good daily driver that's cheap

Hey everybody!

Well anyways, I have been thinking of getting a 95 Eagle Talon TSi AWD, but I just had a revelation. You see, not only will this be my first car, but it'll be my daily driver. Oh yea, and because of this, it might even be an auto (I'm in the process of learning stick shift).

So I was wondering if it doesn't really matter if your fast car is a daily driver.

Also, do you have any other suggestions for me? My limit is 5 grand, and I want a good looking car that has fairly good mileage (performance would also be a plus, but it's the last priority). Also, I want leather seats, but does anybody know if older leather isn't very nice or has some downsides?

Oh and about civics...you see them just about everywhere, and though I don't really have a problem with getting a car everybody else has, that's just too much.

Thanks a bunch to everybody!

you see civics around as much as u see maximas, altimas, mustangs...doesn't matte

any car is or can be a daily driver...kinda of a retarted question to me...but find a cheap car, wether it be a tsi, gsx, 240, prelude, for $5k and under and drive it daily...fast or not

If performance is your last priority and you want good mileage, DON'T get a DSM. Their performance is excellent, but the reliability can be an issue, and mileage isn't all that good. You'd be better off with something like an Acura Integra or a Nissan 200SX SE-R.

Agree. My wife has killed two tercels; the first one had 350k miles, the second one only 185k, but someone totalled it in a parking lot. Died before its time. Those aren't typical numbers but I am pretty meticulous about maintenance.

Not big on power, but in her mind you can't beat nearly flawless reliability and 35 mpgs. I also slightly disagree with Kman's recommendation of Acura or Nissan. My only problem with them is (being in the business) they can cost much more to repair. Some models and years of those cars you have to remove the engine, transmission, or at least a half shaft to replace the ALTERNATOR. A $100 part that requires $300 in labor to replace. Toyota parts are cheaper in general, and cars like the last generation tercel and the late 90s corrolas are a snap to work on. Most of the stuff is a half hour job in your driveway with a wrench or two.

Avoid domestics for reliability. Don't fall into the trap of Cavalier. They are cheap so every kid buys one. With the exception of their first three years in production (82-84) they have consistently had the worst crash ratings in their class. That means that since 1985... 20 years ago, they were the worst. You can do better :) Avoid higher end imports like BMW, Acura, Infinity, and Lexus. Its not so much that they are prone to failures, its just that if they do fail and you can't handle it yourself, they can be pricey.

The Mistubishis from the 90s had terrible ring seal problems since there was so much back and forth technology from Chrysler, so I would run as fast as I could from that talon. Be realistic. If you want to go fast and do it cheaply, learn to be a mechanic first. You can go fast, but its expensive unless you have your own labor to fix stuff when it breaks. I have four domestic classics and one BMW because I'd rather be greasy than reliable :)

You can pick up a 1998 Tercel with low miles (like 60k) for an easy $5000. My wife's 97 Tercel just yesterday spec'd out at $4000 on NADA with 80k miles. Don't expect the luxury treatment, but hers has the 14" wheels, a/c, five speed, power steering, cloth seats, floormats, and CD.

My only other suggestion is to take a knowledgable friend along and buy yourself an early 70s GM. Terrible on reliability, but if you get one with a good engine, there is so little to fail. An alternator for my 73 impala costs $23 and its held on by two bolts on the front of the engine. Labor to install it would be about $30. All of the parts are on the shelf at your local shop, instead of needing to be ordered for many imports. Just a thought. I bought a 66 bonneville (http://www.curtisandkim.com/outandabout.jpg ) for $300, spent $75 in parts and ran it for 4 years. Took it to FL from PA. It even got 18 mpgs out of that huge V8. Like I said, just a thought.

ford Tempos are indestructible

ford sedans suck, we have a 93' and its crap. to answer your question, no it doesnt matter if your daily driver is a fast car. I would think that that Talon isn't a bad car. Some other suggestions for a reliable and fast daily driver would be definite imports like Toyota Celicas*, or just toyotas in general, and Mitsubishi's, and Nissans...

I used to drive a 2000 Ford Taurus with mileage in the 50s. Paid $5200, 7 months later sold for $4700. In those that fairly short amount of time, I only had to put oil, gas and a serpentine belt ($20, did it myself). Very reliable, good for highway driving, since it doesn't run high rpms, at 80 mine was running 2600. The only thing that would hold me back from having a small 4 banger as a daily driver are the rpms. I have a 91 CRX, at 80 it runs 4000 rpms. I liked my Taurus.

ford Tempos are easily destructible and unreliable

I think thats what you meant to say.

i've seen several with over 200k miles