So I bought a C6 partially because of /o/'s recommendation. It's great, and I love driving it. However, I just got a job that's 50ish miles from my house and I have to commute every day. I don't think spending $20 on gas and driving 100 miles on my Corvette is very practical, so I'm looking at getting a beater that gets decent gas mileage, and that I won't feel bad driving into the ground.Wondering if anyone on the board has recommendations. My budget is around $3,000, I'd be willing to go up to $5,000 if it was really cool. Obviously going to be used, probably from Facebook marketplace.It needs to get good gas mileage, ideally at least 30 mpg combined. Bonus points if I can find one with a manual transmission. And hopefully it's something easy to work on, because I typically do all my own maintenance.Right now I'm thinking:>7th, or 9th gen civic>mazda3>toyota matrix, prius, or yaris>2nd gen ford fusion, preferably without the DCT>honda fit if I can find a good deal
I’m here because Misato. Best waifu.Why would you spend thousands on a beater that will need thousands in repairs and more insurance payments, just to not drive your corvette?Trade it in for a hot compact or grand tourer?
>>29026152>Why would you spend thousands on a beater that will need thousands in repairs and more insurance paymentsI've done the math. It's cheaper. Think about it. $20 a day for 260 workdays a year is $5,000 a year. And it's 26,000 miles on my C6. It's cheaper to just buy a 3,000 POS that only costs $5 a day. Insurance is probably around $100 a month, cheaper if I do liability only.>Trade it inNever.
V6 Challenger>but muh manuel ZF8 is superior
>>29026163this would get worse gas mileage than my C6...no?
>>29026158Okay? But then you don’t get to drive a corvette every day. Put your spreadsheets away.and listen to your own desires. You got the vette for a reason, right?
>>29026170Yeah, but the pain of racking up 20,000 miles a year and spending $600/month on gas outweighs the joy of driving it and getting to work on it. Also, I just can't afford to be spending nearly 10% of my income on fuel. When I bought it I worked 5 minutes from my house and it wasn't a big deal. But now I live an hour away. I do what I can to minimize it.I would rather buy a car I can drive into the ground and destroy that, and then save my C6 for grocery runs and drives around town with my friends. Especially when buying a beater is basically the same price as driving the corvette, and I get to pass the mileage onto a car I don't care about. It's fun, but driving my C6 everyday is going to stress me out even if I know how to work on it.
>>29026166mine gets 30+ mpg on the highway, it takes regular gas and e85 and doesn't have mds/dod/afm or whatever 4 cylinder eco mode cuck shit is bolted to your corvette. the v6 chally would be just as economical on the highway and even moreso in surface traffic which is really where your vette is struggling.
>>2902614690s civic
>>29026177the LS3 doesn't have cylinder deactivation or anything, but you're right that the main killer is that it takes 91 instead of 87. it's more efficient than you would think, i get probably 25-26 on the highway. i'm just not sure i want another sports car, much less a v6 one, when i already have the c6.>>29026178i used to have a 99 si, mad at myself for selling it. they're hard to find in good condition. not sure if it would fit in my 3000-5000 budget unless it was run into the ground. and any 5th gen is going to need work regardless of who owned it just because it's 30 years old.
>>29026174I get it. But imo you’d be better served with a GT car like a stinger or shoopra. Maybe mustang or Camaro. Why get the car you want only to find reasons not to drive it? That’s an expensive art piece. You don’t even have kids, live the vette life while you can.
>>29026180>99 si>C6Nice car history anon
>>29026180>i get probably 25-26 on the highway.Then you don’t need another car, what’s the problem? My Miata gets 17-23 mpg, my last base model Impreza got 18-23. You wouldn’t save money getting a beater after repairs and everything just to get 5 more mpg.
>>29026146toyota paseo. they're like $900. old though, but most of them are in actually pretty decent condition. a quick oil change, timing belt, fix the intake leaks it inevitably has after 30 years, and you get a 40mpg coupe with a manual. the trunks pretty spacious too.
