so, i'm looking to get a reliable daily driver.

i'm undecided if i should go small and efficient or get a truck and eventually a trailer for the 914.

right now, the 914 is still streetlegal and can get itself to the track. but that might change at some point.
on the other hand, i don't really need anything huge for most of my daily driving, so a smaller, more efficient car seems like a good choice as well ...

HELP!


btw. i don't really want to buy brand new.
currently, my budget for this is about ~$300 per month.

how much car will that buy me?
Andy

How much do you have to put down, that will determin what you will get for $300 a month unless your going lease...

not much ... i've spent all my cash on the damm moneypit 914 ...

right now, probably $1k in cash, that's about it ...

again, i'm not looking for a brand new car ...
Andy

OK Andy- its new and will probably set you back more than $300 month even adjusted for fuel economy but ...

It's German (even though it is made in france)
2 seater
targa top (ok - that is stretching it a bit)
mid engine
Rear drive
light weight - go cart handling
underpowered
funky styling
Boatload of fun

http://www.smartcar101.com/images/pages/sc_018_jpg.htm

$300 per month is 16k roughly (decent credit, 60 months)

2 door or 4?

BJH

since you're planning on tracking the 3.6... sadly, i'd say to get a truck.

a full size half-ton truck from the late 90's/early 00's with 60k+ will have depreciated enough to easily fit into that budget. the down size is the 20mpg and dirty looks from SF vegan peace-activists -- but it can tow, haul parts, and still be reliable enough for daily use.

And run over the SF vegan peace douchbags if needed

I use a 1995 Honda Civic 4 door. It's cheap to operate, very reliable, fully paid for since it's 12 yrs old & gets anywhere from 35 to 40 mpg. It's also very cheap to modify, in comparison to any Porsche. I also found that the 92 thru 95 Civics are the exact same chasis as the Acura Integra from 94 to 01, so leather interiors bolt in, 1.8 litre DOHC engines & trannys plop right in making parts more than plentiful. I also have a pickup for "hauling" occasions.

ok, so i looked around at the automall a bit.

comments on the cars below are welcome!


=========================
TRUCKS
=========================

2002 Ford Ranger, 88k miles, $11k

2004 Dodge RAM 1500, 25k miles, $18k

2001 Dodge RAM 1500, 160k miles, $10k


=========================
CARS
=========================

2004 Dodge Intrepid, 64k miles, $10k

2002 Dodge Intrepid, 81k miles, $8k

2000 Honda Civic, 87k miles, $9k

2001 Chrysler Sebring Convertible, 115k miles, $8k

2002 Subaru Forester, 95k miles, $10k

2002 Ford Mustang Convertible, 68k miles, $15k



Andy

The Ranger is OUT. I've towed with one and it is way underweighted. Forget about that one.

Mustang, Intrepid, Sebring. But that's just me.

I'd say:
1. Civic hatchback - mine (93) has done everything I've asked including transport a 3.6 motor.
2. Ram Truck - I think a 2500 would probably be better suited to real towing, but the 1500 would work.

My wife picked out a 1991 Honda Accord in 1992. We had it 13 years and it was an all around good car ( all except the part about having no soul what so ever). Reliable, smooth, economical... all that stuff. It was just boring as hell. I just got so tired of driving it, or else we'd probably still have it. They glutted the market in 1990-94 so they are cheap and easy to come by and they run forever. You can probably pick up a good one for $1000-$3000 and have enough to buy a pick-up too. I also have a Chevy 1/2 ton that I've owned for 12 years and I still like it allot... all except the 15 mpg thing. But I work from home and at least I have cheap transportation when the weather is good. In fact, you can always buy a cheap German motorcycle and then you really have the best of all things. All my crap's old, but it's still fun and I have less into it than most people have in just one big pick-up.

Either way, good luck!

get an s10 blazer with the 4.3. it'll tow the 914 on a lite weight trailer ok.
just make sure you use electric trailer brakes.
they use the same tranny that the full size trucks use and the engine is just a 3/4 sbc. cheap parts! truck frame and chassis, and around town mpg about 16-17, hyway about 20ish. and they're cheap !

Get this one and have every tool you need at hand.

Don't get any Dodge trucks. They are typically sh*t.

I'd get a cheapo Civic.

I have a 88' Honda prelude 2.0 SI with 283976 miles and still running perfect.

Better that any Ford or Chevy even though I own one of each.

