Pick a comfy/fast cruiser for somewhere that doesn't get snow

"Textured Soy Protein" (texturedsoyprotein) 03/06/2014 at 18:11 • Filed to: None

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I live in Madison, WI. Some career opportunities could see me moving to northern California. I have a BMW 135is and a '99 Grand Cherokee for winter. If I made this move I'd probably sell the Jeep. If I didn't end up in downtown SF, I might want a big-ish car for road trips, hauling around large items, or just having comfier/roomier option than the 135is. What would you get that meets the following criteria:

1. $10k or less

2. Under 100k miles

3. Ideally has a tailgate (wagon, hatch, crossover, SUV) but would consider sedans w/ flip-down back seats.

4. Decent gas mileage - 20 mpg would be a noticeable improvement over my Jeep

5. RWD > AWD > FWD

6. Comfy ride but decent handling. Like let's say at least "competent" handling.

7. Ideally something reliable, but if it's not reliable at least cheap parts/labor

8. POWWWAAHHHHHHHH - nothing crazy but I want good highway passing ability

9. "Nicely equipped" - my Jeep is old and a little run down but it's got power leather seats & sunroof among other things

10. I have an irrational dislike of VW & Audi products

So........what would you get?

Brian Silvestro > Textured Soy Protein 03/06/2014 at 18:13

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Dsscats > Textured Soy Protein 03/06/2014 at 18:13

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Answer is always some subaru. Sounds like a legacy gt wagon is what you want.

Textured Soy Protein > Brian Silvestro 03/06/2014 at 18:15

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Not roomy enough and I want a sunroof.

jkm7680 > Brian Silvestro 03/06/2014 at 18:16

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Or the Saab 92-x Aero!

jkm7680 > Textured Soy Protein 03/06/2014 at 18:17

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10. Grrrrrrrrr

Textured Soy Protein > Dsscats 03/06/2014 at 18:17

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Hmm...Legacy GT wagon could work. I actually tried to get one several years ago as my primary vehicle, but at the time I was renting a room in my friend's house where he had an abnormally small 2-car garage, I parked on the side of the garage where we kept the trash & recycling cans, and with those two big things in the way the Legacy wagon would've been too long for the garage.

Textured Soy Protein > jkm7680 03/06/2014 at 18:18

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Hey, I said it was irrational . ;)

Brian Silvestro > Textured Soy Protein 03/06/2014 at 18:18

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Charger R/T?

For Sweden > Textured Soy Protein 03/06/2014 at 18:19

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Why not $8000 Plymouth Valiant wagon ?

Or $7500 325iT

Textured Soy Protein > Brian Silvestro 03/06/2014 at 18:19

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Well I was sorta thinking Magnum hence my pic at the top of the post....

jkm7680 > Textured Soy Protein 03/06/2014 at 18:19

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Haha, I was going to suggest an A4 Avant. The Saab 9-2x Aero would be my second suggestion.

Vince-The Roadside Mechanic > Textured Soy Protein 03/06/2014 at 18:20

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WHOOOOHOO Wisconsin why you dislike the mk2

GhostZ > Textured Soy Protein 03/06/2014 at 18:20

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(Might have a hard time finding the Q45 for under 10K)

250-350HP RWD V8 Sedans FTW

Textured Soy Protein > GhostZ 03/06/2014 at 18:20

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1st gen M45 is definitely on my radar

GhostZ > Textured Soy Protein 03/06/2014 at 18:21

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I love those cars. It's a shame they're so rare nowadays.

Brian Silvestro > Textured Soy Protein 03/06/2014 at 18:21

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Just realized the charger is a sedan Magnum...

*walks away awkwardly*

Dwhite - Powered by Caffeine, Daft Punk, and Corgis > Textured Soy Protein 03/06/2014 at 18:22

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Volvo V70R? Hard to find, but they exist.

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > Textured Soy Protein 03/06/2014 at 18:23

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In that case, Legacy GT wagon. If you don't care about having a ton of power, regular Legacy wagon works too.

Spacious, HUGE sunroof, comfy. My GT gets 25MPG all day long and surprises everyone who rides in it with how much poke it's got.

Textured Soy Protein > Dwhite - Powered by Caffeine, Daft Punk, and Corgis 03/06/2014 at 18:23

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Back in 2008 before I ended up buying a Mazdaspeed 6, I tried tracking down a V70R. Not sure I want to deal with the upkeep costs (or if they've come down to this price range yet).

Osiris - I can haz Euro spec? > Textured Soy Protein 03/06/2014 at 18:25

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Just remember that Northern California does in fact get snow. But then I noticed you said San Francisco (which is more Central California but whatever) so unless you plan on traveling up I80 or I5, then you shouldn't have to worry about snow. But I'd have to say that the Magnum wouldn't be a bad idea. Especially if you get it in AWD because then you could go up north and play in the snow!

Textured Soy Protein > For Sweden 03/06/2014 at 18:26

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That Plymouth looks nice but I doubt it'll be a mileage improvement over my Jeep.

E46 wagon is a little small for this purpose...I want something I can spread out in some.

Textured Soy Protein > Osiris - I can haz Euro spec? 03/06/2014 at 18:30

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Yeah I guess it's not really the farthest north in California, but basically somewhere in the greater SF/Bay Area/Silicon Valley whatever you wanna call it area.

As for driving further north to play in the snow, I am quite possibly the world's worst skier & snowboarder, and after living in Wisconsin for now almost 14 years, I don't see myself going out of my way to go find some snow.

For Sweden > Textured Soy Protein 03/06/2014 at 18:30

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You can't put a price on style

Dsscats > Textured Soy Protein 03/06/2014 at 18:31

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Subarus are great. We've had our forester for 4 years and 45,000 miles and have literally not had one mechanical issue.

Textured Soy Protein > Dsscats 03/06/2014 at 18:33

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The only thing that slightly concerns me about them is head gasket issues. I had an old boss who had a like '02 Outback or something and got rid of it when one of his head gaskets blew.

Dsscats > Textured Soy Protein 03/06/2014 at 18:35

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As far as I know, they've been pretty well taken care of. If it really worries you, try to find one which has had it replaced.

Twism > Textured Soy Protein 03/06/2014 at 22:51

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You answered your own question with that picture...
but yeah, SRT magnum for maximum power, 06-08 RT magnum+simple mods for decent fuel economy and great power.

blairl > Dwhite - Powered by Caffeine, Daft Punk, and Corgis 03/07/2014 at 12:51

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I've been drooling over T5s for the past few months (Can't afford an R yet...broke college kid and stuff). These are so full of win though. I learned to drive on an '01 2.4T V70, it had an awesome cruise-missile feel on the highway. I dunno why more people don't realize how good these are.