Recommendations for a fun, reliable, and fuel efficient daily driver?

[Desert_Fox]

With my work I have a 100 mile round-trip commute everyday, and I feel sick putting so many miles on my 335is. I love the car and would like to keep it nice and also as a weekend car. I spend around $25 a day on gas, which is a bit excessive. I'd like some advice from fellow enthusiasts on a decent daily car to get. My requirements are:

-No more than $22k

-Great mileage

-Reliable/Cheap to fix

-Relatively fun to Drive

-Sedan/4 doors

I've been looking at slightly used 2013 VW Jetta TDI's, but im open to other suggestions!

[MisterSkiMask]

I think you're on the right track with the tdi

[KingOfJericho]

4 Door GTI? It's probably the best car I've ever owned.

[Desert_Fox]

Originally Posted by KingOfJericho

4 Door GTI? It's probably the best car I've ever owned.

That would be cool, but it partially defeats the purpose of a reasonable daily car if im still going to get 20-25mpg and have a fun car in the garage already. GTI is probably the proletariat's ultimate 'do everything' car.

[Red Bread]

Mazda 3, works great as my daily. You can only get the base engine with a manual and the tach is stupidly small, but it's more fun to drive than the TDI (Mk6 at least) and only weighs 2,700 pounds. It's not fast, but it's more than adequate for anything under 80.

It feels much less fwd than I expected, handling with Michelin Pilot A/S 3's is actually quite good and you can get some lift throttle oversteer if you're bored. The e-brake was great for that too, but I need to have mine adjusted, I think I've used up most of the life of mine.

[Efthreeoh]

Sort of in the same dilemma. I'm considering retiring the E90 and preserve it since it is the last of the NA In-line 6's w/ manual trans and RWD. Hey it's only got 250K on it now. The reliability is starting to flaw a bit.

I want to go domestic, so top on my list is the '14 Ford Focus Titanium w/ manual trans, sunroof and handling package. If you want a non-turbo, manual trans, the selection is quite thin. I need at least 200K out of my DD, so I don't see turbos and automatics meeting that durability requirement.

[E92inNC]

Civic/Fit, Madza 3, Cruze, Focus all fun to drive than most, above average reliability and great on fuel although you have to compromise a bit a the power front.

[Red Bread]

I will say however, on both the Focus and Mazda 3, get the hatch, the sedans look horrible.

[Sedoy]

Just got 2014 Mazda6 Sport AT for my DD, pretty much covers all of your requirements. So far getting 33-35 MPG at 75-85 mph. Got it for $21,210 which included standard - 5.7 inch touch screen, bluetooth, back-up camera, leather steering wheel.

[KingOfJericho]

Originally Posted by Desert_Fox

That would be cool, but it partially defeats the purpose of a reasonable daily car if im still going to get 20-25mpg and have a fun car in the garage already. GTI is probably the proletariat's ultimate 'do everything' car.

I got high 20s around town and well over 30 on the highway. I'm looking to get into another when the MK7 comes out next month.

[Billup]

Civic?

[Mavus]

Originally Posted by Desert_Fox

With my work I have a 100 mile round-trip commute everyday, and I feel sick putting so many miles on my 335is. I love the car and would like to keep it nice and also as a weekend car. I spend around $25 a day on gas, which is a bit excessive. I'd like some advice from fellow enthusiasts on a decent daily car to get. My requirements are:

-No more than $22k

-Great mileage

-Reliable/Cheap to fix

-Relatively fun to Drive

-Sedan/4 doors

I've been looking at slightly used 2013 VW Jetta TDI's, but im open to other suggestions!

Pre owned tsx manual

[andeee05]

on the same boat. i do about 120 miles roundtrip for work. i was thinking of getting the lexus ct.

[evo335xi]

I like the tsx idea. Volkswagen cc?

[TSM330i]

Stick with the Jetta TDI. It'll be exactly what you're looking for. You'll get about 40+mpg, have room for 4 or 5 adults and is pretty fun.

There is a premium for diesel fuel, so you may want to go with a smaller gas engined car that is pretty similar in fuel mileage. Hatchbacks have a surprising amount of room in them.

My beater is a 2000 VW Golf GL. 220,000 miles so far and it's still going strong. In the 14 years that I've owned it I've put an exhaust on it, radiator, starter and three sets of brakes. That's it. Still running with the original clutch!

[IEDEI]

i DD my 135is for 120 miles/day and would never comprimise on a 'commuter car'....why? because life is too short to spend 3 hours a day in something boring.....no fucking way!

don't get a VW....they're boring as hell. I DD an A3 quattro for 2 years (basically an AWD GTI) and i was bored senseless. Never again....will glady spend the extra $$ on gas to enjoy driving in the morning and evening.

[nick380]

Originally Posted by IEDEI

i DD my 135is for 120 miles/day and would never comprimise on a 'commuter car'....why? because life is too short to spend 3 hours a day in something boring.....no fucking way!

don't get a VW....they're boring as hell. I DD an A3 quattro for 2 years (basically an AWD GTI) and i was bored senseless. Never again....will glady spend the extra $$ on gas to enjoy driving in the morning and evening.

