New Daily driver ideas

BreakMyWallet · 08-23-2009, 07:35 PM

alright, so im in the market for a new daily. right now i drive a 77 celica and a 89 supra turbo. im selling the supra right now. great car. its quick and handles well, but i have a 30ish mile commute to school and inline6 + turbo wont cut it.
my #1 option right now is a 4cyl toyota camry. rides like a boat, great gas mileage, serves its purpose.

but, the commute to school consists of a 20 mile canyon run

, so i wouldnt mind something that can handle well, still get great gas mileage, light. and under 3k. id love an e30 but im looking for a 4cyl. maybe ill get the camry and throw it on some cheap coils and sways. id love to get a VW caddy or a small truck but too hard to find a clean one for a good price.

any ideas? 4 door preferred, just because i want to be able to haul some stuff when needed.

SeanDub · 08-23-2009, 09:17 PM

I'd get a civic hatch personally

s4cr · 08-23-2009, 09:24 PM

what's wrong with the 4 cyl (m42) e30? or didn't they import those to US..?

Quote:

Originally Posted by SeanDub

I'd get a civic hatch personally

me too. they are pretty fast, cheap, handle pretty good etc..

rubadub · 08-23-2009, 11:55 PM

Aww, four doors.

That throws out the AE86 idea, which would be lots of fun in the canyons. *hint hint*

Hmm, Mk2 VW GLI gets my vote if you can find one. Hella sexy, four doors, light, and inline four.

BreakMyWallet · 08-24-2009, 12:24 AM

mk2 is a good idea, but im not trying to daily a german car. too much maintenance. trying to keep it japanese or something LOL.

my first choice was a civic hatch, but with the way they get stolen around here i really dont want to risk it.

SeanDub · 08-24-2009, 01:20 AM

Just keep it lookin like a daily and not a ballin hatch and you should be alright

BreakMyWallet · 08-24-2009, 02:06 AM

im sure whatever car i get im gonna lower it on wheels atleast.

well see. honda is always a great choice though. i just cant have a stock car.

SeanDub · 08-24-2009, 11:16 AM

Lowered on wheels shouldnt make your car that much of a target. At least around here, the thieves seem to scope th ecars and jack the ones with a hefty amount of money in them

TheNeek · 08-24-2009, 11:47 AM

Pickups are the targets usually. In Arizona the top 4 stolen vehicles are pickups.

SeanDub · 08-24-2009, 12:00 PM

Naw, he's right, Civics get stolen all the time. My buddys was stolen and recovered 3 or 4 times.

OSSHWA · 08-24-2009, 01:25 PM

4-cyl S-10.

I'm getting ready to buy my roomate's '98 S-10 off of him to use as a daily. They have long lasting motors, get great fuel economy, and you have the utilities of having a truck bed and a trailer hitch in case you ever need them. Plus, as we all know, S-10's have an epic aftermarket available to them just in case the mod bug bites.

My roomate's is a rather laughable example. He bought it this way mind you to be his daily (he drives a modified '06 STI on the weekends), but he is now in the process of buying a used Xterra that he plans on lifting. It has cheesy polished wheels on it, clear corner lenses, and a shorty antenna that was destined for my ex-girlfriend's Tiburon on it.......plus sweet OEM tribal graphics down the sides and the driver's side fender is primered, but no paint

And I believe it has Kicker door speakers.....but its still running the factory tape deck. My only real plans for it are some kind of silly shift knob and a new CD player.

*Edit: really any 4-cyl truck for that matter.........Mazda B100, Ford Ranger, or an old 'yota.....they'll all get the job done. Plus, if you live in an area where it snows, they have enough ground clearance to plow through the snow with ease. Just be careful in the RWD models, as no weight in the rear + RWD can = uh oh in incliment weather.

Tuck&Poke · 08-24-2009, 02:44 PM

toyota tercel, you will never be tempted to mod it 40+mpg, you'd be suprised how quick they are, and you could never change the oil and it will still run like a champ. My friend hasnt done an oil change in 5yrs, just tops it up, and it runs like a dream.

1985zcar · 08-24-2009, 02:47 PM

Seems like the first comment got overlooked...

Why not get a 318i? You could get a E30 or E36, both are fairly cheap, 4 door, and I'm sure they're still pretty fun to drive and cheap to mod.

B Rod · 08-24-2009, 02:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SeanDub

Lowered on wheels shouldnt make your car that much of a target. At least around here, the thieves seem to scope th ecars and jack the ones with a hefty amount of money in them

Unless you're Blake and they steal it for the doors.

Fuck an S10. They have more issues than Fords...haha.

BreakMyWallet · 08-24-2009, 10:54 PM

i thought 318's were just slow inline 6's? lol

if they are a 4 cylinder they moved to the top of the list. as long as it manual ill throw some $400 ground control coilover sleeves on some used bilstein shocks, and mash

SeanDub · 08-24-2009, 10:58 PM

No 318's are 4 bangers. Slow as dick from what I've heard though

BreakMyWallet · 08-24-2009, 11:01 PM

found a local one thats running for 700 bucks. 318 5 speed. says 30mpg and thats fine with me! ill check it out this week

BreakMyWallet · 08-24-2009, 11:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SeanDub

No 318's are 4 bangers. Slow as dick from what I've heard though

shit bro coming from a 1977 celica with 90hp (when it was brand new, now has 450k) this shit will be a rocket.

the celica is even fun to drive. as long as its a manual i can throw some gc coils on it and cheapo wheels to stance it out and ill be more than happy.

BreakMyWallet · 08-24-2009, 11:24 PM

all i need

OSSHWA · 08-25-2009, 12:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tuck&Poke

toyota tercel, you will never be tempted to mod it 40+mpg, you'd be suprised how quick they are, and you could never change the oil and it will still run like a champ. My friend hasnt done an oil change in 5yrs, just tops it up, and it runs like a dream.

My former co-worker did the same thing, only it was 2 years, and it was an '03 Infiniti M45. And unfourtunately, it didn't run like a champ as a result of no oil changes. Instead, it broke down on a regular basis and he wound up trading it in on a Chrysler 300M (not, NOT a 300C.....lulz) b/c he could no longer afford to keep fixing it