[markus037]

well after a little over a year of ownership id really like to get back into a hatch/wagon. My E90 has been great, but trips to home depot become annoying since the trunk in this thing is pretty small. I also mountain bike so id like to have something to put my bike in also.

I was thinking about going back into a GTI. I had an 09 before this car and it was pretty good for the most part. I owned it for 3 years and it never gave me any issues. I looked for S4 avants but the engine issues scare me away with the V8 models, and most of those cars are beat to hell. An E63 wagon would be cool but thats a tall order since those are damn near impossible to find. i tried looking for E91s but those are hard to find as well and id like to get something with a little more power. A 535i wagon is an option but im a little worried about long term reliability.

So folks what do you recommend? Not looking for an SUV either.

[improvius]

How about the X1? It's really more of a wagon than SUV. If you like the E90/91 platform, the E84 is nearly the same thing.

[KingOfJericho]

[markus037]

cts v wagons are hard to find and i have yet to find one under 30k.

X1s are just too damn ugly.

[KingOfJericho]

I've said time and time again that my GTI was probably the best bang for your buck practical car I've ever owned. Why not search for an MK6 Golf R?

[markus037]

I dont think the Golf R is worth the extra money IMO.

[KingOfJericho]

To each their own. I had a 2008.5 GTI and the Golf R fixed every gripe I had when I test drove it. You can get an MK6 for a decent price now so I would definitely consider it.

[markus037]

found a 2011 GTI with 47k on it for $16,500. thinking about going to look at it

[Red Bread]

For the money, it's hard to beat a Mk7 GTI. The Mk6 was a bit of a porker, and the US R was too compromised with non defeatable nannies.

I'd take a stripped Mk7 over a used Mk6. I'd also recommend driving the current Mazda 3 wagon, it's a little smaller inside, and down on power compared to the GTI, but it's lighter and feels a little more direct.

[KingOfJericho]

wait for Focus RS?

[Jamesons Viggen]

Love the S4 Avant, too small and too scary to maintain.

LOVE my Saab 9-5 wagon. I love the size/utility which can't be matched unless you get into a Volvo V-70 R which spooks me with high repair costs.

Wagons this size with a 5spd are so rare and makes it a great score. I can touch 600 miles on the DTE on highway trips. It pulls quite well with about 300hp at the crank with a $150 tune. I have a Koni adjustable suspension with upgraded bars so it handles well. The seats are all day comfortable. It has asked for nothing but plugs and tires the 28k I have put on it in one year (134k now)

I have 15mm spacers for the front going on this week:

[Black Prinz]

keep it and add a utility trailer. What are the euro towing specs for an E90?

[Alfisti]

Seriously, hear me out.

For around $15K you can sit yourself in a 2009 Saab 9-3 with a 2.8 litre turbo, go for the FWD not AWD version.

Looks fantastic, can EASILY and cheaply tunes to 350+HP, is about the perfect size for family hauling, parts are easy to find, reliability is excellent, leather and power everything.

Only criticism is stock handling isn't spectacular and back seat room a bit iffy.

I'm in an 08, base though, not AERO, 2T engine. Regret not getting the AERO.

[Jamesons Viggen]

Originally Posted by Alfisti

Seriously, hear me out.

For around $15K you can sit yourself in a 2009 Saab 9-3 with a 2.8 litre turbo, go for the FWD not AWD version.

Looks fantastic, can EASILY and cheaply tunes to 350+HP, is about the perfect size for family hauling, parts are easy to find, reliability is excellent, leather and power everything.

Only criticism is stock handling isn't spectacular and back seat room a bit iffy.

I'm in an 08, base though, not AERO, 2T engine. Regret not getting the AERO.

We have a a 2.0T XWD for the wife, the 2.0T goes a long way with a tune. It makes stock 2.8 Turbo power with a mailbox tune. Easily take it further with a downpipe and retune.

[Alfisti]

Originally Posted by Jamesons Viggen

We have a a 2.0T XWD for the wife, the 2.0T goes a long way with a tune. It makes stock 2.8 Turbo power with a mailbox tune. Easily take it further with a downpipe and retune.

i dunno, the X1 weighs only a little more than the Saab (how it's heavier given it's half the size is beyond me)and it's making 240HP, pretty much the figures i am seeing with a tune, i don't feel MUCH difference.

So, how are your intake valves

[markus037]

i was thinking about saabs. i just dont know much about them and im afraid of parts availability. hows reliability?

for shits and giggles i went to look at a CPO 2012 GTI today. They offered me a whopping $12,300 for my car. I told them they can keep their car. My car is a 2010 with 71k on the clock and 6-speed. pretty hard to find x-drive and 6-speed cars around here. im not giving this car away for a song.

