Daily Driver recommendations and input please

the.greg

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I'd get a civic or corolla. I have a 04 corolla dd and it will not break down. I have a fairly long commute, 350 miles weekly, and it knocks down 34 mpg mixed driving and has not had a single issue come up for 2 years. It will likely be easier to sell down the road than a civic as well, and because its a toyota you never have to worry about honda fanboys trying to race or any of that nonsense. No one ever mods a corolla in this area, whereas some of the used hondas I've seen have been beaten on especially if it was a 2 door 5 speed model. I'm not a fan of focus in that price range although the newer ones arent bad cars. For the 3k range, I think a corolla will be best.
 

RichV

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$3K ? You can get a SN of your choice! j/k

Isn't it funny how when you're not looking, $3000 DDs were probably all over the place, now that you need one they're all crap. One of my co-workers got a TDI Jetta for around that price, 02 IIRC. it gets great mileage and seems to be dependable.
 

slow90coupe

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That corolla looks to be pretty good for the money. Keep in mind you want one that isn't very nice so you won't try to keep it nice, beaters aren't supposed to look nice! lol.
 
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1997GT4.6

1997GT4.6

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I hope I can flip the car soon when I finish school. Sold the mazda in like 36hrs for $1000 profit haha, the guy even talked me down a ton.

Right you live in arizona, well this is what happens to proteges... they all turn into this.
Do it, I don't see why not. Damn that's a good profit! ha even with all that rust. Holy crap dude, that is sad. That's some quality right there. Yeah I'll pass on the protege that's forsure!
 

Orange 94

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Damn that's a good profit! ha even with all that rust.
oh no, I never had a protege. I had a mazda3, thing was in great shape.

j3DZEiJl.jpg
 
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1997GT4.6

1997GT4.6

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I'd get a civic or corolla. I have a 04 corolla dd and it will not break down. I have a fairly long commute, 350 miles weekly, and it knocks down 34 mpg mixed driving and has not had a single issue come up for 2 years. It will likely be easier to sell down the road than a civic as well, and because its a toyota you never have to worry about honda fanboys trying to race or any of that nonsense. No one ever mods a corolla in this area, whereas some of the used hondas I've seen have been beaten on especially if it was a 2 door 5 speed model. I'm not a fan of focus in that price range although the newer ones arent bad cars. For the 3k range, I think a corolla will be best.
Yes, the corolla will not break down. I fully trust corollas. I've witnessed their reliability. I've owned one, and that is why I want another. Good point! I won't have to deal with all the kids trying to race me in a civic, which would be very annoying. Hondas around here are beat, my fellow Mexicans like to turn them into "race cars" here in AZ. I think a focus with a duratec or zetec and a manual transmission might not be bad. I've read to skip anything before 2002. But I would prefer a corolla.

I found a grandma owned 94 Corolla with 140k miles for $1800. Its super mint! But OBD1, that nonsense is annoying trying to pass emissions some times.

$3K ? You can get a SN of your choice! j/k

Isn't it funny how when you're not looking, $3000 DDs were probably all over the place, now that you need one they're all crap. One of my co-workers got a TDI Jetta for around that price, 02 IIRC. it gets great mileage and seems to be dependable.
HAHA I thought the same thing! Although, people are asking more for them now.

Oh don't even remind me! When I wasn't seriously looking, early 2000 civics and corollas were everywhere! Now all I see is junk at the same price. I thought about the Jetta, but would hate to work on it if it broke down. But some models might actually be reliable, I'll look into those. Thanks for suggestion!
 

Dsg94sn95

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Why not an s10 blazer? I bought a 89 jimmy over a year ago for 400 bucks and it won't die..
 
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1997GT4.6

1997GT4.6

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That corolla looks to be pretty good for the money. Keep in mind you want one that isn't very nice so you won't try to keep it nice, beaters aren't supposed to look nice! lol.

Yeah I like it, it looks well kept minus the paint. Yeah its not the worst deal but I was hoping for better paint. But the motor and trans are solid. Haha true, well it's just a beater until I finish school in less than 2 years. I might just go for it bc I'd rather spend 2500 than 3k, and as long as every thing else is good to go it's a good deal.
 
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1997GT4.6

1997GT4.6

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oh no, I never had a protege. I had a mazda3, thing was in great shape.

j3DZEiJl.jpg
Oh gotcha, I read that wrong. Ha orange mazda too?! I love those mazda 3s. A friend had 1 it was nice, and his girl has one now. Wish I could get one.
Why not an s10 blazer? I bought a 89 jimmy over a year ago for 400 bucks and it won't die..

Meh, I don't like those. I've seen some good ones but I wouldn't want to own one. I remember dragging one out of the sand across a creek with my old 93 Toyota Pickup lol.
 

JKady

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Oh don't even remind me! When I wasn't seriously looking, early 2000 civics and corollas were everywhere! Now all I see is junk at the same price. I thought about the Jetta, but would hate to work on it if it broke down. But some models might actually be reliable, I'll look into those. Thanks for suggestion!
Your best bet for a reliable VW is a 2.0/5-speed. It won't get you anywhere quickly but they're pretty reliable. Expect to have to work on the secondary air system at some point if it's got many miles though, the real downfall of the German stuff is emissions and cooling systems.
 

Orange 94

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In my view German cars in general are 1 of 2 things;

1) super reliable and will never ever break down in a million years no matter what hell you put it through.
2) a living nightmare and will cost you your first born son.

If you buy a good NA engine, its typically #1... but always the possibility of #2. If its turbo, you increase the chances of #2.

