what kind of cars do you use for hauling your dogs around? i'm currently
driving a 1977 Mercedes sedan. it's a little clunky, needs a lot of work,
but most importantly, it doesn't have a proper divider between the driver
and the dogs.

the goal: to find a car that's fun to drive, has decent power, is
comfortable, and lets me separate the dogs from the driver. it should get
good gas mileage, be reliable, somewhat sporty, and come with lots of extra
options (like a sun roof and heated leather seats). it shouldn't cost more
than $35k optioned out. bonus points if it has all wheel drive. and extra
bonus points if it comes in actual colors, not just silver and beige (ick).
should not look like something my parents would drive.

what i've looked at:
Audi A4 Avant - nice looking wagon, fun to drive, kinda spendy for what you
get, only seems to come in Silver unless you special order it.
BMW 325 xi sport wagon- really expensive with even minimal options, BMW
dealer wouldn't even talk to me when i looked at it, so i refuse to buy
anything from them even if i could afford it.
Subaru Outback Wagon - everybody has one, good car, costs more than you'd
think if you get the good engine, but still feels kind of cheap compared to
the german stuff. (note, i can do cheap interiors, if the car is cheap. but
for $30k, i want luxury). only comes in earth tones. my parents drive this
car.
Mercedes C230 Coupe (has a surprising amount of cargo space with the rear
seats down) - surprisingly less expensive than i would have thought, fun
little car, but not as practical as a wagon.
Mercedes C240 wagon - really nice. really really incredibly nice. has
everything. way expensive, makes it look like i have kids.

all of these cars are great, but none have really grabbed me. i'm sure
there's something i'm overlooking.

cars i've considered, but don't know much about:
VW GTI- is it big enough for two 50 pound dogs?
VW Jetta wagon- nice car, less expensive than the benz and audi, looks
promising.
Subaru WRX wagon- cute, fun, seems small, no luxo options.
Mazda protege 5 - way underpowered, according to the SO. no leather
Nissan Murano - yes, it's an SUV, but it's so incredibly cool, i want one
anyway. (bad kelly!)
Ford Focus wagon- cheap, lots of hop up parts to make it go fast. SO says
he'll disown me if i trick out a station wagon. :-(


help?

-kelly

In article ,
culprit wrote:
the goal: to find a car that's fun to drive, has decent power, is
comfortable, and lets me separate the dogs from the driver. it should get
good gas mileage, be reliable, somewhat sporty, and come with lots of extra
options (like a sun roof and heated leather seats). it shouldn't cost more
than $35k optioned out. bonus points if it has all wheel drive. and extra
bonus points if it comes in actual colors, not just silver and beige (ick).
should not look like something my parents would drive.

From the reviews of the Subaru WRX Sport Wagon it sounds
like a nice little car with some serious performance
(although it's kind of ugly). It should have plenty of room
for two dogs, although it may not have enough room for two
medium-sized crates (always take a tape measure to the
showroom!).

I had a 1999 VW Passat GLX sedan for a couple of years, and
they've now got a Passat AWD wagon. It was a pretty great
car, although clearly unsuitable for 5 dogs. It's built on
the same platform as the Audi A4, and I feel pretty strongly
that it's a far better idea to buy at the top of the model
line (which the Passat is) than to buy at the bottom (which
the A4 is). The leather wasn't particularly good quality,
although good enough, but the interior was great-looking and
the car had pretty much every gizmo in the book, from memory
seats to self-adjusting variable speed wipers. The
ergonomics were excellent, the Tiptronic transmission was
excellent, it was above-average on snow, and I really had no
gripes with the car other than it being a poor match for my
lifestyle. I used to drive back and forth to Ottawa in it
pretty often and it was great on the highway, and (aside
from the low ground clearance, which was sometimes an issue
when I took it on some of the local seasonal-roads) it was
excellent on the country roads around here. I'd probably
consider giving the Jetta a pass and take a look at the
Passat wagon instead.
--
Melinda Shore - Software longa, hardware brevis -

If you don't understand how things are connected, the cause of
problems is solutions -- Amory Lovins

"culprit" wrote in message
...

cars i've considered, but don't know much about:
VW GTI- is it big enough for two 50 pound dogs?

Yes. I recently eyed it for just that purpose. The seats fold down nicely
and the back shelf comes out. But the GTI only comes with two doors, and
with two dogs, you may want back doors. So the option with this body is the
Golf. But then the engine is not as zippy. We just got a Golf, and it's fun,
but not nearly as fun to drive as my old GTI.

VW Jetta wagon- nice car, less expensive than the benz and audi, looks
promising.

And very roomy inside. Beware black interiors; VW's AC is not known for
being quick to cool.

Mazda protege 5 - way underpowered, according to the SO. no leather

Avoid. DH used to have one. Your SO is right.

