Not yet an owner

waldolokowaldoloko New Wagonist
in New User Introductions
Hey everyone, hows it going? Well i hope you guys can help me out. I fell in love with these wagons, but would you recomend one as a family car? I have one child, 8 months old, my wife and me. What do you guys think?

Comments

  • ogwagonogwagon Wagonist
    They are awesome family cars from a practical point of view. They are cheap to own, easy to fix, relatively spacious interior and great on gas. On the downside, these cars are about 20 years old now and will have their fair share of issues. If you are not mechanically inclined or don't like to work on your own car then you could find yourself spending a good amount of money for relatively easy/minor repairs. My wife's wagon is her daily driver and has over 200k miles on it. She takes the kids to school, goes to work and picks up the groceries in her wagon. In the last 2 years I have had to replace the ignition switch, distributor, alternator, starter, clutch, transmission seal, timing belt and water pump. Again these are 20+ year old cars and the items replaced are due to normal wear and tear. The engine and trans are still in good shape and we even drove this car from Los Angeles to Lake Tahoe and back(an 8 hour drive one way) with 5 passengers and loaded with luggage. The car made it with no issues and averaging 34mpg. I think wagons make great family cars so long as you understand what is involved with owning and maintaining an older car.
  • doitdubdoitdub familEE
    They are a good car as long as you have the know how to fix them. If you plan on taking a 20 year old car in for everything, it will get expensive in a hurry. They are cheap, cheap parts (can kind of be a pain to find though), and easy to work on. If you don't have the desire to work on it yourself though, I'd suggest something newer. Only thing worse than being stranded somewhere, is being stranded somewhere with a wife and kid.
  • waldolokowaldoloko New Wagonist
    Thanks for the info. Well i drive an integra at the moment. A civic before that. So im kinda aware of the usual problems.
  • Eagle BeagleEagle Beagle familEE
    i dont think its an issue...
    is being stranded somewhere with a wife and kid
    well, hurray for all risk insurances, road assistance and adventure...
    or a couple of tools...

    you dont drive a car when you know it got 'issues'...
    :mrgreen:
  • doitdubdoitdub familEE
    Eagle Beagle wrote:
    i dont think its an issue...
    is being stranded somewhere with a wife and kid
    well, hurray for all risk insurances, road assistance and adventure...
    or a couple of tools...

    you dont drive a car when you know it got 'issues'...
    :mrgreen:
    True. I wasn't really clear. My reference was more so if you don't work on it yourself, you're at the mercy of high repair bills and someone else's time.


    The guy that bought my previous wagon had wife, 2 kids, and a couple dogs. Was used to VWs, but felt confident he could do most any repairs, upkeep himself. Seems to be working out well for him. :)

    My opinion is that these cars aren't the safest and I'd more than likely upgrade to something with a few airbags when the kids come like a CRV or something.

    Don't let me scare you off though, as these ARE great cars and I love pretty much everything about them. Just trying to be honest with your situation.
  • Eagle BeagleEagle Beagle familEE
    uhm... there is no such thing as an unsafe car...
    any car...
    it's a human being driving it...
    can you imagine how the world could be???

    kids should be in the back,
    now thats a very very modern car...
    airbags in those regions...

    it's also a marketing thing and it's working...
    just one opinion...
    ehrmm...
    not!!!
    :mrgreen:
    sorry for the 0ff-topic break
Sign In or Register to comment.

© Vanilla Keystone Theme 2025