Ideas for a daily driver $5-8k

dirtygalant · Post by **dirtygalant** » Sat Oct 08, 2011 10:41 am

Yeah thats a car to consider but I find nissans of that era are a little dull.

1320ft · Post by **1320ft** » Sat Oct 08, 2011 12:46 pm

I cant believe I'm about to say this, what about an MX5?

Sargeant_Khan · Post by **Sargeant_Khan** » Sat Oct 08, 2011 1:35 pm

I'd get something fun, like a gti-r pulsar or a mazda familia. The latter being my preference.
:beer

enthuzed · Post by **enthuzed** » Sat Oct 08, 2011 1:48 pm

1320ft wrote:I cant believe I'm about to say this, what about an MX5?

Yeah, and if you get bored with it there's complete turbo kits on eBay for it for $850.

1320ft · Post by **1320ft** » Sat Oct 08, 2011 2:08 pm

I have never really been a big ran of them.

But I do know they are a true drivers car, out of the box.

dirtygalant · Post by **dirtygalant** » Sat Oct 08, 2011 2:59 pm

yeah MX5s are sweet, but not practical daily driver material! Again looking for a 4 door midsized sedan or a larger 5 door liftback/hatch/wagon.

bridgey · Post by **bridgey** » Sat Oct 08, 2011 4:00 pm

what about a caldina GTT? no idea what they go for over the ditch though, a mate had one however and it was both practical and a shitload of fun

Sargeant_Khan · Post by **Sargeant_Khan** » Sat Oct 08, 2011 4:01 pm

http://www.carsguide.com.au/search/vehi ... D_25909001

That looks like the car you're looking for.

dirtygalant · Post by **dirtygalant** » Sat Oct 08, 2011 4:41 pm

bridgey wrote:what about a caldina GTT? no idea what they go for over the ditch though, a mate had one however and it was both practical and a shitload of fun

Like Legnum VR-4s, they are quite expensive here at $10-15k+.

dirtygalant · Post by **dirtygalant** » Sat Oct 08, 2011 4:45 pm

Sargeant_Khan wrote:http://www.carsguide.com.au/search/vehi ... D_25909001

That looks like the car you're looking for.

Apart from the bit where it's not economical at all :P I've had three of them in NZ (Legnum VR-4 wagons rather than the Galant VR-4 sedan), the cheapest one cost NZ$1300 and the most expensive cost NZ$2500. It's a 15 year old car with marginal safety standards which isn't going to become a cult classic any time soon (unlike the original 6G VR-4), I just don't see $10k worth of value in that car at all. Would rather a few year old Conformadore/Falcoon/380 for the same price.

thrash · Post by **thrash** » Sun Oct 09, 2011 8:47 am

a eunos 30x? (not 4 door, but good boot space)

or a proton something or other.. satrias are good hatchbacks, and you can always stash a vr4 motor in them.. or you can get the butt ugly sedan versions if you really need 4 doors.. they would make quite good sleepers in manual form..

or a new or old suzuki swift? The old ones can be had for a few grand, and the new ones for under 10 in manual..

dirtygalant · Post by **dirtygalant** » Sun Oct 09, 2011 9:07 am

safety is quite high on my priority list so that scratches out Protons and 10+ year old Swifts etc. Not looking to turn a daily driver into a project car by doing an engine conversion. It needs to do a 60km round trip every day to work, running around outside of work and over the weekends, and long open road trips like when I drive to Sydney and back to see family. I want something more or less turn-key every morning but that doesn't mean that I'm going to find nothing but a mundane Corolla/Camry etc.

As I like to 'enjoy' my cars rather than merely just drive them, I want something relatively exciting/entertaining to drive and something that isn't yawn-inducing when you look at the styling. I keep coming back to the Pug 406 because out of all the mid-sized sedans I've had, it just felt ahead of the pack - but my issue is that they are getting old these days and in my mind, like the 1996+ Galant VR-4 sedan above, they aren't worth what they are priced at here.

Another point to consider is that I'm only going to be in Aus until April/May next year, so wanting something which is going to hold its value reasonably well over that time period.

I hope this rambling all makes sense! It seems like I'm trying to find the impossible here in the land of over-taxed imports and protected domestic model cars :(

redzone · Post by **redzone** » Sun Oct 09, 2011 9:35 am

that last line sums it all up!

lower your standards or raise your cash limit..

what about a gen 3 commodore? their economy is as good as a starion..

dirtygalant · Post by **dirtygalant** » Sun Oct 09, 2011 12:03 pm

a Starion isn't something I would call economical :P I have been looking at VT-VX Commodores along with AU/BA Falcons as they seem to be quite cheap. It's just crazy how something like a 2000s Commodore could be $4000-5000 while a 1990s Japanese car is the same price!

thrash · Post by **thrash** » Sun Oct 09, 2011 12:49 pm

it's not crazy.. used car prices are about 98% supply and demand and 2% about any other given factor.

falcodores are in really high supply, and so the prices are not too high. They are also not bad cars, perhaps just not as high tech as most of the german or jap cars around. I must say though, commodore seats are among the most comfy that I've ever sat in. This includes mercs, beemers and audis of the same era. (the latest model german car i've driven is a 2003 model audi.. leather.. comfy, but the commodore is just spot on for me)

I'll make one last suggestion to you. BMW E36 323i. It will be 20 odd years old, and replacement part prices are off the scales (so make sure you research and buy a well kept one), but within your price bracket, it's not bad in terms of safety, offers decent pleasure in driving, and is comfy on long distance drives (cruise control). Economy is not great, but not terrible either. Indicator is not on the right side.

Or if you can stretch your budget just a little bit, you could go for the 325, which is slightly more upspec. Same engine and driving dynamics though.

Austarion

Ideas for a daily driver $5-8k

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