The *other* blue oval...
As some of you may know, my brand new car has finally showed up from Japan. I ordered it back in December and detailed the ordering process in a handy post right here. Long story short...I put in order for an unpopular and hopelessly impractical car. It's worth reading, though, if you have a minute.
From what I've read online, Subaru dealers are used to impatient buyers who order a car and need weekly updates. I was absolutely determined to not be that guy. So much so that I think I might have had my dealer worried that I silently moved on from buying the car (something that will play up a little more in a bit). Nope. I requested zero information during the entire wait. I only received one email from my dealer during the wait that basically said "Yeah, it's still going to be awhile". Heh.
On the 2nd of February I follow a bizarre chain of messages entirely in reverse. The first email I read is "Sorry to get your hopes up. Disregard the previous email and voicemail." The previous email said "Hey [CC], I left you a voicemail with some great news! Your car is in! Uhh, a bit early, but it's here! Give me a call back at your earliest convenience.". So then I listened to the voicemail which echoed the same confused/excited tone.
So what happened? Well, Subaru sent them a totally random white BRZ. Another dealer I spoke to said they get maybe four BRZs a year at most and they're always either black or blue. Based on my dealer's confused/excited messages I imagine his dealership was in the same boat. It had to be my car, right?
What was different about it? It was completely decked out with options. Everything I didn't want was there... The big brake kit, leather seats, expensive wheels, push-button start. All that stuff. I have to imagine that he was shitting a brick when he was looking the car over. Sure, the color was right, but it couldn't be further from what I wanted. It easily had $4000 in options tacked on.
After he called me he checked the numbers and noticed that, well, it wasn't my car after all. Mine was still in transit to be delivered on 15th of February. When I got back to him after work (and when I got a cell signal again) he gave me the update and apologized for the confusion.
Fast forward to Wednesday the 8th. I got another voicemail saying "It's here! For real this time! I double-checked everything. Let me know when we can schedule the delivery.". I scheduled it for after work on Friday the 10th. In the entire lead-up to this, I finally allowed myself to get excited. It wasn't just some dream being whipped together in another country. The car was here...in the State of...*State I live in*.
When I got to the dealership, I immediately got a surprise. The car was parked in a primo space, waiting for my inspection before even heading inside. When I turned the corner and saw the car I could only think of one thing. You've probably heard the song "Lido Shuffle" by Boz Scaggs. As corny as it sounds...the first thing that popped in my head was the build-up to the last minute of the song. It was magical...
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I took delivery of my BRZ with only 5 miles on the odometer. I've only put another 170 miles on it, but man have they been glorious. This is absolutely my kind of vehicle. I don't need a fast car, I just need one that feels right. This car feels perfect. The ride is perfect. The gear shift is perfect. Hell, even the seats are massively comfortable in their permanent full-body grip. I recommend trying the Subaru BRZ/Toyota 86 out if you love the sensation of driving over a big engine that propels you down the road faster than you need to be going.
There is still much for me to learn about this car, but my initial thoughts have been nothing but great. This is my everyday car now (though I still have my Lexus) and I look forward to the many miles ahead...
5 miles! Inb4 someone else's grubby mitts could take it on a test drive...
Thanks for reading my latest Toy Story. Hahaa. I need to write another on-topic Toy Story sometime soon...
Bye-Bye
-CC
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