A good daily driver

E

Enthusiast

Joined
Feb 5, 2023
Messages
152
I'm thinking about getting a new daily driver. My primary concerns are FWD, reliable, above 25mpg on the highway, well padded softer seats (Chrysler 300M somewhere around 08-09 Ford Taurus) no turbo engines, preferably less technology (no massagers, no self driving, no hydraulic or air suspension), and prefer a more medium suspension (like a 300m or softer). I have thought about finding a low mileage Ford Five Hundred with the 6 speed as you said external water pumps and as far as I'm aware of the three liter duratec was very reliable and I'm assuming the six-speed sourced from Aisin is reliable? Any thoughts on this? Should I be concerned about the age for a long distance trips?

Due to all the hype I hear, I've thought about adding Toyota group models to my list such as the Camry, the Avalon, or the Lexus ES series. I've driven the most recent Camry and The seats just don't work and I prefer a little bit softer suspension.

Is there a year range of any of those three models that tend to have more generous padding and a softer suspension than they currently have? Is there a cutoff point that I should consider in buying used vehicles?

The main thing I'm looking for is a daily driver that I can drive long distances on very rough roads without it bothering my back as I have back issues and my fun car ironically is more comfortable and more forgiving than some of these modern families sedans are.
 
Pay attention to wheel size. You want tall sidewalls, not short ones--which means, avoid option levels that shout out about the larger diameter rims, which then require shorter sidewalls. Tall ones soak up bumps better. I mention this as the upper trim levels often include these.

Might have to post a price range and location (or at least state), for others to help with suggestions. I mean, if you were to list a low $ and state you were in the rustbelt, we'd tell you to shop out of state.
 
Super reliable, 25 MPG on the highway, very comfortable seats. A Buick Park Avenue, or if one can find a 2005 Pontiac Bonneville SLE.

On the Park Avenue, if one has time, plenty of senior citizen owned PAs out there, just takes time to find one that hits the market. And of course, with any GM sedan, it has to be from the south or west, if the sedan lived in the midwest or northeast- it will have brake pipe, fuel pipe, and sub frame rot issues.

Of course, if one can find a Avalon- very nice ride. If I had to buy a new sedan today, it would be the Avalon (yes I know they are in their last year of production).
 
What kind of a budget are you working with? And how old of a car are you targeting?

Buick would be one brand you might check out - the older ones (before 2010 or so) tended to be particularly comfortable, with soft suspensions and plush seats. They've focused on sportiness and youthfulness more recently, but still might be a place to look.

And what trim Camry did you drive? If it was the SE (or XSE), you drove something designed to be a bit sportier. The LE/XLE trims are more focused on comfort.
 
Welcome to BITOG 🥳

The Avalon and ES should provide a smooth ride you like.

And remember, most cars 15+ years old with miles on them could need new shocks. Blown shocks don't ride as nice as new shocks in good condition.

Heated seats will help your back ;)

GON said:
Super reliable, 25 MPG on the highway, very comfortable seats. A Buick Park Avenue, or if one can find a 2005 Pontiac Bonneville SLE.

On the Park Avenue, if one has time, plenty of senior citizen owned PAs out there, just takes time to find one that hits the market. And of course, with any GM sedan, it has to be from the south or west, if the sedan lived in the midwest or northeast- it will have brake pipe, fuel pipe, and sub frame rot issues.

Of course, if one can find a Avalon- very nice ride. If I had to buy a new sedan today, it would be the Avalon (yes I know they are in their last year of production).
Click to expand...

This. Most Buicks will probably have a nice ride, except maybe the high-performance models. You might like the LaCrosse.
 
Enthusiast said:
I'm thinking about getting a new daily driver. My primary concerns are FWD, reliable, above 25mpg on the highway, well padded softer seats (Chrysler 300M somewhere around 08-09 Ford Taurus) no turbo engines, preferably less technology (no massagers, no self driving, no hydraulic or air suspension), and prefer a more medium suspension (like a 300m or softer). I have thought about finding a low mileage Ford Five Hundred with the 6 speed as you said external water pumps and as far as I'm aware of the three liter duratec was very reliable and I'm assuming the six-speed sourced from Aisin is reliable? Any thoughts on this? Should I be concerned about the age for a long distance trips?

Due to all the hype I hear, I've thought about adding Toyota group models to my list such as the Camry, the Avalon, or the Lexus ES series. I've driven the most recent Camry and The seats just don't work and I prefer a little bit softer suspension.

