Fast estates ?
Discussion
Been recently thinking about adding a fast estate to the little fleet, used to have a prodrive impreza ( 2003) which was a hoot to drive and the othe half loved it as well especially in the winter.
Then moved on to range rovers as had 3 ( petrol 4.4, 4.4 tdv8 and sport tdv8) all really to big on the outside but ok on the inside) oh hate the full fat as it was just too big.
So been thinking about the following ( budget 6-14k depending on car)
Subaru wrx ppp sl ( pre 56 plate otherwise tax £470) hard to find a decent one.
Subaru gb270, don't worry about tax, hard to find with a sunroof ( a must)
Subaru outback 3.0 ( again pre 56 plate)
Rs4, b5 a bit long in the tooth now, and and can't tow with it which would be handy
Rs6, too ruinous !!
Any others ?
Or any other advice would be welcome, have a 730d for daily but looking for something fun / good in bad weather
Phib
Then moved on to range rovers as had 3 ( petrol 4.4, 4.4 tdv8 and sport tdv8) all really to big on the outside but ok on the inside) oh hate the full fat as it was just too big.
So been thinking about the following ( budget 6-14k depending on car)
Subaru wrx ppp sl ( pre 56 plate otherwise tax £470) hard to find a decent one.
Subaru gb270, don't worry about tax, hard to find with a sunroof ( a must)
Subaru outback 3.0 ( again pre 56 plate)
Rs4, b5 a bit long in the tooth now, and and can't tow with it which would be handy
Rs6, too ruinous !!
Any others ?
Or any other advice would be welcome, have a 730d for daily but looking for something fun / good in bad weather
Phib
phib said:
kiethton said:
ovlov V70R? - Modern version c. 2004 vintage
Wait a year and get a leggy E61 M5?
Saab 9-5/Vectra VXR 2.8 turbo?
E55 AMG Merc?
MG ZT-T V8 260?
Has to be 4 x 4 Wait a year and get a leggy E61 M5?
Saab 9-5/Vectra VXR 2.8 turbo?
E55 AMG Merc?
MG ZT-T V8 260?
Phib
The may have done a 4wd version in the Saab (not sure if available in the UK though)
phib said:
Subaru wrx ppp sl ( pre 56 plate otherwise tax £470) hard to find a decent one.
Subaru gb270, don't worry about tax, hard to find with a sunroof ( a must)
Subaru outback 3.0 ( again pre 56 plate)
Phib
Having had numerous scoobs incl '03, '05 , an Outback 3.0R , and now an '06 scoob I can only recommend you try a Hawkeye scoob with PPP ( be it pre 06 or not ).
This is my WRX SL with PPP:
They are such good cars to drive . If you enjoyed your '03 Impreza you would love it. In my opinion the Hawkeye feels so much lighter.. it's like taking the weight of 2 people out of the '03, so much more torque, plus the clutch is very much lighter and traffic-friendly.
I know you said you want to avoid the £465 RFL but there are only a few out there pre 03/2006 ( plus bear in mind the 2.5l engine/chocolate pistons issues these cars had ) ..that's why I bought mine from a dealer with a years warranty. In that time any problems should show up ..Again imo these are such good cars for the money it might be worth the extra £200 a year to find the right one .
You mention the GB270 .. I dont understand you saying you don't mind paying the extra tax for this car but don't want to pay it for the WRX SL ? Yes , having driven 1 of the GB270 Wagons , I admit it is an amazing car, having all the toys already fitted, but when I was looking they were all approx circa £10,000 , and I paid £7,000 for my wagon with PPP .. couldn't afford or justify the extra to the wife
If I had to complain about anything I think fitting a set of Pro-R/Eibach spring would help stiffen it up as it gets a bit "bouncy" at 70mph.
Also having had an Outback 3.0R , on an '05 plate .. I can say it is a very good car. It's nice to drive, smooth, very comfortable seats , and good for long-distances . I would describe the power as quick , yes it goes but it doesnt actually feel as quick as you are going if that makes sense .. but after owning 1 for a year I couldnt wait to get back into a turbo-charged car with a manual gearbox.
Everyone on here raves about the Outback , but sadly I think I must 1 of the few people with 1 of these that didnt "fall" for it .. can't quite put my finger on it but I found the ride a tad harsh , plus the gearbox imo is what let it down the most, being just too slow to change up or down , and in the end it frustrated me.. that's why I say it's good for long distances as it has cruise etc.
Never had a chance to try it out on snow but again I favour more control in a manual than an auto.
Oh and the average 22-25mpg ( saw 27mpg max on the motorway at a constant 70mph )didn't help win me over either
Hope that helps.
Steve
Mr Gearchange said:
You don't want the outback. You want the Legacy Spec B with the same engine on the same plate.
Same flat 6 engine, but with Bilstein suspension, STI steering rack and all the toys.
I have one. I'm never getting rid of it.
Fully agree. I bought one of these a few weeks ago and it's fantastic. Did about 1000 miles in it last week and it was a great drive and comfortable enough even with the Bilsteins to feel fresh getting back last night at 11pm after a 6 hour drive. Only downer is the fuel consumption. Engine comes to life at 3500+ revs if you're in a hurry.Same flat 6 engine, but with Bilstein suspension, STI steering rack and all the toys.
I have one. I'm never getting rid of it.
Comment above on the Outback - I had one of those too and the auto is a bit crap. Manual all the way or perhaps the post-2007 flappy paddle thing.
A B5 S4 would be my first choice for a fast estate (even though the saloon is much better looking). However, for your needs it's probably not ideal. No towing capability and potentially costly to fix if things start going wrong.
I looked into them before I bought my A8 and the advice was that you need to buy very well and stay right on top of the little jobs that it'll need as life goes on. A superb car though, no doubt.
A Subaru of some sort would seem like the best bet for you. Possibly a Legacy or an Impreza wagon. An older Volvo would also be an excellent choice; the 850 T5 or V70 T5/R would be good choices though probably not quite as good a drive as the Subaru.
My Impreza GX makes getting off wet grass a doddle. I had to drive up some muddy verges when it flooded up here in Newcastle earlier this year. Most cars struggled slowly or slid back down the road, unable to find traction. Even on summer tyres, the Impreza just gracefully carried on!
I looked into them before I bought my A8 and the advice was that you need to buy very well and stay right on top of the little jobs that it'll need as life goes on. A superb car though, no doubt.
A Subaru of some sort would seem like the best bet for you. Possibly a Legacy or an Impreza wagon. An older Volvo would also be an excellent choice; the 850 T5 or V70 T5/R would be good choices though probably not quite as good a drive as the Subaru.
My Impreza GX makes getting off wet grass a doddle. I had to drive up some muddy verges when it flooded up here in Newcastle earlier this year. Most cars struggled slowly or slid back down the road, unable to find traction. Even on summer tyres, the Impreza just gracefully carried on!
Subaru Forester STi?
http://www.xtreme-uk.net/performance-cars/detail.a...
A Forester with a 300bhp Impreza STi engine shoehorned into it.
ETA - in budget as well.
http://www.xtreme-uk.net/performance-cars/detail.a...
A Forester with a 300bhp Impreza STi engine shoehorned into it.
ETA - in budget as well.
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