Looking for a daily driver wagon...
06-25-2008, 02:48 PM
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Looking for a daily driver wagon...
The time has come to add some safety and practicality to the stable. My wife found a better job and is going back to work 5 days a week. She'll need her SUV. I'm gonna really miss carpooling, saving money on gas and the luxury of her Infiniti FX but I'm looking forward to car shopping again. With a 7 month old baby and more to come I'm leaning towards an automatic Subaru Legacy GT wagon - probably a used 2005 or 2006 model. Is there something else out there I should be cross-shopping?
06-25-2008, 04:26 PM
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Depends what you want out of it. The Speed 3 is fun enough and presumably safe (standard side airbags), but gas stings a bit. The GTI is nice, depending on how big you want. There's also the Audi A3, which I find to be a pretty sharp car, but if you want a Quattro, it will run 34k+ (though FWDs start around 25k).
06-25-2008, 05:42 PM
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When I read your thread title Legacy or '07 and earlier WRX was the first thing that came to mind. I like the A3 also but that may be a little small for what your looking for. My favorite is still the one from Vacation though... Just needs some clear corners...
06-25-2008, 07:00 PM
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The GTI, MS3, A3 and even the Impreza wagon are a little small. Too bad the MS6 isn't offered in a wagon trim. I know I'll be sacrificing a little gas mileage by going with a mid-size car rather than a compact but we really need the extra space and prefer a heavier and, theoretically, safer car. On the flip side, something like a Dodge Magnum is just too damn big and eats up too much damn gas.
06-26-2008, 01:01 AM
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If you can, look into an 07 Mazda6 GT wagon. It is quite nice inside and drove very well compared to the Legacy and the V50. It is unfortunate that US no longer gets the wagon Legacy GT wagon. However you can still score an Outback XT. It's just as nice with a certain outdoorsy flavour to it.
I found the 3-Touring quite small for trunk space. So is the IS300 wagon. Avant is nice. But that 2.0T felt unrefined to me.
Also consider the new Volvo V70.
Sadly there aren't many wagons to choose from these days. Cross over is all the rage....
I found the 3-Touring quite small for trunk space. So is the IS300 wagon. Avant is nice. But that 2.0T felt unrefined to me.
Also consider the new Volvo V70.
Sadly there aren't many wagons to choose from these days. Cross over is all the rage....
06-26-2008, 01:02 AM
#9
Grand Chancellor
If you can, look into an 07 Mazda6 GT wagon. It is quite nice inside and drove very well compared to the Legacy and the V50. It is unfortunate that US no longer gets the wagon Legacy GT wagon. However you can still score an Outback XT. It's just as nice with a certain outdoorsy flavour to it.
I found the 3-Touring quite small for trunk space. So is the IS300 wagon. Avant is nice. But that 2.0T felt unrefined to me.
Also consider the new Volvo V70.
Sadly there aren't many wagons to choose from these days. Cross over is all the rage....
I found the 3-Touring quite small for trunk space. So is the IS300 wagon. Avant is nice. But that 2.0T felt unrefined to me.
Also consider the new Volvo V70.
Sadly there aren't many wagons to choose from these days. Cross over is all the rage....
06-26-2008, 09:15 AM
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If I had to get a wagon I'd go with (in order or preference):
Audi S4
Audi A4
Infiniti EX35
Legacy GT
Mazda 6 GT
2 year old S4 Avants will cost you about 30-32k. May take a while to find a manual if that is what you are looking for. Gas mileage also sucks as bad as the RX8 if not worse but they are very nice. A4 with the 4 cylinder is quite affordable, and I think they offered a manual, not sure. Audi autos are pretty good though from my experience.
Audi S4
Audi A4
Infiniti EX35
Legacy GT
Mazda 6 GT
2 year old S4 Avants will cost you about 30-32k. May take a while to find a manual if that is what you are looking for. Gas mileage also sucks as bad as the RX8 if not worse but they are very nice. A4 with the 4 cylinder is quite affordable, and I think they offered a manual, not sure. Audi autos are pretty good though from my experience.
06-26-2008, 10:41 AM
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Thanks for the tips guys. I should have mentioned it earlier but I've set aside about $16K for this purchase. I'm just not looking for another car payment. The Evo is paid off but the Infiniti is not. That budget realistically limits me to used cars. The Audi, Volvo and Infiniti EX are all around $30k. I'll look into the Mazda 6 GT wagon. Thanks!
06-26-2008, 01:12 PM
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BMW 3-series wagon. 30 mpg, RWD (or AWD), sweet inline 6, super-fun to drive. We adore our 2003 325i.
Last edited by boffam; 06-26-2008 at 01:16 PM.
06-27-2008, 01:14 AM
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06-27-2008, 09:28 AM
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My wife is on her third consecutive Subaru wagon, and she swears she will never drive anything else. We both love her current car, an '05 Outback.
And there's a reason the IIHS keeps picking Subarus as 'top safety picks.' We walked away from a pretty bad accident in ours in November. A kid blew right through a stop sign and the Outback absorbed a 30mph impact to the right side doors without any cabin intrusion. Great car.
Top Gear also named the Outback as their car of the year, along with the Mondeo, which you can't get here anyway. :p
Let us know what you pick.
And there's a reason the IIHS keeps picking Subarus as 'top safety picks.' We walked away from a pretty bad accident in ours in November. A kid blew right through a stop sign and the Outback absorbed a 30mph impact to the right side doors without any cabin intrusion. Great car.
Top Gear also named the Outback as their car of the year, along with the Mondeo, which you can't get here anyway. :p
Let us know what you pick.
06-27-2008, 09:59 AM
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I think the 3 series is probably the most trouble-free European car going. The niggles will be electrical, as the engines and drivetrains are indestructible. Parts are plentiful and not outrageously expensive, and if you have a good mechanic you never need to go to the dealer.
We keep a $2000 slush fund at all times for maintenance and repair, and we've only had to touch it a few times in 5.5 years.
We keep a $2000 slush fund at all times for maintenance and repair, and we've only had to touch it a few times in 5.5 years.
06-27-2008, 10:15 AM
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My wife had a Forester before we got her the CX-9. We bought it new and kept it for 7 years. Not one issue other than having to change the digital clock. While she loved the Subaru, she likes the CX-9 better.
Have you considered a CX 7? With kids you will want enough space for all their crap.
Have you considered a CX 7? With kids you will want enough space for all their crap.
06-27-2008, 01:53 PM
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My wife had an 02 outback and loved it, very rugged car and held its value pretty well. It must have been geared more for fuel economy though as you had to go WoT to get anything out of it or before you knew it you were in fourth gear.