I'll have to agree with him, I drive my 07 335i 100 miles a day from Santa barbara to my hometown Lompoc, and I gotta say if it wasn't for the car the drive would be almost torture... You gotta know though... but I'd say in that price range go for a Jetta or GTI, those DCT's are nice to have on commutes, and the GTI's in specific give a nice little boost, if anything look into a TDI model as you stated, that way you can give it a little gas without having to compensate with paying for more gas, the TDI way of life haha

[cloakster]

What about a Civic Si?

Originally Posted by IEDEI

i DD my 135is for 120 miles/day and would never comprimise on a 'commuter car'....why? because life is too short to spend 3 hours a day in something boring.....no fucking way!

+1. I will gladly spent the extra money on wear and maintenance to enjoy every min of driving everyday.

[hd2000fxdl]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

Sort of in the same dilemma. I'm considering retiring the E90 and preserve it since it is the last of the NA In-line 6's w/ manual trans and RWD. Hey it's only got 250K on it now. The reliability is starting to flaw a bit.

I want to go domestic, so top on my list is the '14 Ford Focus Titanium w/ manual trans, sunroof and handling package. If you want a non-turbo, manual trans, the selection is quite thin. I need at least 200K out of my DD, so I don't see turbos and automatics meeting that durability requirement.

Domestic, I know people with the Focus and say it one of the better cars they have ever owned, and one of the guys the family knows out in AZ was one who did a lot of the testing on it on the proving grounds out there and said it's a great car with a lot of potential for any who like to lets say not keep their cars as they came from the factory.

Now with that said, I doub't you can go wrong with that choice and this is actually comming from a life long Ford guy, I'd look at Toyota and Honda, they do have a lot of high MPG vehicles and my recently sold 2nd daily driver was a 2006 Toyota Matrix AWD bought back in lat 05, for 19500 out the door loaded and with 115k on the clock it sold for over 5k and would have run for another 115k without issue.

I'd say for a high milage daily commuter car, get what;s best in MPG, resale value and do not think about a stripped down model, comming from the kind of vehicles we drive, it doesn't matter if it go 60 MPG, I'd hate it if didn't have a bunch of things in it.

Harry

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by hd2000fxdl

Domestic, I know people with the Focus and say it one of the better cars they have ever owned, and one of the guys the family knows out in AZ was one who did a lot of the testing on it on the proving grounds out there and said it's a great car with a lot of potential for any who like to lets say not keep their cars as they came from the factory.

Now with that said, I doub't you can go wrong with that choice and this is actually comming from a life long Ford guy, I'd look at Toyota and Honda, they do have a lot of high MPG vehicles and my recently sold 2nd daily driver was a 2006 Toyota Matrix AWD bought back in lat 05, for 19500 out the door loaded and with 115k on the clock it sold for over 5k and would have run for another 115k without issue.

I'd say for a high milage daily commuter car, get what;s best in MPG, resale value and do not think about a stripped down model, comming from the kind of vehicles we drive, it doesn't matter if it go 60 MPG, I'd hate it if didn't have a bunch of things in it.

Harry

Thanks for the input. Keep in mind this car will be 170 miles a day, 5 days a week; resale is not my concern, reliability and decent fuel mileage is. From what I've read about it, it and the Mazda 3 are the two "enthusiast" choices of the small sedan class. I've driven a Focus SE with auto and stock suspension and it drove very well. The problem is no dealer in my neck of the woods stocks the Titanium with the handling package and manual transmission, so I can't just go drive one and see how I like it.

The car I want can be had for around $23K (internet price - I know I'd do better than that), which is well within my budget, but the Titanium is the top trim level and loaded at that price with Nav, leather, dual climate control, and phone integration. Months ago I was ready to replace my E90 with an ATS, but I just can't bring myself to the point of giving up the last of the BMW in-line sixes and it's hard to justify $38K on a 34,000 mile-a-year commuter. Plus the ATS is a turbo (if you want a manual trans) and I'm not convinced ANY manufacturer's turbos go 200K w/o major issues. I got rid of my '89 E30 (w/ 256K on the clock) in 2006 when I got the E90 and have been regretting that decision ever since. With a Focus I can justify to myself to keep the E90 around and start playing with it. Adding the Focus to the stable puts the fleet at a count of 5, which is about my level of getting "materialistic".

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by Red Bread

I will say however, on both the Focus and Mazda 3, get the hatch, the sedans look horrible.

Agreed. Focus 5-door is what I'm looking at.

[hd2000fxdl]

I hear you on the resale value, I never really though of it before, but when I was planning to get rid of ny Matrix I checked the KBB on it and suprised a car I bought for 19500 and sold for a little over 5k avtually had a resale value above 7k but I sold it to a friend of a friend and was initially thinking if I get 3K I'd be happy. Like I said, I came from Fords who I have had good luck with all but 1 out of more than a dozen cars and trucks and never had one that I would consider to havea great resale value to it.

Good luck and as other have said, remember get something that you will be happy with for 3 hours a day or more.

Harry