Have to agree about Honda products Andy, they've never left me on the side of the road and they are generally cheap to own...but they hold their value forever so you pay a little more up front.....screw USA trucks...by a used Toyota with a big engine...

andy -

nate dog and i both have nissan frontiers. i have towed my 914 to utah and back and all over. gets around 20mpg highway, 3.3L v6.

mine was an 01 with 60k on it. out the door for under 15k.

have had great luck with nissans.

Japanese cars are great! I got better mileage from my wifes Accord than I got out of my Prelude. I have to say, that I still like Chevy and Ford Trucks better than Japanese trucks though. Go full size. Here we go getting into opinions and throwing stones and all, but even though I think Dodge trucks may be really good, I wouldn't buy one because I know from experience that later model (1990-2005 any way) mopar cars will nickel and dime you big time, once you get over 65000 miles!!!

screw automall. get a good deal private-party on CL...

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/pen/car/309620001.html

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/pen/car/309579416.html

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/car/309350084.html

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/car/309320705.html

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/car/309054957.html

yeah, my 04 frontier towed my 914 with a light-weight trailer and about 1000lbs extra gear without problem. ideal? no... but it works just fine. it's my daily driver, and i can average about 20mpg in my commute. hauls the kart, carries four people.

from experience, a ford ranger with a 4.0 V6 will tow pretty well for its size, too. both of these trucks have something around a 5000lbs towing capacity. Still, I'd prefer a full-size if I didn't have to make the compromise for fuel mileage and carpool...

Andy, last year I bought a 2000 Mazda Millenia S with 60k miles and 210+ supercharged hp for a mere $8k. This car was driven by the wife of a Comair pilot and had every single receipt for the life of the car. It is fun to drive once you figure out how to outsmart the transmission and it hauls 4 adults comfortably. On the downside, it only gets about 20 to 25 MPG and it requires premium.

That being said, the wife hates the minivan, so we are thinking about selling it and getting something else. If I buy a nice car, she gets it. If I buy a POS, I get it and she gets the Millenia. What I am looking for is something that she will percieve as a POS, but I will enjoy driving. However it must be able to handle two kid-carseats. Are you in a similar boat?

Ken

You know, actually, a 1998-2002 Vortech Chevy 1/2 ton will do close to 20mpg and tow a car trailer all over, and they're pretty affordable too.

You can get a deal on practically any domestic truck or SUV. With the gas prices being what they are, geez. Auto auction or private party is the way to go. Heck, even an old Ford Expedition can be had on the cheap.

A sleeper car IMHO is the 00-04 Acura RL. Its a plush Honda, non-descript, and should run a long time.

Andy,
you could use any domestic or foreign small pickup if you flat tow the teener.
S10/Jimmy
Ranger
Mazda B range of pu
Dodge Dakota
Toyota Tacoma
Nissan Frontier


flat towing is a nice compromise and the PU allows you to bring what ever you need for an AX or DE/track day.

Dude... im loving my audi.....

Seriously.... Quattro is AMAZING!!!! Seriously... as of right now, it handles better than all the cars I have.. (on street tires)

AND my 1.8t has a LOT of power potential... With a bigger turbo, im looking at way over 300hp.. Im at 210hp with the stock turbo and low boost..

I paid 5800 for it.. clean title.. private owner. Insurance is CHEAP! Car is built very nice.. very well made... Parts are very reasonable considering..


Just thought i'd throw that out there

I suggest the Civic, if you can stand being in something that anonymous and soulless. As a car, it's a really great appliance. Gets you from A to B and back again, no muss and no fuss. At least it will if you can find one that some douchebag hasn't "modded" into an unreliable heap.

The earlier Civics can even be (a little bit) fun to drive, but at heart they're still appliances.

Good fuel economy, and the hatch versions will haul a surprising amount of stuff... Cheap to buy, cheap to operate too.

--DD

i would'nt recommend flat towing with the smaller lite trucks, you can get into trouble with the flat towed load over powering the brakes and pushing the truck around. scary down hills or around corners while on the brakes, don't even think of evasive maneuvers or panic stops.

I have friends that have flat towed 911 and 914 track cars with smaller PUs for years with no problems. like towing with any vehicle you must leave a larger gap for error and take your time.
I used to tow a 17 foot boat, with no trailer brakes(were not required back then), with a 1972 Toyota Hilux...no problem if you know what you are doing, take your time and pay attention.

