Another ISO daily driver thread
 

My 1999 Acura TL now has 188,xxx trouble free miles on the clock.
Technically there is nothing wrong with it, just tired.
If I were to keep it she would need struts, brakes, tires, and a freshen up on the front suspension.
Front tie rod ends have corroded apart here in Ohio. Bushing cracked, mounts soft, etc.
Almost time for timing belt #3.

So I want to consider a new to me used daily driver.
I have 3 young kids and drive 35 straight miles each way to work
The wife drives and Odyssey and I have a 1988 911 for weekend fun.
The obvious idea of another Honda/Acura sounds rather bland, but is not out of the question.

Looking for fresh ideas. Have looked for a 2005 320 CDI but are finding those rare locally.
Prefer 4 door. Diesel torque intrigues me.

I know you guys have some ideas. Let them fly please.
Lets set the bar at $15,000 for the time being.

Used black Audi? What could go wrong?

What's your bias, fun and sporty vs bland and reliable?

Mazda, Hyundai, Honda.

All the above I guess. Have been struggling (over thinking) this.
Hoping for the AHA moment.

If money were no object in would probably be BMW 5 series.
But money in an object for us so looking for a reliable 4DR Sports Sedan that I look forward to putting the next 100,000 miles on and occasionally fit all 5 of us in.

Probably not an option at $40K


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1396898731.jpg

If you want the same level of reliability that your Acura offered, you should probably stay Japanese. Anything from Europe is going to require more TLC. I would look at:

Infiniti G35 - RWD, can be had with a stick
Infiniti M35/M45 - RWD, comparable in size to your TL
Infiniti Q45 - somewhat oddly styled but big, fast, comfy and cheap
Lexus IS300 - quirky cool which is rare for Lexus, RWD, can be had with a stick, cool sports wagon variant
Lexus IS250 - nicely styled, RWD, can be had with a stick
Lexus LS430 - bulletproof couch on wheels
Lexus GS300/GS430 - Japanese 5 series
Acura TSX - smaller than your TL, can be had with a stick
Newer bodystyle TL
Subaru Legacy GT - detuned STi power, adult styling, luxury interior
Nissan Maxima - can be had with a stick, sporty but FWD
Mazda6 - Audi like interior, fun to drive, can be had with a stick
Mazdaspeed6 - 274 HP, AWD, can be had with a stick

That would be a good start. All of the above are more fun than a Camry. Obviously I liberally applied my strong preference for a manual transmission.:D Of the bunch my personal preference would be for the Mazdaspeed6, Legacy GT, or G35. I owned a Legacy GT wagon for a while, it was a great car that would really fly with a few mild modifications.

FWIW, the Mazdaspeed6 is available EXCLUSIVELY with the manual transmission. They never made automatic MazdaSpeed anything, to the best of my knowledge.

Mazdaspeeds are VERY fun to drive, FWIW.

I need to study this one a bit more I think

Subaru Legacy GT - detuned STi power, adult styling, luxury interior

The Legacy GT is a really good, and in my opinion under-appreciated, car. The interior won't frighten an Audi, but it's head and shoulders above the cheap hard plastic that you'll find all over a WRX. I personally couldn't buy a WRX just because of the interior, it just feels every bit like an economy car. Here's my old one, different wheels really make them look more distinctive.

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z...psa3c4705f.jpg

Not sure about an older Mazda in Ohio, they rust badly....

TRUCK.

Carter

Agree 100%.
I daily drive a bone stock MS3 with 20K miles. Very entertaining to drive. I might be selling mine soon if your interested, although we can fit 3 little ones in the back it is a bit tight back there.

http://media.caranddriver.com/images...s-1280x782.jpg

My wife needs an automatic
Unwilling to learn an MT

Missed this by a day

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1397573952.jpg

I'll add another vote for a Subaru. We've loved ours. Very reliable. Great in winter. Maybe not as much "fun" as a BMW / Audi, but you pay for that fun in the long run.

GTI. Small. Heck even lease a brand new one.

If $$$ is important go drive a Hyundai Sonata before you make any decisions.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1397857984.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1397857995.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1397858004.jpg

When do the 2015 cars start showing up? I always buy last years model off the lot.