Daily Driver Poll For Fun

[Normspeed]

Sorry Phil, you can't retract your vote. Now go to your corner.

That's really a very good point. I truly did not see that point of view until you mentioned it. This forum never ceases to amaze.

O.K. I want to retract my vote. I voted 'foreign' because I drive a 1990 GMC Jimmy which was made in the U.S. I live in Canada. I assume that those of you U.S. folks who drive Ford Windstar vans voted 'foreign' since they are made in Oakville, Ontario, Canada. Don't forget that not only is the auto industry 'international' but so is the readership of this forum. The pole should have been more specific as to what it's intent is. . Sorry, I couldn't resist.

Phil

[BobT-47P15]

Where is it that they build Dodge Caravans.....I can never remember.

Well anyway, we have an 01 PT Cruiser the Mrs just loves. And I have an 01 Caravan (short wheelbase)........and before that a 94 Caravan. Currently starting to shop for a later model or maybe new Caravan. So--- MoPars we got.

[KMReeves]

My daily driver is a 1981 Volkswagen Rabbit Diesel when the snow is not deep! If it is I drive my 1996 Ram 1500 4x4. I drive 56miles round trip each day to and from work.

[blueskies]

My daily driver is a 1981 Volkswagen Rabbit Diesel when the snow is not deep! If it is I drive my 1996 Ram 1500 4x4. I drive 56miles round trip each day to and from work.

I had a 1980 VW Rabbit Diesel for 5 years, in college. I beat the living snot out of that car, and it kept on ticking like a watch. It got 49 miles to the gallon, and I sold it for 750 dollars more than I paid for it, at 200,000 miles. Should'a kept it... It was a guttless wonder though, I sure don't miss that part.

Pete

[blueskies]

After all Toyota is on their door step ready to take over the US market share of vehicles sold right now. A GM and Chrysler merger would give Toyota a big set back in those numbers.

Sadly, it seems to me, the only reason GM would buy Chrysler is to maintain their #1 world automaker status. It's just a way for them to maintain status quo, without fixing any of the real problems.

Ever see the documentary "Who killed the electric car"? GM had a completely viable electric car, in production, and loved by all who were fortunate to have one. And then, they gathered them all up, sent them to a crusher, abandoned the project, and bought Hummer from AM General. Meanwhile, Totota and Honda, fearing that they would be left behind in the alternative fuel/hybrid arena enbraced the technology and market that GM dumped. Now who's behind? And their only plan to save themselves is to buy another loser? I don't get it... The only way US automakers will survive is to stop embracing gas hog bling quick proffit vehicles and start producing vehicles that will make a difference. Did you know that if every car on the road got just 7.5 miles per gallon better, it would yield nearly the same amount of foreign oil we consume? For some reason, my 57 year old two ton Plymouth gets better gas mileage than any of my other 4 cars.

I just sold my Chrysler made Jeep, and bought a Toyota FJ Cruiser. The FJ is bigger, heavier, has more power, and gets FIVE miles to the gallon better fuel economy than my Jeep did. My brother and dad both just bought Hummer H3's. They are dyed in the wool GM guys, and were campaining very hard to get me to buy an H3 too. Since I bought a "foreign" car, they haven't really spoken to me about it since, apparently because Japan bombed Pearl Harbor some 60 years ago... I considered the H3 for a while, but after reading the H3 forums for about two months, it was clear to me that I would never want the "issues" that the H3 owners are dealing with. That, and the last two GM products that I've owned have been frought with problems, so I'm not willing to go down that road again. It will be very interesting to see how FJ and H3 compare over time.

Pete

[Norm's Coupe]

Pete, you can't disagree with what you said at all on the GM/Chrysler deal. It's all about the money and status like you said.

I will also put myself in harms way with a lot of people on the board concerning your Toyota comments, even though I've never owned one. Even back in the early 90's I think Toyota had the American trucks beat. Prior to buying my 90 Caravan in 91, I test drove a new Toyota extra cab pickup. I had also test driven a new Dodge Ram. Not even getting into the gas mileage difference, there was no comparison between the two. That Toyota rode and handled just like a nice car did. When I test drove the Dodge Ram, I only drove it for about a block then took it back to the dealer and said forget it. I thought I was going to lose my kidneys driving that thing the ride was so terrible. I did buy the 90 Caravan the same day from the same dealer though, simply because I didn't want an open vehicle like the pickup, plus I got a nice deal on the Caravan because it had about 20,000 miles on it.

