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best car for daily driver & high mileage driving?

matamaticmatamatic 488 Posts
edited February 2008 in Strut Central
I drive about 900 miles a month commuting to and from work. And after 5 years my car is about done. What do you guys recommend for a new daily driver(which will be my all the time driver)?

  Comments

  • BurnsBurns 2,227 Posts
    How big are your pockets? Without knowing, a Volvo or Acura will get the job done. On the truck side, a early model Toyota pickup should do the trick.
  • beatlustbeatlust 142 Posts
    vw tdi. the tdi stands for turbo direct injection and its diesel. a friend has one and gets crazzy nice milage. they are super easy to get more power from chip/intake/exhaust and maybe an intercooler would really open a tdi up..
  • rootlesscosmorootlesscosmo 12,848 Posts
    honda.
  • BurnsBurns 2,227 Posts
    vw tdi.

    I agree, then retrofit to utilize vegetable oil. Crispy fries for days.
  • Big_ChanBig_Chan 5,088 Posts
    Son, Here is the joint! NO gas expenses at all!!!!

  • JimBeamJimBeam Seattle. 2,012 Posts
    honda.
    really-- for reliability, cheap repairs (if any are ever necessary), cheap maintenance, and a car you never have to worry about, any honda with the 1.6 or 1.8 Liter engines are the way to go.

    If you're looking for something a bit more luxurious, check the Lexus and Acura lines.

    Those TDI's get good mileage, but good luck finding one in CA used that is not priced way too high. There's a high demand for them (51mpg freeway) but the CA Air Resources Board has strict limits on the number of non-commercial diesel vehicles that can be sold in the state by dealers, so not too many made it out here in the first place.
  • young_creamyoung_cream 540 Posts
    you work about 40 miles away from your home? I think obviously a hybrid wouldbe the best m.p.g. but the only one I know of is the toyota prius, which is nice


  • matamaticmatamatic 488 Posts
    thanks everyone.. I guess a honda will be the first pick. Actually I work about 90 miles from home but I stay out here during my work week. 2 fuckin rents=SUCKS!!!
  • JimsterJimster Cruffiton.etsy.com 6,954 Posts
    I did a similar gig for a year but I drove the miles to and from every day. I drove because a) I left at 6:30AM and I could do 90mph most of the way... took about 1:15 each way and b) I got to kip in my own bed and see wife and kid.

    My monthy petrol bill was about $700, which was still less than renting where I worked. Although 2 geezers on the team had a good deal; they joined a hotel gym and got a good deal on rooms there in the week. No bills.
  • akoako https://soundcloud.com/a-ko 3,413 Posts
    volkswagen.

    my 95 passat has nearly 300,000 miles on it and ive never had to do any engine work. however it's totaled because some drunk asshole hit it while it was parked.

    still runs though!

    Honda might be a better choice though. i dont know much about them but id imagine they get better gas mileage for some reason. i love honda motorcycles but i dont know much about their cars. their motorcycles are completely bulletproof.
  • mannybolonemannybolone Los Angeles, CA 15,025 Posts
    Well, I'm a Prius owner so I'd rep my own car. I drive around 70 miles a day, roundtrip and get around 43mpg.

    If you want to find something cheaper, I'd cosign with people recommending Hondas. A nice Civic will do you right.
  • spelunkspelunk 3,400 Posts
    If you're going to get a hybrid, the Prius > Civic Hybrid. Better MPG and much more room.
  • FlomotionFlomotion 2,390 Posts
    Audi. Or VW Passat. Or Skoda Octavia, which is a Passat in disguise.
  • verb606verb606 2,518 Posts
    If you're going to get a hybrid, the Prius > Civic Hybrid. Better MPG and much more room.


    I have a Honda Civic hybrid, and I love it. However, the above statement regarding room and MPG is correct. I hated the Prius' interior and my wife hated the exterior. Plus I really wanted a Civic because I know those shits last.


    Anybody wanting to up their mileage game should check www.cleanmpg.com

    There are a lot of hardcore hypermiler fanatics on there, but there are also some great tips for increasing mileage for both hybrids and non-hybrids.
  • mannybolonemannybolone Los Angeles, CA 15,025 Posts
    Audi. Or VW Passat. Or Skoda Octavia, which is a Passat in disguise.

    I thought Audi's had a spotty track record around dependability?

    And every VW owner I've ever met regrets buying a VW. Surprised me to hear that.
  • high_chigh_c 1,384 Posts


    And every VW owner I've ever met regrets buying a VW. Surprised me to hear that.

    I'm another regretter to add to the list. Repairs are frequent and $$$.

    Been rollin a Honda for a couple months now. Wish me luck.
  • JectWonJectWon (@_@) 1,654 Posts
    I haven't seen what others have recommended by I got a Honda Fit about a year+ ago and I love that shit....cheapest Honda available and it gets 37 miles to the gallon on the highway....plus it's a hatchback with HELLA' cargo space.