Hi OpaAndy, I would sudjest for you a Toyota truck. I went from Riverside to

San Diego with my Nephew and a car hauler, and not a small one. And then

all the way back with a teener on the trailer. It got great mpg, comfortable and

reliable. It's a extended cab so you have room for shit inside or two more seats.

The ranger, I hate to say is a POS! 1/2 ton and up are Great trucks but not the

best on fuel. But there is nothing like a truck, especially if you need one. My .02

If going with a car go with the Subaru forester they are great completly ultitarian haul all of your junk I've had two 911 engines in the back of ours goes up any snow covered hill etc. great cars

I would disagree with the Dodge truck comment. I have 2006 Ram quad cab with out the hemi and it is a great truck. I tow a LOT with it over 30k in on year. No problems. Before that was 02 Dodge Dakota, big V6 great mid size truck that I pulled may a car & trailer with. Again no problems.

One of the Best trucks I ever owned was a 96 F150 XLT with I6. Great truck! Better gas milage (for a truck, around 23 mpg) could tow my cars. It was not the fastest thing in the world, but man I loved it.

Andy, if you think you are going to start trailering your 914 to tracks your going have to bite the bullet and get a truck / SUV that can pull it. Maybe buy a cheaper gas sipper until you really need a trcuk, but none the less you will need a truck to pull a car & trailer.

I flat towed a 914 behind a chrysler cirrus from MD to NJ and forgot at times that I was even towing anything, I would think that flat towing with something like a small truck would be fine, even some of those larger sedans you suggested seem like they would work (assuming a large enough hitch was available).

Think about a GMC Envoy XL of the 2004/2005 years, but ONLY with the 5.3 Liter V8... If you can find one of the XUV models, that's even better!
With 50K on the clock, they can be had for $16K, and will deliver 18 mpg around town, 22 mpg on the highway, and tow anything anything you want to haul. Mine hauls a 22' Wellcraft CC 1,550 miles with no issues, and my dual axle Interstate Car Hauler with whatever I put on it, (including a number of 914's), like it's not even back there.
Don't know about the 6 cylinders but I suspect not so great, tho more plentiful. I just had to have the V8 "grunt"! The 3.42 limited slip rear diff is a nice option, and most of the V8's came with it. They also have the choices of 2WD, AWD, 4WD High, 4WD Low, and TOW, which disengages all drive axles to pull behind your motorhome (just a thought!)
Check out the prices on eBarf, just to get an idea, and then go the Auto trader / Craigslist route, unless you find a nice looking one that's close, and you can go verify it's condition.

Although I probably wouldn't drive it, you could buy a brand new Saturn Ion for around what you want to spend.

NO NO NO!

Go drive a new toyota.

"Thats all I have to say about that." - Forrest Gump

Ditto on getting a civic! A toyota Corrola is a very good option too. Great fueal economy & pretty bullet proof. Both are in the same league Not alot to them just good mpg & not much soul. AS far as truck's I'm a ford man as long as it's a diesel. My 97 crew cab towed anything & never dropped below 15mpg with a full load. I averaged 18mpg in mixed driving & that was with the exauhst done. No other mods! Not to mention you have some bio diesel options there. The dodge with the Cummings diesel is also nice. If you are sticking with a gas engine I would consider a Toyota Tundra. They are very comfortable & will tow a good sized trailer no problem. They drive better than any other truck I have driven. There newest model look to be even beefier though I do not much about it. Good luck either way. If space isn't a problem buy the Civic for the commute & a Truck that you only use to haul. Then even if the mpg sucks on the truck it won't kill you

SWL: I love the site, love the cars. Seeing street views of Europe today, you know these are coming to your neighborhood soon. We've just got to get the Chinese or Koreans to make them--$20,000+ for economical gas-powered, or $14 for electric (and not enough charge for a longer commute or speed for interstates)--- big thumbs down. If they can solve the price of the former and speed/range of the latter, they'll be everywhere. European gas prices being $5-$6+ per gal. sure has put them in the vanguard, but we're on the way there. And everyone should see the film "Who Killed the Electric Car". GM is going to die in the coming real-estate generated economic collapse, and they deserve to die. I'd love to find a 5 year old electric Rav-4. I'm watching the latest on Electro-Automotive's Volts-Porsche kit conversions. Again, too expensive, but in 2-3 years, with lithium batteries and a-c breaking/recharge, might be tempting. The 21st century is coming, almost here. And anyone with kids and/or grandkids should help it along before its too late. Others, too, if they have sense.

