Time for KyAllroad to buy a new-to-him car

So kind gentlefolk of the board, it's been 12 years since I bought a DD for myself and at this point my 2007 Passat has 200,000 miles on it and is feeling it age (lots of little failures and inconveniences).   The things I enjoy about it are: wagon, AWD, powerful, comfortable.  The things I've enjoyed less are German repairs.....and that's about it, it's been an amazing car and I'm really struggling to figure out a replacement.

A couple of ideas (keeping it under a $15ish K price cap). 

1.  2012ish CTS wagon with the 3.6 motor and AWD.  There are about 7 for sale nationally right now and none in red (my preferred color for them).   I've heard they have some quirky maintenance issues.

2.  Replace my known german problems with the exact same issues and find my current car with 1/2 the miles on it (a couple for sale but not close, would save money by being $6K cars by now). 

3.  Volvo?  Is there a Swedish wagon out there that will make me happy?  And if so, which one exactly?  The S60 T5 looks like a decent choice but I really want something that won't randomly go tits up when one electrical module decides to E36 M3 the bed mid road trip.

Help me out guys, find me something awesome that  I can daily for the next decade in any weather without spending a mortgage payment in repairs please.

Thanks!

How about a TSX wagon.  They didn't make that many and not AWD, but meets all the other criteria while also being quite reliable.  

One of my volunteers at the shop swears by Volvos.  He had an 06 (I think) XC70 with really high miles until he hit something on the road which punched a hole in the oil pan.  He didn't think it was a bad hit, but it didn't make it very far.  He's replacing it with..... drumroll.... an 06 XC70.

Mom had a CTS.  I forget the year.  All of the quirky failures you expect from an American brand, plus some German and Aussie electronics to boot.  Do not recommend.  Parts aren't a problem to find, but since it's kind of a one-off unique chassis, they tend to be pricey.  CTS-V I might consider because LS and available with a decent ZF6

Mazdaspeed 6?
Infinity Q?
I'm pretty curious about the Kia Stinger.  Did it make it stateside yet?
Lexus ES350?  IS turbo?
Genesis?
Corvettes are actually quite reliable.  Many reviewers put them first
BMW has really upped it's reliability game in the last 4 or 5 years.

What about a different German problem and do like an E9x 3/5 series wagon?  Pretty much checks all of your boxes, and there should be a bunch more than 6 of them around for sale nationally.  You can get them in 6 speed or auto, awd, several motor configs, etc. 

Another shameless plug for the VW Alltrack. I love mine. The Golf Sportwagen 4motion is almost the same thing without the body cladding and can be had a little cheaper. 

Sportswagen 4Motion is only available in the poverty spec. S trim with really just the basic stuff. Just the way I like my german cars. Very little to break. 

I have my 19 with a stick I got recently. All in was 21K for a 36K miles example that is really clean. With a $500 tune, it's a 220ish WHP AWD 6 speed unicorn. The 4motion is a little harder to find. 

Much searching has gone on in my free time.  And I'm beginning to think I may throw in the towel and just go back to Audi/VW.  At least they are the devil I know.  Looks like $14K gets me an Allroad under 100K miles and the 2.0T motor seems to get reasonably rowdy with a stage 1 APR tune.

bmw88rider said:

Sportswagen 4Motion is only available in the poverty spec. S trim with really just the basic stuff. Just the way I like my german cars. Very little to break. 

I have my 19 with a stick I got recently. All in was 21K for a 36K miles example that is really clean. With a $500 tune, it's a 220ish WHP AWD 6 speed unicorn. The 4motion is a little harder to find. 

The more I think about it, the Germans seem to spend a lot of time thinking about wagens.  

I'll second the alltrack/Sportwagen.  I had a manual Alltrack S (no sunroof).  Alltracks were available in both DSG and 6MT.  4motion Sportwagens got DSG and 6MT.  FWD Sportwagons were regular automatic transmission or 5MT.  The S Alltrack came with more features than the S sportwagen for basically the same price when I bought  mine (2017, new).  Some people are listing 6MT wagons for unicorn-dust prices. 

