The best road trip cars, under 5 years old and $40,000?

"Nibbles" (nibbles) 08/24/2013 at 14:25 • Filed to: Ask OPPO, road trip

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I have a need, a need to go far away. Sometimes its just across state lines, others I like to see one of the coasts or see how many places I can get to in a week. I've had a number of great vehicles for this purpose, my personal fave being my old 2001 Impala LS - smooth power, stupendously comfortable and I could get in the low 30 MPGs on the highway trips. It's been a long time since I've had a road trip car though.

A couple years back we performed a Colorado-Florida trip in our 2007 Focus SES. That was the last long trip I've done because it only took us hitting about 600 miles before we realized the Focus is not good for road trips at all and we will put it off until we have something better. Well, the itch is getting to me badly.

I can't do it this year. I just took a low paying position at a new company. The upward movement, however, is exponential. I expect to be quite comfortable finance-wise in about 8 months. Just in time for the road trip season 2014. So I ask you, fellow Opponauts, what would be the best road trip car available right now, under 5 years old and under $40k? Criteria:

Take me and the wife across country in relative comfort
Decent fuel economy - high 20s highway on the low side
RWD preferred, FWD fine. No AWD plox
Ample storage space
Not an SUV, CUV, SRV or any other non-car body.
Two doors good, four doors good, wagons good
Boner points for manual transmission availability, forced induction (I do live at 6,000+ feet) and general hoonability.

William Byrd > Nibbles 08/24/2013 at 14:29

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E92 M3. Can be had in 2 and 4 door, convertible, big power, RWD. Done!

For Sweden > Nibbles 08/24/2013 at 14:29

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This conversation begins and ends with the Panther platform.

6cyl > Nibbles 08/24/2013 at 14:32

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BMW 535i

turbo

RWD

manual

comfort

storage

Nibbles > For Sweden 08/24/2013 at 14:38

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Lol it almost would be, and a Marauder is high on my list of wants.

Nibbles > 6cyl 08/24/2013 at 14:38

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I seriously like this option!

CB > William Byrd 08/24/2013 at 14:39

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The only problem for that is the price limit.

SpeedSix > Nibbles 08/24/2013 at 14:39

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Fun Suggestion: Citroën C6? (I know you don't live in Europe actually.)

Serious Suggestion: BMW 5-Series wagon

The World of Vee > CB 08/24/2013 at 14:40

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then get an E90

Nibbles > William Byrd 08/24/2013 at 14:40

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Great option! I sat the wife in an E90 and she did fall in love with it.

But will the M3 suspension detract from its road trip abilities?

Nibbles > SpeedSix 08/24/2013 at 14:41

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LAWL

The 5 series is definitely on my list!

William Byrd > CB 08/24/2013 at 14:42

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Not used it isn't. I've been looking at them, you can hit the low $30K mark.

CB > William Byrd 08/24/2013 at 14:43

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Really? Huh. You learn something new every day.

The World of Vee > Nibbles 08/24/2013 at 14:44

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you have a few great options

2008 RS4 (i don't care about your lack of AWD love)

VW GTI

535i

G8 GXP (if you can find one)

135i (if you wanna go crazy, it's a decent road tripper just a bit small)

Cayman or slightly older 996

E46/E90 M3

sadly no true japanocars :( well the 1st gen TSX would be a good choice

650i

that's about it at the moment. note I only thought of Manual transmission cars

Aaron Brown > Nibbles 08/24/2013 at 14:49

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I agree with the others, E61 wagon sounds perfect. Especially if you don't want a SUV. SUV, I'd go with a used Range Rover. And yes, I know of the reliability issues.

Nibbles > Aaron Brown 08/24/2013 at 14:55

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Yeah the E61 wagon is a beautiful thing, that's for sure.

dogisbadob > Nibbles 08/24/2013 at 14:58

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HHR SS, I don't think it's a non-car body since it's just a Cobalt wagon. Forced induction, 29 mpg highway on 87-octane, at least according to the EPA.

