In reply to 1988RedT2 :
Using online data.
In reply to 1988RedT2 :
Using online data.
ebonyandivory said:The sale of the truck would pay for the car outright.
So in fact buying ANY car that get ANY better MPG would save you money, and thus be more economical.
I had some guy who owned a Volt come look at a Volvo I had for sale for his daughter a couple years ago,
and he told me he spends $ZERO on fuel since he parked his pickup truck.
As someone mentioned, replacing tires on a truck is really expensive compared to tires on a small car. That can save more than fuel.
Personally I really dislike driving my 14mpg Explorer vs my 45mpg Prius. The Explorer rides like sheeet and is hard to climb in/out. But it does tow/haul stuff, so I'm driving it full-time right now. But I can't wait to park it and drive my Prius or finally fix my Rav4 'truck' and use that instead.
If all else fails, $1000 bucks for old and cheap Miata or something fun and small. Not much out cost to get and still fun and easy to get.
In reply to ckosacranoid :
I have all kinds of plans for vehicles when the kids can all drive and I don't have to be a taxi anymore!
fueleconomy.gov has a great comparison tool that is perfect for this situation. You can compare different vehicles side by side, personalize your miles driven, fuel type and cost as well as type of driving to get a pretty good idea of cost/mile.
I put your two vehicle examples into the calculator and included a similar era Civic (manual) and Prius just for fun. I used the 11k annual miles that you quoted and set the driving for 75% highway since it sounds like you don't do much stop/go on your commute. Fuel price of $2.47/gal. Here's what I got:
So the Accord would save you about $750/yr in fuel costs, and potentially more in insurance rates, maintenance items, registration, etc. The Prius would save you about $1100/yr in fuel costs plus everything else.
I prefer Gasbuddy or whatever they call themself now. That is real world fuel economy submitted by people, with averages, highs, lows, medians, means, everything.
I recently ran numbers on the fueleconomy.gov site a week ago and was surprised how little the difference was between vehicles. I drive 20-25k a year, but switching from our Rav4 to a Camry Hybrid (as an example) only saved about $500 a year, that could easily be offset by depreciation (RAV4 has 203k on it and is close to the bottom of the depreciation curve).
Another factor is regular vs. premium gas, I've had cases where the MPG savings were almost completely offset by the cost difference between regular and premium (there's a large difference locally).
93gsxturbo said:Honestly in pure math sense, having a higah MPG beater is rarely a good option.
By the time you figure in cost of purchase, tax,title,license, any maintenance, etc. Just keep driving the vehicle you enjoy.
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By the time I all the fees, maintenance, maybe one big repair like tires, its gonna be pretty tough to be in the black.
Sorry that's an apples to oranges comparison. If you think that there may be one big repair in one car you should factor in the same for the other. Folks here are pretty mechanically inclined, and I"d have to believe would do their research and thoroughly go through a car before buying, so while purchasing another used car will involve some risk it's probably not unlimited risk in terms of making a decision.
As many have said here, you need to put pen to paper to figure out your options and what's worth it to you. If you intend to use it for a year vs. 5 years the fees can either be a deal breaker or largely irrelevant. If you have access to a charger at work it may make something like a Volt much more financially appealing. It depends on a bunch of factors.
As an example - I have a prius that I use as a daily but a FRS for fun. My job is ~70 miles / day or ~18k per year. It was **cheaper** for me to buy a used prius, pay taxes/fees, extra insurance and parking sticker, than it was to run the FRS on a yearly basis due to gas savings and lower consumables (like $350 for a set of new snow tires...). But I only had confidence to make the decision once all the factors were precisely calculated and the comparison was clear. Not to mention the prius is more comfy, has better features, and likely safer. I would have gotten a Volt if work had a charger, but it doesn't, so I would've only had electric power for ~1/3-1/2 of the ride, depending on temps. I'm a big fan of getting a car to do its specific purpose, so if it's a beater and it's only to commute, I couldn't care less about how "fun" it is. That's what track time is about, and saving money to have more of it is worth it to me to drive a non fun car every day while I'm just zoned out on the highway anyway. One opinion. :)
No.
A used car ALWAYS needs some attention. That’s why it’s being sold cheap.
The truck you have is up to date on maintenance.
With only a $400 per year difference, it’s easy to imagine your new beater consuming a year or two of “savings” to get maintenance up to date, before you ever save a penny.
Keep the truck. You’re still enjoying it.
SVreX said:No.
A used car ALWAYS needs some attention. That’s why it’s being sold cheap.
The truck you have is up to date on maintenance.
SOME used cars need attention. Just as the OP has kept his truck up to date, there are other owners out there who have kept their cars up to date as well. Given the maintenance level of the truck, it does not appear that the OP would have zero mechanical knowledge to check out another car. It ain't rocket science.
In reply to bcp2011 :
I’ve bought over 100 used vehicles in my life (and only 1 new one). I have enough mechanical knowledge to be able to have a very good idea of what I’m getting into.
Failing to budget for unforeseen issues is as foolish as not having an emergency fund in your home budget.
Stuff happens.
OP should stick with the devil he knows until there is a reason to sell other than fuel economy, unless the savings delta is more significant.
In reply to SVreX :
I agree, stuff definitely happens.
I have two issues with your response:
1) While well maintained used vehicles are hard to find, they are not impossible. THat's why I believe that the word "always" isn't the right word. I've bought ~10 used cars in my life, and well over 70% have been trouble free (like 30k+ into the ownership). Why? Well, I did my homework, found out issues with those cars, and checked those cars closely before buying. I also chose cars known for reliability. This doesn't make your experience any less valid, but used cars don't "always" need work either.
2) Just as it's unwise to assume new used vehicles, houses, etc. will always be trouble free, so is assuming one's current vehicle will always be so as well, even if it's been maintained by the OP. That was my point previously with apples to oranges comparison. Look at all the things that the OP has already done from his prior post:
"Yes, the sale of the truck would pay for the car but here's another thing: to date, and relatively recently...
Intake gasket, all brake lines, COMPLETE rearend rebuild, leveling kit, wheel spacers, 4 wheel brakes, all fluids changed, L&R tierods, ignition switch, transfer case motor, new stereo... probably a few more things I'm forgetting."
How certain are you that there won't be another $400 repair in the near future vs. a $400 repair in an accord or a $400 repair in a prius or whatever? I have no idea, and I would put forth that neither does anyone else. That's why "stuff happens."
STM317 said:fueleconomy.gov has a great comparison tool that is perfect for this situation. You can compare different vehicles side by side, personalize your miles driven, fuel type and cost as well as type of driving to get a pretty good idea of cost/mile.
Hey, that's pretty cool! A govt site with accurate data. Who woulda thunk?
Unfortunately, they don't have data on my HD Dooley, but according to the site, my three thirstiest vehicles get 12, 17, and 19 mpg (combined), but that's very optimistic given that the Dooley gets about 9 (calculated) and the RX-7 with a Haltech ECU and a "cautious" tune probably gets no better. I think I do a little better than 19 in the MPV, but yeah, it's close.
Gasoline is cheap.
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