Daily driver choices - recommendations?

casm

casm

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Oklahoma
I love my XJ, but a 13.8mpg average at $3.50/gallon is getting old remarkably quickly. As a result, I'm looking for an econobox daily driver that isn't boring and can return close to 30mpg in mixed running. The current shortlist is:

- Fiat 124 Spider
- Fiat X1/9
- Citroen 2CV/Mehari
- Renault LeCar / R16
- MG Midget

I've owned all of the above at one time or another, and know what to expect from them. But there are some cars outside of this that look interesting:

- Pontiac Fiero 2M4 (with a 5-speed; screw performance in favour of decent fuel consumption and it looks like I have options on tweaking the handling).
- 1st-gen. Toyota MR2, supercharged. Drove one once, loved it, never bought one.
- 2nd-gen. Toyota MR2. Remove the spoiler and it looks like a totally different car in the best way possible; slightly longer wheelbase makes handling less jittery than the first-gen. cars.
- Subaru XT or RS. Know zilch about them, but they have a certain oddball appeal. I'm also not keen on Japanese cars in general, but I love Subarus.

Anyone have any input on the stuff I haven't lived with, or ideas on things I haven't considered? All I know is that as much as I love my XJ, current fuel prices aren't making it a practical commuter, but I refuse to drive some faceless box to save on gas.
 
Id go for one of the MR2's. A friend of mine has a 1st gen, with 240K+ miles, and has never skipped a beat. Knocks down 30+ mpg too. They may be small, but it looks like your other choices/ones you previously had, are the same way.

The Fiero is setup like the MR2, but the earlier body style ones aren't too good looking in my opinion. I like how you can put a SBC in the back of a Fiero.
 
i would stray away from a subaru if you are looking for gas mileage. just got rid of a 2000 Legacy GT w/ the 2.5 and didnt really get that great of gas mileage. i cant really see a difference between that and my XJ. great cars and stick to the road like glue but because you're looking for better gpm its probly not the best choice.
 
Let see, Porshe 914, Sabb Sonett, The two door sports version of the Ford Escort, the Opel sports car, VW Karman Ghia. All these though are bringing some money in good condition. Except the Ford.
Tom
 
rubiconcherokee said:
i would stray away from a subaru if you are looking for gas mileage. just got rid of a 2000 Legacy GT w/ the 2.5 and didnt really get that great of gas mileage. i cant really see a difference between that and my XJ. great cars and stick to the road like glue but because you're looking for better gpm its probly not the best choice.
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older subies are smaller, lighter and have smaller engines and get better gas mpg. I have heard good things about subie reliablity.

I know its not on your list be we have an 03' altima that gets 30 mpg on the highway and has been a really great car, but its alittle more family oriented than the cars you mentioned.

Is your XJ stock? Whats your drive like because that seems pretty low, my friend gets 15 mpg in stop and go up in PA in a grand cherokee.
 
75SV1 said:
Let see, Porshe 914, Sabb Sonett, The two door sports version of the Ford Escort, the Opel sports car, VW Karman Ghia. All these though are bringing some money in good condition. Except the Ford.
Click to expand...

Understood. I'm really not keen on the Sonnett, though I could go for a 96 if it had the canvas roof that a few of them got. Forgot about the Opel GT and Porsche 914; I'll have to do some more poking around on them; I've driven both but have never owned either one. Basically, I'm leaning towards something small and fun, preferably open-top. Pre-smog is a plus, and I don't mind investing some occasional elbow grease into a decent runner.

Flip94ta said:
older subies are smaller, lighter and have smaller engines and get better gas mpg. I have heard good things about subie reliablity.
Click to expand...

This gels with my experience with the Brat - 30mpg was realistically doable (though I tend to have a heavy right foot), and the EA-81/82-series vehicles are not as thirsty as the later ones. As it turns out, I've been given a lead on a cheap Brat but it's 400 miles away and I really don't need another utilitarian vehicle since I've got the XJ... But they do hold sort of a perverse appeal for me.

dzraces said:
Probe gt (4cyl turbo) got about 30mpg and could handle like a dream. great little cheap car that had fun factor
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Yeah, but I've never been keen on the Probe. Nothing against them, but nothing really for them, either.

