Nice Family Car Suggestions
 

Hey Club!

I'm selling off my cars and searching for a nice family vehicle. If you have any direct experience or automotive expertise to share I'd very much appreciate your insight. I don't work in the industry or have auto connections per se, so any inside information would be extremely helpful. Just another customer at the end of the day.

I've been primarily looking at European automakers but may be open to unique suggestions; don't think I'd entertain Japanese or American cars but you never know. Looking for something 2012 or newer, automatic, AWD, min 2k+ lbs towing capacity and large interior volume suitable for hauling two 50+lb dogs + groceries, children, luggage, etc. Hybrid ok, not really into SUV's. More focused on wagons. No fixed budget but prefer to not have to spend over $50-60k on something nice.

Main candidates so far:
2012+ Merc e350 wagon
2014+ Merc e63 wagon
2014+ Volvo v60 Polestar
2014+ Volvo v60 Cross Country

Maybes:
2016+ Merc GLE
2016+ Merc GLC

Hoping to add some more interesting options to the list! Tryin to make this purchase in the next few months.

Thanks for looking!
:)

My friend had a V60 Polestar for a while. Great car. Horrible gas mileage in the city. The 2014+ aren't thaaat big? 2 big dogs might fill ot right up.

Have you considered an Outback? An XT should tick all your boxes and EyeSight is pretty awesome.

Model Y

BMW made wagons. Currently in the market for one myself to compliment the RX-8 in the snowy months. No idea about towing capability though... Have a different vehicle for that.

Compared to the Volvos, it's longitudinal (which will be a PITA to work on).

I know a guy who had an E63, and he didn't care for it all that much. The performance is so high that you can't really use it, and it's got its own reliability problems being so high strung (this is according to him through my memory).

A more pedestrian E-class wagon was on my shortlist. Seems pretty stout, but also fairly complicated.

The E91 3 series wagons had NA straight sixes through 2012, were reasonably nice, but also mechanically quite simple. Seem to hold up pretty well from the examples I've seen. The N52 engine is supposed to be borderline bulletproof if you make any effort to maintain it. Current thread on one of those forums about a guy about to hit 500k on his without any major events. Manuals exist, but aren't common. The subsequent generation 3-series wagon (last sold in the US) used a turbo four that sounds like it's not as reliable, and also just four cylinders.

The 5-series wagons had the twin turbo N54 that seems to be the current tuner darling. Spiritual successor to the 2JZ-GTE. Lots of horsepower available with simple bolt-ons and a flash. Manuals exist, but don't seem very common here either. A bit more complex than the 3-series with rear steering, and I think a rear air suspension (at least optional, I haven't had a chance yet to dig too deep on the 5-series).

Either way, I enjoyed my past BMW, and thought it was pretty nice to work on. Wife liked it too, and she is the reason the BMWs floated over the Merc at the end of the day.

Audi made wagons, but I've seen too many horror stories with Audis to feel like I'd want one. Also, Audi seems to have replaced BMW as the douchebag vehicle of choice.

I've looked at the v60's in person at the dealer. Longer car, seems to be a good choice. Never know until I actually put my dogs in there though I suppose. They're good dogs and travel well.

My friend and his family have a newer Subie that they're happy with. Some time ago I considered getting one of the manual turbo Forrester's before the whole jdm craze hit every Japanese manufacturer. Unfortunately both of those manufacturers have a certain stigma on the entire west coast. There's a theory that the Model Y did save that guy who tried to kill his family on hwy1 a few months ago, so...

And something to consider that I didn't previously mention is that where I live in Monterey, the power goes out fairly consistently and I see my neighbors' model3 up the creek without a paddle after a day or so. I do have a solar generator which is more than capable of charging but not particularly something I'd look forward to dealing with every other month. But would be fun being the only electric vehicle out after a long outage.

I had Audi a6 avant that was a nightmare. Definitely a lot of older BMW wagon options but haven't really considered any. Have checked out the X7 but not into SUV's and the new X5's aren't nearly large enough.

Mostly going to be my wife's car. Plan is to keep for along time. Maintenance shouldn't pose an issue, I'll bring it to a shop.

We've been particularly interested in a 2018+ e63 wagon but up there in price. Has all the fancy 'track setting' functions for the adult child, so I can still scratch that itch every once in a while.

I don't know if BMWNA imports the wagon version of the G20 3-series. I've seen LCI F3x 3-wagon. Those are nice. It's 4-pot turbo. Not sure if there's a 340i B58 wagon. That would be awesome. The B58 inline 6 is super sweet. Found also in the Zupra.
For the BMW e9x, I'd either find an LCI 328i wagon with it's reliable N52 or... yeah that's that. I don't think there was ever a N55 335i wagon. I'd stay away from N54 BMWs. They make our rotary reliability woes seem quaint. Think FD unreliability with $$$ parts/labour.

