advise for a daily driver?

[hourang]

so i need a daily driver that isnt boring as crap and gets good gas mileage. right now i drive a 15mpg truck and spend over $600 a month on gas....this needs to stop. i drive a lot, average mileage a day is over 75+. so ive been looking and looking and looking for a vehicle that fits the bill. It must be a 4 door, no exceptions. must get decent gas mileage, majority of my driving is highway. needs to be a reliable vehicle that i can work on myself and would like to modify it as well to keep up with my quick boredom of cars. and almost must have a manual. i get bored driving automatics, but i possibly could make an exception if there was some kinda autostick feature or the vehicle was fast enough to not need it (which probably wont happen in my price range). im looking to spend around $3k or less. prefer around $2500 but for the right vehicle i will spend more. cars ive been looking at:

1 - Contour SVT - really been considering this, though im not sure on reliability, ease of working on it, gas mileage, safety, etc.
2 - Contour 5 speed 4 banger - used to have one and was a perfect daily, easy to work on, reliable or at least soo cheap to fix, amazing gas mileage (i never got under 28mpg no matter how hard i drove it), a lot cheaper, can be had for around $1k-1.5k. problems are they are hard to find with a manual and are old vehicles so not too sure on safety/reliability.
3 - Focus 5 speed - similar to contour 4 banger but newer, safer, easier to get parts for, problem is that its also very hard to find one with a 5 speed and 4 doors, the 5 speeds always seem to be in the zx3 2 doors.
4 - Saab 9-5 with a 5 speed - there seems to be at least a couple to choose from in the 3k range. supposed to be reliable but im really worried about high repair costs and being expensive to modify. but its a bigger much safer vehicle that the first three, ive seen pictures of one getting hit by a train and dragged down the track and it was still intact and the driver survived! seen one that rolled over and the sunroof didnt even break.
5 - cavalier? havent been able to find anything worthy in manual and 4 door. plus lately ive been sick of chevy reliability, my truck seems to be just falling apart piece by piece.
6 - volvo? like them but they are mostly in auto and are supposed to be reliable and safe but expensive to repair
7 - GTP - already had one and supposedly i am not allow to get one again because the wife thinks they get bad gas mileage for some reason even though i got almost 30mpg on the highway. plus they are auto only and the transmissions do not last (which is why i got rid of my last one, which i still regret now)
8 - anything else? not a fan of dodge vehicles as ive always heard they are unreliable? you tell me. i prefer domestic cars for cheap replacement parts and availability but lately I am rather fed up with dealing with cars that need work all the time. maybe i need to get a honda? as hard as that is to swallow....Thoughts?

 

[99slverZ]

so i need a daily driver that isnt boring as crap and gets good gas mileage. right now i drive a 15mpg truck and spend over $600 a month on gas....this needs to stop. i drive a lot, average mileage a day is over 75+. so ive been looking and looking and looking for a vehicle that fits the bill. It must be a 4 door, no exceptions. must get decent gas mileage, majority of my driving is highway. needs to be a reliable vehicle that i can work on myself and would like to modify it as well to keep up with my quick boredom of cars. and almost must have a manual. i get bored driving automatics, but i possibly could make an exception if there was some kinda autostick feature or the vehicle was fast enough to not need it (which probably wont happen in my price range). im looking to spend around $3k or less. prefer around $2500 but for the right vehicle i will spend more. cars ive been looking at:

1 - Contour SVT - really been considering this, though im not sure on reliability, ease of working on it, gas mileage, safety, etc.
2 - Contour 5 speed 4 banger - used to have one and was a perfect daily, easy to work on, reliable or at least soo cheap to fix, amazing gas mileage (i never got under 28mpg no matter how hard i drove it), a lot cheaper, can be had for around $1k-1.5k. problems are they are hard to find with a manual and are old vehicles so not too sure on safety/reliability.
3 - Focus 5 speed - similar to contour 4 banger but newer, safer, easier to get parts for, problem is that its also very hard to find one with a 5 speed and 4 doors, the 5 speeds always seem to be in the zx3 2 doors.
4 - Saab 9-5 with a 5 speed - there seems to be at least a couple to choose from in the 3k range. supposed to be reliable but im really worried about high repair costs and being expensive to modify. but its a bigger much safer vehicle that the first three, ive seen pictures of one getting hit by a train and dragged down the track and it was still intact and the driver survived! seen one that rolled over and the sunroof didnt even break.
5 - cavalier? havent been able to find anything worthy in manual and 4 door. plus lately ive been sick of chevy reliability, my truck seems to be just falling apart piece by piece.
6 - volvo? like them but they are mostly in auto and are supposed to be reliable and safe but expensive to repair
7 - GTP - already had one and supposedly i am not allow to get one again because the wife thinks they get bad gas mileage for some reason even though i got almost 30mpg on the highway. plus they are auto only and the transmissions do not last (which is why i got rid of my last one, which i still regret now)
8 - anything else? not a fan of dodge vehicles as ive always heard they are unreliable? you tell me. i prefer domestic cars for cheap replacement parts and availability but lately I am rather fed up with dealing with cars that need work all the time. maybe i need to get a honda? as hard as that is to swallow....Thoughts?

Stay away from Contours, they are hit or miss as far as reliability and ugly as sin.

Focus are hit or miss as well. I've heard some last a zillion miles without changing the oil, some have a ton of issues.

Newer Cavalier with a 5 speed would be solid. I had a 96 that had zero go wrong with it in 200,000 miles. I was going to suggest a Fusion or G6 until I saw your price range. That's a long list of "necessities" for $3k.

 

[derbydad276]

Im sorry do you want it to be reliable??
ride nice???
get good gas mileage???
fast????? I thought you said you wanted fuel econmy
leave it stock!!!
(just my 2 cents worth)

any focus gets 27 city and over 30 on the highway thats double the economy of your truck saving 300 a month

you can buy a 2 or 3 yr old one and have a payment easily in that range

a fusion would give you nearly the same econmy with the 4 banger and give you a bigger car
forget finding one with a stick dealers allways order them with automatics ( I dont know why) (trunk??? help me out here)

sounds like you put on 18k to 20k miles a year so leasing is out

remember your buying a driver ! you want a toy buy a mustang or a camero

 

[smoked72]

My 04 Monte SS is comfortable for any size person, decent gas mileage for the size of the car (26 city 31 hwy), and the 3800 is a solid motor good for 200k if you treat it right. Floats like a caddy and its got decent power too. You can pick up one fairly cheap now.

 

[soap]

dealers allways order them with automatics ( I dont know why) (trunk??? help me out here)

Because auto's sell. Most people don't even know how to drive a stick, and if they do they don't want to mess with one on a daily commute.

OP.......I agree with others, that is a lot of 'must haves' for $2500-$3000.

--Joe

 

[91trunk]

Because auto's sell. Most people don't even know how to drive a stick, and if they do they don't want to mess with one on a daily commute.

OP.......I agree with others, that is a lot of 'must haves' for $2500-$3000.

--Joe

And a manual trans takes a 2-3% hit when it comes to leasing. When you can get an Auto for less, that's the way 98% of people will go.

 

[91Bird305]

My 04 Monte SS is comfortable for any size person, decent gas mileage for the size of the car (26 city 31 hwy), and the 3800 is a solid motor good for 200k if you treat it right. Floats like a caddy and its got decent power too. You can pick up one fairly cheap now.

x2 to this. I have an 04 Monte and I like it.

 

[hourang]

Stay away from Contours, they are hit or miss as far as reliability and ugly as sin.

Focus are hit or miss as well. I've heard some last a zillion miles without changing the oil, some have a ton of issues.

