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View Full Version : What's a good cheap daily driver?



La68camaro
08-17-2004, 11:37 AM
I'm basicly looking for something around the ballpark of 1500 bucks gets at least 30+mpg small and can still handle/perform somewhat decently seat 4 people would be a plus.

I was looking at the Fiero but it seems like they have alot of issues and it might be more pain than its worth but you can mod the hell out of them includding swaping in a 350, but it is only a 2 seater.

Then theres the Saturn SC2 which doesnt look so bad and with a couple mods it can handle awsome but the're slow.

Neon wouldnt be so bad but its a dodge and i know how good they build there cars so im not really going there.

SO thats what i came up with so far, any imput from all you car guru's? :poke:

mikesz
08-17-2004, 11:51 AM
How are you going to fit 4 people in a Fiero? Also if your looking for a cheap daily driver, why would you mod it? I drive a 91 Deville so my definition of small and good mileage might not match yours but. Maybe an early 90's Cavalier, Beretta, Lumina, or their Olds and Pontiac equivalents. For the $1500 price range you might just have to take what you can get.

mike

La68camaro
08-17-2004, 12:12 PM
I said fitting 4 would be a plus, the fiero is an intresting car just problematic.

Why does anyone mod thier cheap daily drivers? Because we're into cars and stock doesnt really do it.. plus slow cars suck.

believe it or not 1500 bucks goes preety far in LA area, after all there are more cars than "legal" people out here hehe.

For example a 96 saturn SC2 sells for about 2000 and im sure you could talk them down.

Thoese cars you mentioned are decent but they we're built to last and thier MPG isnt that impressive but ill look into them a bit further thanks for the imput =)

mdprovee
08-17-2004, 12:13 PM
I drive a Honda Civic every day. About 30 mpg. Very dependable. It was the wifes car, she gets to drive the new dodge truck because she commutes 5 mile to work as I commute 35 miles.

Mike

La68camaro
08-17-2004, 12:18 PM
yeah them hondas are great and dependable, the thing is there so dependable in LA you cant find one wiht low mileage for under 3-4k z

SYDEWAYZ71
08-17-2004, 04:38 PM
How about early 80's rx7? Not sure how they do on gas but if you find a 84-85 gsl or gsl-se I'm sure you would be happy with the performance. (light weight,5speed,handle good,posi,and you can upgrade till you're broke).You probably wont find a gsl-se in very good shape for $1500 but then again maybe you can.VERY FUN CARS :3gears: just a thought

La68camaro
08-17-2004, 05:10 PM
hmm theres a nice car for cheap, ill look into it thanks for the advice :git:

workbenchracer
08-23-2004, 05:52 PM
I don't believe the rotary engines had great fuel economy. Plus if you get one with higher mileage there is a good chance the motor is worn out. I know some people will go a long time on their motors but these engines can be fragile. They have oil injection and if one is over heated it could be major bucks to repair. Theres a lot of aluminum and steel intermixed and O-ring seals (108 of them?) to keep everything from leaking. So if they have been hot its not like your going to pull the head and get things fixed. One good thing is you can rev the heck out of them and if you miss a gear you can do some damage but no valves are going to float or fall and you won't vent the block with a rod.

MuscleRodz
08-23-2004, 07:26 PM
RX-7's are excellent daily drivers. Your right they aren't great on gas (mine 87 GXL avg 18) but as long as you could throw fuel to it, it could make power all day long. My brother loves them and has rebuilt several. You can buy a reman from Mazda for about $2200. The real nice thing about them is you can find them all over the place dirt cheap because no one know how to work on them. My brother has bought many under $500, did a major tune up to them and drove the crap out of it for several thousand miles, then sell it for 3 times what he paid for it. Stay away from the 85-86, they had electrical issues. My 87 paid $2500 for a nice driver, drove 100K miles, sold 3 years later for $1500. 3 months after I sold it, the motor gave up! Talk about timing!

Mike

84gp
08-25-2004, 11:41 AM
You could pick up a late 80's Monte with a 4.3 V6. Good looks, nice ride, and OK mileage. They go pretty cheap. Also tuff as nails. :3gears:

CAMAROBOY69
08-25-2004, 11:59 AM
-Dodge Shadow
-Chevy beretta
-Pontiac Grand Prix
-Pontiac Grand AM
-Chevy Cavalier
Those should be fairly cheap, 4 or 5 speed, good gas mileage. The Beretta can go decent if it has the 6cylinder. I would personally prefer the Grand Prix out of that group. Fit 4 comfortably and rides nice.
YOU DONT WANT a saturn!!!! I drive a 96 leather, sunroof, saturn as a daily driver and I hate this car!!!! Its faster than most of the 6 cylinder cars ive raced but it just is not a fun car. Doesnt handle well. THe great thing is the gas mileage!! over 40MPG on highway and avg 32 in city. If I lived in LA I wouldnt own this car. But since we have winter here I could care less about driving it.

Zefhix
08-25-2004, 12:04 PM
I'm surprised no-one has mentioned the early 90s Turbo eclipses. Cheap, good gas mileage and a few bolt-ons into the 12s....I drive a damn 93 escort everyday. Gets stupid gas mileage (36 highway,30 city), it's light, front and rear sway bars, good brakes, 5spd, roller 1.9 motor.....it's been one of the most dependable cars i've ever had. The motor finally quit after 190,000 hard miles so I just bought another motor for it for $500 and I put it in. Took me about 16 hours total but it was fun....now the car runs like new.....and costs practically nothing to maintain. :cool:

La68camaro
08-25-2004, 01:38 PM
LoL :jump: i went with a 95 SL 1 4 door with 90k miles and i paid 1600 bucks! its in perfect shape and i drove about 45 minutes and the gas needle didint move at all.

It surprisingly handles decent and its not as slow as i thought.

the only problem im having with it right now is it seems to jump to a higher RPM outa the blue for a split second then it goes normal.

kinda like a hickup other than that it rums perfect might need some tunning up oil change but its a good car.

I also ended up buying a 1987 rx7 turbo its FAST but it needs some work, rear end mount-springs/shocks/tires.. the worst is it will need a newer motor in the next year or so. But im digging the car ALOT

thanks for the advice guys you RuLe! :cheers:

MuscleRodz
08-25-2004, 02:35 PM
If you need any parts for your RX7 my brother always has a bunch around. His email is [email protected]. He also has an ebay store full of parts to.

Mike

SYDEWAYZ71
08-25-2004, 03:24 PM
If you wanna spend about $600 (not sure) for very good exhaust for your Turbo II go with the expensive bolt-on off road kit from Racing Beat (full exhaust downpipe to the tips). I bolted one of the kits on my friends 87' and damn what a difference!!!! The stock turbo II had no tire spin under acceleration to laying rubber deep into second gear! I actually thought of buying a Rx7 just to pick up the same exhaust. If you plan on a rebuild spend the money and street port the motor, then that Rx7 will really fly!!!

HellTriX
08-25-2004, 04:05 PM
95 SL 1 4 door?
What kinda car is that? ( I think I know just dont want to sound dumb)
My 93 Grand cherokee limited is averaging 10.8 mpg after the tuneup with a 5.2L which I can't handle anymore so I too am looking for a new beater to putt around in for that price range.

La68camaro
08-25-2004, 07:54 PM
mike ill ask him about a couple things im looking for right now like a rearend mount for example.

sidewayz71 does that exaust pass smog? i've got alot of stuff to do before i get to performance but ill keep something like that in mind for sure :bananna2:

helltriX its a saturn which is a GM based econobox car, good dependable and effeicant not to menton roomy(4door)

its worth the money, and you can work on the cars very easy like