Station wagons upgrade or stay with the old one

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blackjack17

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#304491 8-May-2023 18:37

Thinking about upgrading my car.

Currently have a 2006 Subaru legacy. Had it since 2014. It now has 220,000 kms on the clock has amazing features like a 6 disk cd player and mini disk but is starting to get a bit aged. The Subaru has terrible city milage but pretty good open road milage.

My wife has a 2023 mazda cx5 work car that we can use for personal use just have to pay for petrol for annual leave (it has absolutely crap milage). As I run to work my car only gets used for the supermarket runs, kids sports runs, and weekend missions to trail ends/mountain bike trails and importantly school holiday road trips. My milage isn't high and i can use a tank or two a school term with an extra one in the school holidays. However in the holidays can knock out over 1000+kms.

I like station wagons, can fit a heap in the back for road trips. Easy to lift bikes on to the roof racks.

My usage doesn't really feel like it would suit an ev (nor does my budget). I love the idea of a Subaru outback and love the awd of the legacy (but realistically I don't go to Ruapehu enough to justify it) and second hand outback prices are nuts. I got my legacy in 2014 for $6000.

To replace the current car I would be looking at something newer than 2012, less than 100,000km on the clock and under $15,000

The 2012 Volkswagen Passat 1.4T seems a good fit for my usage but have always been hesitant about european cars and turbos. There is a 2013 Volvo xc90 but once again european and its an SUV.

Are station wagons dying out and are second hand cars crazy expensive at the moment?

Mazda atenza? Toyota Corolla Hybrid?, wish?

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#3073898 8-May-2023 18:45

Recent floodings in Auckland, Coromandel, Napier & Hastings have pushed secondhand car prices up quite a bit as there is months on wait for new cars still due to semi-conductor shortage.

Do whatever you want to do man.

gzt

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#3073906 8-May-2023 18:56

Moving from a performance oriented vehicle like Subaru Legacy to an economy wagon like Wish or Corolla might be a shock. Alpha hybrid is another one in the economy category, with larger body space.

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#3074061 8-May-2023 21:14

Proper station wagons are pretty much dead.... SUV's have taken over.

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Wheelbarrow01

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Chorus

#3074069 8-May-2023 22:09

You could consider something like a 3rd generation facelift 2015-2018 Ford Focus 'Trend' diesel wagon? I had one for a couple of years and it was great. Super economical on diesel (although RUC is a pain) and very torque-y & quick off the mark yet surprisingly smooth/quiet 2 litre engine. Mine was a 2016 and had Apple Carplay, zoned climate, cruise control etc etc. I sold it with around 80,000kms on it for $14k in 2021, so something like that is probably within your budget - but as others have mentioned, prices are all over the place at the moment...

Earlier Focus models had auto transmission problems but not in this age range, and certainly not the diesel as they used a different gearbox.

This Focus model does come in petrol too, but they are lower 'Ambiente' spec (less seat bolstering, no 8 inch infotainment, no foglights, crappy hubcaps etc and most of them are only a 1 litre turbo - not sure how that would go in such a large car (although that 1 litre Ecoboost is an absolute peach in the manual Fiesta tho!). There was also a 1.6 non-turbo petrol available but there doesn't seem to be many of them around in the wagon.

Mehrts

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#3074070 8-May-2023 22:17

Can the budget stretch to an Audi RS6 Avant?

You know, for getting everything and everyone to the destination in a hurry with the twin-turbo 4.0L V8 churning out 600hp 😅

2022 Audi RS6 Avant Review, Pricing, and Specs

I guess this doesn't exactly work with the no "European and turbos" requirement 🙃

Hammerer

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#3074079 8-May-2023 22:47

blackjack17:

Thinking about upgrading my car.

…

To replace the current car I would be looking at something newer than 2012, less than 100,000km on the clock and under $15,000

The 2012 Volkswagen Passat 1.4T seems a good fit for my usage but have always been hesitant about european cars and turbos. There is a 2013 Volvo xc90 but once again european and its an SUV.

…

Mazda atenza? Toyota Corolla Hybrid?, wish?

