I read an article the other day mentioning that Carvana was going to lay off something like 2500 people (or 12% of their workforce), and I thought “ooof, that’s brutal” but then I thought “it’s probably a good thing.” Now before the pitchforks get too sharp, I want to clarify that I feel bad for […]
The second version of Subaru Impreza WRX to wear the STI badge in the USA was produced starting 2008 as a hatchback only rally machine, but in 2011 Subaru introduced a 4-door sedan version of the STI and sport sedan enthusiasts everywhere rejoiced. I’m not saying that I don’t appreciate the hauling capability and style […]
The STI version of Subaru’s Impreza WRX was first released for the US market in 2004. It has restyled (slightly) in 2006 and then got a major restyle in 2008. The new “jelly bean” styled STI was just as much of a dirt shredding maniac as the previous versions and it was only available as a 5-door wagon/hatch thing until the next restyle in 2011. Values for STI examples have been strangely flat for the last few years, not going up much and not going down much…which isn’t a bad way to go with your late model daily driver — own it and drive for 3-4 years and sell for the same price. Your friend who always buys new cars will end up paying a LOT more in the short term and long term, and you will drive an STI while he drives a base model Impreza. Find this 2009 Subaru Impreza WRX STI offered for $12,000 in Oakland, CA via craigslist.
There is an art to squeezing the maximum amount of money out of your customers. It is actually an art and a science and there are people called marketers who spend their entire career trying to get the consumer to pay more for less…which is the unfortunate reality of a really well prepared used car advertisement. The more time a person spends trying to lure you into buying their car with glossy photos and catchy prose, the more money you are going to have to shell out. On the other hand, a poorly created ad with bad photos is, more often than not, the best way to buy a used car. Always remember, the condition of the car is more important than the condition of the advertising photos — that is something you can take to the bank. Find this 2005 Subaru 9-2X Aero offered for $6,000 near Boise, ID via craigslist. Tip from FuelTruck.
Visit a car dealer today (don’t forget your mask) and you’ll be greeted with a platter of “lifestyle” vehicles for the youth crowd that promote light off-roading, snowboarding, hiking, and generally being outdoorsy. These crossovers are mostly a marketing gimmick and are covered with cheesy dealer bolt ons…but there was a time when you could go into a Subaru dealer (in Japan) and drive out with something called the WRX Gravel Express. It starts with the competent GF8 Impreza chassis with the EJ20 WRX turbo flat-4 and adds an awesome bull-bar up front and rear mounted spare tire out back, lifted suspension, and finally the GRAVEL EX graphic stripe on the side. Find this 1995 Subaru Impreza WRX Gravel Express bidding for $11,799 reserve-not-met located in El Monte, CA via ebay.
The Saab 9-2X (aka the Saabaru) tones down some of the boy racer Japanime styling of the Subaru Impreza WRX, but keeps the neck-snapping turbocharged 2 liter flat-4 and asphalt-gripping all-wheel-drive. Saab sold a few more than 10,000 examples of the odd little wagon and this next one is high mile example, but cheap. Time […]
I thought I did okay in the when I passed a 1994 Buick Roadmaster and 2004 Subaru STI (in the last year or so) to the next owners with nary a dime paid in depreciation and many miles/years driven by me…but…apparently I missed the gravy boat because Hagerty listed both on their 2019 Bull Market […]
It has been a little over a year since I sold my daily driver STI and I have to admit that I miss some of it. I don’t miss the creeping feeling that some expensive mechanical failure will run me $3k for a new engine or transmission, or the feeling of every single piece of […]
Wisdom isn’t something you get from sitting around reading the internet, or is it? It probably doesn’t matter, but I will tell you one thing — my Grandpappy didn’t have the internet when he was a kid, but he’d always say “I don’t know much about German cars, but I do know the best ones […]
Welcome back to the second car in today’s Subaru STI Sunday SUNDAY SUNDAY feature, which highlights the car that brought the rally world to their feet and vanquished the EVO from the US Market…actually that was the moronic decision of some shortsighted product planners who still can’t seem to figure out that a halo car […]