Currently driving '91 M5 and '02 M5. More than likely I will sell both. 8 years later and five E39 M5s has been enough. It is a great car, but honestly steering and structural rigidity are worse than new impala even with coilovers and new bushings. After all, it was designed 20 years ago. Also, I am just saturated with it.


Having looked at everything from used '04 prius, cayenne turbo S, rx350, E90 M3, cayman, 996TT, new civic, old volvo wagons, x5M, ML63, e63 amg, prius V... I am mentally drained looking at cars so I have written a set of requirements that I think are important to me.

1. Reliable-ish
2. Nimble/minimal body roll
3. Fuel efficient (within reason)
4. Be able to sleep inside with rear seats down (I go camping often and want to be able to sleep in the car and fit two road bikes)
5. Quiet
6. Safe

I keep looking at Prius V, even though I know I will die inside littlebit if I buy it. I sort of like them, but know that would wear out after 2 months of novelty. Give me your feedback!

8/30/2016 12:22:18 AM

volvo 850/v70 wagon or MB e3x0/c3x0 wagon

8/30/2016 12:55:32 AM

CTS-V wagon

8/30/2016 6:48:34 AM

I was gonna say I bet you can get an awesome deal on a tdi jetta wagon or golf. But I did a quick search and they're still kinda overpriced given the circumstances (IMO).


Focus ST or turbo subie wagon (forester and outback included)

8/30/2016 7:15:13 AM

^^this

Or E63 AMG Wagon

8/30/2016 8:40:14 AM

Quote :

" Nimble/minimal body roll"

8/30/2016 8:56:07 AM

Audi A3?

If you're short?

8/30/2016 9:41:30 AM

Get a hot hatch... don't know if that will satisfy #4 or not.

A wagon would!

8/30/2016 11:23:55 AM

If I had the funds, E63 wagon would be nice, I just can't stomach current prices. I also can't buy E350 wagon knowing there is E63 wagon out there.

Call me shallow, but I feel all Cadillacs just disappear into depreciation abyss more so than anything else, unless it is classic eldorado. I do like the power/features/reviews it has been getting.

Volvos seriously interest me, but again being that 850/V70 are now same age as E39.

So far TDI wagon or newer subie seem like the most fitting choices.

A3 is too small. Perhaps A6 allroad, but that is as far as possible from reliable.

8/30/2016 1:07:55 PM

8/30/2016 9:55:03 PM

VW Golf Alltrack


**checks price**

BWAHAHAHAHAHA

[Edited on September 9, 2016 at 10:14 AM. Reason : Upon further review, I read tested price as base price, so maybe it's more reasonable than I thought]

9/9/2016 10:08:38 AM

I would do a TDI wagon in your shoes. I love my A3 (I’ve had 3 of them now), but it’s going to be a touch cramped for your use case, though I use mine with an external bike rack and often take it on 2/3 person all day mountain biking trips.

I also loved my 850 Turbo wagon. They are getting old, but they’re pretty tough, and man are they spacious and cheap nowadays. But yeah, old.

9/9/2016 12:12:47 PM

If you can find an '06 or '07 V70R, you're ~5 years newer than the M5 both in age of the car and age of design (E39 was '95, V70 was '00). Could be a possibility if you find one well-kept and without too many miles, though they're not super common, especially in unmolested condition. Or, if you're willing to do a bit of work, newest Mazda 6 wagon you can find (they were made until '08 IIRC) and redo the suspension with Mazdaspeed 6 pieces.

I don't know what your budget is, but you could also try to find a V60 Polestar. It's seriously expensive (recent used examples seem to run about $50k), and good luck finding one, but it would be a recent or new option, still under warranty in any case, car that you could keep for the long haul if you fall in love with it.

9/11/2016 12:20:09 PM

Ahmet, is yours AWD, FWD, manual? I always liked A3 from handling and size perspective, just curious about fit. When rear seats are down can you sleep in the back without bending the knees? I'm 5'11". Any good or bad years to watch out for?
I gave up on TDI as California is looking to buyback cars from owners and everybody seems to be keeping theirs, at least in SF bay area.

