Hey guys
Sorry for the length of the post, first off. Sometimes I find by the time I'm done writing a "please advise" post like this one, I've found the answer on my own. So I like to get all my thoughts down and organized inside it.
Here's my situation. My current (first) car is starting to get on her last legs, and I'm looking to the future. But the future is kinda bleak. Mostly because I'm 6'4", and all legs and arms.
Current ride is a '99 Subaru Impreza Brighton (2.2L). Previous owner installed some stiff-as-a-board suspension (KYB AGX shocks, I think? Bright red under all the dirt), and opted for the short throw transmission. Didn't bother with a tachometer, but that hasn't been too much of a problem. So what I ride around in now is a fun, if not peppy, AWD compact car. With pretty much no features (manual locks, manual windows, no vanity mirrors, no tach, manual seats) While driving I just fit in her. Left arm is bent and rests on the door, right arm is bent and rests on the centre console. Both legs bend out around the steering wheel, but it works and I can go a couple hours in her without going insane. However, between the damage I did to the clutch/tranny learning standard in her, the CEL for the evaporative emissions control system and the rust monster at the back end, her days are numbered.
I should clarify the reason I've loved this car. I live in Ottawa, and with a good set of winter tires (learned that lesson early!) that car and I haven't met weather we've said no to. We've said yes to a snowbank or two, but only been stuck once. I've even made it a bit of a tradition to take my hometown (out in the woods) sideways the night before the winter tires go on. I've loved having a "winter car".
So looking to the future, I started prowling for my next ride. I was looking for R/AWD, better fuel economy (not hard! I believe the category is labelled "things that aren't a school bus, or your current car"), compact or at most midsize, not loaded down with features (aka expensive things that break after a decade anyways), anything but automatic (manual, CVT, dual-clutch monsters, etc) So I started to look around for cars that would fit the bill, like the:
Mazda RX-8: Was pinned beneath steering wheel, can't drive.
Hyundai Genesis Coupe: Couldn't get foot onto brake pedal, can't drive.
Subaru Impreza: Still fit, mostly. Could drive.
Everything else RWD/AWD is way out of my price/feature bracket (Audis or BMWs or Infinitis etc.)
So today, on a whim, I checked out Volkswagen at the recommendation of a friend. Sat down in a Golf. You know those commercials, where suddenly a chorus of angels bursts out of the clouds to announce some revelation? That's what I had, because I actually fit in the damn car. I mean, honestly fit. As in:
I could stretch my neck all the way up without hitting the ceiling
The headrest was actually behind my skull, not my neck
My arms were straight out to grab the steering wheel
My knees could swing back and forth with no fear of the steering wheel
The steering wheel wasn't in my lap
I could look through the windshield, not the sun visor, at my full height
The very notion filled me with delight! The more I looked, the better it seemed. Fuel economy that's better than my motorcycle's, and an (optional) turbo diesel. I'm a bit of an engine nut - I love all the wonky and wonderful ways you can assemble an engine that aren't just gasoline Vs. So a turbocharged diesel seemed even cooler than my current horizontally opposed 4. Come to think of it, the Wankel was pretty much the whole attraction of the RX-8.
So I was all set to love a Golf to death, but then .... I realized it was FWD.
I've seen the light, and realized I can fit into a reasonably sized vehicle. But that means sacrificing the winter competence I've come to expect from my trusty(ish) steed. Or does it?
It's obvious I'll never find "exactly" what I want in a car - it just isn't made. So I've got to prioritize my needs, and compromise. But am I focusing way too much on the AWD - would it really be so bad in a FWD car? I know the FWDs are most of the market - but most of the market doesn't care about what/how they drive, they care about how they're pampered while they're driving.
So the big question: I know what I have to gain (no more neck cramps after a long drive, oh joyous day!) going FWD, but what would I really be losing?