Safe, Fun, Reliable, AWD Wagon or Hatchback for under $10,000?

"saw930" (saw930) 07/29/2014 at 21:32 • Filed to: None

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In the coming weeks I'll be purchasing my first car to bring with me up to college in upstate New York. As you can tell from the title I already have a pretty good idea of what I want, and I figured that as Jalops, you guys would be the perfect crowd to help me find it.

I know how important it is for a young driver like me to have a safe car, so I'm looking for something that has good crash-test results, stability control, and side curtain airbags. In addition, I'd like my car to have AWD because I'll be doing most of my winter driving on snowy roads to and from ski mountains, and reliable so my car won't break down frequently. And as an enthusiast, I'd prefer a car that's at least somewhat fun and responsive, and for practicality's sake I won't even consider something that has a trunk. So far, I've found a few, but not many, options that come close to this goal, such as some early examples of the last generation Subaru Impreza hatch ('08-'11), the last 2 generations of the VW Passat wagon, and, to my surprise, the W203 Mercedes C-Class Wagon. I'm considering broadening my search and pricepoint to find more options, but before I do are there any good choices I'm overlooking? Thanks for your help guys!

Photo from !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

RoadHead -- Armand > saw930 07/29/2014 at 21:34

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AMC Eagle! This isn't hard people...

Dwhite - Powered by Caffeine, Daft Punk, and Corgis > saw930 07/29/2014 at 21:36

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How about a Volvo?

Nibby > saw930 07/29/2014 at 21:36

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Nope. W203 is so much nope. My parents had a 2002 C240 sedan when new, always was at the dealer for some stupid repair. Electronic crap, tires, lights, transmission..

JGrabowMSt > saw930 07/29/2014 at 21:37

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Subaru 4WD Wagon. Well, good luck finding one, but it'll be very reliable, safe, and tons of fun. You'll also meet tons of cool people that will want to talk about it.

And the spare tire is a great conversation piece.

nippon > RoadHead -- Armand 07/29/2014 at 21:39

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I'm more of a Tercel guy. It's small like a hatch yet its a wagon.
Also, look at dat tech! Clinometer ftw!

(pic stolen from tercel4wd forums)

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > saw930 07/29/2014 at 21:41

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E46 3-Series Touring with xDrive.

Firewrx234 > saw930 07/29/2014 at 21:42

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This (sorry in advance for it being a link from my phone): http://www.nadaguides.com/iphone.aspx?LI…

And for those that hate links, it's a 2007 Magnum SXT AWD

My citroen won't start > saw930 07/29/2014 at 21:43

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Saab 9-3 Turbo X SportCombi

chaozbandit > nippon 07/29/2014 at 21:47

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How about a Saab? Built on the trusted Impreza AWD platform, you could find a decent 9-2X Aero or 9-5 SportCombi (assuming you really, really want an AWD wagon)

RoadHead -- Armand > nippon 07/29/2014 at 21:49

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Holy balls is that futuristic

MAXIMUMVRM > saw930 07/29/2014 at 21:51

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Volvo XC70 *end discussion

Fleetwouldhoon > saw930 07/29/2014 at 21:53

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Mercedes C-class is something you should avoid in your college years just because it will not be the most dependable vehicle, and dependable is exactly what you are looking for. Realistically, a Subaru is what I recommend to people, but there are two rather Jalop options -

E46 Wagen

Or

2005 Saabaru 9-2X Boxer

http://m.cars.com/vehicledetail/…

Anon > saw930 07/29/2014 at 21:53

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Acura TSX sport wagon? 240 hp, AWD, and I think you can get one in a manual.

Desu-San-Desu > saw930 07/29/2014 at 22:04

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SAABARU!

saw930 > saw930 07/29/2014 at 22:27

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Funny you all recommended the Saabaru, because that would've been my top choice if it weren't for its lack of stability control.

