Guys,

I have been searching for a couple of weeks now for a DD since I sold my Expedition. I just cannot find anything that interests me. I find myself coming back to Lexus everytime I look - but that is what I was trying to avoid.

I want this car to be more economical - thus I don't want to have to use premium gas like Lexus requires. I had decided to be smart and get an Accord - but I went to look at one and I knew I would be bored with it in days.

It is hard being a car enthusiast and also being smart with a car purchase. Everything that seems fun is too expensive, and everything that is the right price is just plain boring

I need to just go out and get an Accord and deal with it - but I know I will be regretting it as soon as I do it.

I looked at an IS but at 20mpg and $16k I figured that really isn't an economical dd. I have re-read all of the cars people listed in my last thread and none of them are doing it for me.

Cars I have considered

LS400
SC300
IS300
Accord
Scion Tc
Audi TT
GS300
GS400

HELPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP!!

Jonny

What to do?

Jonny

 

Anything in the Mazda lineup interests you?? Subaru?? VW??

I havent seen the previous threads, so I dont know if those were suggestions before.

 

That's my problem - nop,. no and no! I don't know why I don't like any of them - I just don't

Jonny

 

Get a Toyota Celica - looks very nice and will be very economical.

 

hahaha...man youre picky!!

Off the top of my head...

Nissan(I love my 97 Maxima )
An older Acura (TL, Integra)
older Audi A4 1.8T
Hyundai Tiburon ??
a Mini!! (I dont know how much they are on the used car lots though)
Celica
Solara(my bro has one. Its a nice car)
98-00 Volvo S70 T5(those were kinda fun)


Just random cars I thought of. At this point ANY car will be more economical than a Expedition. But it seems that you still want something a least somewhat engaging to drive.

 

I think I've got the car for you...unless you are very tall or very big.

Check out a non-turbo Mazda Miata. Less than 25K brand-new, lots of fun in the sun with the easiest-to-use manual convertible top on the market, reasonably good mileage, burns regular 87-Octane gas, has enough power in the mid-to-high RPM range to give you at least a little spunk, an excellent reliability record, low maintenance costs ( even the fabric roof is durable by ragtop standards ), good trunk space ( by small sports-car standards ), RIGHT-NOW steering and handling response with almost zero body roll, a delightful snick-snick shift lever and clutch, and is a blast to drive on twisty roads. Believe me, this car is anything BUT boring to drive... and at a low price.

The downsides are 2-seater insurance rates, lousy traction on slippery roads, a stiff noisy ride, due to short gearing and firm underpinnings, that is tiring on long-distance Interstate driving , difficult entry / exit and lack of seating space if you are over about 5' 8" or so, and of course the fact that soft-top convetibles are easy to break into...but a bolt-on hardtop roof is an option.

 

That's a mighty good list you got there DX3

I don't know, everytime I hear "economical" it's always going to be the corolla or civic for me. I would even throw in the mazda 3 also. What's wrong with those 3???
If it were me, I would go for the new civic That is one honda I would choose even over the accord

 

I think if I had to pick a DD that would give long and trouble-free service, a fair amount of luxury, and a reasonable sticker, I'd check out a Camry Solara. Even in SLE trim, with V-6, auto, leather, wood trim and Nav, and every other option on the list, the thing would still cost well under $30K. If you're a fresh-air type, a convertible version is available for about 10% more.

On the used or off-lease market, there should be a good number of these available now. You can still get a CPO program from Toyota on most of these - if you are worried about hidden costs of ownership.

While the car in OEM trim screams "SUBURBIA", there are lots of aftermarket and JDM parts coming to lower it, firm up the suspension, quicken the steering and breathe on the engine a bit.

If you want economy and can live without some of the options, a 4cyl is available that boosts mpg about as much as it hurts performance. You pays your money, and you takes your choice. The Solera's not a bad choice for a commuter mule that can perform yeoman service for a night on the town and still not embarass you at the country club.

 

Dx3 said he wanted something fairly exciting to drive. The Mazda3 is a good suggestion, especially the high-line hatchback.......it is quite responsive, economical, and entertaining to drive but its ride is stiff...almost as much so as the Miata's. The Civic Si is also a good suggestion....more so than the rest of the Civic line....but the new ones have that odd, quirky two-tier dash. The Corolla?.......economical but B-O-R-I-N-G.....it is the very definition of the term. The Corolla SE and XRS models...particularly the XRS...are slightly less boring than the standard Corollas, but still I don't think Dx3 would like them.

 

a used honda s2k is ur best bet.

 

The Solara indeed is a nice car but one thing to remember with the convertible ( and this is uncharacteristic for a Toyota product ): Like the Chrysler Sebring convertibles, the Solara convertible dies not have good body / frame rigidity, even by convertible standards, and tends to be a shake-and-flex machine over bumps. That is not something I would not want to live with as a DD.

 

Ooops, I did overlook the "exciting" part Got brain-dead when economical was thrown in there and he did mention accord
Corolla is mostly economical-hardly exciting no matter how much body kit and other accessories thrown in there. I still like that new civic alot more over the accords.

Oh, what's wrong with the tC?

 

I like the Corolla XRS, its a nice 4 door with a celica engine and a 6spd.

I really like the 07 camry that just came out, but its base price is 18k.

 

The Honda S2000. 4cly, 240 horses 6 speed. 0-60 in 5.5. about 18k in the used car market. Race car for the streets

 

The S2000 is quite a bit more expensive than a Miata, and ( I think ) burns premium gas.
Dx3 said he wanted something economical yet not boring, inexpensive, and does not burn premium. And burning regular gas in an S2000 would obviously cause the computer to retard the spark timing, eat up performance, and take some of the edge off that 5.5-second 0-60 time you quote. Even with the right fuel, you still have to rev the engine to insane levels to get the max 240 HP, around 8000 RPM.......even the traditionally lower torque max is around 7000 RPM, something you are not likely going to want to do every day with a DD.

Otherwise I would agree with you.