I need some incite into following in terms of reliability and cost of maintenance:
2000+ Mercedes E-Class Wagons
2000+ BMW 5-Series Wagons
Dodge Magnum?
2010+ VW/Audi (got another thread specifically for these)
From what I can tell, the Japanese haven't made many big wagons recently. The G35 Wagon is rare, Lexus only had the IS-Sportback, right?
I'm basically looking for something that's a Subaru Outback...but not a Subaru Outback.
Had a IS Sportcross . Great chassis. Wouldnt call it a proper wagon, more like a 5 door lift back
love my 2012 TSx wagon. Great chassis and space. More of a wagon for sure. But has the gimpomatic only. Owned since new. 127k miles. Oil changes, tires, other fluids. Typical honda reliability
pheller said:I'm basically looking for something that's a Subaru Outback...but not a Subaru Outback.
Buick Regal TourX
Older Volvo's might be an option as well. Here's an XC70 (Cross Country) from 2010
+1 for the Regal.
+2 for the Volvo V60 Cross Country. Mine holds a decent amount of stuff, especially with the rear seats down. Still a wagon rather than an SUV, just lifted an inch or two. NOT the same as an XC60 which is much taller. The V60 is easier to find in CC trim than in the regular sedan-height version.
+3 for the Volvo V90 wagon, except they brought about 12 into the US and the people that managed to find them will never part with them.
I really like the Tour-X, but they are hard to find, and because they are new, most are new-car prices.
Looking for something in the $10k range.
The Tour X left the US market in 2020. It was not really an expensive car when new (by current new car standards...) with roughly a $30K-35K base price. You might be able to find a used 2018 model for not too much more than your $10K budget.
To me, that budget is a bit scary. Anything German in that price range is likely to be older and a dice roll on maintenance history. Ditto on the Volvo options. The Magnum shouldn't be too hard to find, but those have been out of production for awhile, so finding a good used one will take time.
Subaru is kind of the easy button here simply because you'll likely have the most to chose from.
Maybe VW? My ex's Golf Alltrack is nice and was even sold with a manual (hers is one).
Asking $12k or less gets you a 2015 V60 with 120,000-150,000 on the clock.
In reply to Ian F (Forum Supporter) :
That's what I'm looking to determine. Is $10k too little for most "reliable" cars in this segment?
I've also already got a fuel chugging huge vehicle, my Tundra, which aside from tire balancing issues is a pretty good highway cruiser. It just gets 10-15mpg while doing it.
Therefore, getting a really powerful wagon seems silly if it only gets 20mpg highway.
I'd like to find something that is more of a sipper at highway speeds, but still has some power left in reserve. The Fit is strung out at 75mph. The Prius is better, but not by much.
In order or priority:
1) Size
2) Fuel Efficiency
3) Reliability
4) Power/Fun
Older than you're looking for, and also rare and hard to find, but BMW had an e34 525iX all wheel drive wagon in the 1990s that was pretty cool. Here's one example that sold several years ago on Bring a Trailer. https://bringatrailer.com/2016/11/13/rare-euro-market-5-speed-awd-wagon-1996-bmw-525ix/
I had a Magnum R/T for a short while. It was fun, and fast for 4400 pounds, but I wouldn't recommend it. I sold it faster than any other car I've owned. Just too many build quality issues.
A friend of mine bought a CPO Mercedes wagon, IIRC it was around 2 or 3 years old when he got it. It's now got close to 100k miles on it, and as far as I know it's been pretty reliable. But, a CPO Merc wagon will run you about 3x your budget.
I have a line on a 2004 E320 Wagon for a good price. What goes wrong with them?
In reply to stuart in mn :
Same friend who now has the Mercedes wagon had a BMW 525 wagon before it. They rang it up to 314,000 miles before donating it.
I know you have the other thread discussing vw's, but I have to say I think they are the answer here. Although I don't have a lot of experience with Volvo's
$10k will get you a good 10 year or newer one. They have lots of flavors from FWD tdi to AWD gas. Bonus for the diesel ones is that all the big expensive scary parts are under warranty for a while longer. They are the best, most useful road trip car I've ever had. Comfortable and knocks down 40+ highway all day long. My wagon had more trunk space than my wife's current Touareg.
Example https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/194320689340015/?ref=saved&referral_code=null
If you go a little earlier you can find V50 volvos for really cheap
I've had several e90 3 series wagons. They are pretty cars, but the useable space inside is nothing compared to the VW's. Also premium gas.
Friend of mine owns a tourX. Surprisingly big car. Runs on the finest of cheap 87. Obscure enough that you can probably still get a good deal on one of these. Every market is different, but I'm guessing a low mileage '18 can be had for low 20's. However, resale will suck if you take that kind of thing into consideration.
You should be able to get a SAAB 9-5 Aero wagon. Manuals can be found, though they are getting more difficult to find.
I bought my 130k XC70 T6 for $10k in April of 2020. I've put 20k on it since with zero issues. Awesome cars.
Biggest question you need to ask yourself is what you want out of the car, if you are looking big and comfy cruiser, or appliance, there are lots of choices..
If you are looking for something that most would consider sporty or fast, the pickings get really slim. (Add a manual to that and they get even slimmer)
They made a G35 wagon??
I see some high mile CTS wagons floating around there. Don't know how they hold up.
pheller said:From what I can tell, the Japanese haven't made many big wagons recently. The G35 Wagon is rare, Lexus only had the IS-Sportback, right?
Would a Toyota Venza or Honda Accord Crosstour count as a big wagon?
2010+ Jetta Wagon seems like a good bet.
What's the deal with 2010+ Audi TDI Wagons? This would be the A3. They look smaller than the Jetta.
How does Diesel compare nationwide in pricing via gas? I always thought it was more expensive.
Volvo's look nice. How's the headroom? It can be difficult to get a kid into a carseat if there isn't much greenhouse.
There is a 2004 E320 W211 Wagon for sale near me for $3400.
168,000
Converted to spring suspension.
Ice cold A/C, tires are good, runs drives good, valve cover gaskets just replaced.....
has a small exhaust leak, aux battery needs replaced, main battery new
I don't mind higher mileage cars in the desert. We don't have rust here. But I do take into consideration higher mileage maintenance issues.
A Benz wagon will never go offroad, but that's ok. I still have the truck for that.
pheller said:A Benz wagon will never go offroad,
Clearly, you have not visited any countries in Africa.
I'm not sure if they are down in the $10k range but will play devil's advocate and say...Prius V? There is that company that has the off road hardware for them.
I know it's the bad S word but what about a Forester? You can then with three pedals.
Is a CX-5 too small? They are starting to come down in the $10k range and manuals are available.
You'll need to log in to post.
