Best years? Daily Drivers

[Leif in Calif]

There's a topic going about LA County stock piling Crown Vics when production ended and some discussion about how good things were circa 1990. I caused me to think about all the "daily drivers" I've had. My current car is a 2018 Chevy Volt plug in Hybrid. Really a great car but it's probably among the most complicated which will ever be built, and that has caused some issues (only the crummy dealer knows how to work on it). 

I think over the years I've depended on cars from the 50's onward, and possibly the early 90's were the best compromise of efficiency, relative simplicity, reliability, and safety. 

What are your thoughts?

 

 

 

 

 

[Bloo]

The 90s are the new 60s. Coming out of the malaise era, no one was ready to believe those 90s cars were any good, but quite a few of them turned out to be exceptional.

 

Edited December 18, 2023 by Bloo (see edit history)

[Buffalowed Bill]

I drive 90's Fords regularly, they were my go to daily transport until a recent relative passing brought us a 2002 Jeep filled that niche, but they all take their turn in the rotation. I find the 90's cars to be a great combination of reliability, comfort and safety. The kicker is that the 90's cars have become part of our vintage car collection-seldom seen and often commented on.  

[60FlatTop]

I have always found great appeal and value in 15 year old cars. I did my thing with the '94 to '96 Buick Roadmasters 10-20 years ago. I am enjoying the 2005 range now.

 

I had an interest in the P71 Crown Vics until I tried one out, way too noisy with the rubber mats.

 

The older I get the more new my taste gets. The cars I dreamed of in my 20s would not be considered for me today.

[TerryB]

My wife, who is definitely not a car enthusiast, always puts her 1993 Chevrolet Cavalier RS wagon, complete with 3.1 V6 as one of her most favorite cars she ever owned.  Her current 2018 Subaru Forester is in strong number 2 spot.

[JamesR]

In terms of reliability, the newer the better - at least after the 1980's - but in the last 3 years or so new cars have been equipped with enough monitoring and navigation features that I'm concerned about them becoming tools of the surveillance state. I don't want some "official" strangers knowing where, when and how fast I was going. So, reliability is starting to take a back seat to other considerations.

 

My 2006 minivan has 202k miles on it. The time is coming when I'll need to replace it. I'll try to find a lower mileage used car when the time comes. Maybe a 2010-2015 Toyota or Chevy.

[West Peterson]

For me, the less computerization/electronics/online-dependent the better. Once you get into the 2000s, the harder it is to find one.

[Dave Wells]

I drive a '72 Ford F-100 all summer and a '95 Jeep Cherokee all winter. High miles, high reliability, high enjoyment. 

 

 

 

[1935Packard]

It all depends on what you like and what you value, I think.  

[edinmass]

 

My daily drivers......

 

87 Chevy S-10 pick up

2002 Ford Focus

2003 Buick Century

2006 GMC Crew Cab 3500 Duramax tơw vehicle

 

 

NOTHING NEWER........purchased al for cash.......they owe me nothing and are all still fine.

 

Sold the Mercedes AMG Convertible during covid.......too many people causing problems and asking me for money every where I went. 

 

[John348]

There is a difference of what we are willing to accept what is a car (vehicle) that is used, and what that same car was as it was new. I bought a new 1988 Crown Vic, 10 Passenger Station Wagon it really was not a good "new" car. Oil pan was rotting out, only to find out it was common. At about 60,000 miles there were rattles everywhere. I traded that in for a brand new 1992 Roadmaster Wagon, that too was not a good car. After 40,000 miles it developed a bad habit of eating up transmissions. It was in the dealership every 2-3 months for problems the first 18 months. It looked great! Stylish! but.... it did not look so good on the dealers lift every 6-8 weeks. While vehicles today are complicated in a different way than we are used to, it is not unusual to accumulate 250,000 miles without a major repair and minimum if any maintenance. I think the vehicles today are far superior, and they should be!  

