Ask Lemmy

2022 Chevy Bolt EUV. EV with plenty of space and comfortable. Good mileage and never pay for gasoline again.

2013 Toyota 86. My parents bought it for me when I lived in Perth. Love it to death: the looks, the way it drives everything. Since moving to Melbourne It's been sitting in a parking spot for 6 months. I feel terrible for it. If anyone knows any nice places to take it for a day trip or a couple day city getaway I'd love to know.

So much makes it mine but if I had to pick one thing it's the work I've done on it. I've done services, given it new wheels (after crashing and wrecking the old ones lol) and replaced parts. One particular thing I really enjoyed doing was getting a replacement throw-out bearing for it. A big moment for me was arguing with my dad about what was causing problems; listening to my gut over his advice and doing a massive job of taking out the gearbox and clutch. Im still riding the high I felt when I saw that rusted fucked up throw-out bearing. So happy that I managed to do such a big replacement part job without any issues.

2019 Subaru Crosstrek.

When I was buying a new car I wanted three things:

1. Manual transmission
2. Hatchback
3. All-wherl drive

Turns out there were only three cars that checked those boxes in the US for manufacturing year 2019: a Ford Focus RS (too expensive), a Mini Cooper Countryman (too Mini Cooper), and a Subaru Crosstrek. So I got the Crosstrek.

I'm driving an orange MG4.

I moved back in France almost a year ago and needed a family car, I wanted a car that would serve me for at least the next decade.

For me anything else than an EV was not making sense so I got the second cheapest EV I could get at the time.

I got it new because at the time second hand EVs were almost or even more expensive than getting a new one.

I don't have a car, but I sometimes drive my wife's car which is a Volvo S60.
Before I moved countries I had a green Opel Agila, and what made it mine was that I played in cash for it.

2022 Porsche Taycan 4S Cross Turismo

• It's electric and electricity is cheap in the Seattle area, especially from 11pm to 7am for me when it's $0.044 per kwh
• It charges very quickly on roadtrips, up to 270 kw or 5%-80% in about 20 minutes (did Seattle to Vegas and back in it!)
• it's a wagon so it's very practical. both our big dogs fit in there and we've taken them on some shorter roadtrips. I even got a roofbox for it, and it didn't impact the range as badly as I'd feared
• the driving experience is wonderful. it's not even close to the fastest Taycan but the 4S even at second lowest trim is without question fast enough, but the real enjoyment comes from the handling on top of that, it's just so so so good
• keeps up with GT3 RS at the track, though that might be more about GT3 RS owners babying their cars than anything else
• its comfy and quiet and communicative

While I'm not exactly thrilled about the massive depreciation, I don't see any other car now or in the foreseeable future that can also do all the things it does well without being a fucking SUV or crossover or truck.

Also if Taycans get cheap enough for more people to get into them, I hope more people do, cuz even the absolute lowest spec, zero options, smallest battery sedan is a solidly excellent car

2020 Hyundai Elantra SEL 50k miles. After the Impala’s electrics started going out at 200k I wanted a vehicle that I knew the maintenance history of. I got a good deal on a demonstrator model with 3k miles on it, right before the market went to hell – I figured it would and I needed transportation because I went back to work.

I just needed a go box, but wanted car play. I knew the Elantra was one of the best selling cars, so in the long run parts would be available. I took a gamble on the CVT transmission because it’s Hyundai’s first go at it with this model, but all my other options were CVT.

It’s still a young vehicle, but it’s standard change oil and make sure it has fuel. That’s what I wanted.

My other half is more progressive. A belt-driven long range e-bike charged by solar.

2015 Ford Focus ST

Traded in my 11 WRX for it after Subaru tried to dick me around on a warranty claim. It's got 128k on it now and it's been rock fuckin solid dependable outside of the gas tank sucking itself inside out lol. Ford handled that.

A Ford F-150. Where I live it just makes sense for every family to have one truck, so I have the truck while my wife has the more sensible / fuel efficient Honda.

