We were, but nothing’s more Jalop than figuring shit out on the fly, so I’d say Elizabeth is fully and firmly One Of Us now.

I test drove one on Tuesday (hot tip: Hyundai is running a nationwide promo, $50 visa gift card if you come in for a test drive). S/O was interested in a Kona and I got a hot lap in the N with the performance pack. It’s a freaking hoot. I’ll likely be looking at one in 2020/2021 as a replacement to my Abarth.

you need:

Admittedly, I’m not huge on the concept of individualism in general.

It was more “lies in the tabloid press about over-regulation that was never actually proposed” - especially articles written by Mr Boris Johnson who just made stuff up because he was too lazy to do his job when he lived in Brussels.

Snark aside he is still one of the key founding philosophers of our country and I think his writings and wisdom do still hold water even today. They can’t be followed blindly of course, things have indeed changed. But some of the fundamentals still apply.

“...but not necessarily track every moment of every car all the time.” Sure, but once that tech is in the car, you really think they aren’t going to USE it? I remember when they first deployed EasyPass in NJ/NY...they ticketed a bunch of folks based on the timing between toll booths. There was a huge outcry about it…

*hugs old pickup truck*

Can attest to this. Last time my wife went in for an oil change to our local Subaru dealer, the guy apparently didn’t put the drain plug back on tight enough. Granted, it was tight enough to not leak immediately on our garage floor, but when we came back from our vacation the following week, we had one hell of a mess…

Years ago I paid $60 for a synthetic oil change on my TDI at the local Jiffy Boob. I got home and checked the dipstick which was covered in dirty oil. Went right back to the shop and showed the mgr, who said he’d take it back in and change the oil again. My reply was “You never changed it to begin with”. They had chang…

Coffee cup trick works to get the EJ25 filter off clean - you still need to venture through the ring, but you avoid spilling hot oil all over it and yourself.

You ever see where they shoved the filter on the Mk7 TDI’s? Boy, was that an after thought.

thanks bud 

I actually asked. They basically told me that the JDM STI gets EJ20 because they think it’s better suited for Japanese roads. According to Subaru, it’s quicker, but America’s engine is torquier. They also told me that Japanese fuel can get the EJ20 to higher power.

Honestly, I think the WRX, with the 268 hp or so it’s currently offered with, is a great value. It’s just enough to get you in trouble, but not too much that it feels unusable or too sporty for your common consumer. Also, the engine in that car is new, at least by Subaru standards.

Some cars are not ‘numbers’ cars. They’re more than the sum of their parts.

Great story, Aaron! Proud of you :) 

And for anyone who finds this car attainable but not affordable... You probably shouldn't buy it.

You need better brakes than the already massive Brembos for your daily commute? Wow what are you doing?