Drunkard's Walk Forums

I was just over on Jalopnik wasting a little more time before I go to
bed - and I was inspired to actually comment. The thread in question,
over there, was "What would you reasonably trade your daily driver in
for"

That's an interesting question. So, lets throw it up the flagpole - and see who salutes!

You format:

My Car: year/make/model

Blurb

Like

Dislike

Replacement: year/make/model

Reason
"No can brain today. Want cheezeburger."
From NGE: Nobody Dies, by Gregg Landsman
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5579457/1/NGE_Nobody_Dies

My Car: 2004 Chevy Silverado LTZ (all luxury options)

I love my truck. It's surprisingly cheap to drive - the 5.3 with the four-speed nets me between 19 and 22mpg on the highway if I'm running light, depending on how far down I push the go-pedal. It's comfortable and convienient, and a damn fine rig for towing and hauling, as well as running around, in all seasons of Alaska.

I love the leather seats. I had no real opinion on leather until I owned one - I don't think I would choose cloth now if I at all had the option.

I just don't have enough power. I have to work the truck a lot harder than I feel comfortable to tow my father's 21' boat to Valdez, for example. Gas milage plummets when I have anything in tow - even running a light enclosed box with about 750lbs of gear onboard, I'm down to 12mpg.

Replacement: 2006/2013 Silverado 2500hd

Diesel with the 6 speed auto in either year variant! The 2006 maintains the vast majority of the styling cues that make the 2004 the best-looking vehicle I've ever owned. the 2013 is supposed to be a complete redesign, so we'll see. The diesel with the 6-speed or better automatic should net me about the same highway mpg I get now, but significantly reduce the 'plummet factor'. Leather and heated seats, ok thanks.

I'm boring. I want more of the same.
"No can brain today. Want cheezeburger."
From NGE: Nobody Dies, by Gregg Landsman
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5579457/1/NGE_Nobody_Dies

My Car: '02 Renault Laguna 2, 1.8 petrol.

Pros: Comfy, comfy, oh God is it comfortable. Seats may be ten years old but that just means they're properly broken in. Lot's of spec inside. Lots of safety. Looks good (in my opinion). It's one of the first cars to get 5-stars for safety. It handles alright. And did I mention it's comfortable and quiet. Can get a surprising shift on too if you stomp it. 55k miles on it. Got it for the price of a wheel balancing...

Cons: Guzzles fuel. It's an automatic which is a bit weird after doing 6 months in a manual to get my license. It feels like when I push the throttle, the engine's spinning up a big tank of goop, which then in turn spins up the gearbox and drivetrain... you can really tell there's no direct connection. it's pretty distracting. Apparently, the reliability is supposed to be shit too, but aside from the usual niggles with a decade-old car this one's grand.

Replacement:

Maybe a second hand Rx-8. I like quirky things like that.
________________________________
--m(^0^)m-- Wot, no sig?

present drive:

91 Dodge Caravan 124400 miles

Pros: For some reason, I've become the family 'taxi driver'. This makes the seating for 7, or the cargo space if I dismount the seats vital.

Cons: 15-20 mpg at best, large wheelbase and body requiring additional due diligence in manuvering and parking situations.

Replacement?

Unlike a lot of people, I'm a lot more flexable as far as vehicular requirements. I'd prefer a base MPG of over 20, but the truely critical item is a 3rd door. As I've said, to much 'taxi' work that means rear seat access without displacing people in the front seats is vital. Maintaining any cargo capacity would be nice but no where near as important. About the only thing that would be right out are the Scions. I already drive a box on wheels; there is no reason to replace it with something impossibly even more box like!!!
Hear that thunder rolling till it seems to split the sky?
That's every ship in Grayson's Navy taking up the cry-
NO QUARTER!!!
-- "No Quarter", by Echo's Children

Starranger, if you're rolling in phat loot, look at the Cadillac station wagons. They are glorious, and if you go completely nuts you can get a 500+ hp stick shift one. Reviews are hard to find - they require the reviewer to leave the vehicle at some point.

Failing that, even a less-used Grand Caravan wouldn't be a bad lick.