2007 Toyota Prius because it gets 45mpg and I have to drive about 45 miles to get to work

2006 Nissan Frontier for when I need a truck. It has the same specs as the Tacoma, just as reliable, and a lot cheaper in the used market.

2015 grand caravan. Great family car, two reason it's not a Honda or Toyota, 10 000$ price difference at the time that my low mileage does not justify but the main point is the stow and go. It turn the family car into a light cargo in seconds.

I've got a Seat Alhambra. It is basically a VW Sharan, but cheaper, and I bought it for space. Seven seats if needed, five with quite some space for transporting things, and down to two seat and a lot of space if that is needed (and I ran this configuration twice in the last three weeks, so it is not something once-in-a-cars-lifetime like.

It also has a trailer hitch which allows me to pull 1.8t. That's a feature I have only tried to see how it works out, pulling a trailer around the block and doing some reversing and parking with it to see how it works, but the hitch was included and might be needed next year, so I'm fine with that.

I originally wanted to buy an electric car, but at that time, most electric cars were overpriced matchboxes on wheels, so they were simply useless for me. At the moment, the VW ID Buzz is one electric model that would do size-wise, but it is way, way too expensive, and it is ugly as f-ck to boot. If prices and design have reached acceptable levels, maybe the next one will be electric.

2023 Kia EV6

I was driving a 2004 Chevy cobalt, it was paid off and the motor wouldn’t stop working, that’s all the good that could be said about it, everything else was falling apart. One day the AC stopped working, so I went to roll the manual window down, and the handle came off in my hand. I decided I was done. I knew I wanted at least a hybrid, preferably a plugin hybrid, maybe a full EV if the price was right. They are way more efficient than a traditional ICE, and with less maintenance. I knew I also wanted cooled seats, summer’s in the southeastern US can be brutal.

It happened to be near the end of the year, the dealership was in the process of unloading the 2024 model cars, and they only had 2 2023 models left that fit my requirements, so I got a brand new car with options for less than base MSRP, and I completely skipped the hybrid / plug in hybrid phase.

2021 GMC Canyon.

I never wanted a truck, but with home ownership and Saskatchewan winters I learned early enough that they do come in handy for renovations and such. Also, the older I get, the less I want to groan getting into and out of a vehicle, so the higher the ride, the better for my back.

But I still didn't want to go full truck (half-tonne). So I compromised and got a quarter-tonne. Useful enough for day to day stuff, but with a V6 engine isn't really any worse on fuel than your average SUV.

2007 Toyota 4runner

I have a lot of outdoorsy hobbies and am an avid DIYer, so I need something with room for gear/lumber/etc. a roof rack to strap on my kayak or other bulky gear, a trailer hitch to tow small trailers or put a bike rack or basket on to carry a cooler and such when there's no more room in my trunk, and some space for friends and/or my dog. Some ground clearance is nice for when I find myself on shitty deeply rutted dirt roads, and 4wd for when I drive onto the beach to go fishing. I'm also an essential worker (911 dispatch) who has to be able to get to work in the snow, and I work a weird shift that sometimes has me commuting before plows have been through.

I don't really go "off roading," I'm not going out looking for mud and Rocks to go driving over for it's own sake, but I do sometimes, in the course of whatever else I'm doing, have to drive off the road.

I also sometimes camp in my car, and it's nice to be able to fit an air mattress in the back, it's a bit tight but it works.

It's also the used car I could afford when my previous one got totaled on me.

My previous cars have been roughly the same sort of midsized SUVs- 2000 Isuzu Trooper (I really loved that car) and 2006 Chevy Trailblazer (it did everything I needed to but I was less of a fan, nothing in that car was quite where I thought it should be) so I've kind of dialed in that that's the right size vehicle for me.

Ideally I'd like to have a small EV for most of my daily commuting and errands, and then a (small) 4x4 pickup truck for when I need it. Something like the old ford rangers (the new ones are bigger than I need) with an extended cab (not a full crew cab, just some back jump seats) and a 6 or 7ft bed. The maverick shows some promise, I'm hoping they add a midgate when they refresh it in a couple years.

