Mid-size wagon recommendations

sqawks, Mar 15, 2:25am
Hi all, currently looking for a good mid size wagon with up to $10K to spend. Probably doesn't need to be any bigger than 2.0L, don't need a turbo either. Preferably manual, ideally not more than 10 years old.
I just thought I'd consult the oracles and see what people think are good buys at the moment, and what to avoid.
andy61, Mar 15, 2:55am
Corolla/Fielder 1800 wagon,awesome cars,reliable,economical,roomy-
,comfortable.i had a 2001 Fielder 1.8S,bought it at 120kms,drove it for 3.5 years,sold it at 225kms,apart from usual oil ,filters,sparkplugs,brakepads and 2 lightbulbs it never gave any issues and was still going very well when I sold it. I updated with a new shape(2007) Fielder 1.8S,very happy with this one too.
As for cars to avoid -may I suggest avoiding the Mitsubishi Cedia wagon,I have seen so many of these blowing blue smoke taking off from traffic lights.
outbiddingyou4, Mar 15, 3:05am
caldina, fielder, stay away from stagger vectra or anything european
tazcsv, Mar 15, 3:14am
Subaru legacy would be worth a look.
trogedon, Mar 15, 3:31am
.in passing.
tazcsv, Mar 15, 3:34am
Its time to get out of the 90s
tazcsv, Mar 15, 3:51am
Over 10k and over 2L tho
edangus, Mar 15, 4:00am
Yeah, there are 2ltr options in them though and you can pick em up for under 10k (Just around 11 - 13 yrs old)
Personally having had both the 3.0ltr is the one to have.
trogedon, Mar 15, 9:05am
They still haven't become much more reliable and certainly not economical.
mgmad, Mar 15, 9:21am
Rover 75 Tourer is an option, very good cars (or MG ZT-T if you can find one, a few about but tend to be a bit over 10k and mostly they are the 2.5 V6).

1.8 or 1.8T K series or 2.0 and 2.5 KV6 engines. I'd avoid the 2.0 KV6, it goes alright but is just as thirsty as the 2.5 and not as quick. V6s are pretty strong, very few common problems (and those there are aren't engine killers). 4 cyl K series is far from a unreliable as some here believe, particularly if maintained well. The 1.8T, if you can find one, is probably the best bet - low pressure turbo designed to provide lots of torque and little lag over a wide rev range. Has as much power and torque as the 2.0 V6 but uses less fuel and lower emissions.

BMW-sourced 2.0 diesel is an option, but scarce in NZ. Fairly refined for a 4 cylinder diesel, particulaly given it's age, but they have been known to have some pretty catastrophic failures.

Also probably the safest RHD car of the era you can buy, and very well built cars.
monaro17, Mar 15, 10:32am
Mondeo or mazda 6 perhaps! I assume there are manual versions around
mopeds, Mar 15, 10:43am
You can get a 2010 Nissan Wingroad for 10K if you don't mind the CVT, good 1800 chain driven engine.
jason18, Mar 15, 5:54pm
Yeah we picked up a low km 2009 for 9k. Good cars!
haventrader, Mar 15, 9:45pm
Have a look at a Toyota Wish. Won't set the world on fire, but would probably still be running when the world ends. 7 seater op[tion and makes a great wagon when the 2 rear seats are folded down. 1.8 or 2.0l (CVT) motors are fuel efficient and not bad on the open road. You'd pick one up for 10k.
tazcsv, Mar 15, 10:02pm
You clearly haven't owned a newer one then. funny how when a Subaru is mentionedeveryone thinks about the 1990-1998 era.
OP would be looking around a 2005 non turbo manual which would be a great car.
nev48, Mar 16, 1:36am
Mazda Atenza Station wagon - good cars!
sqawks, Mar 16, 2:33am
Great stuff guys, mostly confirming the ideas we were looking at and suggesting one or two options we hadn't considered yet. All useful and appreciated.
haventrader, Mar 16, 5:51am
Sorry OP for crashing your thread and going off the subject, but the opinions of the Subaru have caught my attention. I've been considering a station wagon AWD, or SUV (like a Hyundai santa fe) for a while. I don't want to spend too much - all cars these days are disposable items and pointless in spending thousands.I found a very neat 2005 2.5l Outback which ticks all the boxes, and the price is right. Why would anyone have something negative to say about these! There are plenty on the roads here so cannot be that bad a car. Just keen to hear what, if any, problems are associated with these cars. Cheers
tazcsv, Mar 16, 6:12am
If its been looked after and well serviced like any car it will be a great car, they handle great and I will always buy awd now. ok yes some of them may use a bit more fuel than others but your talking dollars not thousands of dollars extra to run and its a small price to pay for the performance you get back.