Frankly for a family hauler, I don't see the point of a uber-wagon AMG M SRT Demon whatever. Young 'uns are sure to spill stuff on it, driving kids friends, summertime BBQ picnic and circling around Costco parking lot is no more fun than if you're in a Hyundai Sante Fe. Leave the driving fun with a dedicated sportscar.

If you are not averse to SUVs. There X-series from BMW.
I feel Merc has lots its way. Their cars are just a bunch of blobs.
Genesis makes the GV70 which I find quite nice. Maybe keep it Mazda and feel out a CX-whatever.

I've given some potential thought to the X7 but it's a rather large vehicle and not really my thing, plus BMW's are super basic imo. I'd personally never buy a korean car and unfortunately you couldn't pay me to get back into another mazda. We just bought our '22 mazda3 turbo with all kinds of premium warrantees, etc and as someone who's always worn their 'heart of their sleeve' I can say that in my opinion, this whole brand has made some very poor decisions. The quality leaves much to be desired and after living with it for a year, I do not consider their materials, design, technology / other features, etc high quality or premium in any way. They're so far behind on comfort, style, class, etc comparatively to premium brands and price points. Worst part is that anytime I mention these sentiments to other 'mazda enthusiasts' the holy grail ND Miata is always brought up as the brand savior. In all honesty, I'll probably never drive another Japanese vehicle again. Everything that was once desirable about them is now long gone.

Still primarily looking at wagon's or similar design. Not worried about the car getting used / dirty / stained, etc; you only get one life and it's just a piece of metal. My philosophy is that's what cars were meant for. Just like a fancy pair of shoes, baseball glove, kitchen knife, fishing rod, etc. That's why you purchased it. I think modernity has created this weird attachment to material objects where people would rather look at something and brag about how X, Y, Z it is as opposed to actually enjoying it.

A few more options recently came to mind.
2018+ Merc e400 wagon
older gen Merc G-wagon (price point is on par with some other options)
VW westfalia / eurovan (rare for sure)

You’re smart to stay away from the Hyundai/Kia models. We bought a Kona that I have bad feelings about. Build quality is not good. It drives okay for an SUV but, that doesn’t say much. It reminds me of the Dodge Dakota 4*4 work truck I had that ate 3 transmissions, one front differential, and a transfer case in 7 years. Rode nice but, crap quality.

Good luck in your search for a wagon. Regret I couldn’t convince my wife to do that instead of the SUV thing.

Mazda released their new CX90 with turbo inline 6, a bit expensive though.

I can recommend the Mazda 6 wagon as family Car. Reliable, very nice interior and Mazda has the best operating concept, not relying on touchscreens.

I know you said not jdm but I'm digging the new Subaru Outback wilderness.

$38,500, 3,500 lb towing, awd, it's technically a wagon, should be cheaper to maintain than most euro wagons. Also my 03 legacy has 260,000 miles on the original engine and trans and my sisters 04 impresa had 302,000 last I saw it so Subaru's can be reliable

https://images.carprices.com/pricebo...ss/NDI_TAP.png
https://www.kbb.com/wp-content/uploa...qtr-16x9-1.jpg

Does it have car or truck MPG?

^ Non RX8 car^

The wilderness trim has the worst mpg probably due to the offroad knobby tires. google says 26/21 or 29/22 or 32/26 depending on trim and other check box items.
OP didn't have mpg as a consideration factor so I didn't bother including it. Mine gets 27 usually.

Thanks Sonic! Wow that's incredible milage on some of your cars and yeah I've seen a few of the new Subi's on the road that def have an intriguing look. Gas milage isn't a big factor. But after our latest mazda purchase, we refuse to buy another Japanese car.

We've been seriously looking at 2017+ Volvo v90's. We thought a v60 might cut it but after seeing in person is way too small for what we're looking for. Also keeping an eye out for Mercedes 350, 400 and 450 wagons but are very rare and at a price premium by comparison.

You clearly won't settle for anything less than Mercedes Quality. Not sure why you would consider a Mazda with the options you are interested in, seems strange.

I made it pretty clear that I'm not looking at Japanese vehicles and European manufacturers just happen to offer more features (typically standard) and offer a higher quality product (imo). It's also worth noting that the price point between Japanese and German vehicles has never been closer, so why settle for something basic when you're in a similar price point. Japanese vehicles were always there for 'average American's' who didn't want / need something fancy but in today's market that's not the case anymore. We paid some $45k out the door for her '22 mazda3 turbo; which was ridiculous imo btw but that's what she wanted at the time I guess and ultimately regrets the purchase now.

