It is with a heavy heart that I publish this post because my companion of 23 years is now gone. It may be silly to anthropomorphism a car but I can't deny that I had feelings for it. I bought this car new in October of 2002 and it has taken me on some great adventures during the time we had together. It got me to and from work on weekdays. And on weekends would either help me haul some dirt or lumber for a home project and/or take me to a bike ride.
The Subaru Baja was a very versatile car. It was the Subaru Outback wagon with a pickup bed instead of the normal extended interior of a wagon. This meant I could haul dirt or plants or wood and not worry about the inside of the car getting dirty. The wall between the back of the pickup bed and the back seats folded down so I could carry long pieces of wood or other material. I could easily carry 4x8 pieces of plywood or 12 foot long pieces of hardwood. I once even got all the pieces of a shed in the back with the bed extender on.
When the Baja wasn't hauling stuff it was a very comfortable car that could fit 4 adults. It was nimble enough to be fun to drive on windy country roads but could also cruise at top speed along the highway. It's 4 wheel drive took me without fear through snow storms and to ski slopes. I knew what every the weather or road conditions the Baja would get me where I needed to go. It was just fun to drive.
The car was garage kept since day one and I kept it cleaned and waxed. I did all the regular maintenance and never abused the car in any way. The car was very reliable and I only had a few unexpected problems over the years. Unfortunately the last year the car started showing its age. Last March the water pump needed to be replace as the original one cracked. Replacing the water pump was not cheap as they had to take part of the engine apart to replace the pump. At the time I debated whether I should do the repair or get rid of the car but the car was otherwise in good condition so I thought it was would be worth it if I could get another year or so out of the car.
Over the past few months a clamp on the fuel line failed and I had a problem with the lock on the passenger door. I had to push really hard on the stalk to get the left turn signal to work. The final straw was a fluid leak of unknown origin. I could not find the source of the leak but guessed it was some seal in the engine that would be an expensive fix. Age had finally caught up to the Baja and there was no denying that it was time to put it out to pasture.
I had been to the NY car show this past April to check out the new cars just to get and idea what was out there and what my options would be if I needed a new car. I took a look at a lot of the cars and tried to find the best EV and the best hybrid car that would fit my needs. Cars have changed a lot in the 23 years since I bought a new car. You now have a choice of the type of engine for a car, gas, hybrid or electric. Electric cars have come a long way in the past few years and are a viable alternative in certain conditions. If you are a two car family and have a home you can add a level 2 charger to then EVs can make a lot of sense. Most of the trips people make today are less than 50 miles so an EV can be your main car and handle most of the trips you need to make.
That is why we decided to get and EV for the new car. We have always had two cars. My car and my wife's car. My car would be for hauling stuff and getting me to my bike rides. Her car would be the one we use for our road trips. Now we are going to have an EV which will be "THE CAR" we both use for all our local and short distance trips and my wife's car will be used for long distance trips and for times when we need to leave the car in a location like center city Philadelphia or an airport where you won't want to leave a new car. My wife's car is a 18 year old Nissan Altima so it's not a car anyone would want.
So what car did we decide to buy. It is a 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5.
When I went to the NY car show I found three EVs that I really liked. The Nissan Airya, the Chevy Equinox and the Hyundai Ioniq 5. The Airya was my favorite followed by the Equinox then the Ioniq 5. I was looking at a SUV instead of some type of small pickup like the Baja because at this point of my life I don't have a big yard or need to build as much so I don't need a pickup anymore. An SUV will have enough room to haul what. I need now.
So after making the decision that we needed to replace the Baja we spent a Saturday going to a few different dealerships and driving a bunch of cars. We tried to drive the Airya but Nissan didn't have one we could drive but we did look at it. We then test drove the Ioniq 5 and really liked it but wanted to check out a couple of other cars. We then tested out the Kia Niro and Chevy Equinox. We were really disappointed with the Equinox. It didn't drive well and although the interior was very comfortable it looked cheap. The Niro was okay but not as nice as the Ioniq 5. Then it was back to Hyundai to make a deal with a 21 year old salesman who was younger than the Baja ;) The good thing about my wife and I is that for big ticket items we have similar tastes in what we want and like so there was no doubt about the decision.
So we made the deal and on Monday the 15th parted with a large amount of cash for the new car. The car is very different than any other car I have had. Being electric it is quiet, smooth and without any transmission has amazing linear acceleration. We ended up getting the all wheel drive model. I would have preferred the two wheel drive model since it offers more miles on a charge but they do not stock those models in states that have snow. However the all wheel drive model is faster and more agile so it should be fun to drive.
The new car has a lot of new features. The Ioniq 5 was totally redesigned for 2025 so has a larger battery and updated electronics. I thought about getting a used EV to save money but the new features of 2025 especially the larger battery make it a much better car. The car has some self driving features like adaptive cruise control and lane keeping. It's not as sophisticated as Tesla's self driving but it is close enough for most of the driving we will do.
It's going to take a while to get use to the new car and all of it's features. I'm sure I will like it once I get more familiar it but I don't think I will like any car as much as I liked my Baja. When I drove the Baja for the last time driving to the dealer for the trade in I felt like I was taking my dog to the vet to be put to sleep. I will miss the Baja but it was time for a change.
There will be no funeral services for the Baja let's just remember the good times we had with it. In lieu of flowers I would suggest you make donations directly to the Baja memorial fun (i.e. me) This fund will be used to help the families who lost a Baja recover the financial hardship of having to buy a new car.
R.I.P. Baja you served me well and will be missed.
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