Looking for a wagon, commuting and road trips

[longspeak74]

I had a Passat wagon, v6 all wheel drive at one time. Sleeper car...decent amount of room, good mileage and super quick.

 

[Sturgeon]

I owned a 2010 VW Jetta Wagon TDI with a 6 speed manual. Awesome vehicle and kind wish I still had it, but the buyback offer was just way too good. At 6’3” I could fold down the seats and sleep in the back, it towed little fishing boats just fine, ran winter tires and it was good in the snow, and got 45mpg. Only downside I saw was having to replace the fuel filter every 20k, it took a bit to warm up when it was below 0, and the cost of using VW spec oil.

 

[Baddog]

I’d also suggest the Volvo. Have treated me well

 

[Fordguy]

My girlfriend owned a 2008 Subaru when we got together. It was great for the first few years, when it hit 110k things just started falling apart. Had to replace the steering rack, then the ac went, then the clutch throw out bearing, followed by the inside doorhandles breaking - no mistreatment, the plastic handles just snapped- first on the passenger side- she blamed me until she did the same thing on the driver's side a few months later. By 120k it started losing oil, even though we never found a drip in the driveway. No blue smoke either. Never overheated, never ran low on oil (because we checked it every time we filled the gas tank added about a quart a week- sometimes more) This was on a regularly maintained and serviced vehicle. It certainly wasn't abused. I know some people love them, but I have zero inclination to try another Subaru after the experience with that one.

 

[IH8Cali]

I owned a 2010 VW Jetta Wagon TDI with a 6 speed manual...

Thank you for the reply, that's everything I want it to do as well...aside from the towing the boat. I'm not a big fan of the looks on the newer wagons, but they're still very tempting due to price and mileage on some of the 2010-2014s i've been seeing around. The emissions on the newer diesels worries me, I may have to get over it.

I’d also suggest the Volvo. Have treated me well

Yeah i'm going to keep my eyes open, they're pretty sparse but i'm hoping one pops up to at least go check out.

My girlfriend owned a 2008 Subaru when we got together. It was great for the first few years, when it hit 110k things just started falling apart.

I think all the options i've listed are going to be very similar to your experience. When I got out of the air force, I had to sell pretty much everything I owned in order to reverse stupid financial decisions and move out of CA. I bought a 2002 Jetta for $400, and had to replace A LOT of "little things", but basically every accessory or trim piece was broken or in some state of disrepair. The damn thing just ran though.

I'm really leaning towards the TDI wagon at this point though; if i'm going to get nickle and dimed to death regardless, may as well get close to 50mpg while i'm doing it.

 

[puckhead]

Whats your take on the 2.2L engines? My 95 legacy has one it, 119k miles on it.

I like them. They're not hot rods by any stretch but I see plenty make is past 300k with few issues. Head gaskets aren't nearly as bad about failures as the 2.5L. They're leaky: rear main seals, valve cover gaskets and cam seals can all leak. Best defense is drive it often and change oil every 3k, conventional is what I would run but synthetic is fine(just don't run a longer interval). T-belt kit w/ water pump every 10/yr or 100k miles and keep oil in it.

 

[Mt Al]

Have owned and abused many Subaru wagons, manual, auto, etc.. and put hundreds of thousands of miles on them since the early '90s. I can't compare them to others, but they have generally worked very well for me other than: two head gasket replacements, one tranny gasket and one (ONE!!!) wiring problem on an alternator after it reached 138,000. Plus, they're 'Subarus' so I don't baby them, have strapped big and small canoes, deer, trees, everything to the roof and don't care if I get a scratch or small dent. Have slept in the back, keep a cheap tarp for when a critter needs to go whole into the back to keep the blood off the carpet, seats fold down so the dog can walk right up and come check on me.

Personally, if it was my daily driver and taking clients around - I'd not go for a Subaru. Much rather have and Audi or Volvo. My daily is a nice GMC truck that also gets hunted hard. But for beating around, commuting, good mileage, not worrying about scratches, etc. I like the Subaru but, as above, can't really compare.

