What to drive daily?

[lorge1989]

I had a whole long post typed up and accidentally deleted it...

I daily this :



TDI, 6MT (still owe like 12K on it)

Its got me bored, but I do like not having to worry/work on it constantly. Also the fiance likes it, and probably won't be crazy over my 'new' idea. But she has her own car, she doesn't have to love what I drive.

Thinking about selling it and picking up a B3/B4 with a 20V or swapping in a new 2.5 or 1.8T 20V. Already have a big turbo'd swapped 90 in the garage but its not really daily friendly. I really value driving something that is interesting to me, I don't want to drive a refrigerator around when I could drive something that is cheaper and 'cooler'.

I'm also under the impression that I can put this thing together once with quality parts and not have to constantly work on it.

What do you think? What would you do?

[PRY4SNO]

I like the idea of a b3/4 with a turbo 07k, or if a 4-banger then a TDI. Basically the best of either world.

My daily was a nearly mint UrS4, then that got written off after getting t-boned on the highway in a snowstorm. I replaced it with another UrS4, but one that was decidedly not cherry. And didn't last long, either. After about 8-9 months, the passenger front control arm bushing separated and the axle pulled out of the hub. So I parked it in favour of keeping the good bits for something cooler. No point dumping money into a junky winter beater.

I'll swap the AAN (and eventually 01e) into my 80 sedan that I've been daily driving since the UrS4 went down for the count.

There's just something about the reliability of the 5-cylinder. Must be that rally heritage.

[lorge1989]

I like the idea of a b3/4 with a turbo 07k, or if a 4-banger then a TDI. Basically the best of either world.

My daily was a nearly mint UrS4, then that got written off after getting t-boned on the highway in a snowstorm. I replaced it with another UrS4, but one that was decidedly not cherry. And didn't last long, either. After about 8-9 months, the passenger front control arm bushing separated and the axle pulled out of the hub. So I parked it in favour of keeping the good bits for something cooler. No point dumping money into a junky winter beater.

I'll swap the AAN (and eventually 01e) into my 80 sedan that I've been daily driving since the UrS4 went down for the count.

There's just something about the reliability of the 5-cylinder. Must be that rally heritage.

Going into another TDI powered vehicle might be too lateral for me. But a fairly built ALH with quattro might be enough fun. That would also give me nearly the same mpg as my current rig. Interesting....

Have you ever daily'd something newer? If so do you share my feelings about how interesting or not it was to drive?

[Mcstiff]

I've DD'd CQs from ~05-14 when I started DDing the 90. The trick is to buy or build what you really want up front! I probably could have shown some restraint and bought a eS2/20vt back in '05 when I was single and not gone through all the ups and downs of driving/building projects (I only did suspension and exhaust on my first CQ before my oldest was born). Since ~07 I've also had access to my wife's new cars (Accord, Accord, Pilot, Pilot, Armada, XC90), they are nice to drive but I'm not willing to have 2 new cars with all the features I'd want to make it worth it.

Now I'm working to get out of the CQ business and make the 90 a 2nd car. The main reason for this choice is that having 2 variations of the same chassis is interesting but seems excessive when they are not part of a larger collection. Now I am cognoscente of the regrets that come from selling cars you like, my dad traded a XKE for a Cortina, I feel comfortable that S2 are becoming importable and will be within reach for a while.

As far as what I'll be getting once I sell the Coupe, the wife is pushing for a JK Unlimited Rubicon; I'm not sure but a more rugged 4x4 makes sense as she has an XC90 for the main family hauling. If I towed more, I'd look at a pickup or a Cayenne for it's tow rating. I do miss having a jeep ('58 CJ6 not online):

[loxxrider]

I agree that it'd be pretty boring dailying a fridge like that. Honestly unless that thing is still in warranty, a properly-cared-for 25 year-old Audi will be able to match it in reliability in my opinion. The key phrase there is of course "properly-cared-for..."

I think all bets go out the window when you are talking about a swap car. There are too many variables to be concerned with. If your time is valuable at all, you might be better off just importing an S2! I know that's what I'd do at this point.

