Wagon opinions needed
 

TLDR: Help me choose a daily driver wagon that is comfortable, semi-fun, reliable, about $10k.


Background: I’m looking to upgrade my house by moving to a better one, and part of that means ditching the car payment I have on the my Focus RS (a superb little car that I love, for sale here).

I'm looking for a wagon to daily drive, approx 90mi/day. that good on the freeway, handles California's terrible roads, is safe, and looks/feels good.
I’ve been looking at the following, and to me, each has its own pro’s and con’s. I’d like the Pelican Brain Trust’s opinion in case I’m missing something:

BMW e39 wagon (525/528/540)iT
- Pros: Strong reputation, beautiful styling, comfortable, decent handling, well appointed, rear wheel drive, available in standard shift
- Cons: BMW gremlins in the cooling system, sensors, gaskets, electronics, guibo. They’re older, so most have a ton of miles, and cost of entry has gotten cheap enough most have been neglected/abused.
- Most the issues can be fixed at not a crazy price, but is it something worth having to worry about in a daily driver?

Volvo v70 (2008-newer)
- Pros: good looking, comfortable, modern features
- Cons: I’ve heard they’re unreliable with no specifics

Mercedes E350 (2010-2013)wagon
- Pros: good looking front, comfortable, modern features
- Cons: frumpy back end, price exceeds budget

Those all don't look like money savers, even DIY. :)

Branch out to other brands. I bought a 2012 Jetta wagon for under 10k with 70k miles, like new. Hasn't needed a thing. Yes, not very exciting, but can't be worse than the MB or Volvo and has a stick at least ...

G

Subaru. 2012 or newer so it has timing chain.. Gets about 30 mpg highway
Or find one with the 6 cylinder. Either one is a solid car.

What about a Ford Focus Wagon.Still handles well, hauls a surprising amount of stuff, and reliable, with cheap parts and labour .I did 249000 miles in mine and then sold it when it needed a new turbo.

I've been wanting a 540iT - but a real Touring, not a badging victim

Me personally...I've always wanted that BMW. And would have it setup exactly as you have pictured. I like the car based on style alone. And would likely be willing to put up with some repairs just because I love the looks. My son has a 2000 528i (the sedan) and really loves it. So far it has proven to be a great car for him...time will tell!

All wheel drive E61 is a nice wagon option (530xi). Sure-footed in the inclement weather. Decent/nice ones can be had for under 10k. Not as sexy as the E39 bust still has the good in-line 6 motor. Put 80k on ours since 2008. Nothing MAJOR, but some minor annoyances for sure. Biggest one was the drain tubes backing up into the spare tire well and getting the electronics wet. Easily moved, but had to do some clean up work after it happened the first time.

Where is Radio Flyer on the list?

I would go with an E320 wagon with some upgrades.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1540499617.jpg


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1540499617.jpg

All the above are awesome options, but doubt you'll be saving any $$.
For what its worth department.
Just sold my 2010 2.5 SE Jetta Sportswagen with 165k miles to purchase a newer Golf Sportswagen SEL. Recommend either, but the Golf is above the $10k budget. Had Volvo X70s & V70s for years now prefer the VWs. Yes the VWs are a bit more modest, but they are well built with terrific fit & finish. Both VWs have superb agile handling, turn and stop on a dime, plenty of get up and go & 30-35 mpg regular gas.
Will comfortably do 70 all day with good sound deadening, acoustic glass & multi-adjustable heated seats. Great AC. Fits 10' 2x4s inside!
Only drawback is keeping the pano sunroof drains clear, but if they get cleaned out once in a while not often a problem.
2014 was the last year for the Jetta wagon and with low miles could be had for $10k or under. Also available with a manual! 2.5 engine is robust (170 hp) with good gearing so is quite quick and rarely needs much more than an oil change. The Jetta wagon was one of the most reliable dd cars I ever owned right behind the 05 Mazda 3 Hatch w/5spd; the VW isn't as tinny or tiresome to drive 100-150 miles a day either.
Not a Bimmer nor a Volvo, but a heck more reliable and cheaper to own. Only thing that kept me from buying a Subaru is problematic head gaskets, driving feel and handling and I don't need or want AWD. Besides, it drove like a truck unless we're talking wrx which will be above $10k for a decent one.
Both these pictures were taken a couple weeks before I sold the car with 165k miles. Sure doesn't look like that kind of mileage. Good quality built car. Take a look at one.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1540499197.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1540499385.JPG

I'm OK with the operating costs of the Focus RS, $400/mo gas and $150/mo budgeted for tires/maintenance. Just trying to get rid of the bank payment.