10 years ago you could go to any dealer lot and look at various brand-new cars for well under $20k, today even the cheapest cars are floating mid - high 20's. And that's for a mazda with all kinds issues out the door like multiple electrical pcm bugs, cheap / thin paint, etc. When you've the buyer, you are more than entitled to have your own standards for where your money goes.

45k US for a Mazda 3? Dude. That might explain why Mazda isn't too popular there. Not my place to convince you either way, but I find japanese luxury brands (lexus, infinity, acura) are great value for similar quality/features from Germany. With less maintenance overhead.

Crazy right!?! This was with a few premium warranties added on like prepaid maintenance, wheel protection program, etc but yeah, I was shocked at the time. Even more so that we're just walking away from it now and the value has already dropped below $30k. Ouch!

Honda is the greatest Japanese company ever imo and while I do like the look of a few Acura's, their interiors are awful and there are no models which are large enough for what we're looking for. Some Lexus are nice but I could never convince myself to pay so much for a Japanese vehicle. They are, have been and always will be cheapie cars to me. That's why I became a fan in the first place, because it was reasonably priced quality that an average person could afford. Not so anymore.

We live in a weird world where video games, social media and online publications now have an affect on market value(s).

Quick update.

My wife and I have decided on a low mile CPO 2018 Volvo V90 T6 Cross-Country for our primary family vehicle / her daily driver. Nice fit and finish plus solid construction and design throughout imo.

And since my Speed3 and rx8 are unsuitable, I'm having to look for an inexpensive replacement vehicle. Ultimately would like to find something within / around the $10k price point. Storage / travel space, economy and reliability are the highest priorities for me.

Here's a list of my tops picks so far:
-2010+ Prius V
-1995 - 2010 Mercedes E-series wagon
-2000 - 2010 BMW 3 / 5 series wagon
-2003 - 2006 Explorer Sport Trac
-2005 - 2008 Ford F150 crew cab 4x4
-1980+ VW Vanagon / Westfalia
-1980's Toyota Van (funny 80's wedge car)
-2001+ Mitsubishi Montero XLS

I really have no idea what I'll potentially pick at this point. Love to hear any constructive thoughts or suggestions.

Thanks for looking!

Lands Surveyor I worked for in the 80’s had one of those Toyota vans. Quirky and slow but, quite durable. I curbed it a couple times until I got used to sitting in front of the axle. If not this (with a header to make it cool) then either wagon cause wagons are great (SUV’s suck). Lastly, in a rare occurrence I have to agree with Jeremy Clarkson - just say no to the Prius.

Yeah I remember seeing them in my childhood. Always thought they were funny / interesting vehicle. I figured if I were able to find one in roadworthy condition, I imagine it shouldn't be too hard to keep on the road and have some fun. After alI it's a Toyota at the end of the day. And I've looked into the BMW 3 and 5 series wagons. Nice product, lots of good reviews. Definitely a top contender imo. Thanks @delhi for the recommendation.

After some more thinking, also considering:
-2003 - 2015 Honda Pilot
-2006 - 2012 Honda Ridgeline
-2004 - 2013 BMW x5
-2003 - 2013 BMW x3

ps- always wanted a Mistu expo but def too small and doubtful I'd ever find a decent one.
https://www.thedrive.com/news/39722/...ing-of-the-90s

That car MSRPs for $38k. It's kind of wild paying all of the finance bro's sucker taxes (prepaid maintenance, unnecessary warranties, etc.) and then getting mad about depreciation based on total purchase price. To make it worse, the most highly-optioned trim will also experience the most depreciation relative to its peers. It may have been worth the $15k extra for you to get all of the leather and bells and whistles over the base model, but the secondary market is absolutely not paying that difference.

Losing $8k in the first year of a $38k car is about 21% depreciation.

For comparison, a 2022 V90 with an MSRP of $65,345 currently books for $49k, for a depreciation of 24%.

A loaded E400 wagon will MSRP for $79,310, currently books for $63k, for about 20% depreciation.

Nothing about the 3's depreciation is out of line.

U-Haul will not rent a trailer to you if you're in a Sport Trac, so if you ever want to pull a car or any other trailer, that won't be an option.

100% skip. They all have the horrible 4.6 and 5.4 engines. Terrible mpg, terrible reliability, terrible power. The bang-for-buck F150 right now is the 2011-up 5.0. It has a few common issues, but no show-stoppers. HOWEVER, if it hasn't had the lead frame replaced, skip it. The transmission controls go bad and require replacement of the sensor assembly (lead frame). Guess what part no one can get right now?

Good to know about the Ford's, I'll take a look at 2011+ and skip the Sport Trac. I will say that's it's definitely hard to find an interesting used vehicle these days and who would've ever thought that one day you'd need $10k or more to buy an acceptable beater? Smh.

Few other vehicles came to mind. I don't recall the Chevy / Caddy ever being too popular and there's def not many left on the road. Also highly unlikely there'll be a MPV with lowish miles and in decent condition.

