Best DD for the money?

[E30Gus]

My dd, at least in the winter. Not gonna say its the best, but it hauls a ton of shit/people, is rated to tow 8000 lbs according to the factory manual, simple, reliable, AC blows cold, heat is really hot, seats are still comfy even after 6 hours, first or second row, and 23 mpg on the highway isn't bad. only gets about 16 or 17 around town though. Fast enough to keep up with traffic (5.0 V8 with a shift kit and cooler for the trans, 0-60 in 8.5 to 9 seconds based on my stopwatch) and parts are stupid cheap. And it handles okay, believe it or not. 2.5 turn steering box, 1/2 ton truck springs, and good shocks. Hell, the front bar is 1 1/2" diameter... And it's a hell of a drift car in the snow with the V8 torque and the posi. The only rust is surface on the body, it has 79k miles on it (10k from me) and I have a grand total of $750 in it, including purchase price. Also, it should be known that I have odd taste in cars.

Holy shit I need a tank like this!
I've been thinking about a $500 beater. When it quits, I take the plates off and leave it.

[SpeicherBimmer]

I've had my first car since it was new, a 2000 Honda Accord V6 coupe...It has never skipped a beat and has always been my backup to all my project cars...She's got 147,000 miles on the clock and she runs real strong.sorry for the crappy cell phone pics..

[BoxDriver86]

My e30 is my beater car. When I was looking for a cheap DD, it was either e30 or MK2 VW. Got my eta for $400 with a little over 200K on the working odometer.

I drive it very hard every day and spend far less time in the other cars because I love it so much. If I had to get another DD though, it would be an e34 wagon hands down.

[Dj Buttchug]

i came up on a 318 for 1k. i have barly any money in it and it runs well. almost 3k miles already

e30 is always good dd

[gearheadE30]

My dd, at least in the winter. Not gonna say its the best, but it hauls a ton of shit/people, is rated to tow 8000 lbs according to the factory manual, simple, reliable, AC blows cold, heat is really hot, seats are still comfy even after 6 hours, first or second row, and 23 mpg on the highway isn't bad. only gets about 16 or 17 around town though. Fast enough to keep up with traffic (5.0 V8 with a shift kit and cooler for the trans, 0-60 in 8.5 to 9 seconds based on my stopwatch) and parts are stupid cheap. And it handles okay, believe it or not. 2.5 turn steering box, 1/2 ton truck springs, and good shocks. Hell, the front bar is 1 1/2" diameter... And it's a hell of a drift car in the snow with the V8 torque and the posi. The only rust is surface on the body, it has 79k miles on it (10k from me) and I have a grand total of $750 in it, including purchase price. Also, it should be known that I have odd taste in cars.

[Grant318is]

Dare I say a 190e?

[Herr Faust Schinken]

Mini coopers seem like there good little cars that are pretty fun and reliable

[Mercury[BKM]]

Porsche 996

[CrusherCurtis]

Well sorted stock civic is not cheap.

1990 honda accord. Far cheaper than civic. More roomy as well.

The real best DD for the money is e39 m5 though.

[Bearmw]

Jason I hear you on the old Dodge minivans. Super simple and available with a 5 speed.

[bimmerteck]

Consider the reasons you DON"T want your E30 (or other special car) as your daily driver:
Putting lots of miles on the car, subjecting it to bad weather, wear & tear, chances for damage or accidents. All good, valid reasons.

Now, consider how much time you spend in your car driving daily. Total up those hours. (If it's less than a few hours, you should be on a bicycle during the week) Do you want to spend that time in a boring, safe, economical car? Or do you like it when other drivers come up alongside and give you a thumbs up? At the end of a crappy week of work, do you really want to drive back home in a civic? Or, do you leave work a little early and take the twisties all the way home?

Quote from someone: Life's too short to drive boring cars.
------------
SteveJ
88 E30M3 previous daily driver
72 2002tii current daily driver while the M3 gets restored to daily driver status, then switch.

I drive the "boring" car most days of the week so I can keep my "fun" cars for the weekend. The e30 is built for the curves, and my bus is being built for the campsite. That allows me to make the "fun" cars that much more specific for their intended purposes, with the e30 it's the BBK, manual brakes, agressive suspension, and really sticky tires that last around 5k miles with the way I drive it. With the bus it's allowing me to add an extra 200lbs. of batteries and solar array so I can spend that much longer off the grid when I do go on vacation.


So far the tally this month is around 500 miles on the daily at an average of 12mph vs 1300 miles in the e30 at an average of 42mph. After looking at that I'll be keeping the e30 for the weekend trips to the dragon, saturday morning runs to the jack daniels distillery, and regional car shows. The beetle can keep slogging it out in 9-5 commute traffic till it's wheels fall off. :up:


OP- 1999 VW Beetle GLS w/5speed has been a great daily, leather, heated seats, bluetooth, fun enough in traffic, and cheap to insure.

[SteveJ]

Consider the reasons you DON"T want your E30 (or other special car) as your daily driver:
Putting lots of miles on the car, subjecting it to bad weather, wear & tear, chances for damage or accidents. All good, valid reasons.

Now, consider how much time you spend in your car driving daily. Total up those hours. (If it's less than a few hours, you should be on a bicycle during the week) Do you want to spend that time in a boring, safe, economical car? Or do you like it when other drivers come up alongside and give you a thumbs up? At the end of a crappy week of work, do you really want to drive back home in a civic? Or, do you leave work a little early and take the twisties all the way home?

Quote from someone: Life's too short to drive boring cars.
------------
SteveJ
88 E30M3 previous daily driver
72 2002tii current daily driver while the M3 gets restored to daily driver status, then switch.

[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).

[bkslaughterhouse]

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

[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.