What do you look for in a commuter?

I don't commute. I drive my kids to school. This actually takes longer than my wife's commute but somehow feels different. Every second Friday though she has the day off and I get to drive my oldest to highschool which is 22 miles away and close to where my wife works (My wife usually drops her off). So twice a month I spend an hour and fourty five minutes in the car drivimg 60 miles in the morning and by the end I always want a different car for the drive.
So my question to you is this: if you had other cars in the garage for fun, what would be your criteria for a strict commuter? What would you pick and why?

You need a davenport on a cloud. Think MPGs. Maybe a non-P71 Panther?

Not enough information. Is this an 1:45 in stop and go, or does it have a lot of stoplights? Is it through twisties?

Because my answer would range anywhere from a Miata to a pickup truck to a crown vic to a Prius depending on what it is.

Strict commuter with other cars in the garage has to be reliable-ish (more importantly, cheap/easy to repair), big enough to fit the family (me, wife, 2 dogs), and if the commute is more than 10 minutes, it has to have decent gas mileage and be a place I don't mind spending time.

I currently do an hour stop and go each way, 9 trips a week, in a 2014 Lexus RX. Perfect for the application, with the exception of gas mileage. A hybrid would really be the only improvement. Don't care for the car otherwise. When that arrangement ends, I'll have a 5 minute commute. Doesn't matter what I drive for that; in the summer it will be a Schwinn. I'm probably replacing the Accord with a gas guzzling SUV because I don't need efficiency driving my 10-20 miles a week.

Most days I make my 12 mile (20 minute) commute in my CLS63. I like it because it is comfortable, quiet, engaging enough, has heated and ventilated seats. I'm quite happy with it for those reasons. Chrissy commutes 32 miles each way in traffic (40-80 minutes) in her Mazda3 with lots of work done to it. It is good for it as it gets good mileage and is fun to drive, cheap to own and operate, and as it already has 193k miles on it we are just racking up the miles. She would prefer a nicer/quieter/more comfortable car but something like the CLS is no good due to fuel economy and more staggering depreciation and maintenance from all those commuting miles. If we were buying new for her it would probably be another Mazda3 or a mid size euro wagon with the smaller motor, used would be an e90 3 series wagon.

My criteria for a commuter are:

Reliability
Frugality
Comfort

in that order. My 13 mile, 40 minute morning commute is not fun no matter if it's in a Corvette or a Corolla. If I could get a reliable inexpensive self-driving car, I would. I'd say a Tesla but they're way too expensive and break far too frequently.

My current ideal commuter is the Nissan Leaf I currently own, though looking back I wish I had sprung for the upgraded stereo.

This is less about me getting a commuter and more about how you guys do (or would) go about chosing a commuter.
The drive I did this morning is a mix of stop and go, 55mph two lane and 15 miles of 75mph five lane superfreeway.

So, one day, you are driving one kid to school, 22mi and driving home again? For that, I'd take the 964. Fold the rears and get some groceries on the way back.

The rest of the days - how many passengers? How far?

The perfect commuter looks a lot like your profile pic. :)

bastomatic wrote: My criteria for a commuter are: Reliability Frugality Comfort in that order. My 13 mile, 40 minute morning commute is not fun no matter if it's in a Corvette or a Corolla. If I could get a reliable inexpensive self-driving car, I would. I'd say a Tesla but they're way too expensive and break far too frequently. My current ideal commuter is the Nissan Leaf I currently own, though looking back I wish I had sprung for the upgraded stereo.

I don't think reliability is all that important when you have other vehicles in the garage. Cheap and easy to repair is, but reliability is much less so when you can call on the CTS-V wagon.

Good stereo is a good call. Quiet interior as well--as much as I love a good exhaust note, it isn't necessary on a commute.

My commute is 60 miles each way, some of it in heavy rush hour traffic. I'm also very limited in free time, mechanical skills and budget (have to save money for racing, and the kids sports). So that alone puts constraints on what makes sense for a DD commuter. Mine must be reliable, plus not need constant attention. It also needs to get good mpg because of how much I drive, have cheap consumables for the same reason. Need the ability to carry the kids sometimes because sometimes one kid has practice in one spot and two are somewhere else, so the wife and I split up...plus I have to carry their sports gear. There has to be at least a bare minimum of driving involvement. A Prius or Corolla just won't work for me. It also must be a decent place to spend 2.5 hours or more per day in, so no penalty boxes.

As I've said before, I'm happy with my '13 Elantra coupe. It fits pretty much all the criteria above, and is even a stick shift, so that makes me happy. Has heated seats, XM radio, is quiet, gets stunning mpg, has a compliant ride quality and dead nuts reliable. I also really like the interior layout. Would it be my first choice if I had more money to spend? No, but given what its' mission in my life is, it's a success.

Just bought another "answer" to fill my fun driving wants...largely for a lot of the same reasons. It's fun, fuel efficient, reliable, cheap on consumables, etc...and I got it for a stupid cheap price. For my life, it's a great fit right now.

