Hey guys,

After 3 years with my beloved RS I am sad to say that it is coming off of lease. As my first and only car, my Subaru has become a treasured object in my life. I enjoy every second I am in this car and appreciate its driveability more and more as the miles go by. Yet I test drove a WRX and all I have to say is DAMN!!! What an amazing machine, much to my surprise even better than my RS. Now I am stuck. What should I do with my baby. Buy it out and sell it to get the WRX or keep my 99 and enjoy what I have?

Basically what is the value of my 99 and is this still a well sought after vehicle despite its WRX cousin being the next bad boy on my block. Could I get a decent chunk of change for it?

Any thoughts?

Thanks

KEEP the 99!! be proud that you have a Gc8 and not the new school cars. Spend the money that it would cost you to downgrade to the WRX to upgrade your RS to sick levels.

-never trading in his GC8 for a GD
Don

You haven't given a description of the condition of the car, but in general the previous-generation cars take a big hit when the new design comes out. This is the case with the RS. Prices have stopped sliding downward, but a private sale in a local newspaper or auto classified section is your only hope of getting a "decent chunk of change" for the car, IMHO. MY99s can trade as low as $11-12G.

Keep the RS...lower insurance, 87 octane, no new car depreciation all over again, etc. Take the extra $10G you'd need and buy a track-only car, or an old Imp L and rally it.

Thanks, you guys have some good points.

It may just happen that I am going to buy this car out for the 10k buyout price stated in the lease contract. I am curious though, I have seen MY99's going for near 14k, whats with that? Mine is in excellent condition with 32k miles on it. Is that amount possible?

Another thought that I had was that maybe since the WRX has been very popular, could the popularity and demand carry over to the old school GC8 like mine?

Please, buy out the GC8 and finance the balance. Then take the money you would have used as a down payment on an ugly WRX and Turbo it!

ERic

The last time I was on the dealer lot with my RS, one of the sales guys came out and asked if I wanted to trade up, as he had a fellow interested in the old body style.

It's possible you could get $14G if you sold it privately. I would be very surprised if you would get near that from the dealer...same dealer above offered me $15.5 for my MY00 with 12K miles on it last year when I looked at the WRX.

If your buy-out is $10K, I'd do that regardless of what you do afterwards (i.e. buy-out the car, then turn it for $14K).

If the RS becomes popular again, would you want to be one of those who have an RS, or one of those who want an RS?:lol:

John-
Keep the 99RS.
I had an 00RS and traded it for a WRX.
I'd go back in a minute if I could, so my advice is don't sell it.

However, I am looking for a 98-99 Rally Blue RS as a second car this summer, so never mind what I just said above and sell it to me. I live in Montgomeryville, too, so you already have one local buyer in line.

Keep in touch if you decide to sell it.

And another thing...
the money you would make from buying it out and then selling it to me would nicely help you on a WRX lease downpayment or $$ towards a WRX purchase!

keep it! it's always good to see 5 Rs's in the area lol. I don't think I've ever seen you though. Oh well, it looks better then the wrx so I'd keep it,plus everyone thinks it's a wrx unfortunatly.

Wow

Thanks for the response guys! Your opinions have helped me a lot and I think for now I will be keeping my 99 RS. The lease comes up on Aug 5 so it will be officially mine soon.

Montgomeryville and Collegeville, I had no idea so many people with RS's lived near me......cool cool. What color do you guys have and year? I go to Ursinus College up in Collegeville too. We shoud get together sometime, Subee's rule. Hit me up on the email at jopaton@ursinus.edu.

Your offer is very interesting for my99. Maybe we should discuss it further.

Thanks for the help........WRX STI.......hmmmm....I see it down the road, maybe.

Do you have an account at Commerce bank? I work there and I think I've seen you there now that I think about it. I have the Black 99' that's always parked at the end of the parking lot so I can watch it through the drive thru lol. My friend has the 00' Sedona Red Pearl I remember he was there one day that you were there (if that was you).

You guys are really lucky. I haven't seen another RS on the road in months. The last one I saw was when I was 950 miles away from home. :(

I get really tired of people thinking my car is a WRX too. :mad: Oh well. I usually get revved and the 'listen to my BOV' every once in a while, but they usually say my car is pretty sweet--sedona red with gold wheels. I usually don't care about their WRX...or their BOV, or enormous exhaust. Its just a different culture that doesn't have any common ground with RS owners. :( I'm pretty old school...had 6 Subarus...starting with an '81 4WD wagon and ending with my Brat and RS.

My friend has an amazing '99 RS that is coming off lease next year. I'd love to save my pennies and buy it from him. :)

Glad to hear your buying out your lease and keeping the RS. I just bought out mine and had many offers to get the WRX. NO way I say- who wants to have a car that everybody and they're dog has anyways?!?

Keep the best- the original- the RS. :D

Yo 2.52G.......i have been away in Canada fishing for a while, my bad on the slow reply.

That is me up at Commerce bank in Collegeville. I live up in Worcester and go to Ursinus college. I have seen the Red pearl RS as well. We should all get together somewhere. What are your emails.

By the way.....MY99 is getting purchased on Aug 5th when the lease runs out by me, no doubt I am making the right choice.

Get back to me on the email, must get together.

peaceh