Help with car market (wagons)

  • Thread starter Thread starter eliseracer
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eliseracer

eliseracer

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There should be a thread made for "what should I get". Well here's my case.

My dad wants a new wagon. Our lasy one was a 1993 Ford Taurus wagon GLE. That one is completely shot, and is waiting for a towtruck to take it off... Now, we need a replacement. It needs to be BIG. Here are the constraints.

-Not necessarily brand-new-off-the-lot. It can be (and is prefered) a year or three old.

-15-23K CDN $$$

-A lot of L in cargo space (something liek a Focus is too small).

-It can't be a Ford (the Taurus has been another bad Ford experience).

We've looked at (on the net) several cars, including the Legacy, Volvo V70, Mazda 6, and maybe one or two more. But what has seriously caught the interest of us is the new Magnum. He has fallen in love with this car. We will go to a lot tomorow (if they're open) and check out that car.

Anything else we should look for? Anything else be included? Maybe some of the German wagon versions??? All help appreciated.
 
A Jetta Wagon perhaps? They retail new for about $20K. 1.8T or V6 I believe. Or is this too small for your needs?
 
If I was buying a wagon, the Magnum is the first place I'd head. Skip the small 6 and go for the gusto in the engine bay. M5Power will tell you it's not a worthy car because it has a redneck-style ad campaign. So what? It's badass, with capital B and A.

The V70 is a very nice car, but Volvos hold their resale value well in general, which means used ones are no bargain.

I drove a Mazda6 V6 5-door several times during our recent car search. It's a nice car, without doubt. The interior is a little cheezy, but it handles decently and has usable power. Not a stellar car, but priced pretty reasonably. Doug also hates the 6. I opted not to buy it; but I can't see hating it at all. If you care about Consumer Reports, I believe the 6 just got bumped off their "Recommended" list because of some early-model reliability issues.

I have never driven a Legacy but my brother-in-law loves his to death. I don't like the Outback, but the regular version looks good for a wagon. Sube's reputation is on the upswing again, too.

Consider -gasp- a minivan? The Grand Caravan AWD Sport has a 3.8 litre V6, full time AWD, and rides and handles decently. It's also got beaucoup room in back. With the rear seats out you can shut the hatch on a stack of plywood. A 2001 should be well in your price range, and IMHO they look great. It's a big vehicle, though. Nearly the size of a Yukon, but way more usable interior space.
 
Duke decided to ignore the price range. :p

$23k CDN = $19k USD

eliseracer, it's a really simple call: the Subaru Outback. Buy the nicest model you can afford. Nothing else comes close at all.

Do not, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, buy a Dodge Magnum if it does not have the 5.7-liter V8 or the 3.5-liter V6 and one hell of a lot of options. The 2.7 is a hateful car, and the 3.5 isn't great unless you're married to the thing. Why get a new Mazda 6i wagon when you could have a 3-year-old Outback with two sunroofs, heated everything, a CD changer, alloys, AWD, leather, and all sorts of other luxury stuff? Not to mention a bulletproof engine. Volvo V70s are okay, but you wouldn't get the same stuff as you would in the Outback. ONLY buy a V70 if it's a turbo, no matter which turbo. Base models are dogs, and they don't have anything on them anyway. Though for $18 you kind of have free range over 1998-2000 V70s.
 
Jetta wagon is too small. That has already beened ruled out. Even the Passat wagons aren't up there. Their problem is I'd be looking at a pre-2001 car.

How would a late 90s XC70 compare to a newer Outback?

Today I'll be going through one of those car dealership developments. I'll check out the suggested cars, even if the places are closed.

Thanks to all, if anyone else has any other suggestions or comments, I'd appreciate the help!
 
W123 (1979-1985) mercedes 300TD.

solid and dependable as the sun rising tomorrow.

slow as hell though. but faster than the non turbo and 240D versions
 
eliseracer
Jetta wagon is too small. That has already beened ruled out. Even the Passat wagons aren't up there. Their problem is I'd be looking at a pre-2001 car.

