I'm looking for:
* Station wagon (preferrably largish), I want to do comfortable trips with my family
* Non-FWD (so RWD or AWD); I was happier driving RWD cars, and AWD would be handy during winters
* Preferrably diesel with decent/great horsepower
* Automatic transmition. I've driven manual all my life but as I get older I think "I wish I had an auto" in every traffic jam.
* Premium / somewhat posh
* Not boring to drive
* Not brand new, but not old either. Around 5 years old and below 60k miles / 100kkm would be great.
* Good safety. Auto-braking a plus.
Money's not the primary concern, but value for money is. 20k EUR or below would be ideal.
What should I be considering?
Currently I have on my radar:
* BMW E61 (5-Series touring, 2003-2010) - mediocre safety scores are my main concern, not sure how important getting a LCI is besides the visuals.
* BMW F11 (5-Series touring, 2010-...) - probably more expensive than I'd like, ticks all the other boxes though I think.
* BMW E91 (3-Series touring, 2006-2011) - smaller than I'd like, kind of ugly prior to 2009 facelift
* BMW F30 (3-Series touring, 2012-...) - very likely out of my price range
* Volvo V70 in AWD - supposedly a very old platform
* Volvo V60 in AWD - don't know much about it
* Jaguar XF Sportbrake - looks lovely, but is it a good car? also will be hard to find, as it is uncommon.
* Audi A6 Avant quattro C7 (2004-2011)
* Audi A4 Avant quattro B8 (2008-...)
* Mercedes-Benz S212 (E-class estate, 2010-...)
* Mercedes-Benz W204 (E-class estate, 2008-2014)
* VW Passat AWD - my wife declared she hates how it looks, and I think AWD models will be somewhat rare
Last time I test-drove an Audi I found it really boring, but maybe that's being unfair. And I am not fond of how the MBs look, but maybe they would grow on me.
I've owned a few old BMWs (323i E30, 535i E34) so I find it easier to understand the BMW model range.
I would not be opposed to a Japanese car, e.g. Honda or Lexus/Toyota but they don't seem to have models which match my criteria.
Currently I drive a 2005 Honda Accord 2.0l petrol which is fine but the combination of FWD/stick/sedan means I want to replace it, even if not in a hurry.
* Station wagon (preferrably largish), I want to do comfortable trips with my family
* Non-FWD (so RWD or AWD); I was happier driving RWD cars, and AWD would be handy during winters
* Preferrably diesel with decent/great horsepower
* Automatic transmition. I've driven manual all my life but as I get older I think "I wish I had an auto" in every traffic jam.
* Premium / somewhat posh
* Not boring to drive
* Not brand new, but not old either. Around 5 years old and below 60k miles / 100kkm would be great.
* Good safety. Auto-braking a plus.
Money's not the primary concern, but value for money is. 20k EUR or below would be ideal.
What should I be considering?
Currently I have on my radar:
* BMW E61 (5-Series touring, 2003-2010) - mediocre safety scores are my main concern, not sure how important getting a LCI is besides the visuals.
* BMW F11 (5-Series touring, 2010-...) - probably more expensive than I'd like, ticks all the other boxes though I think.
* BMW E91 (3-Series touring, 2006-2011) - smaller than I'd like, kind of ugly prior to 2009 facelift
* BMW F30 (3-Series touring, 2012-...) - very likely out of my price range
* Volvo V70 in AWD - supposedly a very old platform
* Volvo V60 in AWD - don't know much about it
* Jaguar XF Sportbrake - looks lovely, but is it a good car? also will be hard to find, as it is uncommon.
* Audi A6 Avant quattro C7 (2004-2011)
* Audi A4 Avant quattro B8 (2008-...)
* Mercedes-Benz S212 (E-class estate, 2010-...)
* Mercedes-Benz W204 (E-class estate, 2008-2014)
* VW Passat AWD - my wife declared she hates how it looks, and I think AWD models will be somewhat rare
Last time I test-drove an Audi I found it really boring, but maybe that's being unfair. And I am not fond of how the MBs look, but maybe they would grow on me.
I've owned a few old BMWs (323i E30, 535i E34) so I find it easier to understand the BMW model range.
I would not be opposed to a Japanese car, e.g. Honda or Lexus/Toyota but they don't seem to have models which match my criteria.
Currently I drive a 2005 Honda Accord 2.0l petrol which is fine but the combination of FWD/stick/sedan means I want to replace it, even if not in a hurry.