Any car afficianados here? Can you help me decide on a small wagon?

[branders seine]

I frequently need to haul musical equipment (keyboards, small PA, guitars and the like), so I need a car with some cargo room. Looking at small wagons (not SUV's!), three models come up:

Chevrolet HHR
Subaru Outback
Scion xB


any advice or experience with any of these three?

HHR gets dinged in reviews for poor reliabiilty. Outback is expensive; I don't really need AWD, and it gets pretty crappy gas mileage. Scion also gets mediocre gas mileage, but is cheap and well-reviewed.

[kayakjohnny]

1. Here ya go!

But seriously, I had a 90 Camry wagon and was really happy with it. They made them through 96 and there are still many of them out there. Good on fuel and quite reliable.

And every one I know with a Honda Element absolutely loves it. Probably 8 or 10 different people.

[branders seine]

2. Thanks! There was some issue with the Element I can't remember.

Maybe the configuration of the cargo compartment? I'll look again. It fell out of the running in my research.

I'm replacing a '93 Corolla wagon, and I want to go a little newer than '96, but I agree, corona wagons were really good.

[GreenPartyVoter]

3. Husband was torn between the outback and the scion. Unfortunately money forced him into

choosing a Ford Focus, which has lots of deck room but he doesn't like the way it handles in snow for him. (His job requires that he pretty much fills the entire car with work stuff, with the exception of the driver's seat. Honest. LOL)

The family car is a Subaru Forester. He loves it and really wants to replace the Ford with an Outback.

[Gold Metal Flake]

4. It's too bad the wagon was killed to support the SUV.

We have two Ford Focus wagons, but the Focus wagon was discontinued after 2007, just in time for the debut of the Ford Flex. The Flex is so close to being a wagon they should just reduce the mass of the frame, put on smaller tires and be done with it. Saturn made a wagon, have you looked at them? Maybe a good, low-mileage used Focus wagon.

[Mudoria]

5. You could consider this:

[JVS]

6. Have you considered a nissan versa?

[NightWatcher]

7. the Ford Connect looks cool

looks European and could be painted with your band logo/colors

[TreasonousBastard]

8. Looked at the Chevy Equinox? Yeah, it's a mini-SUV, but...

it's priced right for what it is and has great gas mileage.

(There's also the Toyota Matrix/Pontiac Vibe and the Honda Element. And those funny looking things from Nissan, Kia and...)