What do you recommend for a "used" sporty family mover?

[r3ccOs]

Ideally... I'd buy a 4 door E36 M3, but those are far and few between... as well my other half thinks that its a bit small and dated

She on the other hand wants an A3 (regardless of sport or not)
I'm not a fan of paying an Audi premium for essentially a Jetta/Golf wagon w/ the 2.0TSI

So I'm figuring a good compromise for quality, reliability, cost of maintenance yet still with a sporty undertone...

I'm thinking all used:
Altima SE-R
Saab 9-2 (WRX)
WRX Wagon (hard to find not abused :P)
G35 Sedan (man they depreciate :D)
A4 advant or A3
Volvo V50 T-5 (but... probably brutal for maintenance costs)
Passat Wagon

Of the bunch, what would you guys concider?

So far, value for dollar, used G35 sedans seem to have depreciate and can be found w/ low K for very very agressive prices. Mind you they don't look nearly as good as their coupe counterpart nor the Altima SE-R

The Saab 9-2 WRX, which I happen to like the looks of, are very well priced as well, perhaps even better than the Suburu counterparts, but usually come in automatic (boooo!)

What would you guys recommend?

[hampstor]

A few off the top of my head... 4+ doors and "sporty" :

Pontiac G8 GT
Subaru Legacy GT Spec.B
Any of the SRT dodges (Magnum/Charger/300)

Your list seems a bit diverse, you've got compact wagons with midsize luxury cars...

Off your list, I do like the Altima SE-R.

[r3ccOs]

oh -- wifey says no to big V8s :(

I saw a Magnum SRT8 for $27k that I was ready to pounce on, but noop

:(

[scat19]

A4 wagon or 3 series wagon

[spike98]

I have a 09 Jetta with the 2.0T in it. I dont have a family at all but i love it. Lots of room for people and truck space to hide the hookers you dont want your wife to see.

Once its chipped its a monster on the street and is a BLAST to drive. I am bias but i have to recommend it to anyone that wants to have a sporty car but still retain comfortablity.

[dino_martini]

Altima SER is a pretty under rated performance car. I've been scoping those as well. Tons of 'sporty' family movers out there. The G35 is a great car as well...with this much selection its tough to choose.

I don't know what your price range is or if your girl is adverse to driving stick....but the CTS-V has depreciated into the $35,000 range.... :burnout:

Edit - I waited too long to post...no big V8's...thats a pitty :(

[r3ccOs]

ideally <25K otherwise, I'd be looking new or newer

Jetta Wagon would be nice w/ a chipped 2.0T... cept need a bit of suspension work + LSD

By chance, did the jetta wagon ever come in a GLI?

[r3ccOs]

Originally posted by dino_martini
Altima SER is a pretty under rated performance car. I've been scoping those as well. Tons of 'sporty' family movers out there. The G35 is a great car as well...with this much selection its tough to choose.

I don't know what your price range is or if your girl is adverse to driving stick....but the CTS-V has depreciated into the $35,000 range.... :burnout:

Edit - I waited too long to post...no big V8's...thats a pitty :(

the SER is probably the best looking of the VQ35 engine'd sedans w/ the exception of maybe the new maxima (I sitll like the SER)
The interior does leave alot to be desired, but so do the G35s as well....

[Cos]

Audi 4 series :dunno:

[spike98]

Originally posted by r3ccOs
ideally &lt;25K otherwise, I'd be looking new or newer

Jetta Wagon would be nice w/ a chipped 2.0T... cept need a bit of suspension work + LSD

By chance, did the jetta wagon ever come in a GLI?

The GLI is just the tunned version of the jetta. If your looking for a wagon get the 4 door GTI. Its close to an A3.

My jetta is completely stock except for the chip. I wouldnt worry about anything suspention related for now. It handles ok in the corners. Later you could do a minor spring drop to tighten the wheel gap and keep the factory ride.

Unless your tracking it, i think it will be more than enough for a grocery getter.

A chipped jetta is faster than a V6 altima, V6 Accord and the G35/350Z. I know this from experiance...