Volvos (non ford ones) kind of fall under the same rules, more likely #1 and will survive nuclear warfare. British cars are just #2 lol.
 

JKady

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In my view German cars in general are 1 of 2 things;

1) super reliable and will never ever break down in a million years no matter what hell you put it through.
2) a living nightmare and will cost you your first born son.

If you buy a good NA engine, its typically #1... but always the possibility of #2. If its turbo, you increase the chances of #2.

Volvos (non ford ones) kind of fall under the same rules, more likely #1 and will survive nuclear warfare. British cars are just #2 lol.

Yup, British cars (including the Ford/Jaguar bastard children) will consume your wallet and free time.
 

Mustanger

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If you can find a 98 or newer Ford Escort in decent condition they are fantastic little cars & often overlooked. Ford got them perfected by then ....I have had 4 of them in my family & they were wonderful. our 98 Manual tranny delivered 41-43 MPG & never under 30! We put from 250,000 to 350,000 miles on them with reliability toyota & honda could only hope to have. If the timing belt breaks the engine just stops...no damage, no new valves or heads needed. I compared records with a fellow worker & I matched or beat his maintenance costs of his Honda Civic for years & my Escort held up better in the paint & interior by far! He did beat me in the resale value...but that doesn't count if you keep it! Really they were sweet dependable little cars.
 
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1997GT4.6

1997GT4.6

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Your best bet for a reliable VW is a 2.0/5-speed. It won't get you anywhere quickly but they're pretty reliable. Expect to have to work on the secondary air system at some point if it's got many miles though, the real downfall of the German stuff is emissions and cooling systems.
Yeah that doesn't sound fun to work on. VW are hard to work on as it is. I'm almost considering selling my SN and buying an S197 GT. I don't do much car stuff anymore.
4cyl Chevy S10
Ewww. Ha, thanks for chiming in though!
If you can find a 98 or newer Ford Escort in decent condition they are fantastic little cars & often overlooked. Ford got them perfected by then ....I have had 4 of them in my family & they were wonderful. our 98 Manual tranny delivered 41-43 MPG & never under 30! We put from 250,000 to 350,000 miles on them with reliability toyota & honda could only hope to have. If the timing belt breaks the engine just stops...no damage, no new valves or heads needed. I compared records with a fellow worker & I matched or beat his maintenance costs of his Honda Civic for years & my Escort held up better in the paint & interior by far! He did beat me in the resale value...but that doesn't count if you keep it! Really they were sweet dependable little cars.
Interesting. I have a buddy who said they are as reliable as you have expressed. But I've ready to get 01 and up to avoid the recall issues the prior years had. That's awesome about the timing belt. Crazy how the Focus gets over looked. I'm very interested in them at the moment. Just haven't found any yet.
 

JKady

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They're not bad to work on, just gotta have a good set of allen and torx sockets, they're just horribly underwhelming performance wise.
 

Mustanger

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LOL...yes I agree on the underwhelming part performance wise but they had a sweet spot around 70mph & would effortlessly cruise there all day. I used to launch hard at every red light & speed shift like mad having a ton of fun & none of the cars beside me even knew they were in a race! Cops included...really was fun to drive with the right attitude.
 

BMAC96GT

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My vote is for a 5th gen maxima. Theyre so underrated. I have no idea how these cars sell for so cheap. You get a lot of car for the money. My daily beater is a 2001 Nissan Maxima. You wont get the gas mileage you will out of a corolla, but it is better in every other aspect (looks, power, options, comfort). I drive the hell out of mine and I have never had a single problem. I looked in the phoenix craigslist and saw multiple maximas that were in your price range.

225hp V6 thats quick. I get 23-24mpg around town every single time and I dont baby it. Highway mileage is 27-28mpg
 
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1997GT4.6

1997GT4.6

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They're not bad to work on, just gotta have a good set of allen and torx sockets, they're just horribly underwhelming performance wise.
Interesting. They look complicated lol. Maybe not the older ones as much. Well, it will be just a DD for me.
My vote is for a 5th gen maxima. Theyre so underrated. I have no idea how these cars sell for so cheap. You get a lot of car for the money. My daily beater is a 2001 Nissan Maxima. You wont get the gas mileage you will out of a corolla, but it is better in every other aspect (looks, power, options, comfort). I drive the hell out of mine and I have never had a single problem. I looked in the phoenix craigslist and saw multiple maximas that were in your price range.

225hp V6 thats quick. I get 23-24mpg around town every single time and I dont baby it. Highway mileage is 27-28mpg
My sister had one and it was junk. I've never liked nissan due to their lack of quality compared to Toyota and Honda. But I'd give them a shot. Yeah for the money they seem to be a good deal. I'm gonna have to expand my options because there are no corollas, nor civics worth a damn around here. I don't like the camry is it a huge car. The accord feels a little smaller, which I like. I've been looking for a DD for a month now and haven't found anything.


I'm close to just calling the DD search quits and selling the Cobra to get an s197 GT. I wouldn't care about the s197 being my DD, they're a dime a dozen.

Update on that tan corolla I posted earlier: It was a POS. Leaking oil, spider webs every where (not driven), missing chunks from the rear bumper and side skirt (wtf?), clear coat failure all over (those pics do not represent that car at all), and RUST!! The frame was rotted, brackets in the engine bay were rotted. Guy thought it was worth a solid $2500. LOL
 

97NYstanGT

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Honestly, look into a focus svt, very reliable and tons of fun to drive


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