Looking for a wagon...

[Rosinante]

Originally Posted by NHDave

Best looking wagon on the planet

Agreed. My 2006 Magnum is, quite easily, the best car I've owned in my 48 years of driving.

I noticed that one poster above said he might be looking for a used wagon with 70 - 80K miles on it. WHY? A friend of mine trades his cars when they get to 65K miles. I see no point in buying a high mileage used car, as these are just about ready to cost the owner big bucks in required maintenance expenses.

[wheelsup]

Originally Posted by Rosinante

Agreed. My 2006 Magnum is, quite easily, the best car I've owned in my 48 years of driving.

I noticed that one poster above said he might be looking for a used wagon with 70 - 80K miles on it. WHY? A friend of mine trades his cars when they get to 65K miles. I see no point in buying a high mileage used car, as these are just about ready to cost the owner big bucks in required maintenance expenses.

90k-150+k over 6 years w/ my 1995 Volvo wagon and $1800 in mx. That's $300/year, includes oil, tires, fluid, etc. And insurance varied between $15-$20/month liability only. It's great.

I like new cars too, but it just doesn't make sense to buy/trade that early. Even if I made $250,000/year I'd still be driving my car.

[miu]

Originally Posted by Rosinante

Agreed. My 2006 Magnum is, quite easily, the best car I've owned in my 48 years of driving.

I think that Magnums are fugly!

I noticed that one poster above said he might be looking for a used wagon with 70 - 80K miles on it. WHY? A friend of mine trades his cars when they get to 65K miles. I see no point in buying a high mileage used car, as these are just about ready to cost the owner big bucks in required maintenance expenses.

What's your definition of "big bucks"? I have one Honda Civic with 380k miles on it. And the last couple of cars I've bought (Honda Civic hatchbacks and an Acura Integra sedan) were all purchased with anywhere between 150k and 200k miles on them, and none of them needed big bucks to keep running. My dad told me over 25 years ago that when buying a used car, expect to put in $1500 worth of work. I've been very lucky I guess, because I've never had to put in more than a couple hundred dollars to make my new used cars in good running condition. Brake pads, new tires, and sometimes new shocks. My $500 car bought over five years ago is still going strong.

My boyfriend just got a 1993 Volvo 240 wagon for $800. The mileage is 215k miles. So far he's upgraded the suspension with Bilstein shocks. Rear brake pads are next. Eventually, he's converting it to a manual transmission, but the current automatic transmission still shifts perfectly.

My tenant bought a 1995 Volvo 940 wagon three years ago for $3500. It had 100k miles on it but looked like new. It was always garaged and every maintenance done. The wagon even came with four new snow tires. The woman who owned it always trades in her cars when they hit 100k miles. I think that the only think he had to fix on the car was the a/c system. He also beefed up the suspension because he does his interior painting business with it.

But I'd rather put in even $1500 into a good used car, than buy a new one that depreciates as soon as you leave the dealership. And the factory warranties are never that useful. Insurance and taxes on a brand new car are higher. And immediately, one is backwards on the new car loan.

To the O.P., I'd recommend looking for a 1993 Volvo 240 wagon in good shape. Some of them did come with a manual transmission. I think that the guy who owns IKEA owns an older high mileage Volvo wagon. Then there is that Volvo P-1800 from the mid-60's that's up to 2.6 millions miles on its odometer.

[wheelsup]

The volvo 200 series cars are OK but for more refinement and almost the same reliability look into an 850 or 98 V70.

[Speedaddicted]

I was about to say the Volvo wagons. The Magnum is great if you get the SRT aside from that I dont think I would push one, much less drive it.