[r3ccOs]

Originally posted by spike98


The GLI is just the tunned version of the jetta. If your looking for a wagon get the 4 door GTI. Its close to an A3.

My jetta is completely stock except for the chip. I wouldnt worry about anything suspention related for now. It handles ok in the corners. Later you could do a minor spring drop to tighten the wheel gap and keep the factory ride.

Unless your tracking it, i think it will be more than enough for a grocery getter.

A chipped jetta is faster than a V6 altima, V6 Accord and the G35/350Z. I know this from experiance...

I love the GTI regardless of the MKV or MK6 w/ the FSI/TSI 2.0... but I have an MK4 right now and its just not big enough :(

[AllGoNoShow]

Subaru Legacy GT
BMW 525iT

[G-ZUS]

Maxima?
Accord?

older M5?

[Tomaz]

G35 FTW! :thumbsup:

[Cozmanator]

Passat W8 4mo wagon , 6.5 secs stock to 100.. and you get a really nice interior (awesome quality) or a Audi Avant wagon.

[r3ccOs]

M5 - no v8 and man the maintenance costs must be astronomical

and really the maxima & accord don't seem to have anything that again has more or less a sporty undertone to it... (well except the latest gen Maxima)

I wish there was a big brother of the SI from the honda offering... well there are Type S's from acura

[JAYMEZ]

Go for the A4 , awesome cars and quattro :thumbsup:

[r3ccOs]

Originally posted by JAYMEZ
Go for the A4 , awesome cars and quattro :thumbsup:

I'm actuality really contemplaiting the A4, in the 03'-05' era w/ the 1.8T in an Avant

I know you can APR-em if I don't like how it drives, but curious as to the relability of the cuplink differential and well... do you think it'll have the volkswagen nasty VAG issues with the electral? like burning lights, ECU issues etc...

[spike98]

Originally posted by JAYMEZ
Go for the A4 , awesome cars and quattro :thumbsup:

If you have the coin this is the route i would go. An A4 is going to be my next car.

[atgilchrist]

Buy my Murano!

[4doorj]

Evo, I bought it for my sport family mover.
Love it!

[clem24]

I really don't like the fact that the SE-R is FWD. I think that totally kills it. But yes, they DO look good. I would pick a G35/7 over the SE-R any day. If affordability is your thing, I would look for a Legacy 2.5GT/Spec.B over a WRX/Saabaru. It'll outperform pretty much any similarly priced car. The Legacy is bigger than a WRX and way more posh but similarly priced. Another consideration is the Mazdaspeed6. You might also look into the Mazdaspeed3 as well, though again, FWD kills it but at least they took some steps to alleviate the issues.

[slinkie]

speed3

[r3ccOs]

I've been kicking some tires, but so far seem to be sucked back into looking at those used VQ35 engine'd cars.

I've been looking around and really other than the Volvo S60 R, the Altima SE-R seems to be the car I really like the most (more like a poor man's equivillient)

That being said, there are some really good deals on the G35 sedan which can be had w/ the sports and even brembo package that I'm entertaining.

I took a Mazda6 and speed6 out recently and was just not that impressed with the finishing quality... not that the G35 or Altima are great, but they are better...

Out of the bunch of cars my wife and I were looking at "used" so far, the S60 R seemed to catch her eye.

But I think 22k for a 4 year old volvo w/ 100k on a rather high pressure turbo is a bit much... (maybe not??)

anything to watch out for in a used G35 sedan or Altima SE-R?

No to the WRX... the suburu's interiors are just not cutting it with the better half, and I'd rather pay a little bit more and grab the S60R volvo instead.

[igotacookie]

answered ur own question!

Get a 05+ g35 with the sport package/nav, 6 speed if your wife allows it... and then never look back!

In fact can probably be had in low k's for around 20-25gs.

Nothing else will have the same HP/reliability/performance/cost as the g35 sedan

[Hatchback Hero]

Go take a look at them there Mazda dealerships. From your criteria that there M5, 6 or even 3. Other options include the generic soccer mom mini van.

(reread that for a second time) Why no likes on the M6?

