I hate my new car, now what?

My local Subaru dealership offered me a deal and a half that I couldn't turn down on a new Outback for a 40 month lease.  Financially, it would have been extremely stupid to turn down the offer.  It's going to save me at least $5,000 just this year alone.  I won't have to spend on new tires, lower insurance, no finance fee's, lower payment.   Since my existing lease was also a Subaru, I was kinda stuck with the brand.   As much as I loved my WRX,  it didn't pan out to get another one,  and I had a very short timeframe to make a decision.   

The downside is I really can't stand the car I ended up with.   Nearly fully loaded Outback with the 3.6 engine.    It's everything I didn't want in a car!   Automatic transmission,  looks just like all the other bland family haulers in the parking lot, boring to drive, in my choice of generic colors!   I at least was able to NOT get the white one with cream leather interior,  they weren't amused when I asked if that one came with an AARP membership.   Just enough storage space to NOT fit a pinball machine (another big hobby of mine),  and just enough towing capacity to NOT haul my MR2.  Hell,  three times already myself or the family have accidentally tried to get into the wrong car. 

It's a lease, and I hate it, so I don't want to dump any money at all into it if possible.  Somebody please cheer me up about this.

Pinball?  Do tell more.  On the car, is it possible you got such a deal that bailing early won’t eat up all of the $5000?

Well did you NEED to save 5k? And would you rather pay extra 5k to be happy with your car? 

Is the back big enough to have sex in it?  That'll make you feel better about it. 

ROFL..... you guys always deliver....

Patrick:    Lets put it this way, my website is www.siegecraft.us  and on pinside.com my user name is the same as this one.   I've got 3 late 70's/early 80's pins right now, a Mrs. Pac, a Galaga, and a couple of other more obscure arcade machines.   

Yupididit:  I needed to save the $5k.  Financially, the timing was perfect and it's going to be a huge help for us.  

Stampie:   Seriously?  If the back is too small to have sex IN it,  then you just have sex ON it.   There's always room somewhere.

If you needed to save the $5k, can your keep your mind on the money (to quote Tina Turner) and sit it out? It's not that great, I understand, but if it puts you and your family in a better spot financially, it might be worth the annoyance.

sorry, i tested one a few months ago and bought an X3 with the 300hp I6 instead, its actually pretty fun.  I guess the subaru wont cost you $1500 for a new water pump...

the subaru had lots of goodies , but no steering wheel heater, oh the humanity.

Gangster Rap. Give the POS a tough soundtrack. It's a lease? Drive it like you hate it (off-road, curb hopping, air over railroad crossings).

Wrap that sumbitch. Something that will amuse you, like a Galaga theme (I hesitate to recommend Ms. Pacman, but maybe it’s even better) and make you happy every time you look at it. 

Doing the whole car might be costly, maybe just the rear windows in that see-through matrix that looks solid from the outside?

I know there's some company called swap a lease or something like that.  I know nothing about them other than they had or have a billboard along I75. But if they have a name that accurately depicts what they do for a living, then maybe that's an out?

Rallycross.

Take it off any sweet jumps? 

In reply to hhaase :

You can help me!  I’ll slip into your dm inbox on twitter 

In reply to wae :

There are two - swapalease and leasetrader. Not sure how legit and good either one of them is, though.

Well,  I am kinda stuck with this one, probably through the terms of the lease.

How do you make a bland, uninspired, but competent car into something enjoyable?   On a lease.

-Hans

Forget about the WRX, it's gone and try to love the outback. Do things it's good at, explore gravel roads (at high speeds?) try some light offroading, find the (hopefully) local rallycross and see if you can beat the guy in the WRX, go camping. Or try things it shouldn't be good at and see what happens, If you have an affordable track do some open lapping and see if you can get that ass to come around with some aggressive trail braking, maybe some autocross? Treat it like the rental car it is and flog it, I bet you can still have fun in it.

And if that fails just drive when you have to knowing you made the tough but right choice and focus your energy on the project car and getting it on the road. 

Adam

I agree. Lift it. Put knobbies on from BFG. Wrap it. Or plastidip and run that turkey off-road somewhere!

a vanilla car is like a vanilla wife. You got get creative. (Sure are a lot of sex jokes in here)

5k gets you a challenge car and the expenses to travel there and back.

If you cant take advantage of that. well, you just don't get the sound of opportunity when  it knocks.

Pete

It saves you $5000 to help out your family?

Just suck it up and drive it.  That’s being mature and a responsible parent.  

I'd definitely be using this for something.  You can spice up that boring car and then, if you don't like it, peel off the paint job and try something new.

I sold my bugeye WRX and plopped my butt into an 03 VW Golf about 6 years ago. I made a thousand on the switch and saved a load of gas and insurance.

The VW is boring and slow. I enjoy it now.

The 3.6 is a pretty peppy engine. Yeah the auto sucks. $5K a year savings, icing on the cake.

Roll-on until the lease is over.

Buy a cheap pickup for when you need to tow/haul stuff.

A boring car sucks but if it is saving you money , it's doing what you wanted it to do and it is getting you from point A to point B. Where it is a lease be somewhat  kind to it as they will  charge you for excess wear and tear if you beat the snot out of it (sorry to be a Debbie downer). Add some easily removable bling to it and enjoy it the best you can. It's only a few more years until you give it back, hopefully they will pass quickly. 

Plasti-Dip that bitch pink.

Hot pink.

With skulls.

Make a couple modifications and go have fun with it.  BTW: Mine has more room other than height than the Transit Connect it replaced.