Car Shopping

Car shopping has to rank up there in aggravation with mattress shopping, although at least test-driving cars can be fun.

Saturday afternoon we headed to the Subaru dealership so I could test drive the Impreza. I was really liking the looks of the Crosstreks too so I decided to test drive one of those first. I didn’t care for the Impreza’s handling so I asked to drive the Crosstrek a second time and was sure at that point that I liked it better.

Originally I thought something was up with both vehicles because when we were at a red light I felt some strange shaking. Turns out it was the sales guy shaking his leg up and down! I proceeded to give him shit about it after that.

The main problem – they don’t offer the color combo I want. Of course they don’t because I’m picky and apparently what I like doesn’t align with the general public. It was bad enough when I learned only the Impreza has the larger touch screen and ability to link your Google maps via Apple Car Play, but when I learned I wouldn’t be able to get the color I wanted I was really bummed. Why oh why do manufacturers do this? I want the Quartz Blue Pearl with black cloth.

Nope, can’t get it. They only offer an ivory interior (cloth on the Premium or leather on the Limited) unless I want the basic model with a manual transmission. What the heck does the transmission have to do with the color combination? Getting an automatic is considered an upgrade anyway so why can’t I get the automatic with black cloth? I was ready to concede to the sport cloth, which isn’t my fave thanks to the orange stitching, if needed, but that’s not even an option in the Crosstrek, only the Impreza. But you can get the black interior with the ugly turquoise exterior. Ew. Why would people prefer that shade of blue over the one I like? Is my taste really that different? I don’t get it.

Needless to say we left without purchasing anything because I have to do some serious thinking. I really hate the idea of settling again. I did it with my Jetta (I wanted silver, not navy blue) and while it worked out, I’m kinda tired of not getting what I want especially when I’m going to have this next vehicle for at least ten years if not more (my Jetta is 17 years old). The Dark Silver Metallic isn’t terrible by any means, but the blue really pops with the moldings whereas the dark gray does not. Plus the blue is different enough that it would stand out in a parking lot and be easier to find.

To be honest, the whole experience turned me off to the idea of getting a new car at all. My Jetta’s air conditioning isn’t working though, so it’s going to make my (thankfully only 10 minutes) summer commute pretty uncomfortable. This is a huge decision, however, and I’m feeling overwhelmed.

I was even happier I didn’t settle when the following morning we were doing some research and learned the 2018 Crosstreks, which are being released this summer, will have the upgraded touch screens and Apple Car Play. We had asked the salesman about that and he feigned ignorance about what the 2018 models would have or when they were coming out. Considering all the info is on the Subaru website, however, I think he knew. That really pisses me off. He’d rather get a sale immediately than be honest and ensure we get what we want.

The only cool thing about the experience is that the city of Naperville built a test track for all the surrounding dealerships (at a steep monthly cost to them, we were told) which was very fun to drive. I enjoyed testing the car on that because otherwise you can’t get up to a decent speed on the streets in the area. I wish every dealership had access to something like that.

I think we’re going to look at Ford again just so I cover all my bases. I really felt like Subaru was going to be it but now I’m not sure. Even with the upgraded technology in the 2018 models I doubt I’ll be able to get the color combo I had my heart set on and that sucks.