[KingOfJericho]

I had several nightmare experiences with my Saab regarding reliability. I love the cars but I'm so scared to get back involved with them. Same with Volvo. They sound like they're having a sword fight under the hood when you turn thew key.

[Alfisti]

Originally Posted by markus037

i was thinking about saabs. i just dont know much about them and im afraid of parts availability. hows reliability?

Parts are available, no more expensive than other euro brands.

Reliability was atrocious in 2003, by 05 they started sorting things out and from 06 to 11 the 9-3's sit just above mid pack in terms of reliability on the JD Power scale, so very respectable.

The 2.8 turbo eats coils if you tune it, so if one does tune it there's a different coil recommended to handle the grunt. The auto tranny handles 400HP, no worries there.

Avoid XWD, early Haldex with issues.

The biggest issue by far is that the 2007+ 2T's had poor intake valves and they will need replacing. mine was a $1700 fix.

Sounds bad but i am a frequent board member and that's about it for major issues on these cars. i have had mine nearly 5 years and other than the valves, not a single issue.

[Jamesons Viggen]

Originally Posted by Alfisti

i dunno, the X1 weighs only a little more than the Saab (how it's heavier given it's half the size is beyond me)and it's making 240HP, pretty much the figures i am seeing with a tune, i don't feel MUCH difference.

So, how are your intake valves

The N20 is severely underrated, that is part of it. Our tune is from JZW, made a drastic difference. Part of it is the XWD where you can exploit the power increase as many FWD are traction limited or have ecu boost limiting.

Originally Posted by markus037

i was thinking about saabs. i just dont know much about them and im afraid of parts availability. hows reliability?

I have had about a dozen Saabs. For the most part, they are the most trust worthy modern european cars. I would not own a modern BMW or VAG out of warranty for example.

Our '04 went from 28k-104k only repairs were a blower motor and swaybar end links covered under warranty.

Our '11 has gone from new to 55k only failure being the stock bypass valve not holding the upgraded boost level and replaced with Forge

Our '08 is from new to 50k and only issue was the sunroof button needed reprogramming.

My '06 has needed a direct ignition cassette in the last 30k, thats it.

My '99 Viggen, that was a bit more needy going from 18-60k and needed a MAF, ignition cassette and would occasionally get a vacuum leak but I modded the shit out of it.

Parts are readily available, Saab Parts North America did not go out of business.

Originally Posted by KingOfJericho

I had several nightmare experiences with my Saab regarding reliability. I love the cars but I'm so scared to get back involved with them. Same with Volvo. They sound like they're having a sword fight under the hood when you turn thew key.

I had the same experience with my '09 CC. 5 coil packs, a water pump, intake manifold, dash rattles, all before 40k miles. These were common issues on the Vortex. This was never the case with my Saabs(20-30 of them with family and friends). The most common Saab issues were the ignition cass, MAFs, and the newer cars eating endlinks. I would take that over VAG reliability any day. The other plus is Saabs are pretty easy to work on. I do my own tune ups in 20 minutes.

[Jamesons Viggen]

Originally Posted by Alfisti

Parts are available, no more expensive than other euro brands.

Reliability was atrocious in 2003, by 05 they started sorting things out and from 06 to 11 the 9-3's sit just above mid pack in terms of reliability on the JD Power scale, so very respectable.

The 2.8 turbo eats coils if you tune it, so if one does tune it there's a different coil recommended to handle the grunt. The auto tranny handles 400HP, no worries there.

Avoid XWD, early Haldex with issues.

The biggest issue by far is that the 2007+ 2T's had poor intake valves and they will need replacing. mine was a $1700 fix.

Sounds bad but i am a frequent board member and that's about it for major issues on these cars. i have had mine nearly 5 years and other than the valves, not a single issue.

A lot of the '03-05 issues trace back to the stupid fiber optic audio setup.

XWD is great, its just that many people skipped maintaining them, never having the fluid checked. This leads to $$$$ repairs. My car went in 55k with a $60 fluid top off and got the A-OK. Another girl drove hers for 100k and never had it checked and drove it dry and sure enough, $3500 repair at the same dealer that day.

[Genericuser1]

If performance isn't your top priority a new GTI is a very good choice. I came from an STI hatch and will probably go back to an RS, R or R400 (if its made) once I'm done with the M3.

[happos2]

The nannies in the Golf are overcomable if you find someone with VAG-COM. Very easy to change the stupid setting. I prefer the Golf R over the GTI because of the AWD in the winter and rain...not a FWD person. Changed out to a comp haladex controller and like it much better. The MK7 R if you want to spend $40k seems to be quite a car. You can find MK6 R's well under $30k now and they aren't a common car on the road which is nice.