The 90s trinity of Wagons (long post with tons of details)

Yes those three Wagons I choose and I took that picture of my best mates Volvo carrying my moms E34 518i on the trailer to the workshop on purpose if you ask. And yes there are other 90s station wagons, which I will attend to later, but now for what I know and how I chose to take them for the winners. All the three cars above I have driven. The Mercedes is taken from google pictures, but I had driven one just like that. A 1996 Mercedes 250D. And well the other two pictures are my Daily and my buddies holiday traveler. And well I drove that Volvo some miles and I know what it is like to own….and well it is really a good thing to own a Volvo, that said, let me start explaining why the F** you want to own a “boring” station Wagon.

Well… first of all, opportunities….Ever thought about a camping trip and a rafting tour? Yes? well here we go…easily fit 4 people with camping stuff and of course Bier…. a lot of Bier….favorable “Augustiner”; “Faust” or “Schlappe Seppel”… for you guys abroad if a store (I have seen Faust Beer in Moscow!) sells those imported Beer f*ckin get it, try it and forget that Pisswater you are used to (For Spain I would go for Estrella, even though it tastes more like a mild lemonade than a Beer), and get that one #notsupportedbyGermanbeer #justrunby . So how do I return to cars from here?
Well I just do. Ever thought about Roadtrips? - who am I asking, of course…. either you can right sleep in the car (we build a Sleeping bed with a complete wardrobe for the Volvo including fancy curtains for the Windows) or easily take tent and all the stuff you need (of course a lot of Beer and a guitar). And well the space in the back is also quite good when you are moving around, which is when you are a student in Germany at least is happening quite often, because all the apartments you get are crap. It is really like US elections, you do not know which decisions in your life brought you to that vote, but it must have been some pretty bad ones. Enough said…seems like I should have gotten one beer less, this is going to be a long article I guess….

Second of all looks. Well of course not you f*ckin !d!ot. I have heard of people preferring the looks of station wagons over coupe or limousines (yes Alex, I think your E36 is way prettier than that Touring twin you once showed us saying that it is awesome, well it is but I would rather take Colin for looks alone), but I certainly do not. My second thing is that it is just a better daily driver. I can not afford to drive an E34 M5 or an E30 325i drift prepped car all year (Well the last one my back can not afford I guess, but the M5 will ruin me sooner than later driving it 25k a year). And so next to your track car you basically need a second one which works and is cheap AF. And why not taking one that is also very useful. Look at normal Track Day guys on Nürburgring. They pull their E30s on E60s 520d or Volvos to the track. That is the real world car Enthusiast life. Of course driving a McLaren daily is awesome, but for normal people track cars are expensive to run and are a compromise between comfort and track car, and by compromise one of those things does not exist anymore (Same thing making a compromise with your girlfriend….you know you will loose, badly).

Third: They are trucks, well kind of. What is the saying you are not a real man until you have wood infront of your place…. well get it there with your wagon (btw. girls love bonfires if your are on the market, but do not be stupid the firebug gene is on the Y-chromosome so be careful). They are also pretty useful while building or restoring your house alone. With trucks, try to get a parking space here in Europe/Germany. You get one actually but not aside from the hardware store.
So that were just some of the points.

Now we enter the area of why these cars. I was in the market for station wagons not too long ago. I had a variable budget but it had to be under 2k or only slightly above. But when I find a cool or special car I take that as well. So I got myself the 520iT with lpg and remarkable interior and all the little stuff like aircon working for well that I will not say here, but dirt cheap. But exterior in all honesty, Colin might be proud of this E34 for its`rusty crustyness. But I tried to be open minded and in my search were the following cars:

AUDI 100 Avant: Well Avant Quattro would be nice but try to get one….=) More Expensive than dating a third class celebrity in Hollywood I guess. So only FWD left. And well this car is not appealing to me at least. Couple that with FWD and really poor indirect suspension and even a magnificient 2.3l Five Pot Banger (which produces 136hp, 14hp less than the 2.0l BMW) can not make this package more tasteful. And well maintenance on that Audi, most people think BMW is expensive, I have had plenty of experience in getting parts, nothing is more easy than getting parts for BMWs, while for AUDI even the breaking discs will set you back at least a weekend roadtrip to Bratislava for me. So cheers to all the AUDI fans, I know that you love that certainly rust free and well that 2.3l 5 banger is really a masterpiece, but that is not the one I would have gotten myself into.

