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Old 08-11-2010, 10:03 AM
 
Location: Planet Eaarth
8,954 posts, read 20,613,905 times
Reputation: 7193

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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bmateo View Post
It's time for my wife to get a new-ish car. She's incredibly picky, and knows exactly what she wants, it's just that it does not exist right now.

She currently drives a Mazda 6 Wagon with a v6, manual transmission, sunroof and a Bose Sound System, and LOVES the car. I don't want to debate wether or not we should buy or keep (have done that already), but we are looking for a replacement.

Her most important features are:
v6 (not a four, not a turbo 4 either)
Manual Transmission

She would prefer a wagon, but won't drive an SUV or a minivan

I would like to see it get at least Mid 20's mpg on the highway, and I'm focused on something reliable and easy to maintain. (if I had my way, we'd already have a new/used Accord or something simlar)

We are looking to buy new/used, as in "less than 30k miles", and would like to keep our total cost in the low-mid $20's. Maybe a littlebit of flexibility on price for the right car. Not worried about special financing deals, nor are we looking for a trade, if that matters.


She said she'd be willing to drive a sedan if it is sporty and a v6. And she is definitely not considering the "sport-shift automatics" as a replacement for a manual. She wants a CLUTCH!

Is there a sporty v6 out there with a manual anymore? (other than a Porche or BMW that is out of our range?)

Closest I have found is maybe a Subaru, but they have big 4's, as the v6 does not come in manual.

What am I missing?
What you are missing is that you already own the best car with the best liked features for your wife. A rebuilt engine & tranny will be lots cheaper than any replacement car would ever be along with the fact that you KNOW you will have a car that pleases her whereas it's gamble with any other car.

At the end of the day no matter what other car you buy it will ALWAYS be compared to the Mazda. Is that what you really want?
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Old 08-11-2010, 10:19 AM
 
14,780 posts, read 43,511,849 times
Reputation: 14621
Quote:
Originally Posted by jtur88 View Post
You're missing the 21st Century. Do you really think the car companies are interested in making the car you want? When they can make so much money convincing people to buy the car they want to sell?

When Caravan and Aerostar demonstrated how cheaply they could build minivans and how crappy they could make something and still have people drooling over it, the station wagon disappeared forever.

The car industry designed a wind-up music box, encrusted with bling, that will pass the crash test, and you get to choose whichever clone of that strikes your fancy.

When I was driving my '86 Olds Cutlass Wagon, I pulled into the dealership one day to see what the current crop of station wagons was like. There were none. The salesman sadly shook his head, pointed at my car, and said "If a thousand of those came in this afternoon, I'd have them all sold by Saturday".
Car companies didn't kill wagons...CAFE killed wagons. Since wagons fell under the "car" category it was incredibly difficult for the manufacturers to continue to produce wagons that would meet the standards. Since minivans and SUV's were lumped in the "light truck" category and had much lower standards the manufacturers focused on building and marketing these vehicles. The irony is that while CAFE was intended to conserve fuel it had the opposite effect and drove people to buy SUV's, minivans and pickups as primary transportation as those were the only remaining vehicles that offered the size and performance people wanted, which actually increased average fuel consumption when all was said and done.

If anyone wants to know why the government should stay out of these types of things, this is a perfect example.
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Old 08-11-2010, 10:38 AM
 
Location: Victoria TX
42,579 posts, read 86,642,947 times
Reputation: 36642
Quote:
Originally Posted by NJGOAT View Post

If anyone wants to know why the government should stay out of these types of things, this is a perfect example.

What you really mean is: If anyone wants to know why elected partisan politicians should stay out of these types of things, this is a perfect example
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Old 08-11-2010, 11:06 AM
 
Location: Airdrie
15 posts, read 39,303 times
Reputation: 13
Volvo: Reliable, Safe!!, Powerful, Classy and still produces Wagons (V40/V50/V70) and if you do some smart shopping you'll find what you're looking for in the right price range. I bought a top-of-the-line early 00s 150k S80 Turbo 6 for under $10k.

2008 Volvo V50 Review - Edmunds.com (http://www.edmunds.com/volvo/v50/2008/review.html - broken link)
2007 Volvo V70 Pricing and Information
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Old 08-11-2010, 11:28 AM
 
Location: U.S.A.
3,306 posts, read 12,163,426 times
Reputation: 2966
Though it isn't available in wagon form the CTS meets the criteria you are looking for with plenty of power and very good MPG (into the 30's). AWD is also available. I will definitely end up with one for myself at some point.
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Old 08-11-2010, 11:42 AM
 
Location: 'Murica
1,302 posts, read 2,935,826 times
Reputation: 833
the CTS should be available as a wagon very soon, but the highest mpg rating is 27 highway for the 3.0 RWD model. I think it might be available with a stickshift, though.
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Old 08-11-2010, 11:44 AM
 
143 posts, read 415,841 times
Reputation: 96
I'd say the best option is finding an 07-08 BMW 328i wagon. They may be hard to find in a manual, but should be in your general price range (maybe mid-20's) and are your best option out there with the stated requirements.
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Old 08-11-2010, 11:56 AM
 
Location: NYC & NJ
747 posts, read 2,747,301 times
Reputation: 341
Quote:
Originally Posted by jtur88 View Post
You're missing the 21st Century
IDK which part of the 21st century you're living in, but BMW, Audi, MB, VW, Volvo, etc. all sell wagons here. Acura is bringing the TSX wagon over as well. NTM Subaru which built their reputation on AWD wagons like the Outback.

What will take time for the OP is finding a V6/I6 + MT combination. B7-chassis 6MT A4s are mostly 2.0T, while A6s, new A4s and MBs, etc. are autos.

As NJGOAT said, what helped kill the (domestic full-size, 6 passenger) wagon was CAFE. But for people who want to carry 4 and gear, a sporty wagon will run rings around an equivalent SUV/CUV (and often had more capacity too, e.g. E46 3-series wagon and the 1st gen X3)
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Old 08-11-2010, 12:16 PM
 
Location: State of Superior
8,733 posts, read 15,887,368 times
Reputation: 2869
For the coin , I would have to say the Volvo is probably the best bet. More likely to find a stick also. They are not very exciting to drive , but are good cars, and they have always made wagons. The MB diesel wagon is most likely the best car out there you could buy. I have a friend who put 500,000 on his/ or hers actually, and its still going, they are huge , can carry a lot of stuff, with great MPG for such a large car.... Look to pay a lot for a good one, they hold their value better than anything else on the road, nothing safer also.
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Old 08-11-2010, 01:14 PM
 
Location: U.S.A.
3,306 posts, read 12,163,426 times
Reputation: 2966
2010 CTS Sport Wagon | Luxury Sport Wagon | Cadillac

Non-wagon RWD models have manual available.
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