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Unhinged: “Pro Commuter”…Does The Daily Beater/MPG Ride Have To Suck?


Unhinged: “Pro Commuter”…Does The Daily Beater/MPG Ride Have To Suck?

Don’t ask me how or why I coined the term Pro Commuter when I wrote about an Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera GT. I was honestly flailing words around so that I could finish a post and move on with my day. But  for the last couple of weeks, the concept has stuck onto my brain and refuses to let go without being fully explored. So, if you truly hate what is coming next, only I am to blame. Sorry.

Here’s how the basic idea works: we all can agree that since at least the mid-to-late 1990s, cars have gotten bigger and heavier, negating most of the positive effects that the updated power trains could have offered. Part of that is because most of the buying public (read: dealerships who dictate orders) will only buy a car decently loaded at the least. Want proof? How many of you remember the Ford Mustang GTS? If there is no air conditioning, no power windows, no power door locks, there is no interest. Watch a teenager when they get into a car and realize there are no cupholders…their reactions would be funny if it weren’t so sad. But there was a time not so long ago that cars didn’t weigh as much and still had plenty of luxuries to offer. The concept is simple: the end result should be a car that can do the daily 9-5 grind just fine, pull excellent fuel mileage numbers, and be excellent to drive. Note: that does not mean the most powerful. It just means that you are willing to get in it, be seen in it, and that driving it does not feel like you’re being punished. Upgrade the handling. Go overkill on the interior to make it an awesome place to be.

The out-of-the-box example I would immediately go for is the Shelby Charger GLHS. 175 horsepower and 175 ft/lbs of torque in a car weighing in somewhere in the neighborhood of 2,500 pounds. Dead stock, there you go. And if that wasn’t enough, there’s plenty of information on how to make power and make the little Chrysler go-karts handle, too. But there are other options that could make for interesting commuters, some that would require a little fabrication, but nothing too unrealistic.

great pumpkin

Sure, you can jam in a V8 that is actually making power and go have a riot melting tires to oblivion, but Fox Mustangs (and their related Ford siblings) are light, especially the earlier versions. It’s not hard to make them look good, and there’s millions of tricks to get them to handle. Bonus, one of the best options for commuter power came factory: the 2.3L turbo four cylinder. Boosted up four, five-speed manual and some flyer gears would get you right about where you would want to be. Or, you could wait until a new EcoBoost Mustang gets rear-ended and swap the drivetrain.

DSC_2701-685x456

If you’re the type that absolutely refuses to drive anything with a V8, no problem there either. Look at the myriad of choices you have now: LS, Gen 3 Hemi, Coyote. If you’re handy with a welder, a grinder, and a shoehorn the size of California, all you would need to improve on the fuel mileage of whatever you yanked it out of is a lighter body. Mark Beckett’s 1990 Daytona is a perfect example of this theory: take the 5.7 out of a porky LX-body or Ram truck, jam it into the slippery Daytona body that has been converted to rear-drive, and enjoy the mileage when you aren’t playing around and the serious kick in the ass when you decide that you hate the tires. Ford Probe, early GM W-bodies and FWD A-bodies, any 1980s Chrysler product…all will suffice.

What do you think? Am I completely off my rocker with this one or is there a spark of hope? Remember, this isn’t meant to take the place of your project car, but to be something you can tolerate every day without submitting to driving a silver Camry.

 


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19 thoughts on “Unhinged: “Pro Commuter”…Does The Daily Beater/MPG Ride Have To Suck?

  1. Chevy Hatin' Mad Geordie

    New-gen Hemi Shelby Charger GLHS or for the truly unhinged – a SOHC Fox Body Mustang!

    Dream on….

  2. mooseface

    The one hidden toll of daily driving your project car is that the act of commuting kind of reduces the fun. I think that it just becomes a part of the frustrating commuting cycle.
    It wasn’t until I bought my stupid dishwasher of a daily driver that I came to realize how much I actually loved driving my truck, I was just frustrated and feeling oppressed by the life I was living at the time.

  3. john t

    I agree with the idea – my baby is an XB coupe thats been on these pages a long time ago but my daily is a 1998 Falcon ( ex police pursuit car) that I got for $1,400. It has a hotted up 5.0 with lots of GT bits , different computer, Tickford suspension, good 4 wheel discs, A/C , cruise, nice stereo etc etc. The crucial part, though, is it looks as exciting as a dishwasher – absolute sleeper territory..so one minute you can be sideways with the tyres smoking, and at the next lights have a cop behind you that wont look at you twice. The one time I DID get caught a bit sideways the cop that pulled me over liked my excuse that it was an ex cop car and jeez what a nice bit of kit you guys get to drive…he went `heh heh heh …..fuckin oath!’ and left me to it!

