the CVTs aren't in the same league IMHO.

I unfortunately cannot comment on the 2.0i versus the 2.5i motors. If you want the Impreza hatch make sure you're okay with the rear visibility. The rearward visibility is the reason my Mom sold the Rogue and picked the Forester.

Hope that helps a bit.

Yea I am almost certainly looking at the hatch. I have a small photography business on the side, and when I do photoshoots on location, I have to lug all my shit around. I just did an all day portrait session two weeks ago and fitting all that stuff in the Altima was a pain in the butt to say the least.

I went to look at them last night, but as soon as we got out of the car we noticed my daughter's diaper had leaked and her outfit was pee soaked....so we bailed.

I did not test drive but I did get out of the car and check out the hatch and legacy sedan up close. The hatch is really nice. I love the white with the dark storage roof rails. I believe the one I saw was a 15, but it is not worlds different from the 13s.

I think it was around 23k?

What do you mean by the CVT being in different categories? I know my Altima has a CVT and it was weird at first but I have grown to like it and It does not get in my way, and in fact, I feel like the CVT allows the car to get up quicker while saving on mpg well. When I mash the pedal in the Altima, she goes better then any car I have owned. And getting a solid 430 miles/tank is nice!

Anyway, the interior seems nice. They all have heated front seats, heated mirrors, blutooth/handsfree, controls on the steering wheel, and ipod connect ability. A lot of features come standard on them, that other makers do not include.

So the paint issue, I guess could be fleet wide or maybe just one or two you have come across? If you've read about it on forums, then my apologies. Seems like something that they would not let slide but who knows these days. I definitely like the white so I should be good in that area.

With the plugs.....like they need to be changed TOGETHER? How does on change 4 spark plugs at the same time? I have done plugs on Hondas....

Besides the plugs....what other maintenance could be problematic or different then reg motors?

As far as visibility, I still have to test drive one, but I guess that could be an issue. I usually care more about my sides then my rear, as blind spots are usually the ones to get you, but I have avoided being rear ended by seeing someone distracted before so I do value being able to have good rear visibility besides obviously needing it to backup.

Thanks for the help Mike. You were one of the people I hoped would respond.

Ill touch back when I drive one and see what my options are here.

I've had 2 Subarus , an 04 wrx and currently a 96 Impreza with an 02 wrx swap. Haven't had any major issues with ether of them and they do really well in the snow. My friend has an 04 forester and his wife an 07 Impreza 2.5i and they haven't had an issues ether. I know these are all older then what your looking at but hope it helps a little.

Thanks man!

I did look at the Impreza WRX but they are like 10k more then I care to spend. They do look great though. The other issue is that they are all manual and my wife does not drive manual.

[AccordWarrior]

Yea I am almost certainly looking at the hatch. I have a small photography business on the side, and when I do photoshoots on location, I have to lug all my shit around. I just did an all day portrait session two weeks ago and fitting all that stuff in the Altima was a pain in the butt to say the least.

I went to look at them last night, but as soon as we got out of the car we noticed my daughter's diaper had leaked and her outfit was pee soaked....so we bailed.

I did not test drive but I did get out of the car and check out the hatch and legacy sedan up close. The hatch is really nice. I love the white with the dark storage roof rails. I believe the one I saw was a 15, but it is not worlds different from the 13s.

I think it was around 23k?

FYI my Mom just paid 24.8K + TTL for her 2015 Forester 2.5i Premium. I'd be shocked if you couldn't get a new Impreza for under 23K. I used TrueCar as my pricepoint and had zero issue. I actually could have gotten the Forester for less, but it had $500 worth of accessories.

[QUOTE=Ralphie
What do you mean by the CVT being in different categories? I know my Altima has a CVT and it was weird at first but I have grown to like it and It does not get in my way, and in fact, I feel like the CVT allows the car to get up quicker while saving on mpg well. When I mash the pedal in the Altima, she goes better then any car I have owned. And getting a solid 430 miles/tank is nice!
[/quote]

I thought Nissan's CVT in the Rogue was garbage. It had a few flat spots where the car would just vibrate and make all kinds of annoying noises. The Forester hasn't had any of those issues, it's just complete smooth. The Nissan always felt like you were doing a burnout, the revs hung just a bit too long. The Subaru one doesn't have that feeling. Subaru got better mileage than the Rogue too, even with only break-in mileage on the Subaru.

Anyway, the interior seems nice. They all have heated front seats, heated mirrors, blutooth/handsfree, controls on the steering wheel, and ipod connect ability. A lot of features come standard on them, that other makers do not include.

So the paint issue, I guess could be fleet wide or maybe just one or two you have come across? If you've read about it on forums, then my apologies. Seems like something that they would not let slide but who knows these days. I definitely like the white so I should be good in that area.

My STi has been a bear to keep nice. You have 3-4 minutes when a bird bomb hits to not etch the paint. It's all over the forums.

With the plugs.....like they need to be changed TOGETHER? How does on change 4 spark plugs at the same time? I have done plugs on Hondas....

Besides the plugs....what other maintenance could be problematic or different then reg motors?

