Well folks, I've been struggling with this decision for quite some time now, but the time has come for a more practical and more fuel efficient DD.
Those of you might know that my GSX has had a really rough year in terms in cosmetic damage and there were some suspension/alignment issues driving out west when I encountered a less then favourable set of train tracks which sent both me and my trailer in toe airborn... But with all of that aside, the chassis of my GSX is far beyond the point of repair.
Before anyone thinks I'm leaving the game, that's the the furthest thing from the truth. I will be parting out this vehicle in the next year and a bit and cannibalizing many parts for my AWD Spyder.

Now, before I ask this next question, I'm looking for fact and opinions here, not any bias. Let me know what your thoughts are WRT comfort, engine and suspension performance, storage space, and honestly whether or not how fun it is to drive.

I'll be looking for another AWD turbo DD ideally for year round safety and fun. Hatch back or sedan, it doesn't really matter at this point.

Have you had a look at a Ralliart sport back?

Glad to hear you're not leaving "the game".

That's my daily choice! And hence...a pretty darn good one.

Sorry to hear about the 2g though

It's exactly what he described in what he's looking for.

What about an older WRX wagon?

I haven't really started looking yet. I'll be starting in a couple weeks but figured I'll get some research done here.
Please keep in mind, I'm not set on staying with Mitsubishi for this one.

How bout Saab Aero 93, that's the other only one that tickled my fancy. Subaru parts, good looks, comfy; overall a pretty decent daily. Also AWD and turbo

Reliable = Honda, only problem is the awd and turbo requirements, unless you go Acura and get yourself a RDX or TL Type S.

My buddy just bought a Saab Aero 93, he was looking for one for 3 years before he found on that had low KM, manual trans and under $10k...one in decent shape goes for more then a subaru wrx with similar options.

seriously though, why does it need to be awd and turbo?

If you can wait a year both Toyota and Subaru are coming out with AWD turbo versions of the 86/BRZ, subaru is going one step further and offering an AWD Diesel turbo, convertible BRZ! looks very interesting.

Boxer engines are notoriously bad on gas. Only rotaries are worse.



Have any of these last few models you've mentioned been confirmed or is it all still just forum fodder.

There's a car I think you'd wait for if you knew about it but unfortunately I can't say anything right now, sadly. That being said it won't be on the market for another year so....

Confirmed as in available on the subaru website?...obviously not. most of the rumors are coming from leaks, a few pictures of test cars and the same forum posts you read. I was just throwing ideas out there

My official suggestion was and still is something from Honda as there isn't anything CURRENTLY (waiting for Sal to drop us a hint of what ford has coming down the pipeline) on the market that has all criteria...AWD,turbo, reliable, fun and fuel efficient just dosn't exist on the road today. your gonna have to choose whats really important to you when it comes to DD.

DIESEL TRUCK! join the world of 500+hp 4x4 trucks! very fun.. Ok on gas. Comfy and very usefull! then you can tow your spyder!

Buy a cheap ass older Honda (late '90s early '00s). You'll have plenty of time to complain about how incredibly boring and slow it is, because you won't be spending your time fixing it or filling it with gas.

Spend the money you save on your DSM. Let it take care of "fun".

100%

No, just no. My co-worker has one and the rear diff just decided to explode on it about 3 weeks ago, well $4500 and 3 weeks later it is finally fixed. She had to import a new diff from the states as there were none in Canada, her garage and another garage checked everywhere this side of the border and nothing to be found. Everything is on indefinite back-order here for these cars.

Not to mention that even though the car is a 2011 and under 100k, the warranty is non existent since SAAB folded in 2012.

I'm actually gonna hold out for a couple years and maybe try one of the new Dart SRT4's when they come out.

My next daily will be a civic, I'm willing to bet. Terry got me convinced on that too. A car that's a complete POS and you have no attachment to whatsoever and can run on 87 octane. Money saved.