Deal Killer - Powered by Focus > saw930 07/29/2014 at 22:40

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How hard could it be to find one of these in good condition? It's only what, 25 years old now? It's a classic. Total Jalop cred right here.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > saw930 07/29/2014 at 22:52

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A 4matic C-class in that price range is going to be neglected and underpowered. Don't go that route for your first Mercedes. You could do an s210 E-class 4matic. Those are less money and better built, quite reliable, just not terribly responsive and fun.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Nibby 07/29/2014 at 22:56

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I'll even agree with this, though they are much much better after the face-lift.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Logansteno: Bought a VW? 07/29/2014 at 22:57

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Yes, but good luck finding one that isn't clapped out for that kind of money.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Fleetwouldhoon 07/29/2014 at 23:00

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I agree with your sentiments on the 203, but other chassis are much better. And I would argue that an e46 could/would be worse.

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 07/29/2014 at 23:01

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Under budget, clean looking, less than 90K miles.

http://stlouis.craigslist.org/ctd/4558634583…

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > saw930 07/29/2014 at 23:03

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I would go for a saabaru in your situation. But try to stay under budget so you have money left over to put into fixing it up or catching up on maintenance. You don't want to spend all of your money or max out your credit buying the car only to have the timing belt break 2 days later.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Logansteno: Bought a VW? 07/29/2014 at 23:11

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Nice! I would drive one, maybe. In my neck of the woods anything with AWD, especially if it's euro or a Subaru goes for 2-3 times what kbb says it should. I see mid nineties legacies sell for 3-4k with high miles and dirty titles all of the time. So any xdrive car, very rare to not be in the teens, unless it's an e30,then at least 5k in poor condition.

Volvo 850 > saw930 07/29/2014 at 23:24

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FWD with snow tires will serve you better than AWD. AWD helps you with acceleration, but it does nothing for stopping or turning. Of course, AWD and snow tires is ideal. Since you're looking for something reliable don't waste your time with the W203 or B5 Passat. A 4th gen Subaru Legacy is a good option, but wagons are tough to find and carry a significant premium. The Impreza is much easier to find. Subaru took their time with adding stability control to their cars, so finding either one with stability control won't be easy. If FWD is okay the Pontiac Vibe GT/Toyota Matrix XRS is pretty fun and curtain airbags and stability were optional toward the end of the 1st generation. The Volvo V50 is another fun wagon. AWD was only available on the T5, so it's expensive. T5's are fast, but the 2.4i is surprisingly fun, more reliable, and you'll get one with lower miles for your money. $10k V50's seem to have fairly high mileage and I wouldn't trust a 100k mile V50 as much as a 100k mile Legacy. You might want to throw in the Subaru Forester as well, especially if you're really set on getting AWD.

Satoshi "Zipang" Katsura > saw930 07/29/2014 at 23:33

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This ticks all of your requirements. Subaru Legacy Outback H6 VDC. Supposedly, it has VTD which has "45/55 front/rear power distribution." And it comes with a McIntosh sound system.

jmart > saw930 07/30/2014 at 02:09

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I just bought a 2002 Audi A4 Avant 3.0 with the 6-speed and Quattro. Great car, I'd recommend. $6500 in Canada

Desu-San-Desu > Volvo 850 07/30/2014 at 10:17

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The difficulty of Subaru availability is very regional. Down here, Legacy wagons and Foresters are super easy to find, but base model Imprezas never seem to be for sale.

Desu-San-Desu > JGrabowMSt 07/30/2014 at 10:19

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Why does everyone keep saying good luck finding one? I can throw a rock and hit 27 for sale in my zip code alone.

Desu-San-Desu > saw930 07/30/2014 at 10:20

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Stability control is less important than the driver. I've never in my life owned a car with stability control. Instead I just learn the car and my limits.

JGrabowMSt > Desu-San-Desu 07/30/2014 at 10:23

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because they rust as bad as a second gen neon

Desu-San-Desu > JGrabowMSt 07/30/2014 at 10:33

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Ah, that may have something to do with it. Rust isn't an issue in my neck of the woods.

