Winter/DD for under 12k?

[maldoror]

I'm awaiting delivery on a 2016 M3 sometime in August, ignoring the diff recall debacle. The original plan was to have this as my daily driver (even having a rear seat cover for two dogs), and buy a separate set of winter wheels for the colder months. However, I'm now starting to think a dedicated winter/DD would be a better move to not put all of the extra wear and tear on the M3.

I'm looking for something that is a wagon and has AWD. Any thoughts on the following with under 75k miles?

2006-2009 A4 Avant
2006-2009 BMW 328xi wagon
Any AWD Volvos from 2005-2009

I was considering a Subaru Outback, but it seems that their used prices are really high given the year/miles.

[aerostar]

Subarus have very high resale value cause they're cheap to repair/maintain and they're generally high build quality. Those things run forever (unless you blow a head gasket )

That said... I'd also maybe look at cheap American FWDs for the winter?

[rainfall]

Subarus are great. I was also in this price bracket for a DD. I almost got a used 2013 Sentra.
Not a bad car for the money. Very reliable and gets the job done.
It's FWD, but if you put good snow tires on it, it will do well in the snow.

[SooperGook]

i was flipping cars all last year and for the winter i kept trying to buy 2006+ grand cherokee's with the straight 6, but good deals on other cars kept popping up. but those cars sell very easily, you can pick them up for cheap with some good options, and the straight 6 is bulletproof. not as much fun as the other cars you listed, but probably cheaper and more reliable

[Sedoy]

I would get 13+ Honda Accord and good snow tires.

[Prazision]

2003-2005 range Subaru WRX will be your best bet hands down. Fun car, reliable, and best in class AWD.

[overcoil]

I think you could pick up a nineth-gen Chevy Impala for $5-8k in great shape.
In black with the police wheels or black steel snow wheel, I like the look.
Spare parts cheap.

[BEM-S4]

I've been thinking about a B5 S4 as a winter beater but skipping it for now as I just bought dad a 2016 sport wagon that I can borrow. Saw one w 60k for $7k. Throw a tune on that and you're in the 350 hp range. Fun car, should have kept mine.

[W///]

Toyota 4Runner. Take my word for it. You'll probably end up getting close to same amount of $ if you keep it in good shape when you sell it.

[SYT_Shadow]

I've used a 330Ci 5MT for the past 5 years and with winter tires it's a fantastic car. Fun to drive, cheap to maintain, good on gas, looks fantastic, RWD.

I'm selling it now because I cannot continue to have 4 cars without a house and I have to make room for an F80

I guess this is not a good option if you live at the end of a steep hill or something, but I've driven it in 5 winters in the Northeast with many trips to Canada and have never gotten stuck or in an accident.

[Alfisti]

The Subaru myth continues. They are not reliable nor cheap to repair if you look at hard reliability stats, their marketing is brilliant.

Their faults are also serious not annoying like say Ford's screen interface being counted as a fault because it pisses people off.

Subie head gaskets and front suspension are a serious, serious issue.

[overcoil]

Don't the clutch pedal attachment sites on some wrx' crack ?

[Bbb34]

Subaru Outback !

Somewhat boring to drive, somewhat ugly to look at, somewhat annoying CTV transmission if you go for lower end models (V6 engines come with auto).
All that said, it's simply fantastic winter vehicle, best bang for the buck, no doubt. If you're doing lots of outdoor sports, lots of winter miles, light offroading, it's incredibly well designed, functional and spacious too. For few extra dollars, it's a nice step up in feel, fit and finish and road noise over Forester and Crosstrek.

[lowbudgethero]

Originally Posted by Alfisti

The Subaru myth continues. They are not reliable nor cheap to repair if you look at hard reliability stats, their marketing is brilliant.

Their faults are also serious not annoying like say Ford's screen interface being counted as a fault because it pisses people off.

Subie head gaskets and front suspension are a serious, serious issue.

the subarus na 2.5 with the 4spd auto are reliable from my experience: my gf's has passed 110K with nothing but brakes, a couple light bulbs, and some exhaust heat shield rattle from the gratuitous amounts of salt we get here. The wrx is definitely not though, have heard so many horror stories from mechanics and friends.