A diesel pickup would also be nice though.

I think Guillaume may have meant to say the 9-2 Aero. That's the one which is just a WRX in drag. Rear diff would be the R160 from any WRX, and likely run $200 on those. Anything that's actually a Saab I would stay far away from.

Everyone should have a Honda as a Daily Driver. Fun..no. Fast...no. reliable and good on fuel...frack yeah. And if you really need to tow your DSM call a tow truck or rent a Uhaul with your fuel and repair savings.

Bah.. Couldnt do it.. I enjoy driving too much to drive something not fun. It would drive me nuts to have to maintain something that is useless!

If its not 3inches off the ground, with 300+hp of awd power! It better be 3feet off the ground with 300+hp of awd power! Anything else is just a waist of life and oppertunity! Lal

Keep in mind those are just initial requirements. I love the way my dsm drives and not overly excited to rid of it. I'm trying to buy relatively new as I want this car to last a while. I'm not looking to throw money at it and turn it into a race car but I want it to still be fun. I don't have a family yet, but who knows what the future will bring. So? If I'm buying a newish vehicle then it needs to be able to possibly accommodate that... Turbo diesel is always an option but I'm really not looking for a truck.

No more beaters... Nothing that is losing bolts or fluids. New, smells nice, drives tight, and sounds great

Um Toyota anything, WAAAAY better than anything Honda ever produced... What no they do have kick ass lawnmower engines.

2nd gen diesel Dodge is next for me. Wanted one ever since since I first seen the movie Twister! A non beat rusted 98 Sport 4x4, 12 valve with a six speed swap would be my dream

Would actually sell my Galant for one in a heart beat if it was everything I wanted!

Toyota is definitely reliable. Although build quality is sometimes not the greatest (cheap plastics etc). For a slow car you want comfy and quality interior. Really depends on what you want in terms of comfort. You could also pick up a used VW Diesel TDi jetta. Pretty cheap, great quality interior and cheap on gas; also surprinsingly good for winter. Although, repair wise, you'll need VW specific stuff and most repairs on them ain't too cheap. Both of the buddies I have that have one (as well as my sis' Tdi golf) haven't had any issues yet. One of them going over 250 000km. Ride quality is great. Just not your fizzle-look kind of car.

You'd be looking at 7-13 000$ for one

Johnny can you give us more info on what kind of price range you are looking for and how many kms or what year.

Around the cummins forum, it's a well known concensus that the 97 is the most reliable. I'd love to bring one back from the southern states with zero rust. I love my old '94, mechanically she's still great but the body is falling apart around that great 12v.

I got the chance to try out a '13 6.7 recently, must say it felt damn nice and even in 100% stock form it had tons of power and the engine brake works amazingly.

Loved that movie!

My cousins new diesel silverado is awesome too. Given he's gotten a couple upgrades for it, the thing hauls, especially for how heavy they are.

Only company I've heard issues with are the new Ford powerstrokes. One friends friend had one fail on them and I've read that their EGR's are the cause.

New toyota stuff is looking pretty good ever since they got that new CEO.

Reason for the 98 is because of the revised dash and the addition of the suicide rear doors before going to the 24v. I have been in a new 14' 6.7 3500 and for a 10k lbs truck it hauls ass!

First Powerchoke I drove I put a rod through the block somehow...
Only thing good on Ford trucks is the body.

6.6 Duramax is a great motor! especially for making more POWWWER!

My boss' buddy deals farm equipment and had a fleet of powerjokes, he's had at least 3 of them die at less than 2 years of age.

I've heard the Duramax's engine brake is manually activated, sounds like a joke to me.

It's tricky because I've never bought a new car before. I'm not saying I'll be doing that now, but who knows. The price range? under 25 for sure. Year wise, not overly picky. The big thing is a healthy body/engine, and low-ish km (<50-70k).

If I had to buy anything that wasnt awd and turbo.. And had to be good on gas... And reliable... Ew.

