Good Fun Daily Driver for ~$7k?

"Long Live the Longdoor" (victoryred08) 07/04/2016 at 22:12 • Filed to: #carguyproblems

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So I’ve been doing some thinking, after having !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! with: what if I want to drive it every day? I bought a brand new Accord last September (with the CVT, which is actually half decent) but I’ve been entertaining the thought of selling Accord (or perhaps waiting till I break even on the depreciation curve w/e), flipping the $500 car for (hopefully) a small profit and buying something for like $7k to drive everyday.

Ya, I probably should have taken the plunge and bought a $500 car before I purchased the car (didn’t consider it at the time) and I tried a bunch of different avenues to try and get some manual seat time before the purchase but they didn’t pan out.

I should also note that I’m financially stable and can afford the new car payment no problem, but with buying a $500 car it really makes you think about how much life you can get out of a car and how spending ~$7k can give you a daily driver to last quite a while (and not having a car payment would always be nice).

What say you Oppo? Would you keep the car payment and hoon the $500 car till she dies? Start a never ending process of trying to flip hooptie for a profit until you got something you want to keep forever? Try to find a good fun manual daily driver for like $7k (I like the first gen TSX’s quite a bit or maybe a NB Miata)?

TL;DR: Have an auto DD, learning to drive manual, want suggestions on ~$7k manual daily drivers (i.e. something reliable and fun).

S65 > Long Live the Longdoor 07/04/2016 at 22:23

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Last gen Celica

rockingthe2 > Long Live the Longdoor 07/04/2016 at 22:24

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I kinda did the opposite of this where I have owned my mr2 for 4 years now as a DD but I got tired of driving a clutch in DC traffic, so I bought a cheap reliable automatic car, that just happens to be a turbo wagon. $7k will get you quite a few fun cars depending on what you want. A manual WRX comes to mind, if you don’t care about having great gas mileage. You also pictured an Acura cz you can get those in a manual for that price that get great gas mileage, but aren’t as fast. I’ve even seen the wagon variant of those, looks really nice.

Long Live the Longdoor > S65 07/04/2016 at 22:27

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I always really dug that gen Celica, I wonder how comfortable it’d be day to day. I imagine it’d be pretty fun, didn’t they have some crazy high redline? To Google!

AM3R shamefully returns > rockingthe2 07/04/2016 at 22:29

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Tired of driving your MR2 in DC? Sell it to me!

interstate366, now In The Industry > Long Live the Longdoor 07/04/2016 at 22:34

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I've driven a manual TSX. They're pretty cool.

E92M3 > Long Live the Longdoor 07/04/2016 at 22:38

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I’m having a hard time with the reliable part. I think a TSX, or RSX would be a good choice. Can you get a 4th gen TL Type-S for $7k these days?

The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock > Long Live the Longdoor 07/04/2016 at 22:40

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The GT-S had the 2ZZ-GE with a 8000rpm red line.

Trunk Impaired 318 > Long Live the Longdoor 07/04/2016 at 22:42

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I almost picked up a 7th gen GT-S before I got my Mini, they’re pretty comfortable all things considered. The GT-S models have an 8k redline and handle pretty damn well for what they are. The only real issue is finding one that hasn’t been molested.

Long Live the Longdoor > rockingthe2 07/04/2016 at 22:43

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I look WRX’s but their prices seem a little inflated here in Canada. I also worry about the longevity of a ~$7k WRX. I guess a pre-purchase inspection might be a good way to go. For the gas mileage, as long as it isn’t higher than what I was paying for a new car payment, that seems like a win to me lol (my wife might not see it that way).

I’m not super concerned about outright speed (you get to rev out a slow car more on public roads).

96Formula6spd > Long Live the Longdoor 07/04/2016 at 22:45

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Ditch that accord with the cvt like its the plague. Few friends are having transmission issues just out of warranty period. Told one to skip it as its a cvt but he said it was a great deal. Well with 37k on it and two transmission fluid changes its starting to fail. Another one had his replaced at 22k miles as it took a dump having issues since day one.

That being said whats the overall budget. I don’t believe in car payments. I know some people do them but after a few cars I probably won’t do a car payment again for a very long time. The $500 beater works but is the not the way to go for a daily driver. I would see if you could buy a 4-5k car in cash. If so you could hunt for the miata. Its actually the only car I had a car payment on.

