[-dustin]

found out yesterday that in about 3 weeks, i will start commuting about 40mi/ day to work. maybe as much as 50, or as little as 35. my truck is paid off, and gets about 16 / 20mpg. i've been looking at either a Mazda 3 wagon (25 / 32mpg), or a Subie 2.5 wagon (22 / 28mpg). in the end, i believe i could get away owing less than $10k. that would chew up a lot of spare money i have for a little while, but i would get substantially better mileage; and i'd also be able to pull into my parking spot without having to make a 4-point turn.

is this something i should consider?

 

[johnbryanpeters]

From the financial viewpoint, it's almost always more cost effective to stick with the vehicle you have until it's totally used up.

 

[mastercycleman]

well unless you dont like you truck, or want a new car anyways, i would stick with the truck, as the 25,000 bux would never everget close to paying fr itself. They did this kind of thing withthe prius, and said, unless your getting a new car already. the prius wont accually save you money.unless you drive like a million miles:hot:

 

[mastercycleman]

whoa... it took me 3 minutes to type that post?
brian posted while I was typing

 

[chuffer]

From the financial viewpoint, it's almost always more cost effective to stick with the vehicle you have until it's totally used up.

ding ding ding ding we have a winner.

best case scenario: increase in effciency of 20 mpg combined with the 50 mile per day commute. assuming 25 work days per month and 3.25 per gallon at the pump yields a savings of $82.50. If you can get a car with a monthly payment (after trade) of less than that, then you'll save money.

more reallistically assume an increase in efficiency of 10 mpg and you are looking at a monthly savings of $67 and change.

so if you want a new car, buy one. if you wanna save money, keep your truck and change your driving habits.

contrary to what banks and automakers would have you believe, buying a new car rarely brings any sort of financial benefit.

0.02

(and yes i am bored. it is 5000° here and i am waiting for it to cool off so i can ride...)

 

[TN]

If your truck is a diesel...go bio-diesel.

 

[merrrrjig]

Id say stick to the truck, 8mpg isng gunna do anything, this was my sign to get a new car:

 

[ChuMaiWang]

Keep the truck and spend a couple of grand on a "beater" with good gas milage.

 

[ChuMaiWang]

Id say stick to the truck, 8mpg isng gunna do anything, this was my sign to get a new car:
<Busted Up Car Pic>

That is nothing, it will buff out.

 

[Ciaran]

Id say stick to the truck, 8mpg isng gunna do anything, this was my sign to get a new car:

That's why you should NEVER let lovebunny drive!

 

[buildyourown]

That's what happens when you run Kendas

 

[ATOMICFIREBALL]

You will notice a difference in your wallet with a 45 mpg car .
I went from a Jeep Cherokee 6cylinder with 20mpg on highway to a Toyota Echo that honestly get's 45mpg.
Let me tell you, it was a good decesion..I paid $5500 for it & got it with 100,000 miles-no A/C with a manual tranny,but it's worth the extra $ in my wallet !
Maybe if fuel goes up another $1 a gallon people might stop hauling thier big fat azzes around in a Hummer .
.02

 

[blue]

Why not just buy a cheap beater car for a couple k's and keep the truck?

 

[Spunger]

I drive a truck that gets similar sucky gas mileage........but think about it......you get a new car (finance it) and you then pay full coverage insurance (for me that's like another $400-550 every 6 months) + a car payment. Doesn't sound like a deal to me....

But....I would consider something that was $5k and under as a commuter car (honda/nissan/toyota) of some sort. They are good for much more then they are given credit to. Plus repairs are cheap and such, insurance is cheap, and good on gas.

But seriously, if there's nothing wrong with your current car there's no point in spending $$$ on payments. The extra on gas won't add up to a payment (well it could but I doubt it) of a new car.

I knew lots of people who have trucks but drive a CRX to/from work or school to save a little $$$. Granted they are beaters but I know none of them spent more than $2500 on these.

 

[ALEXIS_DH]

Why not just buy a cheap beater car for a couple k's and keep the truck?

wouldnt that still be more expensive than just driving the truck??

 

[ChuMaiWang]

wouldnt that still be more expensive than just driving the truck??

I do not think so.

Last year I was in the same "boat" and bought a 96 Nissan 200XS (2 door Sentra) with 96k miles for $2000.

It now has 116k and I have put about 500 bux in it (maintenance)

20k miles at 40 MPG sure beats what I would have spent at ~16 MPG. That "saved" me over half of what I would have spent in gas. And it just keeps adding up as I drive it.

20k Miles @ 40 MPG = 500 Gallons = 1500 bux (@ 3bux a gallon)
20k Miles @ 16 MPG = 1250 Gallons = 3750 bux (@ 3bux a gallon)


Please correct / forgive me if my math is wrong as I am working today (Sunday).

 

[ALEXIS_DH]

I do not think so.

Last year I was in the same "boat" and bought a 96 Nissan 200XS (2 door Sentra) with 96k miles for $2000.

It now has 116k and I have put about 500 bux in it (maintenance)

20k miles at 40 MPG sure beats what I would have spent at ~16 MPG. That "saved" me over half of what I would have spent in gas. And it just keeps adding up as I drive it.

20k Miles @ 40 MPG = 500 Gallons = 1500 bux (@ 3bux a gallon)
20k Miles @ 16 MPG = 1250 Gallons = 3750 bux (@ 3bux a gallon)


Please correct / forgive me if my math is wrong as I am working today (Sunday).

am working sunday too.

lets see...
40mpg out of a 10yo nissan sentra with 96k miles????:hot:

am not really sure the total ownership costs so far on the nissan could be reduced to 500 bucks in maintenance, besides the initial price.

 

[Bicyclist]

Get a used car. My old man just sold his truck for 9k and got a used Acura TL that gets almost twice the milage. Best part is the acura was 4k! If you look around you should be able to find a more effecient car for less money.

 

[ChuMaiWang]

am working sunday too.

lets see...
40mpg out of a 10yo nissan sentra with 96k miles????:hot:

am not really sure the total ownership costs so far on the nissan could be reduced to 500 bucks in maintenance, besides the initial price.

I get that (40MPG) with the AC off going down the highway!! :redhot:

Those numbers were rounded to make it eayser for my lacking math skills.

I do all my oil changes and the only thing that I have had break (so far) is some gear in the auto transmission. Cost me $450 installed.

It is also nice having an "extra" car around.

As with any user car, your mileage my vary (figuratively and literally)

 

[buildyourown]

Don't forget about the actual cost of mileage. ie, if your truck is nice and maintenance costs are high like on a f-350, then driving costs a lot more than gas.
If you can put all your commute miles on a $600 honda, then you can really start saving some serious money. Plus, it keeps your truck nice for road trips.

 

[-dustin]

Get a used car. My old man just sold his truck for 9k and got a used Acura TL that gets almost twice the milage. Best part is the acura was 4k! If you look around you should be able to find a more effecient car for less money.

i didn't even think about that until today. think i'll spend tonight digging through classifieds.

for others, getting a cheap commuter wouldn't work too well. i've only got 1 parking space to use. originally i was going to use my girlfriend's car, but it turns out she's going to be commuting to client sites, so no dice there.

 

[Bicyclist]

Another thing:

I used my pop's truck to shuttle in all the time. My bike was constantly getting scratched, and there was no real way to organize multiple bikes back there w/o a $500 rack. I tried PVC, but the bed wasn't long enough to close the tailgate.

SO, a smaller car w/ a roof and/or trunk rack could potentially haul bikes better than a truck. Something to consider.