Looking for something new. Is there a car that does everything I want?

[kaisen]

Originally Posted by DAEpperson

2008 or later Lexus GS. 5 passenger, 303 HP Direct Injected V6, impeccable handling, 30 mpg on road trips, silent on the inside, but it will stuff you into the driver's seat any time you choose.

Good luck fitting a bicycle inside though

And really good luck finding one in the mid-teens to twenty range

I swear most people don't read the posts

Therefore, let me be the first person to recommend a Honda S2000 and a set of sticky track tires

[vash]

the answer to the original question appears to be "NO".

buy two cars?

[techweenie]

I got an Audi A3 the first week they were available in the US. Pretty versatile car. If I had it to do over again, I'd have sprung for an A4 Avant (wagon), though, for the slightly greater cargo capacity.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by kaisen

Good luck fitting a bicycle inside though

And really good luck finding one in the mid-teens to twenty range

I swear most people don't read the posts

Therefore, let me be the first person to recommend a Honda S2000 and a set of sticky track tires

That's a terrible recommendation. He obviously needs an Ariel Atom.

[72doug2,2S]

Originally Posted by LeeH

L
About the only thing that seems to come close is a E320 wagon, but the reliability seems to be questionable on those. What other vehicles fit the bill?

I also like this estate wagon. What are we talking about in terms of living with this car? Expense and frequency of maintenance, etc.

[daepp]

Originally Posted by kaisen

Good luck fitting a bicycle inside though

And really good luck finding one in the mid-teens to twenty range

I swear most people don't read the posts

Therefore, let me be the first person to recommend a Honda S2000 and a set of sticky track tires

Ouch - so I missed one point. Lighten up already!

[kaisen]

Originally Posted by DAEpperson

Ouch - so I missed one point. Lighten up already!

Two points. Bicycle capacity and price range.

And you don't need to point out to the world that I could lose some weight

[LeeH]

Originally Posted by 72doug2,2S

I also like this estate wagon. What are we talking about in terms of living with this car? Expense and frequency of maintenance, etc.

I'd like to hear some real world experiences on this. Of course, someone who spend $60K on a car is going to make some noise if they have problems. It's easy to find lots of folks complaining, but don't have a good feel for what life's like with, say, a 2005 E320. One thing I like about the E320 is the 7 passenger capability. May need to find one to drive. BMW wagons are also a possibility.

Originally Posted by aigel

Jetta TDI wagon with a 6 speed stick. Test drive one and report back. It easily gets 45mpg on long road trips, is fun to drive with a good suspension, good torque down low and rowing a stick.

I have the Golf TDI 6 speed - same running gear, just shorter wheel base.
Nostatic has the Jetta TDI wagon with the DSG trans.

Anyone recommending a compact SUV has to be seriously boring - how much fun is that to drive? What are you going to recommend next? A Prius or a Minivan?

I had several Jetta TDI wagons when I had my wholesale license. I'm sure the newer ones are nice. Unfortunately they seem to hold their value too well with most prices I'm seeing north of $20K

I'm not opposed to the idea of a small SUV. A V6 Rav4 might work. I'm sure it's got more guts than the CR-V I drove. Looks like sub 7 sec 0-60 but still gets mid to upper 20s MPGs on the highway.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Go drive an E-class Lee, my guess is that you'll either love it or hate it. They are really nice cars, but I wouldn't describe them as sporty. I've driven multiple E500 and E320 models, as much as I want to like them they just aren't exciting.

[aigel]

Indeed, the TDI cars hold their value well. That's why I ended up buying mine new. The Jetta TDI wagon should be close to your price range if you consider that you will be 3 years 36k miles full warranty with all maintenance included (compared to a used car that will certainly need $1k of work a year).

G

[Shaun @ Tru6]

not sure if this car has an AMG C36 motor (an easy and cheap 275hp), but something like it might work Lee.

[LeeH]

I'm considering having my car looked at by another Mazda dealer - one who's seen more cars that have the same issues as mine. The tech who looked at mine admitted that he had only worked on one other Mazda5 with alignment issues.

I need to look closely at the cargo capacity of the vehicles I'm considering. The Mazda5 space is extremely useful. As I hauled this chair home from Goodwill yesterday I was thinking that many of the cars I might buy wouldn't be able to carry something like an oversized reclinger:



IS300? No way. E320? Probably. Rav4? Don't know.

What year is that E320 Shaun? Did you pick up a replacement for your wagon?

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Lee, that's a 94 or 95, only made 2 years. Last of the handbuilt, over-engineered cars.

Yes, I picked this up. Next weekend, new A-arms, H&R lowering springs and Bilstein sports are going in it. There's quite a community around these cars.

[look 171]

Originally Posted by Jim Richards

^This

Jim, do you have any experience with them?

[LeeH]

Originally Posted by Shaun 84 Targa

Lee, that's a 94 or 95, only made 2 years. Last of the handbuilt, over-engineered cars.

Yes, I picked this up. Next weekend, new A-arms, H&R lowering springs and Bilstein sports are going in it. There's quite a community around these cars.

Looks good Shaun. I like the rectangular headlights better then the later round ones. What year do these things start to go south reliability wise? I know the Chrysler years are bad. Are the 2000-2002 models okay? When to they start getting better or do they?

[onewhippedpuppy]

Nice looking car Shaun, I love the W124.

[jdonovan]

Forget a Subaru with a turbo, horrible mpg, I got rid of my 2005 Outback XT since highway mpg was mid teens. I now drive a 2006 Jeep Liberty and love it.

[pavulon]

Mid teens?? My N/A '08 Outback gets 28-30mpg at 70mph (according to the on-board computer). Was it really that bad?

[cstreit]

Audi A3... not sure on cargo though. great drivetrain, same as our GTI....

[Eric Coffey]

Originally Posted by LeeH

I'm not opposed to the idea of a small SUV.

I wouldn't rule out an X3 then (preferably CPO). Plenty of room, handles great (get one with the sport package), and decent MPG.

Or if you need slightly more room and have the budget: BMW X5.
Or if you aren't as concerned about gas mileage: Cayenne S.
Or if you aren't as concerned about gas mileage and have the budget: Cayenne Turbo.