>>29026184i mean i'm not going to stop driving it completely. I can't afford a new GT car. I got my C6 for only around 22,000 dollars. And I won't fit in a camaro. I could've gotten a mustang, guess I just decided against it. The LS3 was too elite to pass up.>>29026188it takes 91, that's the problem. your impreza and your miata probably take 87. premium costs $4.50 a gallon where I live (for a while it was over 5 dollars). and that's 25 on the highway, not combined. in the city it's closer to like 15 mpg. The combined mpg is closer to 22. Just from looking at my bank account, it costs me around $20 a day to go to work and back home. Most cars would cost half that if not less.
>>29026188miatas get horrible mpg desuthe bigger problem is going to be a 2nd insurance payment, why im personally considering downsizing from 2 cars to 1 "do-all" car considering my commute is 25-30 miles a dayop look for a mirage; wouldn't hesitate to buy a 100k mile one
>>29026191I get that. I used to have an STi tuned for 93+ only, and the ‘08 market crash happened.You’re talking about saving pennies to not drive the car you want to. If you want to save, trade it in for a used GT car with decent mileage.I don’t see the point in what you’re proposing. If you can’t afford to drive the vette, buying another car just so you don’t have to drive it seems idiotic. Trade it for a fun car that takes 87. No reason to spend your youth driving a complete turd when you clearly like cars.But you do you, that’s just my advice.
>>29026193not op but I don't think he's doing anything that crazy. 100 miles a day on the highway in an expensive toy isn't worth $5k/year plus all the depreciation and wear from all those miles. imo highway miles in a fun car is the same as highway miles in a "whatever" car. if it was backroads then i agree, but as it stands there isn't really a good point in wearing out a vette going 70 for 40 minutes and paying out the ass for the privilege.
>>29026193>saving pennies to not drive the car you want toI get in the short term it might look like a waste, but I'm thinking long term. i want to keep my C6 for a while. I don't want to get rid of it, I just got it a year ago. I'd like to keep it in good condition. Up until recently, that was easy, as I was only driving 500 miles a month.FWIW I really don't think I could go down to a mustang now. The C6 is just so perfect. I love the way it drives.You're right, I like cars. I'll probably own at least two cars for the rest of my life. Ideally I'll be buying a more sensible second car once I can afford one. So why destroy my C6 just so I can commute to and from work? It's only got 83,000 miles on it right now. If I keep up this current pace by the time I buy that second car it'll have double that on it.Maybe you're right though. I might kick this second car can down the road several months. But I definitely want to do as much maintenance as possible on the C6. The idea of running 500 miles a week makes me uncomfortable. Corvettes are reliable but they're still nice cars and I want to keep mine in good condition.>>29026195this
>>29026195I get it. But why not get a cheaper fun car that he can drive every day?It’s a “oh I’ll drive it this weekend” thing, then one a month, then you have a family blah blah, and you’ve driven 99% of the last 10 years in a Nissan Rogue while owning a corvette.What’s the point?
>>29026198i get where you're coming from. i guess it depends on OP. it would suck to fall into the "yea only on weekends" trap, but i don't think that has to be the fate of OP's c6. i have a $1200 corolla that I take to work, and then fun car that I take for everything except work, which works fine for me.
>>29026180a stock v6 chally with fresh plugs, tires, and oil can achieve over 30mpg average on flat ground with granny driving, in particular using the manual mode with the cruise control on the force the car to stay in 8th gear. i have seen avg highs of 34 on super long distance highway drives.having a tazer to force the eco mode on the transmission so it shortshifts is also good for a couple empeegees.realistically, driving the car as it should be driven with no special software hacks or pixie dust i get around 26 combined. not just highway, everywhere.if it were me and i didn't need an suv or pickup for whatever reason and i already had my holy grail of cars, i would just buy another sports car, a cheaper or more economical one, on purpose. you're not buying it to flex it's there to do work. i like challys and all but v6 camaros are cool too and come in manual. i just think the challenger platform is the better daily due to having better cabin visibility and more interior space and otherwise not being some piece of shit ford.
