After it's paid off, if past STI depreciation is any clue, I can still sell it for ~17-20k. I will have only spent 14-11k. Not to mention the assurance of a solid experience the whole time, warranty the whole time, included rental reimbursement, insurance deductible reimbursement, and 24/7 roadside assistance, I save even more by not having to put that stuff on my insurance policy. Add on top of that that it's a blast to drive and is in the top 3 for best handling cars sub $60k, and to me it was an easy decision.
I can sit here and rationalize it all day, go into details about how the Impala didn't fit my needs any more and why I needed to go to a car that I would not have to even worry about doing more than changing the oil to. But some just won't get it. I get compliments every day on it from random people, all age ranges, so I have no second thoughts at all about my purchase. I could have kept sinking money over the years into the Impala for repairs in a car that I was "content" with and just put up with the inconveniences as it would have issues (as any car would). Or I could go out and get a car that in my personal opinion is simply more fun. One that I sit there all day and think about driving.
The Impala was a great learning experience. I had fun with it, and for the most part, I am glad I got to meet all the people I have because I owned it. But I started to change my mind when I was faced with repairing all of my gauges, and then stuck with a minimum $400 bill just for parts from RockAuto (I could do the labor) to change my multi-function switch and get my brights working properly again. I realized it was time to move on before the tranny went, before I sunk money into new struts, bushings, etc. Just put that money into something that I would enjoy more. My car payment is easily less than what I was spending on the Impala + its monthly mod fund.
Friends of mine have had great luck with subies reliability, going to 200,000 miles with no major component changes. No gasket issues. Just oil changes, coolant changes, and gear oil changes. It's exactly the reputation I wanted in my head when I went for my first brand new car, and my first sporty car.
I'm sure none of this means anything to most of you (and I bet Shawn will nitpick this post apart), but I do respect most of you guys and hey I had to try. Some here seem to think suddenly I thought evil of my Impala and gave it the boot to the curb. I'll honestly say I felt the most loss for selling that car of any other car I've ever let go. I even drove by the work of the new owner a couple times since then just to see it. I don't hate w-bodies, contrary to popular belief. I simply understand their strengths and their weaknesses, and have always chosen to acknowledge both.
Peace out. Brian (Reptile), Dave, Scotty (if you ever come back and see this), 99prixgt, bluegtp91, Parker, minichopper, and even you Shawn, keep doing what you're doing. Good wishes, and sorry if I made an ass of myself somehow. It was not my intent. :th_peaceout:
LMAO