Newer Cavalier with a 5 speed would be solid. I had a 96 that had zero go wrong with it in 200,000 miles. I was going to suggest a Fusion or G6 until I saw your price range. That's a long list of "necessities" for $3k.

contours are notorious for crappy automatics which is why i would only get a 5 speed and nothing else. also in 98 they are known for crappy wiring harnesses and refuse to buy a 98. other than that, its all in making sure you get one that isnt beat on and is taken care of. im willing to spend the extra money on a nice one if i can find it. though i will keep your point in mind.

i loved my focus but it was plagued by horrible rust and a bad clutch. i paid $800 for it so when the clutch went out i said screw it and sold it to a buddy of mine. i would love to have another one.

so is a cavalier more reliable than a focus? which one is faster?

well i prefer to spend $3k just based on the few examples that fit the bill in that range. im not 100% on the manual thing, thats where im mostly torn because i can find perfect focuses or cavaliers for 3k but all in automatics. i dont know maybe as another car guy you can tell me if ill be tearing my hair out with an auto one, i know i was perfectly happy with both my 5 speed focus and 5 speed contour(traded the contour cuz i needed a truck) and i know that i drove a saturn automatic to work one day and couldnt stand it, waay to slow, the transmission was horrible and i was bored to death. now the saturn probably had a smaller motor with no power so maybe the cavalier will be ok? i love being able to tell the car what gear i want to be in, even in my truck i cant stand it sometimes, its never in the right gear. plus another main reason i dont want an automatic is for reliability, they always seem to go bad and need to be rebuilt. at least with a manual i can just swap the clutch myself fairly cheaply.

 

[RED89GTAWSU]

My 04 Monte SS is comfortable for any size person, decent gas mileage for the size of the car (26 city 31 hwy), and the 3800 is a solid motor good for 200k if you treat it right. Floats like a caddy and its got decent power too. You can pick up one fairly cheap now.

X3

I'm in the same boat, except the car would be for my wife. We are both going from 150 miles a week to about 110 miles a day. From all city driving to all highway driving.

I've thought about a early 200x's focus, but not sure if I'm comfortable putting my wife in something that small driving on the freeway during the winter. So I've started looking at early 200x's Grand prix's and monte carlo's with the non-boost 3.8. The grand prix with non-boost 3.8 is rated for 27mpg on the freeway through fueleconomy.gov.....and I'm sure with a few airflow mods and using cruise that could creap up on 30. The 3.8 is all over the place in junkyards, and parts are super easy to get and cheap. They are also pretty easy to work on......I'm sure it helps I used to work on them a lot when I worked in the field, but they don't have too many pain in the ass repairs. I'm WAY more comfortable putting her in a grand prix or monte than a focus in case she gets into an accident or has to drive in snowy, icy conditions. Not to mention they have a lot more room for road trips or dogs, ect.

I've always been a fan of manuals, but with longer drives where traffic is a potential issue they suck. I wouldn't mind cruising the freeway in one if I knew I wasn't going to hit traffic, but the way we will be getting to work will be hit and miss on getting stuck in freeway backups.

 

[smoked72]

X3

I'm WAY more comfortable putting her in a grand prix or monte than a focus in case she gets into an accident or has to drive in snowy, icy conditions. Not to mention they have a lot more room for road trips or dogs, ect.

YUP for sure... My monte does awesome in the snow. Just watch out for rusty rockers on the Grand Prix's. It has a huge Italian trunk too. (for multiple dead bodies)

 

[BigWheelinBubba]

I have a 98 Subaru Impreza Wagon (non-turbo) on the lot, its a little rough around the edges but it runs and drives good. It's a stick too. $2200 includes tax. You pay for the plate. PM me if you want more info.

 

[hourang]

remember your buying a driver ! you want a toy buy a mustang or a camero

a 110 hp focus is hardly a toy or fast vehicle, i think im being perfectly reasonable here. plus i still have the truck as a toy/v8 beast. i think you can understand that for a vehicle that i drive 20k miles a year on, i want something i can enjoy. i do not want a car payment though i could possibly be persuaded. i possibly could lease depending on the deal, i will be keeping the truck so it could be used to lessen the mileage on the lease vehicle, though my credit isnt that great.

i really appreciate everyones input. my wife told me no grand prix's but i may be able to sneak an impala in there lol.