>>29026205i guess...i just think buying an automatic v6 kinda defeats the whole purpose of buying a sports car? how is that even a sports car anymore. no offense. you wouldn't really use that for motorsports. the only plus would be RWD which I already have in the corvette. the early models of the v6 from the late 2000s are probably slower than my old B16 civic.why not buy something more practical like a hot hatch that i can put stuff in the back of, or a sedan that can seat five people (yes i know those pony cars have back seats, they suck). and at that point it probably gets 30+ mpg with regular driving, no tricks.
>>29026202yeah i mean this pretty much sums it up.I want to balance finding a beater that won't keep me up at night worrying that it's gonna blow up while also keeping it cheap and fuel efficient enough that it justifies not driving the corvette unless I want to.
>>29026209nigga get real, you are buying it to commute, unironically who gives a fuck about motorsports? the lx cars are a well balanced double wishbone rwd platform with fun handling dynamics not too dissimilar to a large miata. they're not boring to drive like a fwd transverse mcdonalds cuckbox a la korea et japan. why drive a dorky camry or some gook shit when a v6 camaro or chally is 10x cooler and functionally the same car?it is true though stay away from 08-10 v6 challys with the 3.5 they are dogshitthe 11-14 pentastar with nag1 is barely acceptable but fun if super cheapthe 15-23 pentastar with zf8 is unironically the greatest shitbox ever made
>>29026218NTA but double wishies and rwd feel identical to maccas and fwd for a commute, the experience of driving to work will be exactly the same. at least with a hot hatch or a camry you could find one with a manual and have a shifter to fondle while you're stuck at a light
>>29026222>double wishies and rwd feel identical to maccas and fwd for a commute
>>29026227>his commute is a drift competition followed up with 4 laps of the burgerkingoh my bad the rest of us were talking about normal commutes where you drive in a straight line on the highway for 40 minutes.
>>29026227He's right though. Under normal driving conditions where you drive like an NPC and follow the speed limit, it feels the same.
>>29026146Corvette gets pretty decent mileage on the highway, no? Decent aero, long gearing and enough torque to sit in 6th at idle RPM at highway speeds. You should be able to get 35+ MPG by hypermiling it.>>29026180The LS is effectively a truck engine remade in aluminium, it doesn't care about fuel. Your Corvette will happily sip on that sweet 87.
>>29026233>The LS is effectively a truck engine remade in aluminium, it doesn't care about fuel. Your Corvette will happily sip on that sweet 87.Just looked it up, this guy is right. You can run a C6 on 87 octane, it detects it and retards timing; won't hurt the engine.
>>29026228>>29026230>mcdonalds strutlets implying that their structurally weak traveling contact patch camber gaining dogshit feels the same as f1-derived mathematically perfect force isolating double bonesonramps, off ramps, dodging karens, outmanuvering jaykwon, no you're not racing per se but handling performance matters most in a commuter. v8s are fine if you're busting the speed limit but here you're trying to stay precisely at the speed limit at all times which requires top notch handling.macfags' wifes son struts simply can't keep up
>>29026238god this board is insufferable
>>29026240It's just him.I agree with him though. Wishbones are noticeably better and cost next to nothing to add, purely guessing, $40 a car if it was designed for it originally. As he said, they're better for emergency maneuvers too. Why not want better suspension instead of some interior gimmick that costs more? The reason they don't add wishbones is because they take up a tiiiiny bit of trunk space.
>>29026241you can really feel the difference between double bones and maccas on uneven highways. barrelling ahead being totally unaffected by road imperfections is the double bones specialty.the maccas basically jolt the entire car under compression because not only does the contact patch move inward but the whole shebang bump-steers outwards while double bones tend to glide smoothly over imperfections with compression not affecting the geometry of the car's track or its steering much at all
>We didn't include wishbones because they were too expensiveMeanwhile, picrel...
