Sporty wagon?

L

LightngSVT

New member
What would be a good "sporty" wagon for someone looking at used cars? This would be my DD to replace my SVT Contour, I have my other cars and my bike plus the wife has a new vehicle so Im looking for something on the "cheap". It just seems for hauling the dog (140lbs) and "stuff" a wagon or hatch would make life easier. One vehicle that has always caught my eye is the Mazda Protege5 wagon, I think they made these up through 2003? I definitely want a manual trans and prefer a 6, but a decent 4 would be OK and decent handling is a requirement too. Looking to spend under $15k.



So what would you get?
 
Mazda, Subaru, Magnum, Volvo, those are the ones that come to my mind as the ones I like the best.
 
IMO the no-brainer choices to look at are from VW/Audi and Subaru. I've had all three and they all worked well for dog-hauling. Big thing with the Audi/VW is always having a good service place; big thing with Subies (IMO) is whether you like 'em or not.



[insert usual advice to keep the Contour here ;) ]
 
I too like the looks of the Protege5 but with a 2.0 ltr motor with 130 something horsepower it's not exactly a quick car. I've always had a thing for the Audi avants. With a manual, a turbo 4 cylinder, and possibly four wheel drive it would be a fun and practical ride.
 
What's your budget and timeline? My first choice would have to be the VW R32. There's a 2004 model and a new one coming out next year. Also look at the Audi S3.



If your budget doesn't allow for these options, bummer. Take a 2004 R32 for a test drive and you'll see for yourself how addictive these cars are. :xyxthumbs



Edit: Oops! I overlooked where you mentioned your budget. Given your price range I'd recommend a Mk4 VW GTI.
 
LightngSVT said:
What would be a good "sporty" wagon for someone looking at used cars? This would be my DD to replace my SVT Contour, I have my other cars and my bike plus the wife has a new vehicle so Im looking for something on the "cheap". It just seems for hauling the dog (140lbs) and "stuff" a wagon or hatch would make life easier. One vehicle that has always caught my eye is the Mazda Protege5 wagon, I think they made these up through 2003? I definitely want a manual trans and prefer a 6, but a decent 4 would be OK and decent handling is a requirement too. Looking to spend under $15k.



So what would you get?
Click to expand...



There's no such thing as a sporty wagon, but the closest I'd say you could come is the Audi AllRoad.
 
Well I've had my V50 T5 for over 2 years now, no problems at all, it's fun to drive and very practical also, the paint seems easy to keep looking good (silver metallic in my case). My DD before that was an Audi A4 for 4 years, same thing, not one problem. And before that a Golf for 3 years, no problems there either. VW/Audi, MB, BMW, and Volvo are very reliable. I think the dealerships are the problem most people seem to have with these brands. Why would millions of Taxi drivers rely on MB here in Europe if they don't trust the car?
 
blackcaraddict said:
There's no such thing as a sporty wagon, but the closest I'd say you could come is the Audi AllRoad.
Click to expand...



Well, the Audi S4 Avants are a lot sportier to drive than the AllRoads (had one of the latter, hated it, traded it after a very short time). You might change your mind about sporty wagons if you drove an S4, or maybe even an S6 :D



Mark77 said:
VW/Audi, MB, BMW, and Volvo are very reliable. I think the dealerships are the problem most people seem to have with these brands.
Click to expand...



Much as I loved my VW wagon and most of my Audis, and much as I love doing business with the dealer (I own Audis primarily because of my great Audi dealer), I sure couldn't call *any* of mine reliable. I bet even the dealership would admit that these things have a lot go wrong with 'em. Heh heh, four years with no problems is probably as unusual for an Audi as my constantly broken Outback and WRX were for Subarus- there are good ones like yours and lemons like mine in every lineup. I guess you *could* call my Audis reliable in comparison with those Subies, but that's not saying much ;)



Our Volvo wagons weren't sporty models like the T5 (cool car BTW)..some of the hotter Volvo wagons would be great high-performance dog haulers.
 
What Id like is a 5 series wagon. But after 01 they only came in 525 (the 540 is known to expensive to own, but would be sweet). The price range I want to stay in limits many of the choices, $15k limits the T5, 540 wagon or S4 Avant from the picture, well Im sure they are out there but in need of much work. My wifes lease is due in about 4-5 months so we might get a "nice" car to replace heres which is why Id like to stick to $10-15k for mine. The A4 seems worth looking into.
 
See what you think after you drive one. We considered an A4 for a cheapie beater but after a test drive my wife and I both said "no thanks, S4 or nothing". Yeah, those 540 wagons are nice, but I hear they sometimes have expensive issues so I always figure that, well, there's probably a good reason why the owner isn't keeping it ;) That's often true about a *lot* of cool cars...sigh..



I think I'd wait and see what you end up getting your wife.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top