Wagon or small SUV preferences:

[speeder]

Rick, if I circle back to the JSW, I'll give you a shout. Looks like a really nice one.

[Norm K]

Bought my wife a CPO Hyundai Santa Fe Sport Ultimate just yesterday. I was pretty surprised at her choice, as she's been a Lexus RX girl for years. She read up on pretty much everything available, looked at a quite a number and drove a few. Somehow, some way, the Santa Fe came out the clear winner.

Gotta say, it seems to be a helluva car for the price.

_

[onewhippedpuppy]

A somewhat oddball option is the Subaru Legacy GT wagon. It’s the STi 2.5L flat 4 with lower boost but a very capable AWD platform. Very nice interior unlike the WRX, with more power potential. I had one with mild bolt ons and it was a rocket, my only complaint was the automatic transmission, but a manual is available.

A few other quick thoughts:

Audi B5/B6 S4 Avant
Audi S6 Avant
CTS wagon
Acura TSX wagon
Lexus IS300 wagon
WRX wagon
Baja XT wagon

I still say a hatchback is worth considering. They are damn near wagon practical but there are so many more options. Focus ST or RS, Fiesta ST, WRX, GTI, Mazdaspeed3, RS3, S3, Golf R, etc.

[Tervuren]

Vovlo P1800 ES if you want to keep it small.

[WPOZZZ]

I would love one of these, but they are hard to find in unmolested, very good condition.

[speeder]

Originally Posted by Tervuren

Vovlo P1800 ES if you want to keep it small.

Unless they just started making a model w that name again, it’s about 40 years too old and not a wagon. Not much fun to drive, either. Otherwise, they look cool.

BMW e39 wagons are around but I don’t like them. I did when they were new but they seem really dated to me now. Totally subjective but zero interest in them. E90 wagons are the only ones I like. Even the new F 3-series suck to me, they ruined the interior.

[porsche4life]

We’ve got 90k miles on our 2014 escape ecoboost and still love it. Plenty of pep, handles and rides nice, has all the features you’d want. Great option. I have no clue how they are holding their value though, haven’t considered selling ours!

[Tobra]

Depends on what duty the vehicle will serve.

For my purposes currently, it would primarily serve as a rig to take up to Tahoe, so AWD and all season capability would be primary considerations. No need for a truck really, no trailers to drag.

Subie wagon

When I lived in Texas, AWD was not necessary. Higher ground clearance and towing a trailer was on the list of requirements. I lived on a lake, need to move boats around arose frequently, and trips out to the deer lease often required fording a creek, depending on the weather.

Had Mitsu Montero Sport with a 3.5 V-6 and a LSD diff, worked great

Sort of depends on what you need to do.

[SCadaddle]

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

A somewhat oddball option is the Subaru Legacy GT wagon. It’s the STi 2.5L flat 4 with lower boost but a very capable AWD platform. Very nice interior unlike the WRX, with more power potential. I had one with mild bolt ons and it was a rocket, my only complaint was the automatic transmission, but a manual is available.

My DD is an '05 Subaru Legacy wagon fitted with the 17" wheel and tire package that the same year Legacy GT wagons were fitted with. On the local set of "twisties" I can drive my automatic Legacy wagon a LOT faster and a lot easier than my '92 Miata or my '82 911SC coupe. Hands down, Subaru has the best AWD system on the planet.

[PD41]

I like my 2003 C240 wagon.
Wife has a 94 Volvo 940 wagon. Huge storage on it.
I bought a washer and dryer. Slid the washer in with the control panel all the way
to the front seat head rests, then the dryer and closed the rear hatch. Couldn't believe it.

Got a 96 Passat TDI wagon too, love it. 40 mpg + highway and holds 25 gallons of diesel.

[speeder]

Originally Posted by PD41

I like my 2003 C240 wagon.
Wife has a 94 Volvo 940 wagon. Huge storage on it.
I bought a washer and dryer. Slid the washer in with the control panel all the way
to the front seat head rests, then the dryer and closed the rear hatch. Couldn't believe it.

Got a 96 Passat TDI wagon too, love it. 40 mpg + highway and holds 25 gallons of diesel.

Those are all great cars, just a little older than I want this time around. Believe me, I own some older cars so not like I'm biased towards newer vehicles only. But this would be a fun DD that gets decent to great mpg, is small enough to be sporty in town and has a certain amount of room in back. The small SUVs tick most of the boxes, X3/Ford Escape/etc.

