Golf TDI or ???

DaveEstey wrote: Diesel is $4.29 here. 87 Octane is $3.47. Prius. Cheaper gas. More reliable. Same fuel economy.

That's about the same price difference we see in Kentucky most of the time. Since my 2014 Mazda 3 gets a solid 40 mpg all the time, I sure can't justify another 75 or 80 cents a gallon for diesel.

docwyte wrote: Move closer to your office and social life? Seems to be the most apparent solution...

I wish. I can't afford to live anywhere near where I work. Between the house prices and taxes, I honestly don't understand how anyone can afford to live around here. If I bought a comparable house in this area, almost half of my net pay would go towards taxes alone - before even considering the mortgage, utilities, etc. So I'll continue to spend $350/mo in fuel and 2+ hrs a day commuting.

In reply to docwyte:

Not when I am under water on the house and can't find a house with a garage big enough even remotely close to my price range. 1100 sqft house with a full (unfinished) basement, 774 sqft garage, 1/2 acre yard.

EDIT: But yes, I agree, I do want to GTFO of my area and closer to my social life.

Wanted to add a potentially interesting car - Honda CRZ. Saw one this morning. Kinda cool. So is that Fiesta. Forgot about those.

I like my new Mirage quite a bit. So far just under 2k miles and over 40mpg cumulative average. Last tank had mostly 55mph surface roads instead of my daily 50 miles at 75+mph and despite the cold and snow storm it was just over 45mpg.

I bought a 2013 manual Fit Sport last month that the dealer was itching to get rid of, got out the door under $17k. Averaging 30 mpg through the first four tanks, and that's 80% city driving. 35+ on the highway, and your entry price is much lower than a TDI.

I'm really enjoying driving it as well, not fast by any means but flingable and a fairly comfortable cruiser.

In reply to Dbussey1:

Yes the Fit is a fun ride! We have a '09 Fit Sport Manual with just over 70K miles. It has, knock on wood, never had a failure of any kind, and always starts on the original battery. Overall we always manage 35+ mpg but in warm weather it's closer to 38 to 40 mpg.

I have only one real complaint with our Fit. The gas tank is too small. As comfortable as the Fit cruises at 78 mph, (that's my standard fly under the radar cruise speed) you have to stop for gas before your body needs a pit stop. Another couple of gallons capacity in the gas tank would be a great improvement!

Well, I pulled the trigger. I left a deposit on a 2011 Golf TDI 4-door 6MT w/ 87k miles today. New Sumitomo tires. 6 month warranty included. (I bumped up to a 2 yr warranty because used German car, but then I checked the company and there were a lot of complaints (Penn Warranty Corp.).) But, that aside, I got out the door for less than private party price. I got the car for less than trade-in value! I pick it up tomorrow. RX-8 will now be an occasional driver / track car, and sold next spring, and I plan on picking something up this fall to become a cheaper track car. I was going to keep the truck, but I'm not sure now. I'll sell it for the right offer I guess. Anyhoo, pictures later this weekend. I iz excited!