Fun times with the WRX

I bought this car to replace my beloved 1996 Mustang convertible. It was either something I could play with and rally in (after I've paid for it, that is), or a really snazzy convertible. But since the Saab 9-5 convertible is still a year away and costs too much, I went with the future rally car.

This car is a hell of a lot fun. It's impossible not to have fun in this car, even in traffic.

It has a great stock sound system considering that the car isn't too expensive, although at less than 10,000 miles the subwoofer under the passenger seat (!) developed a small rattle that required some work on my part to fix. But, the passenger seat (and the back bench) can be removed very easily (I smell race car...) making such repairs less troublesome than they could be.
(Just so you know, I don't listen to thumping bass music all the time, so the rattle is not a result of my listening habits.)

The seats are comfortable enough to drive for hours (and I should know; I just drove from West Texas to Tampa) and are, as I said above, easily removed should you ever want to do so.

The transmission is fairly smooth and the clutch more forgiving than the Mustang's (as I would expect from a Japanese car).
And of course, there's the whole turbo thing. This car just loves to get up and go, and it's so much fun to drive because of that. You can toy with other drivers in traffic and have a great time all the while. Plus, you know the thing looks really sharp. Some people say they don't care for the look, the big round lights and the hood scoop and all, but they're just jealous.

This is my first all-wheel drive vehicle, and let me tell you I am completely sold. This car sticks to the crappiest pavement on the wettest days during the tightest high-speed turns. It's more fun to drive, honestly, than even the Mustang was. I'll never go back to RWD.

But there is one unfortunate drawback. This car has no low-end torque and doesn't have much pickup at the lower end of the RPM meter. She isn't really humming until you get up to about three grand, and although the pick-up at that point and beyond is spectacular, you will be disappointed at the lower end of the tach.
Fortunately, as you would expect, there are legions of WRX fans (go to nasioc.com for an idea) around who can tell you how to fix this problem, and I intend to do so shortly.

There are two other important drawbacks to consider. First is the insurance bill. Mine has skyrocketed after an accident, but even without that blemish on your record this car is not popular with insurers. If you are a teenager you will never be able to flip enough burgers or ring up enough sales at Target to pay for the insurance on this car, and if like me you're somewhat more seasoned, you will earn several more grey hairs the first time you get a bill.
Second, in these days of rising gas prices (yes, I really DO remember when gas cost less than a buck), this car requires premium. Mileage isn't bad, though.

Ultimately, this car has everything my last car didn't and almost everything it did, except for one thing. It's not a drop-top. Man, I miss my convertible....