The CTS non-V wagon should be acceptable even if it's automatic only, and the non-SRT Magnums should be OK too.

The new Focus ST should do the trick, or even the non-ST

Saturn Astra 4-door hatchback with the panoramic sunroof.

A Lexus LS460 or whatever numbers they use now. Should be possible to get late model for under 40k since big luxury cars depreciate fast.

There is also the Buick Regal GS turbo, made in Germany, forced induction, manual transmission, high 20s mpg highway.

davedave1111 > Nibbles 08/24/2013 at 14:58

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5-Series Touring is the obvious choice, but a 3-Series Touring might also be worth a look. Saab 9-5 estate might be worth a look, too. What about a VW Phaeton, if it's depreciated enough?

If I were you, though, I'd buy the best Buick Roadmaster 5.7 wagon I could find - for about a quarter of your budget - spend whatever money needs spending to get it perfect, and then the balance will cover a hell of a lot of fuel for it. But then I'm based in Europe, so if I was road-tripping America I'd want to do it in a properly American way.

GhostZ > Nibbles 08/24/2013 at 15:02

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20 of these.

Just kidding about buying 20 beaters, but seriously consider a single, newer Crown Vic. some of them are under 5 years old, and all of them are easily under $20,000. Don't spend $ 40,000 on some boring hatchback that you'll be stuck with either paying off or losing money in depreciation for six years.

For much less you can get a RWD V8 car that no one will ever likely pull over, and causes people to drive slower and safer around. This same car has extremely comfortable size and seating, a relatively modern engine (4V, DOHC, etc.) extremely-simple reliability, and amazing aftermarket support. Not to mention that the actual finding, buying, and owning aspects are very easy. For the same effort of negotiating with a new dealer for that 1-2 thousand off, there's one of these going for $5000 less than market value at a police auction.

Plus, if a part breaks or you need a new car, you can find them in almost any city in the US for dirt-cheap. No need to tow it all the way back home, every mechanic knows how to work on them and if you can't fix it, sell it and buy a new one in whatever city you're in to get you home.

To set aside any more concerns you have, consider what you can do with a low-mileage, very nice Crown Victoria, and $30,000 in cash:

1. Enough auxiliary battery power to charge laptops, phones, etc, and buy an 4G service so you have network, TV, and phone capability all from your car anywhere in the US. Plus, some TVs. And a great stereo. And probably a microwave. For that much money, you could have an on-board generator for if you want.

2. You could install the seriously most luxurious interior you could think of. Racing seats, leather seats, you name it. Whale penis leather, if that's your bag.

3. A body kit that makes it look like a Rolls Royce, or something out of Mad Max. With that kind of money, you could probably get into custom-fiberglass fabricated kits, or piece something together yourself.

4. A 5.0 Coyote swap, plus a supercharger. $30,000 is more than sufficient to make this a reliable 11-second (or lower?) road trip car.

5. A custom-made race suspension kit.

6. 20 of them to swap out when each one dies, so you have pretty much reliable transportation for the next 40 years.

7. A really efficient engine swap, such as a turbo-4 or something that gets 40mpg.

8. A Honda S2000 to drive on road trips, and a Crown Victoria to follow you along and carry your shit.

9. Enough money saved just for repairs that you could run it to 1,000,000 miles before it would become too expensive to fix.

10. 1 single Crown Victoria, and $30,000 worth of well-invested stock, to grow maybe 10% per year until the Crown Vic dies.

11. 1 single Crown Victoria, and enough money to start an online business and hire someone for a year to design a website for you.

12. 1 Crown Victoria, and an young adult you could pay for the next 2 years to do all of your maintenance, grocery shopping, repetitive tasks, and cleaning for you.

13. 1 Crown Victoria and enough to buy someone to make you an entire album (a $4000 a piece) of professional songs, a la Rebecca Black.

14. 1 Crown Victoria, a season's worth of F1 tickets, and airfare to get there.

