A what wagon/SUV/SAVSXV thread

Well...........

I'll be very soon looking for a new car for my wife. For various reasons, she gets a dealer fresh new car when needed. Polling the group for their thoughts -- the primary vehicle needed is some sort of wagon or smaller SUV type thing. Towing capacity isn't important, but the ability to have a floor that folds flat in the rear for dog and dog crate hauling duties is a must. Crates tend to be on the larger side as we do rescue for a Golden Retriever group.

By way of a datapoint, our old '02 Outback filled that need nicely.....the recent '09 Mazda3, notsomuch!

Second datapoint, looking at vehicles with a list price under $35k....

thanx in advance,

loaded fozzie in green on bronze wheels!

Um... Well, its gotten uglier and farther away from its original intent, but the new Outback sounds like a good replacement. Or if you don't like that, the Forester.

Otherwise my vote would go to a 2010 Cadillac CTS Wagon IF the dog-crates fit, and possibly a Ford Flex.

Provided you sell it before the warranty runs out, the Jetta or Passat wagons are awful nice.

@Taiden -- I had to use teh intewebz -- fozzie = forester -- niice Already there, m'frien!

@mtn -- I agree, somewhat. the outbacks did take a turn down uglystreet for a while -- have to see if the '11's got any better. They seemed to almost double in size!! Thumbs down on the CTS wagon -- I like em -- she doesn't.....am checking out the Flex and the Edge frm Ford!

@ddavidv -- didn't think of the VW products -- gonna check them out though....her vehicles usually get sold right when warranty runs out.

Thanks all -- keep 'em coming!

Is an Element too far down the size totem pole for you? I was a fan of the available vinyl floors, but I'm not sure if you can still get them.

Honda Odyssey!

I think I might be one of the only people who like the 2010 outbacks. Yeah, they are practically an SUV now... but the gap between the Impreza Wagon and the Outback has been enlarged, and I think that's a good thing.

When I was working at a subie dealership in summer of 09, I remember loving the outback, the paprika red forester, and the new legacies. You get a lot of car with the legacy! (But as you know it's not a wagon..)

@Derick -- might run the Element by the missus again -- she's not a fan of the really boxy stuff (Element, xB).....

@1988RedT2 -- with no kids in the house, a minivan is totally outta da question

How about a Mazda 5? I've seen the back of it with all seats down and it is pretty much flat. Plus it is available in the three pedal flavor just in case you would like to steal it!

No kids? Dog rescue? Has to be new? Then you need a Jeep Grand Wagoneer!

Wagonmaster

Wagoneer World

Grand Wagoneer

XC90's are not bad but like all other Euro's $$$ to repair

I was very surprised wile i was working at a GMC dealer with the Acadia.

And i agree with the Flex those are just awesome overall.

The Toyota RAV4 is a solid choice, you should be able to pick up an AWD Base V6 for around $25-26K. Ours (2006) has been a good car and gets great mileage for an AWD V6 (28 mpg on trips, 22-24 in mixed driving).

Update....

Well, after searching teh interwebz and hitting a few dealer lots, I think we may have found a winner -- Jetta TDI sportwagen. Drove a TDI and a 2.5 back to back -- TDI feels a little more heavier, but the torques are awesome

Car works for us stylewise, interior is decent (although the missus would like more console room), seats fold flat like we want......

I hear things from time to time on this board about VW build quality -- anyone have anything to contribute on that front?

I know I've heard that VW is a little higher priced than the competition -- didn't see that on the Sportwagen, or even the Tiguan sitting next to it -- and I'd be considering one of those if I needed a SUV thinger. This was definitely cheaper than the Audi A3 that it shares a platform with......

Hope you have a good pair of walking shoes and a really deep wallet...

orphancars wrote: I hear things from time to time on this board about VW build quality -- anyone have anything to contribute on that front?

Warranty is your friend. I wouldn't be afraid of a NEW VW or Audi. But the second it comes off of it, It would be on the market.

*I have never owned a VW or Audi, this is coming from family members and close friends who have them.

@ Javelin -- Is this just anecdotal commentary or do you have some actual data to share? Because my friends seem to love their VWs and have had them for 100K and more. Unfortunately they are not car folks and seem to regard cars as appliances.....and I don't wanna play the my friends vs. your friends game.....that doesn't help much.

And as I said above -- this is a new car purchase. Not new to me, but as I said above "dealer fresh new car" -- so a really deep wallet for what I assume you mean to take care of repairs isn't necessary here (thanks mtn!)

Looking for data, facts, and tech here.................

The 06 diesels were bad. Like, REAL BAD. I like VW's, the 4th gen cars were quite reliable even though everybody here likes to tell horror stories. But the 06 diesels, just STAY AWAY!

@HiTempGuy -- thanks for the datapoint -- this is more of what I'm looking for

Since we're talking '11 MY cars, this helps me.....

I know you said "dealer fresh" but there's a lot of value in going CPO. My wife's XC90 V8 was bought under your price cap totally loaded with 25k-ish miles on it and with what amounts to a 6 year/100k mile warranty from new. Someone else ate the first $25k in depreciation and we wound up with more warranty than if buying new. It's a teriffic vehicle.

I'm also a huge BMW fan (shocker!) and a CPO 530 wagon would fit the bill and also likely be in your price range. A CPO 3 series wagon would definitely get well under your cap and likely be nicer than the VW.

I always thought the Element was beyond fugly and back again... but I drove one recently in SC trim and really liked it. Couldn't believe the room in it, and the drop down tailgate made loading really easy. Handling is a little stiffer than the base model too.