Steel Reserve tastes like !$#@
 

I'm in an automotive depressed state.

Drinking this crap beer.

Entertain me with anything.

What 3-5 year old car would you buy for a DD?

:brokenheart:

yaris

Mostly highway or city? Passengers? Hauling stuff?

Driving to work mostly. But im used to my old car. i liked driving it hard the double wishbone front, independent rear, 4 wheel disc brake with a fat rear sway bar. No nannies just ABS

I don't do hauling and would only sometimes drive my gf or pick up a family member.

I'm having a hard time looking at the used market. I don't trust these cars with no maintenance history. I don't trust these CVT or 100,000 miles cars that haven't had their transmission fluid ever changed or even looked at.

I think I'm being to picky but I don't know how not to be

Nothing wrong with being picky with something you have to live with every day.
Last question. Price range?

Honda Fit

Yea I was actually looking at Honda fit and more particular Scion iM/Corolla iM/Toyota Auris.

The thing is I can't stand all the new age nannies. And for a DD I don't find a way to justify the price of new/newer vehicles. That is why I ultimately decided to repair my old car before it got wrecked.

Budget is not necessarily a problem. It's just I don't want to waste money. But then it seems to get what I want I will need to spend more money. And then the newer cars have all these systems you can't disable.

Frustrating to me. I guess 30k would be the upper limit for me at this time but I REALLY don't want to spend that money. I've looked from new Forester XT, WRX to used Nissan Versa.

I'm having a hard time balancing throwing money out the window and finding a car I can live with. I bought my BRZ new and while I wouldn't say I regret it, financially it was not a good decision. I paid it off in 2 years and spent on track time and mods which is why I love it and don't regret it but not smart financially. And for a DD I would regret throwing money away in depreciation.

Mileage is no longer an indicator that a car is worn out. Sounds insane, but cars are far much better than they use to be.

what specific features are you looking for?

If you just want basic transportation, and I really am not joking here, a Yaris is perfect. Add a aftermarket suspension and the car is really fun to drive, plus it has actually won in both autocross and scca competition. Plus you can get them for 4 or 5 grand.

Why don't you just use your BRZ as a daily driver? Get a good set of snow tires, and you're good to go. You say it's not a good financial decision, does that mean you're not going to get your money out of it when it's time to sell? Then, seriously, just run it into the ground. It is paid off, after all...Just my two cents.

Mini Cooper S JCW

Best car dollar I ever spent was on my '93 BMW 325i. Plenty of room, drove and handled great, got 30mpg on highway, great in winter w/ snows, comfortable, VERY reliable. Bought it used w/ 60K on it for $8000, put another 170K miles on it myself for a total of 230K before the salt in our area ate it. Over it's lifetime with me (which was about ten years), it required an alternator, a water pump, rear springs, and a few sets of pads and rotors. That's it. I did the usual maintenance stuff, of course. Find an e36.

Or, spend a lot more money on a newer Toyota, Honda, or Subaru to get the same reliability, better mileage, and less fun driving.

Just some thoughts. Good luck.

A car 3-5 years old with nannies you can turn off? You're asking a lot here but I completely understand. I was in the same boat for a while after I paid off the FRS.

I originally bought a 2008 Honda Fit. Its a great reliable car but I got bored with it and the 2009+ have a bunch of nannies. After struggling between a bunch of newer cars, I bought a clean 1993 Honda prelude for 800 bucks, dropped a 1200 dollar JDM H22A in it. I love it for my commuter. Fun, comfy, no nannies, and cheap AF.

That worked for me, but I see how that can not be appealing to some.

Maybe a Fiesta/Focus ST?
Or a used twin? I have been considering another one but the wife and I are talking a kid soon. So I may need something other than a 2 door.

Beater Civic.

Hyundai Accents didn't even have ABS until like 2012 or something if you are looking for a no nannies vehicle. It also meets exactly none of your other criteria so :iono: