Hound Dog

I have a 1995 (maybe 1994) 525 wagon that's been great, but it's now got about 150,000 miles on it and is the primary car pool beast for my daughter (all the way across town, middle of the day, driven by my father in law, etc.). I'd like to replace it before it makes me crazy with a breakdown, etc. Top candidate is the current 5 series wagon from BMW or maybe the A6 wagon from Audi, although the reliability reports seem to be better for the BMWs (based on my limited investigation). I've actually toyed with the cayenne, but putting bikes and boats on the top of the car really pushes me towards a wagon (with dogs in the back). My wife drives an '04 volvo wagon that I absolutely detest - barko lounger with a big blind spot (don't mean to offend anyone there, just my opinion). AWD of some variety is preferred due to some limited winter mountain travel.

I'm a used car guy - I paid $20k for the 525 in 2000 and it's been great - very limited maintenance and perfect reliability. So, the used market is my focus. Many thanks for all thoughts and guidance in advance.

Hound Dog.

ste993

Ever test driven a V8 X5? Lots of power and a great ride.

dcdude

E320 Estate (W210). I have an '00. 129% more room than Cayenne (seats up). 26-29 MPG on the road. PM me for details.

Edit- If you want to spend, the new 5 is nice, but I don't know if you can do it without i-Drive as mentioned below. If you want to go cheap, I also heard that the W124 is very durable.

Dick in TN

I am in a similar situation with wife's '97 540 @ 144K miles, and almost pulled the trigger on a '06 530i wagon, but can't seem to warm up to I-Drive. Now looking at '06 3 series wagon, no I-drive unless it has Nav., which most don't. The 3-series grew a bit in '06, if you like the size of your '95, the '06 3's are the same wheelbase and width so passenger space should be the same too.

jhale

We were in a similar situation not that long ago with our VW Passat wagon. All in all it was a great car but unbelievably boring. I looked at all of the cars you mentioned plus the Audi Allroad. We really liked the Allroad but this platform has been plagued with problems. In the end, we went with another Volvo. Have you looked at the Volvo V70R? I bought an '06 V70R with 4K on it and it is a blast to drive. I promise you, this is no barko lounger. It has AWD, 340+hp and boost that will make you want to upgrade your 993 to a TT.

If you want to stay in the BMW family, I'm a huge fan of the 540is wagon, if you can find a used one. Good luck!!

David in LA

I'm trying to convince the wife that we NEED a C63 AMG Estate or a new Audi RS6 Avant

(btw we have an older Audi S6 wagon which so far has been fairly reliable)

Jon 'Bama

what do you want for the 525? I am in the market for a beater to give the 993 a rest from daily driver detail

Jon

M. Schneider

The Audi UrS6 Avant was in a class by itself - in the day; 1995-96. I owned a S6 Avant since new driving that uber silver ski wagon for ten years straight. Audi RS2 enhancements, Porsche brakes, etc., having a great ownership experience with that Audi. Tier one interior appointments too.

Back to the topic: Given limited pallet of choices here in NA, the E320 wagon could be the ticket providing you’re not allergic to the MB brand. The older (98 to present) Audi A6 Quattro’s are substantially under powered (3.0, 3.2) and presented with any altitude as in Colorado, are down right anemic.
I see the current BMW 5-series 540 wagon in Germany often enough, however what is the (wagons) motor available in NA, the 530? How long would it take to master the I-Drive control – schweet ride that 540 wagon.. err 530. Maybe a good, “pre-owned” 530 wagon (2 wheel drive) would scratch the itch??

TomF

I am looking at getting a 2000-2002 BMW 540IT wagon. I have heard mixed reports regarding the maintenance and reliability of the V8 engines. Anyone have any experience with a 540? The driving reviews of them are really fantastic- everyone loves them. I drove a 528IT wagon and really liked it, but would like a little more power. I tried the 328 Wagon, but it is just too darn small for me. The visibility at my height, 6'2", is not very good.

JasonF

I was on vacation a couple of weeks ago and saw an ad for a '90 E-class wagon on Craigslist with 124k miles on the clock. I knew that the W124 bodystyle is rock-solid and the only weak spot for these cars is a leaking head gasket (which was fixed on the car already). I couldn't resist and paid $3,250 for this car after the PPI checked out. The W124 is known to be good for 200,000+ miles and this thing is like driving a bank vault. It's the perfect grocery-getter/beater. The prior owners were an elderly couple that no longer drive. I tried to detail the interior this weekend, but there was nothing to clean!

It looks like you're moving in the direction of a more modern car, but don't overlook a tried-and-true reliable classic.

95FL993CAB

Ok, how about a Subaru? The previous iteration of the Forrester was FAST and reliable. Not much to look at for some and handsomely rugged for others (I start to sound like a commercial and NO I do not own one).
Best of luck.

Bruce SEA 993

Hi Tom,

I have had a 2002 540 6 speed for about a year with good results so far. I think what happens is when they are bought used and with a lot of miles by guys with limited funds they tend to have issues from defered maintenance. Also, based on the Bimmerforums and Bimmerfest sites, the average age of the owners is mid twenties so I think there is a lot of rough treatment of the cars for example drifting in parking lots and lots of burnouts.

They are not real tolerant of abuse or defered maintenance. The cooling systems MUST be kept up to full factory working conditions. The motors are real expensive to replace but they shouldn't need replacing if cared for.

We went to Salt Lake City to get ours as there were no 6 speeds in the Seattle area when we were ready to pull the trigger. We drove 2900 miles in a week and had 108 deg F in the desert in Northern AZ and New Mexico and 118 deg F near Twin Falls, ID and the temp gauge never moved from the 12 o'clock position.

If you want to talk more let me know. Oh, the wagons are auto only...but an agressive auto. The Audi is the slowest shifting, sluggish trans I have ever driven. Loved the A6 2.7 but the trans was always so slow to shift.

Cheers!

B

unclespeed

I also have a 2002 540i (5-speed, wife's ride..)
It's been good for the 3,5hrs we've had it. SUPERB ride (handling, power to almost match the 993, etc.)
The wife's put 55k on it in 3,5 yrs and we've had about $2800 worth of service/repairs in the last year (but only arout $1500-2000 in the 2,5 before). It has 108k on the clock now...Also needs new struts and shox. Just did radiator, alternator, previously cv joint...

Would love it if it were a wagon now since wife needs more room...Anyone interested in a trade?

TomF

Sorry to hijack the thread...

Bruce, thanks for the tips. The auto is fine for a DD doggie-hauler, grocery-getter. What kind of mileage have you gotten with yours? I have heard numbers ranging around town from 10mpg to 20mpg. I would guess that average driving would yield about 16 or so... sound about right? How about your experiences with highway mileage.

Hound Dog

Thanks for all of the great info.

My mechanic (who works on the wagon and my 99 528 sedan) loves the BMW six, but isn't fond of the eight. I don't have any first hand experience with the eight, but the sixes have been rock solid reliable.

I haven't even thought about what to ask for the 528, but will pm you when I do.

I love the ~90s MB wagon, but couldn't justify selling a 95 wagon for a 90 wagon to the wife.

The iDrive will be an issue, if reputation holds true. I'll check out the three series (which I actually like the looks of more than the 5 series) and see how we come out space wise. I have a chesapeake bay retriever and an english pointer though that consume a lot of space - may be too much for the 3 series. The new X6 doesn't excite me from pictures, but I haven't seen one in person.

Thanks again for all of the great info. I'll keep watching and will let everyone know if I have some amazing breakthrough that makes the decision easy.

Hound Dog.