JGrabowMSt > Desu-San-Desu 07/30/2014 at 10:36

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They are coming back, but Id love to actually have a Brat. More fun to lock the passenger door and make friends ride in the back.

Would be an amazing camera car as well.

functionoverfashion > Logansteno: Bought a VW? 07/30/2014 at 10:46

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That's not an xi...

functionoverfashion > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 07/30/2014 at 10:49

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I bought my last two E46 wagons, manual transmissions, xi (awd) for under 10k each. One needed more work than the other, but I just bought an '03 a few weeks ago in great shape. Definitely NOT a low-maintenance car, but also very reliable if maintained. And safe, fun, great in the snow. And my old 2001 held its value very well. I paid about 9k for it 5 years ago and sold it for almost 4k.

Fleetwouldhoon > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 07/30/2014 at 11:07

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Now that I think of it, I concur with you, an E46 wouldn't be any better. I suppose if I were to recommend a sub-10k mercedes wagon, despite the slowness, it would probably be a mint W123 diesel. 

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > functionoverfashion 07/30/2014 at 11:28

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That was literally the only one for sale in their budget on my local CL. I highly doubt xDrive is going to add another $2500+ to the asking price.

BJustice79 > Dwhite - Powered by Caffeine, Daft Punk, and Corgis 07/30/2014 at 16:06

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V70R /thread

functionoverfashion > Logansteno: Bought a VW? 07/30/2014 at 21:37

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This is true. In New Hampshire, there are several E46 325 xi wagons for sale well under 10k. There's my old one which I recently sold for under 4k, which needed nothing, and a few others in the last few months... that probably all need work. But still! If you could get one for 5k you could chip away at the issues with the rest of the money... but I am biased because I bought another one since I liked the first one so much...

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Fleetwouldhoon 07/30/2014 at 22:50

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I would stay away from 124's if you need awd, very leaky and expensive. 210's are actualy very good though.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > functionoverfashion 07/30/2014 at 22:56

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All the same can be said about the 203, reliable when maintained. Just about the only random break down type of item is crankshaft sensors and those aren't very expensive. But good luck finding one in a manual. I just don't think they would be good choices for the OP considering his current situation.

Wyldcard > saw930 07/31/2014 at 00:16

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No AWD option available in North America, but what about a Mazda 6 V6 wagon?

Eric Villanueva > saw930 07/31/2014 at 08:31

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http://www.ebay.com/itm/FREE-SHIPP…

functionoverfashion > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 07/31/2014 at 14:45

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Yeah I agree with the last part especially. I would NOT have wanted to have my car in college. A Honda Accord was perfect. On the manual transmissions, at least the BMWs aren't that hard to find in manual. At least in New England, it seems like they're about 1 in 3 or 4, which is pretty good really.

DipodomysDeserti > functionoverfashion 08/02/2014 at 14:46

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About a 40% drop in value over five years on a car that is already fourteen years old is considered holding value very well? Welcome to the world of German cars.

DipodomysDeserti > Desu-San-Desu 08/02/2014 at 14:47

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I'm in AZ and they're not hard to find. You go to the NW and you get multiple CL pages of Subaru wagons for sale.

functionoverfashion > DipodomysDeserti 08/04/2014 at 10:13

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The car was 13 years old this year, and I bought it when it was 8 years old. It wasn't "already 14" nor is it now. I guess what I'm saying is I tracked ALL my costs including oil changes and tires, and it was less than just the payment on a new car, not counting consumables and the increased insurance and registration costs. So if you look at ALL the factors, it's quite affordable and also really nice to drive. But you do need to be able to wrench on it yourself a bit, or the costs will be much higher than they were for me.

DipodomysDeserti > functionoverfashion 08/04/2014 at 11:13

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Definitely. I you can do maintenance and repair yourself then the costs are very reasonable.

Pabuuu, JDM car enthusiast & Italian parts hoarder > saw930 08/26/2014 at 04:50

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Jaguar X-Type wagon 4x4