ohms Posted January 17, 2012 Report Share Posted January 17, 2012 hey guys so my folks want a wagon or small suv - they have 2 beagles and tend to buy a ton when they go shopping, and for the last 2 or so years, have been doing all this with their lil 2door yaris...they rented a 2ndgen rav4 once, and really liked it, but theyre really only looking to spend around $5000 for something (2001and up rav4s seem to go for around 2grand higher than that, at least). i was thinking volvo wagons too. any suggestions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrethx Posted January 17, 2012 Report Share Posted January 17, 2012 with those requirements & price range, you could look at the subaru forester...i have a friend with an early 2000's forester, and she loves it...it's kinda got a mini-crossover thing going on. very square, lots of room for dogs in the back plus low enough for beagles to jump in on their own... andré Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bean Posted January 17, 2012 Report Share Posted January 17, 2012 The 98-00 V70 wagons are GREAT cars. Comfort and build quality, but likely a little bit more to maintain. My Volvo has been great, but there are some horror stories out there especially with AWD versions. A FWD V70 would be a really nice option if they want something a little nicer in build quality and comfort, and they still have great reliability. I love Subies, so a Legacy wagon would also be high on my list. Not as comfy or as "solid" as the Volvo - but very nice. Sorry Andre - the Forrester got beat a little too hard with the ugly stick for my tastes! The 01' Legacy GT wagons with the dual reflector headlights are fantastic, and are quite reasonable too. Last on my list would be a low mile well maintained Accord or Camry wagon. Dead reliable - but a bit on the "soul less" / appliance side if the vehicle spectrum. Rabin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrethx Posted January 18, 2012 Report Share Posted January 18, 2012 Sorry Andre - the Forrester got beat a little too hard with the ugly stick for my tastes! well, maybe. the early 2000s foresters are not sleek by any means, but they're very practical, roomy for their size. around 05/06 they redesigned it and those look a bit better (or less bad, according to one's taste). at the target price, you may be able to get one of the later models if you shop hard... andré Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ohms Posted January 19, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 19, 2012 thanks for the suggestions guys - i think the practical answer of accord/camry wagon wont really sit with them, but if i come across a cherry example, i'll run it by them. my stepdad has always wanted a volvo, it would be his first car that could be called luxurious, but knowing im carhunting for them he's expecting me to suggest an old 240. i'll do some hunting for the v70 (i knew u, bean, had some kinda v wagon, i just didnt know the model, and figured if a rally mechanic likes the car, it must be durable). but are they known for timing belt failures/bad headgaskets or anything in particular like that? they keep tossing around the idea of an old audi a4 wagon and i keep insisting those are timebombs. i'll probably keep to fwd models for the volvo, for sake of lower repair/maint costs down the road. my folks dont need AWD, but.... they did have a jeep before and really liked being unstoppable in the snow - so the subie suggestions are good for that, but i think/can predict my folks will go "bah,another japanese appliance" at any subies i suggest, unless i find a real primo/loved example. which is tough with subies haha. something i thought of the other day too was the CRV, but i havent seen one upclose/in person to get an idea of interior space - but the main reason i thought of it is that i like the honda k20 motor - its got a timing chain! and some random pug news that i dont think i posted here yet - someone hit my front fender, crushed up my pug a bit. doesnt interfere with anything function wise, but damn - car made it nearly 30 yrs w/o incident. also, while i was mourning/yelling/looking over the damage, i noticed at some point someone hit my rear bumper, and twisted it a bit (one side hangs lower than the other). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bean Posted January 19, 2012 Report Share Posted January 19, 2012 Find and take out a nice V70... If you can find a T5 all the better. Fantastic cars and with FWD there'd be no real weaknesses. Unbelievable corrosion resistance, seats that rival the Peugeot, and they just drive real nice. As for winter - throw some good winter tires on a 2nd set of wheels and the thing would be awesome. Biggest bit of advice is to buy one with good service records, and a full repair history. There are cream puffs out there - buy the best example you can afford. Same advice as buying a Peugeot - as you get way better value for your $$ rather than buying a fixer-upper. One ride in a nice V70 and the rest of the options will pale in comparison. And yes - I am biased. I love my V70R. Rabin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ohms Posted January 19, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 19, 2012 T5 is the stick, isnt it? ha, if it was for me sure and seats that rival the peugeot's?! nonsense. no such thing. i need to take a look underneath them and see if i cant get them into my camaro... