What long-distance commuter car?

The problem with being "the car guy" in the family is that everyone you know or are related to (or that your relatives know) wants advice on what car to buy...

A close friend needs a car that is comfortable for long trips, reliable, reasonable on fuel and is fun to drive. Here's where it gets interesting - it has to be under $5K.

He has owned 1980's & 1990's vintage Mercedes and shares my opinion that they drive like Buicks and are too expensive to fix. I say old Porsche 928 with a 5-speed, but then, I'm biased (not to mention that 928s don't get reasonable fuel economy and are Porsche-expensive to fix).

Anybody have any inspired ideas?

• BMW E34 535i
• Acura TL
• I have tons more but need to go drinking right now...

Check out the Grassroots GT thread. It might have some useful ideas.

For those parameters, I think my choice would be an Accord with a few suspension tweaks. An older Volvo might be interesting, but I don't have any experience with older Volvos.

Million Mile Honda

http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=543

Honda Accord or a Honda Civic

What else?

Right now, I'd sacrifice a little comfort for mpg....that being said, I'd go for maybe a 2000+ Saturn SC or an '03-'04 diesel Jetta.

The civic is an excellent choice. Our '05 takes us on thousand-mile trips effortlessly, and returns 40mpg with an automatic. It's suprisingly nimble too. You can find an earlier example for under $5k these days.

Look for a 96-98 Passat TDI. If they get the wagon, it's possible to go 1200 miles on a tank.

I'd go for the 98-02 Accord V6. They have 2nd gear problems, so watch out when buying, but as a highway cruiser you shouldn't have any trouble. They ride great, have tons of space, and get decent fuel economy (32-36 highway).

The 4 cylinders do just fine, I just like the 6 for the extra torque. The 4-bangers only trouble is clogging the EGR passages in the intake manifold, which is an easy fix.

Civic's are great, the larger Accord just gives a better ride quality.

How 'bout my Metro Gran Turismo?

Just kidding. They are mileage champs, but only double amputees consider them comfortable for long hauls.

If it could be over $5 I would recommend a Acura TSX.

Under $5k:
Infiniti G20
Nissan Maxima/Infiniti i30
Volvo 850, I very much like my 850 wagon on the road.

My criteria include climate control hvac. I think that is a nice feature when you are in the car for long periods. I dislike what otherwise seems like constant adjustment of the HVAC controls

I'll sell my 5 spd SVX in that price range, but it's not too good on gas. Huge in the giggles department, definitely comfortable for the long haul, but not too good on gas.

E36 323, 325, or 328. Mine gets over 31 MPG on the highway (328is, 5 spd.)

my volvo 700's where about the most perfect HW car i've ever had... other then the low 20mpg... don't know if the FWD models have the same comfort but i wouldn't be surprised if they did...

that being said... about any FWD mid sized sedan with a v6 that i've been in has been nice for racking up miles... assuming the seat has a decent bit of support.

I agree on thr civics and accords. Can't beat their miliage, reliablity, and comfort for that price

I love the TDI Passat idea.

One criteria is that the seats have to be comfortable for long trips, as he has chronic back pain from a motorcycle accident.

I really like VW seats, but the car isn't for me...

I would buy an early Lexus LS400, it would be perfect for long distance commuting. Luxurious, super reliable, comfortable and can be easily had for under $5000 in good condition. Not to mention the 1UZ engines easily go 300K+ with good maintenance!

In reply to M030:

its pretty diffcult to find a honda under 5k that hasnt been flogged, when I was looking I was able to find quite a few late 90's es300's and acuras that were well maintained and in good shape. However an es300 or acura tl isnt that much fun to drive.

I wouldn't call the TDI reliable by any means. The engine itself is fine, but the VW that surrounds it is a nightmare.

Civic, Accord, Corolla, Camry; all can be had in generous trim with excellent reliability and mileage. The Focus is a little Magoo, but should be considered. How about a clean older Mercedes diesel?

I agree with the Volvo 850 or even a S70/V70 (I don't know what pricing is like on those these days). Volvo seats are orthopedic and sooooo comfortable, especially with the seat heaters on for a bad back, and the cars are basically reliable and get decent mileage. I also like the idea of the LS400 for a car to eat highway miles but I don't know what the mpg is like on them.

Look into the Grand Prix GTP as well. It's an excellent highway cruiser. The looks are unassuming (especially in Silver or Black) so you can glide by the cops, the Supercharged, GN-based, 3.8L V6 makes great torque and HP, mods are plentiful, and the interior is large and comfy. We've road tripped Audra's non-S/C GT for 300-mile each-way trips and had a blast. Dual-zone climate control, sunroof, leather, and CD changers are some of the options you can find. $5K will net you a mint example in your year choice. Plus 2-door or 4, take your pick.

I'm with P71, for long comfortable cruising, 3800 powered anything from GMs are cheap and comfy, if he can get over FWD and an autotragic. If he wants 'nice' go for a Cadillac, but make sure he knows up front about headgasket jobs on a N*, besides that, the rest of the jobs are manageable on them. I just sold my basically all new fixed up 1998 Eldorado Touring Coupe for $3800, that would have left alot of money for gas, or repairs. I regularly drove it 1000 miles one way to and fro my family in CT, I live in Atlanta. That car made that trip feel almost like riding on a sweet leather recliner the whole way...

940 Turbo.

Comfortable and super adjustable seats and good power with a couple of small tweaks.

If we are going to throw out the ideas of Eldorado and Grand Prix then what about the combination of the two, the 1998 Buick Riviera?
Eldorado-ish big 2 door with a 3800 in SC form or not.

Of course in the original post there was a complaint about "riding like a Buick."

The problem with a lot of GM products, at least to me, is that the seats are garbage. Comparing the seats in my last daily, an '88 Mazda 626 Turbo, to my current daily, a 1999 Olds Intrigue makes me wonder how GM got things so wrong compared to Mazda getting things so right. I've seen on here that the seats in the old 626 were a basic Recaro seat, and that's fine, because it got me a nice place to sit. That's Mazda getting it right.

How is it that no one's suggested a P71 yet?