Hello Everyone,

Im on the market for a new daily driver and I have felt overwhelmed with the new cars that I have been researching. I would drive my 72' cutlass but the 455 can get a little thirsty

What do you guys use as your daily drivers?

I currently drive about 1.5 hours a day, 7 days a week so comfort and reliability is a factor. The car that I have now has very little "get-up" and is a snooze to drive. I would want something with 25-30mpg thats not a complete bore to drive. GPS and bucket seats and all of that would be nice to have as well.

My budget is about 20k and I could go with a used car as well as long as the miles arent too high.

So...any suggestions?

 

Used vehicles you get WAAAAAAY more bang for your buck.
I drive a mint tuxedo black 1998 Lexus ES300 I got with 55K on it for $9,000 in 2008.
I bought my mother a 1997 ES300 just before that and liked it so much I got my own.
I prefer luxury used vehicles because they are loaded, built better, often garaged and not abused.
Lexus was #1 on JD Powers VDS Reports for 16 years straight.

$20,000 and 25-30mpg is your only stipulations ??
Is that city MPG or Highway MPG ??

Personally I think the new up and coming vehicle manufacturer is Hyundai.
My mother in law is really eyeballing that new 2012 Elantra. The Sonata is sweet too.
However, I personally think the Toyota Venza is a steal with the 4 cylinder.
Lexus will probably get sold for a Venza.

It's large enough to fit a good sized family.
It's got AWD as an option, and it gets 20's in city mpg.
You really have to sit in the vehicle to appreciate it's size.

For compact cars I think the new Chevrolet Cruze is becoming the best selling car in America.
I know one of the designers on my other forum who works at the plant in Ohio.
It's got a new very strong grade steel cage that no jaws of life can cut unless they're within the last 7 years of specs.
They're also going to be putting a diesel in it in the next few years.

GM however is becoming a bunch of ********* lately with their responsibilities, so you have to consider that.
Steer clear of recent GM vehicles because they are ducking possibly recalls and TSB's for "Old GM".

 

I am personally biased towards Kia/Hyundai but thats because I work for them. Best bang for the buck at the moment.

I would NEVER own any of the current Domestic offerings. Don't tell anyone at my work I said this but you can't really go wrong with Toyota/Lexus for dependability but they are a little on the boring side for most of thier cars.

After that German cars but they aren't what they used to be.

 

I think Ford still makes a good product. I currently drive a used Monte Carlo. I think they quit making them but 32mpg on highway, good pep and comfort. It's getting up there in the mileage though.

 

I would want it to be on the sportier side. A car with some ***** ya know?

my mom drives a lexus so I know what you mean by that. I think I will go used for sure because Im gonna want all the extra features and goodies.

 

Well......that is a pretty loose term "With some *****" you're not going to get 25-30 city mpg.

A nice V6 to some people is ballsy enough for a daily driver. (me included)
Hell for a smaller vehicle I'll even take a 4cylinder. I don't need to race anyone on my way to work.
To others, they only want a V8.

So if you want a V8 that gets 25-30mpg the only options I can think of
are F-body Camaro's, Trans Am's, and GTO's that have the 6 speed in them.
Corvette's too, but older one's. The new V6 Camaro has 300hp and gets high 31mpg highway.


Or Hyundai Genesis Coupe 300hp.

 

Pick a 2 yr old 4 cylinder mid-size sedan of your choice (Accord, Altima, Camry, Focus, Impala, Sonata, etc.) and drive the wheels off it. Buy a $100 Garmin if you need GPS. All are competent, souless, throw away appliances good for well over 100k miles then dump when maint/repairs mount up. Use the Cutlass when you want to enjoy the drive, not just get from point A to point B in isolated comfort. 2003 Accord and 2006 Pilot serve that purpose for my family.

 

I like Hyundai wife's 2006 sonata 116k Me 2007 elanta 80k no problems with either. Sonata will get low 30's highway the elantra high 30's highway both have 5-speed manuels.
Larry

 

I found the late model Chargers and Challengers are as close to the Cutlass in terms of looks, performance, ride quality, RWD, and size.
I have driven rental versions for thousands of miles and have been more than pleased.
Surprising, they do not ride like a covered wagon or sound like having your head in a plastic bucket like many new cars do.
If forced to buy new, these are about the only two on my list. I have to have the muscle car look but also something larger than the Mustang or Camaro (nice cars!).
The CHA-CHA's fit the bill well for me...

 

Accord Coupe, V-6 with 6-speed manual transmission.

I just sold mine, after driving it for 2.5 years. VERY comfortable, great seats, lots of standard features, and peppy enough to run 14's @ 95mph at the dragstrip.

