Hey guys, here for research on next car

[bluesidan]

My lease is up in about a year so I figured I would start looking now. I would like to have a car in my age group, 36 years old and time to step away from the Civic.

Anyway, I would like more of a man's car and that's why I'm here.

[TSi+WRX]

^ Man's car - old man's car, grandpa's car, soccer-mom's car, old-lady's car. Baby-hauler..... The BL/BP can be all of that! :D

When I got my '05 5MT LGT, I thought that it would be a good way to step away from the "tuner" cars I enjoyed so much as a "kid" - DSMs. I even opted for the faux-wood trim of the Limited models, to get even further away from things like brushed-aluminum and carbon-fiber.

My wife's first reaction upon seeing the car, Atlantic Blue Pearl, was: "Why do you want a car that's the color of an old Members Only jacket? Periwinkle, really? It looks like an old-man's car." I just laughed and said that it was because I wanted to be older.

We were pregnant with my now 4-year-old daughter, Anna, back then. Both of us moved to Subarus (her into a '05 4EAT WRX sedan) for the AWD - which as a fellow Northern Ohioan, you can appreciate - as well as for the known durability/reliability and crashworthiness of the chassis.

But don't let the sedate outer skin fool you.

There's a lot of modding potential that lies underneath what looks like a previous-generation Camry or Accord. :lol:

[bluesidan]

Thanks for the reply, AWD will be welcome back. I am also a prior DSM owner. I realy miss the AWD turbo performance for year round fun.

The big reason Subaru's look good to me is the potential fun factor. I am hopeing the right car falls into place for me around January 2011. I would like to find a tastefuly modded 05-08. I am also looking into Foresters for the same purpose plus dog hauler.

I realy love the way Legacy's and Forester's look properly lowered with wide wheels and tires.

[blackfang]

Welcome to the site. The LGT will work fine:D

[john]

Welcome from another ex-DSM'er, who drives a tastefully modded '05 LGT LTD.

These cars, like any other turbo-from-the-factory cars, have tremendous potential with regards to mods. And they look so sedate! :)

I've about doubled the factory crank HP of my motor on the 100% stock longblock and the car is still happy to give me 24-25 mpg on the freeway, but grow fangs and misbehave badly when I ask it to.

[TSi+WRX]

I am also looking into Foresters for the same purpose plus dog hauler.

^ The force-fed SG-platform (immediate past generation) Foresters are quick little toasters. That's the way to go, if you wanted performance, especially as your other primary alternative, the manual, force-fed, '05 Legacy wagons, are rarer than Hen's tooth.

The SH-chassis (current generation) Foresters offer much more interior volume than either of the previous options - but there's a trade-off with a more SUV-like body-shell, increased weight, and the lack of an available manual transmission when equipped with the turbo engine.

This is a fundamental difference that's rather easily captured with a snapshot of the current owners' groups of the respective chassis:

Look at how many well-modified SGs are out there, now.

Then look at how few truly modified SHs there are...despite this vehicle now having been available to consumers for nearly 2 years - a short time, yes, but even by '07, there were plenty of BL/BPs at "Stage II" levels, and many well beyond.

[Dookie]

My lease is up in about a year so I figured I would start looking now. I would like to have a car in my age group, 36 years old and time to step away from the Civic.

Anyway, I would like more of a man's car and that's why I'm here.

Exactly the same thing I did. As my career changed, my car changed to better fit the position I was in, mostly because it was also an age thing too.:)

Man's car - old man's car, grandpa's car, soccer-mom's car, old-lady's car. Baby-hauler..... The BL/BP can be all of that!

:rofl: Sadly, but true.