How would a late 90s XC70 compare to a newer Outback?
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You can get a 1998-2001 Passat wagon with a lot of stuff on it, though few will have all-wheel drive like the Volvo and the Outback. One thing to note is that the Volvo XC70 is a 2004 term. From 1998 to 2000 it was referred to as the V70 XC, V70 Cross Country, and by some print sources the V70 X Country. The vehicle didn't have as much utility as current models; it was basically nothing more than a V70 with AWD and a different name, unlike current XC70 models which actually have more ground clearance and unique styling. Consequently, there's no reason to get a 1998-2000 V70 XC, when you could have a 1998-2000 V70 with AWD and without the price premium. It stacks up well against an Outback, with more power and similar stuff for a similar price, but the price is only similar comparing a 2000 V70 with, say, a 2002 Outback, so it depends how much you like the Volvo if you're willing to go two years older than the Outback.

By the way: Volvo made a V70R, a high-performance all-wheel drive V70 from 1998 to 2000. I believe it had 247 horsepower, and was the wagon version of the S70 T5, though the S70 T5 didn't have AWD or the V70R's kickass gray alloy wheels. V70Rs aren't particularly rare, either, or very expensive, but they look nice and go damn well.

Uhh. No no chance we will buy a 20 year old car "just because".
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They look their age too. I'd recommend it if your budget was $6000, not $19000, though even then it wouldn't be my first recommendation.
 
-> Here's a nice suggestion, another nice alternative to the Outback is the Forester 2.5XT. It has decent power, adequate cargo capacity, and really practical for the dough.
 
The Vanishing Boy
-> Here's a nice suggestion, another nice alternative to the Outback is the Forester 2.5XT. It has decent power, adequate cargo capacity, and really practical for the dough.
Click to expand...
Probably too smal for eliseracer's needs though.
 
Yes, Forester is too small. For my little teenager desires, I'd have him get one of those, simply because it is the most car-like of the small SUVs. Or an Impreza wagon. But the world doesn't work like that...

Checked out the Magnums today (on a closed dealer lot) and it doesn't look good. My dad agrees that the 2.7 model may not be enough. And when their value comes down to our level, at least a year will have passed.

We had an old late 80s Legacy wagon (a looooooooooong time ago) and my dad loved that car to its death. It now looks as if that car is on the top of our list.

Thanks for the help.
 
-> Ok, so if the F-XT is a bit to small, get te the Legacy 2.5GT of the Outback 2.5XT. :)
 
You know, the non-turbo 2.5L Legacy isn't exacty a slouch of a car. It would whoop the **** out of a base Magnum.

A Legacy 2.5i wagon almost squeaks under the 19 K limit. Well, not quite. But a lightly used one would work nicely.
 
What's the point of buying a base-spec new Leg when you could have a two-year-old Leg with everything on it and the same engine/transmission combo? I don't get this, or why certain people (one ethnic group in particular, say the stats) is dead-set on buying new cars like the Chevrolet Aveo and Kia Rio when for the same price they could have a four-year-old A4 and infinitely more class. It makes no sense. These days, with the reliability of cars, 'nearly new' is just as good as 'new' and usually way better.
 
^ agreed!!!

I found a couple nice deals on 2001 and 2002 Outbacks/Legcacies. That honestly seems like the way to go. Thanks agian to everyone for the help.
 
M5Power
I don't get this, or why certain people (one ethnic group in particular, say the stats) is dead-set on buying new cars like the Chevrolet Aveo and Kia Rio when for the same price they could have a four-year-old A4 and infinitely more class.
Click to expand...
I have nothing against used cars, but having just been car shopping for the past 2 months, I'm here to tell you there is no way you're going to pick up a 2000-2001 A4 for under $10,000.
 
Def put the vote in for the Subaru Forester, I love that vehicle, I've been pricing and driving this class of car too.....
 

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