Used car help please?

[JonathanD]

I need a car that can haul a little, gets decent mileage and drives well.
I like my 1993 Audi CS90. I am thinking a 2000-2002 audi wagon or BMW wagon. A sturdy car that can move its butt. No trucks. Maybe a mazda hatchback 4 door? Any suggestions?

Thanks,
Jonathan

[bongomania]

The Mazda 3 hatchback gets great marks at Consumer Reports.

[Pilgrim]

If you know Audi well enough to do your own basic maintenance and repair, then it's a great choice. My experience with a BMW 3-series is that it has had fewer small parts fail then the Audis I have driven. But after you're driven an Audi or BMW, other cars feel like less.

I think a small wagon from either one would be fun to drive and meet your needs. There are many other cars that would also do it.

[TrooperFarva]

You want the Mazdaspeed 3. Hauls gear, moves quick, gets good mileage, and is built to last.

[Stumbo]

BMW=expensive maintenance/repair.

+1 on the Mazda 3.

[Indiana Mike]

I have had a strange attraction to the Toyota Matrix lately.
All I have done is look at them so no owners reports or test drive for me yet .

And you'll get there really fast.

http://www.edmunds.com/toyota/matrix/review.html

[Truktek2]

You might want to consider a subaru forester or impreza wagon. Good on gas and plenty of room.

[geeza]

Volvo wagon.

[TobyBass55]

Originally Posted by Stumbo

BMW=expensive maintenance/repair.

I've had both the audi and the BMW 3 series and he's right.......the BMW is much more expensive for maintainance than the audi. The BMW has "special" oil...."special" coolant...."special" battery......."special" wipers........."special" translates to expensive, too. Having said that, I was surprised at how much better a car the BMW was than the audi.

I've had occasion to rent a subaru forrester recently and liked it a lot. Also recently rented a similar sized Hyundai (I think it might have been a Santa Fe, but I can't remember). I liked it a lot too.

[iamlowsound]

Mazda 3 all the way. Also, the ford focus is a decent car as well.

lowsound

[hbarcat]

Subaru wagon.

[SchecterC4]

Originally Posted by hbarcat

Subaru wagon.

Indeed.

Find yourself an older Legacy and you'll be set for a very long time. AWD, good gas mileage and a HUGE rear hatch area for lugging bass gear around.

Get one with service records, though. They have a tendency to eat factory head gaskets. If its been changed by the PO though you'll have the reliability of a Toyota and the versatility of a truck.

[guroove]

A lot of Subaru love here. I drive a Forester. I have a 2005 model with the turbo. It kind of guzzles gas, and it's pretty good at hauling gear, but one problem I have is that driving it is so much fun that it's very hard to drive it in a manner that the gear inside won't get tossed around when it's fully loaded.

[Selta]

Mini.

[DudeistMonk]

I like my '01 Infinity G20 a lot, leather, bose audio, climate control ect. I got mine for 7k with 100,000 mi on it.

It's only a 4 cylinder so its good on gas + 4 doors which comes in handy for hauling my gear.

[JonathanD]

Hmmm, M3 is in the running with Audi and BMW. Still looking for the right deal.
Thanks for the input.