It would need to be closer to $3K. There are LOTS of these still around, being an unmolested N/A Forester with an auto transmission isn’t that special... the only thing that makes this one stand out is that it hasn’t really been used the way it’s supposed to (which is kind of shame, really).

The seats got better by the early 2010's or so. But these are the cheap “truck bucket” seats.

I am #subienation, but this... is too expensive.
A N/A 1st gen Forester for 8K? I mean, yeah, it’s clean, but still.

It’s slow, and if keeping it pristine is part of your reason for having it, you’ll never really use it the way it’s meant to be used.

Another change in perception. A car that covers 250k miles is just “fine”. That’s twice the life we expected in the 60 thru 90's.

Bingo. No matter how the election turns out (but especially if Trump wins), these two delusional self-obsessed drama queens are going to end up constantly squabbling and trying to undercut the other, knifing each other in the back and then making nice to each other’s faces while the entire country collapses into…

That’s actually good to hear. Maybe it’s just the Texas variant of the Kia dealership that is crap. 

Kia dealers really do suck.
The cars are actually fine, comparatively (our ‘12 Sorento is going on 250k miles). But that dealership experience is abysmal. 

And the Mazda 3 got left off the list... 

The liftoff oversteer functionality of the Mazda3 is a real joy! It was what made me realize that FWD wasn’t the antithesis of fun. 

Throw a set of sticky tires on, and maybe some lightweight wheels, and they’re sporty in any trim.
The only reason I traded mine in was because I needed a vehicle with a 3rd row. I tried to love the Mazda5 when I test drove one, but it felt like too much weight was added to the 3, and my wife couldn’t get over her…

The Mazda3. Almost any trim in any generation.

The newer ones are really pretty.

Those look like a recipe for disaster (and mangled fingers). 

I think you’re in the wrong generation. I had a 2000 Mazda B3000 (the twin of the Ranger) that was a great vehicle - no mechanical issues, hauled what I needed it to. But the previous gen were more anemic, and less comfortable. 

<$20K for a new car that gets 30+mpg, has bluetooth, nav, parking cameras, and a warranty.

Sure, it’s small, slow, and ugly, but most people are not us. They are often just looking for “Car®.” And the Mirage fits the bill. I had one as a rental for ONE day - and it was miserable (for me). But it got there, and it got…

The Ute answer is always Subaru.

Subaru Forester. or Ascent. Let’s see a decent size truck bed on an AWD platform from the company that does AWD best.

There’s a bright red Golf ute from Mexico in my neighborhood. It’s beautiful.

The fascia on the 1st gen is more appealing to me, as is the AWD. In the (very) light truck category, its utility is a (little) bit higher.

Again, I’d love to see what Subaru could do with the Crosstrek platform and a truck bed today.

As an admitted Subie fanboy, I am still not above admitting their designs are rarely…

Because the SSR isn’t an ugly truck.

Think lower (as in, not so tall)... like a Maverick-platformed version of the Taurus wagon.