The Aldine part I'm used to. It's the driving 40 ish miles to get there everyday that is the change.

You aren't getting modern features in a 07 Camry.

JAW3336 said:

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You aren't getting modern features in a 07 Camry.

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It is a top of the line 07 Camry. You'd be surprised. The biggest knock on it is its gold color.

Similar commute for me and I went with a Corolla hybrid. Toyota so it should be well made. I come out ahead on the hybrid if gas is over $3 a gallon. 150,000 mile warranty on all the hybrid stuff

TxLawDawg said:

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I took a job with a long commute many moons ago and was in your same position. Looked for a commuter car with good gas mileage. Someone gave me some great advice - when spending that much of your time in the car comfort is just as important as fuel efficiency (if not more). I ended up buying a used Lexus ES350 and loved it. I averaged about 28 mpg which was about double my truck, but it was extremely comfortable and fun to drive. Plus I had Toyota/Lexus reliability. If I was in your shoes I'd definitely go that route again.

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You can get much the same thing with an Avalon at a slightly lower price in many cases. Most of the Avalons I've looked at seem to have been owned by older folks who upgrade every 5-8 years so they have 90-130K on them and the condition ranges from good to immaculate. I don't even recall seeing a trashed out Avalon; I'm sure they exist but not like their Camry cousins. Not saying the Lexus you mentioned isn't in a good condition, but if I had my choice in getting a Lexus driven by a 30-something with kids or the Avalon driven by a 50 or 60-something, everything else being equal, I'd go the Avalon. And Avalons don't seem to attract younger buyers as a rule.

Tesla Model Y or 3 all day long for your use case

Here's a good option:

https://texags.com/forums/50/topics/3543065

I've driven I-10 a few times recently and there are definitely a good number of big trucks out there but also a lot of construction.

My advice is get something that you're going to feel comfortable in if you're going to be spending 3 hours in your car every day. Of course I lived in Los Angeles when I used to spend 4-7 hours in my car every day so there was also a conspicuous consumption factor.

And as far as the Grand Marquis, my mother used to have one and she always had people wanting to buy it from her. It was a particular demographic but there was no shortage of people who love that car.

nvm TxLawDawg beat me to it!

Ribeye-Rare said:

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BrisketTaco10 said:

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This will be my daily driver and commuter so it has to fit my golf bag. That is one size requirement. My other concern with size is that I haven't driven a car smaller than a Mercury Grand Marquis I bought from my grandmother at age 22.

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Find another MGM (2008 - 2011 model years were the last iteration) and call it a day. It's a highway-cruising machine that floats down the road, and you can carry 6 golf bags in the trunk.

No, it won't get 50 mpg, but you can get 27,which ain't bad for a 4,000 lb car with drop-dead reliability.

I put damn near 300,000 miles on my last one, and have over 100,000 miles on my current one. Somebody will be driving it when I'm pushing up daisies, I suspect.

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If that, or the same era Town Car could be fitted with Adaptive Cruise Control, it could be the ultimate long haul car. Nothing better on the highway.

Because its relevant to my last week of travelling....

2025 Altima?
Surprisingly not that bad! Was quiet inside, comfy seats, slow but "enough" power, got fantastic mileage even in stop and go. The transmission did get a bit jittery sometimes like it was hunting for a gear. Car had 1200 miles on it.

2025 Buick Envision?
Run faaaar away! It's terrible! Seats terrible, it's loud AF inside, the brakes are not even remotely connected to the pedal (must be brake by wire. Brakes are randomly extra grabby and stupid the slower you get), And to top it all off the MPG is just alright. Not great, but not bad. Between this and a Crown Vic, I'm taking the CV every day and twice on Sunday.



We rented these two cars back to back. I was shocked at how much worse the Buick was from a base model Altima. The Altima wouldn't be terrible as a commuter as long as you put aside money for the eventual Transmission replacement at 80k miles. The rest of the car was pretty decent.

When you say commuter car, are you buying a second car just for the commute? Or trading in your current vehicle to replace with something more efficient? What's your current vehicle?

BrisketTaco10 said:

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Whoever believes that Aggies are group-thinking cult followers hasn't seen the Automotive board.

In all seriousness thank you all for your varied and considered responses. Yall have given me many perspectives and pieces of wisdom I previously lacked and I appreciate that. Keep em coming if you want, I'll keep checking back before moving forward with something. I'll let yall know where I end up.

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Get yourself a 97'-98 986.

Turn that boring commute into a pleasure.

If I were in your shoes, I'd get a CPO 24-25 Acura Integra with low miles. It would be efficient, reliable, fun to drive, and easy to maneuver. It will also have every amenity you require.

This is what I'm considering for my next daily. But only interested in the manual transmission.

BrisketTaco10 said:

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I'm about to be commuting 410 miles/week from Baytown to Aldine. I'm not car guy. Hoping I can get some advice from the good Ags here.

Looking for a commuter car. Fuel efficiency and also comfortable ride with some modern features. Probably going to stick with Toyota, Honda, Mazda for reliability. Maybe Hyundai, maybe Kia.

Any commuters out there with recommendations for makes/models?

Know of any great salespeople/dealers around the Houston area?

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What do you drive now?

Current vehicle is 2015 Rav4. It is now totaled. Got into an unfortunate wreck right before I'm about to move to Baytown where my commute goes from 13 miles one way to 40 miles one way.

CivilEng08 said:

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I do a similar commute from Katy to Aldine area in a 5.0 F150. If the cost of fuel is a significant factor for you family, then consider all of these suggestions. But you're going to be spending 12-15 hours a week in traffic driving to and from work, so you better get comfortable and have something you enjoy sitting in. The difference between my 18mpg and an older car getting 30mpg is only about $25 of fuel for your 400 mi/week.

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This. I'll add that I HATE driving or riding in a small car. I just cant get comfortable and do not feel safe in a small car. SUV or pickup for me. I drive about 40k miles per year but put comfort and safety Way above fuel cost.

My neighbor is selling a 2015 Camry SE with 71,000 miles for I think $16k. I can get you his contact information if that's something you might be interested in.

BrisketTaco10 said:

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Current vehicle is 2015 Rav4. It is now totaled. Got into an unfortunate wreck right before I'm about to move to Baytown where my commute goes from 13 miles one way to 40 miles one way.

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Gotcha. As someone who also recently had a totaled vehicle I feel for you.

The Prius is actually a midsize car, contrary to popular belief. I do feel more respected in the Tacoma and do like it, but I'm fine in the Prius for most of my driving.

JSKolache said:

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Perfect EV use case. Buy a used Tesla from the morons selling them

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This is what I'm working on. Used model x still under warranty for more than half off.

Mas89 said:

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CanyonAg77 said:

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Dumb question, maybe: What's wrong with the car you have?

You're never going to save enough gas to pay for a new car, vs. keeping your present car until the wheels fall off.

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He just posted earlier it's now totaled. That's bad enough but now he's moving to Baytown.

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Yeah, missed that, bigger than Dallas. That's what I get for failing to refresh and look for new posts before replying

Honda Accord. Love mine.

Aggietaco said:

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I don't know what your route looks like, but if it's a lot of highway, I would absolutely be looking at a Tesla with FSD.

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Used to be able to buy used Tesla's with FSD included...looks like now you may get it free for a few months then it's a subscription

Tim Weaver said:

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Radar

Cruise

Control



Don't buy anything without it.

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I agree. My Maverick has this, drives in traffic.