Oooh, or a Subaru! Those are damn nice these days, anywhere from about 2003 on.
"No can brain today. Want cheezeburger."
From NGE: Nobody Dies, by Gregg Landsman
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5579457/1/NGE_Nobody_Dies

If I were to get a car, suitable as a daily driver... I'd probably just replace my '92 Camaro. Nice looks, nice power even in the v6, nicer fuel efficiency due to being a v6, really comfy, and despite reputation and how the original came to greif, as good as any rear-wheel-drive in snow and ice, and better than most pickups. I have a story about that, actually - it starts with a sharp corner, a blizzard, and pickup trucks just barely in sight a car length and a half or so in front and behind, rolling at about 20mph. It ends with the trucks in reversed order half-buried in the snowbank while I didn't so much as slip. Later that drive I went up a quarter mile of steep hill at 40+ degrees to the direction of travel with the front heels cranked all the way over and the rears spinning but still pushing, and the guy in the Land Rover behind me dropping his jaw into the footwell, though he had to give me a ride when it turned out the next town along hadn't been plowing and the road was deep enough that it built a drift higher than the hood when I attempted to shove forward anyway. Amelia was an awesome car, and if not for a hidden ice patch on a corner at the crest of a hill I have no doubt I'd still have it, rather than the two junkyard specials that have rusted apart around me since.

- CD
--
"Anko, what you do in your free time is your own choice. Use it wisely. And if you do not use it wisely, make sure you thoroughly enjoy whatever unwise thing you are doing." - HymnOfRagnorok as Orochimaru at SpaceBattles
woot Med. Eng., verb, 1st & 3rd pers. prsnt. sg. know, knows

Since you're already one with the Zen of RWD Winter Driving, take a gander at the new base-model Mustang. It's not a Camaro, but then the new camaro isn't a Camaro either.. yeuch!
"No can brain today. Want cheezeburger."
From NGE: Nobody Dies, by Gregg Landsman
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5579457/1/NGE_Nobody_Dies

Indeed. Mustang is a much better looker. I wish they sold it here. I also wish they sold it at US prices and not with Vehicle Registration Tax, and the VAT added on top of that so that half the price of a brand new car goes straight to the government.
________________________________
--m(^0^)m-- Wot, no sig?

Meh. The main reason I don't like the Bumblebee Camaro is because it looks like a Flushtang, I'm certainly not going to go for the real thing. When I said "replace my '92" I meant an exact replacement, or else the Firebird models from that same base body.

- CD

ETA: Amelia & Veracity
--
"Anko, what you do in your free time is your own choice. Use it wisely. And if you do not use it wisely, make sure you thoroughly enjoy whatever unwise thing you are doing." - HymnOfRagnorok as Orochimaru at SpaceBattles
woot Med. Eng., verb, 1st & 3rd pers. prsnt. sg. know, knows

Wiredgeek Wrote:The thread in question, over there, was "What would you reasonably trade your daily driver in for"

I just got my 2010 Mazda 3 a year ago, and I'm still happy with it as a daily drive.

(If I had the space and funds for a second ride, though... maybe something with a bit more under the hood than that fuel-efficient 4-cylinder engine.)
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

I am quite happy with my 1997 Toyota Avalon. 27 MPG on the highway is quite nice, thank you very much.
-----
Stand between the Silver Crystal and the Golden Sea.
"Youngsters these days just have no appreciation for the magnificence of the legendary cucumber."  --Krityan Elder, Tales of Vesperia.

If/when that starts to wear out, take a look at the Chevy Cruze Eco - in the LTZ trim level, you're still not driving as 'nice' a car as the Avalon (Which has always impressed me - less pretentious than a Lexus but just as comfortable), but a verrah good friend of mine is reporting 52mpg on his daily commute, which is astounding. Those low-rolling-resistance tires worry me, though - gimme the sticky!
"No can brain today. Want cheezeburger."
From NGE: Nobody Dies, by Gregg Landsman
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5579457/1/NGE_Nobody_Dies

Is that a hybrid? I'm guessing it is, given those numbers. I've heard and seen very good things about those, but also that maintenance tends to be rather higher priced, and a bit more common as well. (My main point of reference is my Dad's G1 Prius though, so that could be biasing my perceptions. I don't recall the exact model year, but I believe it was the first one available in the States.)
-----
Stand between the Silver Crystal and the Golden Sea.
"Youngsters these days just have no appreciation for the magnificence of the legendary cucumber."  --Krityan Elder, Tales of Vesperia.

Nope, 1.4l Turbo. Finally, a small turbo in America. Next thing you know, we'll have small turbodiesels, too!

The little beasty is surprisingly 'sturdy', for lack of a better word. Fair turn of performance, too. It's not a veyron, by any stretch of the means, but it's good enough to keep you from going completely brain dead whilst commuting.
"No can brain today. Want cheezeburger."
From NGE: Nobody Dies, by Gregg Landsman
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5579457/1/NGE_Nobody_Dies

2007 Vauxhal Corsa. 1.1l.
I got rear eneded a year ago and had to replace my car. It's fairly comfortable and was a bargin.
It's a bit of a pain if you have more than one passenger, though.

