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Lies - It's What Makes a Subaru, a Subaru




       From a 1995 Mustang GT Convertible to a 1999 Subaru Impreza 2.5 RS Coupe is quite a leap. The former is a wallowing, unrefined, primitive, ugly, heavy machine. The latter, a handsome, nimble, lightweight, taught, true example of what a sports car should be. This leap is one I made 5 months ago today, but surprisingly, it hasn't all been a love-story.
       First, let me start off by saying that there is no purpose in owning a sports car if one is not able to drive it in a sporty manner, whether it is due to the driver's incompetence, or the reliability of the car. Fortunately, I am a very competent driver, but unfortunately, my Impreza 2.5 RS has been extremely unreliable. This surprises me, because throughout my life, all I have ever heard about Subaru's is that they are extremely dependable, and can virtually out-last any other car on the road.
       What a load of bullshit. Becoming an owner of a Subaru has given me the opportunity to unlock the treasure chest of secretly kept complaints and problems (via online forums) amongst people who own their beloved “Subies”. Let me make a short (but actually quite lengthy) list of all of the mishaps a Subaru owner is bound to encounter: Bad head-gaskets, ruined wheel bearings and hubs, bad head-gaskets, problems with the center differential, bad head-gaskets, rattly interior, bad head gaskets, and the list goes on an on... you get my point.
       Much to my annoyance, I have come across one-too-many people who say, “If you drive your Subaru normally, with only regular oil maintenance, it'll last forever.” What this accurately translates to is, “If you drive your Subaru like an 85-year-old woman, whilst ignoring all of the problems it has going on, the car will function and drive you from point A to B, albeit very crappily, noisily, and slowly.
       I'm sorry, but I see absolutely no point in owning any car – let alone a sports car – which the driver must compromise with and accept the fact that he has to drive his car as if it were on its last legs for the majority of the time.
       This is exactly what I have had to do with my Impreza 2.5 RS, and it has been a very depressing ownership experience. Every time I sit in the car, I feel that in spirit, it is like a little dog, eager to go out and play tirelessly. But the second I turn the key, I remember that I have to “baby” - or rather “grandma” – the car from one place to another, keeping one eye incessantly on the rev limiter to make sure the revs stay under 3 grand, fearing that if they stray over, my engine will melt. It's a terrible irony; it feels like a true sports car to drive, yet I have to operate it as slowly and delicately as I would a bulldozer in a china shop.
       Speaking of irony, compromise is something I never had to do with my Mustang. All of that “found on the road dead” malarkey never once applied to my car, except the one time when the clutch blew out on Christmas day, in the snow, on the highway...but luckily within half a mile from my house. All I ever did was get in it and drive it like it was meant to be driven. I'm not saying that my '95 hideously ugly Ford Mustang was a better car than the gorgeous '99 Subaru Impreza 2.5 RS Coupe, but in a way, it sort of just was, because it actually worked properly.
       The past 5 months have been a learning experience. I have learned that I will never again purchase a used Subaru, and I will warn everyone of the many pitfalls to watch out for religiously, as if it were a paying job. I have also learned that AWD cars are extremely boring, and my next - and every other car from now on - will be RWD, just like the good ol' days with my Mustang.

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