Best DD for the money?

[dnguyen1963]

A $500 5 speed Ford Festiva.

My first car! Bought it for $4500 new, drove for more than 10 yrs, sold it for $1000. Not a lick wrong with the car when sold.

[bastianshaw]

84 318i
hands down

[mulletman]

any toyota pickup with 22re 4cyl. unbelievable tanks

This. I have a 1993 2WD one... My dad has a 1992. Between the two of us, we've put almost 500k on them, and neither one of us has ever had a non-start. Maintenance is easy and cheap. Gas mileage is mediocre. You can haul a bunch of stuff. Lastly, it's REALLY hard to kill those motors. You can try, but the best you'll do is wear it out a little pre-maturely. I've driven mine 100+ miles across the AZ desert with no coolant in it. I was surprised at how little it seemed to care.

I will say though.... I really wish the US had gotten the diesel version. The 22R motor is great, but you'll ususally start to use some oil at around 200k, and the timing chain/guides need replacing sometime around 175k.

I paid $4,300 bucks for mine back in 2002. No plans on replacing it any time soon.

[Bearmw]

^ also in for the Festiva love. I loved that little 1300cc Mexican, Japenese terror and bought it new in 1990 as a leftover...went to an ex.

[Wild Ride]

I had a 1991 318is that has 427,000 original miles on the original drivetrain, head had never been removed. Just basic maintenance owned by a lawyer that used it as a long distance commuter for two decades. Sold it to a coworker and he is still driving it.

All my e30's are DD's as life is too shot to drive boring cars. Not driving the piss out of your e30 is an absolute waste. I couldn't wait to end my day so I could drive my e30 home and hit a few curves!

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

Volvo's with a redblock
240 or 740
I have bought 4 for $1000 or less and all drove great and were dead reliable. For the money a reliable japanese car will be significantly more $$ due to the stereotype that they are reliable by every random person that knows nothing about cars which in turn drive prices up significantly.

I have owned 4 740's one has been in my family since new.
The wagons have epic room and optional seating for 7. The rear seats old totally flat 6' so you can sleep in it comfortably. They are comfy, have many similarities to an e30 in ergonomics. They are stupid cheap for a really comfortable car with a nice leather interior. Spend $500-2k sorting the car (rebuild the turbo if it is a turbo model) and just drive it. Junkyards have hundreds of these things and hardly anyone is taking parts off of them. The turbo models stock with an automatic are faster than a 325is with a 5 speed. Super sleeper status. Bonus as they are RWD with good driver feedback too.

There is an inexplicable bond that is formed with volvo ownership.



My current car, my parents bought it brand new when I was 6. I still own it 10 years later and plan on keeping it forever.
Here is a picture from a decade ago:







And finally there is nothing worse in life than driving a FWD car. Just don't do it. they make your life suck.

[Wild Ride]

Any car can be a reliable daily driver. If it starts as a POS, you need to do some work to make it not a POS. If you buy a solid car to start with, it will remain a solid car as long as you take care of it. Case in point:
My first car, a 1969 Datsun roadster. Its only needed to be towed home 4 times in the 11 years and 80K miles I've driven it. First time it needed a tow, was taken out in a hit and run, hardly its fault. The second time, I broke an axle racing it 25 miles from home, 3 months later I broke the other axle 150 miles from home again racing (remember the axles were last made in 1970...) the last time, I broke a wheel bearing again, 150 miles from home while racing (no warning, just let go on my way home. Took the axle with it when the inner bearing race spun in place.) The second car I owned, a '69 Alfa Romeo 1750 GTV. It lived in a barn for 40 years, and it was back on the road in a month and a half. I had a brake master cylinder fail 100 miles from home, but made it home anyway. The clutch master and slave both died as well, (all the above were installed new as of 2006 when I got the car.) It was still running well when it got punted into a ditch. (game over for the car.) The M3 is now my daily driver, it hasn't missed a beat. Still, I've been going through the car and fixing all the screwed up things from the previous owner (wrong light bulbs all over the place, other neglected hoses, ect.) I have no doubt it will be a very solid driver for many many years once I get through everything.

If anything, daily driving a car will make it more reliable than just using it on the weekends. A weekend car will never be as solid as a car that is driven all the time simply because sitting does no favors for moving parts. Motors, transmissions, cooling systems ect. These things need to be used on a regular basis, so fluids are circulated, and so that you know and recognize any odd noises, rattles and or vibrations. A big part of having a reliable car is taking care of it in the first place. When they are neglected and or not used on a regular basis is when the issues start.

I will happily daily drive either my M3 or my race car anytime, (ok, not the race car in the rain, its flat out not safe) but any other time, no problem. That might also be the reason the Datsun ALWAYS works. Sure, I've broken lots of parts on it, but its only failed to get me home 4 times.

I say daily drive the E30. The parts are cheap, easy to find, and its easy to work on. If you take care of it, it will take car of you.

Will

This guy gets it!

[mikeb23ft]

Volvo's with a redblock
240 or 740
I have bought 4 for $1000 or less and all drove great and were dead reliable. For the money a reliable japanese car will be significantly more $$ due to the stereotype that they are reliable by every random person that knows nothing about cars which in turn drive prices up significantly.


And finally there is nothing worse in life than driving a FWD car. Just don't do it. they make your life suck.

Words of wisdom indeed.

Having said that why not daily drive your car? I was test driving a Corvette one time and was being timid with it since it wasn't my car. The owner asked me to let him drive. Real redneck guy, thick Southern accent, gets behind the wheel and says "car's made to be drove mang" and clutch dump launches this '77 with a build SBC, smoke everywhere, loud as fuck, real 'merican shit. I did not buy the car but I've always thought that was some quality automotive folk wisdom. Car's made to be drove.

[Wild Ride]

Words of wisdom indeed.

Having said that why not daily drive your car? I was test driving a Corvette one time and was being timid with it since it wasn't my car. The owner asked me to let him drive. Real redneck guy, thick Southern accent, gets behind the wheel and says "car's made to be drove mang" and clutch dump launches this '77 with a build SBC, smoke everywhere, loud as fuck, real 'merican shit. I did not buy the car but I've always thought that was some quality automotive folk wisdom. Car's made to be drove.

Hahaha love it. That redneck has the right attitude. My neighbor down the street dailies his brand new Zo6 and another dailies a brand new 991 cabrio, both drive the piss out of them and do track days.

[EyExR]

I've daily driven a 1982 323i for 5 years and sold it at 395k. I've daily driven a 1984 533i for 6 years and sold it at 560k.

What was the question? :)

I think for the price, looks, and Bimmer loyalty I'd go with an e34 touring to split the road time with and lug shit around. I don't like driving this Hyundai wagon I currently have.

Like others have said - drive what you like. Especially if it's a daily....

[long tall eta]

my eta has in the neighborhood of 370,000 on her. i do a 100 mls a day and she has never let me down.

[InuFaye]

Land Rover Discovery.

[Bokes]

Any year, make, or model of an LPC.

[Holland]

Land Rover Discovery.

Bwahahaha!

[dnguyen1963]

Land Rover Discovery.

Paying homage to Motherland? These cars are expensive when comes to repair. Parts take forever to order from England. Not a definition of dd.

[lowsodium]

Usually I DD my 135i, but if its raining or snow etc I drive the F150. Those older F150's are great trucks and run forever.

My E30 is going to be parked until I get everything fixed. I want to keep the miles off the 135i. I put 16,000 miles on it in 9 months this year.