15. Enough capital to run a penny stock scam.

16. 6000+ gallons of gas, or 120,000 miles . That's 10 years of gas. If prices keep rising at their current rates, (25 cents a year) this much gas would appreciate to $42000, minus whatever you used in that time span.

The possibilities are endless.

Nibbles > davedave1111 08/24/2013 at 15:05

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LOL on the Roadmaster! They're awesome for sure, but I do have a 900 SPG and a Dakota that need attention (complete teardown/rebuild on the Saab) and the wife will definitely disagree with buying another car that "needs work"

As for the 9-5, I've never been a fan really. They're too large for the engine's output. Sluggish, poor handling (especially for a European car) and they reek of GM's 21st century cost-cutting efforts. Not to mention, as a current Saab owner I know how hard parts are to source lol.

The 5 Estate is seemingly the big winner here, but I'll definitely look at the 3-Series as well.

Nibbles > The World of Vee 08/24/2013 at 15:10

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The RS4, I'll consider. On the GTI? Two words - Plaid Interior.
The 535 is definitely a contender.
G8 GXP? If I could actually find one of these it would probably be purchased in a heartbeat!
The wife loves the BMW 1s. Might have to keep that one in the running.
The Porsches would be a good fuckin' hoot, but I couldn't fit all her luggage in the frunks :)
M3? I'm worried about the stiff suspension keeping it from being a viable, multiple-thousand-mile road tripper.
I do like the old TSXs but they're getting too old for financing unfortunately :(
I'll keep my eye on the 6-series BMWs, but I think they may remain out of my price point for good, low-mileage examples.

Nibbles > GhostZ 08/24/2013 at 15:15

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Some Panthers are definitely on my list - Marauder being first and foremost, but I'd have a hard time buying an ex-cop or ex-taxi Crown Vic because I know who's been in those things lol.

GhostZ > Nibbles 08/24/2013 at 15:17

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Civilian crown vics are just as easy to come by, and are about 97% identical to cop/taxi cars.

And again, for the price of a good Crown Vic (and a great Crown Vic, for that) you could pay someone to replace the entire interior and still come in under your $40,000 limit. There's really nothing on the market with the same size, comfort, and driving dynamics that has the same reliability and accessibility.

Nibbles > GhostZ 08/24/2013 at 15:20

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Yeah I know (came from a long line of Crown Vic owners, including a '94 and '98 myself). I probably should've added though that financing is a thing here, I definitely don't have the $40k to toss at something. Also I have two project cars already

Nibbles > CB 08/24/2013 at 15:22

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Yeah E90s are in my price point and I actually like them better than the E92s, styling wise. I'm just worried about that suspension getting agitating on long-ass trips

Nibbles > dogisbadob 08/24/2013 at 15:27

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HHR SS - I love this thing; there's no denying that. It's uncomfortable as HELL on long trips though :(

CTS in any form is on my short list. I've seen some -V sedans going in my range lately, hoping that trend keeps up!

The new Focus is great. Love it. From the experience of owners though, it is not a good road trip car in ST or non-ST form. Still too stiff, too uncomfortable. Too bad too, I fuckin' love the ST.

The Astra has been gone too long unfortunately, and nobody is willing to finance them it seems.

What is a Lexus LS460? What is a Lexus?

The Regal GS-Turbo is a beautiful piece of machinery. They're too expensive though for what they are and because of my feelings toward GM right now (fuckers killed Saab, those assholes) I couldn't bring myself to buy one.

The World of Vee > Nibbles 08/24/2013 at 15:28

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you can get a GTI without the plaid you know...lol (they offered leather as an option and in the Northeast that's all I ever saw)

RS4 and S4 are great choices, they don't drive like AWD cars, more balanced and less "weighty" (I know you know what I'm talking about)

well yeah, you're not going to fit much in a 911, but U-haul rents trailers...