Either way, if you spend a significant portion of your time in your car, you should drive something fun! I drive long distances often for my job and I cut no corners to get what I wanted. Maybe I'm lucky that "exactly what I want" is a 25 year old large chassis Audi, LOL

[chaloux]

For me it's currently all about $$ which is why I haven't changed my dd in a few years, despite its boring-as-fuckness. 04 jetta TDI 5spd wagon. It's cosmetically trashed, front seat (all seats, really) needs to be replaced, 3 of the four door bumper strips have come off, one fender is dented and I've very lazily plastidipped over the chipped fender paint, hood has chips that I also plastidipped over. When I bought it, it needed a cam and a clutch, and I've refreshed all the suspension bushings and mounts and done a few other upgrade/maintenance items. Mechanically it's fantastic and well cared for. By me at least.

I think I'll be running this one into the ground because it's just so beat. That might take a while because it has "only" 350km on it. When it comes time to sell it'll be worth a grand. Sad but by then it won't owe me anything. I don't know what or even how the PO trashed it so hard.

Ideally my dd would be a TDI quattro. ALH swap into whatever, or perhaps something imported that is 4 cylinder. There has to be euro A4Q TDI right?

And then I'd love the Allroad if it had a TDI, which apparently a few people are doing swaps of now.

And then I need another race car eventually. By the time I get to that stage in life again it'll be either another boring 07k swap or an electric car.

[lorge1989]

The trick is to buy or build what you really want up front! I probably could have shown some restraint and bought a eS2/20vt back in '05 when I was single and not gone through all the ups and downs of driving/building projects (I only did suspension and exhaust on my first CQ before my oldest was born). Since ~07 I've also had access to my wife's new cars (Accord, Accord, Pilot, Pilot, Armada, XC90), they are nice to drive but I'm not willing to have 2 new cars with all the features I'd want to make it worth it.

Now I'm working to get out of the CQ business and make the 90 a 2nd car. The main reason for this choice is that having 2 variations of the same chassis is interesting but seems excessive when they are not part of a larger collection. Now I am cognoscente of the regrets that come from selling cars you like, my dad traded a XKE for a Cortina, I feel comfortable that S2 are becoming importable and will be within reach for a while.

I have also thought about getting an S2 from up north, but that would probably make me feel guilty dailying something so nice, plus they are rather expensive? I guess I don't know the market too well, maybe I should do some more research on that!

I also know a little bit about dailying something like your older jeeps. I also have a 98 Ranger, 5MT 4.0 4x4 that I was driving daily for while. Currently freshening it up with some newer parts, but that was also a pretty fun daily.

Building what you want from day 1 as long as it reasonable seems like the right way to go. From a cost standpoint, picking up a clean 90 and swapping in a 1.8T or even a 07K with a mild turbo wouldn't cost too too much.

I agree that it'd be pretty boring dailying a fridge like that. Honestly unless that thing is still in warranty, a properly-cared-for 25 year-old Audi will be able to match it in reliability in my opinion. The key phrase there is of course "properly-cared-for..."

I think all bets go out the window when you are talking about a swap car. There are too many variables to be concerned with. If your time is valuable at all, you might be better off just importing an S2! I know that's what I'd do at this point.

Either way, if you spend a significant portion of your time in your car, you should drive something fun! I drive long distances often for my job and I cut no corners to get what I wanted. Maybe I'm lucky that "exactly what I want" is a 25 year old large chassis Audi, LOL

Lots of stuff here makes sense to me. It is a fridge in every way. A fridge that is going to be more reliable than an old Audi, simply becuase the parts are not worn yet, and are only a few years old. If both cars had 150K on em, I would agree with you on the Audi being as or more reliable. But it only has 60K on it and is out of warranty, I would say in the next 20-30K I will have to start replacing wear items, but so far I haven't had to do much of anything but oil changes and fuel filter changes which is great.

At the end of the day people like us are rare, like you said somehow you are happy dailying a 25 year old Audi. Most people think you are crazy I'm sure. Crazy is good sometimes.

