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Thinking about a new daily driver


Lukaniuk

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I've recently finished university and I have 2 job offers on the table. I'm pretty sure which one I'm going to take, but both jobs are going to involve a lot of commuting and my current winter ride just isn't going to cut it much longer.

 

Job 1 is a fly in fly out job, but where I would fly out of is about 500km away from where I would live. So about 1000km every 2 weeks.

 

Job 2 is about 80km away, but I would be driving everyday. So about 800km every week.

 

The 2 cars I have in mind right now are;

1) VW R32

2) Subaru WRX

 

Anybody driven either car? pros/cons? I have always driven a FWD car in the winter, but I've never had to drive that far that often and I'm thinking AWD would be a nice/fun feature.

 

Any other suggestions which meet the following criteria:

1. Good on ice and snow

2. Fast & Fun to drive (when its dry)

3. Preferably a wagon or a hatch (somewhere for the dog)

4. Comfortable to drive

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I have a WRX wagon and love it. Lots of after market parts and a lot cheaper than the r 32 to modify and get parts for. The chasis design is close to the same as the older subarus so they are easy to work on. Look at other subaru and vw forums and you will see that wrx is proven for reliability. The Audi is very very nice but look at the tsb and consumer reports and you will see they are not very reliable after 80,000 miles(electrical problems).

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does it have to be new/newer?

 

Im going to say a job 'offer' is not a 'job' untill you start getting paychecks. I would be weary of getting into a car I couldnt afford if my job were to disapear. You may want to take care of any student loans or credit card debt prior to purchasing a hot new car.

 

your in canada... why not buy a R32 skyline :)

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Why the S4? Could you expand please?.....

 

The S4 fits all 4 of the criteria you laid out. I just sold my B6 A4 Avant and I had I had no problems with it up to 92,000 miles. Very nice interior and comfortable to drive. The S4 adds the power and fun factor that the regular A4 is missing. A chipped A4 with a bigger turbo would be fun too.

 

I miss my avant :cry:

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does it have to be new/newer?

 

Im going to say a job 'offer' is not a 'job' untill you start getting paychecks. I would be weary of getting into a car I couldnt afford if my job were to disapear. You may want to take care of any student loans or credit card debt prior to purchasing a hot new car.

 

your in canada... why not buy a R32 skyline :)

 

I'd like newer. Not new.

 

Ya I agree. I'm not planning to go out and buy something next week. I'm probably not going to seriously look at anything until later in the summer so that I can have it for next winter. I'm just looking to make a list of cars that meet my criteria, and keep an eye open for a good deal. btw - I'm graduating debt free.

 

Because of all of the highway driving, I'd rather not have a RHD. I'd like to be able to pass on the highway still.

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My brother had a 2002 WRX wagon 5 speed. He drove it for 70K miles or so and the turbo died. that was his only issue. I drove it, and test drove about 3 others :)

 

Loved the car. it's still on my radar for "one of these days" - a great value new and used!!!

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I had an 02 WRX and it was quick and easy to work on. I got 29 mpg on premium and it would beat just about anything out there. Try www.clubwrx.net for some information. I resently started missing my rex and looked at the new STI in my opinion you would be better off getting the EVO. I really enjoyed the Legacy 2.5 GT Spec B. STI drive train but would fit my 6'4" ass.

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I recently tried different potential fun and practical daily drivers (used 2004 to 2007 models) including some of the above mentioned one, here's my summary:

WRX (2007) and mazdaspeed 3, thought the speed 3 was more fun and responsive (less lag) and handled better (in stock form) but the wrx AWD power delivery felt better than the FWD (which I'm biased against). THe wrx would need better springs shock and then should handle appropriate to its well designed chassis.

Also test drove legacy GT (2006) and mazdaspeed 6. Liked both quite a bit but was not happy with gas mileage on legacy GT. Also thought the speed 6 handles better, at least with stock suspension.

Comparing the speed 3 and 6, the 3 is a little quicker and spunkier (weight related) and the 6 is more refined, subtle, better chassis feel, suspension with AWD vs FWD which is why I preferred it. If you don't mind FWD I would definitely go test drive the speed 3.

Comparing the legacy GT and WRX, I preferred the GT, all the fun but nicer interior, quieter and less of a police magnet. The wrx has advantage of greater availability and cheaper.

ALso tried 2004 BMW 330i, liked it, did everything well as expected, nice balance but also less exciting. At the end of the day, I'm a turbo junkie.

Also considered the Audi, but the reliability seems to be hit and miss. Many people like them but I know of enough who were unhappy with reliability).

I ended up buying the speed 6 about 3 months ago and absolutely love it. Only thing I did not like was the power drop off after 5500 rpm (from electronic throttle programming from factory, the ecu starts closing the throttle past 5500 rpm even when pedal is to the floor) which I remedied with a COBB re-flash, making the car much faster (much more power at high rpm, not much difference in peak power). Same applies to the speed 3.

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