What car? sleeper wagon

I'm craving a well appointed sledge hammer station wagon. Preferably a rear wheel drive sleeper and a slick top. Ideally something at or near the bottom of its depreciation curve.

E series or Audi estate - I don't know those well. At all. I don't think there has been a domestic wagon since the Magnum and those are a strong nope. Maybe a Volvo since I'm tall. Possibly even something taller like an Infiniti FX45 because those interiors are nice. But able to eat up miles on trips and get out of its own way fast. No full size SUVs please.

I am happy religious maintaining but don't want a car known for problems. A nice stack of service receipts would be best. WWGRMD?

edit: let's say $27k max. 

Last US market Audi S4 wagon was the B7 generation. 4.2L V8, 6-speed manual, but be prepared for timing chain hell. B8 and B9 wagons only come in A4 and All-Trac guise with puny 2.0T 4-cylinders. No S3/RS3 hatch, no S5/RS5 besides the Sportback, which is not a wagon. You have to jump up to the new RS6 and that's a 6-digit car.

SQ5 is fun in B8 (supercharged) and B9 (turbocharged) guise, and with the air suspension down feels a little more like a wagon than an SUV. It is just an S4 underneath. At that point though, you might as well start looking at early Porche Macans. Which speaking of Porsche, the Panamera CrossTurismo wagons are depreciating like mad. That would be a superb choice.

Volvo would be another good choice. V60 wagon is lovely looking, and the interiors are choice.

What you're describing is a E39 540i Estate... V-8 RWD goodness.  But they're 20+ years old now.

Speaking as a multi-decade Volvo wagon owner, I wouldn't touch a newer one.  Pretty but scary.  And FWD.  They do depreciate like a brick thrown off a cliff.

Not what you asked for but I'd be looking hard at a VW Alltrack with DSG - lower it a bit and a mild tune.  Might be the last best wagon around, and as such - may not depreciate too much.

Here you go (NMNA). And you'll have like 20k left for mods to make it exactly as fast as you want: https://www.swedespeed.com/threads/06-v70r-auto-titanium-gray-w-nordkap-interior-8750-located-in-austin-tx.667651/#post-8102569

Fairmont.

Nearly worthless but it's a fox platform so all the goodies work.

Cadillac CTS or CTS-V.

Does it have to be american/USDM? 

Nissan Stagea or Toyota Crown Athlete...both available with extra spicy options, very few people know what they are, and they are coming stateside now. 

De-badge it.

Since you are in GA. How 'bout a VW Squareback?

Is an E63 AMG wagon just a money pit?

Didn't Buick have a wagon recently? Was that t RWD? I don't think so...but can't remember for sure.
 

What about an Infiniti EX35? 

 

Still out of budget but damn.
Jaguar XF Sportbrake

https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/l-Used-Jaguar-XF-Sportbrake-d2658#listing=366492340/NONE/NATIONWIDE_SHIPPING

https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/cars-sale/cheap-caddy/259895/page1/

Roadmonster wagon.

9C1 goodies fit, so does an LS and I bet an LSA fits under the hood.

In reply to bludroptop :

I'll use this as an excuse to shill my Alltrack thread. Pretty ridiculous how capable these things are with relatively little work. I love mine and my kids do too lol 

Javelin said:

Last US market Audi S4 wagon was the B7 generation. 4.2L V8, 6-speed manual, but be prepared for timing chain hell. B8 and B9 wagons only come in A4 and All-Trac guise with puny 2.0T 4-cylinders. No S3/RS3 hatch, no S5/RS5 besides the Sportback, which is not a wagon. You have to jump up to the new RS6 and that's a 6-digit car.

The B7 4.2 is supposed to be better than the B6 one as far as timing chains go.  If you can stomach doing it, that's a wonderful motor -- worth it IMHO.

And yes, the S5 sportback is a 5-door hatch, as is the S7.

E55 wagon exists, but I've never driven one.

In reply to OHSCrifle :

Yes but they don't depreciate and they are worth it lol

I used to own Audis. Wouldn't touch one built in recent history.

Mazda made a 6 wagon that was pretty cool, but hard to find.

Jetta wagon with a 2.5 and a turbo kit?  Bulletproof engine, unlike the 2.0 turbo.

I think of your choices I'd lean toward the Volvo.

05-09 Subaru Legacy or Outback.

It's all the parts of a WRX in a plain wrapper that says to those with radar guns that you're just in a mild hurry to get to a natural grocery store.

With that kind of budget, you can certainly address any normal Subaru shortfalls, and since Subarus of the era are all Legos, you can OEM+ your way into something like this: 

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/2005-subaru-legacy-gt-14/

I've owned several Volvo wagons over the years too.  Recently test drove a V60 T8 Polestar, and it's about the only thing I'd consider trading my 05 Outback XT for...  but with all the batteries packed in there, I didn't have enough headroom.

A B-Body wagon if you want the full wallowy comfy wagon experience. For that price manual swap it. They are faster than you think and oh so cush.

My choice is the Mercedes E class wagon. Cool looking car and the suspension tuning is really good for DD duties. I think they have heated and cooled seats which are also a wonderful thing to have along with radar cruise control 

ShawnG said:

Fairmont.

Nearly worthless but it's a fox platform so all the goodies work.

Came here to say the same thing. When the time comes, I think I'll pick one up to replace my scion.

Insanely bad idea but nobody would expect it: I spotted a Prius V on the highway yesterday. Clearly shares a lot of parts with the Matrix / Vibe. Had me thinking bad ideas involving a 2ZZ-GE and a supercharger kit...

Sleeper as in hot car in sheep's clothing or something to sleep in?