Purchase Advice

[Roamer]

Gentlemen:

I have been a member of the Porsche boards for some time and appreciate the expertise available on Pelican. Due to a change in conditions I am selling my 86 Carrera and a tired 95 Audi Quattro. I need to replace it with a single vehicle, one that has the practicality and awd of the Audi, but some of the driving pleasure/backroad burner capabilities of the porsche.

I have a $30k price limit and a 16 month-old and another to be on the way, that needs to fit in back. I have narrowed my search down to the following cars:

1. 2002 BMW 330xi (Sports Package + Dinan suspension mods)
2. 2005 Subaru Legacy GT
3. 2005 Subaru WRX STi (w/o the wing)
4. 2002 Audi S4
5. 2002 Audi A6 2.7T Sport.

The bimmer seems to combine the best handling and refinement when the Dinan suspension mods are included. The Legacy offers a nice blend of features and performance for the price, but does not offer the handling and braking capabilities of the bimmer. The STi is the hot rod, but the rear seats may be too tight and the wing is too juevenile. The Audi S4 seems to hit the bill, but it is a little tight on space compared to the 330xi and I am a bit leary about Audi's reliability of late despite my good luck with my 90QS. Lastly, the A6 is by far the largest of the group, but it is also the heaviest and the least athletic (see also reliability concerns).

I was wondering what fellow 'drivers' felt about the above vehicles and if they have advice to offer.

Thanks!