[RobertD]

My first, all my own, car was a Plymouth Duster with a 3 speed floor mounted stick shift. I got a few tickets in it even with very little power, and one collision. I can only wistfully regret not having a good handling all wheel drive vehicle at the time that would have been so much safer for me to drive, might have even avoided that one collision. It’s not the speed capability of the car but the driver. I’m certain he knows his daughter well enough to have a good idea of how she’ll drive, unless she just started driving. And in that case I agree that a high powered sports car would not be the best idea, a slow tank would be best in that situation but I didn’t get the impression that she will be a first time driver.

My very first driving experience was a ‘57 Plymouth, not certain of exact model. It was a tank with absolutely no safety equipment of any kind but I didn’t have any unfortunate incidents, not even a ticket. These days the biggest issue is not the power of the vehicle but the cell phone that the driver has. I still see so many idiots, older adults that should know better, driving all over the road trying to use that phone. They are virtually identical to drunk drivers and in my opinion should face the same penalty when, or if, apprehended.

I think we are on the same page...Right???

Do we ever really know how are kids drive when we are not around? My parents would have been shocked

My first car was a 1972 Chevy pickup with a 402 BB rebuilt by a friend of my dad's that built racing engines. I had to be putting out over 500hp. It is amazing that I did not get any tickets or have any wrecks in that beast. Looing back I think two things 1) it was a very fun truck and 2) I am not sure how I survived driving it. Seriously that much hp in the hands of an inexperienced young eager driver like me...not sure how I did not die wrapped around a tree.

 

[Gargoyleoliveoil]

If only the WRX came as a hatchback it would be hands down the winner, but even without the hatch, the WRX is much more practical with two real back seats, and if she doesn't drive crazy, the AWD will surely keep her safer in bad weather and on tricky surfaces. In college, my sister was a passenger in a car going to Mammoth Mountain and it flipped over. I'm not sure exactly what caused it, but she suffered fractured vertebrae. Safety is #1 and I do think the WRX is safer.

As a pure driver's car though, the BRZ is better without a doubt, but realistically the WRX is probably a more comfortable daily driver.

Is this going to be a surprise gift or is she going to have a say in which car it is?

I agree with everything you said. While the BRZ would be a blast to truly drive as intended but do you really want your daughter doing that haha! Probably not. Keep in mind as well. The BRZ is a TINY little car, which I love, but not practical as a daily driver over time. I’d chalk the BRZ up as a fun car that you take out when you want to push things or for track days but the WRX is just better all around for a daily driver with AWD and it has a ton of power for anyone’s wants really.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Gargoyleoliveoil]

If the BRZ were a hatchback it would be infinitely practical but the body wouldn't be as rigid.

Good on you for trying to find a manual transmission car for her.
We need more people driving MT cars and maybe they'll come off the endangered species list. One can wish.

Agreed! I love my OBW but I do miss my manual transmission cars. I’ve owned plenty of cars in my day and the OBW is only the second car I’ve owned that’s an auto.

Another great thing about a manual these days is you don’t have to worry about anyone stealing it because no one knows how to drive a stick anymore lol!

Just saw news the other day a lady was carjacked at gunpoint but he got caught because he couldn’t get the car going. It was a manual! Best news I heard all day!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Parsimony]

Don't know about your daughter but for my kids and 99% of the rest of the kid population, getting a WRX or a BRZ or any other sports for them is a bad idea. Young (Inexperienced) drivers should not be tempted with the seduction of the power and speed of a sports car. At best expect a stack of tickets at worse.....

My 4 kids started out in a way underpowered 5 cylinder Hummer H3. Kids need a slow safe tank to drive not fast sports cars. If you insist on a manual then consider the base Impreza with the 2.5 as mentioned above. I would not get the manual because you don't get the Eyesight benefits that are there to save peeps. Eyesight is great for young drivers and could possibly save her life.

Unfortunately, Subaru doesn't seem to pair the 2.5 with a manual, I was hoping to get an Impreza or Crosstrek with the 2.5 and manual but they only come in 2.0. Even the Lagacy doesn't have a manual option anymore.

