AWD Mid size Sedan (Not a Subi)

it's a shame you do not want an SUV. Some of them are quite nice and handle well.

Question is though: Why AWD?

Volvo S60 R, with the row-your-own option.

In reply to mad_machine:

I already have the mother of all SUVs (H2) and I have been driving an expedition for the last bunch of years.

I want AWD because it is the easy button for a large part of the weather we get up here in the north east. Yes I can drive other cars in snow. My Porsche is actually a decent snow car with studded snows at all 4 corners. But having driven full time awd for a while now I like it better. I actually own at the moment two RWD cars two AWD SUVs and one FWD. car.

A car with AWD just seems to tick all the box's for about 90 percent of my driving needs at the moment. I will also be thinning the heard by at least 2 vehicles (maybe 3 as I started the P car over the weekend for the first time in 3 months and all was good. Started it again on Monday morning and there was no oil pressure ) if I get something like this.

The xtype is not all that bad of an idea. My bride put 150k on hers, a 2.5 she bought with 100k on the clock. In that time we had the one big expense, centerdiff, and a minor hassle with the fuel tank fill vent not working, a few ignition coils, and a vakvecover gasket. That's about it. Not bad for.a qtr million miles, and it is a pretty well balanced snow car. We still have it.

Jay_W wrote: The xtype is not all that bad of an idea. My bride put 150k on hers, a 2.5 she bought with 100k on the clock. In that time we had the one big expense, centerdiff, and a minor hassle with the fuel tank fill vent not working, a few ignition coils, and a vakvecover gasket. That's about it. Not bad for.a qtr million miles, and it is a pretty well balanced snow car. We still have it.

That is the kind of story I like to here. Was it the 2.5 or 3.0l motor?

Suzuki Kizashi

2.5.. I haven't heard any real negatives on that or the 3liter engine. I am still kinda impressed by how clean the engine oil is when it's draining outta the pan. My cars, '90's vintage turbomotors, turn their oil the more usual yuk come oilchange time, but it seems like that Duratech lump is built pretty tight..that I always feel a bit guilty, throwing away such relatively clear looking oil during Kitteh's oilchanges. You wanna stay on top of gearlube, using the good stuff and making sure it's topped off, and there will be interior trim pieces that migrate. Who cares. That's what epoxy is for and I bet you can get a decent 3.0 for 4-6k these days. OTOH iif you want something in another league better and still keep the pricetag under 10, There is a pristine.. andI do mean surgical neat as a pin speed6 on Ebay that is owned by an engineer and has a new engine and is one helluva buy that I can point to toward...If I'd had any sense, I'da bought it myself.

Cadillac ATS or CTS would be decent choices...

Wow, can't believe we didn't bring up Lexus or Infinity offerings yet.

Here ya go, http://boston.craigslist.org/gbs/ctd/4920427865.html

dean1484 wrote:

captdownshift wrote: Volvo

Other than the X70 that I think is UGLY are there other AWD variants I should be looking at as I really like the old bricks.

Off the top of my head, in no particular order: S70, Cross Country (XC70), S60, S40, V40, V50, V70, XC90, XC60, S80, were all available AWD in 'Merica. Closest to the "old bricks" you'll get is the S/V70, the early ones were 850s with slightly rounder corners.

if you rack up a lot of miles.. nothing beats a Volvo for comfy seats to keep your bottom happy

Fusion AWD? Chrysler 300C AWD? TL-SH?

Don't understand the affinity to say no to the subaru though; it seems like the answer in this scenario?

etifosi wrote: Wow, can't believe we didn't bring up Lexus or Infinity offerings yet.

yamaha wrote:

etifosi wrote: Wow, can't believe we didn't bring up Lexus or Infinity offerings yet.

I'd drive one of these things before a Gheely/Volvo! (I sold Volvo from '99-'06) And I'd wager it would have better reliability than an old Ford Cat.

Can a Lexus ES350 be had with AWD? That might be the ticket for subtle comfort.

In reply to singleslammer: I'm not sure if the ES can be, but the IS250 is

The vaniLexus es350 does offer awd.

Mitsubishi makes an AWD Lancer. I doubt there will be a premium on that car and they used to have good warranties (not sure if 100K powertrain anymore.)

You can get a Buick LaCrosse with AWD: http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicledetails.xhtml?zip=19030&endYear=2016&modelCode1=LACROSSE&driveGroup=AWD4WD&showcaseOwnerId=88637&startYear=1981&makeCode1=BUICK&searchRadius=0&maxPrice=15000&showcaseListingId=391864045&mmt=%5BBUICK%5BLACROSSE%5B%5D%5D%5B%5D%5D&listingId=391917287&Log=0

1st Generation Lincoln MKZ. A ton of them were AWD. They make plenty of power. They get decent fuel economy and good horsepower out of a pretty reliable engine. The back seat is pretty useable, and most of them were owned by old guys. Only downside is they're kind of a pain to work on. Way the hell better than an X-type though.

Nothing to add that hasn't already been said, but I can see exactly where you're coming from with the "implied value" thing. I can't tell you how many times I'm some high paid engineer since I'm driving a BMW (that happens to be worth less than $4,000...).

rcutclif wrote: Audi, but that may kick the BMW/MB hornet nest thing too. btw, can I rant about that for a bit? you could be driving a 70k maxed out brand new suburban and no one would think twice you drive an expensive car. But roll up in a 10 year old corvette, and everyone thinks you're a high roller.

I get that from strangers sometimes in my 10 year old Chevy. I didn't buy it because it was expensive, I bought it cause it was cheap!

To the OP, I'd vote for the Infiniti or Volvo S60R

I second dB Grubbs with Suzuki kizashi. They should be cheap since Suzuki stopped selling cars. My parents have one and like it

You can go with an Infiniti M45 with the AWD or a Lancer Evolution VIII in a subtle color.