Gear heads

Originally Posted by irishluck73

Our family is expanding and I don't think the A3 or 335i are gonna cut it anymore no matter how fun to drive they are. I'm considering the A4 Avant (Wagon) to have a larger vehicle and still be fun to drive around town and on roadtrips. Does anyone else have any suggestions for 2 adults, 1 upcoming child and a boxer? Price is not a huge factor but should we within reasonable means, no Panamera.

Im kinda in your same situation. My WRX is kinda small for kids. But luckily my wife has an 08 Scion XB so I can still have a nice fast car. Im looking into the new Legacy GT. They are making about 215 AWHP stock which isnt to bad at all.

You could do like we are and have one hauling car and a fun car.

Originally Posted by irishluck73

Does anyone else have any suggestions for 2 adults, 1 upcoming child and a boxer? Price is not a huge factor but should we within reasonable means, no Panamera.

07 Subaru Forrester XT Sport /w manual transmission. If you can find one they are stellar cars. The last year it was made in this configuration (turbo and 5 speed) but its a fun fast (relatively speaking) car with plenty of room for family, dog and stuff.

Originally Posted by Icculus

07 Subaru Forrester XT Sport /w manual transmission. If you can find one they are stellar cars. The last year it was made in this configuration (turbo and 5 speed) but its a fun fast (relatively speaking) car with plenty of room for family, dog and stuff.

My wife drives an '04 XT - first year of the turbo. Got it for her a couple months after our son was born. Plenty of room inside and relatively compact outside. Reliability of the '04 hasn't been as good as my WRX but it hasn't been bad. First year teething pains I guess.

She loves the XT and has no desire to trade it in for anything else, even after 110,000 miles. If we had two kids it might be tight on cargo room for a long trip though.

Thanks for the suggstions guys. I'll have to go test drive a few of the Subarus and see how they do. Still don't think they can beat the looks of the Audi Avants though

Move the decimal one place and I would be all over it *grin*

http://www.insideline.com/mercedes-b...er-debuts.html

$303,745 Mercedes-Benz Unimog U 4000 Expedition Camper Debuts

Published May 26, 2010

4 Ratings
Just the Facts:

* Mercedes-Benz Unimog U 4000 expedition camper is priced at $303,745.
* It includes a 79-gallon fresh water tank, a TV plus satellite dish and a double bed.
* Power comes from a 218-horsepower 4.2-liter four-cylinder diesel engine.

Originally Posted by C-grunt

Im kinda in your same situation. My WRX is kinda small for kids. But luckily my wife has an 08 Scion XB so I can still have a nice fast car. Im looking into the new Legacy GT. They are making about 215 AWHP stock which isnt to bad at all.

You could do like we are and have one hauling car and a fun car.

Aww man, don't tell me the WRX is too small for kids! It is on my list of potential new (to me) cars. I have two kids (ages 3 &1) and was thinking I could manage in a WRX. I have been getting by with a smaller car than the WRX, but like you - my wife's car is the family hauling car.

In what way is it small? Like cramped with car seats small or just not a lot of trunk space for strollers and stuff?

went and drove the FJ today. I think I'm sold! If they put that engine and interior in the Tacoma I'd be much harder pressed to make a decision, but as it is the FJ looks like it's getting the nod.

Originally Posted by rob_s

went and drove the FJ today. I think I'm sold! If they put that engine and interior in the Tacoma I'd be much harder pressed to make a decision, but as it is the FJ looks like it's getting the nod.

If I could live without a pickup bed, I'd drive an FJ in a heartbeat. They've grown on me over time.

Did the engine make that big of a difference for you? Certainly looks better on paper but that doesn't always tell the full story.

I found myself easily doing 55 in a 35 without even noticing. Didn't go on the highway but that kind of pickup is what I'm looking for. It's quicker than I expected, and brakes WAY better than I expected. The visibility issue only exists out the back and even then it's the other guy that has to look out!

I have had two Grand Cherokees, so Ishould know better, but the commercial for the new JGC is hitting all the right notes:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mi0SbrrGaiw

Saw the commercial on TV, and I can't find anything on their website about it. Dumbies.