With a boxer motor the plugs are down low. I don't know if you'd have to pull as much as I did when I did plugs on mine, but it's pull the battery, pull the intake and remove the coil packs. I broke it down and had a buddy thread the plugs into the head as I was on a bad crossthreading streak.

Remember with AWD you have more things that need fluid. The trans/front diff/transfer case typically share a fluid and then you have to do the rear diff. It's not a dealbreaker, just more things to think about.

As far as visibility, I still have to test drive one, but I guess that could be an issue. I usually care more about my sides then my rear, as blind spots are usually the ones to get you, but I have avoided being rear ended by seeing someone distracted before so I do value being able to have good rear visibility besides obviously needing it to backup.

The hatch had the small rear windows and a large D pillar. Just something to keep in mind.

Thanks for the help Mike. You were one of the people I hoped would respond.

Ill touch back when I drive one and see what my options are here.

No worries. Good luck!

[Ralphie]

Hey Mike, thanks for all the info!

As of right now I am heavily leaning towards a 2013 Accord.

I know, no AWD haha.

Basically I was looking for AWD, but in my price range, the only option are Impreza's. Problem is the more I read, I find a lot of little thing that are off-putting such as the class action suit against Subaru for oil burning.

Also I don't mind the extra maintenance due to AWD, but that is A LOT of work just to change plugs.

At this point I am seeing 13 Accord LX right at my price point. Have all the features of the Impreza except AWD and heated front seats.

I feel like I have made it this far without AWD, and we do get bad storms once in a while but nothing like up North. I figure Ill save myself a headache and go with a car that I know in and out and has very few, if any problems. Ill just throw snow tires on it and call it a day.

So my mission now is to find a white EX in my price range so I can keep the PTS that I am used to.

Thanks again for the info!

[AccordWarrior]

No worries. A good set of snows should easily get you 75% of the way towards AWD anyways.

If you don't mind seat covers Wet Okole offers their kits with heated seat inserts. I'm thinking of doing a set for my Tacoma.

[N9netwoAccord]

No worries. A good set of snows should easily get you 75% of the way towards AWD anyways.

If you don't mind seat covers Wet Okole offers their kits with heated seat inserts. I'm thinking of doing a set for my Tacoma.

In these newer cars seat covers are recommended against, due to an air bag actually coming out of the side bolster of the seat. I see people still use them, but in all my training Honda says not to use them. Food for thought.

[AccordWarrior]

In these newer cars seat covers are recommended against, due to an air bag actually coming out of the side bolster of the seat. I see people still use them, but in all my training Honda says not to use them. Food for thought.

Interesting. What about Wet Okole, who claim to be airbag compliant?

[Ralphie]

So here is my next question-

For people who run snow tires in the winter....obviously on a seperate set of wheels...

How long do you run them? Like Nov-March?

How many seasons do you get out of them?

I don't need 4 snow tires right? Two up front on a FWD car should be enough id think?

Ive only ever used all-season so I have no clue about snow tires.

You run them on days where it is like 40 and balmy? When I think of snow tires, I think of ONLY using them in snow because I always through anything else was bad for the tire....

I am OK with getting snow tires but I do not want to replace them once a year.

[owequitit]

So here is my next question-

For people who run snow tires in the winter....obviously on a seperate set of wheels...

How long do you run them? Like Nov-March?

How many seasons do you get out of them?

I don't need 4 snow tires right? Two up front on a FWD car should be enough id think?

Ive only ever used all-season so I have no clue about snow tires.

You run them on days where it is like 40 and balmy? When I think of snow tires, I think of ONLY using them in snow because I always through anything else was bad for the tire....

I am OK with getting snow tires but I do not want to replace them once a year.

You are definitely going to want 4 snow tires if you do it.

[AccordWarrior]

You are definitely going to want 4 snow tires if you do it.

Absolutely. There are plenty of places that sell wheel/tire packages ready to bolt on. I purchased a set from Discount Tire for my Tacoma and had them ready to bolt on, which was really nice.

As far as timing, since you'll be running all-seasons, it's not nearly as imperative when you get them on than if you were running summer-only tires. I typically run my STi until the first road salt hits the road and then I park it. I currently only have summer tires, and they are only good down to about 45 degrees.

For all seasons, I'd say mid-November until late March. Snow tires can be run all-season, they just get torn up in the summer. They are a much softer compound than standard all-season tires since they need to be soft/pliable in the cold weather. Some people actually drag race in snow tires since they're so sticky.

I'm going to enter season 3 with my Tacoma's Hankook I-Pikes and I don't see any evidence I won't be able to easily get the season out of them.

[Ralphie]

Oh ok, great! I was worried I would get one MAYBE two seasons and then would need new ones.

Ok so cool, now Ill just have to find a set to buy.

[Ralphie]

OK so I just checked tire rack,

they have a full set of 4: steelies and Dunlop Winter Maxx for about $600. With wheel covers and shipping it comes out to $752.

Wowza.

Is that a good deal?

I was reading that they recommend to go down a size and have a narrower tire for driving in snow but if I went to a JY and took wheels off a wrecked Accord and saved myself some money and maintained looks, would it really affect the capability of the tire or no?