Looking for a new car....something AWD w/decent gas mileage

[Cdexplorer]

I'll be graduating this may and moving on to the real world and I think it's time to think about getting rid of the good old explorer. I just passed 182,000 miles today and I think in the near future it will be more costly to own/repair my explorer than it would be to finance a new car. My problem is that I live in the northeast and snowboard a lot....so I won't buy anything without AWD. Unfortunately there aren't many vehicles that are AWD and get good gas mileage. I've been thinking about the new Volvo S40 T5 (coming in awd this summer) which would run me a little over $31,000.

Are there any other decent options out there for me??

 

[Critical_Level2]

How about a subaru. My sister has a WRX and that thing is a blast to drive and is very fast for a bone stock car. What really impressed me was that car can tear through the snow almost as good as my explorer can. I would highly recommend looking at a subaru. They are very well known for their reliability also.

 

[dtl 2k2 sport]

second the subaru,, it's a good deal for a car of that power, and performance,, But volvo makes a very nice group of cars also though!!

 

[Critical_Level2]

I forgot to add, her WRX get about 16-19 city and 27 highway miles per gallon, depending on how heavy your foot is. It is fun to spool that turbo

 

[A Wise Guy]

Element.

 

[Critical_Level2]

A kid at my school has an element and he told me it gets about the same gas milage as my explorer.

 

[Mike 92 XLT]

Audi A4 Quattro. BMW 325xi. But honestly, don't buy new. The worst thing you can do first thing out of college is drop 31K on a depreciating asset. Get something a couple of years old and let someone else take the initial hit. Especially on Audis, their value drops like a rock. Good deals can be had in lease returns.


Mike