 

[hourang]

oh and my drive to work the routes i take i rarely ever hit traffic. its mostly 55+ zones in the boonies and even in my truck i can sometimes get 16+mpg even though it needs a new fuel pump, o2 sensors, and some emissions sensors replaced (yay for chevy reliability).

 

[hourang]

And a manual trans takes a 2-3% hit when it comes to leasing. When you can get an Auto for less, that's the way 98% of people will go.

no wonder its so hard to find manuals!!

 

[smoked72]

any focus gets 27 city and over 30 on the highway thats double the economy of your truck saving 300 a month

remember your buying a driver ! you want a toy buy a mustang or a camero

To be honest a Mustang or Camaro could easily be a good daily driver. I had BOTH for years as dailys. My 93 stang got close to 30mpg on the highway all day long. And the new ones do just as good if not better. My 5.7 Z28 did great too. The only problem was ME wanting to tear into them but if I left them alone I would still be driving them everyday.

How many MPG's does the F100 get for your 16 yr old son?

 

[Quick86]

Don't flame me for this. But for that price, you will NOT find a better (reliability, cost to repair, ease of repairs) choice than a 96-00 Honda Civic.

My 98 sedan 5spd car just ticked 260k miles, and STILL gets 33mpg COMBINED. It's fun - in the way a go kart is fun - not fast by any means but you can throw it around in the corners/s-curves and it will just grip and feels fun.

They're VERY cheap to modify/upgrade if you DO IT RIGHT... Throw a suspension and non-fart can exhaust on it and it doesn't increase the decibel level much, and will ride great and do awesome in autocross events if you wanted too...

 

[smoked72]

Don't flame me for this. But for that price, you will NOT find a better (reliability, cost to repair, ease of repairs) choice than a 96-00 Honda Civic.

My 98 sedan 5spd car just ticked 260k miles, and STILL gets 33mpg COMBINED. It's fun - in the way a go kart is fun - not fast by any means but you can throw it around in the corners/s-curves and it will just grip and feels fun.

They're VERY cheap to modify/upgrade if you DO IT RIGHT... Throw a suspension and non-fart can exhaust on it and it doesn't increase the decibel level much, and will ride great and do awesome in autocross events if you wanted too...

Actually those cars hold thier value and its tough to find one cheap that is not rusted out..... Not sure how they hold up for accidents and safety?

 

[Quick86]

Actually those cars hold thier value and its tough to find one cheap that is not rusted out..... Not sure how they hold up for accidents and safety?

Hell, I bought mine for $1500...5 years ago? It STILL runs like a champ and is STILL rust free. And they hold their value because they're THAT good of a car.

 

[RED89GTAWSU]

To be honest a Mustang or Camaro could easily be a good daily driver. I had BOTH for years as dailys. My 93 stang got close to 30mpg on the highway all day long. And the new ones do just as good if not better. My 5.7 Z28 did great too. The only problem was ME wanting to tear into them but if I left them alone I would still be driving them everyday.

How many MPG's does the F100 get for your 16 yr old son?

My 6 speed LT1 Camaro gets between 27-30 on the highway, and it's got a small cam, CAI, borla catback, and a few other mods. I plan to drive it often during the summer......but if we get more than an inch of snow or any icy conditions it's no fun. Snow tires would probably do wonders, but being lowered just eliminates anything over 2-3 inches of snow not being a huge PIA.
I'll be driving her current Ranger during the winter, and start the Camaro back in the summer!

 

[DRAG-ULA]

I have a 99 neon (1st gen). I love it. Runs good, good on gas, has 130,000 on the clock and doesn't miss a beat. I bought it for 300 with a broken timing belt at 90,000, pulled the head, fixed what it needed, been driving it since. I know a lot of people don't like those cars, but I'd recommend them to anyone. Unless you're tall, or if you mind feeling like a penis when you're driving it.