What's AWD, automatic, reliable and around $10k-$13k?
 

I'm looking to pick something up before winter, but also ASAP. I'd like to spend no more than $10k, but would go a little higher if the car was worth it. MUST be AWD and automatic. Something that has a rep of reliability over issues obviously is preferred.

I was hell bent on getting a LGT, but I'm having a hard time finding the right one in our area and my price range. Last night I stumbled across a VW Passat 4 motion on eBay and it got me thinking, what other cars out there might be a better choice.

Interior is important. Thus why I'm picking the legacy over the wrx/impreza models. Leather with heated seats is also a big want. Station wagon or SUV is not out of the question either, long as it doesn't look completely ghey. Engine wise I'm open to anything that can get up and go that's not a gas sucking V8, so a nice V6 or 4cyl turbo is fine (not looking at the 4cyl non-turbo pigs).

Please discuss and help me pick a good all around AWD DD before the snow hits!!. :bigtu:

chipmunk slayer, buy a forester xt auto. that is what i have. leather with heated seats.

Audi allroad.

For once I think Fae is right

the WRX's in that price range are sometimes gas hogs, and the Passat 4 Motion will be a reliability nightmare as it's a VW/Audi. If you have to get one, I hear the 2.8 is the one to get b/c the 1.8t isn't enough to push around a big car.
BMW 325ix
Ford Escape Hybrid
Honda Pilot
Toyta CR-V
Honda Element
Impreza 2.5RS
Edit:
The Allroad is cool, but I'd have questions about the reliability.

+1 Forester (or any subie excluding 2010+ outback/legacy GT or 3.6R)
Forester is a good choice. Before we bought our 4matic(AWD) Benz we had a 2010 Legacy GT - same motor as the WRX and I believe the forester XT - i could be wrong on that. That was a fast car, it's what got me into buying a miata and putting a turbo on it. Had to lemonlaw the subie, if they ever fix the steering wobble in the 2010+ legacy's I will buy one again.

Good thing about the 4eat auto fxts is that they aren't gonna be whored on like every other boosted subie in the world.

the 2.8 is a turd

S60 with the five cylinder turbo. For that price you can get an R with the girltronic transmission. With the awd models just make sure you check out the seals on the angle gear and the exhaust bracket has been removed. Decent gas mileage in the non-r's, cheap to insure and maintain as long as the PO did his job.

Forester XT is a great choice but the 4eat sucks balls. Never downshifts when I want and always when I don't. Well when I forget that it's not a turbo'd Miata anyway. Great car, lots of fun in the snow, on gravel/dirt roads, empty fields....

Blah just floor that bitch and wait 3 seconds and there's your shift.

Never said there wasn't a work around ;)

If I was going to get a Subaru in that price range I'd just make myself find the right Legacy GT. I like them the best overall out of the bunch. The Forester isn't bad, but it wouldn't be my first choice. Impreza isn't even on the list, those interiors are junk.

I almost bought a Audi A6 before I got this junk Taurus. Having heard a lot about problems with them, once I saw/drove it in person I passed.

Though I do like Volvo and the S60 is nice, its probably out of my price range. Esp the R.

BMW has a few AWD models I'd go for, but its the price range that kills the quality and mileage. Anyone know whats considered a high mileage beamer?

I just bought an R for 4000 about a month ago. Yeah, it has a million miles on it but don't think you can't find an awd non r with less than 100k miles for less than 10K. There's plenty out there just keep looking and stay off the forums, everyone thinks their car is a gift to humanity, thus requiring a premium to own it.

except for that pesky reliability part, I think you're looking for an S62 swapped E30 iX. with automatic transmission.

Freaking phone: post got cut off. Look at anything from 04-07. As far as bmw's get ready for expensive maintenance, a lack of maintenance (if a lease), and large insurance premiums. Stay away from the v8's. In my searches I've found on the e46's that the awd system can get spendy if not all the fluids were changed. You should be ok with one around the 80 to 120k mile range. Just be ready to overhaul the cooling system and possibly pcv system (Sounds easy but it's not cheap and can cause problems). But aside from the common e46 issues (Wiring, subframe cracking, etc) you should be ok. The e39's are similar but with seemingly less problems as long as you stay away from the v8's and the ones with the lame electronic suspensions. also the ones with the gm transmissions generally have problems around those mileages if I recall correctly.

50,001

There is a Volvo that fits every single one of these "help me pick a car" threads.

i have a friend who picked up a forester xt auto for 5 or 6k, it's pretty clean but has higher mileage, i think like 140-150. He likes it so far (only a few weeks now)

AWD Volvo. Pick it up from some old lady who drove it to and from church.