Is there a year range of any of those three models that tend to have more generous padding and a softer suspension than they currently have? Is there a cutoff point that I should consider in buying used vehicles?

The main thing I'm looking for is a daily driver that I can drive long distances on very rough roads without it bothering my back as I have back issues and my fun car ironically is more comfortable and more forgiving than some of these modern families sedans are.
Click to expand...
Toyota Camry is all you need
 
incognito_2u said:
Surely, you Jest Sir……🤣🤣🤣🤣
Click to expand...
1676168895804.jpg
 
a properly maintained 2012-2014 2.5 vw passat s? no turbo. s base model has no electronic nannies. 6sp regular a.t. the 2.5 five cylinder n.a. engine got a totally undeserved bad rap from the automobile media shills. roomy and airy. 36mpg hiway, 25mpg suburbs. cloth seats are fine but i added a slim bottom cushion for my delicate dupa.
 
Wow, I appreciate the feedback and help from everyone.

I'm going to share some more info to help narrow this down a bit. I want to stick with used as I have to park in a city occasionally with bad roads and some crime issues and drive on roads with deer, coyotes, and bad drivers. I'm a bit shy so I don't want to discuss where I live or my budget other than to say it's reasonably flexible for used fwd sedans of 5 years or older.

I'm wanting to try to avoid GM as we have never had good luck with our GMs. While I know the large GM sedans with the 3800 are recommended and have known people who have had excellent service, our results have have varied from the normal experiences (one relative used to have an 02 Grand Prix and it was constantly needing repairs to the 3800 and left him stranded several times due to the engine with only 104k miles and none of these were related to the intake gasket issues the series 2 was known for and numerous mechanics couldn't fix it completely and our results with the 60 degree engines weren't much better and their current engines have burned many of my family and friends). On top of this, I drove both a Lacrosse (I think it was an 07 but I know it had the 3800 series III) and a Ford Five Hundred back to back while having service performed on my daily driver. The cloth seats on the Lacrosse were not comfortable, it kept stalling, and felt like it was not aging well at around 100k miles vs the Five Hundred had the leather seats (just as one of my relative's 09 Taurus cloth seats had been) and found them comfortable and it seemed in better condition at 220k miles and never stalled.

The Camry I drove was an 18 LE as a rental before the wreck and more recently a 21 (I don't remember the trim but it was cloth interior). It was okay but I was hoping for something with thicker padding. Are the previous generation of the Camry, Avalon's, or ES less sporty and more generous on the seat padding (if so what years would be the best at the comfort)?

With the suggestion of the Accord what generation would be the best for softer vs sport and which powertrain would be the most reliable (I'm concerned about any version featuring cylinder deactivation and concerned about CVTs)

Concerning VW, I tried one but it didn't work. Too narrow seats with too much bolstering.

I already am looking for the highest tire sidewall and smallest wheel diameter and the lowest speed rating on the tires ( though I thank you for the suggestion). One thing I thought of as well is the struts? When a relative had their 09 Taurus switched from the soft struts to firm struts which transformed the ride into a Sporter ride when another relative installed new struts in their 11-20 Grand Caravan it made it much floatier than it was from the factory. Are there brands available which provide softer ride?
 
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The Lexus ES does have much thicker seat padding than the Camry or Lexus GS.

ill also mention that nobody beats Volvo in the seat comfort department, though the suspension comfort of the vehicle around them varies a good bit. Heck, I was impressed with a near-junkyard condition s40 I was working on last month that was surprisingly adept at handling bumps for its size and condition. I test drove a v60 cross country (mild factory lift with more tire sidewall), probably a 2014, which very much felt like a Buick with less body waggle. It would have been a supreme cruiser with excellent drivers position.
 
I found the leather seats in Camrys feel like they have more padding in them compared to cloth. I test drive a 2015 LE (cloth) before getting my 2013 XLE (leather) and felt the seats in my 2013 are more plush. I’m happy with my Camry, I find it comfortable and I get up to 35 mpg on my interstate commute to work (it’s a 4cylinder). I don’t regret my decision, it’s a great daily.

I recommend looking at 2015-2017 Camry XLE as 2012-2014 models did have torque converter problems, I was lucky enough to have my converter replaced for free under a TSB but it has unfortunately expired. If the service records show the 2012-14 had the converter replaced then it’ll be a great car.
 
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