[Sebrof]

I have been a Toyota guy most of my adult life, they just seem to offer good value, quality and super reliability. So my last 5 vehicles have been Toyotas (one was a Scion, same thing).
When I started looking in July for my next car - I was giving my Scion tC to my son to go off to college - the Toyota products just didn't do it for me.
Camry? My Mom drives a Camry
Venza? Eh, and the price is too high
Scion? I like the new BRZ clone but my wife said I need a grown up's car and I tend to agree
Scienna? Fagettaboutit
So I ended up with a 2012 OB, one of the few full size cars that you can get with a manual transmission in the USA (auto tranny just ain't no fun).
Nice car, like it so far with about 5,000 miles.

My son promptly totals out the Scion, which these days doesn't take much. A couple of dents, broken clutch and it's done. It did zero damage to the other car.

So I tell both my 2 sons to split the insurance money and find a car. Both will be in college, working...seemed like a decent thing for a Dad to do, and it keeps them from borrowing my 2012.

#1 son finds a 2002 Legacy Outback, manual 5 speed 153K miles
#2 son finds a 2002 Legacy GT Limited, manual 5 speed 134K miles

So 2 solid Subies for the total-out cost of one 2006 Scion tC 100K miles, with a couple hundred bucks left over for Scotch
I'm a happy man!

 

[Sebrof]

Son #2 with the legacy GT Limited made the better choice. I still regret selling my 01 limited with 5spd fantastic car and makes the OB feel like a boat.

I agree, but they really did buy cars that suit them.
#1 son is more of a laid back driver that hauls stuff and people, guitars, camping, that sort of thing.
#2 son didn't like the car until I told him to step on it and see what it had. "Hmmm, faster than the Scion," I said. "A Lot faster than the Scion," he said with a huge grin. "I think we should buy it." He was looking at Nissan 300 Z and Mitsubishi 3000GTs, which in his price rnage were like 1992 or whatever.
I think they both ended up with good cars.