I have had many Honda products from a 2002 accord for work to a '91 civic Si I raced for a couple of seasons....Absolutely a great product for reliability and relatively cheap to run.

But If I were looking for a cheap-ish commuter....Mini Cooper S. Good resale, some giggles to drive, quiet, safe good on gas.

Towing is a new ballgame...can't beat a Ford or Chev P/U...(sorry I am NOT a mopar fan)

Want them both...spend the $$$ and get a Honda Ridgeline....good for the whole family.

I should have clarified; Ford is my brand of choice, I'm not a Mopar guy. Our '92 F150 5spd has had the snot beaten out of it and its come back every time. Its great for towing and gets about 20mpg.

But, if you ever do need to tow a truck with an I6, 4/5spd manual is the way to go. The gas mileage won't be great, but it won't be horrible either.

Make sure you fit in a Honda comfortably. I hit my head on Kylie's Civic unless I put the seat way back so that my arms are at full extension to reach the steering wheel. It drives me NUTS. Also the rear view mirror is right in my field of vision all the time. I hate it! Other than that it drives ok I guess.

Andy,

If your immediate need is a daily driver, I suggest you go with a small Japanese sedan, preferably Honda or Toyota. When the time comes to tow your 914, sell the car and get yourself a mid-sized truck. The Honda/Toyota hold their resale value, and are easy to sell (a very important advantage). The new crop of Toyota Tacoma's and Nissan Frontier's are both powerful and are rated quite high for towing capacity, and by then the used prices will have dropped to something more affordable. I own an '05 Tacoma TRD. It is no longer a small compact truck, 245HP 4.0L V6 and has a very high (I'll have to check to be sure) towing capacity. The Frontier is 265HP and is rated even higher for towing capacity.

Andys

My ex has a 2004 2 door civic. Getting in and out is a pain just as Jeff states.

I got a used 2004 dodge neon 32-36mpg with 36K miles for 10K a year ago. I doubt it will last as long as a honda but it is pretty roomy inside for the overall size. And 15K miles later it has no issues.

My vote...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1977-Dodge-...1QQcmdZViewItem

Ferg

20 MPG - more like 8-12 in commute driving.
Get your self a real truck if you want to tow without stress. A 3/4 or 1 ton diesel (I would get a Dodge, I have a Ford - the Dodge has a better engine the Ford is a better chassis take your pick) with a manual transmission - I hate, hate and hate the auto trans I got stuck with, when it fails it will be replaced with a 6 speed manual. This combo will get you 20+ mpg and you can tow anything and arrive at your destination ready to go. A half ton towing a car on a trailer is a handful and will wear you out. I towed a 7500 pound trailer with my 1 ton 700 miles in one shot and was able to unload my mill when I got home. I only got 16MPG on that trip.

I always ask this question...

If you put 300 per month into your current car...would it work ok...
Would you have to do that for three years to keep it running?

First choice would be
any of the three cheap VW products, all under 17k today, and could be had for less than 300 per month.

Second
Jeep liberty 14k new

Last
A ford truck..the rest will die on you.

Rich

If you want a bullet proof plain and simple car that you can fix with duct tape and some wire look into an OldVo. Early 80's Volvos are fantastic basic cars (and you can turbo them or toss in V8...) My daily driver was an 81' 240 for 5 years. Now I have a much nicer 80' 240 that I plan on driving another 10 years.
Steve

I have an 2004 Chev. Silverado 1/2 ton shortbed that I bought new, 68914 miles on it now. It has the 4.8 litre V8. It gets consistantly 17 mpg back and forth between Riverside CA and Roseburg OR averaging about 80 mph. My biggest concern was buying a truck that could tow and still manuver easily in the city where parking can be a problem.

My previous truck was a 2003 Toyota Tundra, which I think would also be a very good choice.

My appliance is an '06 aveo 5 door. Cheap, lots of room, quiet, good warranty. Not much more you can expect for $12000. Plus 0% APR. I don't hate it, I don't love it. It gets the job done. It can move out of it's own way (manual only) and the a/c doesn't kill acceleration. Tons of head room. Lots of air bags. Radio sucks, replaced that for $100 to let me plug in my ipod. Lets me spend the rest of my money on the P car. I let the wife drive a W8 Passat. That's my compromise.

I'm not gonna wade thru all the friggin posts, yet. I need more port first. Contact your local bank/credit union and find out when their next repo sale is. Most have them or dump them to the local auto auction service. Look for a good private deal either thru craigslist or your local want ads. Stay away from evilbay...