What should I daily drive?

Dennisrh

True Classic
So I have been daily driving an X 1/9 for more than 20 years and now need a four seater since my wife is expecting our second child in a month. The X was fine when I had to pick up my son from daycare, I just put the car seat in the X and he loved it. Now I will need two carseats and, well, an X just can't handle that. So I want something sporty and elegant that doesn't get horrible gas milage (>18 MPG). I post here, because all of you know how exciting it is to drive an X and I am trying to find something to drive that won't bore me to death. Hoping someone has a good suggestion. Some important features I am looking for, in order of importance : 4 seats or more, sporty, MPG, reliability, odometer reading. I have considered some crazy concepts like a Porsche 928 with a LS1 conversion (for reliability and easy to fix), but I don't need another project car either. Just to give some ideas of what I am realistically considering, two cars in the running are:
2003 Jaguar XJR
2005 Mercedez Benz C230 Kompressor
Both are under $10k

Just looking for some more ideas, as the only reason the Jag and the Mercedes are being considered is I have owned one of each in the past.
 
If I was in the market for a new car...

I would definitely look closely at the Subaru BRZ/Scion FRS twins. Good looking car and from what I understand they are a hoot to drive.

Pete
 
The Porsche 928's engine is the least of it's problems. They are reliable as daily drivers, they grenade when subjected to track duty. This is due to oil starvation due to the poor oil cylinder head return to oil pan design. This problem often results in the failure of con rod bearings # 2 & #6.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wm1BlKelA3M

Beyond this, the vent control are vacuum operated and they leak, the AC evaporators fail and ... The cost of replacement Porsche parts makes these expensive to keep up with all things operating properly.

Cannot recommend the C-class Mercedes. A Realtor friend got a new one some years ago. The car died on a bridge causing a back-up, beyond this the car's ECU decided to lock her in the car. She had to call the tow truck with the tow truck trying to work it's way into traffic to rescue her. After this incident that was beyond upsetting, the C-class was towed directly to the dealer where she demanded they take it back where it was replace with an E-class that has been OK so far.

No experience with the Jag.

I like pre-GM SAABS, those built before 1999, specifically 9000 or 900 or just the 93 built in 1999. Anything beyond this is a NO.

With a growing family consider a hatch back or wagon as they can carry stuff, have equal performance to a sedan with next to no negatives.

Most consider acceleration and HP as performance metrics, ask yourself beyond the stop light grand prix where can one actually use 300+ Bhp & 300+ lb/ft 100% of driving time in real world road conditions.

It take much more than simple acceleration, techno widgets, and current market hype to make a pass to be considered a daily driver for me.

Do keep in mind, the newer the car, the more techno widgets it will have... that can go wrong that the typical owner cannot fix or diagnose.


My SAAB, 9000 turbo, 385,xxx miles and counting.

The SAAB, 9000 aero, 275,xxx miles and counting.

The 900se, 167,xxx miles and counting.

All are daily drivers. Pre-GM SAABs are design to be repaired and serviced to keep them on the road. They are not designed to be run totally problem free for 100,000 miles and be tossed due to the inability to service or carefully designed car that will all wear out when it's time...making the entire car disposable.

Why is odometer reading important? Cars can be completely wrecked in one day with less than a few hundred miles. Take it to an endurance race and drive the !!!! out of it, the abuse can easily wreck the oily bits. A car with 500,000 miles that has been very carefully cared for and it's condition well documented and very carefully maintained and not abuse while drive is going to be the better car if the car is designed to last and be serviced.


Bernice



Porsche 928 with a LS1 conversion (for reliability and easy to fix), but I don't need another project car either. Just to give some ideas of what I am realistically considering, two cars in the running are:
2003 Jaguar XJR
2005 Mercedez Benz C230 Kompressor
Both are under $10k

Just looking for some more ideas, as the only reason the Jag and the Mercedes are being considered is I have owned one of each in the past.
 
what to drive?

Dennis,

You KNOW what I am going to say - get a Ford Focus ST !!!

258 HP, 0 -60 in 5.9 seconds - 28 mpg City - great sound system, Recaro seats, BIG 4 wheel disks, fat tires. Boy racer.

Best go per $ around.

Ed
 
I like the Subaru and Focus ST recommendations.
I also like... and pls don't laugh... The Chevy Cobalt SS -- especially the turbo-charged variants.
 
The first and second generation Infiniti G35 sedans would be good candidates.

Overall very good reliability although as with almost every car, they have their weak spots. Excellent power and very good handling, good safety features. First gen sedans can use regular gas, EPA says 18 and 26 MPG.

First gen sedans should be under $9,000 although mileage could be higher than you might want. Second gen sedans (2007+) will be in the $12-13k range. At some point (2009 IIRC) the second generation car got the 3.7L engine, which thanks to electronic valve management picked up about 25% more HP while upping MPG at the same time! These will probably be in the upper $teens or low $20ks.
 
My choice

2004 Subaru STi.

Gobs of hp and torque. Really brings out the boy racer in ya. And the AWD hook up is F'n awesome. It's a tad heavy in the nose tho'.

The kids will love it!
 
How about a Volvo C30 R...I've had one for three and a half years and still love it. Performance, safety, practicality, ergonomics and styling.
 
I'll agree with Dan that the G35 sedans are great cars to drive and are reliable. My personal favorite is the BMW 3-Series. Not the most dependable but one of the nicest driving cars on the road. The late E46 and early E90 cars can be had for under $10K. I'll also agree with Bernice that the C-Class is a disaster. Especially the supercharged (Kompressor) models.
 