I've also driven rental Toyota cars and those also handle and ride as nice as any big car on the market, in my opinion.

Today, I really like my 95 Lumina APV. However, my wife bought a new 02 Kia Spectra GSX in 02. Wasn't too happy about that at first. However, after driving that car around the city and on long trips, it's a great little car. It to rides and handles like a big car. Plus, on the open highway it gets 38 MPG. in overdrive. As for pickup, that little 4 banger in there will really get up a go if you hit it. You really have to watch it on the open road. One day on the freeway while on a trip, I looked down at the speedo and was doing about 95 MPH. It felt like I was only going about 65 or 70 MPH. Knock on wood, but it now has 30,000 miles on it and we haven't had to do any repairs on it at all. Just change the oil every 7,000 miles. Yes, I'd buy another one now if in the market for a new car.

[Plymouthy Adams]

Norm..of concern with any engine I buy today be it new or used...the first thing of interest is if it is freewheeling or interference fit...don't do interferrence fit hand-gernade engine of any make and model..all modern engines that boast horspower up the yazoo is interference fit..else they could not not make the horsepower they do...I love the LH platform cars for size, ride and comfort..the 3.3 is nice but the 3.5 is awesome..first HP engine built by Chrysler since the late 70's...dual overhead cam, dual induction..last trip to SC I got 29.6 MPG..it is non interference engine.

Thing to note is if your engine is on the yes list below..please pay attention to the timly change of rubber band as repair will be expensive...if a no..then if it should break..just a tow and new belt.

Kia Engine Interference Replace

1.6 (SOHC) No 60,000

1.6 (DOHC) Yes 60,000

1.8 (DOHC) Yes 60,000

2.0 (DOHC) No 60,000

2.0 (DOHC) Yes 60,000

[Norm's Coupe]

Norm..of concern with any engine I buy today be it new or used...the first thing of interest is if it is freewheeling or interference fit...don't do interferrence fit hand-gernade engine of any make and model..all modern engines that boast horspower up the yazoo is interference fit..else they could not not make the horsepower they do...I love the LH platform cars for size, ride and comfort..the 3.3 is nice but the 3.5 is awesome..first HP engine built by Chrysler since the late 70's...dual overhead cam, dual induction..last trip to SC I got 29.6 MPG..it is non interference engine.

Thing to note is if your engine is on the yes list below..please pay attention to the timly change of rubber band as repair will be expensive...if a no..then if it should break..just a tow and new belt.

Kia Engine Interference Replace

1.6 (SOHC) No 60,000

1.6 (DOHC) Yes 60,000

1.8 (DOHC) Yes 60,000

2.0 (DOHC) No 60,000

2.0 (DOHC) Yes 60,000

Tim,

My wife's Kia is the 1.8, but not to worry. I do very little to our newer cars except to put gas and oil in them. Otherwise, they get a regular check at the shop. For example: Kia says the car should be checked and given a tune up at 30,000 miles among other things, if needed. Even though it was running ok the way it was, we took it in. Result, no tune up needed. Our daily drivers are always well maintained and not by me. As for leg and head room comfort in the Kia. I'm 6 feet tall and have lots of room and comfort in it.

As for the rubber bands. I don't like those on any car. Even a new one can break at anytime, so I don't sweat it. If it happens, it's the luck of the draw and you just have to buck up and pay the piper when it does.

[KMReeves]

I think Toyota better be watching there quality instead of taking G.M. off the top selling car maker. They have had recalls for the Tundra for ball joint problems and then there is there little secret engine sludge problem on some models. Honda is now contacting millions of Honda owners of a odometer reading more miles than driven ,as of a result of a lawsuit. I think I will stick to my old cars!

