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

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

I'm on my second Mazda5. Had an '06 from new and like it a lot. When Mazda refreshed the car in '08 they fixed every complaint I had about mine - added rear air, aux input, front passenger seat arm rest, 5 speed instead of 4. So, I sold mine and bought an '09.

I'm pretty much done with it. Quite a few of these cars have tire wear, vibration, pulling issues that truly seem to be unresolvable. Mine appears to be one of those. Some folks have spent thousands of dollars trying to track down these problems (new wheels tires/ struts, axles, bushings, bearings to no resolve). I had mine aligned at the Mazda dealer and it still pulls hard to the right. Had a Road Force balance at Discount Tire to confirm wheels/tires are good and it still has a shimmy at highway speeds.

Based on the above, and the fact that I've been basically driving the same vehicle for 6 years, I started looking at what might be next. I'm having trouble figuring out what that vehicle might be.

Parameters would be: Seat 5 (or more) comfortably, somewhat fun to drive, reliable, reasonably priced, good for long trips across the SW at 80mph, MPGs in the mid 20s or higher, haul stuff if needed (easily hold a bicycle with the seats folded down).

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?

Jetta SportWagon TDI

Honda CRV or Toyota RAV4.

of these two I have only driven a CRV which didn't fit my description of "fun to drive"

i like the jetta tdi idea

Was in to the local indy shop yesterday and the 8 year old battery of my xtrail did not meet the test. Have a 2005 Nissan xtrail(small suv). The owner and I agreed that Toyota comes first for reliability, Honda next. So if I was going to get a small economical suv, again, it would either be the Toyota Rav4 or Honda Crv.

My wifes daily driver is a 2007 RAV4 with a 3.5 V6. Lots of power and smooth as silk. Handles good for what it is and gets great mileage if you keep your foot out of it I've gotten 30+ on the highway. Drop dead reliable we've had it for 5 years and have not had one item go bad.

I drove a 2008 CR-V EX at a local dealer. Like all Honda products, it was very good, but a good deal short of great. I floored it at 65mph it wasn't at all impressed. I'd imagine it would be challenged by some of the hills between Phoenix and Flagstaff. Road noise would definitely get old on the drive to my wife's parent's house in TX.

Still wondering if I'd regret a well sorted 2000-2002 E320 wagon.

MINI Countryman

that new Sube crossover -- with a turbo

Mazda Cx-5.

Try it out. Seriously.

Gotta say - haven't shared your issues with the 5. Wife has a 2010 with 30k on hers, and no issues whatsoever with tire wear, vibration, pulling etc. - only issue so far is her propensity for clipping inanimate objects (just got a call the other day that she whacked a garbage can with the driver's side mirror).

The E320 is very nice, but I wouldn't describe it as sporty either. Sort of an old man's BMW. What about a 530i wagon? T5 Volvo wagon? A6 Avant? TSX wagon? Legacy GT wagon? If you want space, fun, and good MPG you're sorta stuck with a wagon. A minivan will give you space and MPG, fun not so much.

I did consider this one, but the cargo capacity comes up short and they're still expensive.

I looked that the CX-5 when I was at the dealer. I like it a lot, but target price is mid teens or lower. Maybe in a couple of years.

Seems like they're either good or mystery machines never to be sorted out. I'd be happy to keep my '09 GT if it wasn't going to require tires every 10K miles. I may check with another Mazda dealer to see if they've had any luck tracking down the issues. Would definitely be cheaper than trading IF they could fix it.

Several of those are possibilities. Though short on cargo space, the one that I really like is the the Lexus IS300 Sportcross. They only made them through 2005 so most have 100K miles on them plus it's a pretty rare car to begin with.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1348111995.jpg

Subi Forrester. Get the little turbo model, or their Outback wagon. I missed a great used Forrester my hardwood flooring contractor's wife wanted to sell. the neighbor bought it before I had a chance to ask him. Fun, fast, and handles well.

I'm driving a rental Ford Escape. It was redesigned for 2013 and it is really nice. Meets all of your requirements too.

3.0 V6 w/ 6sp manual, 244 hp, 211tq, 0-60 5.9s, on regular unleaded. 60/40 rear seats. EPA 21/30 (YMMV). As reliable as a Honda...
Vehicle Photo
No affiliation.

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? :)

Let us know what you decide!

G

^This

Good luck with the IS300, especially if you want a stick. They are not easy to find, and sadly are often riced out by this point.

Honestly I shared most of your criteria early this year when shopping for a daily driver. I wanted a vehicle that seated 5, got decent MPG, had a manual transmission, was sporty and fun to drive, and was $15k or less. My first choice would have probably been a V70R, but they are just about impossible to find with a stick. I ended up with the RX8, which seats 4 in comfort (I have 3 kids), gets pretty mediocre MPG, and is a blast to drive.

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

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

buy two cars?:D

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.

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

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

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 :D

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.

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.

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.

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

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

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1348258203.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1348258233.jpg

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:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1348259741.jpg

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

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

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.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1348261043.jpg

Jim, do you have any experience with them?

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?

Nice looking car Shaun, I love the W124.

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.

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

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

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.

:D