Wagon Stoke

[PNWbrit]

It's the practical choice. Seats fold down flatter than many current wagons, making dirtbag sleeping in parking lot a breeze.

I believe the correct term is Schmutzbeutel?

[burrito]

I dont know guys, every Volvo I see, (when I see them, they usually pass without notice) makes me just kind of go blah. Nice enough, sure. Boooring.

The older body styles -- absolutely. The new look that started with last year's XC90 and this year's V90 -- pretty gorgeous in person.

[54-46]

8 cyl AWD wagon? What's up with MBs? Auto no bueno? Ex: https://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/cto/6021295086.html

[BmillsSkier]

What some people think is good enough for a post selling their car is beyond me.

3 random pics and 5 two word sentences to describe it?

Nailed it!

Let's sell this thing!

[schindlerpiste]

^^^ great cat; geed deal. 150K vis mucho miles, but if it was taken care of that's only 1/2 a life.

[54-46]

What some people think is good enough for a post selling their car is beyond me.

3 random pics and 5 two word sentences to describe it?

Nailed it!

Let's sell this thing!

I know, but what I was really asking was whether MB wagons are any good.

[BmillsSkier]

I know, but what I was really asking was whether MB wagons are any good.

Ask Tipp I believe he has a 6cyl of that vintage. I believe they're pretty reliable but with anything German and old, one repair can run 1000s.

WSJ reviewed the new eWagon about a month ago. Good read on the car and a brief history.

[skuff]

I know, but what I was really asking was whether MB wagons are any good.

Lots of seemingly good to great deals across the country on used MB wagons.

[BmillsSkier]

Yeah I'm told by a coworker who's leased several for his wife that steep depreciation is a standard option.

I've always found them to be pretty cars. Check out the fully spec'D e400 picture in that WSJ review on 20" radius style wheels and in navy. It just screams horsey set class.

[LightRanger]

Should PM 4Matic and have him go check it out for you. He's an MB guy and IIRC lives quite close to where that car is located.

[54-46]

Should PM 4Matic and have him go check it out for you. He's an MB guy and IIRC lives quite close to where that car is located.

Great idea if I were looking right now. I'm scouting ahead for a potential replacement for my wife's X3

[4matic]

8 cyl AWD wagon? What's up with MBs? Auto no bueno? Ex: https://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/cto/6021295086.html

I have that same car in white. Owned since 2009 when I bought it on eBay drunk. Shipped from Florida with 95k miles. It has 155k now and does hard duty as my Tahoe car. It still looks great. The V8 is a magnificent engine and the transmission is smooth and bulletproof. Quiet car. No air leaks so you can wear shorts in winter. No rattles. Just drove 600 miles in that crazy storm. Idled it for six hours. I do not baby this car.

One of the rear air shocks has leaked since I bought it. Still pumps up. No codes. I replaced one front air shock. The abs pump was replaced on a recall. Tires will last 25k at best. The spark plugs have never been replaced. Mechanic says wait till it starts missing. The problem is the wires probably won't survive a plug swap. 20 mpg driving hard.

That car will have three way adjustable sport suspension and 3/4 inch of lift. I use all of them often.

I've owned a bunch of benzes so glad to help. I'd be happy to help check it out and be the bad friend. You're welcome to check out mine anytime too.

[mcski]

Just in time for potential replacement of my wife's xc70. Something like that benz is spot on other than the 20mpg. But the money saved at that price buys a lot of gas

[54-46]

I have that same car in white. Owned since 2009 when I bought it on eBay drunk. Shipped from Florida with 95k miles. It has 155k now and does hard duty as my Tahoe car. It still looks great. The V8 is a magnificent engine and the transmission is smooth and bulletproof. Quiet car. No air leaks so you can wear shorts in winter. No rattles. Just drove 600 miles in that crazy storm. Idled it for six hours. I do not baby this car.

One of the rear air shocks has leaked since I bought it. Still pumps up. No codes. I replaced one front air shock. The abs pump was replaced on a recall. Tires will last 25k at best. The spark plugs have never been replaced. Mechanic says wait till it starts missing. The problem is the wires probably won't survive a plug swap. 20 mpg driving hard.

That car will have three way adjustable sport suspension and 3/4 inch of lift. I use all of them often.

I've owned a bunch of benzes so glad to help. I'd be happy to help check it out and be the bad friend. You're welcome to check out mine anytime too.

Thanks! I ought to come to E Bay and play some golf after it stops raining and pick your brain.

Would probably need a E Bay Indy to do a PPI on a car like the one in the ad. Wife's not ready to give up the X3, but I want to move it before the next big repair.

[burrito]

Just in time for potential replacement of my wife's xc70. Something like that benz is spot on other than the 20mpg. But the money saved at that price buys a lot of gas

How was your experience with Volvo and the XC70? I've been looking at them a lot as a potential replacement for my current ride.

