The Trade Off, Part 1

 

Almost seven months have passed since I brought a dormant 2003 Chevrolet Cavalier back to life and proceeded to rack up 12,000 kilometers (or just about 7,500 miles for you other folks). Just a short while ago (at the time of this posting, it has been a week), I decided it was time to let it go, not that there was anything wrong with it, but I believe I found something that will better cure my "nostalgia ailment." 

The more I was driving the Cavalier, the more I wanted my 1982 Toyota Supra back. Despite the two cars have very little in common (other than four wheels, two doors and both had manual transmissions), one was inexplicably reminding me of the other.

I highly doubt my old Supra is even still around after all these years and if it was, it wouldn't be the same car the last time I drove it. So, what are my options? Well, getting another Supra (like my old '82 Mk II through '98 Mk IV) is out of the question since all of them are unrealistically priced, in "not worth saving" condition or automatics (and paying to convert one to a manual would be pricey, since those transmissions are becoming more and more rare with each passing year). I can thank the social hype towards these cars for driving up the prices.

The next car on my list "that would do" were Datsun/Nissan Z/ZX cars. Just like the Supra, 240Z's through to the current 370Z (with all the models in between) suffer from the same pricing/condition/transmission symptoms. Same goes for it's cousin, the Infiniti G35/G37 (which are Nissan Skylines for the North America market, speaking of Skylines, those are "above and beyond" what I was willing to spend).

There were other cars I considered as "extreme compromises" such as the Honda Prelude and Accord/Civic coupes, Hyundai Tiburon, Mitsubishi 3000GT/Dodge Stealth and Toyota Celica to name a few. Between Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist and a few other online classifieds, I wasn't liking what I was finding. Perhaps I was being too narrow in scope, so I decided to broaden my search beyond coupes.

A Subaru? To be honest, they are on my list, at the bottom....fading to black.... This ad on Facebook Marketplace caught my attention and I can't put a finger on exactly why. The pictures were decent and the description was....read for yourself....

"Scoobie the subie up for grabs. 1300 OBO Will trade for dirtbike was my daily for the last year and a half. Electric everything works (windows & sunroof) has dule 12” subs. Also has classic subie issues (burns oil) & thermostat needs to be replaced ($100)."

 

Perhaps I was having a flashback to last year when I took a Subaru Outback for a test drive and walked away due to high sticker-shock (with a lot of negative equity rolled in for good measure). However, I was cautiously intrigued and reached out to the seller of the Impreza to arrange a look, listen and sit in.

Confirming Some Conclusions

 

It has been just over a year since I traded in my 2015 Mitsubishi RVR for a 2017 Kia Sportage and I am not completely happy. I knew there was going to be a "give and take" from moving out of a naturally aspirated 2.0 litre that produced 148 horsepower through a CVT into a 240 horsepower, turbo charged 2.0 litre and a 6 speed automatic. I see the "take" part in the form of driving range and the cost to fill up with gasoline.

The old saying goes, "You don't know what you got, until it's gone." 

I didn't really keep that close an eye on fuel expenditures and range with the Mitsubishi, committing those numbers to short term memory for conversations and a few snapshots shared on this blog and a few other places. Despite being less powerful than my current crossover, I know it was much better on gas.

This little fact really didn't become more evident until my Chevrolet Cavalier was resurrected this last August. A very high mileage, naturally aspirated 2.2 litre Ecotec mated with a 5 speed manual transmission was costing me about 2/3 the price in gas over my Kia. Granted, there are a lot of other factors to consider (car vs suv, aerodynamics, weight, etc) but the more I drover the Cavalier, the more I was having a lot of nostalgic fun.

A short while ago, it was service time for the Sportage, which required a trip to the same dealer I got it from. Despite the aches and pains for me to get into/out of a car, I was exploring the idea of trading in my current Kia for something new. The Stinger is still at the top of my list, that would most defiantly be pain I could live with, but with the overhang of negative equity on top of the sticker price, that is a dream to possibly come true in the far future (I also doubted they would have opened the showroom doors for me to take the only one they had on display for a spin).

If I wanted to stay within Kia, there was a lower cost option, the Forte.

The Forte I wanted to try out they didn't have, which was the LX 6 speed manual, so I settled for the CVT and tried to let my imagination shift gears and pedal the clutch.

 The car itself wasn't all that bad, the step in and sink down distance gave me a few "pin pricks" of back pain, but once I was settled on the fabric seats, I was good to go. Despite the CVT, the Forte had decent "get up and go" from it's naturally aspirated 2.0 litre putting out 147 horsepower. Not a fast car by any means, "spirited" would be the word I would use.

I could best equate the Forte to my 2014 Dodge Dart in just about every way. However, the Dart had more power, torque (184 horsepower) and felt more stylish in the interior. My biggest gripe about the Forte....

 ....is the stand up style infotainment screen and lack of navigation (But, at this trim level, that is to be expected).

 

To give the salesman credit, he did his very best to get me numbers that would entice me to commit to a deal. Between the sticker price and my trade in value, a gap of about $4,500.00 remained to be financed. On it's own, that looked like a fantastic deal! But once I started factoring rough numbers, such as negative equity, the non-transferable warranty, taxes and dealer fees, all this before any discussion of discounts and other incentives....the deal died a quick, quiet death.

After paying for the scheduled maintenance, I collected on a promotion the dealer was having. Spend $200.00 or more and get a free dash cam. Here's a video on that....