I like my toys, but they have their place, my daily drivers are:

2023 Cadillac XT5

2019 Sierra 2500 Duramax (two vehicle)

They were all bought new and like Ed they were paid for in cash, and still under warranty (extended on the Sierra) so I guess I can say they owe me nothing as well, the moment I feel they do, they we be available on a used car lot for someone else to have that opportunity to enjoy, because I will be trading them in.  

Edited December 18, 2023 by John348 (see edit history)

[pkhammer]

I got my drivers license in 1979 and had my fair share of late 50's thru early 70's cars and trucks over the next several years. All were well used but gave me decent service with not too many headaches. I married my awesome Wife in 1986 and over the next ten years or so we mostly had vehicles that were from 1980 to 1992. Crummy... crummy, worn out junk by 100k or before! and we took care of our stuff. In 1996 we bought a 1993 Honda Civic DelSol that we still own and use regularly, and that started a string of super reliable vehicles that have served us well.

  Current daily drivers.

   1993 Honda Civic DelSol (Wife has loved this car for 27 years now and cannot stand the thought of parting with it)

   2004 Dodge 2500 Quad Cab Cummins turbo-diesel purchased new (260k miles and have done little more than regular maintenance. Best vehicle I've ever owned by far)

   2014 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited 3.6 purchased new (148k miles nearly trouble free. Rock solid reliable)

   2023 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited 3.6 purchased new. We liked the 2014 so much we bought another because starting in 2024 the 3.6 will no longer be available with the 3.6/auto combo.

 

  Reliability-wise, our current vehicles are far and away the best ever. The WORST ever was anything from the 80's to early 90's.

[arcticbuicks]

for me ....pre 1978 were the best years......maybe not that all were the most dependable.......but all could be fixed at home .....and nothing crazy expensive

[Porsche 68]

Mercedes Benz from the 80s to 1995 are the best most reliable cars I have owned and worked on Million milers  Have seen 3 with over a million miles with regular maintenance Reliable as air Anything after 96 is cookie cutter garbage Cheaper materials inside they rust real bad    And don’t even get me started on BMWs  John

[zepher]

One of my current, modern cars is a 2002 Nissan Altima SE with the 3.5L VQ engine.

Purchased new and now has 250k miles on it and it still runs and drives like new.  It's been the most reliable car I have ever owned. 

All I've done in 250k miles is one fuel injector, one starter, AC compressor and a fuel injector pressure regulator.

 

I put almost 230k miles on a 1997 Mazda 626.  Biggest issue with that one was the massively crappy transmission.  It had three trannys in those 230k miles.

 

Two other modern cars are a 2015 Hyundai Sonata Sport with 89k miles that has been a zero problem car so far and a 2017 Kia Optima PHEV with 99k miles and zero problems.

 

I did own a 1990 Toyota Tercel that I put 150k trouble free miles on.  Still had the original clutch in it when I got rid of it when I picked up the 2002 Nissan.

[theconvertibleguy]

If I was going to go "modern" I'd probably look at 90's, but I'd probably stick with the more basic offerings. They made good large sedans then that the current lot can't compare (and I sure don't need an SUV), like my 94 Bonneville SSEI that drove like a magic carpet and flew like one too. But I also remember just how unreliable eveything I had from that era was too. How everything on that Pontiac slowly disintegrated other then the drivetrain (which had about 500,000 kms when I sent it to the scrap yard), or how it was a coin toss as to if the damn thing would start.

 

Currently, I have a mid 2010's Wrangler Sport. It's basic as well, it only has power mirrors and windows because I like to drive with the windows down. I'll never own a car with all the buzzers and whistles and tv's that currently exists because it's just another electronic thing to break (and my Bonneville scarred me on that), and I find all those alerts and aides to be incrediably annoying. Had a rental with those turned on for a drive halfway across Canada and by the time I arrived I was read yo to take a baseball bat to the thing. Give me very simple, very basic, point A to point B and STFU along the way type driving, and I'll be happy.

