Does anyone here daily a 90s vehicle?

I'm looking to buy a rugged SUV but everything buil in the last twenty years looks like bland bullshit. All the cool trucks and SUVs I like are from the 90s. I see them listed online as running good or whatever, but is it hard to daily a car that old? Do you have to pay a lot for repairs and stuff? First car buyer asking.

If anything I'd replace the rubber parts and whatnot to try and perform preventative maintnence, I'm not so bad with a wrench and have some mechanical knowledge.

the good life m8.

I drive two shit boxes. Just did spark plugs on my truck, and shocks on my 80's sedan.

You gotta stay on top of 'em, but the nickel and dime parts on occassion is still less than the regular monthly payments and higher insurance costs of paying off a 'NO INTEREST LOAN'.

94 Golf mk3. It's good.

90s was the last good decade of car design.

i daily an 80s car, if you find a car that has been regularly maintained, you shouldn't have very many issues
good luck m8

I dd a 234k mile 95 s10. Only maintenance ive paid is $120 for a new alternator and oil changes. Oh and $90 for a shop to blow torch out a rusty u-joint.

Is it hard to daily a car that old.
I use to daily a '66 until I got tired of stopping at gas stations.
If they have been maintained or you do a partial rebuild of high wear parts (differential for example) you would have a more reliable vehicle than anything made since 2000.
A lot of vehicle manufacturers have redesigned parts to the bare minimum to reduce overall weight (increase fuel economy) and save on cost.
They used to build shit like a tank (factory 9" or 12 bolt differentials in half of the fleet).

Yo, OP I daily a 92 Chevy pickup.
I agree, replace all the rubber bushings and depending on your location, fuel and brake lines should be inspected. And the interior might be cracking or wore pretty bad. Depends. My dash is pretty cracked and my seat is ripped in one spot. I don't pay a lot for repairs, as the parts are easily sourced and cheap. With 325K miles I've never had the engine apart and I get 25mpg. Give or take, probably less now.

I daily a 91 240sx.

Depends on your location and cars around you. My car has been very reliable and clean. All you have to do is be patient.

Here.

Treat it like shit and still going strong 2 years later. Will probably catch up to me eventually though.

Also I've got to say if you want something easy to work on and good off road I'd recommend a 88-94 GM truck. The TBI is reliable and easy to work on and upgrade. The half tons came in regular, extended cabs and either a short or long bed. 3/4 and 1 tons came the same but a crew cab also. Half tons had either the 4.3, 5.7, 6.2 diesel or 6.5 diesel. The diesels are good, don't listen to the hate. But they are fickle. Sorry this post is long, lel. I say 88-94 because they had better transmissions I feel. Also 94 was a 1 year only truck with a lot of 1 year only options. 95-99 were the Vortec trucks. They had more power and opened up a lot of options for aftermarket engine modifications. Especially with the 0411 PCM. hope this helps, if you're not scared of some more tech, get a late 90s GM truck. If you're more about the basics but still a good powerhouse, get the 88-94. Any questions let me know!

94 s10 SS, never had any problems aside the engine tearing itself apart from the inside years ago. That's kind of a big one but after that there's been nothing aside minor things that are a nuisance rather than a risk.

1999 Grand Marquis and parts arent that bad some stuff you have to get online but a lot of the parts carry over to other cars and makes in the aftermarket so it's the same as anything else. Also if you're getting an suv and it has a rwd system with a live axle it's a lot more robust so you won't have to worry if you have something with shitry front axle fwd type thing you'll be fucked

90s cars are the best to work on, shits real simple and accessable seeing as how normies back then actually knew how to change a lightbulb.

How do you feel about the s10 blazer/ s15 jimmy? Or the GMC Sierra? Those tend to be affordable in my area and a lot of them are in ok shape.

daily a fully stock '95 camry so comfy to drive at night

The 90s is a sweet spot in automotive technology where you get all the benefits of EFI without the drawbacks of it being too complicated for the average backyard mechanic to diagnose and repair himself.

Although not as easy to work on as an older car from say, the 60s or 70s, 90s cars tend to be mechanically pretty simple and relatively straightforward, new parts are usually still readily available, secondhand parts are commonplace and not terribly expensive, and most of the time the electrical side of things is pretty robust and simple to fix.

On the flipside, anything made of rubber is probably worth replacing, and they're at the age where things like your brake/clutch cylinders are likely to start leaking, coolant hoses are all in need of replacing, and vacuum lines are starting to go brittle and leak. Rust is also something you should be wary of.

tl;dr - 90s cars/trucks are typically easy and cheap to fix, but will almost certainly require fixing while you own it.

