Help me pick a booring automatic daily
 

OK I have to drive too much for work. I have to drive all over the DC area and nowadays am frequently sitting in traffic for 2+ hours on an individual trip. I love my miata but when I borrow anyone's automatic car I feel awash in luxury. Stop and go traffic begs an automatic and of course, my miata is a manual.

Plz give me some recommendations for a trouble free low cost maintainence booring automatic daily.

Something that has leather and buttwarmers would be a +. Coupe is a +. Car that can carry a snowboard bag is mandatory so I don't have to take a cab to the airport just for the bag.

Something that is "civil" enough for long road trips with my girlfriend and short trips with customers/coworkers. RWD fine. FWD fine. AWD fine. If it snows fuck my meetings I will stay hone so RWD is fine.

Gas economy would be nice but I don't really care. Budget is $20k. I don't want a car to mod.


ty

Drive the miata and put 10k worth of mods into it.

http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/...5011990103.jpg

:bigtu:

Hardtop and NAWWZZ?

Thread thumbs up fail.

Back on target, 2003 G35. Should be able to find a decent one in your price range w/ heated leather seats. The shift-o-matic isn't too bad either.

Chris

Please try to help better. I thought that was an "Aspire" until I saw the vb code.

Fucking ugly and two wasted doors and why not just buy an altima 3.5 instead?

i was just playing with ya!

what about a yaris! i think they actually look pretty good lowerd and with some wheels!

http://images.importtuner.com/events...side_view1.jpg

http://carphotos.cardomain.com/ride_...0002_large.jpg

2004+ Grand Prix
2000+ Bonneville

Both can be had in the price range. Both have optional heated leather, 6 disc, sunroof, etc, classy enough for any executive to ride in, have the 3.8L w/ it's nice reliability record. Lots of power when you need it but very civil in snow/rain. 28-30 mpg on highway, 25-27 city.

My parents had a Bonneville go 287k before the engine locked up because the oil hadn't been changed in about 40k. G/f drives a fully loaded '04 Grand Prix, has 97k and has never been in the shop (though I did fix the HUD, replaced a thermostat, battery terminals, and coolant flush because of a plugged heater core)

audi a4??

http://aro2220.com/cars/a4/audi_a4_500.jpg

Please, only chinky slanty eyed car reccomendations unless it has an LS engine that can go to my future rx7 one day.


Hmm is there any reason why I shouldn't seriously look at a GTO?

GTO's are still $15k+


That's why.

edit: Oh, and because having an LS engine controlled by an auto is... well... lame.

Test out the throttle tip-in on the cars you are interested in. An auto with difficult to manage tip-in is nearly as bad as a manual in stop and go traffic.

How are the scion tcs? They seem abundant and cheap. Or just a honda accord 4 cylinder?

Those are both very good choices, you'll have to go a few years back to get a fully loaded version with leather and such.

I really wish Saabs were a little more reliable. They're fast, cheap, decent mileage (turbo four), don't look half bad, and are hands down the best long distance car for the money. I have NEVER sat in anything more comfortable than my '97 9000. Too bad the 9000 auto is the one car you should avoid buying if you're buying cars. The later 9-3 and 9-5 are much better but still touch and go. All are great in the snow. They'll also be quieter than an accord or toyota, by far. For what you're looking for, you could pick one up for 4-5k, well under your budget.

How are the slegacygts in auto? Do subaru engines and transmissions last? I don't know anything about cars really except for miatas and merecdes w123 disels :(

Ms6
ms3

I know to purists my '97 900 SE Turbo isn't a "real Saab", it's just a GM/Opel, but for the $3500 I paid for it, it's pretty damn comfy, quick, useful, and fun to drive. And it's been dead-nuts reliable since I bought it, random MIL's notwithstanding.

tC's suck! i had one and a tree totaled it!

As long as the ignition is in the center console, it's a saab, so you're safe. I prefer the GM saabs anyways. All the 9000's are good, but the 900's seemed dated. Mainly cause they were, didn't they come out in '79? Man I want a Saab...

OKIE looking at a legacy gt tomorrow AM. Automatic. Apparently they can't take "stage 2" without a tranny cooler and some other $500 tranny mod. I may leave it stock tho..

