Car for graduation; need advice please!

[omizzle]

OK, that clears up the generalized statement made previously. I looked at the link. Surprising, as the rating by Consumer Reports is "in the middle", the category they call Good, but there are two higher categories and two lower ones. I call that "average".

Does anyone have any exp with the 08 model CTS?

 

[greganpace]

+1 impreza. I would go for a year or two old used and under 30K miles. But I prefer the new 2.5 engine to the new 2.0 personally. You will be spending 15k. I drive an 08 5-door and love it. But get the manual. The automatic robs it of so much performance. I see +3 mpg, and I am a lot quicker light to light against my friend. It is a blast to drive in the snow...

And ANY after market stereo will be better than your stock system. really, ANY. and you would pay 1000 for the factory stereo upgrade when you could be 6-700 for one that is extremely superior. If you are mechanically minded at all, do some internet research and it could take you 4-5 hours to install a full system. Or ask around and someone will know of a good place or person to get it in.

 

[JoeG4]

I think 3rd party stereos look tacky and are more of a theft target than built in stereos, but I WILL agree that upgraded stereos are a huge ripoff.

IMHO if you're buying used look for a car that covers all of the bases. Then go find the best one you can afford.

 

[dukebound85]

+1 impreza. I would go for a year or two old used and under 30K miles. But I prefer the new 2.5 engine to the new 2.0 personally. You will be spending 15k. I drive an 08 5-door and love it. But get the manual. The automatic robs it of so much performance. I see +3 mpg, and I am a lot quicker light to light against my friend. It is a blast to drive in the snow...

And ANY after market stereo will be better than your stock system. really, ANY. and you would pay 1000 for the factory stereo upgrade when you could be 6-700 for one that is extremely superior. If you are mechanically minded at all, do some internet research and it could take you 4-5 hours to install a full system. Or ask around and someone will know of a good place or person to get it in.

I have an '11 5door manual impreza. LOVE IT

Specifically got it before the redesign as it was the last model so the kinks were hopefully worked out and that I had more HP. Also, don't like the 5 door version of the 12 impreza now. The sedan looks sharp though

As far as stereo, the older I get, the more I like stock looks

 

[acidfast7]

in your price range:

used Audi A3 S-line Sportback with:

Quattro (AWD)
6-speed manual transmission
2.0L TDI (170hp) (diesel)
38.5 mpg (US) city
51 mpg (US) highway
46 mpg (US) combined
7.9s 0-62mph
140mph top speed

plus the interior will crush anything by subaru.

 

[acidfast7]

one last thing that people here forget is one of the best reasons to buy a German car:

European Delivery Option

Audi: http://www.audiusa.com/us/brand/en/exp/european_delivery.html
BMW: http://www.bmwusa.com/standard/content/experience/events/europeandelivery/default.aspx

However, more important is that you can usually negotiate the price lower than the price of the cars in the US (or in the US dealership service) because most time the European Delivery Service doesn't count against the dealer's monthly allotment (you can usually save a few thousand this way.)

Anyway, just watch the BMW and Audi videos and think about it (the BMW link is on the right side ... "The BMW Welt.") The spotlighted car is quite a nice feature when picking up your BMW.

NYT article: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/03/automobiles/03EURO.html?_r=2&ref=automobiles&pagewanted=all