Moving on I learned stick in a 1996 Firebird Formula. V8 and a 6spd was a ton of fun. Granted its been off the road for some time. It was also easy to learn stick shift in. Plus when I was in school the 20-24 city and 28-32 highway was nice on the wallet. Won’t do that now with a 385.

Just about anything can be fun. I am not a honda fan. Had two of them and that was enough of that garbage as the one was the most unreliable car I ever owned. That and working on other ones over the years makes me want to barf. But just about anything can be fun. The acura tsx is not bad but they are a bit heavy. Still ok cars to drive. Shoot it was not me but I drove the 08 Civic Si and the 12 Civic Si. Not bad cars and the 08 era is cheap these days. Granted those engines are gutless everywhere and I drive a Miata with 105hp. I am currently fixing a $400 97 awd eagle talon. I missed my 91 enough that I bought another one. So go out there and find something just ditch that cvt honda before you loose the transmission.

wbizarre - OEM fetishist > Long Live the Longdoor 07/04/2016 at 22:46

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E46 330i + Sport pack.

Prices for these are right on your budget. Great to drive, fast enough, and I’ve had no reliability issues in 1.5 years of ownership. People can fit comfortably in the back, and the fold-down seats (which I think are optional) make this a pretty practical car. Can be had with 2 doors or 4, RWD or AWD, though I’d stick with RWD, for fun and reliability reasons - fewer things to go wrong. I’m getting a rock-solid 23 mpg with spirited city driving.

XJDano > Long Live the Longdoor 07/04/2016 at 22:55

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I have an $800 DD beater, and 4 other project cars.

2+ cars are always good as a backup. It would take a day or 2 to get my jeep going. But I also have my wife’s old Equinox right now.

I’d keep a beater, then 1 play car, maybe another beater play car or motorcycle. ( I have 1 + project of those too).

Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap > Long Live the Longdoor 07/04/2016 at 22:55

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Maybe you could consider an Acura ILX. Available with a 6 speed and a very rev happy little engine.

I realize that most (even the 2012) are not within price range but it’s worth a shot. Or you could try its cheaper family member the Civic SI

Long Live the Longdoor > wbizarre - OEM fetishist 07/04/2016 at 22:55

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Really now? This is very interesting! That would be a 3.0L straight 6, no?

Any idea what the normal trouble spots are for these? I thought the E46 was supposed to be really expensive to fix and pretty unreliable or is that just the M3?

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > Long Live the Longdoor 07/04/2016 at 23:04

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Also the first generation Vibe GT and Matrix XRS for the same reasons + space.

boxrocket > Long Live the Longdoor 07/04/2016 at 23:10

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Mazdaspeed6. Follow the maintenance to the letter, and it will reward you by being both a sedate DD with AWD when needed, and a corner carving maniac when you want to loosen your tie, so to speak.

Long Live the Longdoor > The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock 07/04/2016 at 23:12

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I thought it was something like that, cool!

Long Live the Longdoor > Trunk Impaired 318 07/04/2016 at 23:13

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Ya, if I could find a clean one for a decent price I could see myself rocking one. Off to look up used Celica values lol.

Long Live the Longdoor > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies 07/04/2016 at 23:14

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That I did know about; didn’t Toyota make a supercharger kit for them too?

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > Long Live the Longdoor 07/04/2016 at 23:15

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I don’t really know. Honestly, I wouldn’t mess with it. My Mom has the slower second generation Vibe GT, and it’s quick enough.

Long Live the Longdoor > Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap 07/04/2016 at 23:16

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The ILX and the Civic Si are definitely on my radar. If I really wanted to be different I could hunt down a CSX Type-S (because Canada).

Trunk Impaired 318 > Long Live the Longdoor 07/04/2016 at 23:18

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A clean one with reasonable mileage can be had easily for $5k or less

The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock > Long Live the Longdoor 07/04/2016 at 23:18

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If you want something more practice look at a Pontiac Vibe GT/Toyota Matrix XRS. Same engine, same platform, and can do this (Matrix pictured, but both can do it).

The rear glass also opens too.