>>29026246modern honda is boneless unless you get an ugly acura and even then it's still transverse fwd slop
>>29026247Yeah, but they used to not be. They used to even fit front bones with transverse engines between them.I'd pick bones over (for example) an air conditioned seat or heated steering wheel any day.
Diesel Volkswagen Polo
>>29026295passat would be better for highway commutesmade for the 'bahn
>>29026146If you're dead set on buying a commuter, I would personally try to find Mercedes Diesel or 6 cylinder w212 or w204 for around 5-6 grand. I had a toyota matrix manual as a beater and that car made me realize that a somewhat nice car interior does in fact matter. So if you're gonna spend money on a car that's going to get you to work, might as well do it with a comfortable interior and good suspension. That generation of Mercs were also pretty damn solid reliability wise and I know the v6 is easy to work on as well. Of the options you chose, I'd probably go with a ford fusion or honda fit though.
>>29026309>w212I can't speak for OP, but in OP's situation wouldn't he be prioritizing reliability and efficiency that he can use to get to work on time and save money and reduce wear on the vette? And look at picrel, it ain't that fancy.
>>29026243This isn’t true at all lol>>29026202But now you have to drive a fucking corolla>>29026210Just get an E39 530i alteady godsDAMN>>29026222This isn’t true at all lolThis board is such a piece of shit godsDAMN lol
>>29026309>diesel>Mercedes>to a Corvette ownerEuro anon giving American anon advice strikes again!
>replying to retards all your lives>posting in an /o/ troll's paradise
>>29026340>raging at them with angel eyes>posting in an /o/ troll's paradise
>>29026311It's leaps and bounds better than the average american interior/old toyota shitbox interior. You can push the v6 to 30mpg on the highway but yeah you would have to get a diesel for way better fuel economy.>>29026330There's like maybe 1-2 out there on the used market at least depending on where you are. They do exist.
>>29026724They exist, but daily driving an executive diesel is a lot more affordable in Europe than in America.
>>29026188miata has short ass gearsimpreza has full time awdneither are setting you up for success mpg wise
>>29026233>The LS is effectively a truck engine remade in aluminiumAside from the 1.1 point difference in compression, sure.
>>29026146>7th, or 9th gen civicThese are old enough to where you will start breaking down on your way to work and have endless other problems. Water pump in my EJ6 just broke so now I gotta fix it in work parking lot. Timing cover has to come off.>mazda3Even bigger maintenance nightmare>toyota matrixProbably the best option. Get some utility to it as well.
hello OP here i'm back from work>>29026295>>29026309I live in the midwest. I'm not getting a 2000s euroslop sedan. Diesel is not cheap here either, where I live it's over $5 a gallon. They're also less reliable than a japanese shitbox and the parts are more expensive over here. Overall not a good idea for an american on a budget.>>29026233>You should be able to get 35+ MPG by hypermiling it.Probably not. On flat highway in 6th going 65 mph I still only get around 30 mpg. I could draft but that's pretty dangerous to be doing in a car so low to the ground where a lot of people already struggle to see me on the freeway. And even if I could get 40 mpg, I'm not doing that. I'm not driving like a schizo and lugging it around at sub-1,000 RPM just to save $2 a day.>>29026234It CAN run on 87, that doesn't mean it should. Look into it more. You can run 87 in like, an emergency, but running it long term will damage the engine. Just because it has a knock sensor does not mean it can run 87 without a proper tune. The LS platform is used in trucks, that doesn't mean my LS3 is necessarily a "truck engine." It's specifically calibrated and tuned to be in a sports car that expects 91+.>>29027031>These are old enough to where you will start breaking downNot true. The 9th gens are 2011-2016. That's barely 10 years old on the newer end. I used to own a 1999 Si and while it did have accessory problems, the engine and transmission were always rock solid. I still see 6th gens on the road everywhere and those were only made from 96-2000.Another reason I'm considering civics is because I understand them now. I actually did a timing belt change on my EM1, just like you're describing (I replaced the water pump while I was in there). Yes, it was a pain in the ass. It was scary, mostly due to the crank bolt and struggling to get it off. I'm assuming you have the D-series which is a bit easier to work on because it's SOHC.