There looks to be unattractive compromises in your options so I’d stick with the Legacy provided it isn’t costing too much to maintain. The biggest benefit of a newer vehicle would be improved safety so if that is a real concern then that might be enough to swing a compromise. We had a similar choice to make and in the end upped our sights from $15K to $20K+ just to get better safety.

I had a look on Trade Me using your guidelines and there isn’t a lot that is comparable to your Legacy. And what there is either:

underpowered e.g. 1.6L Levorg

undersized - Corolla, Focus, Impreza, etc only have 2/3 the boot space and less length with the second row seats up for your kids

relatively ugly

too RISKY - Australian insurance write off, expensive parts, unreliable, etc. Can you afford to buy and maintain a “luxury” XC90 or even a VW Passat if you won’t pay for a cheaper Outback?

savagegeese unload their XC90
https://youtu.be/TQgMVBrmc54

Handle9

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#3074081 8-May-2023 22:58

We’ve just gone through this with Mrs handles car. It’s frustrating but wagons are no longer a thing, SUVs are what the market has decided on.

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Scott3

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#3074082 8-May-2023 22:58

blackjack17:

...

Are station wagons dying out and are second hand cars crazy expensive at the moment?

Mazda atenza? Toyota Corolla Hybrid?, wish?

Other than euro-targeted cars, nicer station wagons are pretty rare these days, and yes seem to be a dying breed. For NZ New

Toyota: Corolla wagon hybrid.

Mazda: 6 wagon

Honda: None

Suzuki: None

Ford: None

Mitsubishi: None.

And on used car's, Yeah, the market is nuts at the moments.

In the pandemic a lot of new car makers either decided to cut production of recession fears (and canceled orders of long lead time items), or were forced to stop production due to lock down's.
Microchip factories re-allocated production from orders that the auto industry canceled. Then (two I think) big microchip factories caught on fire, leading to a global shortage.
Global logistics kinda fell over. Stories of extremely long wait times for basic parts like a replacement bumper were common, taking some cars needing repair out of the fleet.
The pandemic upped demand for car's. Health concerns made catching the bus / taxi / ridehail app car less attractive. Increasing demand for cars (especially cheaper used car's).
Travel restrictions during the pandemic meant that people who would have typically spend big bucks on holidays, had money burning a hole in their pocket. Upgrading (or adding anouther) car was a popular thing to spend on. Also peoples holiday plans became a lot more domestic than before, so there was a big run on lifestyle vehicles like the toyota prado.
In the pandemic used imports from japan pritty much froze up. NZ gets a big chunk of our fleet this way.
Popular new car models ended up with massive shortages. Wait time on some models is still more than a year.
Shortage of new cars pushes up the value of nicer used car's.
Not that the pandemic is over, rental cars companies are trying to build their fleets back up again adding to car demand.
There is a certain stickiness. Households that added a car for the pandemic are unlikely to sell that car now.
Then add in a couple of extreme weather events that would have forced 1000+ cars out of the fleet.

Good news is the above situation is starting to resolve itself somewhat. Increasing interest rates and recession fears are slowing demand globally.

In other markets like the USA, sweet lease deals are starting to appear again.

In NZ, to give an example, if I recall correctly the wait time for a Hilux peaked at around a year. It is now either less than three months, or Limited stock available in NZ. And Toyota is running the first promo I have seen in a long time ($1500 of free accessories).

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Onto OP's situation. If you are going to buy a car soon, be aware that new & used import prices (excl used EV, New EV over $80k, mobility EV/Hybrid) are going to jump by between $400 and $3400 on july one, and this impact will flow into the used market. So now is not a bad time to be buying.

But my gut feeling is that there is no pressing need for you to upgrade. Given the low mileage upgrading to a lesser car doesn't seem like a good outcome.

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Mazda atenza? Toyota Corolla Hybrid?, wish?

I haven't been in a 4th gen Legacy wagon, but if it is anything like the 5th generation, Be aware that the Corolla wagon & wish are a lot smaller and weaker.