Quote:Wiredgeek wrote:

My Car: year/make/model

Blurb

Like

Dislike

Replacement: year/make/model

Reason

My Car: 2002 Ford Focus SE, 5-speed manual 4-cyl no-frill FWD, coming up on 200k miles
Pros: The handling is tighter than tight and it stays glued to the road.  I can break the tires free with a little work if I'm wanting some drift action, but mainly it just goes where you point it with very little body sway or complaint.  Surprisingly zippy; I've lit up the tires more than once on dry pavement, and I could spin them all day on wet if I wanted.  Gas mileage is a very comfortable 26+ MPG.  13.2 gallon tank, I average a hair over 350 miles on that with mixed city/highway driving.  On road trips it edges up past 400 miles per tank.  Surprisingly roomy for a guy built on the More Is Better philosophy, but by no means a comfortable taxi or family car.  It plows through snow with a hearty chuckle, though it whimpers a little at more than a foot or so; but a set of chains restores its confidence to the point where it can munch eighteen-inch drifts on a bed of ice without a burp.

Cons: It's a Ford.  It's reliable as all hell, but it keeps developing new quirks that don't individually cost much to fix -- we've had to replace the clutch once, it's looking like we'll need to replace something else shortly, the stereo died in '06 and we finally got a new one in '10, that sort of thing -- but when taken as a whole it's getting on time to start looking for the next vehicle.  It's small enough that semis routinely try to squish you, but bulky enough that you'll have to be careful parking to avoid door-dings.  (The handling means it's easy to get it in or out, but getting in or out yourself might be more challenging.)  It's marketed (or was?) in the US, but the wiring behind the dash is built on the European spec, meaning you have all sorts of fun adding aftermarket things to it and you never know if you need the US or metric toolkit.  The handbrake is strictly for parking only and is only taken as a suggestion, not an order, when used for ... active driving.  The placement of the pedals makes heel-and-toe work difficult if you're not equipped with dainty feet.  And the cupholders are in the second-worst position possible (down on the console under the dash between the seats, where your knees will hit them and larger cups won't fit at all)

Replacement: 2008+ Subaru Legacy (or Impreza WRX STi if I'm feeling particularly Uncle Moneybags-ish)
Reason: I like Subaru's.  I like how they handle, I like the gas mileage -- especially more recently with the CVT's becoming the standard, though I'd miss the good ol' stick, and paddle shifting is fun but NOT the same -- and I especially like the handling.  Did I mention the handling?  They're zippy and comfortable, they look spiff as hell, they're AWD which I can do without but is very nice to have, especially now that I live in an area that doesn't get plowed... much.  Also, they handle very nicely.

For pure wish-fulfillment, I'd pick up a DeLorean and retrofit the engine and transmission with something less craptastic.  Or get a new Mini Cooper.  But I haven't driven one of those yet, so I can only go by various people's mentions that they're fun as hell to drive.  (Jason Statham even said so, and he'd never lie about that!)

--sofaspud
--"Listening to your kid is the audio equivalent of a Salvador Dali painting, Spud." --OpMegs

Mmmmm, Subaru.

Don't discount the Mini. I've spent a wee bit of time in the backseat of one of those, behind a 350 and a 280 pounder, and I was shocked at how much room I still had..
"No can brain today. Want cheezeburger."
From NGE: Nobody Dies, by Gregg Landsman
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5579457/1/NGE_Nobody_Dies

my car: Honda Fit 2010

pros: reasonably efficient, reasonably roomy, reasonably good handling, reasonably good safety, reasonably reliable, reasonably cheap (to buy and maintenance), reasonably agile and small (helps with parking spaces).

cons: I often wish the cargo area or seating room has 15 cm more width, height and/or length depending on what I am trying to transport. Only 30+ MPG in city driving (currently my average is down to 33 MPG). The 2011 model has much improved electronics.
A very reasonable car and a good compromise for just about everything.

trade-in: Well if I didn't have to pay the cost a Tesstarossa. In fact any one Testarossa would do.
E: "Did they... did they just endorse the combination of the JSDF and US Army by showing them as two lesbian lolicons moving in together and holding hands and talking about how 'intimate' they were?"
B: "Have you forgotten so soon? They're phasing out Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

Well you've seen what I'm driving and while I'm happy, it could be better, lower seat, fully adjustable steering column, audio controls on the steering wheel. I've driven a newer Corolla and it felt a bit off, probably something to do with the ESC, TC and it was a rental. I think some of my wishes can be fixed by finding the right customizer, as it's just bolting in a different set of OEM parts.

But a dream car......is it odd to think of a RHD Crown Vic/Caprice Station Wagon with a nice German diesel filling the engine bay and pancake electric motors on the front wheels for a hybrid AWD setup as one?

