List methodology

So what’s my methodology? If you ask a roomful of automotive enthusiasts for cool wagon suggestions, you’ll develop insomnia combing Craigslist for some 1-of-1 vintage collector’s car that will only come up for resale twice. Ever. (It’s the AMC Eagle, to be exact). So I didn’t do that. This time.

I used MotorBiscuit’s car buying tool to scour used car listings nationwide and come up with 4 that fit all our criteria. And they all are actually available now. The criteria are:

• Traditional station wagon looks (sorry Nissan Cube, Honda Crosstour, Mini Cooper, and my beloved PT Cruiser)
• Commonly available with AWD (so not the FWD Mazda Protege5 and Acura TSX, or RWD Cadillac CTS-V)
• True stick shift examples common (So nope to the Mercedes-Benz E350/E500, Buick Regal TourX, Porsche Panamera, and Dodge Magnum)
• Larger than a hot hatch (So we’ll save the excellent VW GTI/Audi A3, Mazda6, and Ford Focus for a different list)

BMW 3 Series xDrive

There’s something too perfect about the 3 series. Like that one high school classmate who was a three-season varsity athlete and still starred in the school play. You secretly wanted to punch them in their perfect face. But if we’re being honest, you also would have dated them if they asked.

The Beamer’s signature straight-six engine and RWD chassis–when equipped with a stick shift transmission is just…(chef’s kiss). It’s impossible to hate when you’re behind the wheel. It’s easy to hate when some jerk driving one passes you on the highway. But if you show up at the car meet in a wagon version…you’re a BMW driver with taste.

BMW makes wagon version of both the 3 series and the 5 series. With the high “take rate” of manual transmissions in new BMWs, a stick shift wagon isn’t too hard to find. I see an equal number come up for sale with RWD and with BMW’s xDrive (AWD) system.

Want the wagon everyone loves to hate? Check out used BMW listings near you.

Audi A4 Avant/VW Golf Alltrack

If winter driving is your concern, take another look at Audi. This was the automaker to beat in rally racing for years. Ken Block’s final Gymkhana video was in an Audi and as his daughter Lia’s career takes off, she often runs these cars. The automaker’s AWD tech is called “Quattro” and it’s among the best on the market.

I’ll be blunt: When I started this list I figured the Audi A4 Avant with a stick shift would be the clear winner for cool, cheap, reliable, multi-purpose wagon. Turns out there isn’t one available nationwide. If you do see one, buy it before I do. But if you need a car now, consider the Volkswagen Golf Alltrack. It’s mechanically identical to an A4. And like my momma always says, it’s what’s inside that counts.

Unlike the compact GTI, the larger Golf Alltrack boasts traditional station wagon proportions. Its Audi-derived AWD system will keep you going through any weather. And dozens are available with three pedals. Since VW didn’t begin making this configuration until 2017, you’ll pay a bit more. But I am seeing listings at $15k.

Curious about the other German automaker: Check out used VWs near you.

Saab 9-5 Aero

I know I promised to avoid rare cars, but the Saab 9-5 Aero may be so darn cool because it’s rare. My brother had a completely beat up one for years and when he’d park it a Cars and Coffee, people would walk right by a Lamborghini to check it out. Peeling paint and all. Yeah, the finance bro driving the Lambo loved that.

I’m including this one for a few reasons. If you do happen to find a rare stick shift one, it may not be that expensive. The market has yet to catch up with these. You may also find a later 9-3 era wagon that’s the spec you’re looking for. And they are also very reasonably priced. Like $5k, reasonable. And finally, if you’re interested in an automatic, there are a bunch more available.

These Saabs are all from when GM owned the company. But they borrow much of their “cool” from the earlier Saab 900 era. Those Radwood-fabulous cars are also dirt cheap right now. They are all FWD, but test drive one before you say they can’t handle the snow. That is, after all, what those crazy Swedes engineered them for.

Curious why these cars are having a moment? Check out used Saabs near you.

Subaru 2.5 GT

Time to come clean: I have a mental block against calling Subarus “cool.” I grew up in rural Vermont and these were the cheap AWD “beater” cars we all abused all winter. It doesn’t help that in other places, WRX sedans are an entire automotive subculture also defined by flat-brim caps and Monster energy drinks.

But my trauma shouldn’t keep you away from your perfect car. Subaru has been making the AWD wagon for decades. They offer multiple trims with stiffer suspension, turbocharged engines, and stick shift transmissions. And they’re plentiful. Seriously, there’s one that fits our criteria parked at every used car lot in the country. So we’d be foolish not to consider them.

If you want to look beyond the default (Impreza WRX), hunt down a Legacy 2.5 GT. This special edition has stiff suspension and an engine tune. Though the wagon version has regular Subaru styling, enthusiasts in the know will lose their mind when they see you driving one. I got to bomb around snowy dirt roads in a friend’s 2.5 GT for a weekend last winter and I’ll admit, I get it.

Take a look at used Subaru wagons near you.