Looking for Fun/Dependable Daily Driver...Any Ideas?

[Timo04]

Greetings,

I'm here just trying to get some ideas for a good dependable daily driver that gets decent gas milage. I have a Lancia Scorpion resto project going on at the momemnt and don't want to use my '88 Alfa Romeo Verde or '70 BMW 2002 as daily drivers.

I've been *thinking* of the "hot hatch" market...maybe a Ford Focus, VW gti...ect...looking for something '98 or newer that has all the modern engine management systems and interior comfort yet can be a little fun to "toss around" once and while. I know it's really a bad thing that Alfa, Lancia or a marque like Renault don't import to the USA so I'll probably end up driving somthing pretty mundane by Lancisti standards. At any rate I'm looking for something where I can go straight to the driving part, that is no "fixer uppers".

If anyone on the board has a *good* used car for sale, preferably a non-Alfa Romeo or Lancia and should be a California car with no rust.

I'm very open to learning about what you have for sale. All thoughts and ideas are very welcome. Thanks in advance.

Tim
Santa Clara, California

[TREVOLUMI]

Hi Tim,

I don't know if you're married. If you are, do the following:
Buy a used boring Volvo estate so that you constantly find excuses to yr wife to exercise yr Italian classics more often.
Finding one with a tow-bar to tow yr classics is a bonus!

Rgrds
Aris

[Tony K]

Tim,

I am 6'2" tall, and have never been able to get comfortable in a Focus. My right knee/shin hits the vertical center console no matter how far back the seat is positioned. Also, the center arm rest is ridiculously useless and obtrusive for someone my height. The car feels top heavy, like it will tip over. As a final little annoyance, the interior light is useless at the front of the headliner, when another $0.50 of wire and 30 seconds of labor would have put it in the center of the roof, where it could provide light for the rear occupants (there is NO light back there at night) and for the front passenger to read a map. Overall, the Focus was a real disappointment to me, as I really wanted to like that car.

My fiancee recently bought a 1996 Honda Civic hatchback from my brother's wife, who bought it new. Driving this little Honda leaves no doubt in my mind as to why Honda has been beating up on the Big Three in sales. The car is fun to drive, handles well, doesn't squeel its tires as easily as a Focus or Cavalier when you hit the gas, has comfortable seats, decent driving position, good looking dash and gauges, and low center of gravity. My only gripe is the build quality - doors and windows feel a little floppy (although body/structure feels very tight as a whole when driving). A Focus feels sturdier, overall, though. Also, the Civic has had a couple of electrical issues - radio and windshield defogger not working - but it is 9 years old and the original owner is not "mechanically sensitive". But between the Focus and Civic, both of which I have spent a good amount of time driving, the Civic is clearly the better car and my choice.

My daily driver has been a 944 for over 7 years now and my weekend car a Lotus Esprit, and most cars annoy me when I am forced to drive them; the Civic doesn't annoy me - it is actually a bit pleasing to drive.

if I had to buy a compact/hot hatch type of car, I'd first look at what Germany offers; then maybe see if Saab or Subaru has anything. But I wouldn't feel deprived with a Civic. :)

Good luck with your search, and I hope my spewing of opinions wasn't a waste of your time!

- Tony



post script:

That said, if you have any interest in a Civic hatchback, Patty's car is an unmolested 1996 with only 63k miles. It spent less than two winters in Ohio, and lived in Washington, D.C. for the rest of its life. So it is not rust-free by CA standards, but the only rust is on things like nuts and bolts on the undercarriage, not any painted body parts; it is as rusted as a 2-3 year old car from a 4-season climate. It is not perfect, but has half the mileage of most Civics. Asking prices for 125k+ mile cars here seem to be $4-5k, so we figure we'd ask $4500 where the trade-off is some scratches and dings for low miles and princess-clean. We are not actively trying to sell it, but what Patty really wants is a SmartCar or a Jetta, so we figured if anyone wants to buy the Civic, we'll sell it for money to put toward a Jetta. I don't expect you to be interested, but thought I'd mention it, just in case.

[Timo04]

Hey thanks guys for the advice. I really like the Civic and Volvo ideas. The original title to my post should have been "I'm looking for a boring daily driver"... :)