"Sporty" Wagons

Is there a more sporty/fun to drive wagon than the Legacy Wagons that come with a turbo (GT trim I think?)

I've decided a wagon makes the most sense for my first car but I'm having trouble finding any wagons on the used market that don't look bland as fuck and equally boring to drive (like the Volvo V70).

WRX wagon (2007 and earlier)
Legacy GT wagon
Outback XT
Forester XT
Hemi Magnum

Those are the only legitimate options.

Nissan Stagea

These look great thanks. Man I'd love a WRX Wagon but it seems like they're pretty rare in this part of Canada, at least any for sale that don't come with I KNOW WHAT I GOT NO LOWBALLERS - same goes for the magnum in anything but base trim.

No problem. Just be aware that if you settle for any Subaru with a N/A 2.5L, you're going to get very bored very fast with the car.

Subaru Boxers were meant to be turbocharged. Period.*
*exception - If you find an H6, that's fine too. Just nothing that's the 2.5 NA garbage

What's boring about them? Just slow?

Absolutely pathetic. Sure, they're the workhorse and millions of miles have been clocked on the things, but you'll want for that extra bit of oomph every single time you want to pass anyone or have even a slight amount of fun.

160HP vs 250HP is pretty substantial.

Yeah, I have a 08 n/a outback and it got boring real fast. Worst thing is you cant even put an aftermarket turbo on it either, the na boxers are open deck and cant really handle anything more than stock psi.

e46 wagon
get it RWD with a manual

I'm a uni student can't really afford a beemer or a merc

do you have the tools/space to fix your own car?

I personally don't at the time but I live around 20 mins from family members with garages.

As for tools I don't really know what's needed, the guys in my family are all pretty handy dudes with big tool boxes, saws, air compressors, etc. They're mostly into construction and carpentry though, not sure how those tools would really benefit mechanical stuff either than sets of wrenches and what not.

ok so yeah i'd avoid anything unreliable then, although dont thing a subaru is automatically reliable because subaru

Most of the 04-09 legacy series is very reliable besides the infamous ej25 head gaskets

Just curious what kind of tools are needed to fix your own car?

I've always been interested in mechanical stuff, not to an autistic degree or anything but I definitely want to be involved in maintaining whatever car I choose as much as I can.
They seem really cool and it's something else to do either than partying and playing video games.
My mom still insists on Christmas presents even though I'm going on 20 lol, so if the tools are a reasonable price I could always just ask her for a gift card to a hardware store or what have you.

just stop. get a civic for 3k. there's nothing sporty about any of the wagons that have been suggested outside of the e46. save your money for a cts v after college and after you have a good job.

go look up " common problems"
then look up on youtube "fix "

EJ25 head gasket problems are not a thing on the turbocharged models.

The N/A ones got cuck tier gaskets because Subaru thought it would be brilliant to use shitty gasket material that gets destroyed when idiots let their old oil and coolant get acidic and chew through it.

I won't be able to fit all my shit in a civic or take it through remote Canada. All the wagons that have been listed so far are as sporty as I need.
For me "sporty" is anything that isn't a large metal box with wheels..

What is it that makes head gaskets such a bitch/so expensive to replace? I looked them up and they just look like a rectangular piece of metal. With holes.

It's a bitch and expensive because Subaru.
Because of the boxer configuration.
First off you got 2 heads for a 4 cylinder engine.
Secondly because the blocks are at the bottom of the engine. Not easily accessible from the top like most cars. You gotta lift the car and shit outa the way first.

Again, if he gets a Turbo he doesn't have to worry about it.

If he cucks out and gets an N/A, he can just get one that's had the head gaskets replaced with MLS gaskets and they won't ever fail again.

How much of a feat would it be to get a turbo engine swapped into a na outback?
The ej253 and 257 are shaped the same so a swap shouldn't be too hard right?

Huge pain in the ass.

Engine bolts up to the transmission without hassle, but the task is getting the ECU to play nice with the rest of the car.

Easier just to pay the extra $1000-3000 to get a turbo car than it is to pay the $2000+ wasted time to do a swap like this.

The saab wagons aint bad, especially if you can find an aero

>if he cucks out
It will be a few months until I'm ready to buy but I'm not cucking out... I don't care how much the insurance is or how much of a fucc boy it makes me, I want a turbo haha

And thanks to all for your help, I've lurked Veeky Forums for a bit now but and I really appreciate the discussion and relative maturity here compared to a lot of other boards

Good luck finding one in the US

Urs4 avant, Rs2, 335i wagon

Try a Volvo V70R. Big difference.

Couldnt I swap out the ecu for one from a xt outie? Im not exactly in the situation where I can up and sell the car just to get a few horsepower

...

I can't be bothered to do all the research for you. As a rule, engine swaps on anything newer than 80s cars is almost never worth it because electrics and electronics will shit all over your project even if the mechanics of it are sound.

Also p. sure things like the differential gear ratios will be different, the axles might not be as strong in an n/a application. IDK. If you already have an Outback N/A 2.5, just drive the fucker till it dies and save up so when it does croak, you can buy your Turbo wagon.

I was looking at an Accord wagon before the deal came up to get my Galant

If I can find one within 100 mi of me in Ohio surely you can up there.

Just going to leave this here...

who the fuck wants to go to remote canada? how much shit could you possibly need to haul if you're just one person? how much can you spend? what are you driving now?

That looks more like a big hatchback than a wagon

>Who the fuck wants to go to remote Canada
Me, I love our country. Love seeing less traveled areas.

>How much shit could you possibly need to haul
Supplies for 3 to 4 dudes

>How much can you spend
Looking at around $7k CAD, possibly more depending on how much I make during my work terms.

>What are you driving now
Borrow my mom's Elantra if I need a car

Looks really slick but getting an Alfa Romeo in Canada is pretty much unheard of unless you have the big bucks.

Yeah I looked at those, seem great for my purposes but they seem really rare here for whatever reason (at least at my price point)

>going into the woods with 3 or 4 dudes
fag confirmed. tell the other fags to drive separately.

Yeah, Saabs a nice cars and might be within your price range; idk about Canada prices.

That does look nice, I'll consider one if I can do some research and find them in Canada.

Yeah, if you get a LS model the internals and forged and some other shit so you can slap a tarbo on it, but other than that you'll grenade the thing.

I have an 04' Outback and its pretty piggish. It'll run forever and a day, but it won't break any land speed records.

Good man, and you'll only be a fucc boi if you stance that bitch.
Also, as long as you stay away from the meme threads then you'll generally find very civil responses.