Corolla hybrid wagon is an economy car. Depends on the year if it is actually based on the corolla or the Yaris. Typically the Corolla wagon runs the 1.5L power train from the aqua. I think it is 73kW combined power. Don't get me wrong, I like the car, I just think you will be disappointed with the load space, power & dynamics coming from a Legacy, given your main use is long trips loaded up.

Likewise the wish is an economy car. Great if you want 7 seats. Cargo space will be good with the third row folded. But it will also have economy car road noise & dynamics. 106kW I think & rated at 8.1L/100km.

I don't know much about the Atenza, but I think it would be better than the above.

--- Other one I would take a look at is a prius alpha 5 seat. Impressive luggage space. 100kW combined output, so not going to be fast, but should return under 5.0L/100km in the real world (on 91 RON).

debo

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#3074085 8-May-2023 23:19

Any of these station wagons long enough to sleep in?

jonathan18

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#3074093 9-May-2023 08:15

debo: Any of these station wagons long enough to sleep in?

When I owned a Mazda 6 I slept in it once; long enough, for sure, but would rank as one of my least comfortable night’s sleep thanks to not having a mattress!

The 6/Atenza is a decent car, with more than enough power in the 2.5 l petrol or 2.2 l diesel (even if not terribly economical for urban driving). The diesel does have its detractors, but I had this and it was perfectly behaved for the eight years I owned it (not that I’d buy a diesel now!). I’m not sure I’d got for the 2 l version - I’ve heard it’s under-powered.

Just note that the current shape (released 2013) has a sloping rear so boot space is ok but not amazing - nothing like the Japanese wagons of the previous generation (such as the OP’s Legacy). We found we often needed to use the roof box to take all our holiday junk.

BlakJak

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#3085249 5-Jun-2023 22:42

Useful thread. My Toyota Gaia is probably up for replacement in the next year or two and i'm thoroughly depressed by the options. I'm going to probably wind up with an SUV to retain the practicality I seek, and that'll come with relatively increased costs for both tyres and fuel. Grr.

I'd love a modern Caldina.

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Batman

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#3085253 5-Jun-2023 23:06

there are wagons for sale these days, just not very popular, and usually very small boot.

the biggest wagon money can buy today is a Skoda Superb. you can load your house in there.

fast wagons - Skoda Octavia RS, Levorg/WRX

budget wagons - Subaru Legacy 2012-2014 but its CVT is probably a time bomb, Mazda 6.

Scott3

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#3085255 5-Jun-2023 23:18

BlakJak: Useful thread. My Toyota Gaia is probably up for replacement in the next year or two and i'm thoroughly depressed by the options. I'm going to probably wind up with an SUV to retain the practicality I seek, and that'll come with relatively increased costs for both tyres and fuel. Grr. I'd love a modern Caldina.

If you are OK with 5 seat's and 2wd, the Prius V / Alpha would be the obvious first pick for your use case. Similar power and space, in a modern car with half the fuel usage.

Goosey

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#3085302 6-Jun-2023 06:18

I don’t understand how the late model cx5 hasn’t got good mileage for you?
I do city and distance (a lot of city). I’m always around 7-9L per 100km which is pretty good,…(that’s with AC on most of the day too).

Have you tried looking at turners?
plenty of ex lease SUV and probably a few wagons of the likes of ford mondeo, Mazda.
fit a bike rack to the tow bar and you are “away”.

all wheel drives have no place in mainly city driving (just a waste of fuel).

I met a guy who has an all wheel drive hybrid SUV for city use and I was shocked at the fact they were getting the same litres per km as an ICE!

I used to own a euro…. Never again unless it’s brand new…even then, I’d be only driving it to the letter box.

$$$$$$$$$$

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#3085304 6-Jun-2023 06:56

Wouldnt say the Levorg is a fast wagon.... it has the looks and all the toys, but the actual "go" factor is a bit lacking. If it came in a proper manual, I'd have one in a heartbeat though :)

Mighty Car Mods have one, they swapped engine etc from a WRX STI and found 90% of it was a straight swap, including the clutch - there was even a hole already present from factory in the Levorg, so makes you wonder if Subaru did consider a proper manual version...

Gavin / xpd / FastRaccoon / Geek of Coastguard New Zealand

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