Long daily commute. Is the answer still the answer?

I drive the worlds most boring 135 miles a day commute. Flat straight Texas farm to market roads, with narry a hill or a curve. Currently I do this in a 2000 buick lesabre. I actually don't mind the car, it get's decent mileage for how big it is and floats down the boring road.

I've been looking at replacing it with a chevy sonic, ford fiesta, mazda 2 or 3, something like that. The problem is I just can't get enthused about spending 15k on a car I'm just not enthusiastic about.

I'm thinking about dumping 5k or so into my 95 M edition Miata, and making it a daily long distance commuter. Right now it has 65K miles and runs great. It has the FM VMaxx stage 2 suspension kit.

What would the miata brain trust suggest? Is this a good idea? What would yall do to build a great daily long distance commuter? I need to do something with the seat to get about 1 inch lower to pass the broomstick test. Is a foam ectomy to big of a compromise on comfort?

Looking today the frame rails are pretty beat, so i will probably either do the FM butterfly kit, or doing my own (I don't think I can actually do it cheaper, but I have cad, a waterjet and welder and it seems like a cool project)

I'm still planning on using it for monthly autocross and a couple track days a year.

For such a boring drive, I'd stick with big comfy cars.

For such a long drive, I'd either move closer to work, or find a different job. I would say something that is comfy and gets good mileage is what you need.

I was going to do a few delayed maintenance on the buidk for bad weather days and moving the kids around. I just would rather take my kids to europe in a year or so than buy another car I'm not passionate about.

I've driven my 90 NA miata to a race track about a total of 5 hours away and it was extremely miserable. For that kind of highway commuting I'd probably be looking for a mk4 jetta TDI with working cruise control. Even at 80mph you'd be looking at 45-46mpg

I sold mine for 4500 or so last year(The Jetta). Get a base model and besides timing belts there isnt much to go wrong with them.

But I guess the big question is, do you care about better mileage or just want your boring commute to be more exciting, I don't think anything is going to make the commute more exciting.

The other thing too is at 135miles a day a new car would be depreciating like mad so you are better off with something where miles dont matter (IE something with 100k+ that you know can be reliable to 300k+)

The only thing that can make a long boring road more abominable is an enthusiast car that can handle the curves. It would be soul wrenching to never be able to put it through it's paces.

Buy a Prius with Sirius and enjoy the tunes.

I do an hour commute (30 minutes each way) in a modified Miata. It's not exactly a Miata-friendly road for most of it, most is flat and straight and a steady 40 mph over roads that are degrading.

I've done a lot of little things to make it suitable for the job - extra sound deadening under the rear deck, customized seat foam, custom gauges and wheel to make it feel good, a sound system that isn't crazy powerful but has good reproduction. I've taken the time to chase down and fix buzzes and rattles, and installed good lights. It's not a bad place to spend the time. Definitely not miserable.

A foamectomy is the exact opposite of a mod that compromises comfort. If you simply whack off a chunk of foam where the internet told you to, maybe. But when I do it, I sculpt the foam all over. Back, sides, base - up as high as my shoulders. When you're done, you've got a seat that feels as if it's custom-fit to you. Which it is.

They're always going to be noisier and smaller and thirstier than some of the other options. But you own the car, which makes it a good starting point for building something you like to drive on a reasonable budget.

How much quieter was your car with a hardtop? Part of my issue is probably soft top related. It felt as loud as motorcycling without ear plugs on the highway.

I'm about to have to start a similar commute, but I will probably have to do it in a truck.

Hardtops help a lot. More visibility, less wind noise.

I forgot to mention - my car does have a Butterfly Brace (it was actually one of the prototype cars for it) and a couple of other braces. Helps make the suspension more comfortable.

Ugh, for that mission, I'd just keep the LeSabre til it dies, then buy another comfy mile-eating midsize car to replace it. You could probably buy a couple of disposable commuters for 5k.

I had a 96 that I used for my 100 up to 300 miles per-day drive. I found the Miata to be an ultimately boring commuter if that's how it's driven and/or you have no fun roads to drive it on.

No moving or different jobs until the kids get out of school, at least 8 years. The job is so good I'm ok with the commute.

Keith do you have a build thread for that miata (is it the blue Janels miata?)

I guess this is my semi mid life crisis.

While I could afford a new car, I just have so many things I'd rather spend the money on. I known two most limited resources are time and money and I'm not willing to give anything much of either if I'm not excited about it.

Some nice upgrades to the miata and take my kids to Italy with the difference? That I can get excited about

petegossett wrote: I had a 96 that I used for my 100 up to 300 miles per-day drive. I found the Miata to be an ultimately boring commuter if that's how it's driven and/or you have no fun roads to drive it on.

I couldn't agree more! However that also applies to anything else you might be commuting with in that scenario. The only exception is, in my opinion, a Drama Queen which might break down or "cease to proceed" at any moment. And that isn't a ride I want while commuting and the failures enroute to/from work sure aren't fun!

