Nice ski cars under 10k

bighomieflock

bighomieflock

Active member
I can spend up to about 9-9.5k to get a car and I've done some research but still have limited car knowledge. I live in Colorado, ski summit county, and would like to make some trips to the san juans, utah, etc. so snow performance is key. AWD is preffered. I'd also like to get decent gas mileage so I am avoiding giant SUVs. Right now I'm looking at:

-Subaru Outback

-Subaru Forester

-Honda crv

-volvo xc70

-Ford Escape

-Audi a4/ avant/ allroad

I have a couple of questions. Which of these cars would be my best option and is there anything else to consider? Would an a4 end up costing a ton to repair? What is reasonable mileage to expect in my price range, should I pull the trigger on something with 90k miles or if I wait will I be able to find something in the 60k-80k range?

Thanks and +k for helpful answers and no I don't want a wrx.
 
You should have no problem finding a b5 a4 in your price range. But with the cars you have listed, its hard to pick on because they are a mix of suvs/ cars..
 
Honestly any of those with low mileage, except for the escape perhaps, would be a great ski car. With a budget of 10k you should be able to easily find something. 100s of subarus and audis are posted on the colorado craigslist everyday.
 
Forgot to say, I got an 03 a4 with 70k off craigslist from a guy for $8,500. The things a tank in the snow.
 
Get a Volvo XC70 and turn it in this:

0575b5be_2005-Volvo-XC70-AT-Concept-SA-1280x960.jpeg


 
i had an a4 that i thought was in pretty nice condition when i bought it and let me tell you that shit becomes costly. It eventually needed all new tie rods. I only did 2 outta i think like 6 or 8 and that alone was like 250 bucks. It needed a power steering pump for like 300. The dif was loose which woulda cost a fortune to get fixed. it needed wheel bearings too for a couple hundred each. basically with audis, the more features the car has, the more that can go wrong. Lots of electric stuff too on audis that is just a bitch and a headache

on the other hand, i got a subaru with a 2.5 motor (the "bad" one) for less than half the price, drove it for like 10 thousand miles with no issues. I sensed the heads were leaking a little so I had them swapped, resurfaced, new timing belt, water pump, o2 sensors all around, and a bunch of little shit for only 1600. If you had that done to an audi youre probably talking close to 3 grand. Since i had that done, i still havent had any problems and probably wont have anything serious for another 100k.

german used vs subaru used youre talking about more frequent repairs and more expensive repairs = lots more money
 
As far as audi's go.. well any car really, but especially european cars, you need to find people that know their shit. You'll spend a fortune at dealerships. Trust me.
 
Maintenance will have to be done at a dealership so I think an a4 is out. What mileage on a subaru or honda should I look for in my price range? Is 70k unrealistic?
 
Not really, I got a 97 Subaru Impreza Outback Sport with 92k on it for about $5000.

If you go with a Subaru 2000 or newer I'd recommend asking if the head gaskets have already been replaced. It's pretty much going to need to happen at some point.

I'd highly recommend one though, I love mine. They're pretty bombproof and great in the snow.
 
I got my pathfinder for 5 gs and it does wonderful in the snow. Sure its a tiny bit of a gas slut but its not terrible, pathfinder would be my recommendation, its got 4 doors, 4 wheel drive, you can put a rack on top, plus its got the name of a cool movie.
 
70K is quite young on the engine for most quality modern cars, but I'd recommend taking someone knowledgable with you to look at them for other annoying here's and there's. At that mileage, a car that has been left completely void of care can run fine but have a costly repair just waiting to happen. On the flip side if it's been taken care of normally, I'd definitely be comfortable buying a car with 70K on it for a commuter in that range.
 
I recently purchased a 2008 Subaru Impreza for 8k locally, it's a nice car, it has great gas mileage (27+) and has a nice rack for skis and such. I have the hatchback version which I quite like and it even is a pretty compact car with the hatchback. I believe it comes in a sedan version too.
 
Just did a search for you. Here are all the AWD/4WD cars/trucks within 200 miles of your zip code that are under $10,000 and under 100,000 miles. There are bound to be a few good options in there. Don't limit yourself to Audi and Subaru.

