Hi folks. Just wondering if everyone drives their LS430 as their "daily driver". I currently do but would like to get a commuter car since gas price is kicking my b*tt! $70 every 3 days! :eek2:
Yup, I'm in sales so I do a lot of city driving from client to client.

Anyway, just wanted to see what eveyone drove as their commuter car and if you can give suggestions on what's ideal to get. Here are my criteria:

1) Must get over 28mpg
2) Cost range from $2,000-$25,000 (new or used ok)
3) Must have some "potential" for aftermarket parts (minor mods only i.e. suspension, exhaust, intake). Must satisfy my urge to "not keep things stock". :D
4) "Proper" for someone of my age (32+) and somewhat "professional" in appearance.

Just some cars that came to mind are:

1) '96+ Civic sedan (with some JDM Ferio parts)
2) '92+ Civic sedan (with some JDM Ferio parts)
3) Scion Xb
4) Mini Cooper S
5) Mazda Protege 5

Let's hear your suggestions...

I run a 91 civic, it aint pretty but gets the job done and done cheaply

Im lucky to live in NYC and have the subway as my commuter 'car'.

But if I were you, and given the list that you just gave, my first choice would be a Mini Cooper S...
I think its a very good handling car, very tight and go-kart like suspension, something which we owners of japanese cars always wishing for.

So, of course it is a 180' turn from the big LS to the small mini, but Im sure you can have lots of fun in it ...
And as for the aftermarket, you can always get a supercharger or get a complete John Cooper Works package that adds a couple more hp ...

Would you sport this around? I would get it in white though but with the same wheels and style.

Or this...

You could even pick up a nice loaded Accord for a commuter car, and even the 6cyl. models get around 25-29 mpg.

Or this...

Those Civics were gorgeous, I miss my 5th gen coupe. It's too bad new Civics are fugly as hell.

As a basic client car, an Avalon or Camry?

Have seen some pretty nice Avalons on 19's or 20's, some with drop. One had a bodykit that was pretty nice.

if ur just commuting, from ur suggestiongs i would probably go with the mini cooper. But the Lexus ES gets around 22/30, the camry 4 cyl. is even better at around 26/34. have u thought about a Mazda 3? Those get pretty good mileage too. My commuter car right now if my LS430 though...

I have a SC 430(summer use only)
LS 430 during the winter or if I will be carrying more than 2 people and my daily driver is Toyota 4-Runner. The 4-Runner is not the most economical but it is very reliable and comfortable with plenty of room should it be necessary to carry outsize items. Very practicable for me.
Ron

My GS300 :driving:

i would personally go with a 4cylinder accord/camry

maybe something german if you plan on getting rid of it after warranty (audi 1.8t, jetta, gti, german deisel)....but accord/camry if you plan on keeping it a while.....

this is a work car...so smooth ride/interior comfort would rank high as a deciding factor (seat comfort, ice cold a/c, sound system, softer dampening)

In that price range, you can get a brand new Mazda3. :) The basic mods you mention are available and the mpg range is mid 20s to low 30s. If you can spend a little more, you can get a new Mazdaspeed3. mpg is 20-28 for a 250hp turbo car. I have not looked into the Mazdaspeed3 so I don't know what the market is like (availability, markups, ...)

I was going to suggest Mazda3 too. Very classy inside and out, and its almost like driving a little 3 series.

My daily is a Gold 93 Accord SE Sedan. Very good on gas and came loaded.

City car? Get an optioned up Prius and forget the mods and stuff. Or you could dish out a few extra and get a Camry Hybrid which is way nicer than the Prius and better looking, newer, ect.

Camry Hybrid gets my vote. 42MPG.

1) Must get over 28mpg
2) Cost range from $2,000-$25,000 (new or used ok)
3) Must have some "potential" for aftermarket parts (minor mods only i.e. suspension, exhaust, intake). Must satisfy my urge to "not keep things stock". :D
4) "Proper" for someone of my age (32+) and somewhat "professional" in appearance...
How about a nice "professional" motorcycle... :D

How about a Toyota Yaris?

City car? Get an optioned up Prius and forget the mods and stuff. Or you could dish out a few extra and get a Camry Hybrid which is way nicer than the Prius and better looking, newer, ect.

Camry Hybrid gets my vote. 42MPG.
Yeah, try out a Prius.

You can mod it out using either Tom's or Modellista parts. Some have added a TRD Sportivo suspension and Tom's front and rear strengthening brace. We also have plenty of owners who swapped out the small wheels for 17" alloys (usually the Scion tC wheels which take ~5mpg off or Wedsports). There's also a brace underneath the car which is standard. Some have replaced that with a stronger brace (at $175, it's cheaper than the Tom's). In other words, you probably won't be able to make it go faster but you can definitely make it handle a lot better.

There are also other mods like the EV button so you can run on electric only.

What's that prius forum you go to.

www.priuschat.com - more people and more casual but you get the stuff you need. Quite a lot of regular folk that have modifications

www.priusonline.com - less people, way more technical and less "crap" in terms of off-topic stuff. More fuel mileage driven, less of the mod type.

Thank you; hopefully I'll see some crazy modding there.

haha. You want crazy, check out docvijay's thread. He created a thread where you can find all the mods he did and get an update on what's his latest project. So far he's had rims, Tom's front/rear braces, HID foglights, I believe a rear entertainment system, BT stiffening plate.. yeah.