well… pretty similar to that 100 in some technological aspects minus that 2.3l 5 pot, which was best of all. But the VW engines sold in these cars, most of all the 2.0l 116 hp 4 pot is not bad at all in the i35 Passat. But honestly it is not that great, too. It is fairly reliable, puts out decent power and fuel consumption is pretty well, too. But when the engine is fairly okay you expect the rest to be quite good. And well the rest of the car is besides reliable nothing else. Suspension is boat like and seats have as much support and comfort as the green party in the united states (but the green party there is dead because their presidential candidate was an even bigger idiot than the two everybody voted….and that was actually difficult). And well for loading space it is not as big as the Merc, Volvo or BMW. And Tax insurance of all these cars are fairly equal, while the buying costs are also in the high hundreds to 2000€ range for working ones of all cars in Germany. So the VW is not a top three choice, only if you want to spend your days full of regrets buying an old piece of VW metal from the days when they knew how to build cars that work at least (you won`t find a check engine light burning in one I guess).

Well this one… Peugeot 405. A French car on a list full of good cars? Yes this was maybe the last one out of France that was not totally crap. If it has not rusted in the past it might soon. But beside some serious rust issues the engines were good quality or died within the first 50.000km because of construction errors… hilarious, but that is the truth. Timing belt, like VW, AUDI, VOlVO. (But if it snaps in the Volvo the piston does not kiss the valve which is always a good thing looking on reliability). Cheap maintenance, but some parts of the car are really no enjoyment to work on them and the electronics… well they are French….what more do I need to say right? But for a Trip or two this car is actually not so bad and so I looked over them for a while. But honestly they are just like the VW not worth the effort in my opinion.

Subaru Legacy Outback, one that actually needs to be on the Top three but there are only 3 spaces. The main problem is to get them into your budget. I found some decent cars, but I wanted them to work not having a leaking head gasket or some weird wining noise from the drivetrain. And if you find a good one the price tag is so much higher than the Merc, BMW or Volvo so that you basically can not put them in the same category. The 4x4 is a nice addition and the 2.5l 4 cylinder Boxer is quite naturally reliable. But it is also the thirstiest and biggest and only produces 6hp more than the BMW. So you see the problem right? Awesome for Festivals, Outdoor trips, but as a daily…well some drawbacks here, too. As I am an Geographer/Geologist and Analyse Satellite Data I give the Ground Clearence normally extra points so this makes the Outback budget for me at least a bit higher. But even considering that I was disappointed by offers I picked up. And for 2500€ I expect a car to work properly given what cars I bought for under 500€ in the past.

The last one besides the three top noches….=) Chevi Caprice. One thing USA understands is how to make cars big. If you buy a Van…buy a US Van…in comfort and luxury and reliability nothing beats them. So as those were the things I looked for this one came in mind. Sadly try to find one here in Europe. The cheapest one is 2500€ right now and that is not one you want to get. The car has a V8 in most cases (here at least) and not a small one either. But if you think this thing then might be a rocket… well the 5.7l V8 made about 170ish hp when new….quite disappointing isn`t it? And well with the fuel prices this thing will be expensive AF to run, but at least stylish. Sleeping in it? - No f*ckin problem. Want to get rid of some boddies?- The trunk fits easily a whole italian Mafia Gang (not italo-mafia Gang, the tend to be too fat to fit even one I guess). So buying price too high, fuel consumption out of space but Space is the real deal with that one…and simplicity. If I would live in the US and A I might have one of those cruising down the highway, where the fuel consumption of a low revving V8 might not be total crap.

the number three: The Mercedes W124: It is truly a tough car. But it has some major problems. One of those is the rear axle. It tends to fall apart because of rust. It happened twice in my Family. And one time I was in the car while my dad was driving around a corner and believe me if the rear wheels are suddenly not doing what they are supposed to do going into a corner is a feeling where some poo might come out. The second well it is also rust… Chassis is not the best in terms of withstanding rust. Underfloor often needs welding if neglected which it is when you buy a that cheap car. But on the upside the engine is just a tank. Especially the Diesel ones. It takes a real idiot to kill one of those. My Dad drove the last W124 in the family, which I got him, because he needed a work horse for a year that he did 60.000km. Every other car would have halfed in value by that. This car….well we sold it for basically the buying price with a diff that was not really good because of the axle problems in the back, which we fixed. Really that was the third scariest thing I was experiencing being a passenger… when suddenly out of nowhere the car goes sideways at 90km/h…..and luckily my dad was driving… with my mom… well it might have had a different ending than parking the car and shouting at that crap…..(and for all of those who say just keep it intact…..well the rust went from inside out…it was a stealth attack…car passed technical inspection 3 weeks before…..).

