$100K Everyday Car Thread (from the GT-R Discussion)

[McLaren]

You just said comfort of the car was an issue for him.

Well, my mistake. I'm only guessing it might be an issue for him. Maybe he likes it, maybe he doesn't care, or maybe he just lives with it.

If I ever actually see him, I'll ask him though....

 

[Sage]

Sage, Sage Sage Sage Sage... I'm all for the meagre lifestyle (actually, that's a lie), but seriously, you cannot come on a car forum and tell us that the Volvo V50 is all the car you're ever going to need!

Actually, you’re right – I could easily dip down to a Mazda 3 hatchback. In fact, that’s what I was going to post at first, then I remembered the V50, which is sort of the same thing but with a really cool interior.

 

[forza2.0]

Seat Leon Cupra, drop in a AWD drivetrain from a 4wd audi A3 or R32 and then up the power to the 2.0TFSI to 400hp. It would be a super sleeper.

 

[Omnis]

I'd probably get an E63.

 

[Tornado]

Seat Leon Cupra, drop in a AWD drivetrain from a 4wd audi A3 or R32 and then up the power to the 2.0TFSI to 400hp. It would be a super sleeper.

I don't think anyone is dumb enough in the performance world to think that a Seat could still be a sleeper.

 

[Jim Prower]

Seat Leon Cupra, drop in a AWD drivetrain from a 4wd audi A3 or R32 and then up the power to the 2.0TFSI to 400hp. It would be a super sleeper.

Yes, If you don't mind turning your own wrench almost all the time, and know what the hell you're doing modifying it. and if the suspension's comfortable AND handles well, not to mention being easy enough to drive that you don't have to be the Stig to go fast, you'll be mobbed for the setup. Oh, map that turbo so that you don't get that good old slam-your-head-into-the-headrest-when-you-least-expect-it lag. again, the more you modify, the more you spend

and I'm not sure how much modification the Leon will need. If the floorpan is different, we're probably talking lots and lots of fabrication, and work in the shop. If it's the same underneath as the A3 and R32 (and those may yet be different from the standard Golf/Rabbit!) You might pull it off with minor fab work, such as strut tower moving and suspension/engine mounts.

Kind of why I avoided using the Charger as a daily: I might as well perform a frame-off resto, and weld the seams while I'm at it, and balance/blueprint, and internally reinforce a brand new crate Hemi, and THAT sort of work gets EXPENSIVE. Tuning, I'm a bit wary of, especially a car that's a one-off, and not a package put out by a tuning company, that has some sort of a warranty on it. See if any companies have a package for the Leon similar to to that R32 Twin Turbo package earlier in the thread

 

[Joey D]

Sure. As I mentioned before, there's a black Viper SRT-10 I see driving to-and-from-work everday during most of the year. His only problem is gas and the comfort of the car since Texas weather is normally good weather all year round for such a car.

Just because you see him driving it quite often does not mean it is his only form of transportation.

Seat Leon Cupra, drop in a AWD drivetrain from a 4wd audi A3 or R32 and then up the power to the 2.0TFSI to 400hp. It would be a super sleeper.

Once again this is the everyday car thread, not the what you would do with $100K. Modified cars are never going to be as reliable as stock vehicles or really easy to drive...espeically if you are putting out 200 more horsepower over the stock motor that only make 200hp to begin with.

 

[Tornado]

Just because you see him driving it quite often does not mean it is his only form of transportation.

As far as I was aware, using a car more-or-less daily meant it was a daily driver. Even if he has other cars, it doesn't really matter if he uses the Viper the most.

 

[Joey D]

As far as I was aware, using a car more-or-less daily meant it was a daily driver. Even if he has other cars, it doesn't really matter if he uses the Viper the most.

The point of this thread however is what is the one car you could live with every single day. I don't think if you could only have one car you'd want a Viper since there are occasions where it wouldn't suit you.

 

[Tornado]

You are on what is essentially a car enthusiasts forum. How rational do you expect everyone to think? You've been given $100,000, no strings attached. You can keep working at your job if you need something practical.
I can tell you straight faced if I was given that money that I would buy what I wanted. Not necessarily what I needed. Damn the practicality, damn the usability, damn the comfort. And I would use it everyday.
If you wouldn't, that is fine. But you are not me. And you are not *McLaren.* And you are not some Viper driver in Texas.

 

[Joey D]

But as I keep saying and many don't really seem to understand, this thread is not about your dream car for under $100K, that could be another thread which would make perfect sense. This thread is about what you could be driving as a every day practical vehicle for under $100K, it really is about what you need, not about what you want.

For under $100K I would love to have a Z4 M Coupe, but that really wouldn't work under the normal, everyday, vehicle category.