The '90s Volvo 940 wagon was an amazing car. Massive space inside and well-built, if I could find a turbo in mint condition I'd consider using it for a DD. The Subaru GT being described sounds like a winner, I looked at those once before when I was considering a used WRX wagon.

[cabmandone]

Subaru Impreza WRX... done and done.

[cabmandone]

Originally Posted by Norm K

Bought my wife a CPO Hyundai Santa Fe Sport Ultimate just yesterday. I was pretty surprised at her choice, as she's been a Lexus RX girl for years. She read up on pretty much everything available, looked at a quite a number and drove a few. Somehow, some way, the Santa Fe came out the clear winner.

Gotta say, it seems to be a helluva car for the price.

_

I bought my son a Hyundai Veloster and I can't believe all the stuff the car has! I paid something like 8K plus tax for the car with 35K on the ODO and couldn't find anything close to what this car has in options for the money.
I'm on the hunt for a Kona. I saw one on the dealer's lot and really liked it in person.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by cabmando

I bought my son a Hyundai Veloster and I can't believe all the stuff the car has! I paid something like 8K plus tax for the car with 35K on the ODO and couldn't find anything close to what this car has in options for the money.
I'm on the hunt for a Kona. I saw one on the dealer's lot and really liked it in person.

My neighbor car buddy replaced his Civic Si with a Hyundai Tucson and loves it. His other car is a McLaren and he’s owned some awesome cars over the years, he doesn’t drive junk.

[edgemar]

This is the most reliable/fun bang for the buck wagon you can get. The tech stuff is a bit dated but it is a great car...i really enjoy it!

[billybek]

As a Toyota Venza owner, I can tell you that in the 5 years of ownership I have spent only regular maintenance dollars on the car.
It is a nice driver but totally uninspiring to drive. Some might call it an appliance.
It eats up highway miles and is pretty comfortable to drive.
Recently I had it in for service and the rear dif seals were replaced under the extended warranty program.
Generous rear seat room and 60/40 split on rear seats. I was disappointed that there was no ski pass through in the back.
The 3.5 is a decent motor but not easy on fuel when pushed.
Used they can be a tremendous value.
No longer manufactured so some parts may become an issue in the future.

[onewhippedpuppy]

A few others popped into my head:

Mazda Protege5 - a little older but they are bulletproof. Not huge power but it’s a really nice tossable little car. The big challenge is finding one that’s not beat.

Saab 9-5 Aero - damn quick especially at highway speeds, 30+ MPG highway, huge inside. There are still plenty of Saab enthusiasts so good ones are out there. I’ve almost bought several over the years.

Mazda5 - this is even more off the wall, it’s a wacky little wagon/minivan thing. But they are small outside, huge inside, and drive really well. Plus you can get a stick! We had a Grand Touring for several years and I loved the damn thing.

Cadillac SRX - previous generation, not the current badge engineered POS. Northstar V8, AWD, nice interior, genuinely good driving experience. Another I had for a while and enjoyed.

Infiniti FX35/45 - I always liked the first gen “bionic Cheetah” styled FX. The 45 had good power and was intended to compete with the X5.

Jag F-Pace - don’t know about your price range but these are getting affordable on the used market.

[latunabernie]

We have a 2010 Volvo V50 R type awd wagon.
We love it.
Wife used it to commute when we lived in L.A.
We purchased some property near Yosemite and used it 2 or 3 times a month from L.A.
Holds 2 Labs and lots of gear.
Has plenty of power for going over the Grapevine and got a little under 30 mpg at high speeds.
They are smaller than the V70s, have 5 cyl. turbo, & get good mileage.
They are hard to find.
Bernie

[Jim Richards]

Originally Posted by edgemar

This is the most reliable/fun bang for the buck wagon you can get. The tech stuff is a bit dated but it is a great car...i really enjoy it!

Yeah, the TSX sport wagon would be pretty sweet, if only it had the 6 instead of the 4-banger, and if it had a manual tranny as an option. If only...

[Norm K]

Originally Posted by billybek

...Toyota Venza ... totally uninspiring to drive ... an appliance ... No longer manufactured ....

The Venza (and even more so the Honda Crosstour) was an answer to the question nobody was asking.

_