Ford Focus wagon- cheap, lots of hop up parts to make it go fast.

They're supposedly rated badly for safety, but I know a couple of people
happy with theirs.

I also recently test drove a Toyota Matrix, which is much bigger on the
inside than it looks on the outside. It replaces the Corolla wagon, and has
almost as much room inside as one. Drives nicely, not as loud as VW wagon
engine.

Cate

In article ,
"culprit" wrote:

what kind of cars do you use for hauling your dogs around? i'm currently
driving a 1977 Mercedes sedan. it's a little clunky, needs a lot of work,
but most importantly, it doesn't have a proper divider between the driver
and the dogs.

the goal: to find a car that's fun to drive, has decent power, is
comfortable, and lets me separate the dogs from the driver. it should get
good gas mileage, be reliable, somewhat sporty, and come with lots of extra
options (like a sun roof and heated leather seats). it shouldn't cost more
than $35k optioned out. bonus points if it has all wheel drive. and extra
bonus points if it comes in actual colors, not just silver and beige (ick).
should not look like something my parents would drive.

No heated leather seats, but we have a Pontiac Vibe (or Toyota Matrix)
and are just crazy about it. The all-wheel drive was sort of sluggish,
so we went with the 6-speed and it's a fast little devil. I wanted a
Subaru Forester (sp?) but I'm much happier with the Vibe.

I've got a 1999 Honda CRV that fits the bill nicely. The newer version has
eve more room in the back for dogs. Reasonable mileage, all-wheel drive is
nice, small enough to parallel park with ease. We use a roof rack for
vacations, because with dog and kid it doesn't leave too much room on the
inside.

We test drove the Jetta wagon years ago, and loved it. We would have bought
one if Mom hadn't passed along her used CRV to us.

The SAAB wagon is expensive, but we also really really loved it in a test
drive (too expensive for us, though). Great visibility, enough room for a
folded-up large crate, lots of room for dawgs.

Just my $.02.

-Shannon
"culprit" wrote in message
...
what kind of cars do you use for hauling your dogs around? i'm currently
driving a 1977 Mercedes sedan. it's a little clunky, needs a lot of work,
but most importantly, it doesn't have a proper divider between the driver
and the dogs.

the goal: to find a car that's fun to drive, has decent power, is
comfortable, and lets me separate the dogs from the driver. it should get
good gas mileage, be reliable, somewhat sporty, and come with lots of
extra
options (like a sun roof and heated leather seats). it shouldn't cost
more
than $35k optioned out. bonus points if it has all wheel drive. and
extra
bonus points if it comes in actual colors, not just silver and beige
(ick).
should not look like something my parents would drive.

what i've looked at:
Audi A4 Avant - nice looking wagon, fun to drive, kinda spendy for what
you
get, only seems to come in Silver unless you special order it.
BMW 325 xi sport wagon- really expensive with even minimal options, BMW
dealer wouldn't even talk to me when i looked at it, so i refuse to buy
anything from them even if i could afford it.
Subaru Outback Wagon - everybody has one, good car, costs more than you'd
think if you get the good engine, but still feels kind of cheap compared
to
the german stuff. (note, i can do cheap interiors, if the car is cheap.
but
for $30k, i want luxury). only comes in earth tones. my parents drive
this
car.
Mercedes C230 Coupe (has a surprising amount of cargo space with the rear
seats down) - surprisingly less expensive than i would have thought, fun
little car, but not as practical as a wagon.
Mercedes C240 wagon - really nice. really really incredibly nice. has
everything. way expensive, makes it look like i have kids.

all of these cars are great, but none have really grabbed me. i'm sure
there's something i'm overlooking.

cars i've considered, but don't know much about:
VW GTI- is it big enough for two 50 pound dogs?
VW Jetta wagon- nice car, less expensive than the benz and audi, looks
promising.
Subaru WRX wagon- cute, fun, seems small, no luxo options.
Mazda protege 5 - way underpowered, according to the SO. no leather
Nissan Murano - yes, it's an SUV, but it's so incredibly cool, i want one
anyway. (bad kelly!)
Ford Focus wagon- cheap, lots of hop up parts to make it go fast. SO says
he'll disown me if i trick out a station wagon. :-(


help?

-kelly

Why not a Volvo?