the second place my favourite car the E34…. I love it. It does everything has the most power output a really smooth straight six and the seats are awesome comfortable. It has even a seperated opening bootlid: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2e50IG6-Y9c
yes the pic above is my car and I might not be completely rational. But well…in terms of technical Advance the E34 was a mile stone. And the limousine looks just dope while the Touring is not bad at all to look at. So what it has is power, looks, comfort usability (Trunk fit easily a 2m x 1m Mattress 1.2m if you squeeze it a bit where the seats are. The seating position in the back is not anoying at all for passengers on long journeys (I often travel a lot…long distances (~1000km) and passengers are most of the time on board). So what it looks like on the reliability issues….well might be because I own this car….travel lot and all…. it has been reliable so far, but I also know that there will be some bad repairs in the upcoming months hitting me… Most of them related to rust. Colin was build in 1997 and this one in 1996…so same quality steal was used, but Colin is an M3, what basically means that someone put down a sh!tload of money to buy it, so he looks after it at least as long as the first owner owned it. My 520 on the other hand was always a low Spec (even with some very good gimics like AC, Sport package (did not need that one though) and a nice part-leather interior)BMW. So rust is one issue I need to fight again soon….. The other one….suspension is f*cked. Simple as that. lowered springs done by previous owner puts up stress in all components. And I do not mess around so I replace most parts at once, so I do not have to deal with issues like that on the car again. And since parts are cheap it might not cost me the value of a fortress to get it. Yeah BMW Parts are not expensive, one thing some people still do not believe. Bosch or even some other suppliers get you decent quality parts for less than OEM Spec. My M5 gets OEM, but that is like my babycar…the 520i gets decent quality parts (did not need much in the past though) and gets running all day long. Never owned a cheaper car to run.

Now the master on this article Volvo 940: My buddy owns this Volvo in the Pic…decent towing capacity, tons of space and an engine which was based on a Diesel engine. So to kill it you need to shoot at it… and small caliber does not work. This thing is actually lighter than my Touring… But if you look beneath the bonnet you know why. While in the BMW everything is a close package in the Volvo…you got space… you can basically climb next to your engine and sleep next to it when it is cold outside……=) This car is a mechanics dream. Bolts you need to work on are huge. Nothing Fancy just huge Bolts you get your wrench on and take the car apart for replacing timing belt for example…or add a second battery above the one, so you can run a fridge on board and make decent lights without risking a dead battery in the morning. So now to the basic advantage of all the above cars…NO FREAKIN RUST. I have only seen one car that old and in that condition and I bought it right away, it was my M5. Beside that no car over 15 years looked as solid as that one. Only part that got replaced besides regular service was the exhaust…pipe was rotten, so yeah by no rust I mean no rust on Chassis. Tons of space… the Safety feeling in a Volvo is awesome, the doors are heavy, and when you close them that sound….like you shut the doors of a nuclear warhead facility with a throw. And that is not the only thing massive. Using just blinkers or light switches everything makes a mechanic sound: “clonk” like you pushed the button to launch a Missle upon your annoying neighbors house. But there I am not even getting started with the awesomeness of that Volvo… The engine is a raw piece out of Medieval Sweden. No peak power, but all torque the 2.0 I4 with 110hp. Really cruising one. Especially with the 4-Speed + Overdrive option. It revs like 2.4k at 100km/h, a 4-pot N/A!!! and interior is all quiet. Fun fact with a leaking exhaust it sounds like a Diesel….=). Seats are as comfortable as Mercedes and BMW. You look at a dashboard that looks like made in the 70s, that is true but not a disadvantage. And the 940 is way cheaper than a 240 for example, which was actually the car my buddy wanted to get, but no more regrets on that one. Put in a decent sound system (engine sound is not so good) and you have the perfect car, add an lpg/gpl thing and it is cheaper than any new car to run as well. I actually think about swapping my Touring for a 940, but have not found the right one just yet.

Conclusion: The last three are all best value for the money you are paying….you can not get more car for the money. It depends on what deal you get for one of those, which decides which car is better. I personally work on E34s since I am 18 years old and before that E32s, which are similar in many ways. So I got a weakspot for them and for me they are the best deal, because I can fix them up myself and I know all the weakspots. When you live in Sweden for example a 940 is dirt cheap and is just the best deal. No need for a look around for another station wagon. And of course this list is based not on performance track wise, just daily usability and vacation. BMW, Volvo and Mercedes were back than on top of their game and all have their advantages above one other….Cheers!

I hope you did not die during reading this article and you have an awesome day. If I would be more talented with working on my camera and not trashing it I might do Videos with themes like that, but because of work and studies I actually have just crappy time…. I really come home and when I find the time I write articles like this…But it always takes so much time……But I enjoy doing it and I honestly do not care if it hits 2, 20 or 200 upvotes……never did but comments would be nice to get some kind of feedback to be honest….=) So once again thanks for reading, have an awesome day!