Ikon Posted November 30, 2011 Report Share Posted November 30, 2011 Seriously, can a lightly mod SQ be a reliable daily driver and not nickel and dime me to death? I'm not talking about a drag racer/drift machine... just a 30 mile a day round trip DDrver instead of a run of the mill civic, Saturn or altima. How many of you guys actually use your car as a daily driver? How many miles daily? Has it been reliable? What's the main issues you've had? Thanks for the input! Ikon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrazilBoy Posted November 30, 2011 Report Share Posted November 30, 2011 I put 50k on mine over 2 years in hawaii with crappy gas there boosting 18lbs and she got me home all but ounce when the oem clutch slave literally blew up.... I have it quite modified... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ucw458 Posted November 30, 2011 Report Share Posted November 30, 2011 my tbi car was my DD and it was very reliable. When my mpi is fully tuned it will be my DD. Maintenance is the key to a healthy DD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lance_S Posted November 30, 2011 Report Share Posted November 30, 2011 I have put 8,000 miles on mine in the last 5 months. Yeah, it can be a DD. Have I replaced parts, yup. It's a 25 year old car. A LOT of it depends on what you own and what condition it is currently in. If you own a basket case, it won't be a good DD. If it's a good, solid car, that has had a regular work done on it, you will be fine. Starfighter has over 400,000 miles on his, no joke. But he works on it to keep it running. You will too, we all do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lance_S Posted November 30, 2011 Report Share Posted November 30, 2011 I put 50k on mine over 2 years in hawaii with crappy gas there boosting 18lbs and she got me home all but ounce when the oem clutch slave literally blew up.... I have it quite modified... lol, I replaced my slave saturday. Mine was leaking terribly and the clutch pedal went to the floor at a traffic light. The good news? $15.00 for a new one with a lifetime warranty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 30, 2011 Report Share Posted November 30, 2011 Very reliable if you take care of all the necessary maintenance that come with a 25+ year old car. My daughter has 30+k on her '87 in a year and a 1/2, drives it 650+ miles one way from college to home and another 650+ miles back to school, loaded with passengers. Of course, I took the time to address all major maintenance on the car before giving it to her. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QuestFan Posted November 30, 2011 Report Share Posted November 30, 2011 Mine is a DD. I guess you could say it is mildly modified. It always gets me home. The only problems it gives me are the ones I create for myself. Like breaking manifold studs or snapping a tap off in the turbo creating a nasty exhaust leak, or crack in the head from me driving it around with a shotty tune. Heck I drove all the way to dallas with a blown head gasket with no problems. They are just high maintenance because they are 20 something years old. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeph_tsi Posted November 30, 2011 Report Share Posted November 30, 2011 my first car was a conquest, bought it when I was 17 in high school and drove it through college. I bought it with 70k and drove to 180k on original engine and turbo and drove it hard, but maintained it very well and always let the turbo cool down. it only had a boost controller, hollow cats, and a 2g mas with k&n, awesome car! Since then I've had a few conquests and some haven't been very lucky for me, mostly because of the age they are now and deterioration setting in. If you get one that was reasonably kept and maintain it well it should be plenty reliable, just be ready to do some work up front to make sure its roadworthy and reliable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fanta Posted November 30, 2011 Report Share Posted November 30, 2011 Yes. starfighterpilot dailies his and drives out to OK almost monthly from GA. Mine was reliable even with injectors leaking bad enough that you could drive the car w/o injector clips, oil leaks, and vaporized clutch, and a short that would drain the battery. For all that was wrong with the car at the time, it never once left me stranded. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SidewaySStarion Posted November 30, 2011 Report Share Posted November 30, 2011 I put 60K on mine over the last two years and it was perfectly reliable, it's bone stock at stock boost, it wasn't fun but at least I knew it would keep on running. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ucw458 Posted November 30, 2011 Report Share Posted November 30, 2011 IDK why people think a SQ can't be a good daily. I guess some need to re-tails their mechanical skills. An SQ is just like any other car. If it's in poor shape it will break down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FijiPhil Posted November 30, 2011 Report Share Posted November 30, 2011 Yeah. Just to reiterate. If you leave it (mainly) stock and it has been well maintained, there is no reason it cant be a great daily as long as you keep the maintence up. However, I would be hesitant about paying, say, 800 bucks for one and expect to DD it within a week of purchasing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SidewaySStarion Posted November 30, 2011 Report Share Posted November 30, 2011 (edited) Yeah. Just to reiterate. If you leave it (mainly) stock and it has been well maintained, there is no reason it cant be a great daily as long as you keep the maintence up. However, I would be hesitant about paying, say, 800 bucks for one and expect to DD it within a week of purchasing well if you don't beat on your starion, you're semi decent about maintenance and catching small problems before they turn into bigger problems you're starion will last you for many many many miles. Hell, DDing mine for work, after maintenance and fuel, I drove enough miles to pay for the car and put a few grand in my pocket. Edited November 30, 2011 by SidewaySStarion Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ucw458 Posted November 30, 2011 Report Share Posted November 30, 2011 However, I would be hesitant about paying, say, 800 bucks for one and expect to DD it within a week of purchasing I bought mine for 1k and daily drove it starting the next day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skullzaflare Posted November 