Second cars
 

What do you guys drive as a second car? Post pics if you want!

I still have my 95 Civic.

08 Civic

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/09/12/8u6yjy7a.jpg

4Runner Trail Edition. I can fit multiple beers in it.

I was into modding it, but will likely divert those funds to the Z.

93 Chevy S-10, 300k+ miles, runs like a champ!

My daily is my 1998 Toyota Avalon...I love that thing! I also have a 1996 GMC Suburban I just bought for $500 with a rebuilt motor...that thing is beast

2012 altima 2.5s

2008 vw r32

03 Si EP3 Gutted 30+MPG

2005 Nissan Altima S-ER...love it!

http://www.the370z.com/members/arrva...ltima-se-r.jpg

When I first got the Z, it was a 2003 Mazda6.

Then I replaced the 6 with a WRX STi last year.

Then the z died, so z06

My second car is the dealer's loaner

2003 MazdaSpeed Protege.
http://www.the370z.com/members/txspe...7086-msp-1.jpg
30+MPG without a lead foot at 10psi. At 12psi she's about as quick as the Z in a 40-100mph pull. Holds an AMAZING amount of cargo with the rear seats down. She's down for repairs right now but should be running with a new turbo, manifold and rods/pistons by next spring.

Also have a 2012 Cadillac SRX for the wife that we use as the current baby hauler.

Leased a 2012 Civic LX with my siblings. They live in the city and only really need a car every once in a while. I usually use it to commute during the winter. Get's great mileage and pretty cheap to insure and own. Tons of gadgets standard.

Rav4 ev

Damn dirty hippies. ;)

04 Saab 93 convertible automatic.

Used to have 90 300zx manual for daily but once got 370 no need for two , 2 seaters. (So I sold it to my coworker for cheap)
At least Saab has backseat and visibility, plus Saabasites are kinda like Z people we give thumbs up when we see each other.

i have a honda fit sport. i like it cause it comes in MT, plenty quick around town, can carry my kids and their stuff, plenty of room inside, can carry my G and Z's wheelsets when i need to get the tires replaced.

mine was bought new so 19k otd, about 2k or so in mods (springs, 2 sets of wheels, HU, muffler, some other misc mods).

My Daily
 

My second car is an '03 eclipse gts just because that's what I had before the Z. Not very practical, but I've driven it through 10 seasons of snow, so it'll be fine (FWD auto, but I can manually move it to second from a stop in the snow, which helps a lot and I wish the Z would let me do that....not that I will drive it in the snow...).

Definitely take inventory of what practical needs you have that cause you to drive the car instead of the Z. For me, it's summer, and unless there is a storm around (which there isn't this year, as we've been VERY dry), I've driven my eclipse less than once a week. It sits outside, so it's basically constantly dirty.

- do you plan any snow/inclement weather driving? in Dallas, I doubt it. :)
- do you plan to tow the Z at all, or a motorcycle or ...?
- do you need the carrying capacity sometimes?
- do you offroad or regularly visit people on gravel roads that you don't want your Z on?
- do you go places and park places you'd rather not park your Z?
- are you concerned about mpg in the Z, and thus a second car is an economic choice?
- is the Z the default daily drive for you, or a weekender? is the second car a DD or the exception? This might help let you know how much money you should spend on the second car.
- will it sit outside or be stored under cover? (a nice looking car stored outside will be a source of constant frustration)
- what do you actually WANT to drive? maybe even a motorcycle will work! :)

All of these things and more will help guide what you get. A car, an economy car, a truck/suv, any sort of beater...

I would expect in Dallas, you'll drive the Z more often than not unless the MPG is a concern. That might mean your second car gets very little use, and probably shouldn't be a "great" car or new.


edited to add: Personally, I've never been a 'pickup' sort of guy. But now that I have a Z, the pickup makes a ridiculous amount of practical sense. I may go that route when my budget recovers from the Z weight. :)

The 370z would be my DD. I am planning on picking up a couple of seadoos before next summer and I don't want to be borrowing my parents suburban every weekend to tow them, so I'm just going to get something cheap that can tow those, handle big grocery getting trips, take on longer trips when I need more than just a small suitcase, etc. There aren't many places to go off-roading around Dallas, but I do want something I can take out if I do find a good area. Basically I'm just trying to figure out what options are out there. I'm afraid that I will buy something and then two weeks later see some truck on the road I completely forgot about and then start kicking myself for not getting that one instead.

