Cheap and reliable wagons

So lately, I've been doing a lot of traveling to far places and burning money on hotels so I've considered getting a cheap wagon so I could sleep in it and have "ok" fuel mileage. The choices I've seen so far around here are the following:

VW Passat Wagon
Ford Focus Wagon
Subaru Legacy/Outback

Are there any other choices I should be looking at, and also, does anyone know what the deal is with these? I'm aware there are many generations of them but I'm not really looking to spend much and would rather repair an old car than pay upfront for a new car (so I can guarantee my own work/maintenance).

Volvo makes nice wagons. For sleeping, I'd look at something bigger than the Passat or Focus. I'm not sure if the Legacy would be long enough.

In reply to RossD :

The Legacy only came up because I actually have a friend who sleeps in a Legacy wagon (the one before they became the Outback) and he's about as tall as me.

A legacy is definitely long enough to sleep in. I'm 6' and slept in the back of my outback wagon a bunch.

A minivan is about 200 times better to sleep in than a wagon. A lot of cars with big trunks and fold down rear seats are almost as nice as wagons to sleep in. Mid 90's Accord wagons should fit your needs and can be had with a manual, rarely. 

Honda Element, though not a traditional wagon, is perfect for what you're looking for.

In reply to captdownshift :

Great call on the Element. Rear seats fold up to the wall giving you a flat floor and you're sleeping well below the windows which gives you some privacy/secrecy.

mazdeuce - Seth said:

A minivan is about 200 times better to sleep in than a wagon. A lot of cars with big trunks and fold down rear seats are almost as nice as wagons to sleep in. Mid 90's Accord wagons should fit your needs and can be had with a manual, rarely. 

Yes, this.  If you're really going to sleep in it a lot, minivan would be the way to go.  Far better than a wagon. 

E39s are cheap to buy, cheap to repair, do well on fuel and easy to sleep in. I drove a 2004 Forester that was pretty nice and I slept in it here and there. Subaru reliability kinda worries me though. I'm not sure a Focus is quite a big enough car to sleep in but I've never tried.

The final correct answer though is probably minivan.

As much as I love wagons and own one (among many in the past), I bought a minivan for exactly this reason (a 2008 Grand Caravan back in 2013 and then a newer 2017 model a couple of months ago). I even built a platform to sleep on and have some storage underneath.  That said, it really depends on the conditions.  There is pretty much zero airflow and it gets really stuffy in warm weather and if you crack the windows the mosquitoes will eat you alive. 

Ian F said:

As much as I love wagons and own one (among many in the past), I bought a minivan for exactly this reason (a 2008 Grand Caravan back in 2013 and then a newer 2017 model a couple of months ago). I even built a platform to sleep on and have some storage underneath.  That said, it really depends on the conditions.  There is pretty much zero airflow and it gets really stuffy in warm weather and if you crack the windows the mosquitoes will eat you alive. 

Besides the fact that I'm just not a "rough it" kind of guy (I like my hotel), that's the other reason I stopped sleeping in my minivan at LeMons races.  I did it at least 6 or 7 weekends.  It was OK, but if it was cold outside, I got cold...even bundled up.  If it was warm outside, I either sweated to death or got bitten.  Forget it...now I get a good night sleep in a nice comy bed in a climate controlled room.  Money well spent.

In reply to Klayfish :

I get what you're saying, but it sort of sucks to spend a decent chunk of change on hotels that aren't very good. Nothing like checking into a no smoking room that smells like it (I can't tolerate that kind of smell)

Having slept in a station wagon, a Mazda MPV, and a Town and Country, I'd take to Town and Country everyday*  With the stow n go, the floor is essentially flat, not so with the wagon , and the MPV basically has you on display in the window.  If bugs are an issue, you can buy no-seeum netting, even sheer voile window panels work (Google "DIY bugnet"), and hang it in the windows, attached to the headliner.

*My wife's aunt and uncle use their Grand Caravan as a 3 season camper in Minnesota.

Tents/hammocks make great hotel alternatives too.

Well, based on this entire thread I guess it's time to look for Minivans.

RyanGreener said:

Well, based on this entire thread I guess it's time to look for Minivans.

Here is the back of a typical Stow and Go from Chrysler.  With the passenger 2nd row still upright you have a place to tie your shoes or sit and "stay up" if your not quite ready for sleep immediately.  

In the 3rd row passenger location you have room to store gear or clothes or whatever.  If you sleep in the back of a Volvo wagon there is not much room for anything else to be with you. 

The best part of the minivan is the ability to remain "stealth"  You can find your spot for the night and w/o getting out fo the car, transition yourself to the back cabin area.  Also, this back area already has dark windows from the factory (but you can make them darker and also not draw suspicion.)  When morning arrives you can also slip back behind the wheel w/o exiting the car.  