For me it's currently all about $$ which is why I haven't changed my dd in a few years, despite its boring-as-fuckness. 04 jetta TDI 5spd wagon.

I think I'll be running this one into the ground because it's just so beat. That might take a while because it has "only" 350km on it. When it comes time to sell it'll be worth a grand. Sad but by then it won't owe me anything. I don't know what or even how the PO trashed it so hard.

Ideally my dd would be a TDI quattro. ALH swap into whatever, or perhaps something imported that is 4 cylinder. There has to be euro A4Q TDI right?

And then I'd love the Allroad if it had a TDI, which apparently a few people are doing swaps of now.

And then I need another race car eventually. By the time I get to that stage in life again it'll be either another boring 07k swap or an electric car.

If I had a MK4 wagon like you I would do the same thing. My plan was similar to yours, run this thing forever. But unlike your simple TDI, I am not sure how this thing will treat me long term, I am leaning on not so well.

To re visit the TDI point, I most likely could pick up an ALH MK4 from a buddy that is complete for not too much cash. But the only reason I would do that is for the mileage. Im just not sure I care about that. TDIs are great fun when comparing to other economy cars, but comparing them to a tuned up modern turbo gasoline engine, they don't stand a chance. The sound, the revs and just ripping through the gears (even if its not at light speed) are all reason I want to get out the TDI.

At this point I am casually going to search for a 90/Coupe that is clean for the right price....

Thanks for the thoughts guys, keep em coming.

[Mcstiff]

For instance, this should be under 10k to get to your door:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/-/272094250397?

Obviously, RHD is not ideal if you have tolls or like drive throughs. No LHD 91-92s on eBay.de, not sure how many S2s have been imported to Canada.

[PRY4SNO]

Going into another TDI powered vehicle might be too lateral for me. But a fairly built ALH with quattro might be enough fun. That would also give me nearly the same mpg as my current rig. Interesting....

Have you ever daily'd something newer? If so do you share my feelings about how interesting or not it was to drive?

Yeah, my first car was a 2004 A4 1.8tqm. Had tons of fun in that car, and more than its fair share of road trips from coast to coast. What always sucked was the lack of useable power band. Build it up (K04, GT2876, etc) and you still have a narrow window for thrust. I reached a point where I realized that even if I liked the modern features better than the older cars, the soul wasn't there. Boring sound. Slightly vague handling and road feel, numb brakes, and the (relative) lack of power all trumped the comfort and styling.

I've also daily driven stage 3 B5S4's a few times. Great power and decent noise, but the 2.7t is a princess platform if there ever was one. Having said that, I do know they can be reliable, but that takes the perfect storm of previous history, build quality, driver mod and (frequent) preventative maintenance.

I actually preferred the space and relative simplicity of my UrS4s over the B5, which I daily drove and road tripped in for a while. The styling (and handling lol) wasn't there, but everything else was.


To me, moving forward, I tend to lean toward a B4 avant. I'd like to streamline as many parts as possible, and not have to be always learning new platforms. Plus they're cool.

[quattro]

Ive deen daily driving my 80 avant quattro for years. I replaced the 2.6 12v with a 2.8 30v as its a super easy swap and has been very reliable, starting to get a bit bored with it so im making use of a urs6 avant body i had left over from taking the 20v out and will be fitting a 40v from a c5 s6

[dalspaugh]

So I've been thinking about this question a lot lately - wayyyy too much to be honest. I've DD a B490q for the past 3.5 years / 60K (partially in college) and I love that car*

*I also hate that car

...but only recently, and really the reason is this: davescq.wordpress.com

For me, it's just too much to have a DD that I need keep a "to do" list on and also have a rally car project. I can't focus on either and both are suffering a bit. Nevermind the fact that I had another B490q for the past 2 months which was causing other headaches. Heres what I've been thinking lately:

Consider your needs (Here are mine):
1) A car that gets me to work every day without concern

2) A fun Car - (Rally Project)

3) A tow rig - (will need soon... I Hope)

For a while I was trying to combine 1 and 3, and you certainly can... but after driving many trucks and SUVs and turning down many salesmen, I decided I don't want to DD a truck. Nvm, the environmental / excess argument, its just not that fun to be driving something so big all the time (and near a city) when you don't need it 90% of the time. So recently I've decided on a cheaper tow rig, with a 20K-esque DD.