They're still fairly small cars (Golf based).  The trunk floor drops down & is removable, so they do actually hold quite a bit of gear.  If you want to go faster, GTI turbos are larger & available near-free.  Golf R turbos are also a common swap, but also more expensive.  I sold mine ~2 or 3 years ago, mainly because I didn't need the expense & I didn't love the seats. FYI, 2018s came with a 6 year/72k comprehensive warranty.

I replaced my VW sportwagen with a BMW Sport Wagen (2007 328i aka E91).  I love how it drives.  The only downside is that the trunk is more hatchback-sized than wagon-sized.  If you want lots of space, definitely lean towards a 5-series wagon.  Both can be bought for $5k to $10k, depending on age/condition.  Of course.  The NA straight 6 (N52) is said to be very reliable (yet oil-leaky) . Early 4cl turbo BMWs have a bad reputation for timing chain/guide issues.

Buick Regal TourX is a larger wagon that's in-budget...but also a rebadged Opel...so that may also come with both German AND American car problems.

Acura TSX wagon should be pretty reliable...the beak-nose looks a bit awkward...but at least it's a wagon.    

I don't know much about Audi, I've always liked the way the way the allroads look.   I think they're a bit wider/bigger than the VW Alltrack..and likely more quiet/comfortable.  While Volvo options may be similar, sticking with VAG might mean less "learning."  Your current tools & know-how would likely be a benefit.

Don't forget about Mercedes E-class wagons if you're OK with an automatic transmission.  They're big & comfy.  

Not AWD, but a very nice car for regular driving:  2016 V60 - $14k / 70k miles - turbo 2.0 makes enough oomph

AWD, and pretty quick, but a little more money and mileage: 2016 V60 R-design - $16k / 100k miles - this is a twincharged 2.0

AWD, loaded, older but same generation, and a lot fewer miles:  2015 V60 - $15k / 58k miles - turbo 2.5

Our 2017 S60 T5 AWD is an awfully nice car to drive around in.  It has not had any issues.

A 2013 allroad would fit the bill for sure.  IMHO they're better than the 2017 + that got the part time all wheel drive 

Our Allroad is a 2014 with just under 80K on it......it's been flawless so far (touch wood) and since we can't find anything like it for a reasonable price, we'll just stick with it.

Kindof long in the tooth at this point, but have you considered a Saab 9-3 Aero (Sportkombi)?

2.8-liter GM V6, turbocharged to 255hp.  Sits on 245 series tires, and handles pretty well.

Prices are generally kept in check as people outside of Saab circles tend to avoid companies that are no longer in business, but parts are readily available.  I believe the line ran until 2014, and there's a 2.0-liter turbocharged option as well.

Didn't SAAB go BK in 2010? I seem to recall only a few 9-5's were made in 2011......

MiniDave said:

Didn't SAAB go BK in 2010? I seem to recall only a few 9-5's were made in 2011......

I'll admit to having to look up the end year on wiki as I wasn't sure.  We had a 2006 stateside that looked a lot like the photo above and a 2008 here in Europe that was a 1.9 diesel.  I can't say I ever recall seeing anything older than a 2009 on the classifieds.

But still, I do love the car.  Very well laid out cockpit, comfortable, safe, not prohibitively hard to work on (although the 2.8v6 is a bit "tight" in some spaces)... four out of five stars, would Saab again.

The only downside I can think of at the moment is you're not going to get in-dash GPS, and other more modern amenities.

MiniDave said:

Didn't SAAB go BK in 2010? I seem to recall only a few 9-5's were made in 2011......

They started restructing in 2010, but gave up in 2011 when they couldn't find a viable owner...according to the internets.  

The 9-5s in MY2010 & 2011 were the new/updated style (not sold in a wagon/Sportcombi in the US).  

They did make a good looking wagon through 2008 or 2009.  

The issue with SAABs going forward will be parts and service.....IMHO.

I tried to buy a 2015 lo mile Allroad on BaT today but somehow my CC info got corrupted and I didn't find out till the last couple of minutes into the auction (weird because I bid on another car two weeks ago and it worked fine then!)

My bride is not happy as she felt it was a true unicorn and went for a price we would have paid. I explained that had she been bidding the price might have gone a lot higher than what she felt was reasonable and we might not have gotten it anyway, but......

There's a 2012 15K mile A4 Avant on there right now that might be a good deal