Thread: Mid size wagon - which one?

We have an 04 forester xs. for what it is, and what it costs, works like a charm.
Best all round car on the market.

Originally Posted by damian

So the thing is given you can have a subaru for similar money why would you risk getting a dog ?

Firstly why would I buy a vehicle that does not do what I need?

The 720 suited and did its job. But I would not go buy a Navara, X-Trail or Pathfinder.
Depending on how long it takes me to run my current Patrol into the ground I would not buy another nor a Toyota Landcruiser.
Both are becoming town toys, not work horses.

Hey you lot, I am going to go out on a limb, and probably left field for the majority of you but I am an enthusiast and it works for me. Buy an Alfa Romeo 156 or 159 Sportwagon. The 156 will certainly fall within the 20K price range, the 159 probably not quite yet. Clarkson is right you can't consider yourself a true petrol head until you have owned an Alfa, and I have owned 7 to date (currently have 3 including an '03 156 Sportwagon, plus two classic '60s Alfas).

The sportwagon is a true mid sized car, reliable (yes true despite what the media usually says about Alfas), economical, safe, comfortable (the leather upholstery is fabulous), and bloody great to drive. I bought mine in Sydney, sight unseen, and turned around, with the missus and had a great 10 day camping surfing holiday driving down the coast back to Tassie. That was 3 years ago and apart from normal servicing, a new set of tyres it has been the paradigm of reliability.

I use mine to take building materials out to our country property, have taken it up to the mountains for skiing, let alone camping trips up the coast and carrying my mini mal 7' 8" surfboard. I have had it for 3 years and I love it. Picture attached.

Damn it beats driving the white goods listed and talked about above.

Petrol head!!!

Originally Posted by cultana

Firstly why would I buy a vehicle that does not do what I need?

The 720 suited and did its job. But I would not go buy a Navara, X-Trail or Pathfinder.
Depending on how long it takes me to run my current Patrol into the ground I would not buy another nor a Toyota Landcruiser.
Both are becoming town toys, not work horses.

Fair point but the original question was about mid sized wagons all of which are similar in capability.

In fact I was truly surprised by the forester's dirt road and climbing ability given it's a school run car, and I have it on good authority it handles waist deep mud well also. The X trail is said to be the best in class off road but apart from the superb load area I can't see how it'd go places the subaru wouldn't. And then there is the transfer case...

Cruisers certainly aren't the car they were, and I really don't know what I'd buy if I needed a real full size off roader now, but comparing the ute's neither the mitsubishi nor the nissan aren't stand out's in any regard, I'd buy the BT50/ranger and of course they are about to go on runout so would make good buying just now. $34k for a crewcab 3.0 diesel or $36 in auto has got to be alue, and there are very very few complaints about them online.

2c