What $4k station wagon to move cross-country?

when i can find a 79 fiarmount wagon that clean on portland CL within 5 minutes of looking it makes me think that the market for anything that isn't 100% rust free will be null. U-Haul it and get this for less utility

http://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/cto/4254724873.html

I vote any Subaru with the 2.0 liter. Unkillable. Lots of room. West Coasters like them so it will be easier to sell.

I had a 94 Ti Wagon for five years and I couldn't kill it despite my best attempts.

In reply to captdownshift:

I don't think you understand just how expensive cross-country one-way U-Haul rentals are (again, I used to work for them), and I have no desire to own a late 90's Benz whatsoever. I don't have a particular hard-on for selling whatever I buy to move out there, as the goal is to complement it with a sports car of some kind that I'd buy upon arrival, and thus my daily driver/fun car boxes are both ticked.

Ok, this isn't exactly what you've asked for....but that never stops anyone on the interwebs anyways.

I've been in a similar position as the one you are in twice before. (Once when moving from IL to CO, and then again when I moved from CO to FL)

Each time I looked into U-Haul. They wanted at least $1,600 one way for a truck. What I did instead was buy a cargo van (first one was a 77 Dodge-- $500, the second was an 84 Ford---$1,000) Both vans performed flawlessly, and got all of my stuff where I needed it. (and towed a car behind them) The first van I drove around for a few years camping /hauling stuff and finally gave it to my buddy who had a rock and roll band. The second I sold for $800 once I got to FL. (total spent---$200)

Yes, they ate gas like pigs.......but even at $4 a gallon, were talking about a thousand dollars worth of fuel (2,500 miles) --- much less than spending $4k on a car for the trip that you won't be happy with once you are there.

Just something to consider. You can buy good running cargo vans all day long for under $2k, and not worry about packing.....just bring whatever you like--- including another car if you want. You can also sleep in it-- saving on hotel rooms. Once you get there, they are easy to sell, or keep it as a tow vehicle / utility machine.

Just another option to consider.....

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned this yet. Crate everything up and ship it. It'll be cheaper than driving a wagon or van, and it frees you up to buy a Miata.

SG Forester. You will be amazed how much will fit in there given the size and they sell quick in the NW. If you want, you can even pull a small trailer with it if you need to.

Traveling alone? [...he asks eluding to an earlier thread]

I think that Volvo 240 looks cool.

If you felt like coming to visit NJ my buddy just put his 97 Volvo 855 T5 on the market for $3500 Seems like it would be perfect for you :)

How much adventure do you want?
What if you could find a real 5 seat wagon, with a diesel 1.5L, 4 speed manual trans that could return 40 mpg with less that 100k miles and wayyy under budget???
Click if you dare:
http://milwaukee.craigslist.org/cto/4238067872.html

Haul behind what you have already:
http://milwaukee.craigslist.org/grd/4263347666.html

I know this is not a wagon, but how about a P71 or older crown Vic? It has a ton of space for junk in it's trunk. Having everyone move out of your way while cruisin down the highway should make up for it's crappy mpg.

I'd go real adventure then, buy a clapped out sub $4k even, pack it to the gills and drive it cross country pretending that walkers were after you back in Georgia.

i would rent/uhaul my way to Oregon and buy when i arrived. Soooo many rust-free cars there that I havent seen in nebraska for years (decades?)

Appleseed wrote: How much crap do you need to haul? Do you need a trailer as well? Will you need to fix it in the middle of North Dakota? If the answer is yes there's only one answer:

This was my first thought as well before even clicking on the thread. Part of me wishes I'd bought one of these instead of my '08 Caravan.

$1k Astro gets my vote. The whole reason they lasted as long as they did was because there is almost nothing else out there as good at eating up miles in comfort.

Also, if you need a free bed or some emergency rescue pm me for my contact information.

Another vote for an early Focus wagon.

My wife drives an 03 with an autotragic and it has been dead nuts reliable for the four years we've owned it. Plenty of cargo space and just a tick over 30mpg highway.

Thanks for the replies, some more options to chew on...I'll say it again though, I am NOT paying $1600+ for the privilege of using a rental truck! It's financial insanity, I could buy a Saturn and drive it out there, pay for gas and food the whole way, and still have a Saturn to show for it at the end for less money!

have you spent much time in portland already? late 70's japanese pickups without a spot of rust. it's amazing. every time I visit I contemplate the feasibility of bringing a transporter load home with me.

SlickDizzy wrote: In reply to pinchvalve: Not a bad idea, I'll keep that in mind...and the bike does look sweet! In reply to amg_rx7: I used to work for U-Haul and after seeing the way those trucks are maintained (and a few pretty serious accidents) I've sworn off rental equipment for anything other than in-town jaunts. Plus, I just don't have that much stuff. In reply to MadScientistMatt: To be honest, I hadn't thought of that and don't mind the idea, though I wonder if it'd be a little on the small side...same thing that has me questioning the Jetta wagons.

I rented a small Penske truck to go from Florida to NJ. 10 foot back, single axle, never missed a beat except for the low pressure sensors on the passenger side rear wheel kept dying and turning on the light. -Much- better than anything uhaul could offer.

And I do agree with you about uhaul, they have some of the worst rental trucks you could imagine.

belteshazzar wrote: have you spent much time in portland already? late 70's japanese pickups without a spot of rust. it's amazing. every time I visit I contemplate the feasibility of bringing a transporter load home with me.

Yeah, I was out there for a few weeks last year for work. Awesome city, great beer, great food, great sights, and the cars! Oh, the cars. Saw my first Alfa Romeo GT Junior Zagato in the flesh out there, and the stuff you see just driving around is awesome too (saw a clean Pacer, vintage Saabs, some neat JDM stuff too).

Another grand caravan vote here.

I agree with the comments on Minivan or Astro. Can't beat the combination of space and mileage.

Great, now you guys have me looking up custom Astros on Google...

Any cheap truck you can find in good shape should get you there and be easy to fix should it die. The full size chevys with a v6 are dirt cheap.

SlickDizzy wrote: Great, now you guys have me looking up custom Astros on Google...

now you're talking. those are cheap no matter where you live.

Do you have any time/space for minor modifications prior to the move?