Originally Posted by Bbb34

Subaru Outback !

Somewhat boring to drive, somewhat ugly to look at, somewhat annoying CTV transmission if you go for lower end models (V6 engines come with auto).
All that said, it's simply fantastic winter vehicle, best bang for the buck, no doubt. If you're doing lots of outdoor sports, lots of winter miles, light offroading, it's incredibly well designed, functional and spacious too. For few extra dollars, it's a nice step up in feel, fit and finish and road noise over Forester and Crosstrek.

I was given a cvt rental forester, it blows

[maldoror]

Thanks for the various recommendations!

For now, I wanted to stick with something station wagon-ish as I live in the city and having a truck would be too big (for me). At the same time, i'd like to occasionally haul things that might not fit in a standard sedan, including two dogs and outdoor gear to the mountains in the summer/winter months. I've had Subarus before (WRX and STI) which I loved, but finding a used WRX that hasn't been modified or in a previous accident is nearly impossible here. There is something visually appealing to euro-wagons.

[Bbb34]

Originally Posted by maldoror

Thanks for the various recommendations!

For now, I wanted to stick with something station wagon-ish as I live in the city and having a truck would be too big (for me). At the same time, i'd like to occasionally haul things that might not fit in a standard sedan, including two dogs and outdoor gear to the mountains in the summer/winter months. I've had Subarus before (WRX and STI) which I loved, but finding a used WRX that hasn't been modified or in a previous accident is nearly impossible here. There is something visually appealing to euro-wagons.

If your decision is based mostly on looks and you insist on wagon, in my opinion, it's really hard to beat Audi.

[Never_Enough]

Mazdaspeed6. if you don't mind FWD, Gen 1 Mazdaspeed3.

[aerostar]

Originally Posted by Alfisti

The Subaru myth continues. They are not reliable nor cheap to repair if you look at hard reliability stats, their marketing is brilliant.

Their faults are also serious not annoying like say Ford's screen interface being counted as a fault because it pisses people off.

Subie head gaskets and front suspension are a serious, serious issue.

Well, I had an '06 WRX and I have to disagree.

I ran it 145,000 miles on original clutch, etc.

Only had routine maintenance besides the secondary air pump failure which I had the CEL deleted and installed the blocking plates myself. I think that cost $300.

And I have to say that I think most of the issues with the WRX are the drivers and not so much the reliability of the motor. MOST of the people I know that had issues with their WRX or STI had modded the car. It's not like you should modify a car's engine and expect the reliability to not be impacted.

[Bbb34]

Originally Posted by aerostar

Well....I have to disagree.

True, they just perform as expected without major issues. Maintained regularly for the most part should be just fine. Their weakness is CVT (any brand with CVT in my opinion) and body work that will start to rust after a while.

[AtlasM]

Originally Posted by OrangeZ06

Mazdaspeed6. if you don't mind FWD, Gen 1 Mazdaspeed3.

I had a 2006 Mazdaspeed 6 that I got rid of in 2013. Fun car but 900 million interior rattles and crazy rust problems. All of the 1st gen 3 and 6 models have terrible rust proofing. If you see one in an area that has any kind of winter with road salt, look at the rear wheel wells, and the fenders will be rusting.

[AtlasM]

They're ugly, but the Honda Crosstour is actually kinda nice if you can get past the looks. The pre-2013 models are less ugly, but Honda doubled down on extra ugly black plastic cladding in 2013 trying to make it look more like an Outback. Decent power from the V6, it's the basic Honda awd system (i.e. not SH-AWD with torque vectoring on the rear axle), very comfy, tons of back seat and cargo room. It's just...they're ugly.

[Never_Enough]

Originally Posted by AtlasM

I had a 2006 Mazdaspeed 6 that I got rid of in 2013. Fun car but 900 million interior rattles and crazy rust problems. All of the 1st gen 3 and 6 models have terrible rust proofing. If you see one in an area that has any kind of winter with road salt, look at the rear wheel wells, and the fenders will be rusting.

You're in WI, anything will eventually rust. Faster if you let the salt sit.

Mine has a rattle in the door because I like my bass turned up. Can't hear it w/the stereo on.

Neither of mine had/have rust.