ONLY reason I sold it, was to fund getting my '72 Cutlass convertible back into daily-driver condition

Lee

 

Thats because their chassis is based off of an E-Class(W210) Mercedes Benz.

 

My daily cars an 08' Pontiac GXP with 3.6 litre twin cam, and 6 speed auto. Thing really move's, and gets 27-28 highway. A friend has an 11' Chevy Mailibu with 2.4 litre and 6 speed auto, and 32 highway. These aren't exactly slow either. Also know a couple guys with new Chevy Cruze Eco's, and really get the advertised 42 highway. As already mentioned, Hyundi/Kia is far from a joke joke today, and really a world class product now. A lot of whats really going on today is really the transmissions, and be looking for a car with 6 gears.

 

hmm, the more research I do the more Im thinking I'll just drive my camry till the wheels fall off.

 

If you ask me

There's absolutely ZERO reason to have to spend more then $18,000 to $20,000 on a vehicle.
New car depreciation is horrendous. I've realized that 3-5 year old vehicles with ~30-40K
on them are prime purchases. You can get just about any $75,000 luxury car that's 7-10 years
old in this price point too.

Example
2003 Lexus LS430 with 50K on it $18,000
Why buy a brand new $20,000 econobox when you can buy the flagship of Lexus.

Guy over on Nastyz28 just picked up a MINT 16,000 mile 2006 Jaguar XKR 420hp
convertible for under $20,000. It was a $92,000+ car 5 years ago.

 

i would look for a low mile 90 to 92 Toronado Trofeo' if it were me . would be much less than $20K. you would have money left over to get it gone through to make sure everything was in top notch shape and still have money left over. when we take our parents Trofeo out people want to know who makes it, lol. they think it is a new model.

 

I love my Tin Can, lol! I bought a 2007 Toyota Rav4 back in February, and I love this thing. It's fun to drive, it's comfy, and gets good mileage. It had 17,000 miles on it, and I paid right around $18,000 after all the paperwork, etc.. Plus the 4 wheel drive for the winter roads, it's great!!

 

I sell previously enjoyed cars, I've found that all the manufacturers, I mean all, build a very nice, reliable, car!! With that said, I generally lean towards American, because I would rather support our economy. Yeah, I know there are some manufacturers assembling their product here, but hey, I'll stick with the big 3!!

Out of all the cars with real *****, I like the Challenger, Mustang, And I can't quite get my arms around a Camaro yet!

 

I have been buying used Cadds since 1975 with only one diviation 1994 Pontiac SE. currently own a 2003 Cadd STS with 102,000 miles never had any costly problems with any of them. I never buy new cars Most paid was for the 2003 Cadd in 2005 for 20K.

My wife drives a 2009 Hyundai Sonata with the V6 I picked up in 09 with 6k on the clock for 15K with the 100,000 warranty. Great car with good power 22-28 per mile.

Had a 2005 Buick with the Tubo V6 before the Sonata. One of the best cars I ever owned. Blew of V8's more then once. Great car should not have sold it.

 

Pretty sure the OP's looking for something with decent mpg, and since he's already got a 455 Cutlass, probably stick with a 4 cylinder daily car. As mentioned earlier, the 6 speed tranny's are getting pretty common now, and worth searching for. My brother was here in the Detroit area few months back and bought a 2 year old mid level Kia for his teenage daughter. 30k mi on the clock, for $12k. Dont know much about these, but thing was feature packed, with lot's of warranty left. As mentioned earlier, my daily car's an 08' Pontiac GXP, which really stickered pretty high. Was able to get all the discounts though so not to bad. Things got everything, like heated leather seats, power sunroof, ext. Also have a 455 Olds, plus a new Vette, so could've lived with a 4 cylinder daily car.

 

As far as reliability I'd suggest a Toyota or a Hyundai due to personal experience. I've had my 1995 Toyota for about 9 years now, almost 200,000 on the clock. Not good on gas since it's a 4Runner, but reliable.

My wife has had her 2004 Hyundai Accent since 2005 and I've never had to do any repairs on it but routine maintenance (fluids/plugs/filters etc). My dad also has a Hyundai, 4 years or so trouble free. Also the amazing thing with the Hyundais in my opinion is the power. The Accent's 1.6L is amazingly responsive.

 

My wife has a 2006 Mustang GT coupe 5spd man, as far as bang for your buck I think you can't beat the value and fuel economy. Its got plenty of power and gets 25 on the hwy. It has gotten as hi as 28 when we drove to Arizona!

If you were closer I have a 21k mile, 05 Mustang GT convertable/ automatic, here for $20k. Red/ Black leather

 

Go American! I'll take the worst American Car over some New Korean, JAP or worse Brand. No thanks!

 

LOL There all yours & your welcome to them!!!!