But I don't have the parking space or budget for 2 cars, so the midsize suv is kind of the compromise I'm stuck with.

My family has always had good luck with Toyotas, and I like my 4runner well enough, if I had the budget to be picky and needed a car, there's a good chance I'd be looking at 4runners, though unless my financial and parking situations get better my next car will probably be whatever 10+ year old midsized SUV comes my way when this one goes (still going strong though, slowly inching up on 200k miles and still no major issues)

dodge grand caravan. main reason is my wife has a large amount of medical issues and the captains chairs have the longest time till pain for her along with it being at this sorta perfect but height such that you don't have to lift into it but you also don't drop onto it. Its also super versatile and for a non car vehicle gets decent gas mileage. unfortunately they killed it to push their pacifica whos seats are not as good. we need to check out some of the others like honda or toyota now. on the upside if they work out. way better reliability.

An obnoxiously bright Scion tC. I bought it while in college but can’t really afford to replace it now that it’s paid off. I’m going to 40 and still driving that thing, I swear. I’m just not willing to work 30 jobs to make rent, bills, and a car payment work.

Our family car is a Nissan Murano. One of the few 5 seaters wide enough to fit 3 car seats. I also have a LWB Nissan titan that I love to death, but is always giving me shit, and I just don’t utilize enough to justify keeping. Once I fix what ever the hell is currently wrong with it it’s getting sold :(

Focus ST, great blend of quick, fun, utility, and reasonably efficient.

2010 (I think) Ford Fiesta.

Because it's what I have available to drive.

I've got a road bike for short distances and take the train for longer distances. For all other trips, I rent a car. On a normal year, this works out to zero times.

My 2005 highlander has cost me nothing but tires, fuel and batteries. Oh, and a serpentine belt. Very reliable and gas efficient and doubles as a bit of a truck as needed. I doubt I'll do this well on my next vehicle.

2004 Nissan 350Z Roadster Touring.

Bought it because I don't fit into a Miata. I like having a more powerful engine too.

I'd like to eventually buy an EV, but modern cars suck. They're too big and handle like shit because of their size and electric steering. I want something small and nimble that is reasonably fast and handles like a dream; the 350Z checks all of those boxes. Literally point the car where you want to go, and it just goes there, even with all the driver assists turned off. I see why it's a popular drift car.

Ford focus RS.
My old car was sporty (RX8), and I wanted another sporty car, but I wanted AWD because I was done with RWD in the snow. I needed a 4 door, because I was planning to have a kid. That really limited my options.
I liked the AWD system in the focus over the WRX STI or Golf R.
I don't really like it anymore, though. It's a really rough ride, and the seats are uncomfortable for long trips. And it's kind of a boring car when it's not snowing.

My wife has an Hyundai Elantra GT. It's pretty much the only car we use now, it's way more comfortable to drive.

We're probably gonna sell both of them and get an Ioniq 5.

I have three vehicles right now.

My daily driver is a 2020 Chevy Malibu. It is spacious, fast, and comfortable, and it gets pretty good gas mileage. About 30 miles per gallon on the highway and about 22 in the city.

I have a pickup truck, which is a 2004 f150. It's a good vehicle for hauling furniture or helping friends move or for the occasional camping trip. It's four-wheel drive. It has rear seats, and honestly other than the fact that it's a relatively slow vehicle and that it gets horrible fuel mileage at like 17 mpg combined, I enjoy having it.

Finally, I have a project / fun car, which is a yellow 1986 Jeep CJ7. Has the inline slant 6 4.2 258 motor, hardtop, and is constantly in need of repair, lol.

My hope is to have it finished up by summer and take it on a camping trip and go do a little off-roading, but for the most part it just sits in my driveway and looks beautiful.

My annual insurance runs about $2,800 for all three vehicles. If I got rid of two of them I could probably cut that down to 1200 or so.

I drive a 2013 honda civic (200k km). Because No monthly payments, thing works great and is super cheap to fix (most of which I can do myself).

Cars these days just aren't worth it, you get an EV or Hybrid and at the first repair it's 15k and you might as well throw it out.