The company I work for (job-shop) makes small-ish brass automotive parts that we send down to Mexico, I believe for use in a fuel pump assembly. We are prohibited from changing ANYTHING about our heavily-documented manufacturing process without prior consent from the customer, which would probably require another PPAP…

I've always considered the difference of durability and reliability to be similar to the difference between accuracy and precision.

All good points which I did not consider. But when you have a premium product (I'm going to stick with the Optima example), why would you risk tarnishing your reputation by producing a product with sub-par quality control? All that time, money, and effort to relocate south-of-the-border for eventual cost savings, only…

This is just perhaps confirmation bias, but it seems that every time I see a dip in quality of a product that used to be made in the US, and investigate why, it's usually because production was moved to Mexico or China.

I've always thought the list of cars at Rock Auto is pretty comprehensive as well.

So I shouldn't worry about having peeled out once or twice in an empty parking lot in the 30k miles I've owned the car?

No we won't, because Ferrari will insist on bringing a Factory-prepped car to the competition, which no one in their right minds could consider a "production car."

While I'd love to see something like that come to the US, I don't get my hopes up. Same with the Levorg (300hp awd wagon? I'd trade my STI hatch for one in an instant).

I doubt it. If honda ever could be bothered to bring it here, it would probably be priced similarly to the STI, Focus RS, and Golf R. While there may be savings from lacking the AWD powertrain that others in the segment possess, I think $10k is probably optimistic.

Agreed. 2 performance cars, one of which will likely not make it to these shores, does not a renaissance make.

Odd. YMMV I guess.

2 years, 0 tickets so far. It helps that my commute in the morning is about 8 minutes long.
I got my fill of tickets from shenanigans on my previous car, so I use every ounce of my willpower to drive this one like a semi-adult.

Yes, I found this out AFTER buying my STI. Drove my friends same-model-year WRX and was blown away by the difference. It could almost be categorized as comfortable, versus the STI where you feel Every. Freaking. Thing.

Did you happen to make an appointment?

This. I like this. You should definitely make a list of them.

The NA 2.5 currently in use is not old. While it may have the same displacement as the old motor, it's using the new FA/FB engine architecture, not the old EJ. The only subaru still using the EJ is the STI, and probably not for much longer.

If you throw enough Chromium and Nickel into the mix, eventually it'll be able to resist pretty much anything (though it eventually starts being named a Nickel Alloy instead of a stainless steel, but that's splitting hairs).

I was able to test drive one, and that was even after admitting that I was planning on ordering one from the factory.

Thanks for the perspective. I've never ridden in a GT-Four, but my highschool friend's gen 7 Celica (can't remember if it was a GT or GT-S, probably the former) stuck me not as lethargic, but really barely any better than a Civic EX of the same time period.

The previous gens may have been uninspired as you say, but I think calling the last gen a 'pure sports car' may be a bit of a stretch. Sporty, perhaps. And while I haven't ridden in a GT-Four, their performance at autocrosses was nothing to scoff at from what I recall.