What car next for me?

[brick]

My current ride is 2005 XC70 with 185K miles, and it's time for a new car. Help me figure out what make/models to look at. A CPO around US$35K or would work, preferably with < 40K miles.

The XC70 has been excellent in terms of reliability ever since I bought it as a CPO 8 years ago with 43K miles. Never been stranded in 8 years with more than 140K miles of driving, but with the transmission clunks getting worse, suspension needing to be replaced, tired interior (lots of broken plastic trims), and wanting something new without worrying about what-breaks-next, this is what's on my wish list for a new car :

- Reliability - I don't want to worry about being stranded, since my daughter will probably drive it in a few years
- Cargo space - have a medium size dog and a few more years of driving for daughter's activities. In winter, we're skiing almost every single weekend in New England.
- AWD (see skiing above. 855T with snows was ok, but it just couldn't come up my steep and long driveway in bad condition)
- Safety
- Seat comfort - a lot of long distance driving in store.
- Fun to drive

All of the above can be had with a P3 XC70, except for the last one. I test drove a couple of different trims, along with XC60, and I found the ride either too soft or handling too muted. After getting a V50 6MT as the family's 3rd car, it brought back the joy and fun of driving, especially with 6MT, and since then I'm dying to get a car that's fun to drive.

Cars I test drove :
- Volvo P3 XC70 and XC60 - practical in all senses, except they are too muted, too boring to drive
- BMW 328xi, 335xi, Audi S4 all MT - blast to drive, but just can't bring myself to getting a sedan. Not practical enough. Badges may be too flashy for me (I like the understated image of Volvo)

Cars I'm considering :
- MB E350 wagon - not sure if I can handle the stodgy image, a little out of price range. I don't know what to expect in terms of reliability
- Audi Q5/BMW X3 - cargo space would be ok (not great)
- Audi Q7/BMW X5 - too big, too expensive
- Subaru Outback wagon - decided against it. Badge not flashy enough (lol - I do want some level of luxury).
- Acura MDX

An stick shift option would greatly offset the fun factor, but even V50 MT was so hard to find. I considered 3-series wagon and a4 wagon with a stick, but they seem too small and I'd worry about reliability or repair costs. If I were in Europe, I'd get an Audi A6 Avant with a stick in a heartbeat (and get over the badge issue).

What model fits my needs the most?

TIA.

[bbbuzzy]

What about an XC60 T6 R Design? Checks all your boxes and may not be as boring as the one you drove? Suspension mods could help too. Audi SQ5 might be found at $35K, but it would have higher mileage. BMW X3 is what I have now and it's a good vehicle with the right option packages. Surprisingly large passenger room, cargo room ok. Make sure you get the sport activity package if you go that route for the seats and larger wheels. I actually put summer tires on mine and it's great. No track aspirations, just better handling. There's also the dynamic handling package to firm it up more. X3/XC60/Q5 will all have less cargo room than your XC70, though, which may be an issue. The MDX you mentioned is a nice vehicle that some find sporty. Solid choice there. You might also like the X5. Drives smaller than it looks, though cargo capacity is not much better than the X3. Similar size to the MDX. Good luck in the search!

Not my car, but mine looks identical:

http://x3.xbimmers.com/forums/attach...1&d=1309870823

[brick]

What about an XC60 T6 R Design? Checks all your boxes and may not be as boring as the one you drove? Suspension mods could help too. Audi SQ5 might be found at $35K, but it would have higher mileage. BMW X3 is what I have now and it's a good vehicle with the right option packages. Surprisingly large passenger room, cargo room ok. Make sure you get the sport activity package if you go that route for the seats and larger wheels. I actually put summer tires on mine and it's great. No track aspirations, just better handling. There's also the dynamic handling package to firm it up more. X3/XC60/Q5 will all have less cargo room than your XC70, though, which may be an issue. The MDX you mentioned is a nice vehicle that some find sporty. Solid choice there. You might also like the X5. Drives smaller than it looks, though cargo capacity is not much better than the X3. Similar size to the MDX. Good luck in the search!

Not my car, but mine looks identical:

http://x3.xbimmers.com/forums/attach...1&d=1309870823

Thanks for the input. Just heard from wife that she's tired of Volvo. We've had 4 - current XC70 and V50 6MT, after having 940 (944) and 850 wagon (855T). My parents now has S60 after having 240 and 960, so yeah we've been seeing a lot in the family.

I think she's partial to the look of X3, so I'll check it out, along with Q5.

[Forkster]

If you want to save a few dollars and get a safe vehicle with lots of rear cargo room and plenty of zip, a Subaru Forester XT or the 3.6 Subaru Outback. Toyota is part owner of Subaru now and these vehicles are amazing vehicles.

Audi and BMW are garage queens. Makes Volvo look like a Lexus with respect to reliability and durability. Mercedes is perhaps the worst still. However, if what you're driving is just as important to reliability and somewhat safe like a Volvo, Lexus RX350 is perhaps one of the most reliable luxury SUV's out there and has some cargo room to boot.

Personally, I would wait until the new Volvo wagon comes out - within a year. Suppose to be pretty slick based on the concept V90 we saw a few years ago.

[JRL]

How about a 2015 XC70 T6 Platinum Plus?
I can get you a low mileage one, (under 15K miles) have it CPO'ed and possibly have a little change left over for you

[brick]

Forkster - Re: V90, yeah, I saw the pics, and I'd very interested except for two things. We don't want to get yet another wagon (I'll still have a V50 6MT. It's smaller but still a wagon), and I almost never buy the first year model after a major change over.

Would Audi/BMW be that troublesome even within the warranty period, or are you referring to when they get older, say over 100K miles? Just because I tend to let my wife drive the new car, then I take over after a few years.

JRL - thanks for the XC70 offer. We might go around the full circle and come back to that safe option.

[StuntmanMike]

Pretty much everything I've read online or heard anecdotally leads me to believe that you do not want to own anything German once the warranty expires. German reliability is pretty much a myth.

I suppose if you're set on German, you could purchase an extended warranty.

I was just reading on Jalopnik this morning by one of thier writers who purchased a '12 M3 from Carmax, along with thier extended warranty. His article was about how good that 2k warranty was, as it had just saved him from a 6 THOUSAMD dollar repair bill when the M3 broke a valve spring and needed to have the engine removed in order to repair. After his warranty kicked in, his total bill was for $136.

Look up "Doug Demuro Range Rover" for another great example of the Carmax warranty.

Seems to me that for a high end car, that might be the way to go.

I also read an article recently about how "CPO" isn't always what it's cracked up to be.

[JRL]

Most every other Euro car with higher miles makes owning a Volvo seem like owning a Honda, HORRIFICALLY expensive to repair and maintain!

[Rabid Koala]

You might consider an AWD Toyota Highlander. We recently bought a brand new one and LOVE it, and if it is as reliable as our old Avalon was it will be a winner! Volvo is the only European brand I would consider owning, based on both my experience with them and hearing stories from all of my friends with Mercs and Audis.