WTB: WRX Wagon

[CurtEgerer]

OK, so Subaru is probably the safe choice But in my biased mind, the ultimate daily-driver type wagon is the 95-96 Audi ur S6 Avant. If you can find an unmolested, well-serviced example, they are reliable and pretty much bulletproof. 20-valve 5-cylinder turbo quattro - what more is there to know? I know a few guys with these with well over 150,000 miles and running strong. The one on BaT a few weeks ago was a beauty and at the top of the price range at $16K.

BaT 2Bennett 1995 Audi S6 Avant

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[Mr9146]

I think Aaron Winans has the Audi All Road market covered if you want to go there.


Tom

Anything Aaron Winans does is questionable at best, and he'd probably agree with me.

Curt, there was a late-model 6-speed S6 Avant locally ... waaaaaay out of reach but soooooo cool.

[CurtEgerer]

Has to have a 5-banger to be cool

[Jim Garfield]

I've always thought that if Subaru built a WRX STI version of the Outback wagon they wouldn't be able to build them fast enough to keep up with the demand. It would be the Japanese version of the RS4 Avant at about half the price.

I've rented a few Outback wagons when visiting Colorado, and they are a ball in the mountains. Two years later my daughter still screams if I yell "HANDBRAKE TURN" while driving. I traumatized her sliding around the gravel switchbacks going over Buffalo Pass on the way to Steamboat. My son just gets a big grin

[fryardds]

Marco, I couldn't agree more. I'm a wagon guy too. This year I finally sold my 2.7 TT '04 Allroad and picked up a B7 6 sp A4 Avant with sport suspension. I had a stage one ECU tune done by an APR dealer in Chicago. It is one of the best cars daily drivers I have ever had. Plenty of power and torque and very good gas mileage and best of all my bike goes right in the back.

This is it though. No more manual wagons in the US from Audi. SUVs such are a blight on the landscape. After driving this car I can't see why those stupid Audi SUVs are so popular still.

[Mr9146]

Marco, I couldn't agree more. I'm a wagon guy too. This year I finally sold my 2.7 TT '04 Allroad and picked up a B7 6 sp A4 Avant with sport suspension. I had a stage one ECU tune done by an APR dealer in Chicago. It is one of the best cars daily drivers I have ever had. Plenty of power and torque and very good gas mileage and best of all my bike goes right in the back.

This is it though. No more manual wagons in the US from Audi. SUVs such are a blight on the landscape. After driving this car I can't see why those stupid Audi SUVs are so popular still.

My whole purpose for this endeavor started out as a search for "utility". It included Pathfinders (of which we own and love), Mercedes M class, BMW X series, etc. Then it hit me: I HATE SUVs and I don't really want one, but I LOVE sport wagons and hatchbacks (currently driving a '91 Civic DX hatch with 220K miles) .... Subaru WRX wagon, VW GTI VR6, Passat VR6 4Motion wagon and Audi S4 Avant were natural choices.

Then I narrowed the search by asking myself what I REALLY wanted ... I'm at a point in my life where its time to get exactly what I want without concession because, up to now, my cars have been $1,500 or less and, frankly, I'm getting too old for chintzy cars. The Subaru and S4 Avants have always moved me from an aesthetic standpoint, and they boot and scoot when you want to goof around a bit. Add to that the utility of the wagon, the cheap insurance of a wagon and the stealth of a wagon and the question becomes, "Where are the unmolested versions.".

The S4 is a bit out of my financial reach, plus the parts are expensive (labor's free, though; that just left the Scooby and the hunt is on. I figure I can get one with no mods and low miles for about 10-12K (which seems high but the ones that cost less are über high mileage, butchered or Salvage) ... But so far the only cars I've found like that are in the Midwest or back east. And, because they're so damned awesome, that means they've seen winter use which terrifies me.

But, anyway, that's where I'm at in my search. Who knows, maybe I'll ask one of you guys to go PPI the car for me then fly out to pick it up and drive it home...

[mrbeverlyhills]

VW is giving away new cars through their lease program, you pick what you like, no PPI and toss the keys back on their desk in 3 years time. They are all pretty much Audis anyway.

If you are too old for chintzy cars it is a way to get into new car smell for about $250 a month and nothing down. Outgoing 2011 model GTIs on a 5 year deal are silly cheap.

[Mr9146]

VW is giving away new cars through their lease program, you pick what you like, no PPI and toss the keys back on their desk in 3 years time. They are all pretty much Audis anyway.

If you are too old for chintzy cars it is a way to get into new car smell for about $250 a month and nothing down. Outgoing 2011 model GTIs on a 5 year deal are silly cheap.

I don't lease and I don't buy new.

I like owning my cars and taking a 33% hit for driving off a lot doesn't suit me very well.

However, because of the finance programs new car dealers are offering now the used car selection at dealerships is getting better. I'd still prefer a private party transaction, but a 3-year old certified vehicle with limited warranty is also appealing.

[blucille]

I don't lease and I don't buy new.

I like owning my cars and taking a 33% hit for driving off a lot doesn't suit me very well.

However, because of the finance programs new car dealers are offering now the used car selection at dealerships is getting better. I'd still prefer a private party transaction, but a 3-year old certified vehicle with limited warranty is also appealing.

the thrill of a warranty is often tempered by the lousy warranty/dealer support....

[Reza]

utility - Trollhattan style

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