Category: Shopping

Friday Joe brought Beef Shack home for lunch before we went and picked up my new car – a 2018 Subaru Crosstrek in Quartz Blue Pearl!

You may remember how back in May I went car shopping and test-drove an Impreza but decided I preferred the Crosstrek. The issue was whether or not to wait for the 2018 models in the hopes they would have the upgraded technology the 2017 Imprezas already had. Boy am I glad I did wait because not only did they upgrade the tech, they changed the body styling which looks even sharper, the rims are more attractive, and they switched the yucky ivory interior to light grey. I call that a win win win win!

We test-drove a 2018 Crosstrek on Labor Day at a Schaumburg dealership after attending the nearby Septemberfest. I ended up ordering a car that day because they didn’t have the color I wanted on the lot. Nor did they have any vehicles in the exact configuration I was looking for – Premium (not Limited because I didn’t want leather seats) with the upgraded Rockford Fosgate audio system and Subaru’s EyeSight driver assist technology. I opted not to get a moonroof since I’ve barely used the one in the Jetta.

Since placing the order I’ve been getting emails from Subaru regarding my car’s progress, which apparently was built in Japan. Once it was on a train headed to their local distribution center I knew it was a matter of a week or so when the dealership would be contacting me. That text came on Wednesday but I was still sick and not in the mood so I told our rep we’d be by on Friday between 3 and 5 pm. I messaged our sales rep on the way to the dealership around 2 pm Friday and he was out to lunch so we killed some time looking for housewarming gifts for my brother (who recently purchased his first home) as well as home decor for our place because I’m tired of the stuff we’ve had up for the past 13 years and am craving a change. I found a cute sign at a store called At Home that I initially was planning on giving my brother but I like it so much I’m probably going to keep it for myself and either get another one for him or find something else. But I digress…

Despite the fact that we were paying in cash (or to be more precise, putting $2000 on our credit card (strictly for the points) and paying the rest by check), we were still at the dealership for two hours because they had two people handling paperwork and five sales simultaneously in progress. Apparently the new Crosstreks are flying off the shelves so to speak. They can barely keep any in stock. The manager, who ended up doing our paperwork when we inquired what was taking so long, claimed that one person tried to purchase a Crosstrek that was a specialty order of another customer by offering $1000 over sticker. If that’s true that’s pretty crazy. I think patience is a virtue. Not only did we get a great price (I paid less than I did for the Jetta), but I got everything I wanted by waiting for the new model. We were just happy they finally explained what was going on because we were both getting pretty grumpy that they had just washed the car before they got there and still had to run out and fill the tank with gas. They also temporarily misplaced one of the keys but found it before we were ready to leave.

In any case, once we went outside to see the car, which was the first time I had actually seen the color combo I chose in person, all my hesitation about replacing my beloved Jetta disappeared because the Crosstrek is even more beautiful than I remember. I truly made an excellent choice and I am even more excited about it than I was when I got my Jetta! Also, it only had five miles on it. How cool is that? Our rep took us for a drive to show us how all the safety features work. There’s definitely a lot of settings I will need to adjust to, particularly on the steering wheel. I love how stylish the car looks and all the updated technology inside. The only thing that I will need to adjust to is that it doesn’t quite accelerate like the Jetta does because it’s bigger/heavier and doesn’t have a V6 engine. Not that the acceleration is sluggish – it’s actually so smooth you almost don’t realize how fast you’re going at first whereas my Jetta has a very tight suspension and you feel everything. The Crosstrek rides smoother and you can practically steer with one finger. I also love how it’s higher off the ground so I can see better. Oh, and did I mention the car came standard with heated seats and has all-wheel drive? I can’t believe that for the price we paid we got so much!

Saturday afternoon we ended up taking my new car to my work so I could practice backing into parking spots. The car has a backup camera which makes it much easier since I’m not really great about backing in. However, I plan to start taking up the first spot in the lot which is easier to pull out of than back out of which is why I wasn’t parking there before. I want to minimize how may cars are parked next to my precious new car, hence why I plan to shift one spot to the right. No one consistently parks there now so it’s not like I’m taking someone’s regular spot or anything.

I wanted to drive my car around more this weekend but it’s been raining the past two days and I’m hesitant to get it wet/dirty. I know that sounds nuts since it’s inevitable but I want to drive it to work still looking spiffy tomorrow, although based on the updated forecast it might have to wait until Thursday since they are calling for possible snow flurries now. Ugh, why!?!

Here’s some more photos.