So a while ago I was considering a new car. Drove a few, and have narrowed it down to a new Subaru WRX. Yeah, I'm a middle aged guy buying a sport sedan. How cliche, right? Well, it is amazing and I love it so... there we go.
Trying to decide on trims. The one I drove was a "Premium". It had the LED display from a much older Subaru (the WRX console is small so they use the same displays the CrossTrek had in the mid-2010's, like my wife's 2015 CrossTrek had this screen). It also had a dash I could tolerate - the instruments were probably LED backlit but they're all red instead of blue, and it didn't seem overly harsh at least during the day when I test drove.
So now comes the tricky part - supply is short. The one I test drove was bright red, which is a guaranteed insurance nightmare and a recipe for being pulled over, so I want a less... obvious... color. Which means I have to order it. Of course there's already a risk that the screens will be a little different on the ordered vehicle, but I'm not super concerned about that - after all I can drive my wife's 2019 Forester with its huge bright display and blue tinted dash without too much difficulty.
But the real question is this - do I get the Premium trim or the "Limited" trim? It may be a moot point - the Limited may involve a wait of several months and I don't think I'm that patient a person. But if I had to choose right now today, here are the differences:
Limited has... leather, LED headlights that follow the steering, blinkers on the side mirrors, and a 10-way power driver's seat. It also has the option to add the Harman Kardon sound system, which I admittedly do want because I am a semi-audiophile.
Now, I kind of don't care about leather. It's cold in the winter and hot in the summer, and the cloth in the Premium looks pretty awesome with red stitching. And the seats are heated either way. Both come with fog lights and a moonroof, and to be honest I'm ok with the halogen headlights and fogs versus the LED's anyway.
There is some concern that the doors in the limited might be a little beefier, but that could be part of the Harman/Kardon add-on because they probably add sound insulation, which is easily added after the fact for a couple hundred bucks at an audio shop. And the entire sound system can be beefed up after the fact too - probably for a lot less than the H/K upgrade. I can order it from the dealer with a subwoofer and kicker speakers and if that isn't adequate I can take it somewhere and get the whole thing overhauled for like a grand.
Price difference on the two cars is like $5-$7k. I feel like $7k for a better stereo and leather trim is a lot of money, since they are otherwise identical. I'm leaning towards the Premium for this reason. I'm also concerned that if I do a lot of night driving, I don't know what my actual tolerance for those LED headlights is. I am ok as a passenger when my wife drives the Forester, and I'm ok for short trips out at night, but I haven't driven hours at night with them - I've driven maybe once at night with them - so I'm just not sure.
Thoughts?