Well, a few test drives today. The Mazdaspeed 3 has gotten rave reviews, so I figured I should give it a shot. Did not like it. 260hp is great, but not with front wheel drive. Handling was very odd. There's no hiding from physics. Next it was a quick tip in a Subie WRX wagon. Soooo much nicer. Almost like being home.
More turbo lag than the VW, but the AWD and the suspension make for a very cat-like handling car. Not scalded cat like the '07 Cooper, but it holds a lot more. The interior is...uninspiring. And for some reason they decided to go with black main sections of the seat but gray bolsters (where you get the wear. Hrm. I suppose that's why god invented seat covers.
Next was a trip to the Audi dealer as he was supposed to have worked up some numbers and found one with a black interior. I got there, the receptionist paged the salesguy (who I'd met in person two days previous), and I saw him so I walked up. He had no idea who I was and why I was there. Cool. Too many drugs back in the day, eh Stevo? He finally remembered and I wandered back to look at the car again while he found some paperwork. Yes, the interior is much nicer than the Subie. But the light gray interior is a no-go. This was a new car and I could already see dirt and grease marks. In my hands (with Calvin in tow) it would get ugly quick.
He finally came back and said my VW was worth 18K to him in trade. Ouch. The Subie dealership had preliminarily said 21-22K. That may kill the Audi as I can't eat that much lunch...too upside down and too much more out of pocket. No matter how nice the interior is. Plus it is FWD which I don't care for that much, and I've been reading on the forums of some A3 issues (like cracking leather seat bolsters). Yes, I know that internet forums are often full of one-offs and anomolies, but then again my GTI has a check engine light on right now. Dealer said, "if it is running ok, just ignore it and bring it in whenever." Uhh...great...what's the point then?
Waiting on a final number from the Subie dealer for trade. If he comes back with 18K then I have to rethink the whole thing. If he comes back with 21-22K, it is a no-brainer as I can get the WRX for well below invoice and get cheap financing. If it is something in between, I'll head off to Carmax and see what they want to pay for my GTI. Of course I have to get to the damn VW dealership first to clear the CEL. Always something...