"culprit" wrote in message
...
what kind of cars do you use for hauling your dogs around? i'm currently
driving a 1977 Mercedes sedan. it's a little clunky, needs a lot of work,
but most importantly, it doesn't have a proper divider between the driver
and the dogs.

the goal: to find a car that's fun to drive, has decent power, is
comfortable, and lets me separate the dogs from the driver. it should get
good gas mileage, be reliable, somewhat sporty, and come with lots of
extra
options (like a sun roof and heated leather seats). it shouldn't cost
more
than $35k optioned out. bonus points if it has all wheel drive. and
extra
bonus points if it comes in actual colors, not just silver and beige
(ick).
should not look like something my parents would drive.

what i've looked at:
Audi A4 Avant - nice looking wagon, fun to drive, kinda spendy for what
you
get, only seems to come in Silver unless you special order it.
BMW 325 xi sport wagon- really expensive with even minimal options, BMW
dealer wouldn't even talk to me when i looked at it, so i refuse to buy
anything from them even if i could afford it.
Subaru Outback Wagon - everybody has one, good car, costs more than you'd
think if you get the good engine, but still feels kind of cheap compared
to
the german stuff. (note, i can do cheap interiors, if the car is cheap.
but
for $30k, i want luxury). only comes in earth tones. my parents drive
this
car.
Mercedes C230 Coupe (has a surprising amount of cargo space with the rear
seats down) - surprisingly less expensive than i would have thought, fun
little car, but not as practical as a wagon.
Mercedes C240 wagon - really nice. really really incredibly nice. has
everything. way expensive, makes it look like i have kids.

all of these cars are great, but none have really grabbed me. i'm sure
there's something i'm overlooking.

cars i've considered, but don't know much about:
VW GTI- is it big enough for two 50 pound dogs?
VW Jetta wagon- nice car, less expensive than the benz and audi, looks
promising.
Subaru WRX wagon- cute, fun, seems small, no luxo options.
Mazda protege 5 - way underpowered, according to the SO. no leather
Nissan Murano - yes, it's an SUV, but it's so incredibly cool, i want one
anyway. (bad kelly!)
Ford Focus wagon- cheap, lots of hop up parts to make it go fast. SO says
he'll disown me if i trick out a station wagon. :-(


help?

-kelly

what kind of cars do you use for hauling your dogs around? i'm currently
driving a 1977 Mercedes sedan. it's a little clunky, needs a lot of work,
but most importantly, it doesn't have a proper divider between the driver
and the dogs.


I actually use the most expensive, deluxe vehicle on the planet:

A Ford Escort. Yes, an Escort. They come in all colors of the rainbow
(mine happens to be white). It has room in the trunk for two--yes TWO--fold
down crates. GREAT gas mileage (and that's not sarcasm!). You can fit up
to 4 large dogs that are tolerating eachother, or two that aren't, in this
vehicle. (Well, you can probably do 3 if you harness them all in their
seats properly and have a well-enforced "KNOCK IT OFF!" and are driving
somewhere you can threaten to send them to the floor if they're being really
bad--lessons about why you stay in your own seat are very important).

Really, the best thing about this car is that if you dent it, people don't
look at you like you've lost your marbles for not getting it fixed.

Downsides: My personal Escort is a hunk-o-junk. See, it's an ex-lease
vehicle. It comes with one special featu A radio. No tape deck, no
cd-player, no power windows, locks, or doors, ...)

~Emily


---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.501 / Virus Database: 299 - Release Date: 7/14/2003

culprit wrote:


the goal: to find a car that's fun to drive, has decent power, is
comfortable, and lets me separate the dogs from the driver. it should get
good gas mileage, be reliable, somewhat sporty, and come with lots of extra
options (like a sun roof and heated leather seats).

Someone had come out recently with a survey of long term reliability, to
see how the vehicles/manufactureres scored. They looked at the number
of problems per x number of cars over a 3 year period. IIRC, the higher
end Hondas and Toyotas, the Lexus and Acura came in ahead of their
fancier counterparts such as Porsche, BMW and Mercedes Benz. The MB
scored worse than average, and according the the surveyors, it was due
to their M Class and E class vehicles. I wish I could remember who did
the survey - it was one of those people who give out car awards, with a
name like something & something, IIRC (yes, I know that's real helpful).

BTW, DH drives a C240. It is a very cool car, but nothing but trouble
from the get go. They don't have the greatest service either, and the
lack of fuel efficiency, + having to fill up premium gas makes DH want
to give it up and go back to the Toyota that he had before.

Suja

On 21 Jul 2003, culprit opined:

there was a famous german study where they showed that the vast majority of
motorcycle vs car accidents, where the car was at fault, involved volvos.
as a motorcyclist, i'm personally opposed to volvos.

I understand not wanting a particular car, but *what*??? Do the volvos seem
to be magnatically attracted to motorcycles? Is it the average volvo owner?

That just seems weird....

Chad


--
Looking for a pet? Adopt one! ** http://www.petfinder.com
Info for a healthy, happy dog? * http://www.dog-play.com


Nothing is impossible unless you have to do it yourself.

"Cate" wrote in message
...
I also recently test drove a Toyota Matrix, which is much bigger on the
inside than it looks on the outside. It replaces the Corolla wagon, and
has
almost as much room inside as one. Drives nicely, not as loud as VW wagon
engine.

I had completely forgotten about this car. thanks, i'll take a look at it.

-kelly