 

[Gashlycrumb]

Joey, I think that you may be over thinking it. Most cars we buy, be they $200 junkers or $200,000 supercars come with some compromise. For example, my daily driver is a Holden Barina SRI (Opel Corsa SRI). Most days it is fine, it gets great mileage is comfortable on the motorway, is fun in the corner and its size makes it easy to park in town. However, being a three door it is a royal pain when I have to drive with two or more friends and it is hopeless at towing my boat. For this reason I have a second car. I think that people spending $100k on a car would go through a similar process and arrive at a suitable compromise between everyday practicality and (being car enthusiasts) a little bit of fun. Porsches,Ferraris,M3s etc could all be used, more or less, on a daily basis with a little bit of compromise. Just like your Mini.

 

[Tornado]

But people's needs are different as well. I don't need anything with more than two seats and a smidgen of luggage room. Some people need wagons with slushboxes (and I mean no one in particular).
I'm telling you simply that if I had 100 grand, I would buy a 512TR and make it work for as a daily driver, as it more or less fits my driving needs already. Doug probably would do something similar.
Joe Smith (American) may need something with 4 doors to even think about using it as a daily driver. But I don't, so I couldn't care less how impractical my choice would be, because it wouldn't make any difference in my case.

 

[Wolfe]

How do you know that these cars wouldn't work as everyday vehicles for the people that are posting them, Joey?

My current daily driver is a small-by-modern-standards two-door RWD sedan, with backseats just big enough for two adults and a modest trunk capacity. I drive it year-round on ordinary all-seasons despite the snow and RWD, I very, very rarely carry more than one passenger, and I almost never use even 20% of my trunk capacity. Pretty much all of my normal driving time is commuting between work, home, or friends' houses, with the rest spent on enjoying backroads. Almost always by myself.

For my current daily needs, a "practical" vehicle like a big-ish sedan or wagon would be a waste. On the other hand, a 911 would fit perfectly. In fact, the AWD of the Turbo I posted would make it a better winter driver than my current car, and the performance would make it very enjoyable on those backroads.

The same goes for the Z4M Coupe, and most of the cars posted here.

Don't bother asking me what I'd get if I were to start a family, because you should know the answer would be an M5.

 

[Joey D]

The way I look at it is can you take it to the grocery store and get enough food to last you a week? A buddy of mine has a Miata and he can not take it grocery shopping because all that fits in the boot is a case of beer, gallon of milk, and a few other things. Going to the grocery store is something just about all of us do either once a week or every other week (in America mind you).

I can think of numerous situations in which a small sports car would not be practical for daily life and I don't really do anything outrageous.

 

[Keef]

People find ways around problems like that. Even though I've had a trunk in all three of my cars, I'd just as soon put stuff in the front or back seat or on the floor because it's got less room to roll around.

 

[JCE]

If you can't put a week's worth of food into the boot of an MX-5 then you (as the owner) need to learn to eat in moderation. And, to make another point an MX-5 is more practical than a Ferrari anyway. The MX-5 is built better, gets better MPG, doesn't scare you every time you need to park it in a public place, and doesn't give off the vibe that you are a pompous ass with a small penis. And remember that I hate them both...but I'd take an MX-5 over a Ferrari in the practicality department...and I can't even physically fit into one and drive it.

 

[Wolfe]

People find ways around problems like that. Even though I've had a trunk in all three of my cars, I'd just as soon put stuff in the front or back seat or on the floor because it's got less room to roll around.

Yup. The front seat is good for at least two standard paper bags, the passenger footwell in most cars would probably be good for four to six, if the $100k car you chose has backseats, well, there goes a few more bags, and if there's legroom in the back, there's at least a couple more on the floor.

 

[Joey D]

Do you guys just never bother to do anything? I max the cargo capacity of the Mini one or two times a week doing normal every day things. Hell the day I went xmas shopping I thought I was going to have to make two trips...and I didn't buy anything unusual and the Mini isn't that small inside.

When I do weekly shopping I typically end up with having to put the seats down because I have a pretty good amount of groceries...and no I don't need to eat more in moderation. A family of three, with one room mate, a girlfriend that comes over quite often, and a bunch of friends always over as well will clean the fridge out quick.

 

[Wolfe]

Well, since I'm not living on my own yet, I don't have to make grocery trips. But all my life I've never seen my mom bring home a load of groceries that wouldn't fit entirely in my BMW's interior (aka no trunk usage), or entirely in my trunk. I bet I could fit the same amount of groceries into a 911's interior.

Did you buy 50 Christmas gifts, or did you give everyone in your family a TV? I'd have to win the lottery to be able to come close to maxing out my car's capacity in gifts.

