A new car

[LabelKing]

Originally Posted by lawyerdad

Yeah, but think about how much fun ms. matt would have opening that baby up and flying along those San Francisco autobahns.
Maybe at night; the S.F. streets seem empty at night and those vintage engines have a fantastic whining snarl.

 

[Christofuh]

I realize it might be vaguely important, but how much are you looking to spend ?
FYI, Land Rover is about as reliable as Hamas cease-fire

 

[briancl]

Originally Posted by imageWIS

Audi A4 Avant without the sports suspension should be a perfect solution; it rides high enough that you shouldn't have any more scrapes on your bumper due to curbs.

Jon.

This should be fine. Any normal car won't have the front lip spoiler that the S60R has, and any normal car will have a slightly higher ride height.

 

[gamelan]

second the Outback recommendation. go for the Turbo variant.

i've got a Forester that's got a 7" ground clearance and i have yet to ground out on anything during normal driving. i used to drive an Acura Integra with about a 5" ground clearance and would probably hit the undercarriage on something at least once a week. granted at 200,000 miles it was still relatively trouble free so i certainly can't complain there.

-Jeff

 

[LabelKing]

Originally Posted by VMan

LOL THAT WOULD BE SO COOL TO MAINTAIN AND REPAIR!
I think a Bristol is the ideal compromise: Make it work! http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...Sort%26fvi%3D1

 

[matadorpoeta]

Originally Posted by iammatt

Well, the help provided with my new car was invaluable, so I come back asking for help on another.

My wife drives a Volvo S60R and while we love the car, she has developed a nasty habit of getting into accidents with curbs and parking stops

. The front spoiler on the Volvo is very, very low, so I don't blame her 100%, perhaps 99%.

Anyway, I am thinking of trading it in and getting something that she will have less trouble with. I am not looking to spend a fortune on a car, but definitely want to get something that is safe, reliable, comfortable and fun to drive. My initial instinct would be a Land Rover, but they are extremely difficult to deal with in our driveway.

Any suggestions would be terrific.
forgive me for being dense, but why not get a regular s60 non 'r'? avoid the sport-suspension and you're fine. if she needs more ground clearance the xc70 is an obvious contender.

 

[Renault78law]

I'm a fan of the allroad. Audi wagons, in general, remind me of San Francisco.

 

[Dmax]

As an Allroad owner (mine is a 6-speed manual) let me say it's a great car. I probably would not get another out of warranty as repair costs can be brutal. The last year an Allroad was available for US market was 2005, so if you want one it will have to be pre-owned. Most 2004-2005 model years should still be under warranty and include scheduled maintenance untill 50,000 miles. You can find one with an extended warranty as well.

Current generation allroad is not yet (and may never be) available for US market since Audi USA does not want to cannibalize Q7 SUV sales. 2007 allroad and other Audi goodies like RS4 Avant and RS6 Avant are available in Europe.

Not sure what you price point is but if you are looking at Land Rovers you may wish to look at the aforementioned Q7. S4 Avant and A6 avant are also very nice vehicles and not every Jim and Harry have one. S4 is more fun to drive while A6 may have a bit more ground clearance if that is important.

 

[A Y]

I second the XC70 recommendation. It sounds like you might be interested in a crossover vehicle: practicality and better handling of a wagon in a small SUV package. The Acura MDX or RDX are also good choices.

--Andre

 

[RJman]

Why not a nice Toyota Camry?

 

[LabelKing]

Originally Posted by RJman

Why not a nice Toyota Camry?
Why not a barge?

 

[imageWIS]

Originally Posted by LabelKing

Why not a barge?

LMAO.

Jon.

 

[Pink22m]

Why not just tell wifey to be more careful when driving???

 

[dirk diggler]

GMC Acadia.

 

[skalogre]

Originally Posted by dirk diggler

GMC Acadia.

Seems to be a decent offerring from initial reviews but in practical terms a station wagon would work better (smaller, more agile, lower running costs). Ford S-Max would be a decent choice. Assuming it were available over here (note jab at Ford's asinine management).