Decisions decisions

[Redlined]

So... Ive decided I need a second vehicle.

I love Angel Dearly but she cant be everything I want her to be. If I continue further down the performance road then driving her daily would be a chore, on the other hand I finally have the cash to playout some of my boyhood speedfreak fantasies.

So... I'm thinking either get a forester or SVX for a daily driver and keep tuning up Angel.

OR get an 95-2000 Impreza or GT limited or somesuch into which to swap all my go-fast goodies and make into a street-rat, and detune Angel into a more comfortable daily driver/freeway cruiser.

I keep waffling on wich way to go, Opinions?

[Aerotech]

Depends on your daily drive... SVX is a great car, but a bit of a piggie for gas. Most of them have bad 4EATs... you'll be jonesing for a 5/6MT swap.

The question you need to ask youself is; can I own a "daily beater" and resist the temptation to make it better and faster?

If yes, any old banger will suffice, just pledge a strict "non-performance" maintenance routine.

If no... well, welcome to the club. This is why I was looking at Spec Bs. You need something interesting, fast, and agile enough to keep you entertained. Spend the money up front to avoid the mod bug.

[Redlined]

Good point on the SVX though im currently getting 19-20 city (where i do most of my driving) on Premium gas (quite a bit of pump shock jumping up from 30 mpg on regular) So not sure how much worse it could be.

Basically. I want something to play with on weekends and when im feeling randy and a... semi-luxury rig for driving comfortably to work and up the freeway to my relations etc etc. Like to think if I have TWO rigs (one a playtoy) I can resist the urge to beef up my daily driver. Though I do have a thing for "individualizing" my cars. (kinda the reason I named my First legacy "The Lemming")

[douglas vincent]

My daily driver has turned into a monster... fun and trying at the same time...... Its hard not to make power when its "easy" to do so.

What I want for a daily driver is a 1977 Subaru wagon.....

[Apex3]

I vote an e34 BMW 5 series. I'd say an e30 but if you don't want to mod it, that won't be possible, trust me...But 5s are nice, not too hard to maintain, and comfy, and they handle great for their size.

If you really can resist modding though then an e30 318is('90-91) is my recommendation, awesome cars, amazingly fun to drive stock, and they get good mileage because they're 4 cylinders. ~2600lbs, my bro had one, and it was awesome, I had a 325i which was also a lot of fun, but it was heavier with more power, so a little different there.

BUT, from my experience on car forums, people are really bias towards one brand, and I would gladly DD a late 90s Legacy, Forrester, or Impreza.

[Mattheww044]

I would say get a Forester, do exhaust and a K&N if you must, but don't de-mod your Leggy please!!

And good point on the Spec-B, I would LOVE to have one, but I think realistically I would rather go with an 05-ish GT. I like the body style a little better, and im sure its quite a bit cheaper. Don't get me wrong I love the Spec-B's, but its almost "too new looking" for me...

[Redlined]

I'm not above going to a different car maker, Hell I came to Subaru from 60&70s v-8 Mopars, But I do have a pretty good stockpile of subaru parts and would prefer to stay in that camp for inter-changability purposes, especially if I decide on a different car for my speed-toy (like to be able to reuse my suspension, Turbo, etc etc.

I am rather fond of BMWs though ive never owned one myself. Good avenue for me to explore.

[epicfail]

Have you thought about Audi at all? A good condition used S4 has all the luxury you could ever want, and could stomp all over most Legacys, stock. Although purchase price seems to keep coming down, maintenance and fuel cost can be steep.

[Apex3]

Have you thought about Audi at all? A good condition used S4 has all the luxury you could ever want, and could stomp all over most Legacys, stock. Although purchase price seems to keep coming down, maintenance and fuel cost can be steep.

I was at a shop getting my Legacy checked out and getting some quotes on things, like my clutch, which was quoted at like $500 or something after parts and labor, there was a guy with an S4 he just bought(knowing it needed a lot of work) and he was quoted $2500 for the clutch, and various other things wrong put him at a total of $10k in work that needed to be done I forget what year, but he paid $6k for it, it was either a B5 or B6

Part of the reason I opted for the Legacy over an A4

[douglas vincent]

BMW/Audi/Volvo.... Plenty of cool cars out there......


And then there is affordable to fix...... None of the above.....

I was at a shop this summer and the lady needed an cam seal (or something SIMPLE SIMPLE SIMPLE like that) and it was $2500ish.... It was an Audi A4 I think...

Get a nice newer subaru.

[Apex3]

BMW/Audi/Volvo.... Plenty of cool cars out there......


And then there is affordable to fix...... None of the above.....

I was at a shop this summer and the lady needed an cam seal (or something SIMPLE SIMPLE SIMPLE like that) and it was $2500ish.... It was an Audi A4 I think...

Get a nice newer subaru.

Simply not true. Audi yes, most other European cars no. My Subaru costs just as much, or more in some cases, as my 325i did to maintain.

And that's not just some special case, in the last 10 years my family has owned 8 different BMWs for various timeframes, an e21, 3 e30s, an e24, 2 e36s and an e39

[Redlined]

Looking like ill be picking up one of the local early Foresters. Might put my GT rims on it if the tires aren't to small.