--Rod.H

2006 Toyota Corrolla, here. And not unhappy with it, aside from a lack of an Aux input jack for the stereo.

Onboard GPS would be nice, but I just got a nice new Garmin, so meh.
--
Sucrose Octanitrate.
Proof positive that with sufficient motivation, you can make anything explode.

The Car: 1983 Volvo 240 Wagon. That's right, I drive a car that's older than I am.
Pros: After nearly 30 years it's still the most reliable car we've got, and it handles smooth as ever. 25-30 MPG, and more room than you can shake a stick at when you drop the back seats. It's the oldest of the bunch and it's outlasted 2 newer cars.
Cons: It is a little fitful when it's cold, and with only 4 gears (plus push-button overdrive) you'll be lucky if you can get it to 70.
Replacement: Never thought about it. It's come this far, and it doesn't seem to be going anywhere soon...
---

The Master said: "It is all in vain! I have never yet seen a man who can perceive his own faults and bring the charge home against himself."

>Analects: Book V, Chaper XXVI

Dear god, you're like.. a fetus!

If and When you decide to or need to replace that lovely old Flying Brick, I would only counsel you to look at Saab and Audi wagons in addition to Volvo.

brb, hugging my 1977 Granada - I gotta work to find something older than me.
"No can brain today. Want cheezeburger."
From NGE: Nobody Dies, by Gregg Landsman
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5579457/1/NGE_Nobody_Dies

My first and second favorite car was a 1963 Dodge model 440, which was the nearly-chromeless business model of what became the Dart. It had the trademark Dart concave rear window, the Slant Six engine which I will love forever for its reliability, and a second set of pushbuttons like a radio beside the steering column... Except, they weren't a radio, they were the transmission. Alas, the body was rusting out in the footwells and wheel wells, and later a tree blew down and smashed in said concave rear window. It was a car with better than a decade on me, but never gave a bit of mechanical trouble. They truly don't build 'em like that any more, though it's still possible to get a "boxed" slant six for use in project cars.

- CD
--
"Anko, what you do in your free time is your own choice. Use it wisely. And if you do not use it wisely, make sure you thoroughly enjoy whatever unwise thing you are doing." - HymnOfRagnorok as Orochimaru at SpaceBattles
woot Med. Eng., verb, 1st & 3rd pers. prsnt. sg. know, knows

Wiredgeek Wrote:My Car: 2004 Chevy Silverado LTZ (all luxury options)

I love my truck. It's surprisingly cheap to drive - the 5.3 with the four-speed nets me between 19 and 22mpg on the highway if I'm running light, depending on how far down I push the go-pedal. It's comfortable and convienient, and a damn fine rig for towing and hauling, as well as running around, in all seasons of Alaska.

I love the leather seats. I had no real opinion on leather until I owned one - I don't think I would choose cloth now if I at all had the option.

I just don't have enough power. I have to work the truck a lot harder than I feel comfortable to tow my father's 21' boat to Valdez, for example. Gas milage plummets when I have anything in tow - even running a light enclosed box with about 750lbs of gear onboard, I'm down to 12mpg.

Replacement: 2006/2013 Silverado 2500hd

Diesel with the 6 speed auto in either year variant! The 2006 maintains the vast majority of the styling cues that make the 2004 the best-looking vehicle I've ever owned. the 2013 is supposed to be a complete redesign, so we'll see. The diesel with the 6-speed or better automatic should net me about the same highway mpg I get now, but significantly reduce the 'plummet factor'. Leather and heated seats, ok thanks.

I'm boring. I want more of the same.

Well, two questions: How often do you tow the boat per year? If it's only once a year, it's not a good justification for the increased power. If it's every weekend for the entire summer, it might well be justifiable.
The only other issue I might have is pouring enough power into the mix, that the difference between "unloaded" and "towing the 21' boat" performance on the pedal isn't enough that you remember that you have the boat attached. I've seen a lot of people out here in Colorado that are towing 15-20' trailers, and have enough power that it's not noticeable, forget, and maneuver as if they don't have that extra length actually attached to their vehicle at the time. So do balance it on that potential.
--

"You know how parents tell you everything's going to fine, but you know they're lying to make you feel better? Everything's going to be fine." - The Doctor

Well, the truck isn't my daily driver daily driver. I have an issue van from work, and I spend the vast majority of seat time in it. I've only put ~30,000 miles on my truck in the 4 years I've owned it.

We do ~3 trips with the boat per year, and ~4 trips with the four-wheeler trailer, and I generally end up with something on tow 3 or 4 other times.

There is precisely zero possibility I will forget I have a trailer on.
"No can brain today. Want cheezeburger."
From NGE: Nobody Dies, by Gregg Landsman
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5579457/1/NGE_Nobody_Dies