If everything goes to plan I hope to have a wagon by spring break so friends and I can take a road trip to wherever we please. Perhaps up to Seattle, WA + Oregon, or perhaps up NE to Boston/NY/Quebec.

Anyway, considering reliability/driveability/price of car/coolness factor...which would be the wiser choice;

older subara legacy/outback wagon

-or-

early 90's Volvo 240, 850, or 940 wagon...turbo or NA.

keep in mind my other primary reason is for throwing mountain bikes in the back or taking ANYWHERE. I am not concerned with appearance; she certainly will not be a garage queen. Do older Volvo's have reliability issues or are they actually built like tanks mechanically? And as for the Subaru, is it worth the extra $$ to get something japanese and generally bulletproof?

plus, are volvo/subaru wagons impossible to find with a manual tranny? Do I really need the AWD subaru? Any kind of dirt I can get on these cars from you guys would be greatly appreciated.

 

My vote is for the Subaru, their great cars, and if you want to go ANYWHERE, the scooby is your best choice!
~Eyal

 

Agreed, stick with the Sub, no volvo.

 

Older Volvos are awesome cars, but if you're looking for a now driver, the subaru is the better choice.

If you won't be driving in the snow, or will be getting snow tires you can't go wrong with an older Volvo. Very agile for such a bulky car, more handling than power on the NA models... the turbo models can haul *** (cast iron block and internals, usually good for 300+hp). Manuals are rare for turbo wagons, but they do exist... the best older Volvo wagon is the 940 Turbo, but its relatively rare and expensive. 740's are basically like the 940's except most don't have the stronger side impact beams. Engines are all the same variation of 2.3l 4 cylinder.

Older series such as the 240, 740, 940 usually are expected to go at least 250k. Also cargo space is better than the subie, and Volvo seats are some of the best in the business. You will get rather poor mileage on a Volvo around town through, about 22 mpg. But for long trips they are very comfortable cars, unlike the subaru with the 2 hour rated seats...

My family has 6 Volvos, they are great cars, my daily driver is a 91 740 with 259k on the dial, doesn't burn oil, barely broken in

 

I drove an 85 subaru GL wagon, a.k.a. winter beater. I will testify, these cars take a beating and just keep on going, mine had well over 400k on a carburated engine, 1.8L flat 4. My only advice is, if you want pep get the turbo MPFI engine, if you want mileage, just go MPFI, the carburator gives you a little grief on cold mornings, it will idle really wacky and work it's way up to 2-3k if you don't watch it. I don't understand how the volvo has more cargo space, on a subaru, the spare's under the hood, freeing up a lot of room in the back, and the rear seat backs fold down, and if you fold the seats themselves up, it's perfectly flat, and it's long enough to sleep in quite comfortably. I used mine for camping all the time, no tent =)
If you are looking for something to take the winter roads, the subaru is the best choice by a mile. Their AWD systems are absolutely incredible, especially for the time. Mine did not have it, and it was a rocket on ice, passed everybody on the road, great handling, especially for a station wagon, I had a very comfortable seat, although I have heard complaints about them. Mine had a back massager strapped on, that probably helped. Plus, if it ever breaks down, you can fix it on the side of the road in about 2 hours. Lol, took me 1:45 to pull the engine out (hrs:mins), it was the first time I've ever pulled an engine. Everything is super-easy to work on, and parts are dirt cheap. A new alternator only ran me $50!, NEW, 5 year warranty... on my mazda rebuilt was $160, and on a 944... well.. anyways. They seem to run forever, and if you get one with the adjustable height suspension, MPFI, AWD, and a decent body, then you're in good shape. The only thing to watch for, the front frame extension rails (hold the engine up) have about a 20 degree bent at the front end, check this for rust holes, this and the rear suspension mounts are the 2 biggest trouble spots.
For comparison, I had to help out a guy on the side of the highway, driving an 87 volvo 200 series wagon, it had 230,000km on it, and was ready for the graveyard, was properly maintained and everything, they don't seem to last as long as the subaru's. (Note, I am not trying to insult volvo, this is simply a personal experience), anyways, it had a dead alternator, took 4 days to get a new one from partsource, cost $150, and took me about 3 hours to install. 5 weeks later the alternator failed in my subey, (well the voltage regulator, but it's internal), After the volvo I was afraid... $50, and less than 1 hour to remove mine and install the new one. I can change the brake pads in less than 30 mins (both sides), they are just a great car.

Plus, parts for a subaru are very easy to find, everything matched across all their cars =).

 

You keep saying Scoobie...
But the volvo specificly the 240 model will keep running and has better handling, Better brakes, Better safty, and with a locking Diff one of the best snow cars ever made anywere in the world ever !

Volvo = Tank...... I mean Serious Tank..... Volvo4life could tell you about his horribly maintained volvos that have all ran over 200,000mi!

 

My dad has always driven Volvos. The last one he has had since 1991 and it's a 740 turbo.

It's got over 200k miles on it, still on the first clutch and uses no oil and it's actually really comfortable. The seats are very high quality.

 

One of my friend's has a Subaru Forester. It's ugly if you ask me, but extremely useful and 4 wheel drive! Good choice, but nto as big as the old box wagons.

 

I've had one Subie ('89 XT GL), and my wife has owned two ('86 XT GL, '93 Legacy), and we are going to trade the Legacy in for a new Forrester.

Subies are great cars. Then run well, don't need a ton of maintenance, and then last forever.

 

If you want to take it "ANYWHERE," and those are your two choices, I would go with the AWD Subaru. I can pretty much guarantee that there will be snow on the roads here in the NE around Spring Break.
Besides that, Subarus are hugely popular in both the NE and Pac NW, so in the event of a breakdown you should be able to find local repair shops and/or dealers that are familiar with the brand.

Good luck!

 

both my folks have subies, a legacy and a forester. The legacy has 175k and has been up to college to drop off my bro and sis, reliable and still comfortable. The forester is a very smooth ride and handles weather great.

 

I would go with the Volvo.

I have owned an 88 240 wagon auto for 3 years. I bought it with 188k on the clock. It now has 220K. That may not be the longest time of ownership but family and friends have owned them for years.

I use it for winter driving-towing-sleeping (you can really stretch out in the back)

I do a ton of MT bike racing in the New England area so it is my mule for multiple bikes in the back as well as on the roof rack. They are easy to work on. I worked in a foreign auto garage for several years and I always enjoyed wrenching them. They are safe and comfy. I will drive this one to death and get another. Then I will drive that one to death and get another.....and so on

Love em

-For life

 

The only thing that would kill an old Volvo is a blowtorch..

 

Just so we know, what price range are you looking at? I'm just wondering if you're looking for a pretty new one or an old Subaru or Volvo?

 

Love Subies, but for your application - VOLVO...Go with a mid 90's turbo wagon (855). Great pickup, reliable, roomy, great seats, 25 mpg hwy and SAFE..Attached is a pic of my wife's 95 850T sedan. She was SITTING STOPPED and a guy hit her doing 60+ mph. You could still open all four doors...