Grunched from post I quoted AND it appears I'm wrong on the 135 engine, sick combo.

Wow, it's like we're looking for the exact same thing. I just created a real list of cars to go look at. All cars (not SUVs) based on having AWD and sorted by high overall Consumer Report ratings (they all have high ratings though). The cost is my notes pricing them out for myself:

infiniti g37 - 95 (39.8 no packages)
subaru legacy 3.6r - 88 (26.7k)
lexus IS 250 - 84 (38.7k)
subaru impreza wrx - 84 (premium - 30.3k)
chrysler 300 - 83 (29k)
Acura TL - 82 (no packages - 40.4k)
subaru impreza - 82 (24.5k)
Volvo S60 T5 - 77 (36k)
Audi A4 - 76 (premium - 36.4k)

So I think I should go test drive all of those.

Also, when I look at a list like this it seems like a decent leak not to buy a Subaru in this spot, even if I think it's just okay when I test drive it. As long as it doesn't suck, I mean, all the other cars are so much more.

Volvo! I drive an ancient s60t and love it like crazy

Imo, out of that list, WRX.

Check pricing on Edmunds - that will tell you what others are paying for those models, rather than relying on sticker prices, which are not a good indicator of what you will be paying if you make your best deal.

Example - the RDX (I see now you wont be buying that - just using it as an example here) will cost you something like $55 under sticker price because its in high demand (it is the highest demand Acura at the moment), while the Chrysler can be had for over $3000 under invoice. The big price differences are based on supply & demand.

Also note that the price you have on that Chrysler is sticker price on the 2WD model, not AWD - you'll want to be sure you have all the info correct before making choices. fwiw, I would not buy that one based on CRs comments about predicted reliability. There are better choices on your list imo.

Financing deals shouldnt be ignored either.

icwudt

I've driven those & they're fun to drive & good cars, but the TL is the easy winner in my book - not even close. The G37 would be 2nd for me.

If the $8 - 10K difference in price matters more than the quality of the car, the Subaru would be a good choice.

also, a4 is lame. test drive the a5

Dude you are looking at some pretty expensive cars. How many people in Minnesota drive 2wd cars all year? Probably a lot, I'll even give you a pass on every single LEO, ambulance, fire truck, and other emergency vehicle I might be forgetting.

Also keep in mind maintenance and repairs. A Chrysler is going to be a distant fraction of what an Audi costs to actually keep.

delts are "tingling". Stay home tomorrow, or go after rolling/warmup? Plan is snatches, cleans, back jerks. Not sure if it's a precursor to injury, since it doesn't really feel like domsy soreness.

I have exhaustion plague aids. PRs on squats and bench, did deadlifts, then played 3 hours of basketball having only eaten 600 calories today and worked 3 hours. Oh boy. Existing hurts.

o hai saw

Somebody get this boy a buffet!

VS



FATALITY

In before 100 more posts about zzzzars

you should complain more soulman, its clearly very effective and not annoying at all

yugo, there is a cool startup out now that basically prenegotiates with car dealers for specific makes and models of cars. you tell them what you want, they give you a dealership in your area that has it and they give you a specific price. you print the slip and bring it in, no games. not saying this is the most optimal route, HOWEVER, at the very least, check them out so you know what price you should never pay higher than. the site is carwoo.com

It's very effective for my purposes

Yeah, those are just my notes from building cars on the website. They aren't meant to be super accurate prices, I fully realize that they won't match up with what you can actually get a car for.

Hmmm, I am surprised I may have missed the AWD for Chrysler, but thanks for the catch. Btw, after going to each website (I work with clients to create websites for a living) I was not impressed with *any* of the websites I visited, lol. Each had really obvious objective flaws imo. Except maybe Subaru, but man their images of their accessories make everything look like junk.

Straight cash homey. Unless that doesn't help reduce the cost, then probably whatever financing deal they have. But seriously, str8 cash imo.

Yeah, I do have to keep that in mind. And yeah, these seem somewhat expensive. But I dno, I could buy an 80k if it made me a whole person....a 40k car isn't a ridiculous stretch for my financially but is pricey. I'm 32 in a couple weeks and plan to drive this car into the ground (was plan with last car) so I mean, it'd be nice to have something I really like into my 40s and before I start paying for a kid and stop being willing to spend $ on myself.

But yeah, Subaru seems like the pick atm. Hate the pics of their interiors though...but that will be easily evaluated in person.

Thanks for the heads up. Sounds like it can't hurt. My actual plan is to just go back and forth between two dealers via email and negotiate hard on price, letting them know when I come in it will be a done deal and I can pay with cash (unless the consensus is that dealerships don't care about this at all...).

SM - any other time in my life I'd help derail the thread back on track, but unfortunately this is the 1 month/10 years I am all about cars, lol.

I'm more and A to B type person now, but wasn't always (~20 cars owned). All 'murican though (Mustang, Camaros, TA's, etc..).

The last car I bought was a new '09 Malibu for 20k out the door. It's got 90k miles on it now and I haven't had one issue with it at all (only done brakes, tires, and oil changes). FWD is just fine for the snow here, although you guys get it a bit worse there.

Edmunds & CR & Costco & a lot of other services do basically the same thing.

Go to Edmunds and do everything there - pricing, reviews, pics, read about specs & features & everything. Then go to CR & check reliability. Edmunds + CR >>>>>>> any auto maker's site.

Yep. http://www.time.com/time/specials/20...658540,00.html

Yugo imo I would at least ask yourself

Why is an Audi better than a Subaru? Obv do what makes you happiest though.

Fun tip: Want a good deal on a new car? Buy it two years later.

Also, the current-gen Legacy up until 2012 model year had a problematic shake at highway speeds. I would not be surprised if the Outback was the same way seeing as how they're basically the same damn car. If you test drive a CPO really focus on any steering wheel vibration. You might think you can live with it, you can't, little stuff like that goes a long way to happiness/frustration in a car. They issued a few TSBs but afaik they were a means to reduce the problem, not fix it. Just letting you know.

The new Imprezas are pretty sweet looking and the hatch versions make really good use of the space available, you do pay a premium for it over the sedan, though.

A Subaru is a pretty good choice, and I like the Legacy a lot. You would probably survive without the 3.6 engine but surviving is for noobs, get the 3.6 and turbo that ****.

Dealerships would actually prefer you finance I'm pretty sure. For various reasons auto-financing is really easy aorn, fwiw.