Bought a 2017 Model Year Car With 3 Pedals. What Do I Win?

"Tripper" (tripe46) 01/03/2017 at 11:03 • Filed to: None

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I !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! by getting my wife new tires for Christmas. So we spent new years eve in a Subaru dealership. We had planned to keep the Mini, but I ended up negotiating a lot more than we expected for trade on it. I still kind of wanted to keep it, but it was my wife’s car and ultimately her decision. It was smart to trade it as I’m confident that we would not have been offered a better number even if we sold the vehicle privately.

Anyway we bought what my wife has wanted for a while now. A 2017 Forester with a manual transmission.

As you may be able to tell I’m a little butthurt that the cooper is gone, however we would have been two people with 4 cars and no garage, although we could easily fit all 4 in the driveway. In addition I spent $300 on the cooper mounting brand new tires and attempting to get it inspected, and then traded it in the next day. Tough to swallow, but the cooper needed $2500 just to get road legal and more like $3500 to be where it needs to be.

I was planning to do it all myself over time on the cooper, but I was assuming that we were going to be offered $1500 or less for trade.

Anyway the Forester is nice and she is happy, so I’m not going to lose too much sleep over it. I’ve owned two Subaru’s previously and they were both great cars. My WRX is the only car that I have ever owned where I can say that I “abused” it, pretty much the entire time that I owned it. Even still, the only problems I had were of my own doing.

P.S.

It is weird how the Forester is sort of the only car of it’s kind (carish/crossovery/wagon available with a manual transmission AND all wheel drive).

Happy New Year!

$kaycog > Tripper 01/03/2017 at 11:05

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Anyway the Forester is nice and she is happy

A happy wife is a happy household.

Rico > Tripper 01/03/2017 at 11:06

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Great color, congrats and I hope it treats you guys well. Happy New Year too!

shop-teacher > Tripper 01/03/2017 at 11:08

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This is solid adulting.

jimz > Tripper 01/03/2017 at 11:10

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you win a car with three pedals :)

FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com > Tripper 01/03/2017 at 11:12

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My heart.

Manual Forester nation rise!

Tripper > FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com 01/03/2017 at 11:16

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Nice! There were two manuals near us, blue and white. The dealer with the blue one tried to make us go out and renew our licenses before we bought the car, even though we both had our signed extension letters. Had they done that, ours would have been white too. Ours has got the base wheels which will get switched out hopefully the first time she needs tires.

CalzoneGolem > Tripper 01/03/2017 at 11:16

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#teamforester

FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com > Tripper 01/03/2017 at 11:22

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A few more things...

I see they really upgraded the steering wheel on the base 2017. My 2014 had an awful plastic wheel. I bought a leather one out of a wrecked Legacy and put it in.

I’d argue that the Countryman All4 is another AWD/manual/crossover available, but I can see why you didn’t go that direction. I looked at one and it really wasn’t much smaller than the Forester. Not sure if the next gen will have AWD with the manual. It will grow in size to pretty much Forster-size as well. Also, the Renegade can be configured with a manual and AWD (good luck finding one, though), but it is definitely smaller. Besides these 3, think everything other crossover/wagon that offers a manual is either only offering it on FWD.

What did you get in trade for the Cooper?

FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com > Tripper 01/03/2017 at 11:26

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That blue is my favorite. Closest blue manual when I was shopping was 800 miles away in Arizona. Subaru changed the white last year from satin to crystal. I prefer mine to the new white. As far as steel wheels go, the base Forester ones have more style than most, but I couldn’t get rid of them fast enough. Got lucky and found the XT ones on CL. Otherwise probably would’ve gone for gold Sparco Assetto Gara’s.

Tripper > FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com 01/03/2017 at 11:36

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My wife’s love for Mini’s starts and ends with the R53 cooper S. She doesn’t even like the new coopers let alone the rest of the lineup. I don’t mind the countryman, but more expensive etc...

You’re right about the renegade/compass, but I’m not a big fan any of the domestic brands. FCA is at the bottom of that list. She keeps her cars along time and drives a fair amount. Weather it’s true or not I believe that Japanese cars are the best when it comes to longevity, even though I have two German cars.

Steve in Manhattan > Tripper 01/03/2017 at 11:51

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Good job!

Tripper > FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com 01/03/2017 at 11:53

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Sorry, I forgot. We got 3k for the cooper. Started at $1500.

J_P_Cars10s > Tripper 01/03/2017 at 12:27

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Congrats! They stopped offering that drive train in the Outback in America after 2014. I’ve owned mine for just over a year.

Apparently these have weak throw out bearings. Had mine done at 27k, 40k on the clock now. Bought CPO w/ 23k.

FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com > Tripper 01/03/2017 at 12:33

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I test drive the Renegade. Good idea in theory. Execution leaves something to be desired IMO. And yeah FCA cars past warranty are suspect... just looking at the resale values on 3-5 year old models compared to other brands tells you all you need to know. (The Wrangler being an exception to this rule.)