Personally, I slept like this for the better part of a week in the parking lot of the prestigious Long Beach Yacht Club, Calf while out there racing sailboats.  There was room on the boat but the minivan provided an actually more spacious and comfortable bunk.  

I did similar at St. Pete Yacht Club, FL.  That time in a full size van.  Was better than sharing double bed with another dude.  The odd thing here is that this club is downtown and at night, there were genuine homeless people sharing the same parking lot.   

I've owned multiple wagons, and love them. For what you are planning, a van is far more appropriate.

If you're getting a cheap van, maybe mounting an RV roof vent or two in the back would make it more comfortable while keeping bugs out. "Mushroom vent" style:

And I bet you could come up with a curtain system that would work to make the privacy better and yet fold out of the way when done. I like the Ikea Dignitet wire curtain hangers because you can go around corners with them and they are unobtrusive:

In reply to RyanGreener :

What are the climate concerns for your camping?  Sleeping in the cold?  Sleeping in the hot?  

This is where the Prius is an interesting choice.  The best being the PriusV which is the longer wagon but even the common hatchback Prius will work (but tight.)  You'll need to customize to create a flat floor for sleeping but here's the huge benefit...

The Prius has a Climate Control AC/Heat System.  This means set the temp to 70 degrees and hit will either run the heater or the AC to meet that temp inside consistently.  Add to this that the Hyrbid system will run off the battery pack as long as it can and then start the engine if needed to recharge the battery.  The net effect is that you can go to sleep with the car "on".  The engine will start and stop as needed, all by itself and the interior of the car will remain a constant temp.  Add to this the ultra-low pollutant emissions rating of the Prius and even with the engine running there is a not enough Carbon Dioxide put out by the engine to be a problem with suffocating yourself.

Similar might be the Ford C-Max

Scion XB? Either inside or on top!

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In reply to John Welsh :

Came here to say Prius for the reasons mentioned.

I have slept in the back of my Land Cruiser in 30 degree weather and was super comfy - just crack the rear vent windows and the rear passenger door windows.

For summer they make screens that slide over the top of the rear passenger widows like a sock.  Couple that with a Milwaukee M18 Jobsite fan (will run 12 hrs on low on a 5 amp battery or 12 hrs on medium on a 9 amp battery) and I am a comfy camper.  Of course, gotta adjust the sleeping bag weight accordingly, one universal 40 degree bag is like an all season tire - not really good at anything. I really like my winter weight bag for winter and my summer weight bag for summer.  

Next project is going to be some lightly quilted backout curtains for the back windows and hatch that stick on with suction cups.  Then I will be GTG even in brighter or louder areas.  

There's always the '10+ Venza; a pseduo wagon.

John Welsh said:

RyanGreener said:

Well, based on this entire thread I guess it's time to look for Minivans.

Here is the back of a typical Stow and Go from Chrysler.  With the passenger 2nd row still upright you have a place to tie your shoes or sit and "stay up" if your not quite ready for sleep immediately.  

 

Bonus points:  Most of the T&Cs you're going to find will already have overhead DVD screens for off-hours entertainment.

As someone who currently loves and owns six (6) station wagons, I cam here to say that I would only sleep in one as an absolute last resort.  It's like sleeping in a large casket; you can't even sit up.  The minivan is the clear winner here.

I'll address the original question since not everyone wants to drive a minivan most of the time or has checked out of life to drive a Prius.

The Focus wagon I wouldn't touch if it doesn't have a Zetec engine. The base engine is junk. The auto trans isn't spectacular. The window regulators are garbage. The cooling system will explode or catch fire (or both) unless you replace parts in a preventative fashion. They are fun to drive and do sip gas. I think they would be cramped for sleeping though.

Subarus are reliable if you replace the head gaskets at 90k and keep an ear pricked for wheel bearing noise. The Legacy is the longest wheelbase of the bunch. The Forester is built on the Impreza so is shorter.

VWs can be terrifying. The Passat wagon became the Jetta which became the Golf (I can't explain it either). The only drivetrain to get is the 2.5 5 cylinder. The 2.0T is heartbreak waiting to happen, sort of like dating Lindsay Lohan -- fun for awhile but a huge explosion is coming. Replace the vacuum pump seals (they will be leaking), the EGR diaphragm and pray to the Check Engine Light gods not to visit you. They are super cheap right now and fun to drive. Just don't get an automatic that slams it's downshifts (bad throttle body if caught in time; transmission if you don't).

Volvos are worth a look provided you do your homework, don't hit anything with it ever ($$$) and can tolerate Volvo's extensive use of cheezy looking plastic in the interior.

Mazda 6 wagons exist in tiny numbers and I'd totally consider one of those.

Acura made a wagon for a little while (TSX?) but they command good money on the used market even with a crap ton of miles.

I ruled out BMW and M-B wagons due to maintenance concerns.