I just came across this S60R.

http://tinyurl.com/4yakds3

We might go take a look at it tomorrow. I'm going to do some reading on them tonight and see what I can find out.

I've always liked the look of the R and had no idea it was AWD. If it proves to be reliable and looks good in person, I may just end up with one. lol

I use to listen to the Autoblog podcast, and one of the hoasts had a Volvo (or 2) of that vintage. There where so many weird problems with that car there was a special section of the show about it for a while. An E36 ix BMW would be a better choice IMO. Have you considered a FWD car for getting around in the winter?

agreed: the only volvos worth a damn are the older ones.
that is not an older one.

good luck and be careful

I want the AWD more so for her. If it snows bad out I can stay home and let her take this car. I'd feel more at ease and she'd be a lot safer.

Shit for a couple years in a row I drove the miata throughout the winter. If it was really bad out I just got a ride. We moved to the top of a mountain up here though, so I'd like to get something that's AWD just in case we need it.

I'm def not looking to JUMP on anything, however, I have 2 broken cars ATM. lol

how about a Honda CRV?

AWD for snow? shit just get snow tires. my wife's cheapy 98 civic with snow tires made it home in the blizzard earlier this year in DC.

ok ok so I almost got stuck on a hill but sliding in AWD is about the same as sliding with FWD.

still... i could drive through 8 inches of snow without much issue.

thats actually a pretty damn good dd.
though if he thinks wrx interiors are shit (which baffles me cause they're pretty decent IMO) then he'll definitely hate the crv interior as well

+1 for Forester XT. We use ours as the family runabout but it also does a great job of towing my track pig. It's a bit heavy on fuel compared to other cars that size but it's not too bad.

If you get an MY06 to MY08, I would recommend disabling the ECU checks for the secondary air pump and solenoids (can be done with open source software and a cable) then pulling the fuses for both, as they can be problematic and expensive to repair if they go wrong.

You can just delete the airpump altogether. Though with 10-13k he's not getting 06+ unless its in poor shape or high miles or salvaged.

I friggen LOVE my 08 XT Sport BTW:D
Most recent dyno plot:
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g9...g1019take2.jpg

Still working on the tune. Shooting for 330 on pump and 380+ on e85.
Gets about ~23 city ~26 hwy

Various Jeeps (Liberty for good MPG's)
Ford Escape Hybrid
Honda Pilot
Toyta Rav4
Honda Element
Ford Ranger

my sister's CRV (2008) has a very nice interior. black leather and navi. I would drive it if I didn't have a boss daily.

Fagzilla, please make it easy for me. I want to upgrade my turbo on my 04 fxt and have a consistent 300hp. Which turbo should I get? I'm swapping the IC for an sti IC and going 3" turboback.

get a 16g

I just so happen to have one sitting in my closet at the moment

no.
pussy turbo is for pussies

Read about the ebd or the exhaust brace of death. Check to make sure the resonator isn't extremely high (possibly making contact with the driveshaft) or too low indicating the driveshaft is bent. Also check the transfer case. If it's leaking walk away. Read up on angle gear and collar sleeve failures. It won't leave you stranded but you will have a fwd car with 300 and no lsd in the front. Check to make sure the 4c function is working (Adjustable shocks). And check the e brake, the shoes sometimes stick to the rotor and spontaneously combust taking out the spindle with it. If you buy it replace the shoes (36 bucks plus 17 for hardware kit) as a preventative measure. Check the ps reservoir some late models leak. That's a $60 fix. Pm me if you want more info

+1. AWD, Automatic, Honda reliability, decent mileage and an older one can be had for much less than $10k.

Sister had a 99, and only thing about it that wasn't great was interior. It had Honda quality interior, which is fine but not particularly luxurious. I guess it's not that cool looking either, but it looks better than a RAV4.

if he bought one of those and drove it around on salted roads, I'd mercykill it myself

turbo recomemndation for my fxt please. needs to bolt right on, pref subie takeoff good for 300hp. come on 18psi, i will give you a sex.

td06 20g 8cm or 10cm from FP, Blouch, or any of the other known company. I had this setup on my 07 wrx, and now a very similar setup on the foz: each time I'm more than satisfied with the results. Very good lowend response, very solid powerband, and potential for a TRUE 330-350 on pump and 380-400 on e85. Check out my project thread on SF.org under the same screen name. You could go Dom1.5, green, or a few others too, but those get more and more pricey with some well in the 2k range for just the turbo. All bolt on of course. OR you could go ATP30r but again, that gets pricey. If you're not just fucking around PM me for more info.

