which "nice" beater/ DD ?

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'02 VW GTI would be a fun little DD, IMO. Just make sure it was properly maintained.

'00 BMW 323i could be another one, although finding one with such low miles will be tough.
 
AWD seems unnecessarily complicated and thirsty for a commuter in NC. If you find the newer mazda3's abit cartoonish, maybe have a look at the last gen protege? Zippy with manual. A 4 cyl Altima should be good on gas.
If you were in the mountains I'd have to suggest a Miata, I think the newer ones have a decent soft top for 70mph commutes or get a hard top and just run that.
If you go to fuelly.com you can see a nice graph of average mileages reported. Good for comparing real world mileage on cars. http://www.fuelly.com/car/subaru/wrx
 
Depends on how much you need fuel economy (not much if you are considering WRX I assume), you probably can get an RX7/RX8 and have a lot of fun with it.

Or why not a Miata, MR2, or Pontiac Fiero? They are all fun as a commuter car without concerning fuel economy.
 
Has to be Auto for wife's use.

Miata etc are WAY too small - need something of a "mix" hatch/wagon-ish...if that doesn't work sedan/small coupe...but not a TINY tiny car...
 
If you could live with a small sedan or coupe, and you need good fuel economy, find a clean e36 BMW 318i. The auto would not be nearly as much fun, but if you gotta have it, oh well.
If age does not concern you, a Mercedes W123 is an extremely nice car in every way. If you can find a good original, well worth having. Almost all US 123s are diesels and slow, and don't let the turbo on most of the 300s fool you. They're still slow, just not as much. The 124 (300E) and 201 (190E) are also very nice, as well as being durable and reliable, if you find a good car, not one that has been badly neglected.
More practical, and also pretty off-beat, would be any Subie.
Any turbo Sube is fast, and the automatic doesn't seem to hurt the Subes all that much.
Finally, for a closet sport sedan that is fun to drive and economical, any VTEC Accord.
If you go back far enough, and can find a decent one, there are even Accord wagons. Most of these you'll find are automatic, and my understanding is that the three generations from 1991-2002 have none of the trans problems of some later years.
Happy hunting, but those would be my picks, and I am limiting my suggestions to cars I have actually owned.
 
Originally Posted By: 97tbird
Has to be Auto for wife's use.

Miata etc are WAY too small - need something of a "mix" hatch/wagon-ish...if that doesn't work sedan/small coupe...but not a TINY tiny car...


This could be your chance to get that BMW you wanted. You will need a safe car for a 45 minute drive. I don't think your Thunderbird qualifies as a safe car. Get a nice bimmer with side and curtain airbags and all.

The only issue is your budget - it will be very difficult to find a newish BMW for $7,000 but that's what the banks are for.
 
You also could look at focus wagons, the newer ones could have the duratech engine which has a bit more grunt. But I guess any of them have no problems keeping up with traffic.
 
Originally Posted By: Nayov
Just get a Crown Vic like everyone else has on this board and be done with it.



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Originally Posted By: CivicFan
Originally Posted By: 97tbird
Has to be Auto for wife's use.

Miata etc are WAY too small - need something of a "mix" hatch/wagon-ish...if that doesn't work sedan/small coupe...but not a TINY tiny car...


This could be your chance to get that BMW you wanted. You will need a safe car for a 45 minute drive. I don't think your Thunderbird qualifies as a safe car. Get a nice bimmer with side and curtain airbags and all.



Hmm - idk - The Tbird is built like a tank, and has a 5 start saftey rating from the time it was tested. Of course it doesn't have side curtain air bags, etc, but i feel pretty safe in it.
I am pretty sure a 3-series BMW would lose in a crash with the Tbird...

Right - I can't get a nice Bimmer right now..It might be something for the future - as a MAIN car- IF they offer some more HP in their I-6 engines and if they stop making them look uglier every year.
 
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Buy an older cheaper car, something that already has no value.

Once my Saturn is done being fixed up and road worthy again, its gonna be my DD.. I paid nothing for it, and regardless of miles, it owes me nothing and is worth nothing to sell.

I'd buy another SL2 or SC2 if I could do it again. I love the cars for their simplicity and stellar MPG.
 
I own 2 2000 Mazda 626's, one LX, one ES. Both are V-6, they were good prices when I bought them, mostly because the cars didn't change much for many years. Both have been excellent reliable cars. The ES was a steal-loaded with everything, had 64K I paid 7800 in 2004. I would think you could find a nice one for 5000 or less.
 
Hmmmmmm.....Integra/RSX...

or Acura CL? (1st gen...or even 2nd gen?)

somehow they lack that "go anywhere" feel that Subarus convey...but not a bad idea..
 
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I respectfully suggest that you reconsider the whole idea. I understand your desire to preserve what you now think is a nice car, but I believe if you follow that path, as you get a little more income you will find yourself with two drivers and three cars, all of which you will want to replace, including the 'Bird, because you are at a different point in your life, and you CAN. You will wonder why you wasted registration and insurance on a vehicle you don't use, and wonder what on earth you were thinking.

I know, I have two of those vehicles in my garage now..., haven't been driven in years, and now they will be a pain to get rid of.
 
Originally Posted By: 97tbird
So, IYO, the best thing to do is keep using the 2 cars we have?
Both of them have around 150k now....


I would agree to keep driving what you have as well. Having a beater to preserve a car already has 150k doesn't make sense. Enjoy it while driving it every day, fixing anything on it will be cheaper than buying a beater and try to sell it later, and the extra insurance.

Originally Posted By: ThirdeYe
Fun to drive and good on gas... Integra all the way.
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How about an Acura RSX?


I wouldn't call 30mpg good on gas for a car that size, but they are fun. Finding one not being mod to death would be a challenge. They are indestructible in reliability.
 
Originally Posted By: 97tbird
So, IYO, the best thing to do is keep using the 2 cars we have?
Both of them have around 150k now....


That's what I would do, while saving for the next upgrade. At some point one will get wrecked, need a major expense, get hailed upon, etc. Something will happen that will trigger your desire to upgrade, it is inevitable. You may as well start saving for it now.
 
Originally Posted By: TooManyWheels
Originally Posted By: 97tbird
So, IYO, the best thing to do is keep using the 2 cars we have?
Both of them have around 150k now....


That's what I would do, while saving for the next upgrade. At some point one will get wrecked, need a major expense, get hailed upon, etc. Something will happen that will trigger your desire to upgrade, it is inevitable. You may as well start saving for it now.


TooManyWheels is correct.
 
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