---
title: 'Fun, Reliable, & Affordable Cars You Should Buy (2026 Best Daily Drivers List)'
source: 'https://youtube.com/watch?v=JMDM_8pmOXw'
video_id: 'JMDM_8pmOXw'
date: 2026-06-30
duration_sec: 1628
---

# Fun, Reliable, & Affordable Cars You Should Buy (2026 Best Daily Drivers List)

> Source: [Fun, Reliable, & Affordable Cars You Should Buy (2026 Best Daily Drivers List)](https://youtube.com/watch?v=JMDM_8pmOXw)

## Summary

The video argues that cool, special cars don't require a large budget; they just require knowledge of hidden gems. It presents a list of affordable, fun, and unique used cars that have a distinctive 'X factor,' ranging from luxury SUVs to hopped-up commuters. The overarching message is that with research and patience, anyone can own a truly interesting car without breaking the bank.

### Key Points

- **Coolness isn't about money** [[0:05]] — The speaker's core belief is that the coolest, most tasteful things (clothes, bands, restaurants, neighborhoods) are often cheap or undiscovered. He applies this philosophy directly to cars.
- **Criteria for the list** [[1:06]] — Every car on the list is cheap, fun to drive, usually gets good gas mileage, and has a special 'X factor' that makes it unique and desirable.
- **Mercedes ML SUV (W163)** [[1:34]] — Early luxury SUVs (late 90s/early 2000s) are great value. The first-gen ML offers a V8, real locking differentials (with off-road package), body-on-frame construction, and can be found for under $10,000. It's described as a 'budget G-wagon.'
- **Toyota Matrix XRS / Pontiac Vibe GT** [[4:12]] — A high-revving (8,000+ RPM) 2ZZ-GE engine (same as Lotus Elise) with 180 hp. It features a 6-speed manual, helical limited-slip differential, and sport-tuned suspension. Extremely affordable ($1,500-$5,000).
- **Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart (Final Gen)** [[7:39]] — A middle-ground between the base Lancer and the Evolution. It has a detuned turbo 2.0L (237 hp), simplified AWD system from the Evo (with Tarmac/Gravel/Snow modes), but is automatic (DCT) only. It's cheap and underrated.
- **Acura TL Type S (3rd Gen)** [[11:55]] — A luxury sports sedan from Honda's 'golden era.' The 3.5L V6 (J35) makes 286 hp. It comes with a 6-speed manual (with LSD) or a 5-speed auto. Known for durability, brembo brakes, and double-wishbone front suspension.
- **3.0L V6 TDI (VW/Audi/Porsche) – Dieselgate Bargains** [[14:53]] — Cars like the Audi A6, Porsche Cayenne Diesel, and VW Touareg with the 3.0L TDI engine. Due to the Dieselgate scandal, they were fixed and resold with warranties. They offer 240 hp, 428 lb-ft of torque, 30-40 mpg, and extremely low resale values.
- **Nissan Altima SE-R (6th Gen)** [[17:08]] — The hopped-up version of the famously 'fast' Altima. It uses a VQ35DE engine (from the 350Z) making 260 hp, a 6-speed manual with helical LSD, and stiffer suspension. A front-wheel-drive sleeper.
- **BMW E90 330i (2006)** [[18:28]] — A one-year-only model with the naturally aspirated N52 inline-6 (255 hp). It's considered the end of an era before BMW switched to turbos. The engine is reliable, the chassis is balanced, and it's the 'best car on the list' for the speaker.
- **Oldsmobile Achieva SCX** [[22:21]] — A forgotten homologation special from the early 90s. It has the legendary 2.3L Quad 4 W41 engine (190 hp, 7,200 RPM redline) and was built for SCCA World Challenge racing. Very rare (1,650 made), lightweight, and with true motorsport roots.
- **The search is the hobby** [[25:23]] — The video concludes by emphasizing that finding these cool, cheap, and rare cars is part of the fun. It requires constant searching, networking, and being ready to pounce.

### Conclusion

The ultimate takeaway is that owning a cool, rewarding car doesn't require a massive budget, but rather knowledge and a willingness to search for hidden gems. The real thrill is in the hunt for these underappreciated, special vehicles.