And I'll definitely take you up on the sex:magna:


Sorry for off topic post Vash

Oh, hell yes! I had that car and driver when they did 0-60 in 4.6 in the rain.

BANZAl

That requires effort though, pulling the fuse on the solenoids keeps them shut, assuming you do this before they have a chance to seize open. Same result as a block off plate & keeps things looking stock. :)

Buy a Jeep.

http://thehummerguy.com/wp-content/u...-121100-am.png

http://thehummerguy.com/wp-content/u...1/p1050060.jpg


Just look for something in the 9-13 k range. They certainly aint fast.

^^^^^^

I'm not a fan of Wranglers, although I would get a newer style (2009) Grand Cherokee, esp the SRT8 ones. But alas, out of my price range again.

Right now I'm leaning toward this Volvo S60 R that is somewhat local to me at a good price. I just have no time to get up there to see the damn thing in person. Maybe this weekend.

I have a LegGT and an OBXT, and owned an FXT. For a daily the Leg is much better than the FXT. Interior is a lot nicer. Exterior is sexier. Stigma is less gay. Hatch is more useful in the LegGT wagon vs the FXT. FXT is taller in the hatch area, but LegGT is longer.

How about the OBXT vs. the LegGT wagon Frank? The OBXT to me, seemed to be the best of the three but I couldn't find any for cheap.

those are some serious mall crawlers

Not much difference except the suspension and the body cladding. Everything else is the same. I just sold my stock LegGT suspension to a guy with an OBXT so he could drop it and get better handling. The stock OBXT suspension makes it plow a bit. Similar to the FXT actually. My FXT had an STI takeoff suspension at about 3k miles so the stock stuff didn't last long.

The clearance of the OBXT is nice when the snow starts coming and for a lot of the crappy speedbumps and deep driveways.

Ah ok. The LGTXT wagon felt pretty sluggish compared to the FXT. I'm not sure how 200lbs could make that much of a difference.

I'm about to finally install my STI takeoff suspension on the fxt. Think I'll regret it? I do a lot of um bridge jumping :) And driving in 3rd world countries (bmore and ghetto DC)

I know you're probably looking at all the CL's within 100miles, but I stumbled across this:
Chrysler Pacifica
http://hartford.craigslist.org/ctd/2616555526.html

Of course the guy selling it is named Muktar, and I know nothing of the reliability, but it should tick all your boxes and then some, and has significant advantages over a sedan.

How about AWD G35x?
http://newlondon.craigslist.org/ctd/2656723461.html

Answer to OP:

A cat with a subaru forester xt taped to it

g35x puke

I drove an awd pacifica 4 years ago on a snowboard trip. fancy edition. for a piece of shit usa car it was pretty darn nice.

I like these threads cause I've been searching for a car for Meg with the same requirements. I keep suggesting a FXT.

I had to take a day off and go to Richmond the next day to pick up my '05 OBXT Limited 5MT wagon for 12.5k, 2 years ago, just under 100k miles. My brother recently picked up his '05 LGT Limited 5MT sedan for $8900, 120k miles. Both rock. Automatics are easier/cheaper to find. You WILL need to replace the Outback suspension, that crap is straight up dangerous. Turbo wise minimum failflora, I'd consider BNRsupercar, mostly cause he does a plugnplay version for the funky LGT compressor shape.

:rofl:

I'm suprised you liked the Pacifica, it's a bit to minivanish for me.

OP: I'd just hold out for the subi you want, you will makes threads about problems you have with that volvo, mark my words. Maybe you should just get an old 240 wagon with snow tires. I drove my brothers last winter when it snowed a lot and it was very competent on the snow, I couldn't barley get it to loose traction if I tried. I think his had all-seasons too.

That's very strange. You'd think Volvo's would be shit in the snow... after all, it never snows in Sweden.

It doesn't have TC (to my knowledge, it's a 93 I believe), and the tires look like all-seasons (all seasons are no-seasons), it's RWD, and it's relatively light, I wouldn't think that these things together would make a good snow car.

Also, I think you'll find it snows quite a bit in Sweden :giggle:

You'd be buying the AWD, swiss, leather version of your Ford Taurus. AKA: something we're not suggesting. Don't fucking do it again.

What do you have against the CRV? They are really nice little SUVs.

He wants a turbo upgrade for his FXT which has the same footprint as the WRX/STI so he has better options since it doesn't used the retarded and crappy Leg/OB inlet/IC setup. If he wants cheap, he should just go with the latest bolt-on STI takeoff (VF39 or whatever that latter come with) he can find and throw on an STI TMIC and tune.