Help- need a daily driver

[poboys 94]

Finally Im able to purchase a daily driver (used $3000 limit) and park the Stang and start the engine build but not sure what to get Im leaning towards a small SUV or extended cab Ranger, to haul stuff around with, has to be decent on gas I don't care if it's a 4cyl and has no power that's what the Stang is for. Any suggestions?

 

[fiveoho]

my DD is a 94 accord. i like it. its a little grandmaish but its a good, comfortable car. if you want a truck, you might could look at mid 90's rangers. that 2.3 i hear is a really good engine. no power, but realiablity and gas mileage. i'd look for a 5 speed for sure. prob could pick one of those up in really decent shape for your budget i would think

 

[poboys 94]

Here we go my wife wants a Blazer to take the dogs to the park in I heard the gas mileage on those isn't great.

 

[blksn955.o]

I am getting ready to trade in my DD for a fusion or focus it looks like....currently I have a 2000 Olds Intrigue that gets an avg. of around 20mpg overall. Not too bad but my drive is 33miles one way to work and I avg. 33-37mph due to SUCKY traffic (live in Florissant and work at K&40 at the Citi building). I have hit mid-upper 20s all hwy.

My mom and a buddy have a 05 and a 07 ranger. My moms is 2wd the buddies is 4wd. Both have the 4.0. Both get really crappy mpg...my mom does not care as she drives 6miles to Boeing and has put 6k miles on her truck in 1yr. My buddy is an electrition who just changed shops and does not have a van yet....he HATES it.

The buddy traded in his 92 ranger that had a 4cyl (2.3?) manual. It got good mpg fwiw. If you looking for a ranger I would 100% stick with a 4 popper unless you want to tow something regularly. I would 100% stick to the 4 popper idea.

 

[chaos254]

my fiance has a 2001 ford ranger 4.0 v6 auto 4wd extended cab. Its been a good truck, right now it has about 118k on it. As for gas mileage its not horrible but nothing great. I believe she got around 20mpg when we drove across country. My stang got about 25-28mpg.

Having another vehicle is awesome, now I don't have to worry about my stang being out of commission for awhile or if a project takes a little longer than expected. Good luck on picking a DD. Remember make a good choice because a used vehicle can end up costing you a lot if it has problems.

 

[Chythar]

You could always do what I and many others have done - buy two Stangs! Work on one while you drive the other. Of course, that doesn't necessarily help you in the gas mileage department.

 

[blksn955.o]

my fiance has a 2001 ford ranger 4.0 v6 auto 4wd extended cab. Its been a good truck, right now it has about 118k on it. As for gas mileage its not horrible but nothing great. I believe she got around 20mpg when we drove across country. My stang got about 25-28mpg.

Having another vehicle is awesome, now I don't have to worry about my stang being out of commission for awhile or if a project takes a little longer than expected. Good luck on picking a DD. Remember make a good choice because a used vehicle can end up costing you a lot if it has problems.

Wow that is good, my buddy is seeing around 12-14. My mom's is getting around 16-17 on the hwy.

 

[poboys 94]

You could always do what I and many others have done - buy two Stangs! Work on one while you drive the other. Of course, that doesn't necessarily help you in the gas mileage department.

I always wanted a Fox vert, but as was said I need to think about gas mileage and a 4 cyl is tops on the list. I drive one for work it's a 4 cyl 3 speed auto and I have to turn the ac off to merge onto the hiway or pass a vehicle but it does ok on gas when the ac is off.

 

[ronstang94]

I drive a 2002 ranger w/ 3.0L and auto as my DD (Da car is broken again Driver). It gets pretty good gas milage and still has decent power. I think the stock gears in the rear end are 4.10 to help w/ power, but that pulls the gas milage down a little. Its a nice compromise between the 2.3 and 4.0

 

[Adam95GT]

I love my focus it has some leaks but runs great 29-32mpg with enough room to chuck anything you can think of in the back of it... i love the room it has in the back... i picked up mine for $2800 with a salvage title (small tree fell on it.) All body work was repaired bought it from a body shop owner... A few small leaks that need to be fixed in the hatch though. but you can find them pretty cheap... I say its just what you need... zx3 has enough room for the dogs... zx5 if you want more room the little zetec is slow but gets better milage then an suv and the cars have a huge amount of space.
She is a sweet little ride. Probably paid for its self in gas savings vs. the stang already.

 

[poboys 94]

I love my focus it has some leaks but runs great 29-32mpg with enough room to chuck anything you can think of in the back of it... i love the room it has in the back... i picked up mine for $2800 with a salvage title (small tree fell on it.) All body work was repaired bought it from a body shop owner... A few small leaks that need to be fixed in the hatch though. but you can find them pretty cheap... I say its just what you need... zx3 has enough room for the dogs... zx5 if you want more room the little zetec is slow but gets better milage then an suv and the cars have a huge amount of space.
She is a sweet little ride. Probably paid for its self in gas savings vs. the stang already.

That is one of the cars I've considered, I realize now that I may not be able to have the large cargo room and still obtain good gas mileage, it's a compromise. Seems like you got yourself a nice deal on it too.

 

[95five-oh]

my dd is an '00 cherokee sport. I'd recommend jeeps to anybody. solid as a rock, gets about 20mpg highway, comfortable and has pretty good power (4.0L). I saw countless pre-97 cherokees for sale under 3k last winter when i was in the market.

 

[Juggalo95]

Thought about one of those but I like the 89~95 toyota 4x4. I had one for dd with 22re 5 speed. IMO better than the cherokee as it has a bed,better resale and 22re is cheap to keep. But the 22re and even with just 31's on it it really lacked power in 2wd...but Yotas Own Jeeps! Put a SAS on a yota,bob the bed and your set for wheelin

 

[earleys94gt]

I've got an 01 Civic EX, get b/w 34-37 MPG doing mostly highway driving.