 

It's probably why i like older cars. They start (mostly). They go (mostly). And other then the radio they STFU along the way. No alerts, no bells and whistles, no screens to turn on things, no stupid subscriptions. Just simple transportation that looks better then the modern lumps of turd that most modern cars look like (and yes, that's subjective). If one way far into the future, I have to get an electric car, I'll look at starting my own company to make basic, electric cars that look good and do the basics and are easy to repair. Unitl the, I'll stick with what i have, because it works well for me.

[Littlestown Mike]

12 hours ago, Porsche 68 said:

Mercedes Benz from the 80s to 1995 are the best most reliable cars I have owned and worked on Million milers  Have seen 3 with over a million miles with regular maintenance Reliable as air Anything after 96 is cookie cutter garbage Cheaper materials inside they rust real bad    And don’t even get me started on BMWs  John

For me, the pinnacle of mas-produced cars was the W126.  The W123 was close, but the larger size of the W126 makes it just a bit better.  The was a great fan of the 5 cyl diesel until they made diesel fuel cost more than gas.  The economy of a diesel-powered luxury car went away with that.

probably a good place to point out the difference between "Reliable" and " Durable".  Your experience with MB not withstanding, Mercedes are the peak of "durable" cars than becasue of their complexity may not be very reliable.  Of course Mercedes with neglected maintence are very expensive to make reliable.  "Nothing is more expensive than a cheap mercedes."

[EmTee]

I had a 1990 Bonneville LE that was a great runner.  Unlike the SSEI mentioned above, it wasn't overloaded with electronics and was dead reliable.  With well over 100K miles on it at the time I wouldn't have hesitated to get in and drive it cross country.  The next car was a '92 LeSabre that was good for almost 30 mpg on the highway.  The problem with it was unlike the Bonneville (from TN) it was a local NY car and succumbed to the winter salt.

[Porsche 68]

2 minutes ago, Littlestown Mike said:

For me, the pinnacle of mas-produced cars was the W126.  The W123 was close, but the larger size of the W126 makes it just a bit better.  The was a great fan of the 5 cyl diesel until they made diesel fuel cost more than gas.  The economy of a diesel-powered luxury car went away with that.

probably a good place to point out the difference between "Reliable" and " Durable".  Your experience with MB not withstanding, Mercedes are the peak of "durable" cars than becasue of their complexity may not be very reliable.  Of course Mercedes with neglected maintence are very expensive to make reliable.  "Nothing is more expensive than a cheap mercedes."

That’s my saying a cheap Mercedes is the most expensive one you will ever get  I have a lot of experience with the 124 and 126 chassis and the M 100 6.3 109 chassis awesome cars. John

[Leif in Calif]

I've always felt the mid to late 70's were the bottom of the curve for several reasons. Smog laws were really starting to hit and many of the manufacturers gained compliance in ways that when you look back on it shows how little they understood. My mother had a '76 Monte Carlo. It was huge on the outside but not at all spacious inside, got terrible mileage while producing not a lot of power. Made you wonder what it was using all that gas for! 

In the same period, my father in law gave us a '74 Audi 100LS. I very stylish car that had a very nice and comfortable interior. One reason you never see one today: they were front wheel drive with inboard front disc brakes. The pads only lasted about 10,000 miles and were relatively inaccessible.

Power from the 4cyl engine was marginable at best, and if you turned on the also marginable A/C on the freeway, you immediately dropped about 3mph. It felt like you hit a massive head wind. Mine developed a minor exhaust leak and people started asking me if it was a diesel. 

I decided it was time to let it go, but the dealer wouldn't take it...he actually said "We don't want those, everybody knows they're no good"!

 

 

 

[Littlestown Mike]

20 hours ago, Leif in Calif said:

I've always felt the mid to late 70's were the bottom of the curve for several reasons. Smog laws were really starting to hit and many of the manufacturers gained compliance in ways that when you look back on it shows how little they understood. My mother had a '76 Monte Carlo. It was huge on the outside but not at all spacious inside, got terrible mileage while producing not a lot of power. Made you wonder what it was using all that gas for! 

