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I’m building a 1980 Trans Am to be my DD. It’s going to have all modern components though. I would love a 90’s JDM as a DD and keep toying with the idea of getting one.
Used to drive this every day back in the eighties............never left me on the side of the road. Took the 67 Fuel injection unit off and sold it for some big bucks ( for 1985 ) Put on a super reliable Holley 750 CFM.
I'm 53 now and the majority of my life I've driven 20yr old cars as DD. Mostly because I'm cheap and I can fix them myself. I have access to company car leasing at at heavy discounts. I've done that some but only when as cheap as I can do in retail driving of 20yr old cars. Current DD is only 12yrs old and bought it 2yrs ago from an estate sale.
I will say this.. I'm tired of compromising my hot rod needs verses running down a fun / desirable car. The older I get the more I want to NOT CARE about weather, abuse, degradation of a DD. IF I lived in the south I'd w/o question drive a C5 or C6 vette w/auto trans. Fix everything it needs, install a steeper rear gear, after cat, CAI, and have it dyno tuned.
Up here in the Midwest I've been thinking of having a 3 season daily driver. Something like an old Nova, Chevelle, or a C3. (Work is only 14 miles away and I have other cars)
I'd have no issue driving any age car every day, but I'd rather have the newer features. I only drive about 4k miles a year on average so it's not like it's a burden to maintain and older car for me.
I wouldn't have guessed that a month later from posting here my DD takes a big poo on me. Needed a time chain kit, guides, etc. Garage hosed me on labor and did stuff that didn't need done but now I'm wondering if it's time to let the Cruze go.
I wouldn't have guessed that a month later from posting here my DD takes a big poo on me. Needed a time chain kit, guides, etc. Garage hosed me on labor and did stuff that didn't need done but now I'm wondering if it's time to let the Cruze go.
New (to me) DD SUV under 25K?
The correct answer is the newest Mazda SUV that 25k will get you.
The correct answer is the newest Mazda SUV that 25k will get you.
Ew. Also I doubt he wants into one of those money pits.
Honestly, depending on your needs, if you don't need a big SUV, just want the hatch and a little ground clearance but want it to be fun, I'd would look at Kona N. It's like, barely an SUV, more like a hatchback, and that's kinda the point. They're probably in that price range barely used.
You could get a TBSS or a wk srt8 jeep if you wanted a fun, fast SUV with bad gas mileage.
Outside of that if you just want a boring sub to commute in, find a Honda pilot or Acura RDX or something like that.
This is my daily driver, a 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland. Right at 270,000 miles. Regular trips to and from Florida and this spent two years in Costa Rica! I must have the rare reliable Jeeps!
Ew. Also I doubt he wants into one of those money pits.
Honestly, depending on your needs, if you don't need a big SUV, just want the hatch and a little ground clearance but want it to be fun, I'd would look at Kona N. It's like, barely an SUV, more like a hatchback, and that's kinda the point. They're probably in that price range barely used.
You could get a TBSS or a wk srt8 jeep if you wanted a fun, fast SUV with bad gas mileage.
Outside of that if you just want a boring sub to commute in, find a Honda pilot or Acura RDX or something like that.
My old Mazda 6 had 140k on it and never had a single issue. Meanwhile the engines and transmissions in the Elantra N and Kona N are blowing up left and right. Try to put your bias aside and make a good recommendation next time. Some people need reliable transportation.
My wife drives a 2011' Cadillac SRX with 136K on it, and we've had no problems other than
replacing a front wheel bearing at 110K and coil-pack under warranty when we got it. I've offered
to replace it but she's happy with it!
My old Mazda 6 had 140k on it and never had a single issue. Meanwhile the engines and transmissions in the Elantra N and Kona N are blowing up left and right. Try to put your bias aside and make a good recommendation next time. Some people need reliable transportation.
Was your old mazda6 one of the Ford era ones with the v6? That's a far cry from the skyactiv garbage they're peddling now.
And yeah, I don't know much about the Hyundai Na and their transmission. They may be crap, I dunno. My point was more that formula of a mix between a sport compact, hatchback, and little SUV is a nice all around package.
Anything I could get parts for, could keep up with traffic, and has hydraulic brakes. I used to daily a 1950's Army truck whether sun or snow. I had no other transportation and sold a modern vehicle to get the truck. It was all stock with no modernizing except for a previous owner had swapped the gears from 5.83 to 4.89 ratio. Went through the mechanical systems and daily drove it year round. Never had a carb issue or points issue. Ran like a top whether 20 degrees or 100 degrees. Wore insulated coveralls in the winter as those trucks had no heater core. Which meant no defroster either. So I scraped the ice off of the inside of the windshields. If snow was sticking I flipped up the windshield. Square as a brick so it was rare for that to happen. Vacuum wiper motors were a drag sometimes but after a rebuild they did what they were supposed too. After three years dailying that I got something else but I kept the truck for 13 years and even though the last couple of years I only drove it every 6 months it would always start right up and same if I used the hand crank. It was a great experience that I never regretted. Now I like my air conditioning so I'd probably daily a 1970's vehicle just for more comfort and higher speeds.
07-12-2023, 02:58 PM