If you're daily driving a 2000+ car then you're basically an idiot and should kys asap. Not even joking

I DD a yj. Have the 2.5 auto. Great in town and up to 60 mph. Would recommend a 4.0 though if you get one. Overall so easy to maintain. Just doing basic replacements after all these years. Bought mine for 3k, have had it for 3 years and the biggest $ was shocks, rear leaves and rear brakes at once. Insurance is cheap as well(over 25)

If the car is in good shape, no it isn't hard to daily at all.

Repairs are cheap depending on what parts you get/need, if you work on it yourself.

So, OP. If you want to learn working on shitboxes it wouldn't be a bad idea at all as long as you don't buy something that's on its last legs.

I've done quite a bit of work to mine. Still cheaper than a newer car.

t.madpoor

I do - a 1998 E46 328i. It has 220k on it and doesn't give much trouble at all. The trick is pre empting the known issues, in my case rust and the cooling system. Got that sorted as soon as it started showing trouble and it wasn't too expensive. Besides that, keep on top of routine maintenance and it has been totally fine.

I wasn't planning to keep it this long (7 years now) but I don't know what to replace it with. I don't like the later E90 models, and the new F30 doesn't have any appealing engines. I like the new F10 but it is almost impossible to find a manual 528i with the old 3.0 I6 so I will just keep mine until I see something I really want.

I daily a 94 Jimmy and I love it. It has been easy to make repairs and the 4.3 is basically a 350. The 4x4 is GM Insta Trac or whatever so if you are 'off road yee yee' you might want to consider a Jeep instead.

Basic specs:
4L60E trans. (Not the best)
4.3L non-TBI (Dope)
Torsion bar, lift kit from RC runs about $500
New Process 233 (transfer case)
Insta Trac (will bind on dry pavement)

I drove a 94 Silverado every day for four years. Transmission started to go, so I had to get rid of it. Now I'm driving a 92 DeVille, and the thing is a mechanical nightmare.

Not all cars are created equal. Most aren't cared for like they should be. Just check the fluids and test drive before you buy.

This, its sad to think that 95% of Veeky Forums doesnt have a car toolbox.

1998 Legacy GT sedan.

Car's got a stupid amount of rust spots and needed new tires. Also the EGR sensor is going off but that's probably nothing. Also, fourth gear grinds a bit. Other than that it's got 168,000 miles and nothing majorly wrong with it.

Jimmy/Blazer: yes. Both good, and you can get them with manual/push button 4wd. Shouldn't be the instatrac if it's a ZR2. Also the 4.3 in them is good, some are Vortec, some are TBI. I recommend the TBI for simplicity, the Vortec for aftermarket goodies. Watch out for that on the rockers. The Sierra will especially be prone to rusting from the inside-out. I don't recommend a 4.3 in a full size, that's just me. They are dogs. Power of a 4 banger and fuel economy of a V8 is what we say. Lel, not terrible though.

I didn't think the Jimmy came with stabiltrac or whatever. Thought they were a regular transfercase.

i daily a 90s diesel but put it away for winter and drive a shitty little toyota
both give me no problems

I drive a 95 silverado. Right now the odo is sitting at 210k, only issues i've had are rust(on the bodywork, not frame) and a distributor component that blew during a haul. other than that, it's been a dream to drive and work on.

>tfw I can afford a new car but drive a 29 year old car because I like the style and it's cheaper

I DD'd an 89 Pontiac 6000 for 6 years and retired it this year, didn't give me many problems for an old, cheap, poorly maintained shitbox

No way

Chinese tools dont count.

I daily a 97 F-150 XLT with da BIG vee ate. Needs manifold work and a new torque converter, but otherwise runs fine. Just gotta look for someone who knows anything about maintaining. If they drive well, change oil regularly, etc. then it should be fine, albeit occasionally in need of repair.

20 year old truck
Daily commute is completely fine. It depends on The previous owners maintenance.

>90's
>old
>seriously wondering if you can daily these
Fucking Americans I swear.

Simply put, no.
If it's not at least a 2014 model it's acient and broken.

Seriously though. Pretty much no young first time buyer outside the U.S. buys anything other than a 90's car. I daily a car from 1985, it runs and it's not rusted to shit. My first car was from 1997. A well maintained 30 year old car will outlast any neglected 10 year old car. Age and mileage don't mean shit, figuratively seeking.

replace your throttle position sensor
its attached to a giant aluminum heatsink (your head and throttle body) which is connected to a massive iron block.
iron blocks are impossible to keep cool, and that throttle body gets burning hot to the touch, which degrades that sensor

you need to recalibrate your system after installing a new sensor
disconnect the battery and drain the capacitors
then start and let idle for 15mins, then drive normally

also beware of stripping TPS mounting screws, they are really stuck in there, like glue

>daily a 2000

just missed the cutoff. sorry i cant help OP.