I would buy an old VW jetta tdi for under a 1000bucks. Or even an old pre 97 sunfire.... Or Saturn... Cheap parts everywhere. Cheap on gas.. And never depreciates.


But nope.. After typing that... I couldnt do it.. Fast car or tough truck! and my daily has to be awd.

Personally I would suggest off lease with under 50k as you said. You save yourself a fair amount of money, and there is a good amount of people trying to break there leases so plenty of money there to be saved as some can be desperate. I talked a guy down another 5k on his 1 year old WRX because he was unable to afford the payments.

I think with your budget you could be looking at an Audi A4, Volvo s60, Taurus SHO.
I think thos would be my top picks, I know not all are turbo but they are all AWD and luxury.
My mom had an audi and it was amazingly smooth drive, so much so that she got rid of it cause she got her license suspended from speeding tickets.
Family friend owns the volvo s40 and it is a dream to drive, so I can imagine how nice the s60 would be.
Ford has really stepped up there game, and my cousin is loving her fusion so far.

My good friend has a 2004 s60 T5 and the car is great all around. It's 10 years old, needed nothing aside from a wheel bearing , it drives great and it's pretty quick for a (FWD) sedan. Plenty of space too, heated leather seats, climate control, etc.

The most impressive part is even though it's 10 years old and has seen 10 salt-infested GTA winters, there is no rust under or on it absolutely anywhere to be seen. And every single bolt, big or small, under the hood, suspension, or subframe, etc comes out like you're working on a new car. That right there, left me extremely impressed.

Being around this car, I would vouch for a Volvo for a DD.

The BMW 335xi might be an interesting choice. You can make ~400 HP / ~400 ft-lbs fairly easily.

I DD an 05 S40 turbo. It is super hard to find awd stick, but they are out there.

Volvo is one of the best non rusting cars, As for issues, an 07+ s40 has revised everything and shouldnt give any problems.
The s60 awd has pinion gear issues. but there are people making revised parts for them.

+1 to take a look

BUT, Volvo is now owned by Geely, thus I'd say look for something pre-merger (late 2010).

My vote goes for any SUV.
- Honda CRZ
- Outlander
- Rogue
- jeep
- Ford Edge
or anything else you like

fun to drive in winter (ice fishing+camping), very comfortable, easy to find AWD, can tow DSM*, high off the ground, plenty of space to transport DSM parts.... and my most favorite part:
getting back into DSM after driving SUV makes DSM feel super low, crazy fast, and corner tight
^ they work really well as a package

...any why did you do that if you were not going to buy it anyway?

Go with something that wont depreciate much either.

With your description some of my choices would be

BMW 335XI Coupe or Sedan
Audi A4, A5, S4, S5
Cadillac ATS 2.0 Turbo
Lexus IS250/IS350

I was planning to, this was years ago.

Well, now that this is officially released/confirmed: https://media.ford.com/content/ford...by-gt350-mustang-the-legend-returns.html

That's one of the vehicles I had in mind. That engine sounds goddamn glorious in person. I'm definitely a GM guy (if I had to pick of the 3) but this is a solid engine in a solid car. Will be interesting to see what kind of numbers it ends up putting down both powerwise and timewise (even I don't know quite know those specifics).

^ Nice post Sal, i had read in motor trend about a year ago ford was developing a flat plane V8, I was skeptic but anxious how it would turn out. This car is defiantly on my short list now, my brother owns a Boss 302 and it's a really nice car. In about 3 years there should be decently priced gt350 out there... I'll be watching

One that hasn't been mentioned yet...

How about a Mazdaspeed6? 4cyl turbo AWD and people 'typically' take care of these cars. 275hp out of the box, might be worth a look if you're stuck on the idea of AWD. Only comes in manual trans though.

I own a saab 9-3 aero.. not the awd version.. it's been very reliable; if saab were still producing new cars, I'd consider buying another.