I've had a 2013 VW TDi wagon. Put a set of H&R coil-overs on it. It was a great car for 130k miles. VW bought it back as part of dieselgate. I was looking to branch out a bit from there.

I like Subaru a lot, had an '05 STi that I put 150k miles on. Looking for something bigger than an impreza (or another focus), I'll take a search for Legacy wagons.

You might consider a Subaru Outback XT or Forester XT. If you don't like the high-rider stance you can put STi (I think) springs on them to give them a normal ride height.

Mazda made the first-generation 6 in a nice wagon, which came with the V6 and could be had with a 5-speed. If you're considering German wagons with ~150k, a Mazda with similar mileage will probably be half the price.

I have a 2009 E61 with a 6MT. I really like the car but DIY beyond plugs/coils/vanos solenoids can be difficult. The N54 engine is a great power plant but twin turbo runs hot. I drive mine as a daily but it does need an “enthusiast” owner to pay attention to it.

I have a 2015.5 V60 with Polestar software and LOVE it! I have 52K miles and it's been bulletproof. You can buy a low mileage 2015 for well under $20k.

I daily drive a 2008 Subaru XT Outback that has a few upgrades. Downside for lots of freeway driving is lack of a taller 5th or 6th gear in the manual. Auto may be better but cruising long distances at 70 plus mph has the thing wound up pretty high. Otherwise i love it.

Cadillac CTS-V wagon

Subaru Legacy GT wagon

All I can say: Mentally prepare yourself to be underwhelmed by turning and acceleration in any of those choices after the RS. Could you get an Focus ST for 10K? If so try that. We have one of those in addition to the RS and it has almost 200K miles with no issues. Great car.

What's the gearing like in 6th? My version of "high-strung" is something like 4k at 80mph. If it's at, say, 3200 it's relaxed enough for me.

Acura TSX wagon

if you can find an older RWD volvo 245 745 or 945 they are eazy and cheap to turbo
they all came with factory turbo's on some models
and old red block lasts forever even turboed except the head gaskets a cheap fix
all came with sticks 90+ are the best ones with anti-lock and air bags

These are both nice. The Mercedes might be hard to find...

2007-ish BMW 335Xi wagon.

Wife has the sedan- excellent car. Really wish we’d bought a wagon instead.

The US didn't get the twin turbo engine in the wagons. Just the normally aspirated N52 straight six.

I've got a 2007 with the six speed and sport package. Great car but really hard to find one like mine.

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/980/4...341a1a21_b.jpgIMG_2016.jpg by willtel, on Flickr

The XT doesn't have a 6th, just the STI and the Legacy B Spec had 6 speeds in this era. I love my XT Outback as a DD for my needs but if I had a long freeway commute every day I'd look at something else. My son just bought a 2016 Golf R CPO with less than 30k in mileage. It's not technically a wagon but the 4 door is close. Available in DSG or 6 speed manual.

I've got a 525 IT for sale. Runs great, looks great, 100% rust free. 114k miles. $5k. Fly in, drive home. Cooling system completely updated. http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1540691878.jpg

I am doing my first oil change on my 2.5 Jetta wagon today. I agree on the reliability and am a fan for daily driving it but NOT on the gearing or power. It is a dog, you have to wind the hell out of it to get any power. Coming from a TDI it was a disappointment, including the 5 speed. The gears are long and far apart.

G

This car is begging for an LS swap.

The 94/95 wagon is easy to find, deciding on which modifications to do is the hard part. :)

Nice wagon! Are those Apex rims? The wagons did get the N54 twin turbo engine in the 535xi (E61). It’s amazing how much extra hp/tq is coaxed out of it for a few hundred $$ on an ECU flash.

The manual wagons are very tough to find though.