## Transcript

- I believe with my whole
entire heart that the coolest,
most tasteful raddest stuff is not
acquired with a bunch of money.
The coolest clothes thrifted,
the best bands are the ones
that your friends haven't heard of yet.
Restaurants are cooler before
they blow up on Instagram,
and cool neighborhoods are cheaper
and cooler when they're
still a little rough
around the edges, when the
rich people are too scared
to let their kids live there.
Now, I'm not saying
that once something gets
popular it becomes uncool.
I love a lot of very popular stuff,
but it does become a little less special
and oftentimes a lot more
expensive cars are the exact
same way, but you can bypass a lack
of funds if you know
what you're looking for.
Now, I'm not saying that
every car on this list
is a future classic.
In fact, most of them
are definitely not going
to be worth a bunch of money ever.
What I am saying is
that every car in this
video is pretty cheap.
They're all fun to drive, most
of them get pretty good gas mileage
and every single one has a
certain X factor, a certain
a special, something that
makes them unique, desirable,
and fun to talk about.
They're fun to drive now.
And who knows, maybe some
of these uncut gems will
be the next big craze.
And if that happens, you'll
be able to tell everyone
that you bought yours in 2026
before they got expensive.
Starting with Mercedes ML SUV,
this car makes me want
to get a puffer jacket
and a pair of butters.
Yd luxury SUVs from the late nineties
and early two thousands are the best bang
for your buck value in the
entire automotive world.
Woke me on that.
Back in the day, luxury
car companies had a hunch
that this new SUV market
was gonna be a big deal,
but they had never sold one.
So they didn't have any
real consumer data to know
what people were gonna use them for.
Did they want comfort skis, road manners,
or off-road capability?
They had no idea. So these
early SUVs for Mercedes BMW,
Audi and Porsche are kind
of just good at everything.
We bought a first generation cayenne
and did a video throwing
some thoughtful mods at it
to highlight and take advantage
of its off-road capabilities.
And let me tell you that thing
bangs, I'm actually jealous
that Zach gets to drive it every day.
And since we made that video,
I've been casually looking
for something with similar
potential but was different
because I think it would
be cute but lame if Zach
and I drove the exact same car
and first generation
Mercedes ML is the answer.
This thing's got a ton of stuff
that makes the Cayenne so great.
You can get it with a V six,
you can get it with a V eight.
They look amazing
and I don't think that
they'll ever outta style.
They have great interiors
and if you find one with the
offroad package, they came
with real locking differentials
and a two speed transfer case
with a low range gear, AKA,
it could climb up lots of stuff.
The early ones are even
body on frame construction.
It's a actual truck with a Mercedes badge.
It's literally a budget G wagon.
If I were to get one, which
I might, I would take my time
and find a nice ML 500
because I think it would
be worth a little extra
money to have the V eight.
It's literally the same engine
that comes in a G wagon.
The biggest difference
is you can find these
for less than $10,000 every
single day of the week.
Cayennes are an amazing bargain.
MLS are even more of a hack
because way less people
seem to know about them.
Now, if I didn't want to go off road
and I just wanted a really nice
daily driver on the street,
I would try and find an ML 50 5:00 AM G.
Now, these rarely ever came
with the offroad package.
They might not be
available with it at all,
but they more than make up for it
'cause they got big fender flares
and 350 horsepower you
first generation Toyota Matrix XS
slash Pontiac Vibe gt.
There are gonna be
about 12 dudes out there
who are absolutely
ecstatic that we decided
to include a Toyota Matrix in this video.
Hi guys. Toyota has a long history
of taking normal commuter cars
and making cool versions of them Corolla,
G-T-S-G-R-R-S.
But there is a weird shaped
wagon thing from the early two
thousands that a lot
of people are not aware
of the Toyota Matrix XRS,
which apparently means
extreme rally sport extreme
with an X, like a sour
candy or a Capri sun flavor.
The Toyota Matrix XRS is
basically Toyota taking a normal
practical hatchback thing
and saying, what if we
made it kind of spicy?
Now the first generation
is the one that you want
because it has the two ZZ GE engine,
an aluminum block, dual
overhead cam four cylinder
with 16 valves
and Toyota's V-V-T-L-I system,
which basically gives
the motor a second more
aggressive CAM profile.
When you rev it out, it's like VTECH ish.
The result about 180
horsepower at 7,600 RPM,
which might not sound huge today,
but if we're honest with
ourselves, it is more than enough
to have fun, especially when
the thing red lines at over
8,000 RPM.
It is a tiny high revving motor
that absolutely loves living
at the top of the tack.
It's like, Hey, little tiny high revving