Tyler H wrote: The perfect commuter looks a lot like your profile pic. :)

That was a base Mazda2 with no cruise. I loved it but I don't know that I'd want to do spend three+ hours a day in it. There IS a lot to be said for semi disposable cars for this sort of thing though.

Comfort, beyond that I don't really care.

I nominate the Cruze. I commute in one - 1.4t/6mt. Backseat is kind of a joke, but if the passenger pulls forward a bit, fitting an adult and 2 kiddos is definitely possible. The drivetrain is adequate, but not setting any land speed records. The seats are really comfy, and the handling is compliant, yet responsive. NVH is not the best, but the tradeoff is a ligheweight that gets >33mpg mixed lifetime thus far. SWMBO and I carpool in it 3-4 times a week, and its saving a lot in fuel vs her driving the Terrain all the time.

All that said, a Malibu eco would probably suit better as a family hauler. Im really happy with the GM stuff Ive driven lately, so I would give em my vote. Im really interested in the Cruze hatches too.

4cylndrfury wrote: All that said, a Malibu eco would probably suit better as a family hauler. Im really happy with the GM stuff Ive driven lately, so I would give em my vote. Im really interested in the Cruze hatches too.

My in-laws have a three year old Malibu that I end up borrowing a couple times a year for a few days. I want to be snobby and hate it but I actually don't mind driving it at all. I'm not sure it's in the 'would buy' category but driving it doesn't make me sad.

In reply to mtn:

Being down for maintenance is ok, but day to day reliability is important to me. Getting stranded with kids sucks.

I drive a lot. 70,000 plus a year. I have a small engineering company that keeps me on the road. My commute can be from 20 minutes to 6 hours. I've used may vehicles over the years, some good some bad. What has held up to this abuse is a Lincoln MKZ and a F150. The reason for the Lincolns (this is the third one) they are comfortable, really quite on the road and are dependable as a hammer. Its not sexy, fast or according to my daughter, cool. Current MKZ has 170,000 and still goes and stops just like It did when I bought it with 8,000 miles on it. The F150 also serves double duty with the company and hauling my track car and motorcycles. Don't tell my accountant...

For a commuter, I look for the word "Lexus" prominently displayed somewhere, or this circle with an "L" thing. LS400, FTMbW, although I will have to admit, the LX470 is "awesome," if a bit heavy on the gas usage.

94-96 cadillac fleetwood or buick roadmaster. I want to commute on a big leather sofa with a v8.

Mileage is something to think about. Because I like round numbers, 25k a year, 20mpg vs. 40mpg, $2.50 a gallon.
The 20mpg car costs $3125 per year in gas or $260 a month. The 40mpg car is half that at $1562.50 or $130 a month. $130 a month doesn't quite make a car payment on a disposable B car, but it's close.

98 and 99 LS400's get 26 MPG on cruise control at 80MPH with the AC on. About 23 combined highway/city driving. And it's like sitting in your living room except that the seat is more comfortable, it is quieter and the stereo is better.

Comfortable, quiet, effortless power when you put your foot down. Fortunately most modern V-6s fall into this category. Avalon, Maxima, etc. Sales guys drive them until the wheels fall off, I can't imagine that's by accident.

mazdeuce wrote: Mileage is something to think about. Because I like round numbers, 25k a year, 20mpg vs. 40mpg, $2.50 a gallon. The 20mpg car costs $3125 per year in gas or $260 a month. The 40mpg car is half that at $1562.50 or $130 a month. $130 a month doesn't quite make a car payment on a disposable B car, but it's close.

That's exactly right. Combine that with consumables costs and it's why I picked what I did. Does the car need premium unleaded? Add $.40/gallon or more. Does it need synthetic oil? Add extra $10 or so per oil change. Premium size tires? Cha-ching. On and on.

I'm just about to do the brakes on my car, and it needs tires. I'm not worried that I'll spend much at all on either one.

I bought my Honda Fit expecting to never leave the city very often. Now when I go on 200+ mile jaunts for work little stuff like the seat cushions and wind noise really get to me. I bill for mileage, and make a killing on it due to the ~35MPG average and stupid low maintenance costs, but were I to do it over again I would have looked for something a little quieter and less buzzy.

While I understand the appeal of a barge like a LS400, for those of us who bill for mileage and like to turn a profit on the difference the MPG is just too low. I think something like a stripper Mazda6 sedan or Lexus CT200h would be ideal. Maybe something like a Cruze Eco with how cheap they are getting, though American car seats have never agreed with my tall skinny frame.

I like my 2013 Focus for my 50 mile round trip commute.

I get 38 mpg in the summer and about 35-36 in the winter (even in NC).

These cars are decent, but depreciate like a rock. You can pick up one a few years old fairly cheap.

Even better if you can find a manual.

The interior space is on the small side. Has bluetooth and a decent radio. Sirius is available on many models if you want to pay for that.

Long commutes, comfortable seats, road noise, and letting me play my music from my phone is a must. Almost more important than gas milage.