Car search...

I own a 1993 Ford Lightning that is basically useless for normal driving activities, but I love it and its paid for + it tows my boat to the lake. I want to keep miles off it and have something more suited for normal DD status, road trips, etc. I'm really attracted to wagons and started looking at Audi A4 and VW Sportwagons, but at my initial $10K price point I was told to steer clear of anything German. That led me towards Subaru wagons and Acura TSX wagons. The more I look at the Acura the more I like it, but they are $5-10K more than I wanted to spend... I can afford that as I will be paying cash, but the more I save the better right!?! Acura seems to be a lot of car for the money too! If I went Subi I would lean towards Legacy GT's for the engine, but that would also be a problem as I'd want to throw money at it for performance mods. I don't really have a need for AWD either and the GT wagons seem to be harder to come by.

So here are my criteria...
Good mileage 25 MPG or better.
4 doors... Leaning towards wagons.
Easy to maintain as I tend to do the work myself.
Fun to drive meaning no minivans or other lame cars.
Would like to keep it around $10K, but could double that if a particular car was worth the extra expense.

What say WW's? Give me your input!

Most badass wagon is probably the Cadillac CTS-V wagon version but they are going to be pretty expensive since I think they didn't come out with the wagon until 2011. The sedan CTS-V can be had for $10-20k though.

I would LOVE and CTS-V wagon, but yeah that blows the price point outta the water! That coupled with the fact I would not be able to keep from throwing money at it on mods. I'm a gear head and my truck is my toy along with the boat... I don't really want/need another toy. The Acura keeps me from spending money on mods. Tint, lower stance, and maybe some wheels are all I'd do.

3 series wagon can be had for under 10k: http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/cto/5565271417.html
You could probably find a non "V" cts wagon for close to your price range: http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/an...543457302.html another: http://madison.craigslist.org/ctd/5566358531.html

2008 Saab Turbo X SportCombi (Wagon), 280 HP for around $10K if you are lucky enough to find one!

Chevy Volt?

* 55mpg city, 45mpg @ 80 on the highway... if you're driving under 50 miles and its warm out, no gas.
* Maintenance is minimal since the gas engine runs rarely, and when it does its a fixed RPM
* 4 doors
* Hatch + seats down is quite spacious for cargo
* Sport mode is actually kinda fun under 40 mph .... all the torque instantly makes low speed driving really zippy, also the battery weight being so low helps it handle well (with non-stock tires)

... I bought mine with 40k miles for $14k OTD ... so $10k isn't far off. Also charging at home raised my bill $15/mo.

2012 VW Passat TDi. I know, it's under investigation. They are booking for $12k right now and you never know if you could be part of the buyback or not. 35-40 mpg easy and diesel is cheaper than gas.

Originally Posted by timmyb

2012 VW Passat TDi. I know, it's under investigation. They are booking for $12k right now and you never know if you could be part of the buyback or not. 35-40 mpg easy and diesel is cheaper than gas.

Ha just looked at CL here in Seattle and all newer tdi VDubs are CHEAP! Of course most have rebuilt titles, which seems to be the norm up here for all used PP vehicles. Not sure if insurance laws allow for easy totals after accidents or what? Or have some been bought back and now sold with branded titles? Either way with vehicle sales and prices thru the roof in general with the good economy combined with the popularity and efficiency of diesel, they seem like screaming deals for commuter mobiles.
What's the deal with these cars? They used to be like gold?

It's all because of the VW dieselgate scandal. When I bought my Passat new, used ones were literally $2,500 less and a gas one was a full $10k less. I don't know if some of it was the changeover to being US built and people didn't like those as much as the German built ones or if it's all due to this diesel scandal. The value has literally dropped $6k or more in a year. I love our car, have close to 70k miles on it now.

I loved my Passat R36, great car. The gear box is alone amazing

Ford Flex is another option . Very roomy and easy to work on yourself. Parts wouldn't be as expensive as European counterparts. A 2014 model that is FWD gets 18/25 MPG and sells between 18000 and 21000.

The VW sportwagon tdi can be had for around 10k. I just sold my 2011 with 120k miles for 10k last month. They get about 40 MPG, pretty fun to drive, easy to work on and will last if you maintain. Plus, for about $500, you can tune the crap out of it and have a real sleeper. Plus, like people have said, they are super cheap right now.

It may not meet your desires, but from a practical/useful POV, I have become a huge fan of the compact SUVs. The Mazda CX5 is probably the best deal and the funnest to drive. 30 MPG.