Hey guys, seems like hes on a budget of around 10k,:hmm:so lets rethink some of the options suggested here.
Ive been a long VW fan and currently own an 08 VW Rabbit/Golf 2dr with the 2.5l 5cyl engine 170hp and 170 lbs of torque.They are a tank!! and engine are known for their reliability. Try to stay away from the GTI(turbo) version unless you are good with electronics.:dance:
 
Ya know... what you need is an APPLIANCE...

The first time I heard that term was here from Steve Hoelscher describing his Ford AeroStar or something...

And as an "appliance"... like a refrigerator... its used daily for its true intended purpose and not for sport.

I suggest you get one... and like most appliances today, the good ones are usually made overseas. For $10K, and all the features you mentioned... including a bit of "sportiness"... A good used Civic 4 door is what you really WANT, and NEED.

HTH... as opinions here are like belly-buttons... Everyone has a couple...
 
Great suggestions

I like some of the suggestions, especially the BRZ/FRS. I looked into a lease for a FRS and it looks pretty afordable. I am not a big fan of front wheel drive, so thats a strike on the Ford Focus, Saab, Infinity and VWs. Not saying I wouldn't drive a FWD, but would prefer RWD. I have to admit I have always liked Saabs and almost bought a 9-3 back in 2001. I ended up getting a Jag instead. I drove the hell out of that Jag and finally had to get rid of it when the AC broke and it cost more to fix the AC then the car was worth.

As for the mileage I completely understand what you are saying Bernice. My X has over 200K miles on it and my previous X had 350K miles on it, they look and run better than most cars with 50k miles. Unfortunately there is no way to know exactly if an owner took good care of the car, so mileage atleast gives you some idea of the amount of use the car got. Not the highest priority in looking for a car, but I would probably not buy a car with 300K miles on it for my daily.

As it stands today, my wife likes the Jag we found online, she likes thing s a little more posh then I do, and my vote is for the FRS. I am still looking though and any additional suggestions would be appreciated.
 
I also vote for the FRS....but still not a 10K car!!......check the rear seat space for access and 2 car seats thou.Thats my next car for sure!!
 
I'd have to second Bernice's mention of a SAAB. You can easily find a smashing deal on something like a 9-3 Sport Sedan. Parts are again readily available with the renewal of Saab Parts USA and the slow restart of SAAB Automobiles.

I've used a 1988 SAAB 900 Turbo as a daily driver for something like 16 years now. It has almost 240,000 miles on it. Solid as a rock.

If you haven't owned a SAAB, it is worth having one just to appreciate these cars. It is an addiction, just like X1/9s. If you go that route, speak to Bernice and I first to make sure you look at the right ones. Either way, you'd want a turbo with a manual. :dance:
 
BMW

E30, M3

E46, M3

Mercerdes E-series, BUT be careful as some are GREAT, others are awful. Their options also affect cost of ownership and problems expected.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The only front engine RWD sedans I'll consider.

Alfa Romeo Milano 3.0 liter Verde.

Maserati Quattroporte

Ferrari 400i


Not a fan of RWD for daily drivers... Ever, as they are not space efficient, don't offer a hatch back (seriously limits what can be carried which come up quite often is daily driver transportation), makes little sense to me as a daily ride as when can one realistically realize the performance advantages of RWD chassis? This is similar to having 400+ Bhp in a 4,000 pound "sports sedan" today.

I'm kinda bipolar in this way, either FWD hatch or mid-engine RWD two seater.. that is kinda it. Every other chassis layout does not make sense to me regarding trade-offs and design compromises. FWD sedans give up the advantages of FWD. Front engine, RWD two seaters chassis don't offer the chassis dynamics expected from a two seater (it is a LOT more than performance numbers). Real world conditions means dealing with extremely varied road conditions and more..

Then we have safety.. which is not a strong suite for most. Ignore the US government safety ratings as real world crashes are not controlled test crashes. This another prime reason why I like SAABs and put the kids in them.

When road conditions turn to mush, RWD is not ideal.. AWD, good. FWD is a reasonable trade off without the weight, power loss and related to AWD. Consider this SAAB c900 on a cold snow driven road..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7MlgqF6dXI


Speaking of getting un-stuck...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_3nRBCcIz4

These are what real world road, road/driving conditions can be.


Bernice
 
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Whatever you decide, I strongly suggest four doors.

Getting infants in and out of car seats from a two-door is a pain that grows more quickly than do the children. BTDT.

And if your wife (who likes things more posh than you do) is driving it, she will tire of the two-door back breaking dance with the car seats long before you do.

Sign me: a father of three boys,
 
Believe It Or Not..

I agree with Tony.

Owning X's and raising a family of three boys, I had a few Honda Civics that allowed me to pack the family and was economical enough to own as to allow me to keep the X running.

But if you need to be sporty, here are a few used cars you can find for 10K or so:

Audi S4, S6, S8
BMW M3, M5
Honda Civic Si
Jaguar XJR
Volkswagen Golf GTI, Golf VR6

The Audi's & BMW's will drive you to the poor house with repairs, I owned a few British cars...BEWARE! My recommendation are the Honda and V-dub.

Good Luck.
 
I like my RWD Grand Marquis for a DDer. Have put 100K or better on a dicent used one before minor work suchas brakes etc. Easy to find one well cared for by older people.
 
What to buy as a dd

Speaking as a foreign car tech for the last 37years and a shop owner for the last 25, I would stay away from the JAG. Low reliability, High repair cost.
The VW also gets a no, way too many problems. The 3 series BMWs are problematic. I would stay away from anything V8 in a Bimmer. However, I can enthusiastically recommend an e39 5 series. I own ten cars and I choose the 5er time and time again to cruise in. Very reliable, 27mpg highway,and all the luxury of home., plus razor sharp handling in a 4dr rear drive sedan.
 
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