In the same period, my father in law gave us a '74 Audi 100LS. I very stylish car that had a very nice and comfortable interior. One reason you never see one today: they were front wheel drive with inboard front disc brakes. The pads only lasted about 10,000 miles and were relatively inaccessible.

Power from the 4cyl engine was marginable at best, and if you turned on the also marginable A/C on the freeway, you immediately dropped about 3mph. It felt like you hit a massive head wind. Mine developed a minor exhaust leak and people started asking me if it was a diesel. 

I decided it was time to let it go, but the dealer wouldn't take it...he actually said "We don't want those, everybody knows they're no good"!

 

 

 

Very nice cars for that time.  Yes the in-board discs were an issue--but the idea was to reduce unsprung weight as much as possible, so at least there was a reason and some benfit.

I think the main reason you see so few is not those in-board brakes but the tin worm--RUST.  Audi had not quite leanred the devastating effects of salt, used in copioud amounts on American roads would do to their cars.

[Paul Dobbin]

Here us an oddball Orphan that a proved to be a good buy.   In 2006 we needed a towable small SUV that we could flat tow with an automatic transmission.   We owned a diesel pusher motor home and needed a vehicle to travel and serve

as my wife's car too.   Choice was limited to a Honda CRV or a Saturn V (Which had a Honda 3.5 V6 with 255 HP and 246 Ft. lbs. Torque)   (A 3 year deal between GM &  Honda to supply V6 engines and transmissions for Saturn while GM

provided some heave equipment to Honda)

We bought the Saturn and 17 years later still use it daily.   It now has 117,000 miles showing and has been very maintenance friendly.  Tires, batteries, brakes, a timing belt & water pump @ 100 K, with no rust or dents on it's

plastic body,  The perfect TOAD!

Edited December 23, 2023 by Paul Dobbin (see edit history)

[Hans1965]

23 hours ago, Leif in Calif said:

I've always felt the mid to late 70's were the bottom of the curve for several reasons. Smog laws were really starting to hit and many of the manufacturers gained compliance in ways that when you look back on it shows how little they understood. My mother had a '76 Monte Carlo. It was huge on the outside but not at all spacious inside, got terrible mileage while producing not a lot of power. Made you wonder what it was using all that gas for! 

In the same period, my father in law gave us a '74 Audi 100LS. I very stylish car that had a very nice and comfortable interior. One reason you never see one today: they were front wheel drive with inboard front disc brakes. The pads only lasted about 10,000 miles and were relatively inaccessible.

Power from the 4cyl engine was marginable at best, and if you turned on the also marginable A/C on the freeway, you immediately dropped about 3mph. It felt like you hit a massive head wind. Mine developed a minor exhaust leak and people started asking me if it was a diesel. 

I decided it was time to let it go, but the dealer wouldn't take it...he actually said "We don't want those, everybody knows they're no good"!

 

 

 

Audi started its galvanization (in German "Vollverzinkung") in 1985. You got yours too early. AC wasnt common in Germany until the 80s or even 90s, too. I got my first car with AC in 2001. My Audi TT which I still use as my normal car. Just passed the 250.000 km mark. We are a small country.... But this 100LS looks quite stylish. 

[jp1gt]

2001 subaru forester. 200K miles. Only thing done was headgaskets, a common problem those years. original clutch. Going to replace it for a electric car in a couple of years

[EmTee]

2004 Silverado 1500 4x4 5.3L, 262K mi and counting...

[Nate Dort]

The only one I miss was my '96 Saab 9000 CSE. Bought it when it was a year old, drove it for 20 years. It had 230k miles on it when I lost oil pressure on the interstate and the engine seized. Yeah, it had it's regular maintenance quirks, like bad Direct Ignition cassettes that needed to be replaced every couple years, but I just kept a backup in the trunk and it only took four bolts to swap. I did a Stage III tune on it it, along with 3" stainless exhaust and cat delete. One of these days I'm going to get another one.