>>29027041>It CAN run on 87, that doesn't mean it should. Look into it more. You can run 87 in like, an emergency, but running it long term will damage the engine.I agree it's wiser to run 93, but it is designed to run 87 without harming the engine. Google AI says it can harm the engine because some youtuber said so, but the manual only says that for *below* 87. Picrel, '08 owner's manual. It can detect it and retard timing. A lot of cars from the last 20 years are like this, 87 required, 91 recommended. If it doesn't say "premium unleaded REQUIRED" then 87 is fine.With the 7.0L engine though...Still, 26 mpg in a sports car is pretty good. What's an economy car get? 34 mpg? How about a base RSX or some kind of Accord?
>>29026243>miata fags actually believe this.No matter how many times I post visual aids to show the difference on the street and track they just clam up and stop responding.Every time.Ya, sure.Double a-arms are "better" (on paper).Mustang II suspension is a popular upgrade for anything pre 80-ish.Easy swap into square body chevy trucks.>Porsche 911 has won Dakar, Baja and LeMans.
>>29027059NTA. I've owned mcDs cars, wishbones cars, and mixes F/R of the two. I've tracked a lot of these cars and driven them all hard.Wishbones ARE better, for performance and comfort, all else being equal. And they aren't that much more expensive.You can cherry pick examples with different tires, wheelbases, more power, whatever. But at the end of the day you want the outside tires to camber negative as you corner more to keep a bigger contact patch on the tires that are holding the weight of the car.
>>29027055The manual may say that, it doesn't mean it's a good idea, and I'm still not comfortable doing it just to save a couple bucks. Obviously having constant knock/pinging is not good for the engine long term. I've read the manual (mine is a 2011 so it's slightly different but I imagine this part is the same) and it clearly says right there "use 91 or higher". I would rather get hosed on fuel cost until I can afford a beater, than have my engine shit out sooner than it needs to because I cut corners on the fuel.If I was really wanting to run 87 I'd pay to get it tuned for 87 (or better yet, learn how to do it myself). I would rather do it the right way than risk it with constant engine knock.
>>29027055>What's an economy car get?Also if I minmax it and get like a Yaris or a Prius I would get 50mpg. So I really do think investing (as in I would save fuel, not to resell) in a second car could be worth it.
>>29027068>The manual may say that, it doesn't mean it's a good idea, and I'm still not comfortable doing it just to save a couple bucks. Obviously having constant knock/pinging is not good for the engine long term. I've read the manual (mine is a 2011 so it's slightly different but I imagine this part is the same) and it clearly says right there "use 91 or higher".I get that.It says "use 91" but it doesn't say "91+ required," there is a real difference between these phrasings and it will be totally fine running 87.I get why you don't want to, I wouldn't either, but it wouldn't damage your engine. Just felt like clarifying that.I still don't see why you're trying to do this, driving something boring just to save a few bucks in the long term, but whatever. If I were that strapped for cash I'd get rid of the vette for a cheaper fun car, but not everyone has to do or want the same things.Yeah, get a prius, that makes sense in this scenario. Mazda 2 / Yaris are only like 35 mpg, my 5spd RSX used to get that.
>>29027079Part of it's sunk cost. I just bought it a year ago. I'd maybe break even if I sold it now (I got it for really cheap, like 23,000 dollars after tax), but selling cars on facebook is a fucking nightmare. Constant lowballs and insults on my vehicle the last time I did it. I'd rather pony up a few thousand to buy a second vehicle to patch me over for a couple years so I can keep it longer. I'm an engineer and I make decent money. My cost of living is insanely low right now due to some unique circumstances too (no I don't live with my parents) so I can totally afford to pay off a sports car and a second commuter vehicle while still saving up to buy a house and everything.I think the whole trade in system is a scam anyway. I'll probably never buy a car from a stealership, all my cars have been from facebook. I would rather hold myself over until I'm making even more money and buy another cool car that gets better MPG. I know guys at my job that have like 5-6 cars. The main issues would be storing all of them. The C6 becomes a track toy or weekend driver at that point and I may not even insure it anymore.
