Unlike magazines where cars are purchased or provided for the staff, our staff saves up money, shops carefully, and makes decisions that we're invested in - just like you do. When someone at Alot buys a new car, we check in with them about how it's going, what drove their decisions, and how happy they are with their purchase. Then we keep checking in, over time, to see how well the car has aged for them.
The Car
2016 Subaru WRX
The Reviewer
Chris Roys, Senior System Administrator
Why did you buy the car?
I purchased the car as my commute to work suddenly went from 3 miles to 30 miles. I previously had a Toyota Tacoma, which I loved, but it only got 17-21 mpg. I had to have something with better gas mileage. I researched several cars before purchasing the Subaru WRX, including the Mini Cooper, the VW GTI, the Lexus CT200h, the Mazda 3, and an Audi A3. I did not want some plain jane commuter; I wanted something more sporty.
I settled on the Subaru WRX for a variety of reasons:
- There was a dealership nearby.
- The car received an IIHS Top Safety Pick Plus, and this was important to me due to family.
- The car was sporty looking with plenty of horsepower
- The car didn’t beat me to death (even with the sport tuned suspension)
- The manual transmission was easy to use and the clutch hasn’t killed me in heavy traffic
- The car gets good gas mileage as my dashboard currently shows 29.1 mpg
- The sedan allowed me to haul the 4 members of my family comfortably
- The all wheel drive is a bonus and nice if the weather gets bad
What did you pay?
MSRP $37,484 Purchase price $34,000
Any major options or upgrades?
It was a showroom model, so it had been dressed up with the black STI spoke wheels, the STI sport-tuned exhaust, and the STI short throw shifter
Current Miles Driven/Time Owned?
17,291 miles / 14 months
What gas mileage are you getting?
EPA Estimate: City 20 MPG/ Hwy 27 MPG
Actual Mileage: City 27 MPG/ Hwy 29.1 MPG
How Do You Use the Car?
For a daily driver to commute back and forth to work.
Any problems so far?
I had an issue with the Clarion radio where it would randomly lock up and I was unable to change stations, change the volume, and even turn it off. The only way I could get it to reset was to kill and restart the car at a red light or something. The Subaru dealer replaced the entire unit under warranty.
What do you like about the car?
I like the performance and the gas mileage best, but the styling is much better than the older models. I have now owned it for over a year and it has been a solid car. I’m happy with my purchase.
What don’t you like?
At 6ft tall, it is a bit of a struggle to get in and out of it. I also wasn’t expecting all the attention I would get from all the other import tuners who would want to race me. I’m just glad I didn’t get the STI model.
If you could go back and do it over knowing what you know now, how likely would you be to buy the car again?
I’m really satisfied with the car overall. I would say that I would definitely purchase it again, if given the chance.
