Need help with choosing a new car

CAPT_Howdy

CAPT_Howdy

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Joined
May 24, 2008
Messages
5,190
Location
Hobb's End, New Hampshire
Car(s)
2004 Mazda6 Estate 3.0
Hopefully by the end of this May, I will have given my notice at my job and will be moving back home to New Hampshire. The car I have right now (A 1997 Toyota Sprinter - okay, okay, a Geo Prizm) is woefully inadequate for the task at hand. So I will need to purchase a new(ish) vehicle to carry me and my belongings 3000 miles from California to New Hampshire. Here are the criteria:
  • $10,000 (US) limit
  • Must get 25+ MPG on the highway
  • Must be reasonably entertaining to drive (Hey, just because I'm driving a car with a large carrying capacity doesn't mean I've given up.)
  • Must be able to make a 3000 mile road trip without leaving me stranded.
Oh, and I will have quite a bit of stuff - one 32" and one 42" TV, my computer, 150+ car books, and about 600 DVDs - so a WRX wagon would be too small.
My first thought was some kind of SUV, but a quick perusal of Craigslist showed that most SUVs and pickups in my price range had over 150K miles and were overpriced.
So far, I narrowed my list down to a B5.5 Volkswagen Passat wagon and a Volvo V70/XC70 Cross Country. A Legacy wagon/Outback might work but it may be a bit too small.
What do you guys think? Am I leaving anything out? I asked my mom for advice and she told me that if I was buying a Subaru to watch out for head gasket problems, but she didn't have any experience with Volvos or Volkswagens.

Oh, and no Miatas, please. Maybe once I get settled and have a new job where I can afford a weekend toy, but be serious now.
And I don't think the US ever got the e30 Touring, so no e30s, either. :D
 
You're going to need a truck/SUV or a trailer to haul all that stuff without breakage.

TVs are too easy to break in cross-country shipping, so I would suggest selling them prior to leaving. This will let you get the rest of your stuff dealt with in a smaller car. Or you could ship the TVs separately, which is probably your best bet.
 
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Id say get a sedan you like with a hitch and strap one of those mini trailers on the back. That way your one time trip doesnt constrain your choices as much.
 
Look into a Versa, would get the 6spd 1.8L Hatch, the only issue in your desires might not be as much fun as you'd like. But find one to test drive to find out. And would be cheaper to save some money, would assume you can find a 60k mile used one for under $10k.
 
I once hauled about that much stuff in an old Civic - the TV and monitor were smaller, but CRT screens. You just have to pack intelligently.

I'm going to suggest perhaps a Nissan Pathfinder of some variety.
 
2Billion said:
I'm going to suggest perhaps a Nissan Pathfinder of some variety.
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Only ones I would like would be 2001.5 and higher with the 3.5 or 4.0L, and that would hurt mpg, even on highway my 3.5L was only around 21-22mpg. A 4x2 would maybe be up to 25mpg on a good day.
 
W124 Wagons
Mercedes-Benz_W124_wagon.jpg

Toyota 4Runner (It's a Toyota but it can haul a crap load of things)
01toyota4runner.jpg

BMW E34 Wagon
deans-540it.jpg
 
I think with the rear seats folded flat you could fit all of your stuff in most wagons.

Browsing craiglist I found this. What the hell is it? It's awesome, I want one!
And I think it would fit your needs too.

Edit: After searching for some info on it it's actually just a Saab WRX Wagon, they never sold those here and I didn't even know they existed.
 
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Roadmaster? :D

An old Ford Diesel would do the trick probably. You can even get one with a 5spd. I like driving trucks, and I find it fun, but you may not.
 
JipJopJones said:
Roadmaster? :D
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I second this. A B-Body wagon has a crap ton of room, much more than the wagons mentioned above. The EPA says they get 24mpg on the freeway, in reality it is above that. The B-Body ticks all the items you listed. I'd get a Caprice or Roadmaster with an LT1 ('94 - '96) as the early ones are pretty lame on the engine front.

800px-Chevrolet_Caprice_wagon.jpg


800px-Buick_Roadmaster_Limited_Wagon.jpg
 
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Not sure if you can find one where you are, but a Saab 9-5 wagon (preferably an Aero with the manual if you can find it) is roomy and a good highway cruiser with some fun in it. Plus it'll be completely at home in New Hampshire.
 
I hear they have this thing called the mail where you can ship things. That would be cheaper than buying a whole vehicle.
 
Toyota Matrix?

It has a ton of room for, basically, a Corolla wagon, gets excellent MPG, it's pretty fun to drive, and it won't leave you stranded on your long trip.

The floor is made from hard plastic, as are the back of the back seats and front passenger seat, which you can fold down flat:

05matrix_xr_8.jpg


That should easily fit all your stuff, and don't think it'll be too heavy for the 1.8L engine to handle; my Matrix recently hauled a brand new washing machine, which weighed around 150-200 lbs + 400lbs (my brother and I) without any problems (highway acceleration was still pretty decent).

For $10k, you can probably get a '05 XR model (standard 16" alloys, body-coloured mirrors and door handles, etc.).
 
When it comes to station wagons there is only one way to go...VOLVO!

The V70/850 would be an excellent choice for your needs.
- interior space is enormous (has more cubic feet than the E34 BMW, even though the BMW is larger from the outside)
- gets 30MPG on the highway (in town mileage is a different story...)
- electrics are bulletproof, suspension is a bit dodgy and seems to fail every 70k miles, engine is also bulletproof as long as the timing belt is being changed at the service intervals.
- is it fun? it can be. You can drive it like your granny, or you can push the Sport button on the transmission and you can have some pretty good acceleration, accompanied by a nice soundtrack from the 5 cylinder turbo.
 
phoenixsac said:
Oh, and no Miatas, please. Maybe once I get settled and have a new job where I can afford a weekend toy, but be serious now.
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But... but... but...

phoenixsac said:
  • $10,000 (US) limit
  • Must get 25+ MPG on the highway
  • Must be reasonably entertaining to drive (Hey, just because I'm driving a car with a large carrying capacity doesn't mean I've given up.)
  • Must be able to make a 3000 mile road trip without leaving me stranded.
Oh, and I will have quite a bit of stuff - one 32" and one 42" TV, my computer, 150+ car books, and about 600 DVDs - so a WRX wagon would be too small.
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A Miata with a trailer will do all of that, I swear! They're not just weekend toys!

Ok, ok, you said be serious.

Ilpav said:
Toyota Matrix?
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If you consider the Matrix, check out the Pontiac Vibe, as well. They're essentially the same car, but the Pontiacs, with the Pontiac badge, tend to sell for less. A friend has the Pontiac version and is quite fond of it.
 
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