You can buy a lot of fun cars for that kind of money (Focus ST comes to mind). Not sure how it'll be received on this site but I recently drove a BRZ and absolutely loved it. I've never driven something so driver oriented, and with a cheap tow rig to back up the impracticality of it, its justifiable (Sort of).

[ringbearer]

I dd a Toyota Sequoia. Doesn't get too many miles and it's great for kids and dogs, being a Toyota it leaves my shop time for the s4. It's not exciting but it gets the job done.

[dana]

i daily a perfectly beat up mk4 TDI wagon. It has a hitch, gets 50mpg, has decent power with injectors and a tune and is pretty reliable. I have h&r springs and koni shocks on it so it handles well. The body is pretty beat so i dont care when I hit things. It works out well. Will probably keep it until the road salt takes it to the big crusher in the sky since its worth more to me than I can sell it for.
Its almost fun, and its about the cheapest most reliable way to get around. I also drive a shitload of miles, some of which I get $.58/mile for, so thing actually earns me money.

[Grillage]

I've been daily-ing this fella:

a 2014 MB GLK 250 Bluetec.
I drive about 30,000 miles a year for work and needed to be able to have something super reliable and comy for me and more than one passenger.

My previous daily was this A5 (pictured with the URS6 and V8 I no longer have either :


The A5 was a badass highway cruiser but it was a 13 with 50,000 miles on it when I sold it in Feb of '15 and my stupid kids didn't fit in the back seats very well. I miss it badly

[ringbearer]

Bet the glk is great on the freeway. Not unique or exciting but does the job well

[Grillage]

It's pretty awesome. the Diesel factor is pretty great. a twin turbo 4 clyinder

[lorge1989]

Well the TDI wouldn't start in the work parking lot last night... time to move on!


Not really moving on, yet. MAF was messed up, cleaned it and she's fine.


Still up in the air about this, the good thing is I have until spring until I can actually do anything just because I want to let the VW diesel scandal run its course. Hopefully after they are done with the buybacks and all the cars get fixed the value will rise a bit. I think in an ideal world I'd have like 10 cars I could choose from to drive daily and only have to insure them the day I'm driving them. Wouldn't that be nice!

In the mean time I'm still in search of a rust free 90, preferably with a blown motor. I actually located a super nice one in Florida but its too far away and too much $.

[Mcstiff]

I really do have an illness....

300GDs can be had for sub 20 and I can justify one because it is unlikely to depreciate (and plaid seats).

[loxxrider]

Well the TDI wouldn't start in the work parking lot last night... time to move on!


Not really moving on, yet. MAF was messed up, cleaned it and she's fine.


Still up in the air about this, the good thing is I have until spring until I can actually do anything just because I want to let the VW diesel scandal run its course. Hopefully after they are done with the buybacks and all the cars get fixed the value will rise a bit. I think in an ideal world I'd have like 10 cars I could choose from to drive daily and only have to insure them the day I'm driving them. Wouldn't that be nice!

In the mean time I'm still in search of a rust free 90, preferably with a blown motor. I actually located a super nice one in Florida but its too far away and too much $.

See, what did I say? 25 year old Audi would be doing better for you

Thanks for reminding me to put my two cars "in storage" on my insurance policy lol

Why not just get a 90 and turbo the 7A? Looking back, I see you have one of those already... but still.

[SEStone]

I love both of my GTIs, a Mk5 and a Mk7. Shitloads more enjoyable to drive than the base Golf/Jetta due to better suspension, brakes, seats, and equipment. Not the fastest things ever, but pretty reliable and very practical/economical. Stock they're going to make 100hp more than the TDI as well.

Sam

[vt10vt]

I daily my HX35 B6 (it's also my only drivable car), sometimes it's a huge pain having a daily/project, but overall it's been pretty reliable and it is really satisfying to put this many miles on something I built

That said I do sometimes yearn for a stock beater for day-to-day duties.

