Excellent things. I’m usually a ‘give me stickshift or give me death’ kind of person, but on this track-centric car? Yeah, the PDK really makes sense here.

100%

Very first thought I had.

TIL that whilst the EU have required immobilisers on new cars sold since the late 90s, the USA have not. I don’t know why this surprised me, but given the USA have mandated backup cameras an immobiliser mandate wasn’t outwith the realm of possibility.

early-to-mid 2000s Impreza WRX

The Prius is a perfect car for people who just need exactly that. It’s not what I want, but that shouldn’t stop it from being an ideal choice for many others.

No.

My partner and our housemate both would rather wait for a non-Tesla EV because of this.

I didn’t even think to watch it with sound and had to go back and rewatch it. Definitely improves the experience!

Lede and photo got me interested, and then... lack of manual. I get that the auto is faster, but I get more enjoyment out of rowing my own. I may still go test drive one, but only having an auto transmission is a hell of a detraction to overcome.

The boxer 4s consume oil, too. I know a lot of Subaru owners who don’t check their oil levels nearly enough.

The oil filter eventually gives up the ghost, but that’s ok: the seeping around the oil pan is somehow pushing out all the particulate contaminants.

Does the intake manifold REALLY count as being part of the engine? /s

We’d had the car serviced by a mechanic only a few days before. The LSS now had new tires, spark plugs, wires, PCV valve, belts, EGR, throttle body and a coolant flush.

Easy way to fix their problems with high-pressure fuel pump failure, carbon buildup, and mysterious green puddles.

My car is a manual, but my partner’s is an automatic, and whenever I drive theirs they have to (gently and affectionately) slap my hand away from the shifter because that means I’m about to do something stupid like think the oversized brake pedal is the clutch.

Agreed. Just give me this without the dumb wrap:

Best rental I ever drove (fram a traditional rental company, mind) was a 2-litre, 6-speed, diesel Jaguar XE in Scotland. I’d requested a manual on the form and the woman at the desk was a bit confused that an American hadn’t accidentally chosen that option. Other delightful (paraphrased) parts of the conversation.

The NA, straight-6 is such a tragic loss. Good choice.