Need me a Car

[RWebb]

an idiot killed my Subaru Outback, which I used for:

1. winter trips over the pass to go back-country skiing

2. daily driver (esp. in summer as it had A/C)

3. bad road car (could not reach everything I want or need to get to, having only 8" of gnd. clearance)

So, what should I get???

a. another Outback
- I miss having a sunroof - you can find them on used Outbacks, but they are rare
- the car is boring & I hate the 4 cyl. tractor motor throb - again you can get a 6 cyl. but hard to find
- gas mileage is not all that great

b. used BMW ix or xi 3 series wagon
- poor gnd. clearance
- much more fun to drive

c. smallest Volvo XC wagon - would have to buy new
- poor gnd. clearance
- has to be nicer than a Subaru
- not sure re this or BMW in terms of drive syste

d. Toureg - spendy, seem to have poor reliability??
- but it does have the air shocks to alter ride ht. gnd. clearance

e. Jeep Grand Cherokee - 2011 Model year
- has the air shocks & goes up to 10.7" clearance - or you can set it down to ~~ 7.5" for hwy use
- reliability seems greatly improved in 2009, 2010 over older MY's
- will get me where I need to go
- spendy
- not clear how fun to drive it would be


* the BMW biases me towards a more fun driver at some hit to "go where you need to ability"

the Jeep GC solves the latter problem entirely, but not sure re the other issues

the BMW SUVs do not seem to have much ability off hwy, nor does the VW Tiguan

thoughts?

[Gogar]

You know there's only two possible answers, neither of which are on your list.

[kaisen]

Interested to hear other's opinions. Sorry to hear about your Outback

[911boost]

Are you looking for new?

If used, how about a few year old WRX wagon? They are fun to drive, of course they have lower ground clearance than the Outback.

You mention a pretty broad spectrum of cars in your post...

[porsche4life]

Why not a Cayenne?

[Racerbvd]

What kind of budget??

2004 Volkswagen Touareg V8

2004 Volkswagen Touareg V8 - $14400 (Jacksonville)

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Date: 2010-12-24, 10:17AM EST
Reply to: sale-agy9n-2128076875@craigslist.org [Errors when replying to ads?]

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I am selling my 2004 VW Touareg, I hate to get rid of it but it is time to downsize. It has been an awesome SUV and has never given me a problem. It has been serviced regularly through the dealer. It has 90,000 miles on it. It has Leather seats, Sunroof, Dual Climate Control, upgraded 20in wheels, tow package, and many more features. Give me a call to take a look or ask any questions.

Chip
904-651-5610

[LWJ]

1) 964 C4 set to Rally Height
2) WRX Wagon
3)Jeep Wrangler hard top (I really enjoyed one on the Big Island two years ago)

Have fun,
Larry

[porsche4life]

Jeeps kinda suck in the slush... They are light and don't want to get traction. Just ask my mom, how hers didn't roll that day we will never know.....

[RWebb]

the GC is not light - nearly 5,000 lbs.

Cayenne is way too many $$ & no dealer nearby

I need a wagon, already have sports car

WRX is too low - need gnd. clearance

[Wilywilly]

Just what you want albeit wrong coast

Cars for Sale: 2010 Subaru Outback 3.6R Limited in Atlanta, GA 30350: Wagon Details - 289570340 - AutoTrader.com

[911boost]

Anything with a lot of ground clearance is going to give up driveabilty on the street. Thats why I loved my old Subaru GL wagon, you just used the tire iron to change the ride height.

Most of the wagons now a days are pretty low to the ground, except for maybe the Audi Allroads, but the are getting older now.

I am partial to wagons, as my dd is an old Buick Sport Wagon, so I can see why you want to keep ther versitality.

This is the first year for the new Jeep GC so I'd be worried about first gen bugs that aren't worked out yet.

[911boost]

Ford Escape

[aigel]

Toyota FJ Cruiser. At least you'll be able to go everywhere. Much better reliability than the Touareg - I would avoid that at all cost. The electrical gremlins will drive you nuts.

G

[aigel]

My main complaint about the Subies is that they do not have a "low" gear selector. That's not good if you are in real steep terrain. I much prefer a 4wd with a switchable transfer case and a low gear range.

G

[jyl]

What are your other cars, and their roles?

[1990C4S]

Escape, Volvo, Subaru. Drive and compare.

Toureg is a gas hog.

[Halm]

In the kind of winter crud we have in the Carolina's, the BMW AWD system is great. We have have owned over the last 10 years 2 X5's and a 325Xi. At one point we had the 325Xi and a 4Runner. We got a 3-4inch coating of snow and sleet one weekend so I did back top back drives around town to see which performed better. The Xi was the winner by far.

But as you have said, I am not sure about the off-road capability of these cars / SUV's.

[gtc]

Originally Posted by aigel

Toyota FJ Cruiser.

Oh god. I hate these things. Just get a 4-runner or land cruiser if you want to bore yourself to death.

[gtc]

Ok, this goes against everything I stand for, but my cousin has an Acura MDX that has been bulletproof. We've taken it skiing, climbing, etc, and it works fine for anything short of rock crawling. Decent mileage, decent power, fairly comfortable, enough space for gear, and pretty good ground clearance.

[BeyGon]

don't you have a 4x4 Vanagon?