12GaugeXJ said:
Id go for one of the MR2's. A friend of mine has a 1st gen, with 240K+ miles, and has never skipped a beat. Knocks down 30+ mpg too. They may be small, but it looks like your other choices/ones you previously had, are the same way.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I'm fine with small - I just don't want boring, so something like a Sentra, Tercel, or Civic is right out. If I were in a position where I could buy something off a lot I'd probably go for the current MR2 Spyder. Lotsa fun and a droptop. Basically, I'm trying to see how much fun I can buy for about two grand.

The Fiero is setup like the MR2, but the earlier body style ones aren't too good looking in my opinion. I like how you can put a SBC in the back of a Fiero.
Click to expand...

Dunno... I've been toying with the idea of getting a 2.8-litre Fiero and swapping out for the 4.3, but that kinda negates the whole economic commuter idea ;) Seen the SBC conversions, and while they're definitely cool for a sleeper car, I'm not looking for all-out performance. Some of the most fun cars I've ever driven have been way underpowered (Citroen 2CV, 29.5bhp), so I'm OK with slow.

I'm not real big on MGBs and derivatives - they're not bad, but not particularly good at anything they do. A Series V Sunbeam Alpine sounds appealing, though; ditto a Volvo P1800, but they don't have a ragtop (except in the exceedingly expensive and rare ones that were aftermarket conversions). Anyone know anything about Corvairs? Always been kinda intrigued by them, but have little more than a short drive to base my opinions on.

If I felt brave, I could probably go for a Lancia Beta (which I believe was sold in the US as the Lancia Scorpion), but that would be a parts and reliability nightmare; I'd be debugging Lancia's work (and that of several other mechanics who got there before me) 25 years after the fact. At least I've got a couple of local sources for Fiat bits.

Hm... I should probably start hitting up the charity yards this weekend and seeing what's out there.
 
That certainly is an interesting list, which only a californian could come up with. None of those vehicles would have survived that long out here in the rust belt.

My mileage champion vehicle was an 85 Honda Civic hatchback which got an honest 42 even when driven briskly, and edged up into the high 40's cruising. It had the world's most complicated carburetor, with about 50 vacuum lines running to two black boxes the size of car batteries, containing myriads of little solenoids and relays and valves - what a pneumatic computer would look like if the transistor had never been invented - but it all worked. My son had a Jetta diesel that got up into the 50's on trips. My old Rabbit diesel got about 40 easily but needed careful handling to top 45. How about one of those VW Rabbit based pickups? My recently deceased Mercedes 240D got about 34, but in terms of performance it definitely falls into the "boring" category; even if it could outhandle anything else on the road, a kid on a BMX bike could out-accelerate it.

Is your XJ modified? All my XJ's have delivered at least in the low 20's on average.
 
you're in SoCal, you can ride a motorcycle year round!

and I agree your XJ should be doing better than 13.8. your sig doesn't list your tires, but with a 3.5" lift I'm guessing 31s or 32s, have you regeared? O2 sensors are also a common source of poor mileage. I'd expect your kinda MPG with 35s or 37s.
 
Since you're looking for (assumed form the list you provided) a sporty ride along with fuel economy, and you are considering Toyota products, you could try what I've been using for about 18 mos. I purchased an '05 Corolla XRS new in Nov '04. The XRS package is 170 hp engine (made by Yamaha), 6 spd, ac, cruise, etc. and I average 34-35 mpg. I commute 130 miles round trip a day in Northern VA/DC traffic (mix country roads/highway) and enjoy it thoroughly (except on those Friday 3 hour commute-athons).

Toyota recommends 91 octane fuel, but it actually runs better and enjoys better economy with plane old regular (87). I throw in a bottel of fuel injectoe cleaner (Chevron) every three or four months.

Runs like a greyhound with its tale on fire when I want it to and still caries four in comfort.

Hope that helps expand your options.
 
