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So I'm in the market for a new car. My current car--a 2001 MB C240--is at the point that a lot stuff needs to be replaced and it's pretty expensive. It's also RWD, which is pretty awful during Colorado winters. Although I would love to get a hybrid or even a very fuel efficient diesel, I need an AWD car, and those are almost always FWD.

At this point I'm pretty much down to either a Subaru Impreza or an Audi A3. Does anyone have any experiences with either? Pros/cons that you can share? Is there another AWD car that you've had good experiences with? Thanks.

rockymtn devil wrote:So I'm in the market for a new car. My current car--a 2001 MB C240--is at the point that a lot stuff needs to be replaced and it's pretty expensive. It's also RWD, which is pretty awful during Colorado winters. Although I would love to get a hybrid or even a very fuel efficient diesel, I need an AWD car, and those are almost always FWD.

At this point I'm pretty much down to either a Subaru Impreza or an Audi A3. Does anyone have any experiences with either? Pros/cons that you can share? Is there another AWD car that you've had good experiences with? Thanks.

I lust after the A3. That's my vote. Comes in a great Duke blue.

wilson wrote:

rockymtn devil wrote:So I'm in the market for a new car. My current car--a 2001 MB C240--is at the point that a lot stuff needs to be replaced and it's pretty expensive. It's also RWD, which is pretty awful during Colorado winters. Although I would love to get a hybrid or even a very fuel efficient diesel, I need an AWD car, and those are almost always FWD.

At this point I'm pretty much down to either a Subaru Impreza or an Audi A3. Does anyone have any experiences with either? Pros/cons that you can share? Is there another AWD car that you've had good experiences with? Thanks.

I lust after the A3. That's my vote. Comes in a great Duke blue.

My current car is a nice Duke blue, which Mercedes doesn't make anymore. It's also a 6-speed manual, which is very rare with MBs. That rare combination will hopefully translate into a better trade-in, but I might just sell it on my own and find some MB enthusiast who is willing to pay a little more.

I love the A3 as well. If only the quattro was standard and not an add-on.

rockymtn devil wrote:My current car is a nice Duke blue, which Mercedes doesn't make anymore. It's also a 6-speed manual, which is very rare with MBs. That rare combination will hopefully translate into a better trade-in, but I might just sell it on my own and find some MB enthusiast who is willing to pay a little more.

I love the A3 as well. If only the quattro was standard and not an add-on.

I was unaware that there were any manual M-Bs in the States. A nice ride, indeed.

wilson wrote:

rockymtn devil wrote:So I'm in the market for a new car. My current car--a 2001 MB C240--is at the point that a lot stuff needs to be replaced and it's pretty expensive. It's also RWD, which is pretty awful during Colorado winters. Although I would love to get a hybrid or even a very fuel efficient diesel, I need an AWD car, and those are almost always FWD.

At this point I'm pretty much down to either a Subaru Impreza or an Audi A3. Does anyone have any experiences with either? Pros/cons that you can share? Is there another AWD car that you've had good experiences with? Thanks.

I lust after the A3. That's my vote. Comes in a great Duke blue.

NICE CAR!!!! AUDI's have always attracted me, but a little out of price range!!!!

As an Audi owner, how could one go wrong with an Audi?

rockymtn devil wrote:So I'm in the market for a new car. My current car--a 2001 MB C240--is at the point that a lot stuff needs to be replaced and it's pretty expensive. It's also RWD, which is pretty awful during Colorado winters. Although I would love to get a hybrid or even a very fuel efficient diesel, I need an AWD car, and those are almost always FWD.

At this point I'm pretty much down to either a Subaru Impreza or an Audi A3. Does anyone have any experiences with either? Pros/cons that you can share? Is there another AWD car that you've had good experiences with? Thanks.

My sister, a Dukie in the Chicago area, just bought a Subaru Forester and loves it. (She traded in a Jag.) The Forester is Motor Trend's 2009 Best SUV winner.... superb visibility, very limited blind spots, handles great, AWD. The All Weather package is a great option.

My daughter bought a Subaru Forester back in December 2005. She lives in the NC mountains and wanted the AWD. It's been a great vehicle for her - reliable and gets ~30 mpg on the highway. It's not an Audi, but it is a great ride.

OZZIE4DUKE wrote:My daughter bought a Subaru Forester back in December 2005. She lives in the NC mountains and wanted the AWD. It's been a great vehicle for her - reliable and gets ~30 mpg on the highway. It's not an Audi, but it is a great ride.

I think I've read that the percent of Foresters still being driven ten years after purchase is in the high nineties. They last a long time and are very versatile. If I were trading my car now, the Forester would be my choice followed closely by the restyled 2010 Outback. The supply of new Foresters and Outbacks has dipped sharply in the past two weeks.

Devil in the Blue Dress wrote:

OZZIE4DUKE wrote:My daughter bought a Subaru Forester back in December 2005. She lives in the NC mountains and wanted the AWD. It's been a great vehicle for her - reliable and gets ~30 mpg on the highway. It's not an Audi, but it is a great ride.