[dana]

I daily my HX35 B6 (it's also my only drivable car), sometimes it's a huge pain having a daily/project, but overall it's been pretty reliable and it is really satisfying to put this many miles on something I built

That said I do sometimes yearn for a stock beater for day-to-day duties.

something to be said for a relatively stock beater. I think i am going to keep my mk4 even when the 90 is running. Makes life easier.

[dalspaugh]

I daily my HX35 B6 (it's also my only drivable car), sometimes it's a huge pain having a daily/project, but overall it's been pretty reliable and it is really satisfying to put this many miles on something I built

That said I do sometimes yearn for a stock beater for day-to-day duties.

something to be said for a relatively stock beater. I think i am going to keep my mk4 even when the 90 is running. Makes life easier.

Yes, agreed... my B4 DD makes me want to pull my hair out. I think I do have rather high expectations for this 21 year old car... but trying to get everything to good working order while DDing it is a huge hassle... nvm the project car.

[Wheeljack]

There is definitely something to be said about stock and reliability. And also what 'daily driver' means to you...

For the past 3 years, I have had an 84 mile round trip freeway commute 5 days/week. And usually a 30 mile round trip up the canyon on the weekend for skiing or mountain biking.

This equates to roughly 22.5K miles per year which I initially started putting on my 90K Pearl urS4 (now 150K), but have since switched over to my 245K Silver urS4 (now 250K) to keep miles down on the minty Pearl car. The silver car is a high mileage 'beater' with some minor dents and rust, and I bought it to use as a test bed for parts I make in my spare time. Currently nothing more than a 17Z BBK*.



Anyway, the point I am trying to make is that both of these cars are stock*, not even chipped at the moment. Manufacturers leave power on the table so that reliability is maximized and warranty claims are minimized. I believe this era of Audi has a very large margin here (and hence why these cars can get modified to significantly high power levels, with minimal hardware changes) and results in a very, very reliable. car.

I bought the pearl car after it had been sitting for a year plus with a stripped spark plug thread in the head. Fixed it for $30 and proceeded to drive it 50K+ miles in 2 years with nothing more than routine maintenance and just two unscheduled replacement parts--a coolant reservoir and a fuel pump. That's it. I parked it because it needs a timing belt change (not sure it was ever done) and I wanted to keep it clean and low mileage.

I recently switched over to the Silver car after it had been sitting in my driveway for 1.5 years, and have put 5K+ trouble free miles on it. With 250K, I have no reservations about just driving the shit out of it. I really like not having to worry too much about it getting beat up, salty, more rusty, etc. I like that aspect a lot, actually.

And I love driving these things around, even in stock form. That may or may not be acceptable to some of the folks here, but I believe that is a big part of why I have had great reliability.

Project and modified cars *can* be reliable, but it certainly doesn't come easy. Any added power will put more stress on many components that were originally designed to have a finite and calculated lifetime under less stressful conditions. That is fact and should be considered carefully when looking for daily driver reliability.

HTH...Just my $.02 worth...

[vt10vt]

I recently switched over to the Silver car after it had been sitting in my driveway for 1.5 years, and have put 5K+ trouble free miles on it. With 250K, I have no reservations about just driving the shit out of it. I really like not having to worry too much about it getting beat up, salty, more rusty, etc. I like that aspect a lot, actually.

Project and modified cars *can* be reliable, but it certainly doesn't come easy. Any added power will put more stress on many components that were originally designed to have a finite and calculated lifetime under less stressful conditions. That is fact and should be considered carefully when looking for daily driver reliability.

HTH...Just my $.02 worth...

That is one thing I love about my B6- I'm not responsible/I don't care enough to be really careful with a car every day. I want to beat on it, park it on the street wherever, not worry about rust or door dings, and although my B6 is relatively nice, it's not something I really care about "saving."

I tried to use the same theory with my 1.8t build- start with an 01E car, put a way overkill Southbend setup in it, put rods in and everything should be relatively understressed with how much power (and more importantly lack of)-torque it makes. But the cost of something going wrong increases exponentially with MAP it seems