 

Here's some useful info on where NEW cars are built.
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2...-plants-4.html

I think many are oblivious to whose making their cars just because an American brand badged it.
Pay special attention to all the "American cars" made in Canada and Mexico at the bottom.
The most American content truck made in the USA is a Toyota Tundra......

For me, I'd rather buy a car that Americans actually built, and support those jobs then support
Mexicans cheap labor that Ford, GM, and Chrysler have hired to avoid paying American workers.

Buying used, it doesn't matter.

 

Has nobody yet mentioned the Golf/GTI? Shame.

 

They haven't made a decent GTI since 1984.

 

After a quick look I can see some out of date info.

 

Huh? The new ones are supposed to be pretty good.

 

I worked for VW for 3 years. The 2011 GTi 2.0L Turbo (200hp) is LAME. Not to mention the DSG transmission sucks. They have really gone downhill in the last 10 years. They try to offer the same technology as other german cars but use cheaper components. I did make a killing fixing them though.

Kia & Hyundai have a 2.4L GDI non turbo making 200hp and a 2.0L Turbo that makes 275hp.

 

Volkswagen isn't all that great.
They are CONSISTENTLY at the bottom of the barrel for reliability.
Audi is just a dressed up VW. I'd never own one after talking with
MAD Electrical about German wiring issues with smaller gauge wiring.

Their TDI offerings are stellar, but that's the only one's I'd consider.

2008 JD Powers Vehicle Dependability Survey.
[2005 vehicles after 3 years of ownership ranking for repairs]

2009 JD Powers Vehicle Dependability Survey.
[2006 vehicles after 3 years of ownership ranking for repairs.]

2010 JD Powers Vehicle Dependability Survey.
[2007 vehicles after 3 years of ownership ranking for repairs.]

 

I agree with the USA thing, and do lots of work for the big three, so not a good idea showing up in a Asian car. There are perks too, as was actually able to get my daily Pontiac for employee pricing, plus $2000 rebate and $1000 loyalty for owning another late model GM car.

 

The TDI's are pretty great. I had the pleasure of comparing a Golf TDI and a GTI on the showroom floor, both manual, and I lusted after the Golf more than I did the GTI.
Their reliability does suck, though. Although my dad's 2003 Jetta has been pretty reliable over the 8 years he's had it.

 

Ty, TY, n, ty, I refuse to buy a car for me or my family that is not of the big 3. It's our product!! Yeah, I know some of them are assembled in Canada or Mexico, however, again it's our product!!

I sell cars for a living!! I work for a Ford, Chrysler, Dodge, and Jeep dealer!! I will put an American car against a foreign car any day!! Sure they have faults, but so do the foreign automakers. I see them everyday!

We all know that the cars we drive and others are a true testiment to American engineering. Compare how many websites are dedicated to the restoration of Asian cars. How many truly collectable, sought after, foreign cars are out there?? Sure there are some High Dollar ones!

My opinion is a car is an extension of ones personality!! My personality does not look like what the foreign automakers are offering! Sure, as I stated earlier in this post, no manufacturer is building a bad car! I just don't want one!

 

Don't forget that much of the GM small car lineup is just rebadged Deawoo (Korean) and Toyota (Japanese) product.

Also the Ford small car lineup is all European. And Chrysler I can't talk about because I don't speak Italian and it makes me feel dirty.

 

My sister bought a Jetta brand new two years ago and things started getting screwy after 20k miles and she was maintaining and babying it. Maybe she just got a lemon but either way I wouldnt risk it. I wont be going the VW route for that reason. I actually love the styling of the GTI though.

 

I think the Golfs are more reliable than the Jettas since the Jettas are built in Mexico and the Golfs are built in the Wolfsburg plant, which, I believe, was their first plant. Or maybe it's because the Golfs are mainly euro-market, while the Jettas are more of an 'murican thing.
Hey, there's no shame in most little Fords being European. English Fords have traditionally been quite good cars.
Back to the VW's, they must still be on the "Friday afternoon" build quality scheme, since I know guite a few have been dead reliable, and quite a few have been leMony.

 

I agree with all the above, except the Ford lil cars are acually Fords! Yes they are imported back to the states from overseas!

No, I will not take a shower with you!

 

66ninetyeightls -you make funny Wise *** remark to me Eh?

Myself and many others prefer American products period and dont care for remarks about our country and our automakers! Ive been to thousands of classic car shows and never seen a classic Canadian car ever..oh cause there arent any..right??! Yeah I thought so! You can take the we are the World crap and shove it eh! USA-still #1

 

THIS IS COMPLETELY UNCALLED FOR, AND I FOR ONE WILL NOT TOLERATE IT !!!!!! People are entitled to there own opinion and your comment is not warranted! Get a sense of humor!

 

What little Ford is imported from overseas?