Oh, and as far as passenger space goes, leaving your significant other at home while you get groceries is a simple compromise, especially since the usage of a cell phone could keep you from forgetting anything.

 

[Tornado]

Oh, and as far as passenger space goes, leaving your significant other at home while you get groceries is a simple compromise

A much, much cheaper one, too.
For the record, we have a family of 5 and a truck, but we never fill more than about 10 cubic feet (I actually measured it, 2X5X1) in the back of it on normal grocery shopping trips. Only on rare occasions do we get more than that.

 

[JCE]

A much, much cheaper one, too.
For the record, we have a family of 5 and a truck, but we never fill more than about 10 cubic feet (I actually measured it, 2X5X1) in the back of it on normal grocery shopping trips. Only on rare occasions do we get more than that.

So...how much cubic space does this give me:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v307/VonBlitzKrieg/my_rs/DSCF2175.jpg

 

[-Fred-]

An everyday car for me means I've got to be able to haul the wife and the kid, with enough space to put in the groceries and a baby stroller, in comfort and safety, to and from the various places I have to go... which doesn't mean going full on banzai style on mountain roads or crushing lap times at the local track.

Audi A8 it'be for me.

 

[exigeracer]

Where do you track Fred? Drummondville has an oval, no? St Eustache Sunday nights?

 

[-Fred-]

I've been to St-Eu a few times, but I just don't like the track. The oval near Drummond is dirt, if I'm not mistaken.

I just don't track too often (and now heaven forbid if I ever find the time to do that next summer), I was simply pointing out what an "everyday" car meant to me.

 

[SagarisGTB]

I wouldnt have imagined you could get a 550 or 456 for this price range, but that would be hard to resist. The choice then becomes which one of the two.

I would have to move though. Assuming I dont move, it would be an E46 M3, G37, Fit, Carrera 4S or Carrera 4.

 

[Leonidae]

I've said these before, but let me repeat them here..

Under 70K category:

1st place: Nissan GT-R. best bang for the buck, includes luxury and doesn't wear you out while driving.

2nd place: Golf V R32 3-door. Same as above. Sounds nice too.

3rd place: Subaru WRX STi'08. 300bhp 2.5l Turbo flat four, packed in AWD hatchback. YES PLEASE!

4th place: BMW 130i 3-door. Sporty RWD hatch. What else can you ask for?

5th place: Renault Clio Sport V6. not in production any more, but still.. hottest thing from France.

6th place: for a daily driver or for fun, new Fiat 500 Abarth.

between 70-100k:

1: RS6 avant/RS4 avant. My practical choice, since I live in a county that has plenty of snow and ice for almost half of the year.

2: VW Touareg V10 TDI. Another practical choice.

3: Dodge Viper SRT10 Coupe. not at all practical, all fun. preferably in black.

 

[YSSMAN]

Joey is right in his understanding of the question, and in fact, what I had hoped to get from everyone.

You get one car. You've got the $100K (and other amounts listed). Thats it. I would have preferred brand-new, but the used car market always has something good in it.

Sad that I didn't mention the Camaro as an option, but we're still more than a year away...

Pontiac G8 GT/Holden Commodore SS-V it is!

 

[McLaren]

Just because you see him driving it quite often does not mean it is his only form of transportation.

I'm sure it isn't, but the fact is that he drives it nearly every day during the year. I haven't seen him lately though because I don't have places I need to go on my usual route. I pretty much see a Bentley owner do the samething every so often I hit the road at the right time in the morning.

Why do these folks do it? Who knows. Does that make their cars great daily drivers? Probably not, but it does show some folks will use them anyways.

Once again this is the everyday car thread, not the what you would do with $100K. Modified cars are never going to be as reliable as stock vehicles or really easy to drive...espeically if you are putting out 200 more horsepower over the stock motor that only make 200hp to begin with.

To answer this, I pretty much have even if you're not directing it at me. But I am dead serious that I would use the E92 M3 as an everyday driver. It is easily capable of doing so.

 

[MustangSVT]

You are on what is essentially a car enthusiasts forum. How rational do you expect everyone to think? You've been given $100,000, no strings attached. You can keep working at your job if you need something practical.
I can tell you straight faced if I was given that money that I would buy what I wanted. Not necessarily what I needed. Damn the practicality, damn the usability, damn the comfort. And I would use it everyday.
If you wouldn't, that is fine. But you are not me. And you are not *McLaren.* And you are not some Viper driver in Texas.

Amen brother. If I found myself with that 100 thou, and I also had a decent paying job, I'd probably get a Testarossa since that's the car I want the most and with the rest of the money, a used Evo8 or something like that.