DD Opinions

[Dous]

Well it is getting to the point where I need a daily driver. I should be starting work full time at the end of this semester at school. That should provide me with enough money to buy a DD with cash.

I am looking for opinions as to what you guys think would be best

Requirements
-Manual Transmission
-Halfway Decent MPG's
-Under $5500
-Less than 200k miles for that price
-Fairly reliable, but I can do maintenance and don't mind it
-Fun to drive

Vehicles I have put on my list of possibles
1) 1990's Lexus SC300, or SC400.
-Decent sized motors,
-RWD
-Not very common, even harder to find in standard trans
-Reliable


2) 1997-2002 Audi A4 1.8T
-Can be had all day around here
-Fun to drive
-Look good, interiors look great and seem to hold up well
-Quattro (AWD) on most of them
-Easy to find standards
-Parts of expensive hard to work on

3)MKII or MKIII Supra
-Kinda hard to find
-I like the look
-Pretty old though, I worry about the reliability

That is pretty much all I have thought of. There is always the Honda Civic or Toyota Corrola deal, but I want something that I will enjoy driving around!

Let me hear your thoughts and suggestions

 

[KidVermicious]

Rav4. AWD with a diff lock, reliable, fun, seats 4 comfortably.

 

[Millerad1651]

Mid to late 90s, maybe early 2000s Honda Accord. Came in 5 spd, very reliable, and will last forever. Easy to work on too.

 

[rfuree11]

Impreza RS?

 

[Dous]

I would actually love a Subaru, but I dont see many in good shape on the Craigslist
A Rav4 would be kinda cool, but I hate the look of them

An Accord would be a last resort, I hate FWD!

 

[rfuree11]

Yeah, they are getting harder to come by, esp down south. If you can find one, they are great cars.

 

[NJshadow93]

I second RAV4. I drove one before my 4Runner. It was newer than what your budget allows for so it won't have the quick little 2.4L in it, but those things are very reliable and pretty tough for what it is. I actually took mine off road a few times and it did great in the snow and in the mud, obviously it's not as strong as a 4Runner off road, not even close, but it was okay. Very fun to drive too, my 2005 cornered like a sports car. My sister has it now so whenever I get a chance to drive it, it's very fun.

Right now it's at 142,000 miles and runs like new. Toyota did a good job with these things.

 

[4-Ripcord]

I vote A4..

 

[4Running Daily]

I vote A4..

A4 Quattro.

 

[4-Ripcord]

A4 Quattro.

If he plans on moding the car, hell yeah. But for just a good mpg DD, id stick with a 2wd 4cyl.

I was looking for a quattro a while back for a 2nd project. Quattro all the way!

 

[redbull9944]

I've been looking for a car as well. A friend of mine just bought a 2003 Honda Accord, Manual, and it's not too bad to drive around. Other things I've thought of are the 2003-ish Nissan Altima (the V6 is quick!) and the Honda Prelude.

 

[fourwd1]

 

[SantaCruzRunner]

<3 <3 <3 <3!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Should seriously consider an e30. i did

 

[4Running Daily]

He said reliable and cheap. That breaks both of those.

 

[JohnsD90]

An Accord would be a last resort, I hate FWD!

Why? if your not tracking it the differences are not major, you can have plenty fun in them, and they are cheaper to fix and buy, for a DD i would consider fwd cars.

Everyone has this stigma that they are so terrible, they aren't and especially when running to and from your work even if the drive is very spirited, you can still have a bunch of fun.

 

[t4r4life]

a motorcycle would be good.

 

[SantaCruzRunner]

He said reliable and cheap. That breaks both of those.

you can def get one for under 5k and they are very reliable...

 

[4Running Daily]

you can def get one for under 5k and they are very reliable...

You can't keep it stock.

 

[4Running Daily]

a motorcycle would be good.

This is my plan ^

 

[t4r4life]

This is my plan ^

45mpg 202mph top speed 0-60 in 3.5 seconds i gotz no complains