 

[Jp1975]

Even the Lagacy doesn't have a manual option anymore.

That’s why I briefly considered a WRX before getting my Legacy. I was coming from a 5 speed Legacy GT which was a hell of a car. I do sometimes miss the manual but the CVT has been quite good so far. Fortunately few if any Legacys have had to have that transmission replaced as many Outbacks have, including my wife’s. If I face that issue my automatic/CVT experience will be one and done.

 

[RobertD]

Unfortunately, Subaru doesn't seem to pair the 2.5 with a manual, I was hoping to get an Impreza or Crosstrek with the 2.5 and manual but they only come in 2.0. Even the Lagacy doesn't have a manual option anymore.

If you are OK with the power of a sports car and without the Eyesight safety features for your daughter, then a manual WRX or BRZ are great choices.

 

[GirchyGirchy]

I've driven neither, but given the basic choice, I'd go BRZ. Love the looks and it's a simpler and far lighter car (n/a engine and RWD).

 

[Parsimony]

So I was at the dealership yesterday and while waiting on my car to be worked on, I was able to test drive a WRX stick - base model. That was really intoxicating! Driving a manual is so much fun and when that turbo kicks in - simply wow! I'm hooked!

In asking about the BRZ the saleman said it has been a long time since he has last seen one. He seemed to think Subaru was putting all their efforts elsewhere and not the BRZ so he couldn't even tell me when the next shipment will be He said there was a real shortage of the BRZs

 

[Parsimony]

A crosstrek or impreza 2.5 with manual transmission would be great.

Well, I told her to go through the Subaru website and do her research. She actually wanted the Impreza Sport M/T. I called my dealer and they stopped taking orders last month!

I don't understand why so early? It's barely the second quarter of 2023. Well apparently you can no longer get a M/T with the 2024 Impreza! Also no success with any in inventory either! Does anyone know if the 2023 Impreza has stopped coming of the assembly line now?

 

[Adam14]

Another consideration...

While the BRZ does have a backseat, it's so cramped that it's going to make the likelihood of her having a full load of passengers very low. Having a few extra peers in a vehicle can influence responsible youngsters to make poor decisions they wouldn't make if there was just a single passenger.

That said, the WRX is more practical, but the Impreza even more so. I'd pick the Impreza.

 

[Parsimony]

Another consideration...

While the BRZ does have a backseat, it's so cramped that it's going to make the likelihood of her having a full load of passengers very low. Having a few extra peers in a vehicle can influence responsible youngsters to make poor decisions they wouldn't make if there was just a single passenger.

That said, the WRX is more practical, but the Impreza even more so. I'd pick the Impreza.

Now that my kid and I are aligned on an Impreza, we can't seem to get our hands on one with a manual transmission any more.

 

[SilverOnyx]

There must be one somewhere in the USA

 

[TS13FST]

Now that my kid and I are aligned on an Impreza, we can't seem to get our hands on one with a manual transmission any more.

They did not make many with the manual and with 2024 coming out, new stock is going to be limited. Your choices are to find one of the existing ones or get a CVT (no manual Impreza offered starting in 2024). Finding an existing one likely means a road trip or purchasing the car and shipping it in.

Personally, I would order a 24 Impreza RS if you are set on Impreza. No manual transmission, but you would get the latest updates to the car, Eyesight driver assistance (not available on manual Imprezas), and the 2.5 engine instead of the 2.0. The 2.0 is slow enough that it can make highway driving more difficult than it needs to be (9-10 seconds 0-60 on the 2.0 depending on year/transmission; Impreza RS will be in the 7-7.5 second range).

Noting that I am not just quoting the 2.0 being slow based on auto websites. I owned a 2014 2.0 Crosstrek for 9 years. Put 102K miles on it and my only complaint was the lack of power. It is also one of the most frequent complaints you would find on the Crosstrek forums.

I assume most are aware of this, but just in case, Crosstrek = lifted Impreza with body cladding. They are nearly the same vehicle.

 

[SilverOnyx]

Or maybe she'll have to settle for a WRX?