-Chevy Avalance
-Cadillac Escalade EXT
-90's Mazda MPV 4x4

Still on the hunt.

Most recently I'm leaning towards a Honda Element but finding a 'clean' one with lower miles is definitely a task. Always wanted one for some reason. Somewhere around 10 years ago I was planning to get a manual 4x4 for a franken 2.4 kswap and lift it with some big tires but never came to fruition. Maybe now is that time… ? Never know.

ps- There are still a few other potentials (boring regular cars) but nothing as interesting as the Honda imo.

Nobody's upset, it was for my wife. We'd been looking for a 'fun' and 'new' car for a couple years that would fit the dogs, etc and she actually had her eye on a M coupe but she refused to drive manual. M coupe would've been similar in cost (arguably 'money well spend' by comparison) and appreciated in value but she doesn't view / value a vehicle in this way; it's more about the actual use / function of a vehicle that is most important to her. I scratch my head sometimes at all the options available to her and with what she actually ends up with in the end. It's the 'to each their own / is what it is' circumstance.

For the new car, try out the CX-90, maybe?

If that's too big, there is the CX-70 that will hit the scene next spring.

For the cheaper beater, well, you can just get a 2nd Gen Mazda3 that's not a Speed, LOL. Outside the Speed, they are actually all pretty reliable. Just need shocks if they get up in the miles, but heh, that's a great chance to throw on some nicer shocks. My vote goes to the Skyactiv 2.0 variant, but if you do want the bells and whistles then you would need to take the hit in gas mileage with the MZR 2.5. A 3rd or 4th Gen is great as well if you can find them for a good deal.

Mazda3 MSRP goes for ~CAN$38k here in Canada in fully loaded form(GT AWD Turbo). US$45k in the US is... wow.

MSRP is $38k in the US, too. $45k is if you buy every dealer add-on that they try and pitch you.

Update:

After what feels like endless searching, it's apparent that finding a subjectively 'cool' family car for under $10k in today's market is nearly impossible. So I've been trying my best to find a creative solution to acquire a new vehicle that aligns with my specific needs. Ideally my choice would be a daily driver that is A) fun to drive, B) provide adequate space for the family, and C) capable of accommodating the occasional vacation track day.

In my most recent search, I considered vehicles like the Fiesta ST and Focus RS; however, the ST is too small for my needs and lacks in the styling department (imo). As for the RS, aside from its known head gasket issues and other noted flaws, it seems overpriced to me for the value. Unexpectedly during this cross-shopping phase, I discovered that I'm not far off from considering the new Corolla GR. Now that's something I can get excited about!

So I believe I've finally found what I've been searching for to replace my Speed3 in the Corolla as it can potentially fulfill all the qualities I've been looking for. It does come as a bittersweet realization that I'll be bidding farewell to both my Mazdas after all these years to fund it, but Toyota has been producing some great vehicles lately, and I believe it's a car well worth exploring.

Did not see that coming. This thread started with E350s which can fit 2 Corolla GR's in their wheelbase :/

Too late to this conversation, but I just bought a Gen 4 Chrysler Town and Country, 2007. I worked on a 2005 for a friend and was impressed with it, so I bought one myself. I was never a minivan person, in fact I scoffed at them. The chassis is very stiff, given all the holes in the body for doors. The steering feedback and feel is very surprising. It is a pleasure to drive and eats miles much better than a truck or SUV, and definitely handles much better , and I own both of those.They are also very reliable, with +300k mile examples all around. If anyone needs a hauler, look at one of these. Low wind noise due to Tic-Tac shape, and easy 90+ mph cruise with the 3.8. Parts are very cheap and available also.Definitely not cool, but maybe so uncool, it’s cool now? No?

Yeah, I'm with you on that one, haha! The idea of buying the Corolla just popped into my head out of nowhere!

But seriously, finding a clean older E350 wagon these days is like searching for a needle in a haystack. Most of the ones you come across have high mileage, poor interior / exterior condition, or both. I've spent a lot of time trying to figure out what might work best for me going forward and I've realized that it's time for a change. I've forced myself to come to terms with the fact that my Speed3's time has passed and the RX-8 is completely impractical except as a dedicated toy, which I no longer have the spare time or space to maintain.

On the positive, I've never owned such a 'new' car before and I'm really looking forward to the experience. Plus, it gives me the chance to do my usual JDM treatment, as that's just my thing. What's even more exciting is that there's a decent amount of aftermarket support for this platform and I've already got a few plans in the works. In reality, I've been keeping an eye on the evolution of the modern Toyota brand over the years and I think they produce some decent products. Not that I personally want a Camry or anything, but I always tease my wife that Toyota makes the quintessential dad car.