 

[black dawg]

The Subarus are simple and reliable but, yes, even if previously repaired the head gaskets will need to be re-replaced every 100-150k on the generation vehicles that suffer from failure. I know it's not a wagon but I'd be searching for a pre-2012 Honda CR-V with the 2.4L engine. In my experience they are one of the most cost-efficient, reliable vehicles ever made.

On the subaru, I have seen one headgasket failure after replacement (2.5 with the newest FP gasket) at close to 200k after replacement (320k on car total). And it was overheated badly because of a leaky oem replacement water pump. The rest have outlasted the bottom end or the car. And we have lots of subarus around here

Have you noticed that people who warm up their subaru get way more miles out of the head gaskets.?

I like the crv, but starting to see many of them consume lots of oil (more than the subaru.....)

 

[IH8Cali]

My "commute" to work is a 2-lane for about 20 miles, and really only open her up to 60 mph if the weather's clear. The bulk of the miles would be fishing/scouting trips where I don't need the truck bed or the crap mpg. I've owned Dodges for years so i'm perfectly fine lighting buckets of good money on fire, I just don't want to be on the side of the road in Winnemucca at 2am or something looking for a good place to get head gaskets replaced.

I love everything you explained @Mt Al , it's pretty much what i'm looking for.

 

[puckhead]

On the subaru, I have seen one headgasket failure after replacement (2.5 with the newest FP gasket) at close to 200k after replacement (320k on car total). And it was overheated badly because of a leaky oem replacement water pump. The rest have outlasted the bottom end or the car. And we have lots of subarus around here

Have you noticed that people who warm up their subaru get way more miles out of the head gaskets.?

I like the crv, but starting to see many of them consume lots of oil (more than the subaru.....)

I haven't really found any correlation between allowing the car to warm up and less head gasket failures but that's also not a question I've been asking folks. Most consumers wouldn't admit to that anyway, rather blame the product(which is know to have the issue). I really only feel that driving pretty aggressively before the engine reaches operating temp would contribute to failure. I think horizontally-opposed cylinder engines innately suffer from head gasket and oil consumption issues due to that design......and gravity. Having said that, an engine would only benefit from a little warm-up time or even conservative throttle input until it hits operating temp.

 

[GotDraw?]

The Subaru headgasket issue is caused by the configuration of the cylinders. Nearly everyone but Subaru builds an inline 4 cylinder engine with vertical cylinders. Subaru uses the "boxer' design with 2 cylinders on each oposing side. The cylinders are horizontal which means the head gaskets are always wet even when the engine is not running. The water/coolant eventually breaks down the gasket material which eventually causes a coolant leak. The coolant leak can be internal or external but usually causes overheating and subsequently warped or cracked cylinder heads. Changing the head gaskets on an oposing cylinder overhead cam engine is a PITA and more than the average shade tree mechanic is willing to tackle on the weekend. Most shops bill 12 hours to do the job and most cars will need the heads resurfaced. While they have it apart you may as well change the water pump, belts and hoses. I'd guess that a big percentage of older Subarus you'll find listed for sale are being sold because the owner can't afford the $2500-3500 get the head gaskets replaced. My wife lovers her Subaru but when it runs out of warranty it will be traded for a new one.

@fmyth

Sorry, but I believe you are dead wrong.

You claim that Subaura's head gaskets are always wet with coolant "even when the motor is not running" because the cylinders are horizontal. Also that this somehow causes the head gaskets to fail.

You imply that the vertical cylinders layout of other motors are somehow NOT in contact with coolant when the motor is running (as if the coolant somehow drains somewhere out of the head so the gaskets are dry when the motor is off).

Wow. And wrong.

Properly filled and "burped" coolant systems have no air them. Car engine cylinder heads are below the level of the radiator fill opening and have coolant in them no matter if boxer-style/horizontal layout or vertical. Unless of course you intentionally run your cooling sysyem low on coolant.

Best,
JL

 

[GotDraw?]

FWIW-

I still own a 2002 MkIV Golf tdi, it has now 280k and it burns ZERO oil. Dead-ass reliable. Runs as good as new.

Gets 43mpg doing 85mph going cross county and if I overfill the tank, I get over 600 miles of range before getting to Reserve level. When that low fuel light comes on, I still have at least 45mi range left. If I drive the speed limit, I can get 700 miles range from a tank the hwy.