motor, where do you wanna live?
I'm probably just gonna
end up living at the
top of the tack.
So that's where I've lived for years.
We're just, we just really
are happy at the top of the T
and the two ZZGE is the same engine
that Lotus used in the Elise
and the xi, which should
tell you something
about how good it is.
Toyota did not just stop at the engine.
They gave the XRS or is it pronounced.
They gave the XRS stiffer springs dampers,
thicker sway bars, 17 inch
wheels, four wheel disc brakes,
a helical limited slip differential,
and a six speed transmission.
Even the steering got the sporty treatment
with firmer assist and quicker response.
The steering in the XRS is heavier
and more direct than a base matrix.
I always thought that the
Toyota Matrix was a very boring
car with a very cool name.
All I knew is that they
had a 12 volt plug in 'em
so you could like use a
blender, which they do.
They are very cool and
extremely affordable.
There's a few of them on
marketplace in my city right now.
A lot of 'em are like $5,000
and one of 'em is $1,500,
but the owner says that
quote rats chewed harness.
So yeah,
and if you're watching this,
but you're saying, you know what?
I like this car, but I wish
it looked more like a Pontiac.
Aztec. You are in luck
because the Pontiac Vibe
GT is the exact same car
with slightly different body
work, slightly more AZ techy,
final Gen Lancer rally art.
You want an EVO but don't have EVO money.
You want an evo, but don't want to deal
with the negative social
connotations that may
or may not come with having one.
You want an EVO but don't
want to smell like gas
and have your fillings
shaken out of your skull.
Well, do I have a car for you?
The final generation
Mitsubishi Lancer rally art
was essentially a middle ground
between the standard lancer
poo boring and the full
blown lancer evolution.
Cool, but very popular and
therefore expensive.
The Lancer rally art has a
bunch of the same equipment
and technology as the evo,
but in a slightly toned down,
much less expensive package.
Under the hood is a de-tuned version
of Mitsubishi's Turbocharged
four B 11 T two liter in line
four, the same basic
engine found in the Lancer
evolution 10.
This hog makes about 237 Hearst PERS
and 253 pound feet of twerks.
It puts that power to the ground
through a simplified version
of the advanced all wheel
drive system from the EVO nine.
It's got everything except
for active YA control,
but what it does have is an
active center differential
with different driving modes
that adjust torque distribution
between the front and rear
wheels to improve traction
and handling in different conditions.
What kind of conditions
you might ask James,
what are these modes called?
Tarmac gravel snow.
Those are places that you do
rally racing, which is an art.
Hence the name Rally Art.
It's got stiffer springs
than a standard lancer,
bigger brakes than a standard lancer.
And it's also got some lips
and spoilers and badges
and stuff.
The one downside is that it is DCT only.
You cannot get it with
a manual transmission.
I know, I know paddle
shifters only I know, I know,
which I know is a bummer.
But honestly, for some situations,
automatics are totally acceptable.
And dare I say preferred,
if you're looking for a car
to drive to work with
all-wheel drive and a turbo
and you want to give your left
leg a break while you sit in
traffic, this car is cool.
It's practical and it's cheap
because it is wildly underrated.
Again, part of being cool
is being willing to admit
that you think things are cool
that other people might not be
willing to admit or cool yet.
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Now I gotta go finish cleaning
Goop out of this sunroof
Acura TL type SI like these cars
so much that my stepdad had
one and I still like them.
I think these are so good looking,
just a nice classy luxury
sports sedan from the
tail end of the golden age of Honda.
The Type S was the
performance version of the TL
and it's powered by the J 35, A eight,
3.5 liter B six, a stout,
extremely simple aluminum
block, single cam motor
with vtech that produced
about 286 Hearst PERS
and 256 pound feet of twerks.
A noticeable jump over the
standard TLS 258 horsepower,
which is nice
because a lot of times car
companies will just add letters
and crap to the back of a car's name
and it doesn't add any power,
but this one adds kind of a lot.
Hey, so what do all the letters
on the back of your car mean?
It means basically they glued a bunch
of plastic and stuff all over it.
Is that it? The thread on the seats
is a different color dew.
That power went through the front wheels
through either a five speed
automatic with paddle shifters,
which we've established are fine.
Or a close ratio
six speed manual.
And the manual version included
a limited slip differential
to manage torque and improve
corner exit traction.
It's a Honda and
because it's a Honda,
it's got double wishbone front suspension
and multilink in the rear and
it's got Brembo front brakes.
This little boy could go from zero to 60
