Hey, Scotty, i have a good condition Mercedes w124 wagon 300d which I love, but since goverment decided to charge old diesels badly, I will probobly have to get rid of it.
I need a large and reliable wagon for my family and work, so i have 2004 2.0 or 1.8 petrol toyota avensis and subaru legacy 2.0 101kw 2004 in mind. I dont care AT or MT. Almost all our cars are imported from Germany, so both have arrround 125k miles on clock. Both have good service in the past, both rust free and i like awd of subaru since we have pretty heawy winters. I like to maintain my cars myself and am not a fan of electronics (thats whi i love my 124 so much). I need some good advice before buying a new car, so any usefull info would be great!!
Thanks a lot
None of them at such high mileage.
I suppose you mean 1.8 1ZZ-FE and 2.0 EJ201 engine. According to sources those oil drinkers are on their last legs. Try find something lower mileage.
Sources:
https://www.motorreviewer.com/engine.php?engine_id=160
https://engineswork.com/engines/subaru-ej20-engine.html
https://toyota-club.net/files/faq/04-01-10_rem_1zzfe_eng.htm
Perhaps @dan knows more.
Good luck!
everything is correct the ZZ is known for being a horrendous engine, also German service isn't too good from what I've herd, often they go by manufacturer recommendations and service it not frequently enough.
Also, I don't get what kind of person lets the government tread on them like that, changing taxation on old cars is just despicable and should prompt a sh*tstorm as an a middle finger to the poor.
The Subaru should be a good choice for you and if you don't mind driving manual, get the manual for better longevity. If the car is well taken care of, it can be a good one.
Well wagons are getting harder and harder to find those Subaru wagons are still pretty good I call them wagons they call him SUVs but they really are wagging
Nice comment Scotty....
If you looking for new used suv or wagon..... Look for Land Cruiser one... since its sooo reliable. other option is mazda cx-5 which is fighting highlander hard on king of reliability..
also DO NOT buy used ford, GM, Dodge, Nissan since their quality tanked
Thanks! Well yes, land cruisers are great, but fuel economy sucks, they are a bit pricy for me and the ecology taxes are 4x more than a subaru. I would keep my 124 instead. Considering ford mondeo 1.6 or 1.8 mt, becouse they have no ecology taxes.
I just heard subarus develop all kinds of leaks over time, head gaskets failure, all kind of knocks due to oil starvation. Should i be aware of it or thats just a horror stories? And which is better AT or MT? My 124 has 4 speed auto trany and im happy with it.
Hey, that's almost impossible 😄 all local ones are poor condition and rusted. All imported ones are between 110k to 185k miles on a clock and 125k miles is considered as low mileage 😃 and that includes all cars here. Diesels are not an option, since eco taxes are twice in comparison with petrols. Any younger mb, bmw, audi, vw (most popular brands) petrols, thats within my pocket size, emit so high co2 numbers that its not logic to change my current w124 and i dont trust their reliability. With mileage up to 60k miles is considered as almost new, so they cost a fortune.
In this co2 range fits 2008 ford mondeo, focus and some peogeots. But i dont trust them either. Bmw 3 or opel astra wagons a little too small...
Is there any other bigger wagon I should consider?
Your choice. Consider that petrol Toyotas in Europe don't hold as long as ones in America do. I see VW 1.6 and 2.0 petrol engines are being sold with over 400k km on odo.