[mcski]

It's a nice ride and I liked it. We got it used in great cond from a super anal friend of a friend that had it serviced at the dealer but it still managed to rack up a lot of pricey repairs. I was actually kinda glad when it got totaled and we got a decent payout. If you're looking used make sure fuel pump isn't under recall, timing belt is replaced, and engine supports / struts in good shape as it's a heavy car and they wear out. Also the awd can just stop working so there's that. Prob not going there again

[burrito]

It's a nice ride and I liked it. We got it used in great cond from a super anal friend of a friend that had it serviced at the dealer but it still managed to rack up a lot of pricey repairs. I was actually kinda glad when it got totaled and we got a decent payout. If you're looking used make sure fuel pump isn't under recall, timing belt is replaced, and engine supports / struts in good shape as it's a heavy car and they wear out. Also the awd can just stop working so there's that. Prob not going there again

Not super inspiring. What model year?

[liv2ski]

It's a nice ride and I liked it. We got it used in great cond from a super anal friend of a friend that had it serviced at the dealer but it still managed to rack up a lot of pricey repairs. I was actually kinda glad when it got totaled and we got a decent payout. If you're looking used make sure fuel pump isn't under recall, timing belt is replaced, and engine supports / struts in good shape as it's a heavy car and they wear out. Also the awd can just stop working so there's that. Prob not going there again

Al the above is true. My 06 V70R was super cheap to drive for the first 80k miles. Between 80-120k I replaced a lot of parts to keep the car in original condition. The only actual failure was the AWD angle gear at 120k miles which was about a $3k repair.
Since then it has just been normal maintenance for the most part and not to bad. Car is in for a 170k service and needed the parking brake repaired ($400) but other than that a cheap service.
Yurpeon cars cost money to have serviced. Pay $500+ a month to drive a new one or maybe $3k a year on average to maintain a used one.

[4matic]

Thanks! I ought to come to E Bay and play some golf after it stops raining and pick your brain.

Would probably need a E Bay Indy to do a PPI on a car like the one in the ad. Wife's not ready to give up the X3, but I want to move it before the next big repair.

Cool. I've had the same Indy mechanic for more than 20 years.

Last night



Earlier that same day.

[burrito]

Earlier that same day.

How often do you have yours in the snow? How does it do, especially during or after a storm? I'm in the mountains a couple of times per month each fall/winter/spring, and I had dismissed the wagons from Audi, Mercedes, BMW -- basically everything other than the Subaru Outback and the Volvo Cross Country models -- because of their lack of ground clearance. I've never ended up high centered in my Honda Element, but I have had a few times where it had trouble getting through some deep stuff, even at 6.9 inches.

[basinbeater]

My wife's Bmw 530xi is a tank in the snow. It goes.

[4matic]

How often do you have yours in the snow? How does it do, especially during or after a storm? I'm in the mountains a couple of times per month each fall/winter/spring, and I had dismissed the wagons from Audi, Mercedes, BMW -- basically everything other than the Subaru Outback and the Volvo Cross Country models -- because of their lack of ground clearance. I've never ended up high centered in my Honda Element, but I have had a few times where it had trouble getting through some deep stuff, even at 6.9 inches.

Good question. I drive snowy plowed high altitude roads all the time in all conditions. The last storm was crazy because the roads weren't really plowed. The car does have 3/4 inch extra clearance which puts maximum clearance around 5.9 inches. Pretty low. I had snow over the bumper a couple times and was buried. First time ever.

Overall, the car is excellent in snow. But, you do need good tires. My current tires Michelin Pilot 2 or something are crap in snow. The MVV was so much better and the Pilot Alpine is another step up. It has traction control (ESP) that works very well.

[bodywhomper]

clearance for driving snow only does so much for you. ime, driving into deep snow, e.g. a drift, pull out, area that is deeper than expected, usually happens with some momentum and more clearance only means more shoveling to get unstuck. also an inch or two never seems to make a big difference getting over a plow berm.

clearance, angles, etc. on a dirt/rocky road is a different beast.

also posting because of the fun of getting face shots while driving. had a day in the big CA winter storm right before the deluge that resulted in the jan 1997 floods where those were the only face shots of the day on hwy 88 (in a pathfinder). good times.

[burrito]

Overall, the car is excellent in snow. But, you do need good tires.

On that note I'll vouch for my Toyo Open Country A/T IIs. They've been awesome in the snow and have lasted much longer than I thought they would. The Open Country is the SUV/truck version, and I think the car version they recommend for wagons is called the Celsius.

[mcski]

Not super inspiring. What model year?

Ya. I wish it was more inspiring because I liked driving it, it had great storage, fast and it did well in the snow - until I noticed the awd had utterly quit right before it got totaled.

It was an 04 w about 80k on it when it was about ~5yrs old I think. We had it for ~7yrs and got the odo up to 150k. The price was really good which made the 100k service cost go down a little easier. Also the ins paid us out well just 3k below what we had paid so it made the annual cost great in retrospect