and a little over six seconds
putting it right in the middle
of the mix with a lot of Mercedes BMWs
and Audis of that era.
But what makes the TL better
than those is how it blends
that performance with
Golden era Honda durability.
The J series V six is famously durable
and it's known for being capable
of going well over 200,000
miles with routine maintenance
because it's simple
and it's got strong internals
just like my huge cousin.
- Hi guys. Can they see?
Can they see me? He's
- Simple, but he's got strong internals.
- You - Need any help? No,
buddy, I'm good. Okay, you
- Just let me know.
I'll be right here.
- Thanks pal. Heart of gold. That one.
These things look really
cool. They handle really well.
The interiors are nice.
They're pretty cheap.
These are cool.
Anything with a three liter
V six TDI, Audi A four,
Audi A five, Audi A six,
Audi A seven, Audi A eight.
Audi Q five, Audi Q seven,
Audi Q eight, Audi A six,
all Road Volkswagen Toric,
Volkswagen Ton, Porsche,
cayenne Diesel, Porsche, Panama Diesel.
What do they all have in common?
All these cars became an
interesting used car bargain
largely because of a little
thing I like to call diesel.
The three liter V six TDI
engine was used in a bunch
of cars throughout the Volkswagen,
Audi and Porsche lineup
and was found to have software
that altered emissions behavior
during testing ums.
After the scandal broke, Volkswagen
and Audi were forced to buy back
or modify thousands
of diesel vehicles in the
us So a lot of the diesel,
Porsches Audis
and Volkswagens from this time
that you see on the market
today were reacquired
by the manufacturer, repaired
with updated emissions
hardware and software
and then resold with extended warranties.
Now that situation created a bit
of a hidden value in the used market.
These are high-end luxury
cars with nice interiors.
They look awesome.
They have all wheel drive
and a three liter turbo
diesel V six producing
around 240 horsepower
and 428 pound feet of turf.
They pull like a tugboat
and they get 30 to 40 miles per gallon.
And because of the
emission scandal stigma,
resale values are in the toilet,
which is why today you can
often buy any of these for a
minute fraction of the original price.
They're really well engineered.
A lot of people don't know
what year they're from,
so they won't know.
And the Dieselgate thing
was all fixed value.
Yeah, buddy I like means a diesel
Altima SER.
Now based on my personal experience,
Nissan Altimas are the
fastest street legal cars
on the planet.
I have often been driving
on the interstate,
went out of nowhere.
A Nissan Altima passes me
in the right lane going well
over 200 miles per hour
with a foot hanging out of the window.
Well, the Nissan Altima SER is the fastest
version of the fastest
car on planet earth.
It follows the same theme
as the other hopped up commuter cars.
In this video, bigger
brakes, stiffer springs,
more powerful engine.
In this case, it is the VQ
35 de basically the same engine from the
three 50 Z.
The Ultima version makes 260 horsepower,
which is 20 less than the Z.
And while the Z is rear
wheel drive, all the power
for the Ultima goes through
the front wheels by way
of a six P transmission
with a helical limited slip differential.
This is a very cool under the
radar car that you can get
for a great price.
This might be the best car on the list.
I said that like other than a concert.
This next one, this next one
is the best car on this
list, favorite of mine,
the E 90 BMW three 30.
The E 90 BMW three 30.
I was only made for one year
in 2006.
I said at the beginning of this video
that I don't think a lot
of these cars are ever gonna
be worth money or collectible.
This is not one of those, one
of the most iconic things
on the entire planet is a
naturally aspirated BMW straight six.
And this is sort of
like the end of the era.
It sits at a very interesting
moment in BMW's history right
before Turbocharging took over.
Earthing under the hood
is the N 52 3 liter
naturally aspirated in line six.
An aluminum magnesium blocked
engine with double vanos,
variable valve timing and valve
tranic, variable valve lift.
That's basically double vtech.
It makes about 255 horsepower
and 220 pound feet of torque.
And just like basically
all BMW in line sixes,
it's an awesome engine.
It's smooth, it loves to rev.
You can get it with a six P manual.
The chassis is extremely balanced.
McPherson struts up front
multilink in the rear.
And the result is the kind of balance
that BMW is famous for.
Neutral handling, sharp steering, a car
that feels composed
whether you're commuting
or on a back road.
And one of the reasons that
the three 30 I has aged
so well is because the NA N 52
engine is extremely reliable,
unlike the turbocharge
engines that came after it.
The N 52 is relatively simple.
It's got no turbos, it's got
strong internal components
and it's got a reputation
for lasting well over 200,000
miles with proper maintenance.
And overall, it's considered one
of BMW's more durable modern engines.
It's got some normal
things that you gotta fix.
Water pumps, valve cupboard gaskets,
