someone guide this kid (my little brother who is also on this site) as to how dumb this idea is. tomorrow he will being going to look at a forester xt automatic. he is planning on modifying it to make it "fast" someone please let him know that being 18 he doesnt need a SUV and its stupid to modify the auto. i tried to push him to the WRX because its WAY cheaper and he doesnt need the size or space or "utility" of the forester. and for god sakes an auto? when he has been driving a manual for a long time now. anyways rant over, im just hoping that he will take the advice of other people and save his money to buy the smaller car so he can do whatever tuning he wants to it and not waste money he doesnt have to.
when someone gets their mind set on something it can be impossible to sway them from it till they find out that oh **** they were right and it costs them large sums of money.
no offense but there is nothing wrong with an auto FXT. It is a perfectly good vehicle and I would be happy to own one. My dad has an 04 FXT, it's very practical and a lot of fun to drive. nothing wrong with an auto either, high stall tq converter + turbo = fun. 404: bad choice not found.
Granted this is an XTi while either way the potential of FXT is great. Auto's are better in rush hour traffic for those who deal with this each day. Your bro is looking beyond what the other sheep are doing. http://www.subaruforester.org/vbulletin/f93/az-2004-forester-xti-4eat-only-48k-miles-89101/
ya thats a negative, he is 18 and has no reason for an SUV, really its just because its the first thing he has actually seen for sale. as stated in the second post he is just jumping the gun and wanting to get into one. he hasnt sat in one or drove one before and he plans on buying it tomorrow, how can you know you want a car by just seeing it in pictures. its hard to paint a picture of how in the dark he is about this whole buying a car thing. i am by no means trying to rag on any FXT because i know of their poential but for a single kid being its his first vehicle i would have rather seen him in something not so expensive and a little more practical for him for the price. and he is 18 and hasnt had a job brfore the only rush hour he knows of is the hour before an assignment is due or a test!
I bought my car sight unseen lol No he should definitely take it slow and learn about insurance, how to car shop, plan for the future, etc... maybe offer to test drive some cars with him so he can enjoy the whole process... before you know it he will be a car nut with a 400whp fxt lol
Tell Him that he needs to drive at least 3, maybe 5 different cars before choosing one. If he doesn't want to, that is his problem. That being said...we have a '04 Forester XT A/T and we love it. I would actually prefer it over a 2.0L M/T WRX (assuming the 2.0L is what you are talking about since you say the WRX is cheaper in comparison)
im totally with you on this one my main point was that he was jumping way too fast into this, again not that the FXT is bad in any way. again its so hard to explain how out there he is, i would like to compare it to dreams of running your car on unicorn blood for better performance (horrible joke but it was from this last tuesday) and honeslty if you all heard his plans you would wonder WTF. lol just tonight i had to explain to him that being 18 his insurance on his own will be over $100 a month full coverage and he would not believe me till i called the insurance company to get a quote for him. lol also to "save some money" he fould and FXT in a color he didnt want for 2k cheaper and said "its ok i can just get it painted" at this point i think i have to take the stance jasonojordan said and just let him learn on his own. but i promise you if i let him do as he wishes with this vehicle there will be alot of flaming of him on here and possibly tears of WTF! lol
and i say WRX because i feel being its his first vehicle an sti will just get him in trouble its just a racecar to him and last thing i need is a 18 y/o that wants to show everyone his racecar.
I do not find the wrx any different from the sti. Owners can mod them and make them just as quick. They can drive both like asshats and get in trouble.
This. And not just a mile around the neighborhood. He needs some seat time in different vehicles (large, small, manual, auto, twisties, traffic...). THEN he can decide and he may actually be happy with his choice in the long run.
Stealth and same performance potential as a WRX. I'd say do it if he can afford it. Nothing wrong with an auto and from my understanding holds power better than the 5 speed manuals. But I am an asshat and an ethug.
I would hardly call a Forester an SUV. It's small compared to my 4Runner. It seems closer in size to my WRX wagon than the 4Runner.
well i guess the upside if he gets it is i can get him to do just some minor mods so he thinks its really fast. i think right now its going to be all about just teaching him not to be an asshat. like i said i gotta let him do what he wants till he figures what is right and wrong for him.
Wow, this thread is just teeming with stupidity. First off, there is absolutely nothing wrong with an automatic Forester XT. Second, this "SUV" you keep talking about is actually just an Impreza frame with taller suspension. If it is an 04XT, the 04 WRX suspension parts swap RIGHT OVER. At least as far as the struts are concerned. Do that, and it rides like an Impreza. Third, looking back on it, I wish I had gotten a Legacy Wagon instead of the WRX sedan. I can't tell you how many times I've wanted extra hauling space. I will agree that re-painting japanese econoboxes is pointless, but otherwise, I would applaud him for his choice in a reasonable car that is practical but still loads of fun to drive. Pushing him to some dumb little econo-box compact sedan from that decision he has made is entirely more stupid than wanting to repaint the car. Being young doesn't mean buying the latest rice rocket craze and modding it.
