time.I might need to leave the forum after posting this:
I dragged the wife down to the Subaru dealer to just sit in an Outback and Crosstrek. We liked the Outback, but the only Crosstrek they had on the lot was a Sport, which gets the 2.5 and some really
interior design with gray/black mix vinyl and yellow/gold stitching. I fit surprisingly great inside it, we found the interior space to be comparable to the mini in terms of headroom and overall space, the cargo space was probably bigger. This is remarkable because the MINI blew me away with space. The seats are less bolstered than the mini, but still supportive and probably more comfortable on longer drives. I didn't anticipate driving it, but the
was cool AF and tossed us the keys while we were looking at it. The thing really surprised me. The 2.5 has balls. The gearing is pretty good so it's pretty quick off the line, though it does get a bit winded so it's not exactly what I'm looking for with passing power, but it's solidly decent and very livable. I can't imagine the 2.0 being even livable. The transmission is pretty decent too, incredibly. For a CVT, it fakes "gears" really well. "Downshifts" eagerly, snappy "upshifts" solidly 
Even the paddle shifters are pretty responsive. Steering is direct and sharp, and it handled pretty decent for a jacked up Impreza. I was really surprised by it overall.It doesn't have a sunroof, which I think helps boost headroom, and it doesn't have the upgraded radio. The standard 6.5" radio is pretty nice, really high resolution (especially for the size) and has Android Auto that I was going to have to give up with the MINI. But it does have the auto dimming side mirror option, which I actually value more than pretty much any other option on something like this with big trucks common everywhere now.
Hardest thing is this: $30k OTD for a brand new vehicle with brand warranty and a
to service it 15 minutes from my house. Do I love it? No...but I like it a lot. It's a bunch of small things that add up to a pretty neat thing overall. It seems like a much smarter move overall, and I can just be done with all this shit. In theory, it should hold its value better than the MINI, the wife loves it. https://www.hodgessubaru.com/new/Subaru ... 13f80e.htm
There's a high likelihood that we'll buy it tonight. If I do, I'll just quit the car section of the forum, I assume I'll be banned anyway.
now 
and name her "love" or some other such shit....
..... No one is banning you for going the practical route to appease 
.... there comes a time when were all cucked to one extent or another....
is back, baby. 
and it looks brand new with a spotless service history, so it requires some specific consideration.
and pull the trigger when one comes up. Vroom has a number of automatics same year and mileage in the mid-$20k range. If this thing were in that ballpark, I'd go buy it now. 
No banning. 
that the stupid 
is going away. I 100% bought a car that I didn't really want all that much because my wife "wouldn't let me" spend $40K+. Reflecting on it, the more practical car fits my needs a bit better - road trips, 
CT 2.0) multiple times. It can do the "off roading" we do most likely, and it's a much better driving/more efficient vehicle than a Beep Beep, just less "cool".
... Everything after the huge 
with 3.6 is straight 
if the shoe fits, wear it. Not every chapter of life will involve our dream cars. Some will. Hopefully this wins you some brownie points with 