I think I've read that the percent of Foresters still being driven ten years after purchase is in the high nineties. They last a long time and are very versatile. If I were trading my car now, the Forester would be my choice followed closely by the restyled 2010 Outback. The supply of new Foresters and Outbacks has dipped sharply in the past two weeks.

I wouldn't be surprised if my next vehicle, in about another 100,000 or 150,000 miles in my Sonata, is an Outback.

OZZIE4DUKE wrote:

Devil in the Blue Dress wrote:

OZZIE4DUKE wrote:My daughter bought a Subaru Forester back in December 2005. She lives in the NC mountains and wanted the AWD. It's been a great vehicle for her - reliable and gets ~30 mpg on the highway. It's not an Audi, but it is a great ride.

I think I've read that the percent of Foresters still being driven ten years after purchase is in the high nineties. They last a long time and are very versatile. If I were trading my car now, the Forester would be my choice followed closely by the restyled 2010 Outback. The supply of new Foresters and Outbacks has dipped sharply in the past two weeks.

I wouldn't be surprised if my next vehicle, in about another 100,000 or 150,000 miles in my Sonata, is an Outback.

That's what my mom drives (2003?), and she's put a ton of miles on it (over 150K). It still drives like the day she bought it.

+1 for the Audi

The 2.0TFSI engine in the new A3 and A4 are awesome engines. I literally got ~34 mpg on the highway on my old A4 and still got 200+ hp.

What kind of engine would you look for in the Impreza? The Turbo in the A3 would be the perfect choice for high altitude. If you are looking at a normally aspirated engine, you'll lose power as high as you are, but the turbo in the A3 will overcome a lot of that. You could go for the 2.5GT Subie which also has the turbo.

rockymtn devil wrote:

wilson wrote:

rockymtn devil wrote:So I'm in the market for a new car. My current car--a 2001 MB C240--is at the point that a lot stuff needs to be replaced and it's pretty expensive. It's also RWD, which is pretty awful during Colorado winters. Although I would love to get a hybrid or even a very fuel efficient diesel, I need an AWD car, and those are almost always FWD.

At this point I'm pretty much down to either a Subaru Impreza or an Audi A3. Does anyone have any experiences with either? Pros/cons that you can share? Is there another AWD car that you've had good experiences with? Thanks.

I lust after the A3. That's my vote. Comes in a great Duke blue.

My current car is a nice Duke blue, which Mercedes doesn't make anymore. It's also a 6-speed manual, which is very rare with MBs. That rare combination will hopefully translate into a better trade-in, but I might just sell it on my own and find some MB enthusiast who is willing to pay a little more.

I love the A3 as well. If only the quattro was standard and not an add-on.

Don't count on getting extra for a 6 speed manual as less and less folks in the US want to drive/shift on their own, therefore a dealer/private buyer is less likely to want it.

How about the Subaru Forester or the Honda CR-V?

You can also buy the Ford Escape in an AWD hybrid, at least according to Edmunds.com you can.

What kind of conditions do you have to drive in where you are? AWD systems are not all created equal - there are wide variations in how they work and what they help with. I can point you toward some resources if your typical driving conditions make the quality of AWD an important factor.

DukeUsul wrote:What kind of conditions do you have to drive in where you are? AWD systems are not all created equal - there are wide variations in how they work and what they help with. I can point you toward some resources if your typical driving conditions make the quality of AWD an important factor.

Q) What kind of vehicles do you most often see off the road, as in "had an accident", during the winter in Colorado?
A) 4WD or AWD, because the drivers think they are invincible and can drive in anything, including ice.

DukeUsul wrote:What kind of conditions do you have to drive in where you are? AWD systems are not all created equal - there are wide variations in how they work and what they help with. I can point you toward some resources if your typical driving conditions make the quality of AWD an important factor.

I'd appreciate some resources. Thanks. It's difficult to say what my typical driving is because, as the saying goes, if you don't like the weather in Colorado, just wait 20 minutes.

In the winter, it's not uncommon to wake up to 6-12 inches of snow that has not been--and will not be--plowed. In my RWD car, there are days when I simply can't drive (I used to get stuck in the back alley pulling into/out of the garage all the time). I also do a fair amount of driving in snowy conditions while climbing substantial elevations (Loveland pass rises to 11,000+) and even though I'm generally on either US-6 or I-70, it can still be pretty rough. In the spring/summer, I do a lot of fishing and end up driving on muddy, gravel or dirt roads.

I don't want to make it sound like I'm one step away from needing a rally car, because most of my driving is city driving that is only a problem in the winter. But, my recreational activities do require some tough driving.

I noticed the tasty new Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback (a "rally-inspired" car, with AWD and the like) today, and thought of you. Might be worth a look:

And here's the Mitsubishi site for it.

wilson wrote:I noticed the tasty new Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback (a "rally-inspired" car, with AWD and the like) today, and thought of you. Might be worth a look:

And here's the Mitsubishi site for it.

That's a pretty good replica of a stop sign.

YmoBeThere wrote:That's a pretty good replica of a stop sign.

Huh?

wilson wrote:

YmoBeThere wrote:That's a pretty good replica of a stop sign.

Huh?

It says image not available when I look at it.