I am an avid car guy, and I’ve found my favorite. That would be a Subaru WRX, why doesn’t everyone have one? I love to research cars, read about cars, look at cars, test drive cars. To my wife’s dismay, that’s my passion. It can be an expensive hobby. Subaru WRX
In my previous life, I bought a BMW 3 series with six-speed manual and AWD. I really enjoyed the car, but with the high price tag I hesitated to take it into the wild. I couldn’t bring myself to drive it on gravel and dirt roads, to places that are fun to go. However, it did perform well, with plenty of power, and was fun to drive on those curvy Southern Virginia roads. The AWD was especially enjoyable on the curves and safe in the rain. Subaru WRX
I eventually got tired of the BMW and wanted something more appropriate to a country setting…as in offroad. I went for a Jeep Wrangler, which also turned out to be a blast. My wife and I took that car off road all over the place, through the woods, on dirt and gravel roads in the middle of nowhere, and even up a very steep fire road on a mountain. This was a different kind of fun, but lots of fun, nevertheless. Only thing was, this car didn’t corner very well on curvy roads, too tall and top heavy. But nothing is perfect. Subaru WRX
Then there was the Jeep wobble that we experience one beautiful Sunday afternoon. We were driving on a curvy road, went around a curve, hit a bump in the road, and the entire front end started to shake uncontrollably. That was the opposite of fun. Turns out, many of the older Jeeps had solid front axles. If your tires weren’t in perfect balance for example, and you hit a bump, the axle transmitted the shaking to both tires. I had the tires rebalanced, and we were fine after that, but it turned out to be a bit too much excitement. Subaru WRX
Also, as my wife and I aged all of the snaps, clips, etc. required to raise and lower the top manually became tiresome, especially when we ran into a rainstorm and needed to put up the top quickly. Fortunately, both the Wrangler interior and my wife and I were washable. Subaru WRX
We enjoyed the heck out of the Wrangler, but in 2018 it was time to move on to another fun vehicle. I did my usual hours of reading and research, drove my poor wife crazy talking about cars for hours on end. Then I discovered the Subaru WRX, AWD perfection, a 2.0 liter turbocharged flat four engine, 268 hp, and priced so most anyone could afford it. It was love at first test drive. I bought one in royal blue, and I’ve never looked back. I still have it today, 32 mpg, straightened out those curvy Southern Virginia roads, and accelerates like a bat out of…the netherworld. When you come to a curve, you don’t even have to slow down. Just downshift, steer through the curve, and accelerate out of it. That Subaru AWD is perfection. Subaru WRX
My wife and I spent hours and hours driving all over Southern Virginia in that thing. The best part, it turned out to be like the perfect combination of the BMW 3 series and the Jeep Wrangler. It flies, takes curves like a champ, and is designed as a rally car to go offroad on gravel or dirt. I still have my 2018 WRX today, and still enjoy the heck out of it. Only thing, we moved to Florida, so not a lot of curvy roads. But still a joy to drive the car. We did take a trip across the state to drive it on the “Tail of the Gator”, a well-known curvy road on the Gulf side of the state. The speed limit was 45 mph, but it was still a blast to drive. Subaru WRX
I’ve tried other sporty cars like the Corvette, Porsche Cayman, and various Audis, BMWs, and the hot hatches by VW and Mitsubishi. At 6’7″ tall, I didn’t fit into half of them, and none of the others came close for me to the fun of my WRX or the perfection of Subaru AWD. And I fit in it just fine. It also has four doors, a huge pass-through trunk, and could serve as a family car if necessary. Our family car is a Subaru Ascent, because my wife likes to drive while sitting up high. It also has the same AWD that is perfection, whether on dry pavement, rain, and it’s even great on snow, although we don’t get much of that here in Florida (Yay!). Subaru WRX
The newer Subaru WRX, 2024-25 have gone to a 2.4 liter turbocharged flat four engine tuned to 271 hp, only 3 more hp than my 2018. However, I’m guessing that the youth that can afford the car, and it is still amazingly affordably for such a fun vehicle, do some retuning to boost the power considerably. Me, I’m perfectly happy with 268 hp and 32 mpg, although it does require premium gas which is a bit more expensive, but worth every penny. Subaru WRX
I’m getting old, but I plan on driving the car until my left knee and right shoulder finally give up the ghost (I’ve had surgery on both). Until then, when I want some fun, more like pure joy, I’ll climb into my royal blue WRX and hit the road. I might even have to plan a trip back to Southern Virginia. I do miss those curvy roads. Subaru WRX
I plan on writing a blog from time to time on various other fun cars that are out there. Having fun is what makes life worth living. If you want to learn more about the Subaru WRX, you can go to Motor Trend online at https://www.motortrend.com/reviews/2025-subaru-wrx-ts-first-drive-review/ for a review on the latest version. Subaru WRX
Speaking of fun, when I’m not tooling around Florida in my WRX, I write murder mysteries. I have four comedy murder mysteries that are a lot of fun to read. One lady told me she read all four books, and that she laughed out loud, and I have a wicked good sense of humor. I’m guessing that’s a good thing? Anyhow, you can purchase copies of my books by going to my author website at johnjjessop.com. If you buy a WRX, happy driving! If you buy one of my books, happy reading!