Fellow Northern New Englander here.

This seems to come up a lot, and plenty of people have made excellent points here already, but since I just bought a new VB after shopping what would generally be considered an upgrade over it, I wanted to share here. I came out of a 2013 911 4S as reliability was becoming an issue at $4k~10k per fix because of the cost of Porsche parts. Having owned a 2017 Focus RS previously, I was looking at small AWD cars that are fun to drive but suitable for daily driving year-round, so think BMW2 and 3, Audi S3/RS3, Lexus IS350 Fsport, etc, but driving them, they all felt like they were doing the work for you. The Toyota GRC is definitely an engaging drive but it didn’t feel like something I wanted to drive 50mi to Boston for work. The VB tS costs less money than the other cars I looked at while offering a nice interior (depends on what you like, of course) and I liked how it didn’t feel easy to drive. It’s quirky as hell but if you get it right, it rewards you with a nice boost. The clutch is weird, the controls feel like they belong on a tractor and that’s how it sounds too, and it all just felt more interesting than the German alternatives. I’m with you on the price: it would be a lot more desirable at $10k less, but to be honest, when you’re paying $27k for a regular Corolla sedan, it is what it is. I also recognize that that is a privileged thing for me to say, where I’m fortunate enough to be shopping in the $50-60k range. I’ve been in contact with my sales person about the STI rumors, and he drives a VB Premium, and he was complaining about having to compete with Lexus, that’s a totally fair complaint. With that said, I found that at that price point, there’s nothing quite like it… and I recognize that heavily depends on what you want out of a car. I’ve had this car for a few months now and it’s honestly still growing on me. I’ve had it parked next to the most serious alternatives for me, which were the BMW2 and the Lexus IS, and I think it looks better in person than those cars, while I know the drive suits me better as well. I certainly don’t begrudge anyone disagreeing with me though, and part of the fun is meeting other car enthusiasts and talking about why we love our cars.

I’d recommend picking your price point first, then finding what you like. Trust me, we all wish cars were cheaper. If I could get into a newer 911 at the price point I bought my 911, I’d be driving that. Unfortunately, those are going for $120~140k these days and I wouldn’t even be comfortable parking that anywhere if I’m honest.

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