Edit: Also jcosta, ur pic doesn't load, but maybe that's just my comp.

I live in Chicagoland. Winters get brutal. The Z is not my DD. I've had an 08 Acura MDX since new. It's paid for, gets decent gas mileage for what it is, and fits my dogs, mountain/road bikes, triathlon gear and or any luggage me my wife and even some friends need. :) I only drive to a train station for work but I do lots of weekend trips with it to do trail riding or race triathlons, MTB races, etc. fits the bill nicely! I never have any problems with it, knock on wood!

02 Bravada

Sorry! Try it now.

Thanks

LaFerrari hmmm... good choice, nice and practical. I like it.

http://www.the370z.com/members/ltull...tt-stage-4.jpg

for those days where I need raw power!

08 Jeep Liberty for my daily. It offers a nice change of pace to switch back and forth.

not gonna lie, i kind of want that protege up there.

Yah that protege is pretty tight. I've always liked those. Looks like it is in great shape too.

Also I love h20's t4r. I wish I could have found a trail edition when I was thinking about getting one of them. Although I guess it is a good think that I did not because otherwise I would be driving one of those right now and I would never have caught the Z bug as bad as I have it now.

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/09/13/6u2ytusy.jpg

2013 Charger Daytona

Sexy sexy, you're gonna make me change my mind on what car I am getting again lol.

LOL, the Z is faster! also if you want blue only an option on the Dytona package and this one is 1548 of 3000.

Z may be faster but I bet that thing sounds like a monster. I think it is hard to beat the sound of the Hemi V8, especially anything straight from the factory. The only car I think that sounds better from the factory would be the Boss 302.

I agree, The BOSS 302 Laguna Seca edition is bad ***....:drool:

Hit up msprotege.com. People are selling them all the time for about $5K. Hard to find orange ones anymore, only the first 1500 or so (out of 6000 total) came in that color, but plenty of black, titanium, blue or yellow. It take a little bit to get them decently quick, but you can run about 10psi with just supporting mods (more with internals, injectors and fuel pump). It really is a great daily driver.

I've thought about selling mine several times... but it's the first new car I ever bought, the body is in great shape and it's incredibly fun to drive, really tossable. Plus a piece of me is hoping I can keep it running well and give it to my daughter once she turns 15 (she's 10 months old now).

It's weird, I have no plans to keep the Z. I know I'm gonna trade it in on either a GTR or CTS-V once my wife's car is paid off, but I can't seem to let go of Tang.

5 speed 1997 Maxima SE (3 liter VQ V6, five spoke alloy wheels, and a wing!). 180k miles and runs like a champ

Bought it off Craigslist a year ago for $1000 because it wouldn't turn over. I hot wired the starter and now it's push-start. Came with aftermarket headunit, speakers, lowering springs, bilstine shocks, whiteline swaybars, stillen brace, header, exhaust, lightweight flywheel, grippy clutch, and terrible paint. No rust and the interior is fine.

I have put in it: $180 of brake pads and rotors, $60 short shifter, and $40 in fluids.

2000 Honda Accord my moms old car, pristine condition with 199,000 miles on the ticker.

Used Xterra would be a great option for you given your budget

I know people who have also had a great experience with the older Jeep Cherokee's and the old 4.0L V6's are really reliable

I would also suggest you look into a previous generation Honda Fit or Versa if you just need something for the extra space. I believe you could find a 2007 Fit or Versa for around $10k

My Z honestly gets driven 500 miles a year. My daily drivers are a 1984 Porsche 911 Carrera 3.2 and a 2002 Honda Accord EX Coupe.

I drive 2000 miles a month so... yeah.