30, 2011 Report Share Posted November 30, 2011 Yeah. Just to reiterate. If you leave it (mainly) stock and it has been well maintained, there is no reason it cant be a great daily as long as you keep the maintence up. However, I would be hesitant about paying, say, 800 bucks for one and expect to DD it within a week of purchasing agreed, mine IS my DD, and im always working on it. with winter settling in, im driving it very easy, as i dont wanna have to get out and work on it in the coldgranted, if your mechanically sound, you dont normally have to worry about being stranded assuming you bring the tools for general repairin my case, since i changed my motor, i had been blowing couplers every 3rd or 4th time i would hit boost, so i carry a 7mm/8mm/10mm with me at all timesi just replaced all of it today, so i have a 10mm and 7/16 now, but i will carry them all the time just in case Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Komeuppance Posted November 30, 2011 Report Share Posted November 30, 2011 I've been DD'n mine regularly for the last 4 years. 100+ miles round trip daily. And I don't take it easy, LOL. I take the route with my favorite back roads for some fun action on the way home. I don't hesitate to put the hammer down when a smug hybrid driver is holding up the left lane, triple digit speeds in no time. In fact, just tonight, I finally fixed a loose exhaust hanger (I have a custom exhaust), and took up to the top of 4th gear a few times for a shakedown run, haha. I haven't done much to my car, just put a new engine in when I first got it, and general maintenance to bring it up to speed. That was 5 years ago. Been doing slight mods ever since. I drive my car waaaaaaay more than I work on it, but it took patience, and the right amount of money(not as much as you'd think) to get it there. The important part is that when I was bringing it up to speed to daily driver status, I had other vehicles to drive in... instead of driving a half-aced car that will break within a week and then put the blame on the car. Most of the time when a car breaks down, it's the owner's fault (I'd know, I've had plenty of engine blowing experience.) -Robert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indiana Posted November 30, 2011 Report Share Posted November 30, 2011 That's why it takes so long to rebuild a car. The reason is to inspect and repair everything FIRST not just get it to run and have it breakdown all the time. You can't expect a 25 year old car that many have beat the crap out of to not have problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carguygibby Posted November 30, 2011 Report Share Posted November 30, 2011 Just now my Conquest is my backup car but I have often used it as my DD in the past.Bear in mind these cars are getting old and niggly issues will occur.Like most cars though just keep up on the maintenance, don't beat the snot out of it and she'll be fine.Colin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexasQuest Posted November 30, 2011 Report Share Posted November 30, 2011 ^Exactly, taking care of it and not beating the crap outta it is the key. I've daily driven mine for 3 months straight before fine with no problems. If maintenance is kept up it will be good to you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burton Posted November 30, 2011 Report Share Posted November 30, 2011 Mine was a daily driver for nearly a year after we moved down here to TX. The first 3 months I was driving 140 miles a day, then the rest of the year I was driving about 30-40 a day. That was after having my engine rebuilt by knowledgeable people, and the rest of the car was gone thru too. Once everything had been checked out and such I started daily driving it, and was able to do it trouble free for over a year. That being said, I wouldn't have done it if I didn't have to. At the time it was the only car that I felt was reliable enough to be a DD. Once I got another car that I felt was more reliable, I quit driving it, and will never use it as a DD again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SOTTY Posted November 30, 2011 Report Share Posted November 30, 2011 No reason why not , regular up keep and oil changes , i'm fortunate to have three Conquests at my disposal for daily transportation and i clock up a lot of miles daily running around Las vegas measuring up houses for new flooring , if i could stuff a 200 foot roll of carpet in one i'd do that too ! but we use trucks for that part of my business , my bro above somewhere in this thread used to daily drive his 86 flatty auto to and from work daily into Atlanta from his house out in the sticks when he lived in Georgia , 100 miles there and 100 miles back , another flatty i know of a 85.5 is daily driven with over 400,000 miles on it on the original block ! so yes these cars can make for excellent daily transportation . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shelby Posted November 30, 2011 Report Share Posted November 30, 2011 a great deal of the time, seting with out being use'd is one of the major reasons people are always haveing problems when they do go to use a car that sets a lot, wireing terminals and connections tend to corode more when not in use'd ,, so if your a little on the slow side of keeping up with need'd maintiance, it'l be more of a pain then it normaly would be Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apate Posted November 30, 2011 Report Share Posted November 30, 2011 The first day I tried to DD my conquest. She would not start after I just filled her up.The good news it was only a corroded battery terminal. A pocket knife and adjustable wrench and she was good to go. That was the only problem that I have had so far. My opinion cars were made to driven and if she breaks down that why we have tow truckssupport your local Hookers:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Convette Posted November 30, 2011 Report Share Posted November 30, 2011 I drove mine everyday (almost 10k miles this summer) untill a couple of weeks ago when it started getting crappy outside. I beat it a lot, its kinda modified. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carguygibby Posted November 30, 2011 Report Share Posted November 30, 2011 I drove mine everyday (almost 10k miles this summer) untill a couple of weeks ago when it started getting crappy outside. I beat it a lot, its kinda modified.Lol, kinda? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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