Long Live the Longdoor > boxrocket 07/04/2016 at 23:19

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I’d be scared at the maintenance nightmare a $7k MS6 would entail. It’d make a good story though lol.

Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap > Long Live the Longdoor 07/04/2016 at 23:20

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If you wanted to go a little older, a TL type S.

Long Live the Longdoor > E92M3 07/04/2016 at 23:21

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I’ve seen a couple high mileage TL Type-S’ pop up a hair under $10k (the 2008 era TL arguably my favourite looking Acura ever). Tempting.

Long Live the Longdoor > interstate366, now In The Industry 07/04/2016 at 23:23

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Right on, I know they don’t have the most power, but how did it handle? Was it comfortable?

I’ve just always kind of liked them ever since I read about them ages ago on Car and Driver or something.

Shift24 > Long Live the Longdoor 07/04/2016 at 23:27

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Reliable, fun to beat on and can always take it? 8th gen civic Si with 8200 redline, timing chain not belt, one of the best fwd handling cars, and huge aftermarket. Only thing to look for is 3rd gear issues from 06 to 07.

RiceRocketeer Extraordinaire > Long Live the Longdoor 07/04/2016 at 23:31

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IS300?

derf > Long Live the Longdoor 07/04/2016 at 23:38

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I wouldn’t say it’s tremendously expensive to fix as long as you’re comfortable doing simple stuff yourself and have a reliable independent shop you trust for everything else. That said, it is still an older euromobile. If you want to get a sense of prices as far as parts go, pop on pelicanparts.com and have a look (‘06 is the last year for the coupe/convertible, ‘05 for the sedan).

I have an ‘06 M3 and an ‘01 330ci that serves as a salt sacrifice in the winter. The M3 still holds together pretty well, but the 330 is now 15 years old and has around 155k miles on it. It does not surprise me when things break, and it happens on a fairly regular basis. If I were using it to commute any distance daily, I’d probably replace it.

It’s a very nice car to drive though. If you can find one of the later examples that has relatively low mileage and has been treated well, it could be a good choice. Just make sure you find a trustworthy independent shop that deals with BMWs (not the dealer!), and get a pre-purchase inspection. An OBDII scanner, metric sockets, torque wrench, and Bentley manual probably wouldn’t hurt either. :)

RacinBob > Long Live the Longdoor 07/04/2016 at 23:46

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Get a ‘06/’07 si with over 100,000 miles for dirt cheap. BTW +30 mpg highway. My wife’s ‘02 Si has 190,000 miles, and still looks and drives like new in Wi. She’s getting a new civic coupe, it may be had for $4500 US if it is not snapped up in one of the 3 open offers.......

In my opinion, those K motors are indestructable. Best motor ever by Honda, better than the B series even.

Long Live the Longdoor > Shift24 07/04/2016 at 23:48

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Cool, good info! I always liked that gen Si coupe/sedan and the powertrain is pretty awesome IMHO. Finding one that isn’t beat to hell might be a challenge, but a worthy one.

Long Live the Longdoor > RacinBob 07/04/2016 at 23:50

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I wouldn’t mind a 06+ Civic Si or an RSX. I love winding out a good NA engine. If I were to pull the trigger, I have a feeling I’d end up with a K-series motor of some sort.

Long Live the Longdoor > RiceRocketeer Extraordinaire 07/04/2016 at 23:51

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Hmm, not a bad idea!

Shift24 > Long Live the Longdoor 07/05/2016 at 00:07

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True but there are a few out there. And the only other issue I know of is the rear tires will wear out a little faster than the front due to the rear being chambered already.

http://www.becksautogroup.com/2006-Honda-Civ…

RacinBob > Long Live the Longdoor 07/05/2016 at 00:09

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Last of the breed, the world is going turbo + heavy. I have a ‘07 Si 4 door. I change the oil once a year at about 10,000 miles, mobil 1. I doubt I would do that with a turbo.

Car works great at 80,000 miles, if I replaced it today, not sure what it would be. 1st and 2nd gen TSX are also good cars if you value more space.

RacinBob > RacinBob 07/05/2016 at 00:12

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The other comment is the K motor is amazing, 8200 redline is a full race motor. Every other car dies at over 6500 literally. Honda ought to get a Nobel prize of something for making a $22,000 car that literally has a GT class road racing motor as stock.....

