Perhaps there comes a time in a man's life when the answer is Festiva?
Perhaps there comes a time in a man's life when the answer is Festiva?
I would say sell the MSM since its not your daily and don't seem in love with it and buy a Corolla XRS or Matrix XRS or newer Celica GTS or whatever has that motor you like and have her drive it. Leave it mostly stock and you can enjoy it on the weekends.
I am quite possibly losing the 2012 Fusion company car and am considering what to replace it with. The amount I drive should be going down significantly if I do lose it.
The options I am considering. Get the V8 Volvo Wagon back on the road and get 18mpg or get a cheap beater that gets good mileage? Work harder on getting the LS6/T56 in the RX-7 which should return upper 20's on the highway?
Over the last three months we spend an average of $434 a month on gas not counting a trip towing to Atlanta. A decent portion of that monthly expense is reimbursed but ends up being less than half.
The wife only has a 10 miles commute but drives around quite a bit otherwise. The Forester is probably only returning 16mpg (needs a tune). The 54 Ford gets something abysmal but since I have no odometer I can't really check it. Not that it matters much.
i do roughly 1000 miles a month for work. they dont gove me a company car, and only pay .32 a mile.
i was in your boat with my 99 camry with 250k on it.
bought a 97 neon that gets 37 mpg, and figure after the resto and purchase price, ill be breaking even in right around 30000 miles. if i dump the camry, ill actually turn a profit.
it made sense, even if it really didnt. do the numbers based on your weekly commute, local gas prices, current MPG, and average MPG of the models your looking at.
michael
SV650 or CBR600? 
rotard wrote: SV650 or CBR600?
That would work for me if i was the one with the long commute, and if i didn't already have a car getting 36mpg. 
With the drivers around here, i don't want her on a bike on her commute.
rotard wrote: SV650 or CBR600?
Ninja 250!
keep in mind your beater value does not go to $0.
If you buy a $2500 beater and drive it and keep it clean, it's still going to be worth $1500~$2000 when you sell it unless you kill it. The depreciation was more or less done before you bought it.
Your actual "cost of ownership" isn't the entry price, it's the maybe $1,000 of difference between your purchase price and the sale price when you're done. All other running costs should not be a factor. Assuming the Cherokee is parked, wear and tear items should be no different (and probably cheaper on an econobox) if you shop smart (tires/brakes/etc.) since you'd be wearing out the other vehicle otherwise. I'm also assuming insurance comes off one vehicle and goes on this one so that's a wash as well.
I made the jump 3 years ago to a mk4 Golf TDI with peeling paint, and a cigarette hole burned interior for ~$4200. I've put over 100K on it, it's literally paid for itself, and they still seem to be going for $4K+ even with 200K on them.
Bottom line... don't do your math with the value going to $0.
This is really about just sucking it up and driving the Cherokee i think. I'm leaning towards her just driving it, appealing to her boss for a raise to help cover the expenses (he'd probably do it, his business would probably take a big hit if she left), and letting her beat the Cherokee for a year or two, then we find another one with low miles. (We were planning on doing that in 2-3 years anyways, giving me the current one)
This is the part that is confusing me now.
Why do you need this Cherokee now?
If you're currently planning to "find another one with low miles in 2 years anyways", why not just sell the current Cherokee now, and spend the sale proceeds on a good commuter.
You're out $0, and you save upwards of $2K per year for the next 2-3 years on operating costs. At the end of those 2-3 years, not only have you saved $4K+, you still have a commuter car you can sell on top of that. That buys you a hell of a nice beater Cherokee, rather than just holding on to this one for the sake of holding on to it.
You should have bought my Corolla when you had the chance! This sounds like the perfect opportunity to dump the MSM and get something (or 2 somethings) you actually like, you are always dogging on that car...
njansenv wrote: I sold my first M3 and bought a TDI golf for my commute - on paper, I'm ahead over $5k. The TDI hasn't gone down in value at all since I bought it two years ago, and saves me $200/month in fuel. Don't forget to factor estimated resale after the two-three years as part of the decision. I LOVE the low monthly fuel bill, which feels even better than the $200/month would imply.