The M3 is actually quite comfy, I drove my E39 M5 from NY to LA and back again (NY raised, cali working) and if I recall they have very similar driving characteristics...worth a look.

TSX are a bit old, but at sub-20k for a 08 final edition with navi and a 6 speed (aka the last great acura) I don't think a bank would deny you a loan

good luck

Nibbles > The World of Vee 08/24/2013 at 15:35

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Thanks! I didn't know they offered leather on the GTI (got a friend who sells 'em and he said "we can have them custom upholstered for you..." lol). Question on reliability - are they any better than they used to be eg. last longer than 80k without major issues?

davedave1111 > Nibbles 08/24/2013 at 15:38

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Well, I'm all for doing the work yourself, but for the prices Roadmasters seem to go for on Ebay - based on a quick check just now, I'm certainly no expert - you could pay a mechanic to give the car a full overhaul and still be way under your budget. FRrom my position of ignorance, I'd be surprised if a $10k Roadmaster would even need $5k of work to catch up on any missed maintenance, fix anything wrong, and make it near-perfect. If that's right, then you're still nowhere near $40k.

I know a little more about the 9-5, because my parents used to have one. Its handling is very strange. The suspension is so soft that it banks like an aeroplane into corners, but it actually has loads of grip once you get used to the alarming angles it leans to. The overall effect isn't great, but it's not bad on curvy roads, and very, very comfortable and solid-feeling. By European standards the 2.3t is pretty quick, but in the US you'd probably see it as a bit slow. The 3.0t should be quick enough, though. Did you ever get the 3 litre turbodiesel engine? In Europe that was really the one to have, with loads of torque and an easy 50mpg on a run.

According to Wikipedia you guys got a 2.8t in the last generation models which made 300bhp - ought to be adequate.

Alternatively, are there any Citroen SMs available in the US? What do they go for?

[Edit: sorry, I just realised you said under 5 years old, not over.]

The World of Vee > Nibbles 08/24/2013 at 15:43

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if it isn't hooned to death (good luck) then I think you should be fine. but at 40k you could get a brand new one and if you treat it right you'll be fine...hell for 40k you could get an R model and that'd really knock your socks off.

though be weary, VW has severely reduced the quality of their cars since the failed upmarket expansion around 2004 (2002-2005 are the best VWs ever made, that being said, find a Passat W8 6 speed, shut up, buy it and post it on jalop). I get my Morgan 4/4 serviced at a local LA morgan dealer who is a VAG seller (I inherited it from my uncle) and I didn't have time to go home and get my E39M so I took the loaner, a 2012 Jetta and it was seriously just an absolutely awful car. Ford and Chevy keep getting better and VW is just going the opposite direction...i guess it works because Audi is selling like hot cakes now.

and alas, I asked for the Bugatti as a loaner, they politely declined :(

Nibbles > davedave1111 08/24/2013 at 15:46

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Guess I should've clarified this point - I won't have $40k cash. It'll have to be financed and Roadmasters are way too old for financing.

As for the 9-5, unfortunately we never got any diesel equipped Saabs in America. The newer units with the 2.8t cannot be found. Not enough were sold in America to make it findable. If I do find one, it is on my short list because last Saab.

Citroens? Hell, I've never seen one in person, ever.

mjswee > Nibbles 08/24/2013 at 16:03

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BMW 335d, I thoroughly enjoy my 2009.

For $40k you can get a CPO 2011 with sport package and still have $5-10k left over.

30+ mpgs and 425 lb-ft of torque.

Throw a $300 JBD piggyback tuner on it and you're looking at a 500 lb-ft torque monster that looks like a plain 3 series.

Automatic only and smallish interior are the only drawbacks.

The new 328d starts at $38k, but its built more for mpgs instead of throwing you back in your seat.

Clown Shoe Pilot > Nibbles 08/24/2013 at 18:03

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It's not a hoonmobile but if you're taking long road trips, the Hyundai Genesis sedan isn't a bad place to sit while you do it.