[7th Son]

12 hours ago, Paul Dobbin said:

We bought the Saturn and 17 years later still use it daily.   It now has 117,000 miles showing and has been very maintenance friendly/

Tires, batteries, brakes, a timing belt & water pump @ 100 K, with no rust or dents on it's plastic body, 

My grandson who was born in 2001, purchased a 1991 Saturn sedan as a high school driver in 2018. The car had over 170,000 miles on it when it he bought it. Now, five years later, and God knows how many more miles (college, work,etc), it still runs and looks great. He keeps it running and looking like new and maintains it like his wise, old grandfather showed him. 

 

 

[JV Puleo]

On 12/18/2023 at 4:46 PM, edinmass said:

 

My daily drivers......

 

87 Chevy S-10 pick up

 

 

I drive an 89 S10...

[39BuickEight]

I worked for a rental car company for a while years ago, and I can say the 1999-2007 Tauruses were the only cars we had that absolutely never had a single problem-even with rental car customers driving them.  3.1 and 3.4 GM cars of the era were also pretty darn good.

 

Along with a couple previous posts, my first vehicle was a 1988 2.8 S-10 Blazer.  I put 230,000 miles on it, but we did replace the engine due to a broken crankshaft, and the transmission also failed at about 160,000 miles.  
 

I’ve had company cars as daily drivers for ~20 years now.  Several Grand Caravans, Equinox’s, and 3 Traverses.  I don’t like much the technology in new cars, but I am grateful I always have a new car to drive.  They’ve all served me well.

Edited December 21, 2023 by 39BuickEight (see edit history)

[28 Chrysler]

I had a 1962 Dodge 1/2 ton 6cyl 3spd 4:11ish posi so 60 MPH was the max.

It had a piston put in at 135,000 miles at the same time it got a clutch and a clutch master cyl and brake shoes.

I gave the truck away at just under 300,000 miles without any major repairs.

Every thing was worn out or rusted out but it always started and got me there and back.

 

[Grimy]

My primary DD is a (late, with OBD-2) 1995 Mazda B-2300 4-cyl, 5 spd pickup, purchased 18 years ago with under 11k miles (paper bar code assembly line tags still on brake lines and diff) from an estate, now close to 100k miles.  Only problem has been the fuel filler hose to tank which is apparently not available in ethanol-resistant form and thus needs replacing every 6 yrs for smog tests.

 

My tow vehicle is a 1999 (purchased new May '98) F-350 DRW 7.3 diesel with 192k now, almost 150k of which has been towing.  Still on original 4R100 trans likely due to Mag-Hytec deep pan and frequent changes.  Magnificently dependable vehicle....

[CChinn]

3 hours ago, JV Puleo said:

I drive an 89 S10...

I had a 97 Chevy S-10 as my DD.  Still regret selling it in 2013. Ran great and was fun to drive. Made travel to the beach in So Ca with my longboard so easy

[Gearheadengineer]

My commuter is a 2005 Cannondale T800 (catalog photo):

Super reliable and comfortable, although a bit heavy.

 

For longer and faster trips I go a little newer (2012). 18 pounds, electronic shifting.

Oh wait, were we talking about cars? 😀

 

We are a Subaru family thanks to a long steep driveway that likes to freeze. When a bike isn’t suitable, I drive a 2005 Forester and I love it. Reliable, cheap to maintain, goes anywhere, carries multiple bikes and a paddle board simultaneously, and fits a lot of stuff in the back.

[Bryan G]

Most important, I think, is to get beyond carburetors. I've found them very reliable on older vehicles but not once emissions became a thing. That said, I've known some 80s GM pickups with carbs that were very close to fuel injection for ease of starting and drivability. 