The other thing about a TDI is how nice it is only going to the gas station every 600+ miles. It makes you feel like you are saving even more money
To the OP, the other reality is if your wife is used to a short commute to this job you may find she does not like it near as much once she starts spending an hour in the car everyday especially if she has to deal with traffic. Even more so if the income from this job is on the low side to begin with or easily replaceable she just likes the people/place
xflowgolf wrote:This is really about just sucking it up and driving the Cherokee i think. I'm leaning towards her just driving it, appealing to her boss for a raise to help cover the expenses (he'd probably do it, his business would probably take a big hit if she left), and letting her beat the Cherokee for a year or two, then we find another one with low miles. (We were planning on doing that in 2-3 years anyways, giving me the current one)This is the part that is confusing me now. Why do you need this Cherokee now? If you're currently planning to "find another one with low miles in 2 years anyways", why not just sell the current Cherokee now, and spend the sale proceeds on a good commuter. You're out $0, and you save upwards of $2K per year for the next 2-3 years on operating costs. At the end of those 2-3 years, not only have you saved $4K+, you still have a commuter car you can sell on top of that. That buys you a hell of a nice beater Cherokee, rather than just holding on to this one for the sake of holding on to it.
If we did that plan, i'd get the current Cherokee afterwards, giving us two.
The issue with outright getting rid of the Cherokee is winter. It was purchased so she'd have something she'd feel 100% comfortable driving in all conditions. Don't bother with the argument of "FWD + snow tires = fine," that ship sailed.
The Cherokee will go nowhere unless it's for something like a Subaru, and it would have to be automatic. (Don't bother arguing. Yes, she can drive stick. No, she won't do it in winter) The mileage increase wouldn't be worth the bother, and i'd rather maintain the Cherokee in that instance anyways.
92CelicaHalfTrac wrote:rotard wrote: SV650 or CBR600?That would work for me if i was the one with the long commute, and if i didn't already have a car getting 36mpg.
Well, how about she uses the 36mpg car and you use a bike. Win-win. This is the perfect excuse to get one.
I just did this math last year. I was driving a 2007 4.6L Explorer 10 miles one way, and changed jobs to 45 miles one way - same travel time though. I did the math on fuel costs at various prices between $3.50 and $4.50/gal. Explorer had 90K plus miles. It's also our travel vehicle. I was concerned about putting too many miles daily, then using it weekends for trips. I also decided I needed at least a newer niceish car for my work. I ended up with a 2012 Sonata. At the fuel prices last summer, much more than half of my car payment came from fuel savings by not driving the Explorer. That was enough to pull the trigger. Factor in wear and tear on the Explorer, and I suspect I'm at least breaking even, if not coming out ahead. Ideally I would have liked to settle on a much cheaper, smaller car, or even a new Elantra, but I decided the Sonata was the better fit for us.
Jaynen wrote:njansenv wrote: I sold my first M3 and bought a TDI golf for my commute - on paper, I'm ahead over $5k. The TDI hasn't gone down in value at all since I bought it two years ago, and saves me $200/month in fuel. Don't forget to factor estimated resale after the two-three years as part of the decision. I LOVE the low monthly fuel bill, which feels even better than the $200/month would imply.The other thing about a TDI is how nice it is only going to the gas station every 600+ miles. It makes you feel like you are saving even more money To the OP, the other reality is if your wife is used to a short commute to this job you may find she does not like it near as much once she starts spending an hour in the car everyday especially if she has to deal with traffic. Even more so if the income from this job is on the low side to begin with or easily replaceable she just likes the people/place
Well that would be fine. Fine by me if she wants to find another job.
Are these TDIs reliable?
rotard wrote:92CelicaHalfTrac wrote:Well, how about she uses the 36mpg car and you use a bike. Win-win. This is the perfect excuse to get one.rotard wrote: SV650 or CBR600?That would work for me if i was the one with the long commute, and if i didn't already have a car getting 36mpg.