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bean Posted January 19, 2012 Report Share Posted January 19, 2012 Yup - T5's are usually stick, pretty sure they're never came auto - but not entirely sure. Well worth finding one for a test drive at the very least. And I said rival comfort - not beat! They're close in comfort, but they DO offer better head rests which protect tall drivers better in rear end accidents. Not sure when they went to drive by wire on the 2WD cars, but the electronic throttle body is a weakness. I replaced mine with a rebuilt unit using solid state components (~500) and it'll work great forever now. The 98's have cable for sure - just not sure if and when the changed to DBW. Rabin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ohms Posted January 19, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 19, 2012 thanks much for the pointers bean! a hunt on cl today turned up lots of car flippers and dealers posting in the private owner section but i'll keep on it. and i found one ad where they said its a T5, but also said its an automatic - will take a lil more reading to see if T5's were stick-only. Yup - T5's are usually stick, pretty sure they're never came auto - but not entirely sure. Well worth finding one for a test drive at the very least. And I said rival comfort - not beat! They're close in comfort, but they DO offer better head rests which protect tall drivers better in rear end accidents. Not sure when they went to drive by wire on the 2WD cars, but the electronic throttle body is a weakness. I replaced mine with a rebuilt unit using solid state components (~500) and it'll work great forever now. The 98's have cable for sure - just not sure if and when the changed to DBW. Rabin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrethx Posted January 19, 2012 Report Share Posted January 19, 2012 a couple of bits of advice: sounds like you're looking at volvos, good cars. wrt audi a4s, you should probably stay away from the older examples, they have a horrible reputation for reliability. my brother had a 2005 a4 quattro, for the first 3 years he had it it was always in the shop -- never the engine or the transmission, but just about everything else...mostly electrics and the climate control. one time his climate control system died and took the electrical system with it. this was a brand new car! after the dealer got it sorted, he liked it a lot. he just called me yesterday to tell me he just got a new s4 (6-speed manual, supercharged 6, quattro). bastard. try searchtempest for searching cl, you can search lots of cities at once... andré Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N9TE Posted January 20, 2012 Report Share Posted January 20, 2012 First off, sorry about your Pug. Does that change your plans for the car? I'd play it safe in this economy and get the Subaru. Bottom line, if it ain't a toyota, then get the Sub. Nothing that can go wrong will be that expensive. There is one Subaru that has weak headgaskets. I don't remember which one. Maybe Rabin can shed more light. Good luck and stay away from the Audis! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bean Posted January 20, 2012 Report Share Posted January 20, 2012 Subaru's are great cars, but they do have issues with head gaskets on a number of models/engines. The 4EAT trannies are crap, seats are so-so, and fuel economy suffers a bit due to the AWD. Bullet proof electrical systems (for the most part), very good reliability, good aftermarket, and fanatical owners. I love Subaru - but when I got into the Volvo you FEEL the euro quality. Comfort, stereo, the way the doors shut etc etc. Bang for the buck - Volvo's are a crazy good deal as the prices are about the same for similar Volvos. Parts prices aren't any higher, so I would argue maintaining either should be similar. The last part is subjective: An uncorked Subaru boxer engine sounds awesome with a performance exhaust. Volvo inline-5 is equally impressive, but when you really get into it at WOT the hair on the back of my neck feels like it stands on end. I makes this fearsome growl that is REALLY cool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ohms Posted January 20, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2012 n9te - ah, with the pug, im gonna just keep her and drive her as my nyc warrior mobile unless i need to sell her later on when the camaros on the road (if i cant get a parking spot in my apt complex, im up the creek - street parking in jersey city is too much for me, u need to pay for a monthly permit). but yeah im not gonna move ahead with the other plans i had for her, unless its sometime after the camaros done (well, somewhat done, that car will never actually be done) and i have money (and time) burning a hole in my pocket to get a fender and fix the other bodywork. car wise im pretty good at hunting cars (searchtempest, etc) - im actually writing up a how-to for a car blog, my process is preeeeetty tight if i do say so myself =) yeah my subie buddy emailed me some tech stuff i gotta look at later, i forget which motor had the hgasket issues, but it is a specific one (so i can avoid it). volvo wagon sounds like the win, but thats if i find a pristine and cared-for one. or my folks may get tired of waiting, and go buy a brand new rav4....which wouldnt be so hot budget wise, but we'll see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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ohms Posted January 23, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 23, 2012 so T5s can be automatic and this looks good... http://baltimore.craigslist.org/cto/2785078448.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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