The 2014 North American International Auto Show opened its doors to the media for day two of press days, and Subaru took the wraps off its range topping Impreza WRX STI. Built to be the baddest STI of all time, on paper the car seems to deliver. Yes, the requisite outrageous bodywork is present and accounted for, with a unique nose, ultra-wide fenders, LED lighting front and back, capped off with an absolute over the top rear wing. The look is convincing, yet not at all cheesy. Still, no one will confuse you for the stereotypical granola eating Impreza owner. For the full effect, make a run for your local Subie dealer to snatch up the limited edition Launch Edition, which gives you WR Blue paint and gold BBS wheels. Only 1,000 will be built for the US.
Of course, looks are nothing without performance to back it up. The WRX STI sports a new 2.5L turbocharged boxer four good for 305hp. With no apologies to posers, a six speed manual is the only transmission choice. As God intended. Other enhancements include firmer springs, a stiffer chassis, quicker steering, Active Torque Vectoring, Multi Mode Driver Controlled Center Differential and Brembo brakes. If some of that sounds like I am speaking a foreign language, my interpretation is the WRX STI will likely have incredible handling on tarmac, dirt, and gravel.
Inside, the STI features Alcantara seating with red and black leather bolsters, flat bottomed steering wheel and the obligatory STI badges. For the first time audiophiles can rejoice, as Subaru has put a premium Harmon Kardon audio system on the option sheet. Need more posh? Go for the WRX STI Limited, which adds full leather interior and a power moonroof. No pricing, performance, or when we expect to see the WRX STI in showrooms have been disclosed, but I think I speak for all of us when I say I cannot wait.
How To Buy A New Car Part II
Welcome back to my story of leasing a new car for my wife. Part I detailed how, even though General Motors had cleared me for $2,500 off sticker price, two Chevy dealers did not honor the discount, with no explanation whatsoever. Our other consideration was a four door Subaru Impreza. Again, Subaru gave me employee pricing, and I approached Dan Perkins Subaru in Milford, CT. To his credit, our salesman honored the discount, but said he could do better, and he did. But, as I stated in my first post, I wanted no down payment apart from the first month’s installment. And Dan Perkins was having none of it. Even with exceptional credit, they demanded a substantial down payment.
Even accepting their terms, my largest hurdle was communication. The sales person I met gave me his card, and I e-mailed him the options and colors we were interested in. No response. I called the dealer, and spoke to him, but never got a call back. I visited the dealership in person, after my wife and I cruised the lot looking for cars we might be interested in. He wasn’t available, and the sales person who was available told me all the cars I looked at had been moved, and the dealership was closing soon, and I would have to come back. I again e-mailed my first sales person, specifying the Impreza we were interested in. No reply. And I know the e-mails were going through because I never received an undeliverable notice. But what burned me is Dan Perkins had me running around desperately around their lot looking for the car I wanted, and when I could not find it, told me to leave. When I sold Honda’s, the rule was as long as a customer was there, we stayed. Period. We never turned anyone way. Ever. With a complete lack of service from Dan Perkins Subaru, we threw up our hands and gave up. If they couldn’t be bothered to service and take care of us, they did not deserve our business.
During this awful process, it was Shark Week on the Discovery Channel, and the VW Beetle Convertible was the sponsored car. My wife has owned a ’92 VW Cabriolet and a ’95 VW Cabrio. Not to mention our romantic relationship started after watching Patrick Dempsey’s ‘Can’t Buy Me Love’ movie, where his female interest drive a 1987 VW Cabriolet. It was serendipity, and although pricier than the Cruze and Impreza, I was determined to make it happen. I first called Curran Volkswagen in Stratford, CT. I was told they had one denim blue Convertible in stock, and they refused to discuss price over the phone.
So, we made a trip up to where we leased our 2010 Jetta, at Langan Volkswagen in Meriden, CT. Alexio, our sales person was very helpful, and for the first time in our shopping experience, was determined to find the exact car we wanted, not what was on the lot. It so happened my test car that week was a VW Beetle Convertible Turbo. On our way to and back from a family gathering in rural Connecticut, we were totally sold on the car, now it was a matter of price. I know my wife wanted the car badly, but it was a bit of a stretch from our Jetta. But I had to make it work.
We did get a discount off the sticker price. I then went to Truecar.com and got a slightly lower price than what I was quoted. Langan VW met that price. Then they also honored the discount I received from VW America. In buying a car, timing is everything. Since my wife was happy with the 2.5 inline five cylinder in her Jetta rated at 170hp, paired to a six-speed automatic, I had an ace up my sleeve. The five banger is going away for 2014, to be replaced with a more powerful and fuel efficient turbocharged four cylinder engine. With that in mind, VW wants to dump all remaining five cylinder Beetles.
Alex found us a gorgeous Reflex Silver 2013 VW Beetle Convertible, and my wife could not be happier. Yes, you might find it mad that for a family of three this is our family car, but may I remind you millions of families around the world had the Beetle as their sole car and it worked out just fine. The trunk can hold a week’s worth of groceries. The Beetle has so far worked out great for us, and again I thank Langan VW, and Alex personally for making the buying process as stress free as possible.