Wagon Stoke

[BmillsSkier]

ha, my first cr was a 1971 Pontiac Catalina Safari Wagon with a big block. One of the biggest heaviest cars ever made I have no doubt. Pretty sure it saved my life when I ran it into a pole carrying high-tension wires in Long Island,

This is a '70 and mine was white but same deal.

That's awesome.

The day my Dad's soul died a little was the day he traded in his first Porsche for a Pontiac Safari Wagon when he found out that I was on the way and you couldn't legally fit him, my mom, future me, and a 50lb sled dog into the bright orange 914 he proudly bought himself after landing his first big job after college.

It was a very long time ago but I can still recall the sound it made as he sat down on the pleather bench seat behind the wheel that I was certain was a whoosh of air escaping the inner-tube-like construction. Only later in life did I come to find that it was actually him letting out a defeated sigh as he gave up a little more of his former self before turning over the ignition.

Like this: started life from the factory as butter yellow but for some reason was repainted doo-doo brown.




Happy to report he did wise up a few years later when he forced the sale of the Safari for a Volvo 760 Turbowagon for Mom and he started to refill the black hole in his heart in the form of another Krautmobile.

[PNWbrit]

That's why I'm having a hell of a hard time teaching my 14 year old stepson how to drive a stick. Dude has been stuck in the backseat his whole life while we dodge the safety police and frankly he doesn't care about driving so he hasn't been paying attention. Life is more about what is on his smartphone. I was driving my drunk dad home from the lake with a boat in tow at 14 no problem. Even backed it into the driveway, Ford Zephyr wagon with a 4 speed manual. Different but not better times.

Full rally prepped Ford Escort Mexico aged about 8.

[Art Shirk]

It's a different time and place to be sure. My Dad never thought twice about throwing me the keys when we lived in the sticks or out at the farm when I was 14. Used to drive concrete mixers at 15 all around the Bonney Lake, Puyallup, Auburn area. But that's a rough story, Brit, and I take it to heart.

[gravitylover]

ha, my first car was a 1971 Pontiac Catalina Safari Wagon with a big block. One of the biggest heaviest cars ever made I have no doubt. Pretty sure it saved my life when I ran it into a pole carrying high-tension wires on Long Island. (I've written about that wreck before but I knocked out the power for 100,000 people the electric company reported.)

So that was you huh? Fukker, all the beer in my fridge got warm

[BmillsSkier]

So that was you huh? Fukker, all the beer in my fridge got warm

Did they turn that into the movie The Ice Storm?

If so, that was really, really depressing. Sorry about your wagon Ice.

[iceman]

It went down valiantly. Not like a Plymouth Valiant, but valiantly.

The next morning my buddy drove me down to where it happened and they had a couple wreckers and were winching it out of there. The guy running the winch told me the driver had died in the wreck. I was like, "Huh."

[BmillsSkier]

It went down valiantly. Not like a Plymouth Valiant, but valiantly.

The next morning my buddy drove me down to where it happened and they had a couple wreckers and were winching it out of there. The guy running the winch told me the driver had died in the wreck. I was like, "Huh."

Back from the dead... so you're Tanner Hall!?!

[plugboots]

My first car, a 1968 Plymouth Valiant. I got it with 100K on it and junk yarded it at 200K.

I need to start a whole thread about that car. It towed a boat, painted Pink Floyd's "The Wall" album art on the trunk, drove it into my buddy's backyard, filled the trunk with ice and put the keg in it, 101 hp, great back seat for sex...

[iceman]

Hell I wasn't even hurt. Bit through my lip. 3 stitches and good to go.

[Bromontana]

No bubble in the car market. Nope.

Holy shitballs.. nuts @60k

[HankScorpio]

So it looks like we're trading in the wife's Touareg for a wagon. Narrowed down to the Golf All Track and the Volvo V60 XC. I'm quite familiar with the VW but haven't heard much about any newer Volvo's. Any V60 owners in here?

[Whiteroom_Guardian]

Buster, I read Audi is giving serious thought to bringing the RS6 Avant to North America. Talk about the car I have always wanted. That would inspire me to get off my lazy ass and work a bit. And ya, I want the blue one.

Attachment 203591

Been my dream car for a while now. This is good news. With the RS7 available there is no good reason to not make the RS6 as well.

[BmillsSkier]

The Golf AllTrack is a fun little car but holy shit is it small.

The Volvo V60 isn't as cavernous as the XC70 but it's markedly bigger than the Golf. Also, it has the most comfortable seats ever put in a car.

Lots about Volvo wagons in the last few pages of this thread. The new, new Volvos are nicer than just about any luxury car out there - no question.

I've become a big fan of my wife's 2015 XC70 T6 but after test driving the new V90 CC I'll be looking forward to the day she trades her in for one.

But since this is TGR I'm obligated to tell you to get a car that you aren't considering: get the V60 Polestar in rebel blue. Post a TR here.

[HankScorpio]

After looking at the V60 more and it looks like I need drive one. Got an appointment to face the salesman on Saturday.

