yact - my pos jetta finally died, time to find something new, ideas wanted

[Farbio]

so my crappy jetta finally died last week - needs 1100 worth of work just to assess if it will need more, not worth the trouble after all the money i've poured into it over the past year and a half.
anyways, i need a new car. i've fiigured out that my budget is at most 20k or 330 a month.
what i need - something i can carry equipment in, as i dj often and i'm tired of borrowing someones truck or van to carry speakers amps etc. so basically, i need a truck, suv or wagon.
i'm not a big suv fan - i'd rather have a wagon that carries almost the same amount of stuff and does it while driving nicer, handling better and getting alot better mileage, so suvs are mostly out.
truck - if i get a truck, it has to be able to carry 5 people, which means crew cab/extended cab, and therefore knocks off most small trucks. then again, i wouldn't really want most small trucks, if i'm getting a truck i want something i can tow with and seriously haul stuff, so i'd rather have a full size pickup than a smaller s-10 or frontier.
i'm leaning towards a wrx wagon at the moment - great performance, can carry almost of all of what i'd need and has awd performance. i can find 02 and 03 ones for about 18k and i've wanted a wrx since about 97 when i first watched a wrc race
mazda protege5 - also a smaller wagon, not as much power, but great handling and a pretty decent sized hatch as well
would also love a new titan, but finding one to fit in my budget is pretty impossible
used silverado or sierra is a possibility, but finding one that has options i'd like w/ acceptable mileage and such is pretty hard, and even 01's decently equipped are still gettin 18k
so any thoughts on this and experiences w/ any of those cars i have listed or possibilities as well are definitely wanted and appreciated
.

 

[erikistired]

jetta wagon.

okay okay, the subaru wagons always looked good to me. and actually a buddy of mine bought a toyota matrix which is really nice.

 

[Demo24]

like you said WRX wagon or look at the Mazda 3 wagonny thing. can get a brand new car

 

[BW86]

the wrx wagon is an awsome car

 

[sniperruff]

matrix XRS or the WRX wagon sounds good.

the matrix has some plastiky interior, but it is designed very nicely and practical... it can haul 5 people or carry a bunch of stuff easily. the XRS has the same engine that is found on the celica GTS, corolla XRS, and the lotus elise.

 

[Farbio]

lol, i will never buy another vw again if i have my choice. the other reazon i'm going for the wagons i chose is that they are available in manual.
i've never cared for the vibe/matrix. think they look dorky and kinda dumb, regardless of what the interior is like, not to mention, i will never buy a new car from toyota, i feel scummier everytime i have ever stepped foot on their lots. i have never left there w/out at least one salesman coming up and going 'what's it going to take to get you in this car today?' i mean hell, maybe 10 years ago that was ok, but now you don't do that scummy crap

 

[sniperruff]

Originally posted by: Farbio
lol, i will never buy another vw again if i have my choice. the other reazon i'm going for the wagons i chose is that they are available in manual.
i've never cared for the vibe/matrix. think they look dorky and kinda dumb, regardless of what the interior is like, not to mention, i will never buy a new car from toyota, i feel scummier everytime i have ever stepped foot on their lots. i have never left there w/out at least one salesman coming up and going 'what's it going to take to get you in this car today?' i mean hell, maybe 10 years ago that was ok, but now you don't do that scummy crap

well your experiences on a car dealership shouldn't really affect what you see in a car...

but whatever floats your boat. a used WRX wagon with not-so-good fuel economy can be found with some work.

 

[Farbio]

Originally posted by: DEMO24
like you said WRX wagon or look at the Mazda 3 wagonny thing. can get a brand new car

i was researching that new mazda3, but from the specs, it seems the hatch is about half the zize of the wrx or old protege5 hatch, which makes it relatively useless for me. i haven't had a chance to go look for any new cars yet, as there's been a hurricane and you kippur this weekend

 

[LtPage1]

wrx wagon. hands down.

 

[Aftermath]

Originally posted by: fisher
jetta wagon.

okay okay, the subaru wagons always looked good to me. and actually a buddy of mine bought a toyota matrix which is really nice.

I've got a Matrix myself and I love it. I got the FWD 4 banger rated at 130hp, 125ft-lb. Nothing huge but it's got a plenty of punch for a daily driver at least. Its got quite a punch off the line. I pull about 26mpg straight in town, 32-34mpg mixed, 39-41mpg straight highway (depending on speeds, all numbers with the A/C on. I just got it about three months ago.) Nothing amazing overall, but it's $14 - $20k brand new. I'd say it's a bang up value for the price. You can comfortably seat five, but not for long trips. The back seats and front passenger seat all fold down for cargo space. If I had more money I would've looked into the Subaru Forester, but the Matrix offered the best value for my budget.

1 2 3 4

(Sorry about the size.)

 

[RagingBITCH]

So you don't want a SUV because of the gas mileage but you're considering a truck? An extended cab Ram/F150/Silverado is no more environmentally friendly than a SUV, and make about the same gas mileage. (If you went with a smaller SUV, like an Escape, or hell an Explorer, you'd be making the same if not better)

 

[CombatChuk]

Mazda 3 5-Door
Chrysler P.T. Crusier
Subaru Impreza/WRX

 

[Black88GTA]

The Dodge Magnum starts @ 22,500....

I'd seriously consider that if I were in your shoes.

 

[Nebor]

I think the new Volvo V50 should also fit your requirements. Might be closer to 30k though. Guess you could look at the v40 as well, or a few year old v70 t5.

 

[SgtBuddy]

Honda Element

4 people max though. Tons of room.

 

[The Stigenator]

focus wagon

 

[Farbio]

Originally posted by: RagingBITCH
So you don't want a SUV because of the gas mileage but you're considering a truck? An extended cab Ram/F150/Silverado is no more environmentally friendly than a SUV, and make about the same gas mileage. (If you went with a smaller SUV, like an Escape, or hell an Explorer, you'd be making the same if not better)

thanks for the other replies everyone - in answer to this one, the reason i'm not lookin seriously at an suv is cuz all i could really afford would be an escape or something like it, sedona and the like, and the gas mileage on the v6s on those isn't real good. the amount of cargo they can carry compared to say the impreza wagon isn't significantly better for the extra money spent in the gas and the lack of driving pleasure.
the pickup on the other hand has a realatively unlimited amount of space and the ability to tow and carry alot more load than the suv, which if i had to take the trade off on gas, i would like the ability to do. hope that makes sense in the reason why i'd want one, not the other.

 

[Farbio]

Originally posted by: Black88GTA
The Dodge Magnum starts @ 22,500....

I'd seriously consider that if I were in your shoes.

starts at that price yes, but you put a few options on it, you're up to 25k w/out any trouble, and they are doing no deals w/ those, as they don't have to, demand is there

 

Look at any of the base to just under mid level wagons.
Subaru, mazda, ford, volvo, toyota.

I djed with vinyl for many years, so I had to carry lots of stuff. What type of equipment are you moving?

 

[vi edit]

My Mazda 3 wagon can swallow a 27" TV in box in the hatch. That's pretty good for such a small car.

You could also probably squeeze into a Mazda 6 wagon if it has good rebates and a bit of negotiation skills.