Subaru Outback. My stepmom has had one for 3 years now, and LOVES it. It's nice to drive, but I'd recommend the V6.

I can understand why everyone is saying the Honda Element, but I just can't get used to those. They may be functional, but the form is still fugly.

Come to think about it.....why not check out the Hundai Santa Fe? My soon-to-be in-kaws bought one last year and absolutely LOVE it.I've ridden in the back a few times and it was very roomy/comfortable even for me (6'-1", 245#).

How about, dare I say it, the Jeep Liberty, or a newer used Jeep Cherokee(not the Grand Cherokee, just the regular Cherokee......maybe a 99 or a 2000?)?

Can't agree with you more, fuckin ugly, lamo car.

Hey Todd,

Be like our "3G's" Gas Guzzling Governator, and
get a Hummer! Then you can feel superior to everyone in Colorado!

Just kidding. I hope you don't get rid of your X since I want to hang out with you and your son next year. We still need to talk...

Mark

Another thing to consider is that I'm pretty sure Honda is making a hybrid CRV for 2006.

Agreed! The wife has one it's actually a pretty nice ride. 17" wheels, heated leather seats, climate control, bose system with 6 disc in dash changer and built in subwoofer, auto with manual shift and it will move too. I never would have thought I would like driving a wagon.

My first choice for an AWD sporty wagon would be a BMW 325xi (or 325i for two wheel drive). Sporty looking (doesn't scream boring), and fun to drive, especially with the manual transmission. The price is about the same as an Audi A4 quattro wagon, so not exactly cheap. Try to find one without a lot of useless options (premium package, navigation, etc.). You may have to special order, since dealers like to stock really loaded versions. IMO BMW's seem to cost less to maintain than Audis, especially as they get older. The Audi is also a very nice ride, though.

The BMW 3-series is about to come out with a new model. I believe the new wagon version will be in 2006 sometime. Bargain hard on an old one. :rolleyes:

Surprised that no one has mentioned the Scion xB yet.

Love it or hate it, these boxy wagons offer exceptional space and versitility for their fuel mileage. xB or Element would be my choice.

Luxry wagons like Audi or Volvo are great, but how much gas money are you gonna save when you spend $35,000+ on the vehicle to begin with?

Well, if you decide on getting a Euro vehicle, check out:

Volvo Overseas Delivey site

BMW Overseas Delivery

Mercedes Overseas Delivery

Saab Overseas Delivery

Conspicuously absent? Audi, which does NOT have a Euro-delivery option.

Me, for reliability I go by what I see dumped on the used car lots - and you always see a row of volkswagens (Jetta's mostly) and Jeep Grand Cherokee's. Not very inspiring.

I would much rather have the Mazda or Subaru - just go sit in the Subaru for a while. I rode along with a friend in his Outback and the seats were very uncomfortable.

Or heck, the Murano. Isn't Nissan supposed to have their Scion/Element competitor out next year too? Or is it further off still?

The most important part of his post has been ignored by alot of you. He has two 75lb dogs! Those smaller "wagons" just ain't gonna cut it. I have three 40-50lb dogs and there's no way I'd be able to comfortably get them into an A4 or 325i wagon/hatchback.

My wife drives a Volvo XC70 (AWD) and I love it. It has plenty of room, is fun to drive, is the most comfortable car I've ever sat in, and it's sturdy enough to handle rougher roads and terrain.

I'd also second the Element. These things have grown on me, although I'm still not crazy about the looks. I have to admit, they drive well and have tons of room inside. Plus, as someone else mentioned, no need to deal with dog hair with that interior.

The Outback is a good third option.

I wouldn't get a CR-V just because...well, I can't stand those things. No good reason.

Not true. As I stated in my first post, I have two big dogs - 80 and 100 pounds. They fit fine with room to spare in the back of our A4 "wagon."

Of course, you'll have to make other arrangements for gear/luggage if you are road trippin' with the hounds. We have a rocketbox which probably holds more than the rear end of the Audi.

Huh. My buddy has one and I wouldn't be able to comfortably fit my dogs back there unless the back seats were down. Maybe it's a matter of the definition of comfort hehe (and acknowledging that 3 medium dogs take up more space than 2 large dogs).

And of course, Go Bucks!

I know most people won't like this but...

I would look at and get a crew cab pickup.

Plenty of room and useful bed for hauling.
As a second vehicle, it would be used as such and it is always great to have the bed for hauling.

Well, of course we put the seats down. If there will be more than the two of us in the vehicle with both dogs, we take the X. They would fit in the way back of the Audi, but they wouldn't have much room at all.

Back atcha!

Ah ok, I was looking at cars where you would be able to still use the back seats (for kids and such).

Priceless pic...ah Columbus.

My wife's car is a 2002 (non turbo) Forester, we love it. It get 24 MPG.

Todd,
I'd check out the Volvo V50 AWD. We have the sedan version(S40 T5 AWD) and absolutly love it. Fast ,safe, decent mpg (23 city to 30 hwy) . We chose it over the Subaru Legacy GT Limited. We test drove every AWD car out there (except BMW) and the Volvo was our final pick.

Hate to rain on your parade here, but the point of needing a second car is because of poor gas milage...not exactly what pickups are good for.

I also had an S40 T5 and absolutely loved it (had to sell already because we're moving abroad)...and the V50 version is also excellent. But just like I was saying with the Audi, if you're going to have your dogs in there you'll need to put all the seats down flat...hence my recommendation of the fuller-size wagon so you can still use those seats if you want.

Why not a Murano?

This is moving very nicely.

My wife is VERY price sensitive, so I must stay in the lower 20K range. I also live in an area where we do not have Audi/Volvo dealers. Service is an issue in the first couple years. I do not want to have to take time off work to go to the dealership.

Crash test safety is leaning towards the forester, but the lack of rear airbags is a concern. I have not seen the Maurano show up on best picks/buys list. I have been very happy in the past looking at this type of information.

Too bad the imports are not advertising employee pricing. I guess I'll have to really know the pricing.

Thank you for the ongoing discussion and comments.

Todd

slighly off-topic, but an interesting article on who owns what when it comes to cars

That price range rules out a lot of what's been mentioned here like Volvos, Muranos, etc....

That leaves cute utes like Rav4's, Asscapes, CRV's, etc. in contention, but given those choises, the Subaru looks better. I like the looks of the outback better than the forester tho, but the forester is better suited to K9s.

Yep, that price range does knock out the Volvo,Audi,Murano, and upper end Subaru. Believe it or not but a loaded Subaru Outback/Legacy is $32,000 also.

Subaru's ARE expensive, but man are they comfortable! I test drove a Subaru Imprezza (spelling?) once and it was a sweet ride... and comfy too. Great safety ratings too!

I disagree on your reasoning. Our second vehicle has always been the vehicle used for work or play. The first vehicle was the one that was used for common sense driving (better mileage).