So I recently decided it was time to change cars. I previously owned a 2000 Honda Civic EX that treated me VERY well. I would never speak poorly of this car. It always got me from A to B, looked pretty nice while doing it, and achieved great gas mileage, even given its age (it was still averaging over 30MPG even at almost 10 years old).  Letting it go almost brought a tear to my eye just because I’d had it so long and it was the first car I ever purchased on my own.

Even though the Civic treated me so good, I was getting to where I needed more room in order to take Atticus around, or haul small pieces of furniture, etc.  In short, I was needing something with more utility.  A few of my friends do, or have recently owned an Outback.  They seem like great vehicles with the all-wheel drive and good clearance (8.5″ is better than a lot of SUV’s and some trucks even).  It just seemed like a good cross between getting something like an SUV and a car.  The one I ended up getting is a 2006 L.L. Bean edition.  The short version of the feature list is:

• 6 Cylinder Boxer Engine
• Symmetrical All Wheel Drive
• Heated Leather Seats
• Leather/Wood Steering Wheel and Wood paneling in dash
• Dual Climate Control
• Automatic transmission with Sport Shift (sort of like having a manual with no clutch)
• Then all kinds of crazy little amenities like deicing for the windshield wipers, defogging mirrors and more

I’ve had it for just over two weeks now and have taken it on a trip out of state as well as some in-state long distance trips.  It’s been performing very well and I am very pleased with my purchase.  Car dealers are almost giving the cars away at cost these days, so if you’re thinking you’ll need a new car anytime soon and you have the means to purchase, now is the time to do it.

One thing I will mention …  This week one of my brake lights went out in the vehicle.  I didn’t really take it as a bad sign for the vehicle but it was a little frustrating.  Since I had bought it used, I knew this was going to mean me paying to have a fix on the car within 2 weeks of having purchased it.  No one wants to do that.  I made an appointment with the Subaru dealer and drove it up there.  They took a look at it and asked me to have a seat in the waiting room.  15 minutes later they came and gave me my keys and said, “No charge.”  I know that this is how it *should* have worked, but these days I never expect things to go how I expect them to.  As far as I’m concerned, this is a customer service WIN for my local Subaru dealer.  It was a simple fix, and I had just bought the car, so they got me in and out quickly and didn’t charge me for it.  *THAT* is good customer service and made me feel good about the vehicle I bought as well as who I bought it from.  Thanks Subaru.