[SRT10Killer]

the 2004+ maxima is very fast and comfy as hell (quiet and roomy)
on top of that for a 3.5L v6 it gets 10.5-11L/100 km in the city

or you can buy my twin turbo legacy if you don't mind RHD :)

http://forums.beyond.ca/st/292514/fs-1994-subaru-legacy-touring-wagon-4wd-twin-turbo-heated-seats-auto-inspected/

[Sugarphreak]

...

[nonlinear]

if you're looking at the A3, you should look into a chev malibu maxx, which is actually a rebadged Opel (since most people on here only care for "imports" - whatever that means). i've got an '06 and we really like it. sporty, TONS of room, very functional, so it's GREAT for a family car. also, comes in V6 only, so you've got power when you need it to pass driving up mountains, etc. get the LTZ package if you want something more luxurious. there is also the SS model, which as a 3.9 v6 and a sportier suspension, etc. there are 2 sunroofs, one over front seats, and one over back seats which is cool. IMO it's a comparable car to the a3, but about half the price cause it says chevy on it.

[dirtsniffer]

dude volvo knows turbos, its not uncommom for volvos to get 400,000+ km's on the original turbo and motor, ive known quite a few mechanics who personally drive volvos because they dont have to put much work into them lol.. im partial to the v70R though because i love wagons, especially when people dont know you are packing some serious performace. once again imo s60r > g35 based on finish and on the fact you wont see you exact car on almost a daily basis

[Idratherbsidewayz]

I'm going to have to say the 2005-2008 Legacy GT. They can be had cheap in the states.

STi motor, great AWD, and good looking. Perfect family mover!

[gqmw]

Originally posted by Sugarphreak
I will throw my support behind either an Audi A4 or one of the new V6 Honda Accords... with 275hp the new ones are a blast to drive.

I agree with this post, the new accords are pretty sweet cars. Was just looking at this on the weekend. A4's are always good as well.

[btimbit]

I'm looking at Audi A4's and S4's right now, I'm sure you'd like one of those.

[psycoticclown]

G35 or Legacy GT or the Spec B. G35's have good power and decent price now. LGT's are great, definitely the fastest among its competitors, STi motor, amazing AWD and decent interior. Spec B. if you want the 6 speed from the STi. And you can get decent power gains for very cheap, $500 for a new catless downpipe, $300 for a catback exhaust, $200 for an intake and a tune from Airboy and you're running ~260-270 awhp. Enough to walk plenty of cars in an old mans car :D.

The MS3 and MS6 are great great performers too, but you don't like them :(.

[duaner]

Altimas are decent cars and the SE-Rs definitely look and perform the best. They're definitely sportier than a G35, will likely keep up with one and get better mileage. G35 obviously gives you a better build quality and RWD or AWD. From reviews I've read the G35 sedans only have a pass-through but the Altimas have split-folding rear seats--only matters depending on your cargo needs.

The Altima is a big car with lots of room but it has a turning radius to match, although it may be the same as a G35. If you get an SE-R with 6MT, you can drop in a LSD from a Maxima. Modding isn't all that cheap for the gains if that matters.

OEM rotors are a big problem on Altimas as they tend to warp quite quickly.

Test drives and perusing owner sites will obviously go a long way in helping.

[r3ccOs]

Originally posted by duaner
Altimas are decent cars and the SE-Rs definitely look and perform the best. They're definitely sportier than a G35, will likely keep up with one and get better mileage. G35 obviously gives you a better build quality and RWD or AWD. From reviews I've read the G35 sedans only have a pass-through but the Altimas have split-folding rear seats--only matters depending on your cargo needs.

The Altima is a big car with lots of room but it has a turning radius to match, although it may be the same as a G35. If you get an SE-R with 6MT, you can drop in a LSD from a Maxima. Modding isn't all that cheap for the gains if that matters.

OEM rotors are a big problem on Altimas as they tend to warp quite quickly.

Test drives and perusing owner sites will obviously go a long way in helping.

Thanks for the heads up, and yes the turning radius is surprisingly bad... but perhaps is this specific to the SE-R for more precise "sports" handling?