As said before, she won't drive the MX6, and i don't want her driving it anyways.
92CelicaHalfTrac wrote: Well that would be fine.
Mine has been - I've never gotten less than 700 miles to a tank, I bought it at 72k miles for $5500, and it's still worth that two years later with 130k miles. Make sure the timing belt has been done - and properly with new TTY bolts etc. They are sensitive to care and feeding.... buy a good example.
Sounds like it's time to add something to your fleet. What does she want? Wouldn't this be a car for her to drive? Let her pick out something.
Don't forget to budget for repairs if you go the $2500 beater route. If you're buying at the bottom of the depreciation curve there's a good chance of deferred maintenance you'll want to take care of. I went from a 4-runner to e36 - so 17 mpg to 30. I figure about $1000 in maintenance per year to keep it running perfect (so far it's taken about $700 it's first year - starting off second year with some new paint and maybe wheels). It's about a break-even deal for me with the repairs/maintenance, but the car is now worth more than I bought it for and more fun to drive.
edit - don't forget - it's a commuter/DD so no downtime - could translate into paying others to fix if you don't have the time - so far we have enough of a running fleet that's not an issue - but did kinda suck commuting on the bike for a week when it was in the 30s.
We're kinda in a similar situation, right up to the number of broken vehicles 
. The house we're in the process of buying will have me end up with a commute of approx 30 miles each way. I wouldn't want to drive the wife's Cherokee on that commute on a daily basis, but maybe during the occasional winter storm it's not too bad.
I mainly commute on my bike in the summer with some use of the Miata. I get around 50mpg on the bike, 33-ish on the Miata. A back-of-the-envelope calculation suggests that as an alternative to a truck getting around 20mpg, the additional running cost of the Miata would take a substantial chunk out of the savings; at 50mpg it is a no brainer.
If I had the luxury of buying a commuter that's good on fuel I'd probably keep an eye peeled for a first generation Honda Insight. It might not make you happy but by all accounts they are really good on fuel...
BoxheadTim wrote: We're kinda in a similar situation, right up to the number of broken vehicles
Heh i actually mentioned the first gen Insight last night.
rotard wrote: Sounds like it's time to add something to your fleet. What does she want? Wouldn't this be a car for her to drive? Let her pick out something.
It'd be for her yes. She'd probably go for another Mazda BG chassis car, or a Celica of her own if i had to hazard a guess.
She has a serious hard on for E30s as well, but i doubt we'd be able to find one worth buying for the cash we'd have, and the MPG isn't stellar.
Buy a commuter. An eary 90s Protege, Escort, Saturn, etc. Something reliable. With an automatic. Or, if you can pony up the cash, get the best condition Prius you can find.
The auto is key. With an auto, you will hate the car. Enough that you wont modify it or do anything beyond basic maintenance, and it will run forever. But you wont feel attached enough to it to do a manual swap. I've done this twice now. It's awesome having something you don't berkeley with.
If you are truly concerned about mileage on the XJ, make your beater a wagon and it will take over some of the XJ duties.
I figured this out last year for my school commute, 68 miles round trip, with my 20mpg vehicle. It made more sense to stay with what I had because even at the same price, I would have been getting a vehicle with more miles, more deferred maintenance, and overall worse shape to gain MPG. I passed.
ProDarwin wrote: Buy a commuter. An eary 90s Protege, Escort, Saturn, etc. Something reliable. With an automatic. Or, if you can pony up the cash, get the best condition Prius you can find. The auto is key. With an auto, you will hate the car. Enough that you wont modify it or do anything beyond basic maintenance, and it will run forever. But you wont feel attached enough to it to do a manual swap. I've done this twice now. It's awesome having something you don't berkeley with.
This. Cheap to buy, to fuel and to keep good tires and brakes on it.
What about the Smart $99 a month lease? Someone with better math skills than me could crunch the numbers but I have a feeling it would work out in your favor.
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