Best DD for the money?

[Cabriolet]

But in your all's opinion, whats the best Daily? Far as cheap, reliable, easy to fix.

mazda 626 or protege.
nissan sentra
kia optima
honda accord 4d 4cyl

all these are killer DD cars. good mpg, cheap on repairs, boring so no one will steal.

i wouldnt drive these, by a car is like clothes, it says who you are. i dd my e30 on HR race/konis

im afraid of heights

[th3blue]

for me...

E30 = racecar
E36 ic = summer fun / daily
Audi A3 = winter car / dog hauler

All of the above worth less than $20k total.

[Hey_You]

buy a volvo 240.

This, they last forever AND when something does go wrong (timing belt), slap another on a keep on trucking (get the red block ones if possible). We have a bunch come to the shop I work at just for regular shiz like oil changes, and A/C service, but nothing else usually

[skateimitation]

I DD a 98 Corolla right now. I bought it two years ago with 110,000 miles, and its now just a tick under 180,000. I haven't had a single issue with the thing other than it burning a quart of oil in between oil changes. Not the nicest car, but definitely a tank.

[Anguz]

e 3 4

[slaterd]

My best DD was a 97 v6 mustang 5 speed. Doesn't sound like much but those ironblock pushrod 3.8's are BULLETPROOF! I beat the shit out of the car and put over 100k on it within 3 years. Sure, I maintained it well, but I was taking it on the backroads and flying through those old country roads. Hell I ran that thing almost off a clip, no shit, it was leaning on a 60 foot drop. I climbed out of it and had to help get my friend out. We got his tractor and tied a chain around the rear strut and pulled it back on the road. I drove it home that day and nothing was wrong with it other than some paint chipping. Also, I hit a guardrail going 30 and it just put a dent about the size of my forearm and scratched some paint in the fender. Those v6's, if maintained will last a very, very long time.

[Threehz]

I can't see myself DDing a car I don't love.

Why buy a car if you aren't going to drive it?

And why drive a car if you aren't going to love it?

E30
E21
BMW 2002
240SX
280Z/ZX
Datsun 510
Actually, any late 70's Japanese car.
60's VW Type 3

There are so many good cars, as long as they aren't new.

Reliability is all about what you put in it. Buy any solid old BMW/VW/Nissan/Honda/Toyota, put good parts in it, solid motor, it'll last.

[Jon325i]

If all you need is a basic car to fill a very basic need (A to B commute) and don't want to spend a lot on operating costs (i.e. maintenance, fuel, insurance, etc.), go with a Japanese brand econo-box. I'm not sure what your budget is, but you'll find something in this 'catagory' for every price point.

Years ago I used to drive a toyota pick-up.....nothing special, just a basic truck. Ran forever and my upkeep expenses were minimal.

Nowadays my DD is a 3-speed bicycle. The benefit of living less than 3 miles from work ;)

Jon

[JasonC]

Out off all the daily drivers i've had. I got to say i'd like to get back into a 82-93 S-10 or 86-92 Dodge Daytona. And as crazy as this may seem, maybe a mid 90's or earlier Dodge/Plymouth/Chrysler mini van lol.

[stamar]

mazda 626 or protege.
nissan sentra
kia optima
honda accord 4d 4cyl

all these are killer DD cars. good mpg, cheap on repairs, boring so no one will steal.

i wouldnt drive these, by a car is like clothes, it says who you are. i dd my e30 on HR race/konis

im afraid of heights

I think the old kia optimas are peices of crap.

just the last 5 years when hyundai started making them did they become cool.

KIA is still the worst car sold in america. I think you mean the nissan altima. watch out for those kias made by kia theyre kind of third world.

[squidmaster]

Try a subaru outback (sport, of course), or a legacy (99+ legacy gt has a 2.5 N/A, =<98gt had 2.2 T/C).

I've had two subarus and both went through more abuse than any other car and still DD all the time (STi and '00 RS). You can try even a WRX, with accessport and econotune I got mid-thirties on the highway.

Or just get an e34 wagon. Sexy.

Less sporty cars (and probably cheaper): corolla, camry, 626, sentra, accord. civic should remain out of the question, though. insurance is high and it's likely to be broken into/stolen.

[redsubdivisions]

I just went out and bought an E46 for my woman and the kid. I still daily drive my E30. It has never let me down. But if you want to talk non-BMW, I daily drove an S13 240SX for a good while until I was stupid enough to sell it. I never had any problems with my 240 and I used to drive it 3 and a half hours to go home on weekends from my apartment in Orlando to my parents' place in Naples. It was still a sporty car, got relatively good gas mileage, and I would get compliments on how clean she was.

I have heard nothing but good things about the Volvo 240 turbo wagons. I'd get one if I could find one in good shape.

[rightcoastbias]

A Ford Ranger is an excellent option for a DD. I splint my daily detail between the e30 and my 4 cylinder Ranger. The e30 is 'sporty' and the ranger is utility.

[bkslaughterhouse]

slow Geo Metro 50 mpg and fast E30 17 mpg life is fucking great

[squidmaster]

I just went out and bought an E46 for my woman and the kid. I still daily drive my E30. It has never let me down. But if you want to talk non-BMW, I daily drove an S13 240SX for a good while until I was stupid enough to sell it. I never had any problems with my 240 and I used to drive it 3 and a half hours to go home on weekends from my apartment in Orlando to my parents' place in Naples. It was still a sporty car, got relatively good gas mileage, and I would get compliments on how clean she was.

I have heard nothing but good things about the Volvo 240 turbo wagons. I'd get one if I could find one in good shape.

shit for gas. my girlfriend has a volvo 240 (non turbo) and it only gets 18 at most. can't imagine the turbo would get any better. also it has a common over-heating problem (that can be cured with additives, new rad, new head gasket, and new water pump). It has a few other problems and the wiring sucks on them (you wouldn't believe how often the headlights give out because of shitting wiring and positioning).