Which wagon?

[Euroboost]

Forget Camry wagons. They use strut rear suspension which takes up too much room. Plus they still pull silly money and Toyota rapes you on parts prices.
Commodore wagons at that price would be VN-VS which aren't that much bigger then the Magna. Heaps available but can be thirsty.
Falcon wagon. Get one on LPG and you have the biggest wagon on the market that won't break the bank, but watch the price of gas rise.
Magna wagons are a bit smaller then the Commodore, boot is about 200mm shorter and not much narrower. HEAPS better to drive then Falcon and Commodore, V6 manuals fly. The TR-TS 2.6 is abit thirsty for a 4 cyl, only a madman would drive a 2.4 TE Magna wagon. IF you're carrying kids it's worth noteing that the Magna was the safest Aussie built car on the market. Down side is they are worth nothing to sell, which is good if you want a later model for the least $$. I paid $16,000 for my then 2 year old Verada wagon in 2005, it was just under $50,000 new!

[wiggah]

If you buy right you've got a good clean practical tidy wagon for about 10k. It seems hard to imagine it will lose much more if you keep it straight. I'm fairly confident I'd be able to sell mine for the same price I paid.

[Kiahatsiu]

I have had a BA wagon for a while. Used it to drive from Brisbane to Darwin and back a few times. It isn't too bad. Once it is out on the highway it is in its element. I never reset the trip computer (until I accidently did it the other day) and it averaged around 11.8 L/100km combined cycle. It has only done city work since I reset it and it is averaging 14.something in stop start traffic. I have done a fair old whack of kays in the thing and it really hasn't missed a beat.
I can also speak highly of subaru wagons. I have done some puttering about in an outback of late and it is pretty plash. I think it is about an 02 or 03. Smooth as the falcon with a firmer ride and better build quality. Not as much load capacity as the falcon.

Any old how, my falcon is for sale at the moment, might be worth a look for you. http://forums.performanceforums.com/...php?t=67227753.
My mate is also looking to sell his outback, but it might be a bit more expensive.

[Captain_Slow]

Magna wagon or Falcon on gas. On a sheer value for money basis, Commodores are usually too expensive compared to those other two (unless you specifically want a Commodore).

If you didn't want a big wagon, Hyundai Lantra?

[Dave]

If you buy right you've got a good clean practical tidy wagon for about 10k. It seems hard to imagine it will lose much more if you keep it straight. I'm fairly confident I'd be able to sell mine for the same price I paid.

har har har, no chance. Wagons depreciate quicker than the titanic. Might be different in Darwin tho, where you need to squeeze 20 abos in a car

[Euroboost]

Depends on the wagon. I've noticed late model V8, especially luxury spec, wagons tend to hold value alittle better. For some reason my Verada held it's, pityful, value rather well for the a year or so after the 380 was released, got offered 12-13K trade last year on an '05 Futura wagon.

[Captiva Fan]

Get a 4.1L XC Cortina wagon & then wait 'til the first FG Falcon with the standard 198kW engine wraps itself around a tree & transplant the powertrain?

[TonyL]

my cc lancer wagon only cost 4.5k - I'm hoping to get 10 when I sell it though