A Ranger with a 2.3L wouldn't be too bad, or something like a Tacoma maybe???

 

[SVT3183]

get a saturn they're bargains. i have 2 and they're reliable. my 2000 6 cyl. gets 25+ mpgs and my bro's 4 cyl gets ~35 MPG. never checked the mpg of my 4 cyl.

 

[poboys 94]

my dd is an '00 cherokee sport. I'd recommend jeeps to anybody. solid as a rock, gets about 20mpg highway, comfortable and has pretty good power (4.0L). I saw countless pre-97 cherokees for sale under 3k last winter when i was in the market.

All the Jeeps Ive seen for sale in my price range have 150,000 on the clock and more, people keep those things forever for good reason.

 

[94GTLaserRC]

Here's my $0.02....FROM Experience: I bought my 97 Escort in '05 when gas prices first started climbing near $3. It was 8 years old, had 36k miles and was $3k. I have since chaged the battery, tinted the windows, changed the brake pads, and put new tires (for $35 each). Here are some tips:


1. you will not find an Accord, Civic, Sentra, or Corrola in decent shape for $3k unless it is really old.

2. If gas mileage is a concern, the SUV should not be a consideration.

3. Keep in mind what you want...you have the stang, so remember THIS car will be to get you from Point A to Point B.

4. A slower car will make your mustang Feel faster

5. I got my Escort at the TOYOTA dealer Used car section....look everywhere, despite what dealer it is.

6. A LOT of people are looking for gas mileage cars now, so be patient.

7. Your choices for your budget that will still get you a clean car are (IMO)...Escort, Focus, Mazda3 or Protege, Saturn, Previous Generation Corolla or Sentra, Small pickup or a small GM car.

Be patient and look everywhere...remember the import cars will probably cost a little more for insurance.

RC

 

[poboys 94]

Here's my $0.02....FROM Experience: I bought my 97 Escort in '05 when gas prices first started climbing near $3. It was 8 years old, had 36k miles and was $3k. I have since chaged the battery, tinted the windows, changed the brake pads, and put new tires (for $35 each). Here are some tips:


1. you will not find an Accord, Civic, Sentra, or Corrola in decent shape for $3k unless it is really old.

2. If gas mileage is a concern, the SUV should not be a consideration.

3. Keep in mind what you want...you have the stang, so remember THIS car will be to get you from Point A to Point B.

4. A slower car will make your mustang Feel faster

5. I got my Escort at the TOYOTA dealer Used car section....look everywhere, despite what dealer it is.

6. A LOT of people are looking for gas mileage cars now, so be patient.

7. Your choices for your budget that will still get you a clean car are (IMO)...Escort, Focus, Mazda3 or Protege, Saturn, Previous Generation Corolla or Sentra, Small pickup or a small GM car.

Be patient and look everywhere...remember the import cars will probably cost a little more for insurance.

RC

Here's a list of some vehicles I've been looking at so far on Auto Trader.com, Almost all have high mileage but look clean
98 Sentra 144000 miles blue 3995.00
96 Exploder 162000 green 3295.00
99 Cavalier 127000 blue 3995.00
98 Grand Cherokee 102000 grey 3990.00
2000 Voyager 115000 green 3795.00
03 Sable 149000 blue 3695.00
96 Nissan 200sx blue 134600 3295.00
97 Cavalier black 129000 2995.00
96 Volvo wgn 850 turbo black ?miles 2500.00
97 Blazer black 129000 3995.00
96 Exploder white 160000 2699.00
01 Galant black 120000 3895.00
96 Talon black 97000 3895.00
95 T-bird 6cyl white 80000 3295.00

 

[94GTLaserRC]

Here's a list of some vehicles I've been looking at so far on Auto Trader.com, Almost all have high mileage but look clean
98 Sentra 144000 miles blue 3995.00
96 Exploder 162000 green 3295.00
99 Cavalier 127000 blue 3995.00
98 Grand Cherokee 102000 grey 3990.00
2000 Voyager 115000 green 3795.00
03 Sable 149000 blue 3695.00
96 Nissan 200sx blue 134600 3295.00
97 Cavalier black 129000 2995.00
96 Volvo wgn 850 turbo black ?miles 2500.00
97 Blazer black 129000 3995.00
96 Exploder white 160000 2699.00
01 Galant black 120000 3895.00
96 Talon black 97000 3895.00
95 T-bird 6cyl white 80000 3295.00

I would not get an Exploder...second item down

Keep in mind that the list the I gave is not the ONLY thing look at. Those prices are a little high for cars that age with that many miles (my Escort was 7 years old with 36k miles). I would stay away from cars like the Talon and Volvo that old used only because repairs are more money if you need them.


The trader is good, but go to some local dealers and look in the used car section. I went through this and patience is the key!
RC

 

[poboys 94]

I would not get an Exploder...second item down

Keep in mind that the list the I gave is not the ONLY thing look at. Those prices are a little high for cars that age with that many miles (my Escort was 7 years old with 36k miles). I would stay away from cars like the Talon and Volvo that old used only because repairs are more money if you need them.


The trader is good, but go to some local dealers and look in the used car section. I went through this and patience is the key!
RC

You are correct, it's like when you don't have the funds there are all kinds of bargains out there and the minute you have the resources you can't seem to find nuthin! When I was a kid I had a 200.00 beater every 6 months, now that same car is 2000.00 I will try to extract some patience, but the sooner I find something the sooner I can start yanking the Stangs motor and get a 351