Yeah I would trade my wrx sedan for an FXT in a heartbeat. I have been in so many situations where the extra cargo space would have been helpfull. Everyone has a wrx, its been done over and over. I say get the forester and never look back.
I also say, who cares what he buys. If that's what he wants then go for it. Foresters are badass rides as are wrx's.
The Forester is a decent car, but I urge you to drive plenty of cars before buying. An informed decision is always a good decision. Also, you can not get a quality paint job (factory quality, engine out, etc) for $2,000. Even if you do, you will lose value on resale.
ya i know dude i drove today Fxt today an RDX a few 2.5 legacys an 09 a 10 and 11 so i have driven a few cars also drove a diffrent year FXT to so got 2 years to compare
You drove a bunch of cars that are almost exactly the same. That will tell you very little. Go drive a Fit, a Tundra, a Miata, a Grand Cherokee, A Sonata, a 330i, etc....
I read the title of this thread and thought someone was in a car accident or about to lose their home...
Man, I guess I did everything wrong. Purchased a 02 wrx before I even knew what they "officially" looked like. I had to sign the papers before the dealership would even let me drive it (first allocation car). Then I purchase a 09 fxt (only made them with the 4eat). Now that I have had my fxt for 2 years, I realize it was probably the best purchase ever. I usually don't need the extra room, but every once in a while, it is so nice to know that I can jamb 6 big bags of insulation in there, or 8ft long 2x4, or anything. Then when I switched over for a 02 wrx to a brand new 09 fxt, my insurance actually went down (I am 38). I saved over $60 every 6 months because the fxt is "just a little suv, not a sports car like the wrx". Needless to say, less than $500 in parts (down pipe and tune), I am cranking out over 300ftlb at the wheels on RS's dyno. That is just as good as a highly modded wrx (18g with all supporting mods). Russ
I'm actually considering another wagon for a daily driver. Especially since I'll probably buy a home that needs some work. Also, there are several posts in this thread that make my eyes bleed....
a modded 04/05 XT with proper STI parts is way cooler than a comparable WRX IMO... auto or otherwise.
I love the subtlety and how you say what so many of us are thinking. Nothing wrong with a modern automatic transmission (although calling the 4EAT they still insist on installing in the Forrester "modern" might be a stretch) especially in a major metro area where traffic sucks major ass a good portion of the day. And there are plenty of times where having the cargo capacity of that body style makes life sooooooooo much easier. Like others have said, calling a Forrester an SUV is almost nonsensical. Single with just one vehicle, a Forrester would be on my short list.
wow this all got crazy out of hand, all in all he didnt buy it right now, which is all i was going for and since people dont read everything i said multiple times that there is nothing wrong with the car, i was saying that the situation didnt call for him to buy a car right now, or a vehicle like that. but ya before this get even more out of hand lets just lock this up or delete
What it comes down to is, regardless if he "needs" the cargo room etc. Or not your asking other people to change his mind. When in reality it's his money/choice. He should be able to buy whatever he wants, even if you don't agree with it. I'm not trying to debate/argue, just stating my opinion. I think instead of saying "Jesus please some one change his mind" you should of approached it more along the lines of him test driving several cars then letting him make the decision. Just my .02
your first post and this post don't agree. your first post is all about getting a manual wrx over an auto forester because it's an "SUV" and an auto. then you changed it up so it was about him buying the first thing he found for sale and how that's a bad idea (which it is).
It could be the misleading title, or the run on sentences. By the way, what does jesus have to do with this?
My FXT is also cheaper to insure than either my WRX or STI. As Hyperion said, its not an SUV, its a taller WRX wagon with more ground clearance. My FXT is a 5MT and I really love the car, with the snow tires and winter package it's an amazing winter car. Sitting up a little higher has been a boon this year with the massive snow banks at intersections. Edit: Wow I missed the whole second page before posting - my mistake this has all been said already.
4got- i know its YOUR CAR but he has a great gas mileage, really fun and loud daily driver wats the rush tell him 2 chill and test drive somemore
ok well im sorry to say that he decided to not even join the subie group, he is going with an acura rdx. should be going to get it tonight
i know as i was trying to say all along i just wanted him to get to know the vehicles before he picked one to know what will work best for him and now he has strayed to an acura rdx. i mean it is decent but the front end just looks ugly imo
just means i need to get more insane with the title when its an actual emergency, maybe like a video of me on fire to get peoples attention. and when are we going to let this die?
lol another winless thread lol. well im hoping now that its not totally winless, he is looking at an RDX STILL but after going to the tuesday meet last night and being around everyone i hope he stays in the subie group. thats the only way this wont be totally winless