[JIPJOBXX]

1981 Subaru 4 wheel drive station wagon! Great little car and really hard to brake! Does not get the mileage that I would think a 4 cylinder car should get but does ok (24 mpg). Built tuft and easy to work on! I call it my tiny SUV. Jon:)

[Allan Faust]

For some reason, my 57 year old two ton Plymouth gets better gas mileage than any of my other 4 cars.

Pete

That is real easy Pete..... no anti pollution devices.... everyone knows that when the anti pollution devices went in, the mileage went down.... use more fuel (ie more pollution) to cause less pollution... go figger...

Allan

[TodFitch]

That is real easy Pete..... no anti pollution devices.... everyone knows that when the anti pollution devices went in, the mileage went down.... use more fuel (ie more pollution) to cause less pollution... go figger...

Allan

I guess I am not "everyone". I agree that when the first real round of smog controls came out in the late 1960s and in the 1970s that fuel economy took a hit.

But with modern fuel injection and computer controls that is no longer true. Basically at any given level of technology you can trade off several factors:

Mileage

Acceleration

Durability

Pollution (conventional unburned hydrocarbons, oxides of nitrogen, etc.)

Mileage is something that, in this country, does not sell as well as acceleration. So the mileage you get now is no better than it was 25 years ago and they sell cars based on performance. I can't count the number of auto ads I see that tout high horsepower.

Now maybe the kids at my school could only get old clunkers to "hop up" and the rich kids could get their parents to buy them a tricked out Mustang. But I do remember lots of conversations about how to get under 10 seconds on a 0-60 run so I am pretty sure that was considered good acceleration.

Now you have 0 to 60 times in your heavy SUV that were unheard of for all but exotic race cars in the 1960s.

I haven't checked but I would guess that a little Jeep Rubicon is running around 180 horsepower and it has as much frontal area as a early 50's sedan and a lot worse aerodynamics. I given all that I would expect that it would not do much if any better than an early 50 sedan with a mildly hopped up engine.

[greg g]

Well, my 99 cherokee with the 194 Hp FI 4.0 6 with auto and 4 WD drive in summer ( don't try to figure winter gas) gets about 19 to 20 in daily driving and 22 on a trip. It has a pretty high COe of drag, like pushing a barn door through the air. weighs in at 3700 lbs or more. It gets to 60 in under 9 seconds. I was just watching motor week and they were doing a test of some current subcompact, I can't even remember the brand of. On the test track, it did 0 to 60 in just over 7 seconds, the 1/4 mile in 14.6 @ 102 MPH.

When I was 15 or 16, one of the older guys down the street was regularly Drag Racing his 63 1/2 Ford Galaxie with a 406 4 speed. His times and speeds with cheater slicks were about the same. But he did not get 34 mpg in daily driving or 37 on the highway. So these days HP per Cubic inch is way up there. If the old 406 was anywhere close to today's engines it would be packing about 600 HP. I believe BMW has a current v8 that is putting out almost 1.5 Hp per CU IN. in highway trim and gets over 20 MPG in a nearly 4000 lb vehicle. 4.8 L (298 cu in) 360 HP its 0 to 60 is in the high 4 second range, I remember when that was startling acceleration even for stuff like 750 Nortons, Triumphs, and Ducatis.

[1just4don]

My favorite one I still own but parked for repairs,,,My 90 Geo Tracker, nicknamed (mudbuggy) Its my beat arount car and goes anywhere and does anything. It developed a cracked block to the outside and is leaking coolant on the ground at an alarming rate. I am going to take it out when it gets warmer and 'try' welding the aluminum block. I miss that 8 gallon tank fillup and able to drive a LONG time in between.

Anybody pull a motor out of a Tracker and reinstall?? How big of job is that?? I almost think I can lift the motor by hand its so small(and aluminum)

My second favorite is my 90 Dodge Cummins 4X4. Diesel is alot cheaper , in the long run,and better mileage. It is down right now with the transmission problem and clutch and transfer case NOBODY is willing to help me with on its own thread. Oh well,,,,such is life!!

AND my only remaining bannanna peel driver I have left is a 92 F-250 with a gas hog 460 in it. The automatic trans has been goofy for over a year since I hauled too many cows with it. Wish I would have left that rental trailer home and used my little one and made an extra trip,,,woulda been alot cheaper.

