What car - S6 vs W8 4 Motion wagon vs Outback XT

Yes another what car thread, but I need to be protected from myself... I'm always looking for the forgotten jewel. Last year you talked me out of an Merc E55 (360 hp, 4 door sedan - less than $10K). Now I'm back with these $7K wagons! All either make close to or over 300 hp. Any experience with these? Which will drain my wallet slowest?

I'm ultimately looking for 4 seat, 4 door, decent hp (~300hp), automatic trans car for less than $10K. I've seen Audi S8s in that price range, any others you all can come up with?

Outback.

I love VW's and AUDI's, but not if I have to pay for the parts. That W8 is awesome (awesome!!!) and S6's are beautiful, but if this is a DD and you don't want to break the bank keeping it on the road, Subaru.

Outback.

Or just Legacy GT, unless you need the ground clearance.

In reply to espz28:

Oh, and this is my answer:

http://columbus.craigslist.org/ctd/2927840619.html

You can find'em for under ten grand.

Someone talked you out of an E55? And now you are thinking Audi? Hmmm....

I like the E55 a lot. The S8 is ok. AWD could be nice but not sure I trust VAG yet...

An Audi A8 or S8 is a very good way to be perma-broke. I like them (I used to own an A8) but if something - anything - goes wrong on these it gets expensive.

Out of your choices, I would also argue that the Subie is the least bad one.

Why not an 05ish Legacy GT wagon? You can find them with under 100k miles with automatics for around $10k with little difficulty. A good friend of mine is selling one in great shape with 60k miles (and mild suspension and tuning done) for about $14k right now, and his is a really, really clean and well-maintained example.

Reliable, look good, and you can get them to 300hp with a downpipe and a mild tune, reliably. And parts are fairly cheap and easy to get.

It's been a while since I've done any readying on them, but I don't think I'd have a W8 unless it was free. Too much trouble, took much expense, and not enough payoff.

E39 540i should be available for $10K. Easier to work on than the S6, although I don't know if the parts are that much cheaper.

ShadowSix wrote: In reply to espz28: Oh, and this is my answer: http://columbus.craigslist.org/ctd/2927840619.html You can find'em for under ten grand.

I would actually vote 1998-2000 LS400 instead; it's lighter than the LS430 but still has ~300hp so is significantly faster. The LS430 does have a bit more modern features though so check them both out.

Alternate thread title: Should I stick my dick in a meat grinder, or buy a Subaru Outback?

i would never, ever, buy a VAG product.

Never pay for VAG!

Uh, automatic? Then you really, really don't want the Suby either.

The only auto/AWD/wagon worth looking at in this price range is the Volvo R-model. V70R or meat grinder for you!

Javelin wrote: Uh, automatic? Then you really, *really* don't want the Suby either. The *only* auto/AWD/wagon worth looking at in this price range is the Volvo R-model. V70R or meat grinder for you!

And its sister car, the Volvo S60 R, is the other recommendation I would make. 300hp, AWD, and very undervalued. I saw one locally with 30k miles for $12,500. They're great cars.

Lexus GS400 or GS430...

bastomatic wrote:

Javelin wrote: Uh, automatic? Then you really, *really* don't want the Suby either. The *only* auto/AWD/wagon worth looking at in this price range is the Volvo R-model. V70R or meat grinder for you!

And its sister car, the Volvo S60 R, is the other recommendation I would make. 300hp, AWD, and very undervalued. I saw one locally with 30k miles for $12,500. They're great cars.

that's compelling. how old was it?

There's a red S60R that parks next to me everyday in my company's deck. Sometimes I wonder if he's noticed the drool ring surrounding his spot.