Altimas are FWD and they make a coupe G35.

http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/n...534034928.html

Chris

2005 BMW 3-Series M3 :D

http://www.icantclick.org/~johne/BMW...8-IMG_0025.jpg

I'm running an '05 LegGT auto with a flash, DP/UP so it's basically a stage 1.5 with no problems. I do have a tranny cooler I'll slap on this spring, but that's an hour job. Otherwise, you can get them cheap, they have good performance out of the box, butt warmers, and look good. Mileage isn't great though. I'm probably 20-23 city, 23-26 hwy. But I swear the MD gas in our area sucks. I drove my dad's Outback XT (same 2.5 Turbo) up to Pittsburgh last week and got like 21 mpg hwy up there but when I filled up in the 'burgh, I got 26 mpg coming back.

Make sure the passenger footwell doesn't have the AC drainage problem. Look at the LegGT forum and check the thread out. I had to pull a bunch of shit apart (glovebox, etc) to get to the AC drain and seal up the collector. It's hit or miss if you have the issue.

Frank

this isn't an M3, it's a 330ci ZHP.

02 - 03 wrx wagon auto? They are hard to find tho.

Volvo S60R auto? The only bad thing with these is the auto is detuned A LOT...nothing a chip cant fix.

How much was the tran cooler kit? I'm leaving now to test a sedan and some automatic lgt wagons :)

+1 I DD a legacy gt. Great car

how cheap are the LGT's used? my friends 07ish ? limited is like 18k i think. He just did 11k of damage to it hitting a small tree in the snow and it still didnt get totaled.

My ex gf is buying an 09 leg pretty soon. I cant talk her into the GT tho :(

I'd be happy with an S40 T5 as well.

I paid $47 for a Tru Cool 4454 trans cooler. You can find more info on them at the LegGT forums. Shipping was another $10. I think I can use the stock lines, but I'll find out when I get off my butt and install it.

I'm rocking the wagon. Red like the pic, just a wagon.

Frank

I'm about to sell my white one, but its a 5spd :(

I just test drove an auto sedan and then a wagon manual. The wagon manual was really nice but the dealer won't budge and is asking too much. Antwerpen toyota in clarksville if anyone cares. There's an auto wagon up in ellicott city at some other dealer I'm gonna go check out now. I may end up with another manual :( so much more fun.

2000-2006 Nissan Sentra 1.8l or 2.5l
cheap and reliable
http://www.dragtimes.com/images/5900...san-Sentra.jpg
2.5 with bigger rims and different front.
Both do fair gas mileage of around 30mpg on the highway.
I had a 1.8 and it held up very nicely imo, plus I see alot going to 200-300k miles on them still with the same engine.
Just my choice do to previous car I had.

If it were me, I'd get like a 98 Toyota Tercel. They are a little ugly, but they are dirt cheap, cheap to fix (if you ever have to), dead reliable, cheap to insure. They get 30mpg and will drive for 300k with oil changes.

The auto's have some ridiculously programmed electronic TPS from the factory. It's laggy to go from pressing the gas to actually getting the car to respond. Mine was reprogrammed with the flash and it's night and day difference from my dad's. Remember, you can always sport shift it if you feel like doing something with your right hand while driving, aside from scratching your balls!:2cents:

Frank

Listen to this man. I did 400 miles a week in my sister's S40 T5 two summers ago and it's the most comfortable long-haul cruiser I've ever driven (except my truck, maybe). Not the best on mileage, but it's comfy, the OE sound system is phenomenal, it's got a big trunk, etc.

Are the s40s easy to maintain? Electrical hell? Any bullshit?

I haven't gone that far into my research. I've been looking for a comfortable turbo, fwd or awd, 5-sp DD. The legacy GT is high on the list, but they retain value pretty well, and I'm really cheap. The Volvo s40 T5 is a contender as well, they are damn comfortable, but I'm probably a year out from buying anything so I just have idea of what I'm looking for. Im still debating Saabs, but I hear they can be pretty hit or miss if you're lucky enough to get one that doesn't have electrical problems.

I wouldn't mind a v70 R or s60 R either. But I've always had a thing smaller sedans.

