For those of you that don't know, I've got one of the VW diesels that's affected by the Dieselgate emissions scandal. I've got my buyback amount from VW and, as much as I like the car, it's too good to pass up. I'm looking for some ideas on what to replace it with. Here's the criteria:

-Must be good in the snow. We ski a ton, and I missed out on some great ski days last year due to bad roads.
-Must not suck to drive. I like little zippy cars, although I could live with something bigger. If I need to haul big stuff I can grab the wife's Minivan of Shame.
-Must get decent mileage. I drive a ton for work, so a Suburban (or early Bronco) isn't an option.
-Needs to be fairly safe. Been in a couple of bad wrecks and I'd like to keep walking away from them.
-Needs to have decent cargo capacity. A little more than my Golf would be nice.
-Budget is $15k, give or take.

The current front runner is an Audi A4 Avant Quattro (AWD wagon). Great to drive, fast, and dead sexy with the right set of wheels. Possibly an Outback, but the new ones are ugly and have oil consumption issues.

Any other ideas?

New Outback or an Audi Quattro and your budget is 15k? Oxymoron? How many miles are you comfortable with on a used vehicle?

We have a 2013 Ford Edge. Once I got rid of the 21 inch rim/tire combo and put some good snows on it, we love it. The dirt roads and lack of consistent snow removal in Elbert county makes it important we have "all terrain " options. Lots of cargo room. Mid 20's intown and 29 ish on the highway.

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My son has an A3. High $$ insurance & parts are outrageous expensive.

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My driving record is good, so insurance isn't an issue. I've had the same issue with VW parts cost, however. That and historical reliability are 2 of the things that have me writing this post, though.

Audi just redesigned the Q7 and everyone is goo-goo ga-ga over it.

Which has dramatically reduced the price of used Q7.

I was told, and believe, that Audi's Quattro system is superior to every awd system available, including Subaro

I absolutely LOVE my Audi s4. It is newer and lower mileage than you're looking at but it was also quite a bit more expensive than your budget. During the worst snow we had last year I took a Subaru Tribeca to my wife's work to pick her up. She had the Audi. I figured it would be best to leave the Audi over night to reduce the risk of damage to it. When I got there I decided to take the Audi around the block to see how it did. I ended up leaving the Tribeca there and taking the Audi home. It was a huge difference between the 2. Good all season tires on each.

Having said that, I can't really recommend an Audi older than 2008 due to reliability issues. They are okay in the 2006-2008 but not great. They really improved starting in 2009. Anything older than 2006 is not even a consideration in my opinion.

I'm looking at something 2010ish for that exact reason. That seems to be the price/mileage sweet spot.

It's on the list too. May come down to what I find the best deal on.

I've been looked by at an Acura RDX for the wife. Really like them and you could find one with pretty low mileage in your budget.

Justin - VW doesn't know yet that I also own a dieselgate 2.0l, and while I am curious to see what they offered you, I just got into this car and I don't plan on unloading it. I have the Jetta Sportwagen. On the daily, I get 39 MPG's and on highway trips I get 35-37 depending on speeds. Slower highways I have gotten 42.

I think it'll be hard to replace it and not look back. But perhaps since I assume you have to e-test it, you may be forced to part with it at some point.

I wish the new VW Alltrack was in your price range... Diesel and AWD!

2011 was the first year BMW exported the 3-series in a diesel and wagons are out there! X-drive = AWD Just not sure if you could find one in your budget...

Read your title.

First thought was "hookers and blow", but your idea is good too.

If I didn't have to drive for employment (the normal way to afford hookers and blow), I'd be all over that plan. JM, the current offer is to purchase the car at the September 2015 value, plus an additional $6k in compensation. The additional compensation is good whether I take the buyback or have the car modified to bring it into emissions compliance. I'm anticipating that the fix will likely hurt mileage, power, etc., if they can even get something approved. The value of the car has taken a serious enough hit that selling it at Sept 2015 prices is also a decent chunk of change. Since I want into an AWD platform anyway, it's an easy decision despite liking the car. Kicked around waiting for an Alltrack, but I really want something lower to the ground than that (or an Outback). If they hadn't discontinued the Subaru Legacy GT wagon it'd be on the list too. Not sure if I can swing the BMW, but I might need to check that out. Prices for used German cars are absurdly cheap given their initial cost, and all indicators are that there have been significant gains in reliability over the past 5 years.

Our X5 3.5d has been flawless over the past 3 years and 50k miles save for a cracked air line for the suspension. I might look into some sort of warranty for it, but really it's been a great rig so far. And fun to drive!

I'd go with a Suby Impreza sedan. Lower than an Outback, big enough trunk for my wife's shoes, the rear seats fold down if you need more room to haul. It's great in the snow and get's pretty decent milage. But my main reason for buying it is because they are stupid easy to work on and cheap to fix if needed. Fortunately, no problems yet and just past 100k now.