CarGAF! I come to you with an inquiry.
So since October, I've been putting away money for a new car. I currently have $12,000 and it's taken me a long time to finally decide on the car i'd like, but about a month ago I decided on the Subaru Impreza Sport Premium. It's perfect, with it's excellent gas mileage, roomy interior, AWD standard, etc. etc. I want a car that I can take into the forest for hiking trips, to the beach for surfing/kayaking, and to the mountains and desert for camping. I live in Southern California and all of those things are within driving distance. So that's the car for me.
Here's the issue- it's too damn popular. I don't mean in the "I don't want a car that everyone else has" way, I mean in the "I can't find a goddamn one at any dealership in a 200 mile radius" way. Yes, I was willing to drive up to 200 miles away to get this car. Hell, I drive from LA to San Diego and back twice a week for work, so really, that's no bigs. I want this fucking car. But like I said, I can't find one. Then I found out about the new car Subaru is releasing this year- the XR Crosstrek. It's basically an Impreza Sport with higher ground clearance. Like, that's literally about it- it's got the same exact interior, body, and engine, it just has bigger wheels, sits a few inches higher off the ground, and loses 3 miles off it's MPG, so it's 33 highway rather than 36.
It's sort of like the car I wanted, but even more perfect, because... well not for any real reason, but dude, it's three inches higher! Fuck yeah! So for a while I decided to wait on the car. No official pricing has been announced yet, but I've read various internet speculation that it shouldn't start much higher than a regular Impreza Sport or a Forester (Barely above 20,000 on both cars). And I figured that waiting on the Crosstrek would be good because even if I decided against it ultimately, I could still get the Impreza, but in a brand spanking new shiny 2013 model. Win win, right?
Well I went down to one of the local Suby dealers yesterday and discussed all this with him, and he gave me two pieces of key information- first off, on June 25th, they open up orders for the 2013 Imprezas, which means I could place a custom order and get the exact car I want with all the shit I want, and not have to compromise with a model that some dealer already has. Secondly, he told me that all release and pricing info on the Crosstreks should be out in July, and he estimated that the Crosstrek base price would be between 23 and 25,000. A tiny bit out of my price range, seeing as I want the premium model, which is a tier up from the base model. Starting at 25,000 is a bit steep, seeing as I want to keep my total at 25,000 max. But he was also quick to assure me that this information was speculation on his part, and that he didn't know anything beyond what was available to the public.
Then he calls me today and lets me know that they actually have five Sport Premiums in the 2012 model coming in next month, two of which are the color I want.
So I'm at a loss. What do?
tl;dr
-Have 12k saved for a new car
-Want a Subaru Impreza Sport Premium
-I can custom order a 2013 later this month
-I can wait till the XV Crosstreks are out and hope they land within my price range
-I can say fuck it and get a 2012 model next month at 23,000, and it will most likely have all the shit I'd want anyways.
Opinions?