Long Live the Longdoor > RacinBob 07/05/2016 at 00:36

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My jaw literally hit the floor the first time I found out the 8th gen Si had a 8200rpm redline. It remained on the floor when I heard it! I’ve always longed for one but just never ended up buying one. Maybe now is my chance.

How is it for daily driving? Does the low torque become cumbersome around town or anything?

cberg > Long Live the Longdoor 07/05/2016 at 01:52

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Lotus did >.>

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Long Live the Longdoor 07/05/2016 at 01:59

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Since you mentioned NB miata, you can definitely get a really nice one for that kind of money. Of course you need to be willing to deal with no back seat, small storage space, and relatively slow car. Works great as a daily though and you could certainly get a rust free low mileage car, hard top, and an extra set of wheels/tires for that price. Makes your dollar stretch real far!

Amoore100 > Long Live the Longdoor 07/05/2016 at 02:33

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Don’t forget the TL, the TSX’s bigger brother. Available with a six speed for the third-gen, which is likely in your price range. The J series is an awesome V6 and are simply built to take it, you may have heard the story of our Odyssey’s J35 running for six months with barely any oil without breaking down (we did get a new engine after that, just as a precaution...and now we check our oil religiously...)

Anyways, I digress. If you can find one, a six-speed TL would be an awesome choice, otherwise a TSX is just as awesome a pick!

Also, I hear you’re in Canada? I’m here on Vancouver Island for vacation, and one of these Delicas is starting to look rather Delica-cious ;)

interstate366, now In The Industry > Long Live the Longdoor 07/05/2016 at 04:31

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It was comfortable, yeah. Handling was decent.

boxrocket > Long Live the Longdoor 07/05/2016 at 06:33

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They’re really not bad, better than an RX-(any). Check the oil every gas fill up, and follow the maintenance schedule. Not any different than owning a European car in my experience. Plus manual AWD without the headache of finding a boxer engine specialist (or paying stealership rates), or wishing cars that cheap were sold at CarMax.

marshknute > wbizarre - OEM fetishist 07/05/2016 at 07:18

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Funny, my E46 330xi cost $1400 in maintenance every 2 months. By far the worst car I’ve ever owned, and it wasn’t even that good to drive. Engine was too quiet, gearbox was numb, handling was sleep-inducing.

Worst advice for someone looking for a cheap car.

marshknute > Long Live the Longdoor 07/05/2016 at 07:25

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You’re right. The E46 is a maintenance nightmare. The only people who suggest an E46 are those that never owned one or the few dozen owners who lucked out and got a reliable example.

Here’s my experience. Never again.

http://oppositelock.kinja.com/2001-bmw-330xi…

Most hopefully aren’t as shit as mine was, but I can guarantee that you’ll have to fix the control arm bushings, window motors, and heater. Those three ALWAYS break frequently and you’ll constantly be playing catchup trying to stay ahead on maintenance.

Do yourself a favor an get something Japanese. An SI or an RSX or a WRX. All three are bulletproof, cheap to run, and cheap to repair.

RacinBob > Long Live the Longdoor 07/05/2016 at 07:55

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I think it is all relative. I grew up with a 66 mustang six, all torque and no hp. In fact my prior car was a 93 Si with 126 hp and I don’t think any car I ever had was over 135 hp so with the present 200 hp 2800 pound ‘08 Si sedan I never have been wanting.

I live in a town of 55,000 and drive 20 blocks to work at a top speed of 32 mph. So I don’t see vtec a lot. In fact I mostly skip shift 1,3,5 in town. Also, I do a fair amount of interstate driving, car is very efficient at 75 mph. I just did a 470 mile round trip to work on the lemons . 32.4 mpg but no vtec there either. In all of those applications, the power is adequate.

Where that car is in it’s element is on 2 lanes. 6 to 3rd shift and all the sudden full you have full roadrace mode. That + good handling, good brakes, good stereo, and the fact nothing wears out and nothing breaks mean’s it’s just a very worthy car for consideration.

The TSX is probably too, but several 100 more pounds probably takes the edge off of it. I do have a freind who has a Mugen Si. The suspension was so hard, he had to get EX shocks to stand his 30 mile commute on Minnesota roads.