oil filter housing
gaskets, that combination
of naturally aspirated in
line six, rear wheel drive
amazing E 90 chassis
makes this car like one
of the final BMWs like this.
BMWs now are great too, but they're big
and they're so fast.
For a long time, BMWs weren't the fastest
car in a straight line.
They were light, they were
stiff, they were rear wheel drive
and you could rev the hell
out of 'em and just chuck 'em.
And this is one of the last ones of those.
So get 'em while you still can
'cause they only made 'em for a year.
Before we get to the final
car, there are some cars
that didn't quite make the list
that I just gotta mention
honorably Mark five
Volkswagen, any of 'em.
Jetta Golf, GTIB five Passat Wagon,
second Gen BZ slash
FS Nissan three 70 Z Honda CR-v Mazda
RX eight, Lexus Ellis 400 slash
four 30 T two Toric V eight
early Macon, Porsches.
Now if you want to hear me
and the boys talk about
those cars in more detail
and maybe why they didn't
make it on this list,
you can check out our members
only podcast, the Legion
of Speed podcast.
For more information on
that, go to speed.co.
The members only podcast
is a great way to hear me
and the other guys behind
speed talk about stuff.
We really think without the
oppressive algorithm breathing
down our necks.
I bet you didn't see this one coming.
I bet you didn't see this one coming.
The BM BMW three 30 is probably
the best car on this list.
This car is the most indie record store
guy on this list.
It's like, oh, you
don't know what that is.
If you ever heard of of an
Oldsmobile Integra type R,
the Oldsmobile achieve A SCX.
The Oldsmobile achieve A
SCX is a deep cut example
of my favorite genre of automobile.
The homologation special.
What is HO allegation?
Well, I'm glad you asked.
- Back in the day, in order
to compete in certain racing
series manufacturers were
required to produce a
certain number of road govers
of the cars that wanted to race.
- Thanks pal. This gave
us cars like A-B-M-W-M
three, the lancia Delta Integr Raleigh,
and the old mobile
achieve A SCX,
which is basically a forgotten
gm Integra type R.
Don't laugh.
Under the hood was the legendary
2.3 liter quad four W four
one engine, a high revving
dual overhead cam inline four
that produced about 190 horsepower
and 160 pound feet of twerks,
which is kind of crazy
for a naturally aspirated
four cylinder in the
early nineties.
What makes the SCX special
wasn't just the engine.
It was built specifically
to compete in showroom
stock racing series like
SCCA World Challenge.
- Now we take a look at
the leader in Class C.
This is Dave Jolly out of California
and his old achievement,
- It had tuned suspension,
it redlined, its 7,200 RPM.
It had aggressive gearing
and distinctive body trim
with W 41 graphics on it
so everyone knows what
the name of the engine is.
The achievement platform
won the SCCA World Challenge
Touring Card Championship
from 1992 to 1994.
I've watched the Oldsmobile
people over the last few years.
You have to hand it to 'em.
They've been winning a lot of
races. It's a real race car.
It's also very rare.
They only made about 1,650 of them total,
and a handful of them were ultra
rare track focused versions
that had no AC
and an LSD deleting AC from a car
and then selling it to you
for more money is a thing
that normally just Porsche and BMW do.
Oldsmobile today, the Achieve
A SCX is remembered as one
of GM's early nineties
Sleeper Performance cars,
a lightweight front wheel drive coop
with a high revving kind of
bonkers, powerful for the time.
Four cylinder engine manual transmission,
genuine motor sport route
that most people have
either never heard of
or totally forgotten about, which means
they don't know about it, which means
you might be able to score one.
Listen guys, I think
that everyone deserves
to drive a cool car and
with a little knowledge
and a lot of digging, I think
that just about anyone can,
A lot of these cars are not easy to find.
A lot of them were limited
runs, special additions,
specific trims, or even
one year only models.
But now that you know about them,
the real fun begins.
This is the hobby, the search.
It's time to constantly have
12 different tabs open on your
computer, put feelers out
on the group chat, let all
of your friends know that you're looking
for something specific
and be ready to jump on it
when the opportunity pops up.
And if you find something super cool
and super special, post it on Instagram
and tag me at James Humphrey
and I will share it.
Or you can join our discord
because guys, there are
a lot of guys on there
who like weird little stuff
like this, a whole bunch.
We've made a few curated carists kind
of like this on this channel.
So if there isn't anything in this video
that really resonated with
you, go check those out.
Let us know what other
list you want to see.
Me and the boys have incredible taste.
We make videos about a bunch
of stuff related to style,
aesthetics activities.
So go give some of those a watch
and if you like them,
please consider subscribing.
All right. I love you.