Madhatr's 'What car? thread'...

Ok guys,  hopefully you are not tired of these yet.... but here it goes

The Wife currently has an 02 Audi A4 Quattro  (b6) that we purchased 4 or 5 years ago after the 01 we bought was totaled after a month of ownership. 

The 02 seems to have had a bit of a rough life before we got it and it now has enough nagging issues that the wife is thinking it might be time to CUT our losses and find something else.

The main NEEDS are:

Dependable

Four doors

Heat- A/C

$5000-6000 Price range

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We both kind like the little Audi, it has the five speed (Wire prefers a manual) has a sunroof for her, heated seats, the turbo 4 is peppy, got good gas mileage  and the AWD is more than capable in the snow (so it is also preferred).   She doesn't want anything too big, so SUVs are kinda out. Also I have yet to convince her a wagon is a good idea. It would also be a bonus if what ever we find doesn't make me want to set it on fire every time I work on it... or get be hind the wheel.

So I am turning to the GRM group to see what might be in your collective minds. What should we be looking into? What should we be avoiding? What have had good luck with?

Not entirely sure it’s what you’re looking for or not, but we’ve had good look with an E90 328xi bought new that’s now pushing 160,000 miles.  Most of the stuff that wears out on these (mainly suspension) is  DIYable.  AWD does make it harder to work on though.

We’re not selling ours, but we are nearby should your wife want to try one on for size. 

In reply to Karacticus :

Cool. I will definitely keep that in mind. Really we are just wanting to know what might be out there, and what people might have had experience with. We are pretty open right now.  

Foreign/ luxury cars are really not my area of expertise and if I put my wife in something -I- considered drivable... it would be bad news bears 

Have you thought about subarus? I drove an 04 Forester(impreza on stilts) for a few years after my mom passed it to me. Absolutely loved that car. We had it for 145k and the only things we did were regular preventative maintenance. Very comfy, good room inside, 30 +/-2 mpg.

‘05 Infinity G35X 

If you definitely want manual AWD, I'd take a look at the Mazdaspeed 6. The Grand Touring package should net you all the creature comforts you mention. It would be at the top end or slightly above your specified budget.

One counter thought though, does your other half really want to be kicking a clutch, dealing with Madison traffic daily? I know I wouldn't want to.

For autos, you could look at the 08+ Cadillac CTS, which was offered in AWD. I'm not certain on the difficulty of service, but I can't imagine it's worse than that Audi. Looks like there's some examples in your budget.

This is basically exactly the same search I've been on for months now. It's been surprisingly difficult. Although, I'm trying to stick to 100k or less, and I live in an expensive part of the country.

I've narrowed it down to Mazda 3/Protege, Matrix/Vibe, Focus ZX5 or wagon, Mazda 6, or Toyota Yaris sedan. You'll likely never find a Speed6 in that price range that isn't total crap, butif you can, that's great.

I don't consider BMWs to be dependable (other than I can depend on them leaking), but you've driven an Audi for a while, so you may have a different definition of that than me. 

I don't like Subarus due to the fact that they seem to have a lot of engine problems, but that's a personal bias. 

Hondas. I've also considered Honda Fits, but they are so hard to find with low miles or in that range. Also looked at a 7th gen Accord but the K24 was burning oil, and they seem to have ring issues. They also drive like "meh" stock despite the oh-my-god it's-got-wishbones-hnnnnn factor. The TSX might be better, but around here they are spendy.  

I haven't been able to find any Infinitis in that price range that weren't salvaged or without a zillion miles. The stance crowd got a hold of most of them... you may have better luck where you are tho. 

I'd add these not mentioned, (non-AWD) to the also consider list, albeit manuals are rarities:

Volvo S60 (NON: AWD, R)

Saab 95

Maxima

IS250 or 300

If dependable, pleasant (but not sporty) with a manual trans is the order then try looking for a '06 or newer Kia Optima or Hyundai Sonata. 

Both offered a 2.4L with manual trans. They are typically low option cars but since the normal buying public doesn't want a manual the prices get driven down pretty low if it has a manual trans. 

If looking at one in person, be sure to tell the seller, "it's nice but I wish it was an automatic" and the price might come down a little more. 

Sorry, no awd 

Thanks for the replies!  

SWMBO is not quite ready to buy anything yet. We are sifting through the options. AWD trumps a manual and we will have to see how big a car she actually wants... and what can 'see her self driving'.

I find it interesting that everyone seems to have an adverse reaction to the idea of working on the Audi. Everything I have done thus far, while maybe complex... seems thought through. 

FooBag said:

If you definitely want manual AWD, I'd take a look at the Mazdaspeed 6. The Grand Touring package should net you all the creature comforts you mention. It would be at the top end or slightly above your specified budget.

One counter thought though, does your other half really want to be kicking a clutch, dealing with Madison traffic daily? I know I wouldn't want to.

For autos, you could look at the 08+ Cadillac CTS, which was offered in AWD. I'm not certain on the difficulty of service, but I can't imagine it's worse than that Audi. Looks like there's some examples in your budget.

Well he does say in the OP the current car has a 5 speed and the wife prefers it...........so I'm guessing she doesn't mind kicking a clutch.

What about finding a better example of the A4? She seems to like it except for its hard life issues. There's bound to be one with a more reputable past out there somewhere.

itsarebuild said:

What about finding a better example of the A4? She seems to like it except for its hard life issues. There's bound to be one with a more reputable past out there somewhere.

That is probably what we will end up doing and have the best chance at finding what she wants. But I wanted to make sure that we didn't miss out on anything, due to my modern automotive reference  knowledge being less than up to date. Down side seems to be that the 2.0 motors have their issues.

The zook sx4 awd hatch is good, but rare and tiny.  Its below that critical threshold of awareness that gets people to actually shop for the things, so there could be a bargain out there.