Considering the Daily Driver

I’ve been driving to work since the summer of 1985. Subtracting time for vacations, illness, business travel, wars, and other various reasons, I figure to have commuted to work approximately I have no idea. It’s a lot (feel free to work out this math for me if you want). 

I’ve done all of this commuting in a wide variety of cars, from a Miata to a couple of trucks, starting with a VW GTI and going through my current daily driver. I did try to count them all, but probably missed a couple. Twenty four different cars is my best estimate. Based on this ‘data,’ I hereby proclaim myself an expert on the daily driver: the car you have to spend time in a couple of times a day, almost every day. 

A great car is not always a great daily driver.

Now, here’s an important qualifier: I do not, and never have lived in Los Angeles, New York, Atlanta, DC, or any of the other cities where it is just plain awful to commute. I’ve been fortunate to live in places that don’t feature terrible traffic as a daily reality. In fact, most of the places I’ve lived have decent road networks, relatively short (<25 mile) commutes, and moderate weather. If you live in a place where the traffic, commute distance, and/or weather are horrible, you should probably move. And if you have to live these places, you should probably drive a tan 1998 Camry. Enjoy.

So here's the question: Just what is the right balance of cost, reliability, size, efficiency, and enjoyment for your daily drive? Let’s start with the criteria I’ve established over the years in search of the optimum daily driver.

Criteria #1 - A good daily driver is fun to drive

I believe firmly that life is too short to drive boring cars. I started my commuting journey in earnest as a young Army officer in Germany, driving about 20 km to the base in my GTI. After I wrecked that awesome little car, I commuted in a Mustang GT. On my way home, if the weather was good, I would take a longer route that looped me down Autobahn A27 for about 20 km. There was of course no speed limit on this section. 

This was part of my daily commute for a few years. It may have influenced my choice of cars.

Since those days I have usually had an alternate fun route either to or from work, whether that was a twisty back road headed to my high school teaching job, or a secret stretch of North Carolina highway. As a result, my best daily drivers have also been fast and fun cars.

Does this mean your everyday car has to breath fire and tear up the roads? No. Some SUVs are even decent performance vehicles. Well, one or two at least. Your choice just can't be boring, bland, or slow. 

Criteria #2 - A good daily driver is (sort of) practical

My fascination with sports cars led me to daily drive first a Porsche 944S2 and later a 968. Both were fantastic cars in their own right. Fast, comfortable, and relatively affordable. But they were not practical daily drivers. Both had little tiny back seats, were low and hard to see out of, and easy to miss in parking lots (both were hit by drivers who claimed not to have seen me). They were also terrible in the snow and ice that occasionally hits us here in NC. In these cars I could only take one other person to lunch, and never take one of the Labradors to the vet.

Based on these experiences I've determined that, while good a daily driver needs to have decent performance, it also needs a back seat, preferably four doors, and all season tires. In other words, it has to be a practical car.

Criteria #3 -  A good daily driver is relatively reliable and efficient

Some of you probably noticed that this criteria is somewhat at odds with criteria #1. And you would be correct. Hence the term word ‘relatively.’ But let me explain… I have driven several SUVs as daily drivers. None of them were efficient in the way a Prius is. Quite the opposite. But I only considered one of them inefficient - a 2011 Acura MDX that got around 18 mpg no matter how I drove it, and wallowed about in the doing. Other SUVs, like the 2007 BMW X3 and the 2012 Cayenne achieved better than 20 mpg and were not ponderous to drive. Considering their decent performance and generous space and comfort, I considered them to be relatively good daily drivers.

Of course reliability can also fly in the face of criteria #1. Performance cars cost more to maintain on average. I can live with that in my goal to achieve balance, but not too much. Bottom line, a good daily driver starts in the morning and gets you to work and back without drama. You don’t worry about it as you head out into the garage.

And the survey says...

My criteria, and they are mine - feel free to disagree and develop your own, lead me two possible answers to the daily driver question: a good sports sedan or a sporty SUV. What do I personally recommend?  I actually have two suggestions, both just by chance currently in our driveway...

Best Daily Driver Runner Up - Porsche Macan S

I’ve talked about the Macan S before. We love this SUV's unique balance of performance, luxury, and practicality. It gets decent enough gas mileage and so far has been rock solid reliable. And with 350 horsepower and that undefinable thing that Porsche gives to every car, it can be a hoot to drive. 

That said, a Macan is a bit on the pricey side... and we currently need two daily drivers in our family… and they couldn’t both be this nice... Which leads me to...

Best Daily Driver Winner - BMW 330i ZHP Sedan

I’m a big fan of the E46, the BMW 3-series model sold from 1999 to 2006. They represent the last of the great analog European sport sedans. The E90 and later 3-series that followed seem to suffer from marketing pressures; they feel bloated and lack the focus of the earlier models. But even the most base E46 325i sedan is still a fun to drive car. And that BMW straight six is one of the great engines of all time. Sure they can suffer from some issues; cooling systems and front suspensions come to mind. But with proper care a well-maintained E46 BMW will soldier on well over 200k miles. 

The ZHP was a special E46 performance variant produced in limited numbers - roughly 3,900 in coupe, sedan, and convertible form. It slotted between the regular 330i and the M3, in a near perfect balance of performance and practicality. The cars featured an M suspension and body kit, unique 18” wheels, a horsepower and torque bump from stock, a 6 speed manual, and a host of other improvements. They are also just plain beautiful.

My ZHP is a 2003 sedan with 120k miles in Titanium Silver over gray leather. I spent six months looking for one in the right condition that featured a light colored interior (tan dog hair also drives many of my automotive choices). It’s a great car - fun, practical, and relatively efficient and reliable.This car makes me smile every time I drive it, which is every day.

What’s your best daily driver?