Someone commented about cams wearing out, this happens if you fail to read the manual and fail to use proper diesel specific oil with the "505" proper oil certification.

I use Mobil One "European" oil for diesels and Change it every 10k miles. Amsoil and others also have the proper oil.

Cannot speak highly enough about this car. After 18 years, the stock springs sacked and rubber suspension bushing wore out. I had a shop replace all the front end and rear end suspension, bushings, control arms, struts and Supplex Springs.. Rides better than new.

If you get a tdi- Highly recommend you install "Supplex" springs to lift the car about 2". Also, get an aluminum "Panzer Plate" bash plate to protect the aluminum oil pan. It is easily cracked when driving on farm roads, dirt roads. No fun replacing an oil pan in the middle of a farm road (been there). Install a set of Bosio 502 DLC injectors when yours wear out and make sure you pay the extra money and have them flow-matched. Of you upgrade the injectors, you can get the computer reflashed with a chip-tune and pick up significant h.p. If you chip tune too much, you may need to upgrade the clutch.

The only pain the ass about these cars is replacing the timing belt every 100k mi. Other than that- super satisfied.

JL

 

[IH8Cali]

FWIW-

I still own a 2002 MkIV Golf tdi, it has now 280k and it burns ZERO oil. Dead-ass reliable. Runs as good as new.

That's excellent to hear, and i'm 99% sure that's the route i'm going. If I get stuck somewhere wishing I had all wheel drive or something, i'm sure that will be a rare occasion. Most of the spots I like to fish are paved/improved dirt road, then hike in from there. I want the mileage and range. The wagons seem pretty rare, and when they pop up they're spendy.

What do you usually spend on the timing belt, or do you diy?

 

[Sapcut]

These are the best Wagons ever produced. Hence the family fleet.

 

[IH8Cali]

Yeah, well versed in the 100 series. I had an LX and LC, both the 2002 flavors. Wife still hasn't forgiven me for getting rid of the LX. I've thought A LOT about getting another one, but as i'm sure you've seen, the price on those are to the moon. Best I ever got on highway tires was 15, but they're stout rigs no doubt.

 

[GotDraw?]

That's excellent to hear, and i'm 99% sure that's the route i'm going. If I get stuck somewhere wishing I had all wheel drive or something, i'm sure that will be a rare occasion. Most of the spots I like to fish are paved/improved dirt road, then hike in from there. I want the mileage and range. The wagons seem pretty rare, and when they pop up they're spendy.

What do you usually spend on the timing belt, or do you diy?

Not sure what the timing belt costs as an individual item when done by a shop. A timing belt kit is about $300 see here: Belt Kit. I have done them myself, you do need some special tools. I had a shop do it last time, when I had the entire Ft and Rr suspension rebuilt, did not have a line-item breakout on that labor.

I will tell you that if you are buying a used tdi, I would definitely check the cam for wear when replacing the timing belt and be prepared to replace the cam and lifters then if worn at all (perfect time when you do the timing belt since this makes is far easier and takes much less labor).

PM me if you want, I'll share my cell# and we can have a call. I'll share a bunch of good info.

Heads up too to check the service interval and cost for service if you're considering the Jetta sport wagon or any other that has the DSG automatic transmission. It's a cool tranny, but the service interval is 40k miles. Service is not a simple drain/fill, you need to buy special fluid, a filter and manual pump. Not too bad to do it yourself, but keep it in mind. My car is a manual. The service kit is here: DSG Service Kit

JL

 

[FatCampzWife]

Commuted in all types of weather in my Rav4, & took her over some very "questionable" terrain last fall on a solo hunt. She's a bit "soccer mom" looking, but she does what I need her to do. Love the Toyotas, they go forrver.

 

[Downeaster]

Back when i was a broke as a joke college kid i had a 90's camry wagon. Absolutely loved that thing. Brought it in places I had no business going. Met a jeep club out in the back country one time and they were like "Man, "What in the hell are you doing out here in that??" I just remember saying if i take it slow, she troops.
Good times, thanks for pointing me down memory lane for a bit

 

[IH8Cali]

Thanks all for the tips and insight, much appreciated.

@GotDraw? I appreciate the offer, i'll be in touch if I find something I want to get serious about.