Pretty happy with my 2003 C240 wagon.
Was 1 owner, garage kept. 73,000 miles when I got it a year ago for $5500

My buddy owns a Mercedes shop for 30 years and before I got it
I asked him what is the best 2000 or newer MB wagon and he said definitely get a 240 wagon.
I took off the 240C emblem off the rear hatch, why advertise a base model ?

Those FWD Volvos are not very dependable. My brothers V70 blew up at 120,000 miles. Too much to fix. He donated it for a tax write off.

If you are trying to save money, an old European car of any kind is a bad idea unless you really enjoy DIY maintenance. Any of those can easily ring up a four figure repair bill without even trying. You'll also be hard-pressed to even find a nice one at this point, these aren't super common cars, particularly if you are looking for a stick in the E39.

You are coming out of a hot hatchback, so why not consider another hatchback? Similar space to the wagon but you'll open up a LOT more options, many of which are less expensive, more reliable, and can be more easily found with a stick.

I like the e61, but like the e39 more. I didn't know they imported any e61's with a manual!

REALLY tough to find. I dig them though.

Yeah, kinda where I'm at.

your w124 makes my pants fit tight. Really cool setup. Think I need a bit more modern for DD

still in the $50k range. ouch!

The ST's under $15k have all been kid owned or thrashed. They are good little cars.

Clean Setup!

Looks gorgeous! I might PM you for details. Theres a couple 540's I'm also looking at.

A buddy just bought this 2006 AWD wagon. http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1540855837.jpg

Outback is the only answer here...

Every Euro option is just so you can feel/look cool. Do I love them, yes but they are far from money savers.

Benz W210 is a pretty reliable platform.
I’ve had this 2002 E320 for the past couple years. I’d love to have the AMG wagon, but fuel costs...

I wouldn’t call it sporty, but for its size it handles well and is very comfortable and smooth.

They come in many different combinations: Diesel, AWD, V6, V8....

The later models are better as the older transmission was weak and rust was a problem.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1540950985.jpg

I like those Merc wagons, but one of my buds jokes that it looks like a hearse. BTW, nice wheels!

Hearse!!?? Yo’buddy needs some glasses...LOL.

Though you could probably COULD fit a casket in the back. It’s pretty easy to remove the rear seats, which gives it an enormous cargo space.

I've owned 2 (nearly) of the cars on your list...

A 2001 520iT, which is a European version of the US cars... Still has an M54 engine, just smaller and underpowered. It had a 5-speed manual. We bought it for $800, well neglected, and all-in it owed us ~$2500, which included $400 in new tires. I DIY'd everything. It was very easy to work on. When we bought it, I baselined the car by replacing all of the standard fail points on the M54, which included oil gaskets and the entire cooling system with radiator. Aftermarket parts are inexpensive and it made it drop dead reliable for the year we owned it... I don't see value in OEM parts on an $800 car. It was a rust-bucket and failed inspection after the year, so I sold it rather than fix it. The guy that bought it patched up the holes and the car lives on today. Rust won't be an issue in CA. So I would vote for one. This car had 270+k kilometers.

We replaced it with a 2005 Volvo V70, which is the P2 platform, so a little older than you are looking at. Apparently, these are considered throwaway cars, which was great for me because we got it for $1300 with 155000 miles. It is rust free and still looks fairly new. The interior is in fantastic shape and the leather is much nicer than what we had in the BMW. It is a different animal than the Bimmer. It is not as much fun to drive (it is squishier and has a slushbox) but it is a 2.5T with a low pressure turbo and has plenty of power. It is also easy to work on... perhaps easier than the BMW. It has some weak points but parts are similarly inexpensive. Again, with a car this cheap, I don't see value in OEM parts. With it, I had to rebuild the PCV system because it was plugged and shortly after we bought the car caused it to quit idling. $200-$300 parts and a half day of DIY (with some tire kicking) and it was good to go again. We also had a coilpack go bad. Currently, I'm seeing excessive oil coming from the charge air pipe from the turbo, so I think a rebuild is in order. I say rebuild because it sounds quiet and still produces plently of power, so I'm not expecting major damage or wear on the turbine (I could be wrong). It will be fixed shortly. I realize this isn't a P3 like you mentioned but they are similar cars and are probably more evolutionary than revolutionary.

Both can swallow a sofa with the tailgate closed. Ask me how I know ;)