Brings me back to Angel. Just picked up some 17s and its time for new tires.

Whats a good Performance tire that isn't remarkably expensive? Was looking around and saw I could get BF Goodrich G-forces for about $100 per. Which would fit right into my budget. Any recomendations?

[evolutionmovement]

E36 M3s are pretty cheap.

I like the Goodyear RS-As on my Mazda. Tried a couple others and I like them best. I got them with a little higher load rating than stock for $105 (correct load rating was $250). The only fault I can see, due to the higher rating, is the bastards flat spot sometimes in this cold weather until they heat up. Can't remember what I liked best on the wagon, but I remember liking Yokohamas and Falkens wearing out fast. My ex had BF Goodrich something or other on her Monte Carlo SS and those put up with everything for a lot of miles (including plenty of peeling tires whenever she was mad at me).

[epicfail]

Ever buy parts for a european car? Expect to pay at least 2X as much. Also, shops can, and do, charge more for labor on more expensive cars.
I've had good luck w/ inexpensive Falkens. Mostly DD use w/ some performance driving.

[Apex3]

Ever buy parts for a european car? Expect to pay at least 2X as much. Also, shops can, and do, charge more for labor on more expensive cars.
I've had good luck w/ inexpensive Falkens. Mostly DD use w/ some performance driving.

Yes, I have, you must have missed the part where I said my family's owned 8 BMWs. The parts for this Subaru in general are more expensive. But it goes back and forth a little too. And shops will only charge more if you sound like you don't know what you're talking about or if it's legitimately harder to work on, if not then they are not someone you should trust working on your car anyway...

VWAG cars are the only cheaper European car maker that cost a lot more most other cars. Though I do have to admit anything on BMWs that's specific to an M car will be fairly expensive.

But yea, I was looking for some affordable good performing tires for my WRX wheels and Falken tires seemed like the best for the money when you're down in the less than $100 range. The only tires I've had that were more than just generic were Toyo Proxes4s that I got a deal on, I liked them a lot, but they only lasted maybe 15-20k miles, granted I wasn't too easy on them to say the least. Seems like they're normally ~$110 for 16s, so 17s should be a bit more.

[epicfail]

Ever buy parts for a european car? Expect to pay at least 2X as much. Also, shops can, and do, charge more for labor on more expensive cars.
I've had good luck w/ inexpensive Falkens. Mostly DD use w/ some performance driving.

Yes, I have, you must have missed the part where I said my family's owned 8 BMWs. The parts for this Subaru in general are more expensive. But it goes back and forth a little too. And shops will only charge more if you sound like you don't know what you're talking about or if it's legitimately harder to work on, if not then they are not someone you should trust working on your car anyway...

VWAG cars are the only cheaper European car maker that cost a lot more most other cars. Though I do have to admit anything on BMWs that's specific to an M car will be fairly expensive.

But yea, I was looking for some affordable good performing tires for my WRX wheels and Falken tires seemed like the best for the money when you're down in the less than $100 range. The only tires I've had that were more than just generic were Toyo Proxes4s that I got a deal on, I liked them a lot, but they only lasted maybe 15-20k miles, granted I wasn't too easy on them to say the least. Seems like they're normally ~$110 for 16s, so 17s should be a bit more.

Every Euro-specific shop I've ever been to or known about was at least $10-15, or more, /hr higher for labor.
If you have a good deal on parts, thats good for you, but for the average owner...

[Apex3]

Ever buy parts for a european car? Expect to pay at least 2X as much. Also, shops can, and do, charge more for labor on more expensive cars.
I've had good luck w/ inexpensive Falkens. Mostly DD use w/ some performance driving.

Yes, I have, you must have missed the part where I said my family's owned 8 BMWs. The parts for this Subaru in general are more expensive. But it goes back and forth a little too. And shops will only charge more if you sound like you don't know what you're talking about or if it's legitimately harder to work on, if not then they are not someone you should trust working on your car anyway...

VWAG cars are the only cheaper European car maker that cost a lot more most other cars. Though I do have to admit anything on BMWs that's specific to an M car will be fairly expensive.

But yea, I was looking for some affordable good performing tires for my WRX wheels and Falken tires seemed like the best for the money when you're down in the less than $100 range. The only tires I've had that were more than just generic were Toyo Proxes4s that I got a deal on, I liked them a lot, but they only lasted maybe 15-20k miles, granted I wasn't too easy on them to say the least. Seems like they're normally ~$110 for 16s, so 17s should be a bit more.

Every Euro-specific shop I've ever been to or known about was at least $10-15, or more, /hr higher for labor.
If you have a good deal on parts, thats good for you, but for the average owner...

I think OP is perfectly capable of finding the same prices as me. It's not like I have some secret connection here. Most people on forums are not "average" owners.

And I haven't noticed anyone charging any more for labor, except when compared to big chain places, but then again my cars don't spend much time in the shop.

[evolutionmovement]

Around here labor is about the same for anything but the exotics, but many mechanics will turn PITA cars (and the potential customer problems they cause later on) away. Friggin' Pep Boys charges $90/hr. Dealers seem to range $100-110. My mechanic is good and he only charges $65. He'll only work on VWAG stuff if he's desperate as even oil changes can cause problems.