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/searchresults.xhtml?zip=80126&endYear=2013&driveCode=4WD%7CAWD&showcaseOwnerId=57536347&startYear=1981&driveCodes=4WD%7CAWD&sellerTypes=b&maxMileage=100000&searchRadius=100&maxPrice=10000&showcaseListingId=329348173&sortBy=mileageASC
 
FALSE.

I don't want to reiterate this, but find a good indy shop.

generally, their knowledge is up, and hourly labor rate is almost halved.

blah blah
 
dont count out audi entirely though. the b5 platform was meh for reliability. audi is hit and miss, ive spent a lot of time around both audi's and subarus in a friends shop and subaru's in general have never impressed me, repairs are cheap but you see a lot more of them falling apart and having annoying quirky problems that are a pain to fix. we spent like 4 grand on two completely seperate transmissions trying to get this grinding symptom that popped up on a 20k mile car. transmissions are a big weak point, engines are very hit or miss, some blow before 80k miles, some last over 200.

audi 90's, the c4 a6/s6, c4 s4, and some others are all good, reliable, affordable audi's. repairs arent gonna be much cheaper than on a b5 a4, but you should have a lot less problems, find the right one and it will last forever. just need to research the specific model you are looking at, first of all make sure its a reliable model in the first place, find out what their common problems are, and find a good example, take it to a shop, have them look over everything and pay special attention to that models weak points.

audi has a better AWD system, better performing, better built, will last forever, for AWD audi kills it, nothing really wrong with subarus system, but in the most extreme conditions an audi will get you places a comparable subaru will not.

with ANY used car you want to make sure you are getting one thats taken care of and isnt going to need 3000k worth of work 5000 miles down the road. if it costs you a little more to get one thats better taken care of, do it. and having a mechanic check it out before hand is a must.

personally, if it were me, id try to find a c4 s6 avant. for 10k you should be able to find a low mileage well maintained example, and depending on what he's asking, you could probably get him to cover any maintenance items that need attention if there are any. its a wagon, it hauls ass, its reliable, and will be amazing in the snow. good snow tires on whatever you get are a must!!

 
If you want economy and value, just get a 2wd car that you can fit your skis inside. AWD cars are nice, but totally unnecessary, and they suck down gas like crazy. I had a WRX and drove the shit out of it until 195k miles. Some asshole hit me, and with the insurance money I bought a prius. Yea, it's not as fun to drive but I get at least double the mileage, you can buy a cheaper octane gas, skis fit inside (I had a sedan) so no rack to ruin your mileage, and cheaper insurance. If you're just gonna be driving to and from the ski areas along I-70 and such you don't need an SUV for clearance. You'll just need some winter tires. If you want a fun car then go ahead and get a wrx, or some SUV you can romp around in. But if you want value FWD economy cars are where it's at.
 
126k, so not too bad at all. it had work done on it recently as well.

he had it marked down because there was some bodily damage as in scrapes, small dents, and a medium dent as well. i'm not concerned with how the car looks from the outside as much as i'm concerned with whether or not it can get me from A to B best, so it was the best car for me.
 
yea I don't really care, not trying to impress anyone. having a fast car was fun, and also expensive. I miss my wrx everyday, but have other financial priorities now.
 
I hate you Canadians and your import laws.

Do you know the kind of hell I would have to go though to import a skyline? Oh and that's not even the best part. It could potentially get seized by my own government.
 
actually getting an r31 into the US is really easy (due to it being over 25 years old),as for r32-r34 the easiest way to get them into the US is the swap the vins with an s14 which is not that hard
 
I got an XC 70. Can't beat it for skiing. Its awesome the thing is amazing on gas for a car with that much room. I have to do long road trips a few times a year for my work and can't waste the time and money in motels and I throw a cot mattress in the back and sleep back there when I get too tired its great.

You can get a good deal on one that has high miles. Volvos go forever, it does look a little soccer mom ish but if you want something cool looking with 4wd/awd you gotta get a gas guzzler.

 
You could get a 05-08 subaru outback with 50-80k miles for under 10k easy. in spring of 2007 i got a 2005 subaru legacy sedan with 21k miles for $16k and ive put about 85k miles on it in the past almost 6 years and its still a great car and will be for another 100k over 6-8 years.
 
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