I have a 97 SC300 :thumbup:

Jonny

gs300 ~50 miles/day

I commute in a 99 Miata. Makes for a fun ride home. Decent mileage and handles like a go-cart. Probably not something I'd drive if I was in sales and had to drag around customers though. :D

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v81/chpsk8/clean-2.jpg

Great looking lawn mower. Just kidding. I'd love to drive that car to work too. It saves gas... unlike my solara :egads:

VW Rabbit 4 door

Or this...

wow, speaking of which, i drive a 95 sedan converted to Ferio daily. IT's white with all the JDM goodies. hehe

Thank you all for your response. I found my commuter. A 1999 Corolla CE with 5spd. I'm looking forward pumping the 87 octane and getting close to
40MPG. :D

Thank you all for your response. I found my commuter. A 1999 Corolla CE with 5spd. I'm looking forward pumping the 87 octane and getting close to
40MPG. :D

Good choice! That thing should last you forever. :thumbup:

I drove a '95 Civic EX (similar to that you pictured) to work every day for five years, getting 28+ mpg in stop-and-go urban traffic, even with the AC blasting. It was dead reliable, quiet, possessed of some (but not much) sporting capability, and when caught without my Suburban, could even be pressed into service to haul a client or two without total embarrassment.

For anyone seeking a "cheaper" daily driver, this (or its Toyota counterpart, the Corolla) is perfect. It may not be as utilitarian as the Xb, nor as sporting as the Mini, but it will cost less, maintain resale value, and be inexpensive to insure. Choose a dark, conservative color and above all, keep it immaculately detailed, both inside and out. Congrats John, you've made a very wise choice! :)

VW Rabbit 4 door

What about a TDI Jetta or Golf or Passat? Supposedly diesels are better for highway mileage than hybrids anyway.

EDIT: Never mind, saw you do a lot of "city driving"...

Ok, so let's say that your Lexus gets 15mpg and your drive 15,000 miles. At $3.50 it will cost you $3,500 in gas. If you buy a commuter car that gets 28 mpg and drive 15,000 miles it will cost you $1873 in gas for a savings of $1,600. So you are going to spend $25,000 on a new car that will depreciate thousands of dollars. The tax alone will be more than the gas savings. Plus you most likely will drive it much less than 15,000 miles. So your savings in gas will most likely be less than $1,000 yet the car will cost many thousand in extra expenses. This thread makes no sense. Driving your current car is much cheaper than buying an additional car to save gas. Unless you bought a $1,000 beater.

Ok, so let's say that your Lexus gets 15mpg and your drive 15,000 miles. At $3.50 it will cost you $3,500 in gas. If you buy a commuter car that gets 28 mpg and drive 15,000 miles it will cost you $1873 in gas for a savings of $1,600. So you are going to spend $25,000 on a new car that will depreciate thousands of dollars. The tax alone will be more than the gas savings. Plus you most likely will drive it much less than 15,000 miles. So your savings in gas will most likely be less than $1,000 yet the car will cost many thousand in extra expenses. This thread makes no sense. Driving your current car is much cheaper than buying an additional car to save gas. Unless you bought a $1,000 beater.

:thumbup: :)

Would you sport this around? I would get it in white though but with the same wheels and style.

http://clublexus.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=88240&stc=1&d=1153060875Never thought 4-spoke wheels would have any place in any car, but that actually fits the boxy xB theme perfectly. I like it!:p

Mine is a 1996 Dodge Caravan...my uncle bought it up in Texas and had it nationalized here. Cheapest car he could get and still be a daily driver (since if it were a 1995, you cannot drive it everyday in Mexico City by law). I stripped the rear seats out and it make a great cargo van.

Mine is a 1996 Dodge Caravan...my uncle bought it up in Texas and had it nationalized here. Cheapest car he could get and still be a daily driver (since if it were a 1995, you cannot drive it everyday in Mexico City by law). I stripped the rear seats out and it make a great cargo van.

Why not? :confused:

Why not? :confused:

Good question. It is a program called Hoy No Circula.

This link explains it well enough in English.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoy_No_Circula

Other countries have similar rules in pollution emergencies, but Mexicans always look at me funny when I tell them no such thing exists in the U.S.

I had a Xb for 6 month as commuter car.. I got 18inch staggered wheels, suspension mods and intake, carputer... but man I hated it!! I love the look, but the ride, the noise from everywhere, the super slow acceleration, and the gas mileage is not great( well, blame on the way I drive).. and I took it for a trip to LA and man, after I come back, my back hurts for 2 days, and it drives horrible on highway!! Max speed I can possibly do is 90Mph, and full tank only runs for 220 miles ( worse than local ), and when you doing 80mph, it is almost reaching redline!

I sold it and got a v6 camry instead, which I am pretty happy about it, at least it got V6 power and still get good gas mileage.... :)

How about Acura CL 2.3 Manual?

How about Acura CL 2.3 Manual?

uhhh he already got a corolla.........

How about Acura CL 2.3 Manual?

As wolverine stated he got the Corolla but the CL 2.3 is actually a good used car buy. The '98-'99 were rated a used car 'best bet' by consumer reports. They are very cheap, starting ~ $4.5-$5.5k.. of course low mileage ones will cost a little more. They are very reliable, look good for a car of that age, and perform well. Only thing is you need to buy an aftermarket warranty w/ the car as some of them have transmission issues(hard 1-2 shifting or transmission failure alltogether-this goes for both the automatics and the sticks). ;)

currently i have a 93 civic hatchback and a 91 Mercedes 190E.

i have to get the tranny in the Benz fixed :( im not modding my civic hatch for performance but i am looking for a economy cam for better gas mileage for it :)

im about to pick up a 81 Toyota Starlet to mod, 1750lbs plus RWD ;) smoke Mustangs with a budget less them most of their insurance a year :P i love power to weight