A friend of the family had an early 2000's S60. She just recently sold it and bought a brand new Accord. According to her it was the biggest mistake she ever made. The Volvo was way more comfortable, quieter on the road and she says it just drove better and felt like it was built better. It was also very reliably while she had it.
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looks like there are a bazillion bunch of trims for the S40. Which one is the "money" one?

I was looking at the T5 because the S40R are too new and expensive, so that's later AWD model.

Test drive a G35 Coupe. Thank me later.

I ALWAYS loved these cars.....until I drove one. :td:

When I went car shopping with my gf a dealer just got one in and they let us take it out. It was fun no doubt, but other than the exhaust tone I really didn't like it. The interior didn't match the price tag at all, and it didn't have the power I expected.

They still look sexy as fuck, and sound perfect, but once I drove it I stopped noticing them as much.

what about the new kia forte coupe?

http://www.thetorquereport.com/kia_koup3.jpg

For a kia that is sexy. If I removed the Kia badge.

Teh suzuki sx4 actually also sounds interesting.

I really need to get my miata back on the road. I want to look at '10 mazdaspeed3s :( $23,000 :( :( :(

when i first seen the commercial for the kia i was thinking to myself holy shit that is a good lookin car! then i was even moar shocked when i saw kia make it! :giggle: they are really steppin there game up.

I rock a Taurus wagon. Automatic, cheap to purchase, maintain, and insure, boring, quiet, fast enough, comfy, reliable, lots of room for stuff. The wagons get the "big" transmission with the regular engine and standard rear disc brakes. For a while I was driving it minimum 600 miles/week. Always gets 24-25 mpg. $21,000 less than a new MS3.

There is even a community of people who "tune" these things and vendors who sell various bits. The PCM is cracked. I've got a Duratec throttle body for mine that's supposed to ad some power, and have been thinking about a rear mount turbo.

My sister had a 2004 1.9 S40 and in my opinion that thing was a turd. Maybe it was her trim level but everthing in the car felt cheap.

I am in love with the Legacy GT and if I didn't have to drive an F350 for work, then I would be driving that or a Corolla. I don't know why I love corolla's so much, but I really do. not even the new ones, but the ones that went from 1997ish -2002. So simple and dead reliable.

The SX4 should be a reliable car. And it sseems quite practical.

Hmmm tonight I drove a decent forester xt 2004 auto with 115K miles. Asking price is $11.5. I actually liked it a lot. It didn't exactly feel nimble but it was surprisingly quick and handled decently.

I tried to drive an '10 mazdaspeed3 but the dealer said they didn't allow it without a credit check first. Bleghhhh


Gonna go look at an '07 mazdaspeed3 tomorrow with 53k miles, asking price is $15.5. Manual :(

Ours has been bulletproof. It's an '06 with like ~70k on it.

Probably because it all was cheap. The '04s were crap - the 05+ is a totally different car.

If you're looking at a speed3, why not a regular 3 with a hatch and GT package? Not as quick as a speed, but other than that they're mostly the same to drive, and you get your slushbox.

When I was out looking at cars with my girlfriend, we did drive a regular 3 GT hatch albeit with a stick. It was indeed quite a nice car. The "gearbox" did suck but that is immaterial now. She ended up going with an perfect cali ownded 04 mazdaspeed miata with 20K miles for $11k out the door.

Hmm, yes a MSM is certainly a "boring automatic daily."

Nono, the MSM was for her. I'm the one that needs the booring automatic :jerkit: Still looking.

Here in Oz i just bought my wife a cj (08) lancer, im not sure if they come in a luxury pack in the states but they are a bloody nice car for the money & i love driving it when ever i get the chance, not sure if they are considered rice there but we have them here for under 20k & they have plenty of features & cool stuff like a 6 speed auto which gives us an average of 8.5L to 100km (nfi what that is in mpg) but really good for us.

my 2 cents ;)

You'd be better off buying the root vehicle, a Toyota Corolla..



On another note, while you're specifically looking for an automatic... I happen to have a 2006 MS6GT in perfect condition that I'm looking at selling here pretty soon... I might make ya a deal.. ;) 28k miles.... Black Cherry...

Price? I am in Kansas all the time.