What I NEED is a car I can jump in and clean enough to go to church or go visit the kids 120 miles away,,,thought I could do that with my 50 Dodge(My grandpa bought brand new) if I get her running again. Needs the engine taken to the machine shop!! After I find a strong back, weak brained person, to carry it out of the garage and put in a pickup. Its in a garge 15 miles from home. my skid loader would do that HERE. Not going to haul that that far to do the job!!! garage is also guarded by a couple dogs, and need the guy that lives there to be home!!

[blueskies]

I haven't checked but I would guess that a little Jeep Rubicon is running around 180 horsepower and it has as much frontal area as a early 50's sedan and a lot worse aerodynamics. I given all that I would expect that it would not do much if any better than an early 50 sedan with a mildly hopped up engine.

My Jeep Rubicon consistently got 14 mpg. Comparing the Rubicon with my '50 isn't really fair though, as the Rubicon is geared for rock crawling. A regular Jeep Wrangler gets much better mileage.

Pete

[blueskies]

I think Toyota better be watching there quality instead of taking G.M. off the top selling car maker.

I don't think the debate is really about quality, every manufacturer product has problems. I think the real debate is about philosophy. US automakers, imho, have never been about long term goals, but instead are about short term profit. Every time they introduce a new model, it seems to be a re-invention of all the old problems from the last model, instead of building on a solid platform and eliminating the bugs over time and making a bulletproof car that will last quite a long time without issues.

That said, I personally have had terrible luck with domestic cars, and I've owned many domestic and foreign made cars over the years.

I don't think GM would be anywhere today without the 350/327 V8 engines. They are terrific engines, no doubt about it. But the rest of the car that they put these engines in falls apart in short order, in my experience. I decided to give Totota a try this go around, after owning two GM lemmons in a row. My repair bills on my '92 GM Suburban averaged over the five years I owned it, were around $500 a month. And that was with parts at cost and reduced labor rate from my brother who is a GM trained mechanic. I unloaded the Suburban at 200,000 miles, and the 350 was still running strong, didn't burn oil, etc. But, I replaced nearly every single mechanical part accessory to the engine: tranny, alt, fuel pump, water pump, distributor, power steering pump, u-joints, motor mounts, seals, sensors, you name it. Everything else but the engine itself failed, often multiple times. My '02 Tahoe, that we bought to replace the Suburban, is now on it's second tranny (original failed at 60,000), which is showing signs of failure at only 20,000 additional miles. Once bitten, twice shy, and I've been bitten multiple times...

Pete

[Vermonter]

Just wondering if we can get a thread going to honor our daily drivers?

 

Let's see some pictures of your car, truck, bike, riding mower, motorized couch, whatever you put your butt on that gets you from point A to point B. Maybe you have a project in the works that doesn't fit the mopar threads, or something you are proud of that you want to share here...

This isn't a non-mopar thread, but the more variety, the better.

 

Who wants to be the first to post a picture?

[ledfootslim]

Driving my 2000 Pontiac for a little while more while my daily driver gets some headwork done- 1977 AMC Hornet Sportabout wagon. Been passed down through three generations of my family.

[deathbound]

Here's a similar thread..."Let's see your other rides"....http://p15-d24.com/topic/35324-lets-see-your-other-rides/

[Don Coatney]

Click here>>>> http://p15-d24.com/topic/1851-daily-driver-poll-for-fun/?hl=driver

[Vermonter]

The last post in that thread was from 2007, that's probably why I didn't see it when I searched around. I'm sure some of you have found new cars since 2007! I will contribute one of mine and see if we can keep this thread alive.

 

[Don Coatney]

Perhaps a moderator can combine the threads.

[Vermonter]

If that is possible, I am fine with that

[deathbound]

Here's mine, a 2001 Chevy Silverado 2500HD, though it's not a "daily" driver, I put maybe 4K miles a year on it, because I drive a company truck 5 days a week (2008 Dodge 3500 Turbo Diesel, which I will not post a pic of.......for some reason, a pic of it from a previous thread was deleted-which was never explained to me).

 

[Vermonter]

NICE TRUCK!