Long Live the Longdoor > RacinBob 07/05/2016 at 08:21

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Awesome! Thanks for the feedback!

Long Live the Longdoor > Amoore100 07/05/2016 at 08:29

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Good call, I’ll keep an eye out for used TL’s too. I imagine they’d be pretty fun to drive too. The base TL uses a 3.2L right? That’s crazy about your Odyssey!

Those Delicas are getting pretty cheap! I hear about a place in London (ON) that does Japanese imports and regularly has these for like $5-7k. Such a hilarious vehicle.

yitznewton > Long Live the Longdoor 07/05/2016 at 09:20

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Impreza platform, Civic Si, an older Focus hatch, Miata, 1st gen Honda Fit, Mazda 3

Depending on where you are, you may be able to find a salvaged or high-mile S2000 for that money if you’re willing to go there, and prepared to scrutinize a candidate.

yitznewton > Long Live the Longdoor 07/05/2016 at 09:21

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Ohhh SaveTheIntegras...?

wantafuncar > Long Live the Longdoor 07/05/2016 at 12:17

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All 3g TL have a 3.2 or 3.5

I am the owner of a 2005 TL with a six speed, and I love this car...

Long Live the Longdoor > wantafuncar 07/05/2016 at 12:31

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O really? Do you have the 3.2 or the 3.5? How’s the gas mileage? Has it been reliable?

wbizarre - OEM fetishist > marshknute 07/05/2016 at 13:37

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Huh, sorry to hear that. All I have to go off of is my experience owning one. I did spend a lot of time looking for a nice clean lower-mileage example, which 7K would get him.

Are you taking it to a shop to fix it? That’s quite a number. With the front CA bushings, the previous owner on mine replaced them with polyurethane, and they’ve been tight so far. I don’t know if they made the ride more harsh since I didn’t compare it with non-poly suspension, but I’d say the ride is great. I’ve never had problems with window motors , but the rails do go out of alignment somehow. This hasn’t happened to my e46(though the driver side window is a little slow to close), but I’ve had to fix this on my old e36, my e30, and a W210 Mercedes. At this point I just accept wonky window mechanisms as part of the German car experience.

wantafuncar > Long Live the Longdoor 07/05/2016 at 14:57

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3.2 w/ brembos and tech package. 2005 they didn’t offer a formal type-s, but basically my car was the type-s if they had offered one.

To be honest, I don’t strictly measure the mpg every tank. When I have measured it, its been around 23-25. I’ve heard of folks getting over 30mpg with these on all highway miles, but I drive mostly backroads/city miles so ymmv.

The car was owned by a family member for all but the last year. It was reliable in his hands (no issues at all outside of maintenance), and so far has been reliable in my hands (no issues with me). The dash recently cracked, but its 11 years old. FWIW I am probably not the best person to say because it only has 55k on it.

wbizarre - OEM fetishist > Long Live the Longdoor 07/05/2016 at 20:43

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That’s right, 3.o I6. I haven’t run into it yet, but the cooling system seems to be a trouble spot for this generation. The plastic expansion tank is weak and tends to crack at around 100K, and people recommend replacing the water pump too. This is something I plan on doing as preventative maintenance.

It may be expensive to fix if you’re taking it to a shop. If you do the work yourself it’s obviously cheaper, but also the RWD and longitudinal inline engine placement make it relatively easy to work on. There’s room to maneuver.

rockingthe2 > Long Live the Longdoor 07/05/2016 at 21:43

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I get 16-24mpg depending on conditions in my 05. A good PPI and preventative maintenance goes a long way.

rockingthe2 > AM3R shamefully returns 07/05/2016 at 21:44

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Tired of driving in DC traffic? Yes. Tired of driving the MR2? No. Much happier keeping it as a weekend racer.

AM3R shamefully returns > rockingthe2 07/05/2016 at 23:43

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I’m 20 min outside of DC in northern VA. Let me know if you ever do sell, I can’t find any clean MR2's around here.

rockingthe2 > AM3R shamefully returns 07/06/2016 at 22:01

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Buy one from Prime Performance in Stanhope, NJ. You will get a clean and well built 300hp MR2 for less than I would sell mine for.