Richthofen, Thanks, Polestar is a looker and performer, I just can’t stomach the prices. Mazda anything, except miata, does not interest me. I dont care about glowing reviews, just always hated Mazdas. V70R prices are rather high in my area and I would like the AWD version if I can get it. Reliability is rather iffy with auto tranny from interwebz?

[Edited on September 14, 2016 at 3:50 PM. Reason : h]

9/14/2016 3:49:00 PM

you're not sleeping in the back of an A3

9/15/2016 2:40:03 PM

Thanks for all the recommendations. I ended up getting 2006 Volvo V70R AWD. 168k. $3500. Clean ride and love the space. Drive for for couple of years and sell.

9/17/2016 5:45:59 PM

OMG I’m so jealous. I always wanted one of those, but shied away b/c I’m afraid of expen$ive repairs on complicated cars...

My A3 (that I now own for the 2nd time) is a FWD 2.0 turbo w/DSG, exactly the way I wanted one. I don’t think I could sleep in the back w/out bending knees, but it has enough space inside for me. Certainly the V70 is far more spacious, but I wanted a smaller car as well as the earlier mentioned reason. None the less, congrats, post more pics please!

9/17/2016 10:47:47 PM

Great choice! One of those has been near the top of my list recently as well (hence my mention). Looks super clean for 168K, and $3500 sounds like a great deal. Volvos seem to hold up really well--a buddy bought an '06 XC90 recently with something like 150K and it's rock solid, and my 780 with almost 170K definitely doesn't feel like your average nearly 30 year old car.

9/18/2016 2:20:09 AM

I know it's just one pic, but it looks like its in pretty good shape. Nice choice.

9/18/2016 10:10:40 AM

wow, that's half the price of what they go for on the east coast!

9/18/2016 10:35:30 AM

Nice, I've always loved the look of those R wagons

9/18/2016 12:42:20 PM

^^ seriously!

Nice ride! First impressions?

9/19/2016 1:25:21 AM

Thanks everyone. Drove 300miles yesterday. It really needs new shocks and front pads, as it handles like a wet noodle as it is, but I'll probably put in a grand or so to refresh few bushings and shocks. Timing belt done at 145k last year.

Pros: Power is VERY impressive. Stock 300hp engine is easily and very similar in power delivery with my old stock N54 335i. I like the stock 4 piston brembos front and 2 in the back. Seats are incredibly comfortable like sofas in a good sense - soft, supple leather and supportive at the same time. Tons of space. My Pinarello roady fits without taking the front wheel with plenty of room for another bike and coolers.

Cons: Turning radius is ridiculous. It is almost unreal how bad it is. Fitting in grocery store parking spots requires multiple tries. U-turns are now 3 point turns by default. Handling is subpar (I assume it will improve with new shocks, but can't see a huge change).

p.s. Yes, California Volvos are cheap. For all you east coasters, I highly recommend getting something from here and paying $800 or so in shipping.

[Edited on September 19, 2016 at 3:06 AM. Reason : .]

9/19/2016 3:03:50 AM

Fuck shipping, buy one and a few spare parts and drive it back

9/19/2016 8:06:06 AM

Fuck shipping, buy one and a few spare parts one way plane ticket and drive it back

[Edited on September 19, 2016 at 3:21 PM. Reason : /]

9/19/2016 3:20:59 PM

How did this work out 1in10^9?

2/11/2019 5:00:25 PM

Mmmmmmmmm....V70R.

I'd seriously consider a Volvo R-wagon if I found a good deal on a nice, low-mileage, AWD manual transmission model.

Why do the California ones go for cheaper?

2/12/2019 7:25:23 PM

There don't appear to many of them out there...at least on Auto Trader

2/12/2019 11:02:02 PM