I've also been looking @ the S60R and just drove an 07' chipped w/ some breather mods, and wowzers.... that is one nucking futs car. Problem is... I'm just not a fan of buying used FI cars... specifically when the k was about 140ish...

Drove a Mazdaspeed 6 immediately after, and well... to me it just isn't refined enough of a car, probably not fair concidering what I just drove. However the overall feel was "cheap" and the engine was peaky w/ tons of torque steer.
I much prefer a WRX, though the interior of both are equally terrible.

I drove the 5 speed Altima 3rd gen 3.5L, and though the engine is a gem... the clothed based altima had a horrible shifter (must be cable linkage) and the clutch was horrifically light with little feel. It just wasn't engaging at all and the chassis was just mediocre.

I remember driving my dad's 540I M sport 6 speed (02') and thinking it was absolutely the best balance of power, sport, size and luxury. But that engine was far from efficient, very exciting but far from efficient.

As I'm not yet quite as affluent as my old man, I think a Japanese FWD or RWD or AWD compromise would be more than adequate with those 3.5 V6s that happen to develop almost as much power.

I'm thinking the VQ35D(x) will still be the engine of choice for its reliability, power and effeencicy, now to choose a proper platform... G35/Altima SE-R/Maxima and CVT vs 6 speed Manual vs 5 speed auto

[Chris Ng]

how is a mazdaspeed 6 peaky with a ton of torque steer? It's awd and torque peak is at about 2500rpm...

[r3ccOs]

Originally posted by Chris Ng
how is a mazdaspeed 6 peaky with a ton of torque steer? It's awd and torque peak is at about 2500rpm...

Thats what it felt to me, compared to the far smoother S60R

[sillysod]

Originally posted by Cozmanator
Passat W8 4mo wagon , 6.5 secs stock to 100.. and you get a really nice interior (awesome quality) or a Audi Avant wagon.

uh yeah... run from this car.

They are really cool, but terrible to service and unreliable. They go through rear cam seals like crazy.

You can find a decent avant or even an allroad, just try to find the v8 one instead of the 2.7T if it's for the woman.

The v8 isnt bad on fuel and although the 2.7TT is fun it likes to dig around in your wallet looking for spare $$.

You can also look at a 4motion passat wagon. :) my wife has one and she likes it. It handles well and isn't a turd for passing if we need to take it to Kelowna or on the highway.

[freshprince1]

We had a Maxima for our family mover and absolutely loved it. Tons of room and the 3.5L V6 was incredilble. We ended up getting an SUV because we had another kid and wanted more room. We ran it for three years and only needed to replace one sensor in the fuel system. It was good on gas, surprisingly cheap on insurance and very comfortable and user friendly. Ours was an '02 and they have only gotten better since then.

The only downside is that because it is so comfortable and roomy, it is a big car, and thus has a wide turning radius. Our Envoy is way easier park than the Maxima was.

Good Luck.

[r3ccOs]

Heya everyone... ended up with an 06' SE-R after kicking tires for a week

Outside of the fact that they have huge 18's, which I love, which require expensive tires, which I hate... It is the ideal car

I'm actuality quite amazed by the fun appeal yet practicality of this car.

Being a guy who's drove a number of euro boxes (volvos, bmw and VW), I'll be the first to admit that the Nissans, & infinities, do not have the same put together and "tank like" feel, but I really don't have any quarms about the fit & finish as long as its durable.

I really love the subtle sporty look, the well bolstered leather interior and the added "sporty" parts, such as the stiffer suspension and dual exhaust.

There were a number of features I didn't even realized it had, including HIDs, auto climate controls and all that fancy jazz.

now time for some MODDING! lol, maybe not... think the wifey will kill me

[Idratherbsidewayz]

Congrats! Hope you love the new car. If you don't mind me asking, what'd you get it for?

[clem24]

Originally posted by freshprince1
Our Envoy is way easier park than the Maxima was.

:confused:

[duaner]

What colour? The wife has let me do a few mods. I can sometimes justify it with "it'll get better mileage," or something of the sort.

[freshprince1]

Originally posted by clem24


:confused:

:confused:



OP, nice choice. I looked at the SE-R when replacing the Maxima but could not find one to fit my budget.