>>29027066the problem is that wishbones arent a determining factor for a car unless you're a 4chan autismo, a car is the sum of its parts not a single feature
>>29027083It's cool dude. It's your life, I was just offering my opinion. Also an engineer (mech), I used to do a 1-hr each way commute for several years, it sucked.I haven't had a facebook in 15 years, I've never even seen the fb marketplace and don't want to. I also never want to buy from a dealership again.I'm thinking the Prius is your best option, and you can get one in manual if you're into that. 10+ y.o. Leafs apparently only have a range of 55-70 miles.
>>29027092Yep. when I bought the car I was doing WFH 4-5 days a week as a SWE and our office was like 5 mins from my house, so it made sense to daily the C6. Now I have a more hands on role that requires in office.When I sold my civic on FB it took me around 8 months to sell it and I ended up getting less than half of what I originally wanted. Guy I sold it to might've flipped it even. But I was so done with it and sick of dealing with facebook buyers that I ate the loss.Will look into Prius, matrix also seems more cool if I can find a manual but I'd like to avoid super old cars. If I can find a prius that's 15 years or younger with sub 150k miles for 5000 or less after hagglings I may pull the trigger. Insurance is probably only like $800 a year which is still cheaper than the gas I would pay driving the C6.
>>29027089Despite being a 4chan wishbones autismo (but not THE one), I agree with that (a car is the sum of its parts) completely. For me, it is a bigger factor than interior materials quality or even having aircon, but I know that's not true for most people and it's fine.
>>29027089>the problem is that wishbones arent a determining factor for a carSpeak for yourself poorfag, go ahead and tell me how I should buy an automatic too
>>29026328>But now you have to drive a fucking corollaAs opposed to what
>>29027155As opposed to the best sports sedan overall that there is, the E39 530iA
>>29027160Lol you'd be lucky it starts, ricer
>>29027163I just drove it to the airport THOUGH
>>29027092>Prius is your best option, and you can get one in manual if you're into thatIt has literally never been offered with a manual transmission. All models (aside from the pure EV) use an auto e-CVT. Also, you're not getting a 10 year old prius for $3k or even $5k. You're looking at 15+ year old ones, close to 20 even.>>29027097Prius is the most efficient but most painful to drive out of your choices. They unfortunately hold value way too well though, so it won't be the cheapest.Ironically also an engineer here (EE).
>>29027202>It has literally never been offered with a manual transmission.Huh, don't know why I thought that. There's always the CR-Z, which does have a manual. But it gets 30-38 and doesn't have much else practical going for it. Prius still the best contender. I'm guessing you don't want to DD a motorbike.
>>29026146Ford Focus ManualThe real question though, you bought a C6 because you wanted to drive it and you love driving it. You now have en excuse to drive it more. But you don't want to. I think perhaps you don't actually love the corvette
>>29026146Just drive better to get better mpg. The vette can easily do that commute. If you want comfort should've gotten an XLR
>>29026146in that price range, a prius is your best option
>>29026146>Honda anything>Toyota anythingI think that's your best option. If you look mid 2010s, I think PDF service manuals were still being distributed. I'm glad I found one for my 2009 Acura TL to help with little things here and there. Got it 2018 @ 154000mi and now approaching 194000mi. Perfect car for me since I only mainly drive around in the city. Bad gas mileage and requires Premium but my monthly gas bill is usually only $60-80 since I don't drive much.
ai slop
>>29027304>Got it 2018 @ 154000mi and now approaching 194000mi.What did that cost ya at the time?It's probably way more now, thanks to Covid nonsense.
>>29026146>I'm looking at getting a beater that gets decent gas mileage, and that I won't feel bad driving into the ground.Beaters aren't cheap anymore, so this strategy doesn't really work unless you snap something up quick. Good cars under $5k don't even make it a week on the lot. Dealers don't have time to even take photos of them sometimes.
