I doubt it. Subaru engines are pretty much the same. Per above, I think it must be the auto Subarus. So if you can stand to drive a stick, it might be a good way to go.
Also, it could just be me. I’ve also heard from people who just love their Ford Focuses (Focii?). I think they’re way underpowered pieces of crap, so who knows? Of course, I drive a Cadillac, so I may be over-harsh. I’d recommend driving one, and seeing what you think. I will say, they’re great in snow, last forever, and from what I’ve heard, don’t break down. We only have 14K on ours, so it’s too early to tell on that front, although we did have one problem that got fixed under warranty so far.
Gotta recomened the Subaru as well. The automatics are kind of sluggish, but in the Leagcy Sedan and Imprezza a Manual gives you plenty of power to pass even with the 2.2,(and I live in the oxygen poor altitudes of the Mile-high city.) the 2.5 is better, but have only been out for a couple years, so even the used ones are fairly new and a little pricy. Imprezas are great cars for sticking to the road, but a little small for an only car, as adults have trouble in the back seat. One thing to keep in mind with cars like the Subaru that are four cylinder and have dual cams is that the timing belts need to be replaced at regular intervals, and if you buy just before that replacement it will take some cash to change. Most cars these days are fuel injected, so the 6 cylindar thing isn’t as important, as long as a car has 120HP or so, it’ll do fine merging.
And to throw into the discussion, I figure ‘horizontally opposed’ is the most technical term, ‘flat’ is kind of technical, and ‘boxer’ is the nickname to show you’re hip.
Speaking of 6 cylinders by the way, the Subaru SVX would be in your price range, and has an H6. They are stylin’ cars, and cool as hell. The downside is there were never many sold, so they are hard to find for sale, and even though they are damn reliable, its hard to find a mechanic equiped to deal with it when it does break down.
You should go Toyota of Honda. These things run forever. I myself drive a '90 Toyota Celica that has 186,000 miles on it and it still runs like a champ. The only thing that needs to be done on it is regular maintenance for a car that old. You know, timing belt, water pump, clutch, shit like that.
If you can afford it, you would be well advised to purchase a 95 or later Camry. In addition to being very reliable, they are nice looking and get great mileage. They are a front wheel drive car so they do well in snow and rain and have lots of room inside and in the trunk. They are so well engineered that they are easy to work on and parts are generally cheap when purchased remanufactured.
The best way to go would be to purchase the car that is in good shape to begin with, and then replace all the consumable parts such as brakes and spark plugs and belts and so on, and then take it a step further and replace anything that is near wearing out (see timing belt above and so on). This will likely cost you a goodly sum of money, however you will know where that extra money went down the road.
I thought the plural of Focuses was pretty funny, Necros, thanks for the laugh, and from a Cadillac Kid too!! I LOVE big cars, the power, the pick up, the no nonsense steering. All kinds of big trucks pass me in my car, and it hardly moves, not to mention the ability to be able to tow a piece of garbage Taurus home from the Ford place in Eden, North Carolina!!
** wolfman and Lexicon ** thanks for the suggestions. While I can see the support the Subarus have collected here, the difficulty wolfman mentioned in getting one and then finding a mechanic [since we have a good garage already] is looking dimmer for the Sub, but more positive for the Camry.
This site was in the Atlanta Journal on Sunday, I’ve not checked it out yet, but maybe it will be interesting, so I thought I’d pass it along.
“Car and Driver: This flashy, interactive site features a wide variety of helpful stuff. There’s a buyer’s guide with pricing info, road-test data, and safety tips. Check out forums and chat rooms, a section on classic cars and car show dates.”
I’d recommend driving one, and seeing what you think. I will say, they’re great in snow, last forever, and from what I’ve heard, don’t break down. We only have 14K on ours, so it’s too early to tell on that front, although we did have one problem that got fixed under warranty so far.