Polestar is awesome and pretty damn rare. Standard V60 power is more than adequate.

[plugboots]

Well the VW comes with one engine option and a few upgrades. The Volvo starts at VW plain and goes to Polestar. I was looking at the R-Design. From my POV, the VW and the Volvo V60 aren't that different in size.

[klauss]

FWIW when the wife wanted her 2015 XC70 T6 I brought the same doom and gloom stories to the dealer. Apparently many of those were confined to the first generation which stopped production in 2000, 17 years ago. Hell, the 3rd 'P3' gen started production in 2007, so I'm guessing if you're in the market for a XC70 that's less than 10 years old you'll be good.

Of course Eurowagons like any other import are going to have more expensive repairs when things do go wrong but that's hardly news.

I am looking at a 2015 XC70 T6 premiere plus tomorrow ~28k miles. Any words of wisdom?
danke

[Jumper Bones]

S60 t6RD driver here.

[BmillsSkier]

I am looking at a 2015 XC70 T6 premiere plus tomorrow ~28k miles. Any words of wisdom?
danke

Honestly not a single problem. It's still under warranty and we haven't used it for anything. It is one comfortable sonofabitch that's for sure. Long road trips are as stressful as sitting on a very very comfortable leather recliner.

It swallows cargo. Seriously, aside from a Tahoe I've yet to see something eat baggage so easily. The usable space, especially with the seats down, dwarf what her X5 that she traded for it could handle.

The 300hp is more than good. It's a heavy car no doubt but it's not slow with that engine. More than enough torque and top end speed. It's not a spritely 3 series but I've hooned it on sandy back roads and had a blast. It's a tank in snow.

The only issue that the dealer says to keep an eye out for is a tiny oil seal on some kind of brake vacuum pump that runs off the engine. I guess it's a cheap easy fix but I haven't seen any issue with ours.

[klauss]

^thanks! I've read the negs are it's a heavy ride, gets poor MPGs, but everything else appears positive. What's it get in miles between fill ups? about 370 miles?

Will be the wife's daily driver, but I will likely take it around quite a bit. Not many T6s out there, not sure how much I can haggle on price with private party seller. Listed at 32.5k. Really wanted to go V90, but figure we can make this vehicle work for a lot less and not deal with first year kinks, which are abundant on the forums regarding the newer XC90 SUV.

[BmillsSkier]

Highway it's closer to 400+. (Full tank range says 440 on the computer iirc) It's the wife's DD and she loves it. I like it on road trips so much more than our old X5. Did I mention the space? Even the back seat is comfortable.

When we drove from ATL-CLE over the holidays I filled up before we left and once more a little over halfway there. I was impressed as shit about that considering the 3-4 stops we had to make with the old car. Oh, and regular gas too is a nice bonus.

[Jumper Bones]

Only major maintenance I've had was to replace the A/C Compressor. Specifically, it was clutch bearings that went bad on it, and eventually it seized. Of course it was out of warranty, which is why I (stupidly) delayed fixing it until the point of seizure. Not that it made any difference in price of repair, it just made getting it to the shop a bit more tricky. Warranty for me went to 50k, it happened at 55k. Seems to happen to people in the mid-to-high 40s to 50s ballpark, so watch for it, if you hear any weird noises from the A/C before the warranty goes get it looked at. $900 compressor!

Mileage, yeah it varies pretty radically for me. All city driving/commuting? I'm lucky to get 250 miles on a tank. But all highway, I get 450 or so. You can put regular unleaded in it, but since mine has all the Polestar stuff Premium is recommended. Engine will change all the timing and whatever on its own to adapt, that's pretty spiffy.

Seats are absolutely the most comfortable I've ever had.

As far as the wagon goes, I don't feel like the V60 has overwhelmingly more room than my S60 has. I've said it before in this thread but there's a significant drop-down in the trunk below the sill in the sedan, and the floor in the wagon deletes this and is a lot higher so that it levels with the rear seats folded down. On the plus tho, wagon rear seats fold flat, the sedan's dont. But the wagon acreage isn't all that, it's pretty stylized so the fastback cuts down on capacity quite a bit.

[skuff]

On the plus tho, wagon rear seats fold flat, the sedan's dont.

Are you driving a 2012 S60 R (D)? I have a 2012 S60 R that has fold down backrest for the back seats, the levers that allow them to fold down are in the trunk.

Not completely flat, but backrests down anyway.



(why is the photo sideways? how to fix?)

[Buster Highmen]

Our 99 A4 2.8 avant just passed 200k.
Total repairs over the years for a couple of water pumps, a fan belt, usual brake maintenance is around $8k.

Best car I ever had. Drove both kids home from the hospital, it's about to become the #1s car.

[HankScorpio]

After 5 goddamn hours at the dealer we ended up with a V60 wagon. It's solid, fast and a good cruiser.

It has more space than the Golf wagon but, your right about the shorter roof cutting off cargo space.

[BmillsSkier]

Sweet!

But 5 hours? Did they build it for you while you waited?