 

I'm on my third Dakota. The first was from their premier year, '87. I really liked that truck, and would probably buy it back if it turned up for sale, but it sure wasn't reliable. Constant carb and electrical problems. Next was a '96 which was a vast improvement, and ranks as one of my favorite vehicles of all time. Now I have an '09 which, in some ways, I don't care for as much but it's been as reliable as anything I've ever owned. And: very easy to work on. It seems as though they designed it to snap-together easy at the factory. 

 

It's mostly my wife that drives this truck, though. Since I work from home these days, I don't have anyplace I need to go daily. Which is why you can usually finding me piloting a 74 year old Chrysler to the store. 

[Angelfish]

On 12/18/2023 at 4:49 PM, Porsche 68 said:

Mercedes Benz from the 80s to 1995 are the best most reliable cars I have owned...

I drive my 1982 380SL every day and it's undoubtedly my favorite car I've ever owned.    Sort of looking for an SEL of the same vintage to drop into my lap.  

My 2000 GMC Yukon has been as reliable as a refrigerator and it's common to see them with 300,000 miles.

 

 

 

 

Edited December 22, 2023 by Angelfish (see edit history)

[SuperJonas]

My '95 Town Car has been the best daily driver for me by a long shot. 243K and still rolling along every day! Biggest repair...new rear air suspension about 10 years back. Winter, summer...makes no difference, I would drive this car anywhere! 

[Tom Boehm]

My 1994 Ford Escort was my best. 4 door hatchback with 5 speed stick shift and 1.9 L engine. That car had plenty of pep and would get about 30 MPG in regular city driving. It would get up to 40 MPG on the highway if I drove the speed limit. I am a painter and I used it as my "truck". The hatchback worked great for carrying tools and paint. I could get an 8 foot step ladder in that car. It lasted 25 years and 230,000 miles before it died. 

When I went looking for a replacement, the newer cars had lower gas mileage ratings. I couldn't figure out why. My 2017 Ford Escape is OK but I don't like it as well as the Escort. The Escape does not have as much pep, gets worse gas mileage, and is overly complicated to repair. 

The Escort wasn't overly complicated and I got better over the years at making mechanical repairs.

The big drawback to the Escort was non mechanical repairs. This car was designed to be assembled quick, easy, and cheaply but not necessarily to come apart for repairs. Too many plastic connectors that could not be removed and reused. 

Edited December 22, 2023 by Tom Boehm (see edit history)

[Bloo]

Two thumbs up for that generation of Escort with the standard equipment 1.9 engine and a stickshift. Fun and reliable. I was recommending them to anyone who would listen back in the day.

[EThomas]

To echo the Mercedes-Benz recommendation, I have a '95 E320 (w124). It's built like a tank and has never failed me. It's a quiet, comfortable cruiser that gets good gas mileage for what it is. The size is just right, as it's easily maneuverable and the turning radius is quite small. The great thing is that parts are easy to find and the running costs are quite reasonable. I would recommend a six cylinder car, as the V8's (outside of the 500E/E500) can have issues with cooling. The engine bay is just a tish too small. There's a reason Porsche essentially reworked the entire front to put a V8 in.

 

The only issues I've experienced are due to incompetent work by the dealership. That would be the one caution I would give about any older Mercedes-Benz, if you chose my path of always using a dealer for service. Make sure the dealer is familiar with the older cars and actually has someone on staff with hands on experience.

 

The W124 is the last in line of the old Mercedes-Benz philosophy of building a car that will last a lifetime. If you treat it well, it will treat you well.

[West Peterson]

On 12/20/2023 at 10:44 PM, 7th Son said:

My grandson who was born in 2001, purchased a 1991 Saturn sedan as a high school driver in 2018. The car had over 170,000 miles on it when it he bought it. Now, five years later, and God knows how many more miles (college, work,etc), it still runs and looks great. He keeps it running and looking like new and maintains it like his wise, old grandfather showed him. 

 

 

I bought a 1997 Saturn with 120,000 miles on it. Finally toasted it at around 300,000 miles. Almost 40mpg, manual transmission, roll-up windows, no power seats/door locks. If I could find another in good condition, I'd probably buy it in a heart-beat.