  4. Richard Wallendal

    My owned since new 2002 Ford lightning is my daily driver. Now pushing 200,000 miles. I will probably drive it until it falls apart. Right now it is still as good as new. I think this fits in to what you are talking about

  5. cyclone03

    I agree,but cant do it.
    I had an 86 SVO that was great for eating the 35 miles between home and work , sold it.
    I had an 84 T Bird turbo coupe , same.
    I Had a 6cly Fairmont ,same
    Even a Mercur XR4Ti , great for eating those miles too , all gone.

    All of them great commuters with 28 MPG range (at least) , now I dive a ’13 F150 ecoboost , 18 mpg if I’m careful or my FE Mustang , 15MPG? commuting …. maybe.

  6. Matt Cramer

    My commuter is a mid ’90s BMW 328. Not too bloated, reasonably fun to drive, and quite comfortable.

  7. Sneke_Eyez

    My daily commuter is a 2004 Chrysler 300M Special.

    The combination of FWD, 20-25MPG, 255 Horsepower, heated leather seats, factory navigation, factory bluetooth phone connectivity, factory auxiliary input, 20” 2012 Chrysler 300S wheels I added, and looks that haven’t aged a bit makes for a fun, reliable car that I enjoy driving and looking at each day, while still being different enough from my 1969 Plymouth Satellite Wagon and 1974 Dodge Dart Swinger that I feel all three cars provide a fun and unique experience.

  8. 75Duster

    My daily driver is a 2005 Dodge Ram 1500 with a 3.7, great gas mileage with a long bed truck while I play with my ’75 340 Duster and ’74 Dodge D100 5.7 Hemi.

  9. loren

    The fact that in our area we now have three separate highly-attended weekly cruise nights within 25 miles, but can spend the day on the freeways between here and the next big city and literally not see more than two interesting cars out of the tens-of-thousands, means this is a concept for which the time has come. We ought to be driving some type cool car every day, not just bring crazy things out once a week.

    1. cyclone03

      That was my plan with my 68 Mustang,but I jumped the shark on that one big time. It’s just a toy that could daily with a few maintenance down days….

  10. jerry z

    Right now I drive a 2002 Silverado 5.3 as a commuter but plan to buy a 67-87 RCSB and put in the drive train from my Silverado.

  11. floating doc

    I daily a car that I didn’t intend to like, but won me over. It’s an 04 Lancer stationwagon (“sportback”), with the ralliart package.

    I didn’t expect much from a 3000 pound 4 cylinder with an automatic, but it’s actually fun to drive. It’s not fast, reportedly about 16 seconds in the quarter, but the 2.4 in the ralliart has a 100 mm stroke (3.94 inches), with a fat torque curve that peaks at 3500.

    That’s the RPM where the variable valve timing takes over, so it rides that torque pretty far. Besides a bigger engine, the ralliart has other changes from the stock crapcan lancer, like springs, struts, 16″ wheels, bigger brakes, faster steering rack, additional chassis bracing, recaro seats, etc.

    I have had it since 2009 and put 76,000 miles on it. It’s now at 116,000 miles, and outside of consumables, like brakes, tires, timing belts, and fluids, total repair costs have been less than $100.

    No one looks at it twice, and it seems to be invisible to the cops.

  12. 1966longroof

    My daily driver. 1966 Chevy II, 383/700r4. Don’t require cruise or any of the b.s. options. Just roll down the windows (or open floor vents if weather dictates) and go.

  13. Nick D.

    I try to daily drive my ’90 Miata as much as possible through the week and then I autocross it on the weekends. It’s fun to drive, gets great mileage and on days where the weather is real nice, I can throw the top down in 5 seconds.

  14. Bryan S.

    Daily driver is a ’13 Ram with a 5.7 Hemi. Gets pretty good mileage if I can keep my foot out of it. My garage queen is an 86 Fox Mustang convertible. She shines and is pretty.

  15. c502cid

    I had a 97 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP that fit the bill perfectly. 3.8 Supercharged, did ok on mileage and was a good on ramp sleeper too.

  16. Jay

    I daily drive the GLHS’ big brother. The 87 Shelby Lancer. I bought it with 276,000 miles on it’s original engine. Think I’m up to 278k now. Get’s 26-28mpg and will put up a fight with most cars. I’ve been into these Mini Mopars for a while now as they’re great fun to drive and easy to mod up and parts are plug and play across multiple years and platforms. My last modded one was getting 34mpg around town while putting out 300ft-lbs of torque and 220hp. The stock head limits the hp. I’ll be putting a heavily modded motor in the Shelby and probably retiring it from daily driver status but it should get 30mpg around town and hopefully 400hp, 400ft-lbs on 20ish psi.

  17. GLHS0291

    I did use my then-new Shelby Charger GLHS as my daily driver from 1987-1992, and don’t regret a minute of it – torque-steer, feel-every-pebble Konis and all. Never a dull moment in traffic circles and city neighborhoods near the office, and exit ramps and hilly two-lane country roads near home. And got almost 30 MPG doing it. Bought an ’86 Omni GLHS a few months ago, and it still brings a smile.

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