An E46 wagon was definitely on my short list when I was shopping back in early 2014. Manuals are definitely hard to come by. Sadly I couldn’t find one in my desired price range that was in my desired condition. So instead I bought an automatic 6wagon that ended up being a piece of crap. I probably should have gotten…
Yeah, and of course I’d consider a slightly older BMW wagon if I ever had to part with my 6wagon and just buy something else. But nothing out there really motivates me to let the 6 go and spend money on something else. I’d be waaaay more motivated to turn my 6 into a project car and stuff a RWD drivetrain in it.…
Bravo my 1978 brother. Words more true are rarely spoken.
Oh yeah, definitely a big improvement in power with the 2ZZ. I actually test drove a Matrix XRS at one point, I think while my wife had our first Vibe. Sadly I walked away thinking “well that’s a faster version of our Vibe that handles identically and has the same clunky-feeling shifter I remember in my 96 Corolla.”…
Oh yeah, definitely a big improvement in power with the 2ZZ. I actually test drove a Matrix XRS at one point, I think while my wife had our first Vibe. Sadly I walked away thinking “well that’s a faster version of our Vibe that handles identically and has the same clunky-feeling shifter I remember in my 96 Corolla.”…
A Porsche-developed V6 at that! Or so the rumors claim.
Yeah, that wagon was even more rare than mine. Good car, but I always felt cramped inside. My friend had a TSX sedan and it was oddly small in the back seat considering that the car wasn’t really small on the outside. Plus I think the TSX wagon was automatic only? Shame!
Yep, all your statements are correct. Back when I first wanted a 6, I was looking for manual 4-cyl hatches since this was during the time gas prices were highest. But then gas prices came down, I wanted the wagon body style more, plus we had our 2004 MPV for 2 years and it had been great. I greatly prefer manual over…
No way! As a proud owner of an older Mazda, you gotta own it.
Interesting. So where did you guys route the exhaust? Under the floor pans, or just tuck them in tight with the driveshaft? Either way, if I turned it into a full-on project car and fit a RWD V8 and transmission in there, I’d be hacking up the firewall and all sorts of stuff anyways.
Oh yeah, I have that whole setup figured out. One would either need to replace the center tunnel in a 6wagon to accomodate the rear driveshaft, or hack the back end off a MS6 and graft a wagon rear onto it. The latter would honestly be easier. Or you could stick with FWD and just install a Speed3 transmission instead…
Yeah, not me. New cars are essentially dead to me, so whatever.
It’s good to have an attainable dream car in mind. I can’t say I have one myself. Maybe I like my own cars too much, which isn’t a bad thing.
We had a pair of 2003 Vibes. One of the best auto interiors ever. Plus the glorious pop-up hatch glass.
Wagons are a beautiful and (essentially) extinct breed. Ain’t right.
You know, at age 41, I just recently discovered that cargo shorts are the new version of jean shorts.
Not too shabby. I’ll take one in RWD with manual.
The VQ isn’t all that bad. Some with modified exhausts sound kinda dull/droney.
Yeah, I actually drove my wife’s car this afternoon and got annoyed at how small and low the clock is. Both our other cars have them up high, which is where a clock should be.