What I have:
96 XJ (Family toy, trail toy, only driven to work when I am not in the mood to take one of my other daily drivers).
86 Dodge GLH (Daily driver until the weather gets too warm)
86 Yamaha FJ1100 (Daily driver when the weather gets to warm)

What I would get as a daily driver:

95-99 Nissan Sentra or 200sx
Preferrably the 200sx.
Has to have a ga16de engine.
Smaller engine makes it less desirable, but puts the MPG up to 37-40 with a good tune-up. If it is too slow there are aftermarket parts available.

Turbo Dodge
85-9? Chrysler/Dodge/Plymouth Turbo cars
Cheep upgrades to get it fast and they will run 25-35 mpg, pending on what type of work has been done to the car.
 
We have two Jeeps for our daily drives but we also have a 2nd gen Chrysler Neon (Similar to Dodge Neon) for those weeks following a weekend breakage. She tends to use the Neon mostly, but we both like driving it. It's cheap to run, comfortable and reliable.
 
I've owned a bunch of Subarus (3 x XT-6, 1 x SVX, 1 x `98 Impreza RS).

Gas mileage is not great but ok. Expect high 20s. I'm not sure on the `98. It's my wife's ride so I'm not familiar with the day in and day out.

XT-6s are a scream with the 5 speed and AWD. All the AWDs have an LSD (IIRC). Great, fun gravel and snow car. Reasonably reliable. The biggie issues are the air suspension and the electric power steering. The plastic inside is cheap, switch gear falls off, etc. I really like the very strange interior though. I wouldn't touch an XT of XT-Turbo. There is no price difference compared to a XT-6 and the `6 is a lot more car.

SVX was an AWD cruiser. VERY comfortable car. Loved the windows and the resulting aerodynamics. Driving 160+ km/h on four lane highway in the rain with no windshield wipers is an amazing experience. Feel like you should be able to pull back on the steering wheel and lift off. The engine makes cool sounds too. I didn't have the SVX long enough to run into issues (traded for a used 911 before out of warranty). Apparently the weak bit on the SVX is the transmission. There is a fix to correct when rebuilt though.

This raises another car to add to your list. Where you are you should be able to get a decent 911 no? They are bulletproof and mine ('88 Carerra 25th Ann) consistently got great mileage, even when flogged on the four lanes. I wanna say ~30+ mpg but that may be optimistic memory.

HTH
 
I'm looking at older BMW 3-series cars. My buddy used to have a 325, late 80s, it had 240,000miles, and got over 35mpg. I think it would have lasted forever but he put it in reverse at 55 :explosion

I'm pretty sure my DD will be a BMW, soon. even up to the late 90s these things are surprisingly cheap. Probably because people drive bimmers as an ego thing and want a brand new one, driving down demand, allowing me to afford one, thus allowing me to rip all the trim out of my XJ and wheel the crap out of it without worrying about getting to work tomarrow :)
 
1993-97 geo prizm/toyota corolla.

35+ mpg with stick, they look decent, 4 doors to cram family/fat chicks in back, and remarkably fun to drive. personal experience with a 95 prizm.
 
TDI Jetta.

Best road-trip seats I have ever had in a car, tight handling, and good room / ride.

I put 140K of HARD miles (250+ per day at mainly high speeds) and returned 44 MPG average. Worst I ever got was 39 towing a utility trailer with about 2000 pounds of stuff on it. Best was 63 MPG with tha A/C off and a 40mph tailwind for 200 miles.

Hard to get used TDIs in Cali, though.... I sold mine to a guy who flew from San Diego all the way to Texas and drove it back.
 
I had a Fiat X19 in the early '90 that had an engine fire while I was driving. Managed to pull over and exit a few seconds before the cab was in flames. It does not get my vote. blaise
 
90 or 91 Honda civic HF, 2 seater fast back like the CRX only the HF motor, solid 50mpg on the hiway, fairly good oomph. Great field service car where you get reimbersed for miles. Also easy to work on though a bit low to the ground for my taste...
80 something VW diesel pickup, another 50mpg ride, too bad I can't fit in one, my NY field service guy had one and one round trip from LI to Albany NY almost left me collecting disability. Took a couple of hours in a motel jacuzzi to fix me up...
Finding them around the NE is hard unless you want a rust bucket.
 
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