 

[Roy Batty]

I owned a 23 BRZ limited MT and my wife has a 22 WRX premium MT with sunroof/HK stereo upgrade. Both cars are fun to drive in their own way. Both use premium gas. To get a BRZ I had to order when the dealer had an allocation, wait 5 months and pay window sticker $32,625. For my wife's car we walked on the lot, picked the one she liked and got $2500 off sticker ($35,710-->$33,210) because they have plenty there and more coming in.

As fun as the BRZ is to drive I ultimately didn't like it as a daily driver -- harsher and louder on rough roads, larger blind spots and very little space (2 passengers max and room for groceries. Getting in and out gets to be a pain in the ass too but I'm 6'2" so take that with a grain of salt.

 

[SilverOnyx]

I loved my 2011 WRX MT Hatch - it was the perfect daily driver, as was my 2005 Legacy GT Wagon MT (Turbo)

 

[Parsimony]

Well, i called all over the US looking for an Impreza 5 speed hatch sport. (2023 is last year for manual transmissions for the Impreza) A few 2023 laggards popped up here and there around the country. But all basically sold within 24 hours and none of the dealers were willing to negotiate or take VIP. I was close on 2 occasions - a dealership in Michigan and one in Texas. The sales people's interest really waned when I told them I'm from out of state. I wasn't really prepared for that as I thought cross state sales were common now. I had one sales guy completely ignore me while I tried to reach him multiple times! They had the exact car we wanted. After a couple of days he finally calls me back apologizes saying he was just too busy and multiple people were test driving and wanting that same Impreza so it sold.

I went back and forth between the WRX and BRZ. I didn't like the idea of her having a turbo in the WRX plus the price of the car and insurance were more expensive. We went with the BRZ. Although that was super hard to find as well, but we really lucked out and my dealership where I bought the Outback really pulled through for us!

Another consideration...

While the BRZ does have a backseat, it's so cramped that it's going to make the likelihood of her having a full load of passengers very low. Having a few extra peers in a vehicle can influence responsible youngsters to make poor decisions they wouldn't make if there was just a single passenger.

That said, the WRX is more practical, but the Impreza even more so. I'd pick the Impreza.

Also, @Adam14 this rings really true. While my daughter is learning to drive a stick, we've swapped cars for the time being. She had a car full of her friends while I was in the front seat with her driving . I was just shocked at how much backseat driving was going on. The good news is that her friends were super conservative plus my daughter is really good at tuning them out as well.

Currently, I'm enjoying the BRZ and really like going back and forth between the 2!

 

[SilverOnyx]

What a great stable you have there! When I was having my car serviced there was a guy who pulled up in a WRX so I started chatting with him. He had come from having a BRZ and wanted the extra power. He really missed the BRZ. Learning to drive in a BRZ will probably make your daughter a better driver than if you had gotten the WRX. In real life, driving dynamics is more fun day to day than having that extra power.

Admit it, you wanted the BRZ for yourself anyways!

 

[Jeffreyt1]

Agreed! I love my OBW but I do miss my manual transmission cars. I’ve owned plenty of cars in my day and the OBW is only the second car I’ve owned that’s an auto.

Another great thing about a manual these days is you don’t have to worry about anyone stealing it because no one knows how to drive a stick anymore lol!

Just saw news the other day a lady was carjacked at gunpoint but he got caught because he couldn’t get the car going. It was a manual! Best news I heard all day!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Same thing happened in my hometown. Some kid stole a car from a driveway and the victim discovered it was gone within minutes. Police responded and found the thief a few blocks away stalling the car every couple of feet because he didn’t know how to drive a manual.
I too love my Outback Wilderness but I do miss driving a manual. But I also understand why few cars have them anymore.
Other than being fun to drive, and being less expensive to buy, manual transmissions don’t offer too many objective advantages because automatics are faster and more fuel efficient.
But I still miss driving a manual.

 

[FloridaAussie]

Wonder how long til Subaru gets rid of all manual transmissions? My first 5 Subarus were manuals; my last 2 autos. Not a huge fan of the CVT but my wife refuses to learn to drive manuals.