Some good news! Apparently wagon sales are up.

Duke said:

rslifkin said:

Maybe one of the car companies should try advertising a wagon to the masses with something along the lines of "all of the cargo space of your medium sized SUV but with much better gas mileage"

People who want an SUV for the image don't care about gas mileage, and people who actually need an SUV are willing to put up with it.

And I dont think the wagons will get much better gas mileage,maybe one or 2 more at the most. But I could see how wagon sales improve while sedans further go away. Considering how the people moving market has been going this isant too crazy an idea.

Yes, the TSX wagons are insanely expensive around here. I could buy 2 Mazda5s and a Miata for the same price. 

I think it might help that rich folks are buying wagons, that might trickle down to the average income people. Then cheaper brands might start making them again to scoop up the bottom of the market.

We need Jay-Z to be spotted in a wagon!

CyberEric said:

Yes, the TSX wagons are insanely expensive around here. I could buy 2 Mazda5s and a Miata for the same price. 

 

WOW. Maybe I need to park my TSX wagon, and find another beater to daily drive. 

I did not realize till reading last night that this motherberkeleyer runs an 11.2 second 1/4. 

In reply to poopshovel again :

Yeah, it's nuts! It seems like before long, every car on the market will be sub-5 seconds to 60mph. And I'll still own cars that can't crack 8 seconds.

CyberEric said:

In reply to poopshovel again :

Yeah, it's nuts! It seems like before long, every car on the market will be sub-5 seconds to 60mph.

I'm OK with that.  Well, at least for those with driving skills.

I think the SUV trend is starting to go back to the wagon shape body anyway.  Things like the BMW X1. Lexus UX, Nissan Kicks, etc...are really just station wagons wearing high heels.

Well, if you have a 924/944 and about 18,000 Euro plus shipping costs, you could convert one to a Shooting Brake style Wagon.

http://www.gmundcars.com/cars/5075/Porsche_924_DP_Cargo

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-924-944-968-technical-forum/765072-dp-cargo-924-944-a.html

Duke said:

People who want an SUV for the image don't care about gas mileage, and people who actually need an SUV are willing to put up with it.

One thing that I have noticed that SUV people are a little less tolerant of than poor gas mileage is the cost to replace SUV tires and brakes.

All the G63 and LX570 in my neighborhood have expensive replacement tire 

I am a tire elitist so I notice all the time 

cheapo tires I see on rav4 and Hyundai suvs around here 

CyberEric said:

In reply to poopshovel again :

Yeah, it's nuts! It seems like before long, every car on the market will be sub-5 seconds to 60mph. And I'll still own cars that can't crack 8 seconds.

Any car can run 5 seconds 0-60.  You just have to find a steep enough hill.

Stefan said:

Well, if you have a 924/944 and about 18,000 Euro plus shipping costs, you could convert one to a Shooting Brake style Wagon.

http://www.gmundcars.com/cars/5075/Porsche_924_DP_Cargo

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-924-944-968-technical-forum/765072-dp-cargo-924-944-a.html

My goal is to be rich enough in life to where I can confidently call a dealer/manufacturer and have it come this way.

I'm happy that the car minority's constant mutual you-know-what is paying off here, but if you have ever used some of the more recent SUVs I can understand. While people still look at cars like simple appliances, I keep having co-workers complaining about how bad they drive and feel on the road. An acquaintance of mine's BMW X1 is especially off, and it doesn't help they've taken it back to the dealer for repairs 3 times.

I am actually kinda stunned how cheap Magnums are now. I saw a 120k ish miles one for....$1100. Thats pretty damn cheap

It was probably substantially screwed up or somehow broken. I'm still looking for the right 2008 2.7 model and the bottom around here for a decent one is 4k. Earlier ones are mechanically identical but I will pay (low) 4 digits of money for the `08 front end.  

Vigo said:

I am actually kinda stunned how cheap Magnums are now. I saw a 120k ish miles one for....$1100. Thats pretty damn cheap

It was probably substantially screwed up or somehow broken. I'm still looking for the right 2008 2.7 model and the bottom around here for a decent one is 4k. Earlier ones are mechanically identical but I will pay (low) 4 digits of money for the `08 front end.  

Yowzers! Really? 

Honestly, the Chrysler 2.7L V6 is one of the worst engines ever made. They literally blow up at idle for no reason. I have had one towed to my shop with 61,000 on the clock that locked up while the guy was backing out of his driveway

ErikTheSwede said:

Vigo said:

I am actually kinda stunned how cheap Magnums are now. I saw a 120k ish miles one for....$1100. Thats pretty damn cheap

It was probably substantially screwed up or somehow broken. I'm still looking for the right 2008 2.7 model and the bottom around here for a decent one is 4k. Earlier ones are mechanically identical but I will pay (low) 4 digits of money for the `08 front end.  

Yowzers! Really? 

Honestly, the Chrysler 2.7L V6 is one of the worst engines ever made. They literally blow up at idle for no reason. I have had one towed to my shop with 61,000 on the clock that locked up while the guy was backing out of his driveway

Yeah, I'm curious why you are looking for a 2.7L-powered one. They are an absolute dog trying to haul that much weight around and every Chrysler guy I know curses the 2.7L

In reply to NickD :

so is it "go hemi, or go home"?  or is one of their v6's a good platform to build off of?

sleepyhead said:

In reply to NickD :

so is it "go hemi, or go home"?  or is one of their v6's a good platform to build off of?

If there is a Hemi available, there is no reason to pick the V6. Ever. 

Unless you're just looking for a donor chassis.

sleepyhead said:

In reply to NickD :

so is it "go hemi, or go home"?  or is one of their v6's a good platform to build off of?

If we're talking Magnums, pretty much. The 3.5L was a pretty reliable motor, but not the most exciting. If we're talking all LX-chassis Mopars, the 3.6L Pentastar is a pretty spicy meatball.

One of these will be coming to the Rolex 24. 

mr2s2000elise said:

All the G63 and LX570 in my neighborhood have expensive replacement tire 

 

I am a tire elitist so I notice all the time 

 

cheapo tires I see on rav4 and Hyundai suvs around here 

I'm glad I'm not the only one that takes note of such things.

I am also a tire elitist. The cheapest I'll put on my own car is Continental. I'm a firm believer in cheap tires having more problems with punctures, leaks, sidewall bubbling, etc. 

Glad to be amongst some serious tire elitlist  and wagonistas.

I almost bought a used Golf Sportwagen but it sold under me. The VW dealer nearby where SWMBO goes had a new 4motion manual Golf Sportwagen recently but it sold..

Sort of off topic, but I was looking for wagons and just saw an AWD Dodge Magnum V8 for sale on my local CL. I had no idea they made those!