My Honda Fit is a great high MPG commuter car and of course while commuting, it and everything else while commuting is boring. Which if you have to get some place on a regular basis without huge drama events, is a good thing! But in handling and lane changing, it is somewhat fun. Nothing to write home about, but a ton more fun than a SUV.

If I had to choose only one ride for commuting and non commuting, I'd choose one that was boringly dependable and economical while commuting. Yet also fun when not commuting, I.E. a Miata!

I'd stick with the Buick. You should be getting 30mpg, not many cars that size can manage it. (And certainly not at that price point)

Books on tape? Learn a foreign language?

I always enjoyed driving the Miata and long trips or commutes were just a longer time spent enjoying the car, so it was all good.

Did 4 years of long haul commute (80 miles each way)in the NA and maybe a dozen 1000 mile days in the saddle over the ten years I drove it.

Maybe do a look around for a used FRS as it is another enjoyable place to spend time.

Stick with the Buick and take the kids to Europe, assuming they are old enough to enjoy and appreciate it. I guaranty you won't regret it.

icaneat50eggs wrote: No moving or different jobs until the kids get out of school, at least 8 years. The job is so good I'm ok with the commute. Keith do you have a build thread for that miata (is it the blue Janels miata?)

Yup, that's the car. No build thread because it's just my daily driver and it's been slowly evolving over the years. It's funny, though - because I spend an hour a day in the car and I can't help thinking about it, it's become a well sorted little machine. Its role now seems to be surprising people. TopSpeed.com ended up doing a feature on it and you'll see it in the next issue of Zoom Zoom magazine. My boss took it for a spin the other day to test a new suspension I've been honing, and he was really surprised at how well it works. In a shop full of very special cars, it seems to get some attention. It's not the fastest, it's not the most modified, it's not shouty. It's just complete.

Anyhow, I ramble. If you want to turn your Miata into a DD for a long commute, you have my support. I know it can be done, and it's not that much of a penalty box. I have the choice of some other pretty good cars to use on that trip and I'll pull one out once in a while for it. But the Miata is the go-to.

icaneat50eggs wrote: I guess this is my semi mid life crisis. While I could afford a new car, I just have so many things I'd rather spend the money on. I known two most limited resources are time and money and I'm not willing to give anything much of either if I'm not excited about it. Some nice upgrades to the miata and take my kids to Italy with the difference? That I can get excited about

While keeping the Bu-ick? Yep, that sounds like the correct course of action.

The only way you'd convince me that your plan was wise is if the car you were replacing the Buick with had about double the mpg's. Even then, its not bad to stare out at the world and think while cruising down the highway with cruise control on... something the stone reliable buick will do for 100's of 1000's of miles.

I have an extremely similar situation to what you're considering, and I vote against that kind of a commute in a miata. I drive 60 miles each way for work in my 97 miata with the same FM Vmaxx "stage 2" suspension setup. The drive is pretty much all highway, and total time in the car is a bit over 1h each direction. I have a hardtop and a foamectomy - both huge improvements for a daily driver.

The cramped interior isn't a big deal to me, but my biggest grievance is probably how loud the cabin is. I can barely hear my music at highway speeds and all that white noise is just so fatiguing to deal with for 2+ hours per day. The visibility is generally excellent with a hardtop, but there are a few scenarios that can really stink for me - namely, stop lights and when the sun is low on the horizon (I can't see the road with the visors down). Your visibility to other drivers is also reduced on account of being so small, and I've noticed a LOT more instances of people not seeing me on the highway and trying to merge into me. Gas mileage stinks, the heat and a/c are both big underperformers for me (although I hear my experiences with the heater are different than most), but I have to credit the car for it's reliability. 201k miles and it hasn't missed a beat in the 50k miles I've been driving it.

Overall, I love my miata and hope to keep one in my stable in the future... but as for right now, it just isn't the right tool for the job. Everything that makes this car fun is sapped away in my commute. I get very few chances to really enjoy that connected to the road feeling or take advantage of the nimble handling. if I were in your shoes, I'd hold onto that Buick... atleast until you've tried the miata out as a commuter and decided if you can live with it or not. For me, I'm going to move to an E30...

I don't think you need a new car.

Stick with the known quantities you've got.

Upgrade the Miata step by step, then try it. If you don't like it, go back to the Buick. If you like it better, you can get rid of the Buick.

Either way, it wont stop you from going to Italy!

In reply to Rupert:

My wife ended up getting a Fit Sport, and since we were commuting together at that point I was driving it primarily. It was a much better car for the job, and I still really enjoy driving it long distances.

I do 140 a day (70 each way) on boring flat roads as well. Over the 12 years I've been doing it I've had 3 miata's in the rotation, they kinda suck for the job.

I'm currently using the Abarth as my primary commuter and it's ok at it but all things being equal I'd drive my Marauder every day of the week if I didn't mind putting the miles on it.

Big, comfortable and a little power makes for a good commuter.