Considering a Stinger GT1 or GT2

[TheAnser]

Hey all! My name is Orion and I'm currently shopping for the vehicle to replace my current lease. My situation has changed since I leased my current vehicle (2020 Subaru Outback XT) in that I work remotely from my home. I also recently sold my 'fun car' to take advantage of the market and will be looking to get into something that is a bit of a do-it-all (fun family car). I live in the mountains in central PA and prefer AWD for my everyday vehicle and have primarily been in Subarus for the past 15 years, but, the new WRX (having owned a 2004, 2013, and 2015) is a bit underwhelming against offerings such as the Stinger, S4/S5, etc.

The Stinger and it's overall platform has me very intrigued for the price point, capability, and performance. I will be looking at a used GT1 or GT2 and joined to gain more knowledge around the platform. So, if you were looking today, what is the advice you would give yourself now that you've owned the car for some time? Any watch outs, pleasant surprises, etc?

Thanks in advance!
Orion

 

[stoopid]

The Stinger and it's overall platform has me very intrigued for the price point, capability, and performance...

That's why most of us migrated towards the Stinger.

No advice other than the used market is still inflated even though there's a lot of signs that is going to change soon. I'd still wait a month or more before car shopping based on current trends. If your lease is ending, have you looked at buying out and reselling? With many of the Stinger leases pre-Covid, buyout was lower than resale. Even owners not looking to stay in the Stinger buyout the lease then trade-in/sell the car for profit. I would run the numbers on the Outback to see if it still makes sense in your situation.

 

[Landshark]

i had 4 Subarus, and each one was worse than the last - they are the Chryslers of Japanese cars.

i guess you'll have to decide between GT1 and GT2 features.

i'm in SW PA, and since 2002 have always had an AWD performance car that i'll put snow tires on for winter. i decided a while back that i prefer having one car to do it all vs dealing with a garage queen AND a winter beater.

also, as said above, you might want to wait a month or two ....

 

[JSolo]

@stoopid

What makes you think things will change in a month or two? Yes it will be Q4, but given the current car shortage, you really expect prices to creep towards normalcy?

 

[RedCal]

Lots of great info here in the forums - words of advice... do front and rear sway bars, get a set of winter snow tires and some good summer tires instead of 4 season, or all seasons, and be ready to be stopped and asked a lot of questions about the car.

 

[stoopid]

@stoopid

What makes you think things will change in a month or two? Yes it will be Q4, but given the current car shortage, you really expect prices to creep towards normalcy?

Repossessions are up, and wholesale pricing at auction are plummeting (a lot of cars aren't even selling at their asking price at auction as well). Once the used car market stabilizes, the new car prices will trend back to more 'normal' (since people will have more options available). The days of incentives on new cars are likely not anytime soon, but getting back to msrp and no dealer markups looks inevitable.

There's several good youtube channels on the subject, but these guys are the best single source and are posting data weekly:

https://www.youtube.com/c/YourAdvocateAllianceYAA

Another option:

https://www.youtube.com/c/AutomotiveLifeTV

 

[TheAnser]

Thanks all!

@stoopid - I have a few months left on my lease (ends in November). I could get out of my lease right now and sell the car back to the dealership for around $10k - $12k in equity. I don't know that I want to buy the Outback and then turnaround quickly on the trade-in.

@Landshark - Whether it's a GT1 or GT2, I'm buying what I find in my price range and is fairly close (within 200-300 miles)...lol. I'm good with the features of both. I agree with your commentary on Subaru, however, my wife has a 2019 Ascent that we have really enjoyed. Also agree on the one car front. The fun car I just sold was a 92 Mustang Coupe that was a project but still brought good money in this market. It was the first time I had a DD and garage queen and it wasn't as great as I had hoped...haha.

@RedCal - suspension and wheels/tires will be first on the list. I love cruising the mountain roads around the area/state. A dedicated set of winters will also be on the list. Thanks!

 

[stoopid]

@stoopid - I have a few months left on my lease (ends in November). I could get out of my lease right now and sell the car back to the dealership for around $10k - $12k in equity. I don't know that I want to buy the Outback and then turnaround quickly on the trade-in.

Leaving $10,000 on the table... must be nice! Carvana, Vroom, etc will buy the vehicle outright, if they haven't gone out of business by then. You'll likely want to buyout the lease, get the title, then resell it. But for $10,000 it would seem like a no brainer worth the bit of effort.

 

[TheAnser]

Leaving $10,000 on the table... must be nice! Carvana, Vroom, etc will buy the vehicle outright, if they haven't gone out of business by then. You'll likely want to buyout the lease, get the title, then resell it. But for $10,000 it would seem like a no brainer worth the bit of effort.

I wouldn't be leaving it on the table...I would get a check back for the equity. This is the 3rd Subaru we have leased and we either rolled the equity into a down payment or received a check from the dealership in the past. If nothing else, Subaru's hold their value!

 

[stoopid]

I wouldn't be leaving it on the table...I would get a check back for the equity. This is the 3rd Subaru we have leased and we either rolled the equity into a down payment or received a check from the dealership in the past. If nothing else, Subaru's hold their value!

Okay I think I follow now.

 

[Blueangel]

Okay I think I follow now.

Not to hijack but curious..if you had the opportunity to trade into a 2021 GT2 AWD micro blue with low mileage for a decent price would you go for it? I found one and I’m getting the itch lol

 

[stoopid]

Not to hijack but curious..if you had the opportunity to trade into a 2021 GT2 AWD micro blue with low mileage for a decent price would you go for it? I found one and I’m getting the itch lol

It would depend on whether I wanted anything in the GT2 package and how the math worked out. I intentionally shopped GT and GT1 trims, they were the best price/performance trims at the time. The smart cruise is the only option I would have liked for longer trips, but I rarely take them in the Stinger so... not feeling like I'm missing anything. The 3.3TT drivetrain sells the car IMO, the rest is personal preference and/or budget.

 

[JSolo]

^^I hate the smart cruise equally as I hate the FCA. My road trips are few and far between and would much rather have a standard cruise, not where the car slams the brakes on when a car cuts in front of me. I now only use cruise when out on the open road.

Re car market, here in ghetto of PRIL (chicago) they're still charging thousands of dollars over msrp for new cars as market adjustment. Supply seems marginally improved but still weak. Used cars are still a big deal with 5-8 yr old cars costing $$$$. I'm actually glad I got mine last august as I'd be sol right now. Stingers in general are really few and far between around here.

Autotrader - page unavailable

www.autotrader.com

Just 29 units available within a 100 mi radius of 60640 (chicago northside). Most of those are the 6 cyl models not 4.

Without going to audi or some other higher priced option, what other car is a direct competitor of the stinger at a similar price point?

 

[MerlintheMad]

The Stinger and it's overall platform has me very intrigued for the price point, capability, and performance. I will be looking at a used GT1 or GT2 and joined to gain more knowledge around the platform. So, if you were looking today, what is the advice you would give yourself now that you've owned the car for some time? Any watch outs, pleasant surprises, etc?

Howdy and welcome. I can't comment about the financial side: bought out the lease at three months and never regretted it: plan on keeping the car indefinitely, as I don't anticipate maintenance surprises anytime soon if ever: the car is solid. I had to have the 3.3L, the Harman Kardon surround sound and sunroof: that meant GT1: and I have NO nannies, which has been a great satisfaction. Going well into our fifth year, I have no surprises at all, and am gratified that the quality is holding up well in everything. I wash the car weekly, sometimes more often, and park out of the direct sun, so, the paint and trim has held up really well and still looks almost new (attrition with full frontal PPF has made a huge difference here, I am sure). My car has a bone stock drivetrain, and the only mods I have are Eibach sway bars front and rear, which I highly recommend if you like carving curves.

 

[Fredman]

FWIW
When I first considered stinger I thought I had to have sunroof/moonroof glass roof or whatever. I was a little bummed out when I found out GT level does not have that. But after considering difference in price and couple other features I was giving up like air-conditioned seats and heads up display I came to settle on the GT. My thinking was I really wanted this car for the meat and potatoes ingredients like TwinTurbo engine and all wheel drive. The GT gives you that with many other creature comforts. I don’t have the Harman Cardon stereo but the system they put in the 2019 is pretty darn good.
I don’t have to worry about getting the dreaded “sunroof creak” and I also believe the GT is somewhat lighter without all of that glass and hardware in the roof.

 

[Blueangel]

FWIW
When I first considered stinger I thought I had to have sunroof/moonroof glass roof or whatever. I was a little bummed out when I found out GT level does not have that. But after considering difference in price and couple other features I was giving up like air-conditioned seats and heads up display I came to settle on the GT. My thinking was I really wanted this car for the meat and potatoes ingredients like TwinTurbo engine and all wheel drive. The GT gives you that with many other creature comforts. I don’t have the Harman Cardon stereo but the system they put in the 2019 is pretty darn good.
I don’t have to worry about getting the dreaded “sunroof creak” and I also believe the GT is somewhat lighter without all of that glass and hardware in the roof.

Good points..
You can also upgrade the speakers if so desired which is a hell of a lot cheaper than upgrading to a higher trim

 

[TheAnser]

Thanks all for the commentary! By sheer coincidence, a local dealer had a used 2022 Stinger hit their lot on Thursday. Older gentleman bought it brand new, put 1,600 miles on it, then traded it on a Hellcat...lol. He's apparently well known for this amongst the dealers in the area. Anyway...I finally got to test drive one and it was fantastic. Now to start hunting down the right deal

 

[Jasonarmstrong]

Not to hijack but curious..if you had the opportunity to trade into a 2021 GT2 AWD micro blue with low mileage for a decent price would you go for it? I found one and I’m getting the itch lol

My first choice was used stingers but none were worth the price with 30 k miles and still high to low 40k price range.

 

[Blueangel]

My first choice was used stingers but none were worth the price with 30 k miles and still high to low 40k price range.

Yeah I found one with 18k miles but in the high 40k price range. Found out it was just a lease return so chances are it was not modded. Not even tinted. That’s the only car I’m interested in that would make me upgrade. It’s located out of my state but only costs $99 to have it shipped to me to check it out. Damn tempting

 

[TheAnser]

Not to hijack but curious..if you had the opportunity to trade into a 2021 GT2 AWD micro blue with low mileage for a decent price would you go for it? I found one and I’m getting the itch lol

@Blueangel - Were there changes from 2020 to 2021 that I haven't found detail on yet?