$5000 road-trip car

what about volvo v40´s?

an E39 525d or 530d (years 2000 and above) is decently economical, around 5.5l/100km highways and ~8l/100km city

W124TD

Thats a car for life, so yes, buy that one. 1.9 - 2.5 diesel.

jezus fuck just rent

oh and maybe for the price you can find a W211 E class with the 2.2 diesel, it's economical and very comfortable
I own a 2004 W211 e270 wagon

NO, STAY THE FUCK AWAY FROM 2.5TDI
same goes for audis
honestly, do fucking not.
Terribly designed engines, oil starvation and guaranteed problems with camshaft

dont get the 2,5 tdi, it is realy a shit engine in every regard

OP here,
I also find the engine to be a good one, but the problem is what's around it. I really don't like MPVs and even though it would be great for a trip, i would hate to have one as a daily driver

Mhh, the V40 actually looks really good, I could get one for about 4k€ with

You can get the 1.9 TDI in pretty much every VW from the Golf up.