Daily an '86 Bronco 2. A little older than what you're asking about, but, the rules are the same. Know your car, know how to fix most of the shit, If not all of it. Also, 80's are great for ripping the old malaise era systems and swapping in more fun options. 25 years puts them outside a lot of regulations, so if you live in a shithole with emissions testing, you're free and clear.

>tfw you daily a 91 turbo SW20
>been daily driving it with a bucket seat for over 5 years
>BC racing suspension and solid bushings all the way around and for the block
>car shakes like a epileptic with parkinsons

aside from blowing up a turbo (first time ever doing an engine rebuild and swap, I fucked up) I've never had a problem with it. The only cars to avoid when shopping are any French piece of shit, or anything made by America during the Iraq War.

Jelly mk6 owner here. Miss the smaller bodies and the low weight

1991 Subaru Loyale 4WD here - a car from 1984

When I got it, as I would do to any 90s car, I replaced (off the top of my head)
All fluids
PCV valve and hoses
EGR solenoid
Timing belt/WP
All coolant hoses
O2 sensors
Vac lines near the block (dried out)
Thermostat
Distributor cap and rotor
Plugs and wires
Cam and crank seals
Pads and rotors, rear shoes
Some other assorted little shit

Car was $1800, put another like 500 into it doing the work myself, has run flawlessly for 20k miles so far, starts and runs perfectly from 0 to 100 degrees Frankenstein

Comfy as fuck, can't beat those 80s-90s jap aesthetics

New car is a '90 3/4ton suburban with a vortec 5.7 swap bc I needed a truck, and maybe an LS400 for commuting eventually

I'd honestly want a 91-94 ls400 over later ones or a 430, you can get them much cheaper and put the money you saved into maintenance to the point where you can drive it worry-free

tldr: 90s a best, just buy Japanese and do ALL of the preventative maintenance to save headaches later on

Cont.

Don't settle for rust, even in Colorado I've found rust free examples of every rust-prone car I've ever wanted, including the scoob

And get the factory service manuals as well as an "average joe" manual like Chiltons or something for whatever you get, and keep them and a set of tools in the car

It's just fucking Legos, you'd be surprised how much mechanical aptitude one can summon when stuck at the side of the road

I daily an 80's vehicle.

90 Jetta mk2 here

Ayy 98 camry here bro. Shits /comfy/ af

my mom dailys a 95 explorer and i daily a 98 frontier. both are reliable and frontier has 395k

I daily a 94 2 door yukon. Cheap to fix

I DD a 98 Jeep XJ. Only thing I've had to replace is an o2 sensor and a headlight. The AMC 4.0 is relatively bulletproof. Engine bay somehow manages to be cramped looking and roomy at the same time.

Keep in mind it depends entirely on what vehicle you're looking at. S10s aren't a bad pick either, although some things can be a bitch to get at depending on the engine.

1989 Ford Mustang.

I bought it neglected and have had to do as couple repairs, but other than it runs excellent.28 years old, so it isn't without issues, but it is an amazing car.

Power windows, defroster, heater, power mirrors,. Fuel injection, turns on every time on first crank when cold.

Lights don't work for shit and provide poor visibility. Speedometer broken, mileage broken, dash lights don't work, door handle broken, wipers overheat, gets heat soaked and won't turn back over. Radio turns off and previous owner hacked doors with wood. Hatch is rusted. Car seems to pull randomly sometimes to one side at highway speeds.

Eh. It is fun as hell. 200 HP or so stock back in 1989, but still faster than your brz.

>Everything is broken
>200hp ATC 30 years ago
>Still faster

Nigga I hate slow shitboxes as much as the rest of you 'no replacement' faggots, but don't kid yourself - my scooter is faster.

Lol I would take you anyway in my 2015 1.8t Jetta. 242hp/293 ft lbs.

Not hating on the 5.0 as my 215 hp explorer 5.0 is rock solid but let's not kid ourselves here. Unless you ve got some decent mods on that 5.0 it's gonna be a pretty average car in terms of speed today.

Probably a good thing, because it's a shitbox that requires lots of fixing.

I daily an '80s Volvo, and I put on a lot of miles.

Just learn how to troubleshoot and fix shit, find a forum related to your car, and find a good parts site (or barring that, eBay.)

I haven't been to a mechanic in near 100k miles now.

1990 Buick Century is my daily.

Belonged to my grandparents who never drove it and at that point I'll most certainly take it since I'm a poorfag.

Only real issue I've had is that I had a $600-700 tranny fix, but honestly that's the only problem I've ever had on this car and it just now hit 110k