10-05-2006, 03:34 PM | #1 |
Solving problems
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Future wagon waffling continues - Why not a 540iAT?
The more I think about it, the more I'm liking the thought of a 540iAT to replace the Saabaru when the time comes. A set of narrow WS-50's might do the trick in the winters - even in Canada. Thoughts?
-------------------------- What I was originally going to post: I know I'm still 6-12 months away, but I've been thinking about possibilities for the family wagon... again. (Yes, I know I've had similar threads before). You know the requirements by now: -Automatic -Roomy enough to fit a full-sized male lab and luggage in the way back -A solid performance vehicle (power, torque, braking, handling). The more the merrier -Must get through snowy weather fine (AWD preferable - required?) -Must have high marks in comfort/luxury/amenities. -I must trust it to not leave me stranded. -Fuel economy/consumables are not a big deal due to low usage (under 10K miles a year). The contenders are the usual suspects: 1) '06-'07 V70R - Price in '07: ~$30-40K. -PROS: Newish, available long warranty, great brakes, good power/torque, good tranny, roomy, safe, AWD, decent handling, great interior/features. -CONS: Low ground clearance/long front overhang, lag, only 2.5L, unreliable(?), FWD-biased AWD. 2) '05-'07 Outback 3.0R LL Bean - Price in '07: ~$25-30K. -PROS: Newish, great AWD, "cheap," good ground clearance, reliable, decent power/torque, good range per tank. -CONS: Not so upsacale, smallish, mediocre brakes and tranny, mediocre handling. 3) '02-'03 540iAT - Price in '07 ~$25-30K -PROS: V8 torque, good power, good handling/brakes, great interior/features, good tranny, unliekly to strand me, roomy enough, RWD, "cheap." -CONS: RWD-only, thirsty, not new (maintenance/repairs), just roomy enough. 4) '02-'03 E320W 4-Matic - Price in '07: ~$25K PROS: Cheap, very roomy, AWD, Great interior features. CONS: Unreliable(?), weak power/torque, maintenance/repairs. -Late model E-wagons are too expensive and/or unreliable to consider. -I should probably look ata used allroad V8 or A6 Avant just for kicks, but. |
10-05-2006, 03:35 PM | #2 |
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I would never get it unless I could also afford a tranny swap.
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10-05-2006, 03:36 PM | #3 |
redefined
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why not? because it will be old
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10-05-2006, 03:45 PM | #4 |
Solving problems
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10-05-2006, 04:38 PM | #5 |
Western Anomaly
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is it easy to take a dog from the US into Canada and back into the US again?
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10-05-2006, 05:27 PM | #6 |
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No stick, old, expensive to maintain, thirsty on gas, not that big inside, not really that fast by contemporary standards. If you are going to get a slushie, why not a Magnum? Those come in AWD, too.
Frankly, if you are going to get a slushie, the thing that probably makes the most sense is a used Acura MDX. Those things (while disturbingly boring and something I would never buy) are almost perfect transportation appliances, and an '02 can be yours for less than $20K. |
10-05-2006, 05:46 PM | #7 |
The user formerly known as rwg
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I know you have heard me say this over and over again, but the Magnum has very little useable cargo room for it's size. The cargo numbers are deceiving b/c the design team went out of their way to make sure as little of it was useable as possible.
Still a neat car though. And it has a Hemi. |
10-05-2006, 06:17 PM | #8 | |
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Quote:
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OH NOES!!!!!1 MY CAR HAS T3H UND3R5T33R5555!!!!!!1oneone!!!!11 Team WTF?! What are you gonna do? |
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10-05-2006, 06:59 PM | #9 | |
Solving problems
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Quote:
I can't expect my dog to not stand in the 5-hour trip to Montreal. The Magnum is to shallow in the back, and I cannot stack things very high. lemming: Under 3 months, apparently all I need to do is show I own him an dthat he has had his basic shots. After 3 months, you need something from your vet. So for now, we're good. The MDX-route, which opens a whole set of possibilities, is a more realistic scenario than a Magnum because: 1) My wife hates how it looks ("retarded" was how she described it, I beleive), 2) it is not "upscale," and 3) as I've mentioned before, it is not that roomy. And if we go the SUV route, I would almost certainly go the whole way and get a used Land Cruiser. |
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10-05-2006, 07:01 PM | #10 | |
Solving problems
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Quote:
Ok, well, thanks for bringing me back to reality. |
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