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Tripper 01/03/2017 at 12:41

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You get a more reliable car that should last a good ten years.

DasWauto > Tripper 01/03/2017 at 12:54

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Me too. I looked at a manual Forester too, as well as the XT and the WRX I ended up buying. Definitely my favourite crossover for sale, mostly because of the drivetrain. I almost bought one, would’ve bought an XT if it could’ve been had with a stick. I’m extremely happy with the WRX though, I hope your wife enjoys her Subaru too.

Tripper > J_P_Cars10s 01/03/2017 at 13:09

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Hmm good to know. Shes having a tough time adapting to the way the clutch/transmission works. Shes used to getting a lot of feedback from the cooper, not so much with the Forester.

J_P_Cars10s > Tripper 01/03/2017 at 13:17

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It’s very numb, but at 40k mine still feels like new. No slop in the shifter or anything.

For me the biggest factor was the delay in the throttle pedal. It’s a far cry from a the cable operated setup my foot was used to. It will limit your throttle at low engine temps/rpm as well. The traction control throttle cut has caused me to stall it in a couple offroading situations.

Anyway, I’m thrilled to see another modern 3 pedal Subie on here!

Tripper > DasWauto 01/03/2017 at 13:24

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Believe me I tried to sell her on a WRX more than a few times! What kind of car guy would I be if I didn’t? She wanted something with more space, and mentioned how often she gets pulled over when she gets in anything with a lot of power.

The inde shop where we take the BMW products has 3 loaners, and one of them is a 400hp 335. She got that one once and was in it for less than 10 minutes before she got a ticket.

gawdzillla > Tripper 01/03/2017 at 13:59

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congrats !

you can now send her on a 3 day vacation secretly STi swap this !!!

Tripper > gawdzillla 01/03/2017 at 14:09

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Haha maybe if we keep it long enough.

DasWauto > Tripper 01/03/2017 at 15:20

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The biggest issue is probably the rev hang between first and second. My WRX does it too. You have to very deliberately delay letting the clutch out so that the revs drop and the car doesn’t jerk. It’s very counterintuitive if you’re a long time MT driver to have to hold the clutch in when you’ve made the shift already, I still struggle with it. The other option is to shift very early (like 2000rpm or less) so the revs don’t have that far to drop. That’s no fun either though, my car has absolutely no balls if I shift that early.

I might have to look into the aftermarket to see if there is something to help it. I know tunes get rid of the rev hang as a rule but I’m not too keen on voiding the warranty on my fairly highly strung turbo car.

DasWauto > Tripper 01/03/2017 at 15:29

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Good man, and your wife is wiser than I for knowing her limits like that. I use cruise control absolutely everywhere when I’m not in town or on busy roads. Otherwise it’s waaay too easy to wander into triple digit speeds with this car (km/h to be fair, but still no Bueno).

Tripper > DasWauto 01/03/2017 at 15:53

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Yeap, shes the smart one. I lucked out with my commute. I do a quick 5 miles on a highway that has 1/2 mile long entrance ramp and even the slow lane goes 75-80. I’ve been pulled over once since I got the S3, but he let me slide.

I had a WRX and then an STi in my younger days. Both cars but particularly the STi and its close gearing make it nearly impossible to drive like a responsible person.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Tripper 01/03/2017 at 16:00

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I’m hoping the next-gen Impreza is decent...Subie’s styling has been really bland for years, but the nex-gen Impreza doesn’t look too bad. My favorites were the 2002-2006 gen (and their facelifts).

Tripper > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 01/03/2017 at 16:04

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Yea I don’t mind the new Impreza, but I’m hoping the WRX and STi will be more appealing. I had an 05 WRX and then an 04 STi, my favorite generation too.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Tripper 01/03/2017 at 16:16

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I had a 2002 Subaru Impreza 2.5TS wagon - great car, miss it dearly! No WRX/STi, but the 170hp 2.5L was pepper enough! :)

jkm7680 > Tripper 01/03/2017 at 17:53

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When the manual Alltrak comes out, it will have some competition.

My friend recently bought one of these except in Premium or something trim. The interior is too roomy and the roofline is too big.

Tripper > jkm7680 01/03/2017 at 18:05

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I tried to turn her on to the alltrack even without a manual, no dice (she hates wagons). I thought it would be tough for me to watch her buy I car that I don’t care about. Then I realized it was easy for the same reason. As an added bonus, I can go down a few notches on practicality and up a few on fun for my next car.

pip bip - choose Corrour > Tripper 01/03/2017 at 18:51

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great choice!

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Tripper 01/04/2017 at 13:53

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Nice color, and I didn’t even know you could get one of these with three pedals! Might have to be my kid’s first car in 6 years...