[psycoticclown]

Nice choice, congrats!

[D. Dub]

Originally posted by dirtsniffer
dude volvo knows turbos, its not uncommom for volvos to get 400,000+ km's on the original turbo and motor, ive known quite a few mechanics who personally drive volvos because they dont have to put much work into them lol.. im partial to the v70R though because i love wagons, especially when people dont know you are packing some serious performace. once again imo s60r &gt; g35 based on finish and on the fact you wont see you exact car on almost a daily basis


Thats why I like my s60r --- always so much more fun to NOT follow the herds

[r3ccOs]

Originally posted by D. Dub



Thats why I like my s60r --- always so much more fun to NOT follow the herds

Well... in the case of volvo, I love them... innovators of safety, style and well the symbol rocks!

I owned a 84' 240DL as my first car, and it ran supurb until I decided to do a Converse 5.0L swap w/ a s-trim charger

I also had a 1993 244DL classic, my dad had a 760 and a 740 wagon turbo w/ the KKK & Mitsu turbo (one intercooled and one without)

We also had a 850 GLT and Turbo, then the last was a V70 regular w/ the low pressure turbo. Unfortunately the two turbo (850t & v70) both ended up with turbo issues... likely case we drove them year round in -45 winnipeg weather and probably didn't let them cool down appropiately...
Also knowing the maintenance costs and total cost of ownership is just not where I am in my life right now to absorb.

I love volvo's and I'm sure the latest gen of them are as reliable as my old 2.4L 4cyl dl that I got well over 300k on the engine before I just tossed it (no issues however).

so maybe next time :)

[Prelude_dude]

did u take a look at some acura tsx's?? not as fast as all the other alternatives, but u can get some real nice tsx's for 25k range, nice interiors, more roomy than a4's and lexus is's, really good gas mileage as compared to altimas or maximas (so i've heard... heard nissans aren't that great for gas mileage) my 09 is getting 8.3-8.6L per 100km, not sure about the older tsx, im sure it shud be around the same. I actually prefer the leather in the tsx's as compared to the g35's and beemers, i found beemer leather too hard. Silk smooth shifting in the tsx's also. I test drove alot of cars before picking up my tsx and i liked my decision. Hope that helps

oh yea i'd like to add, its front wheel drive, which is a minus for guys, but a plus for "most" girls as they hate rear wheel drive, and g35 and beemers are all rear wheel, if ur like me and live up a steep hill, my sisters 335 can't get up the hill if fresh snow has been laid, where as i don't have any problem

[D. Dub]

Ford Edge? Lincoln MKX?

[duaner]

Originally posted by Prelude_dude
really good gas mileage as compared to altimas or maximas (so i've heard... heard nissans aren't that great for gas mileage) my 09 is getting 8.3-8.6L per 100km
Do you have a 4 or 6 cyl? I get 30+mpg on the highway and no lower than 23 in the city, which isn't at all bad for 220-230 fwhp in a 3200 lb car.

[dino_martini]

Originally posted by D. Dub



Thats why I like my s60r --- always so much more fun to NOT follow the herds

Hows the S60r?

I've been reading up on them and it seems like there can be some reliability issues, but I dont know if those are just lemons or what.

Any problems with your S60r?

[D. Dub]

Can have a few weak drive train parts especially if modified and abused.

That being said -- with an extended warranty it's a bargain sporty sedan.

A RICA tuning module, downpipe/exhaust will get you 350 hp and 350+ ft lbs out of the 2.5 L inline five.

Go to swedespeed.com

[Prelude_dude]

Originally posted by duaner

Do you have a 4 or 6 cyl? I get 30+mpg on the highway and no lower than 23 in the city, which isn't at all bad for 220-230 fwhp in a 3200 lb car.

I got the 4, v6 didnt come out till this year, i heard the v6 is gettin about the same mileage as mine... But sadly no 6 speed, im @ 201 fwhp and 17x ish torque, pretty heavy car also

[r3ccOs]

for those who want to know, its an altima se-r w/ 90k w/ extended 2.5 trd party warrant (bumper-bumper) in great shape, good tires, brakes etc... for 16k