What's the best $10k "has it all" daily driver?

Spending two hours in a Honda Fit every day is getting old. The car has been fine but now that I spend so much time in it, little things (particularly the seats and their uber-short cushions) are becoming super aggravating. It's also just kinda buzzy on the freeway.

I've always been of the opinion that $20-25k is more than enough for most people to spend on a car, since it can get you pretty much anything that you want (as long as you're okay with some of your options being used). But the $10k-ish price bracket is even nicer, in that you can still get something that isn't totally thrashed, while you can finance it and pay it off in a year or two without spending a ton of money every month.

Since I'd like to reduce my monthly commitment if nothing else, I'm looking into the latter. The goal is to have something that isn't horrible on gas (as close to 30MPG as possible), is reasonably fun to drive, doesn't suck to maintain, has an interior that's a nice enough place to spend time in, overall is relatively modern (~10 years old) and so forth.

There's a lot of not-bad options: late Acura TSX, Fiat 500 Abarth, Volvo C30s, etc. Even left-fielders like late Optima hybrids have piqued my interest. But overall, what do you guys think the best $10k all-rounder to drive every day would be?

Accord coupe. 80s BMW with the eta engine. Galant VR4.

As much as I want a 500 Abarth, I've heard that they don't make very good highway cruisers. The short wheelbase tends to make a very choppy ride. I'm sure Jerry will chime in with more info.

I'd be more inclined to go with something comfy with at least some sportyness. Like a Japanese Q-ship.

I think the C30 would be a good choice as well.

In reply to Cactus:

I already own a Euro E28. Looking for something in the range of 10 years old here, the older stuff you listed would vaporize in a Wisconsin winter.

Another draw, honestly, is modern safety. I see accidents once every couple days on my drive. Getting punted by a commuting Tahoe is something I wouldn't want to do in an 80's car...

Mazda6.

Bmw 5 series.

Acura tl.

Ls400.

Infinity q series.

Essentially a depreciated low mileage luxury car. Or high end mainstream.

I'd be looking for a 4cyl/manual Honda Accord Sport.

V6 Mustang. Cheap. Plentiful. Thow a hitch on it and it's an smallish truck. There are so many of them you don't have to feel the least bit bad about winters destroying it. When it ceases to function, buy another one.
And before anyone says "just buy the V8", I picked the V6 for it's mileage and cheapness allowing you to move up a generation (for safety features) and stay the same price.

Just a little more than 10 years old you can get into a C5 corvette for 10k with some patience. That is a lot of car for the $.

Nicest Mazda6 you can find is my first thought. Maybe an 06-up Civic Si if you want something with better handling and power, but a little less comfort.

I used to own an Abarth. Very fun car, I drove it across the country once, but 2 hours a day commuting is not my idea of fun, especially if you don't like being in the Fit.

Volvo V70R.
I love mine.

IMHO, I'd sacrifice mpg for comfort, if I had to spend two hours a day in a car. Look at something with longer wheelbase and bigger motor. Smoother ride and less buzz.

As a daily driver my vote goes for Accord or C30. V6 accord will struggle to reach 30mpg. As will the C30. 4 cylinder accord will do it as will TSX.

LS430- I'm not worried about fun to drive as much as I am being comfy. That said, if you're in stop and go traffic you might see if you can find anything that has radar cruise control. That would change things quite a bit.

Mazda

The answer!

Das unpimp auto

All the comfort and MPG's

05-up Lexus GS. A 300 or 350 will do damn close if not 30mpg on the highway.

Second gen Mazda(Speed)3

Any of the 3s are fine, the Speed won't get the mpg of the other two but is still mid 20s.

Enough hatch space to carry decent sized items, nice interior with great ergonomics imo, Bluetooth streaming that sounds good, etc...

Only real negative I hear of them is rust in the really crappy winter states, not a problem for me :)

I'd say a BMW V8 wagon, but those are all well over 10 years old. It's perfect otherwise though— tons of space, four door practicality, decent power from its V8, good looks, etc. And you can find em for way under $10k... I paid $5k for mine! Of course I'm completely biased, having owned half a dozen BMWs.

Granted, the gas mileage sucks, so if MPG is your biggest concern then you're pretty much stuck with smaller engines and newer cars.

G35/37, but I like the v6 Mustang suggestion too.

5 year old Hyundai Genesis sedans seem like really nice cars too, and they can tickle 30mpg on the highway. They'd be more towards the luxury end of the spectrum than the sporty end, but it would be a nice place to spend a couple of hours every day.

I have not spent any time in a Honda accord since they went boring in the early 90s. This last week I have had a chance to drive my mom's 4 cyl Accord around. 38mpg and real comfortable. Suddenly boring has some appeal. Might have something to do with the fact that I'm now over 50. Still not as enjoyable as my 20 year old Range Rover, or even my 10 year old F350 diesel, but nice, boring, cheap.

Just in case you missed this https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/grm/you-seen-this-cobalt-ss/131517/page1/

The world's nicest Saab 9-5.

STM317 wrote: 5 year old Hyundai Genesis sedans seem like really nice cars too, and they can tickle 30mpg on the highway. They'd be more towards the luxury end of the spectrum than the sporty end, but it would be a nice place to spend a couple of hours every day.

Like OP, I spend a lot of time on the road, especially on the highway. My '13 Elantra does it just fine, better than the Fit, but still not an ideal cruiser. Not getting rid of it yet, but when I do I plan to keep my spend under $15k for a replacement. The Genesis is probably at or near the top of my list. Especially one with the 4.6L or 5.0L. The 5.0L is 425+hp, can run on regular unleaded (I think it looses just a few hp doing it), loaded to the hilt, great cruiser, safe, tons of room. Very interesting.

Otherwise, I'd also say Mazda6 or Accord.

Not sure if $10k gets you a current-gen Mazda6. That last gen... kind of meh, right? Right?? A G35 sedan sounds nice if you can find one without a ton of miles or bad previous owners.

What about a Volvo S40 or V40? Not the Mitsubishi based one but more around 2009, 2010 etc.

Another vote for the Accord, especially if you can find a Sport 6MT. I still miss mine...

It was mentioned above, but Civic Si is 80% of the luxury of a TSX but with more sporting pretensions (LSD). I've noticed since the turbo Hondas have come out the price on the old VTEC's has dropped a bit, so $15k gets you a 2013+

Otherwise, maybe Golf GTi?