    My wife and I go camping with two full grown dogs all the time and that muh'fukka holds ALL of our shit with ease.

    PLUS, the fuse box area under the dash (on the drivers side) is a Frickin' GREAT spot to hold your weed...
  • dollar_bindollar_bin I heartily endorse this product and/or event 2,326 Posts


    And every VW owner I've ever met regrets buying a VW. Surprised me to hear that.

    I'm another regretter to add to the list. Repairs are frequent and $$$.

    checking in. We probably spend as much on my wife's 99 Beetle for maintenance in one year than I spend in 6 years on my 96 Nissan Sentra, and doing your own work on the Beetle is five kinds of pain in the ass. The headlights were constantly burning out and it's a serious bear to change the bulb. On the Nissan, it literally takes five seconds. That Sentra is the car that wouldn't die, however, which is unfortunate because I really want to get a new car but I'm unable to walk away from a car that is perfectly functional. I gotta agree that Hondas in my experience are pretty good cars, I just went for the slightly cheaper Nissan when I bought my last car.
  • thesolelifethesolelife 369 Posts
    Civic.

    I have a '00 and about 203,000 miles on it. Regular oil changes and consistent maintenance i.e. timing belt, water pump, brakes, tires, etc and it's still going strong.

    The only "real" problem I had (and just recently) was changing out the radiator.

    A side note to anyone with a Civic or Honda- I hear rumors that civics can go +300,000.

    Any truth to that?
  • JimBeamJimBeam Seattle. 2,012 Posts
    My older sister's first car was free to her-- a 1982 civic hatchback with 230,000 on it, and i think one of the 1300cc engines. (this was in '94)
    she drove that thing forever, and i did most of the maintenance on it. went through a clutch, a couple sets of tires, an oil pump and a distributor in addition to the regular maintenance.

    It finally had a piston seize, and it threw a rod through the side of the block with 370,000 miles on it, but she claimed the odometer hadn't been working for about a half year at that point-- so maybe even more than that.
  • ariel_calmerariel_calmer 3,762 Posts
    Civic.

    I have a '00 and about 203,000 miles on it. Regular oil changes and consistent maintenance i.e. timing belt, water pump, brakes, tires, etc and it's still going strong.

    The only "real" problem I had (and just recently) was changing out the radiator.

    A side note to anyone with a Civic or Honda- I hear rumors that civics can go +300,000.

    Any truth to that?

    Hondas are reliable cars with great engines.

    I have a 97 civic with 140k and it's still going strong. The A/C failed and I just cut the belt to the compressor, it's got rust on the bottom, and it has scratches on the windshield, the cruise is out and the "lights on" beep always beeps, regardless of whether the headlights are on (but these last two are related to a failed theft where the ignition got drilled out). Pretty minor stuff.

    My dad's accord went past 200k with no worries. I don't know what the final total was after my brother got through with it.
  • Ex-BoyfriendEx-Boyfriend 795 Posts
    I have a Honda Civic hybrid, and I love it.

    Just a shame you dont love your COUNTRY
  • Jonny_PaycheckJonny_Paycheck 17,825 Posts


    And every VW owner I've ever met regrets buying a VW. Surprised me to hear that.

    I'm another regretter to add to the list. Repairs are frequent and $$$.

    checking in.

    '99 passat, repairs are expensive as hell, they are frequent enough and I've barely hit 70k on it. Of course, my mechanic doesn't want me to sell it...
  • meatyogremeatyogre 2,080 Posts
    Got about 185K on my 98 Civic, and the only problems have been the AC crapping out, power locks are gone, and some other minor stuff. Go for the Honda dudes.
  • HairyBelafonteHairyBelafonte 1,202 Posts
    Audi. Or VW Passat. Or Skoda Octavia, which is a Passat in disguise.

    I thought Audi's had a spotty track record around dependability?

    And every VW owner I've ever met regrets buying a VW. Surprised me to hear that.



    My 98 jetta vr6 caught on fire after sitting parked for three days un-driven.

    Though my Mom, my sister and my brother-inlaw have all had jettas for years with no problems/complaints. I guess that kinda evens it out.

    I have had my Audi A4 for about 4 years now with no major issues. I bought it used and even then it got free factory service for the first 2 years. 4 cylinder w/ turbo, good mileage and the best snow car evar. Unfuckwitable.

  • luckluck 4,077 Posts
    I was at the Chicago Auto Show last month, and I saw the new Honda Civic CRX prototype - it's called the "CR-Z." I always wondered why Honda canned one of the longest-lasting, most dependable car models ever. I suppose the Del Sol flop, combined with cheap gas and SUVmania did it in.








    From the Japan Car News Blog:

    Honda says the CR-Z is only a "design research model", however we think that what we'll see at the Tokyo Motor Show will be a production-ready car that could potentially be on the market by late 2008 to early 2009, although Internet scuttlebutt puts the sale date anywhere between 2009 and 2011. We'll be keeping a close eye on this one once it hits the stands at Tokyo.

    full link
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