Buying a high mpg car

[ONE-A-DAY]

So I keep doing the math on buying another car just for work and trips to Havasu and drive my new ford diesel F250 alot less and leave it in Havasu. I drive @ 35-40,000 miles a year. Rough math on a car with 30 mpg versus my truck saves me $1800 for every 15,000 miles driven. The second aspect is the depreciation impact of wracking up all the miles on a new $60,000 truck versus the lessor impact on let's say a couple year old $15,000 car like a camry, accord, etc.

I know I can buy alot of gas for the $15,000 spent on a work car, but it's just killing me to see 10,000 miles on my truck after 3 months.

Tires on the truck cost $350, on a camry they cost $75, oil change on the truck $100, car $25, etc etc.

Anybody else gone through this kind of process?


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[kiethco]

Like a lot of people here, I drive a little more than 40k a year. I was determined to get a car that got no less than 30 miles a gallon. I started shopping last summer, my dodge had 265k and I didn't wanna push it.

I looked at Scions, Toyotas, Honda's etc. Then I drove the Avalanche and I just couldn't go back to a small car. It does get 24 on the highway if I keep my foot out of it and not towing, 14 towing.
The way I look at it one of the perks of owning a business is being able to drive a nice big comfy(safer) truck. Newer cars and trucks aren't throw aways at 120k mules anymore, they're a better value.

 

[ONE-A-DAY]

Like a lot of people here, I drive a little more than 40k a year. I was determined to get a car that got no less than 30 miles a gallon. I started shopping last summer, my dodge had 265k and I didn't wanna push it.

I looked at Scions, Toyotas, Honda's etc. Then I drove the Avalanche and I just couldn't go back to a small car. It does get 24 on the highway if I keep my foot out of it and not towing, 14 towing.
The way I look at it one of the perks of owning a business is being able to drive a nice big comfy(safer) truck. Newer cars and trucks aren't throw aways at 120k mules anymore, they're a better value.

I hear ya. I have always driven trucks, and my f250 is nicer inside then most luxury cars, but driving a 3/4 ton truck as a daily driver for 300 mile days wears on me. That plus I can't fit in some parking garages, and office buildings just assume that everyone drives a car when deciding how big to make parking spaces.


MedicalPlanQuotes.com / IPhone

 

[djunkie]

If I didn't have such a short commute to work I'd be driving a Honda Civic instead if an '87 chevy truck, thats getting a wonderful 12-13mpg right now, as my daily driver. Luckily I put less than 10k/year on this truck. My Diesel Chevy just sits in the driveway and really only gets driven to the river and back. It's an '05 and I've barely got 70k on it.


Sent from my iPhone paid for with Union money.

 

[hallett21]

Well for 15000 dollars you could fill a truck with a 35 gallon tank at $4 a gallon 107 times. With a range of 350 a tank your getting roughly like 38000 miles out of your 15000.

Your alternative is buy a $15000 car and then drive the same amount of miles at like 3.80 a gallon while filling like a 16 gallon tank. Your range would probably be more like 400-500 a tank I think. I'm doing this math in my head and on a cell phone lol but you would only fill up roughly 87 times to achieve the same 38000 miles. so 20 less tanks a year equals a savings of $2800. Assuming nothing broke on either vehicle.

You'd have to drive the accord or whatever like 6 years to make up what you spent on the car. Probably less when you think about oil changes and tires but still it won't be an overnight savings.

I didn't factor in the cost of fueling the truck for the odd ball driving/river runs. Oh and gassing the boat lol

Hope that helps? I couldn't give up driving a truck personally lol

 

[Abc123]

Well for 15000 dollars you could fill a truck with a 35 gallon tank at $4 a gallon 107 times. With a range of 350 a tank your getting roughly like 38000 miles out of your 15000.

Your alternative is buy a $15000 car and then drive the same amount of miles at like 3.80 a gallon while filling like a 16 gallon tank. Your range would probably be more like 400-500 a tank I think. I'm doing this math in my head and on a cell phone lol but you would only fill up roughly 87 times to achieve the same 38000 miles. so 20 less tanks a year equals a savings of $2800. Assuming nothing broke on either vehicle.

You'd have to drive the accord or whatever like 6 years to make up what you spent on the car. Probably less when you think about oil changes and tires but still it won't be an overnight savings.

I didn't factor in the cost of fueling the truck for the odd ball driving/river runs. Oh and gassing the boat lol

Hope that helps? I couldn't give up driving a truck personally lol

I just came to this exact same conclusion a few weeks ago. I wanted to sell my Duramax and buy an older one and then a maxima or something as a daily driver. It's cheaper and more enjoyable to drive my truck. Driving a car sucks..unless its a really, really nice car, but even then Id still rather be in a lifted truck. I drive about 20k a year.

 

[wash11]

Well for 15000 dollars you could fill a truck with a 35 gallon tank at $4 a gallon 107 times. With a range of 350 a tank your getting roughly like 38000 miles out of your 15000.

Your alternative is buy a $15000 car and then drive the same amount of miles at like 3.80 a gallon while filling like a 16 gallon tank. Your range would probably be more like 400-500 a tank I think. I'm doing this math in my head and on a cell phone lol but you would only fill up roughly 87 times to achieve the same 38000 miles. so 20 less tanks a year equals a savings of $2800. Assuming nothing broke on either vehicle.

You'd have to drive the accord or whatever like 6 years to make up what you spent on the car. Probably less when you think about oil changes and tires but still it won't be an overnight savings.

I didn't factor in the cost of fueling the truck for the odd ball driving/river runs. Oh and gassing the boat lol

Hope that helps? I couldn't give up driving a truck personally lol

I came to this conclusion as well but not having to drop 60g cash every two years on the new truck killed the argument. Walt has written a big check for a new truck every 18-24 months since the day I met him. Fuel mileage aside- if he can stretch that to 36 or 48 months he's gonna be BIG money ahead. The kind of big money that buys Whipple's and drives

 

[PokerRun388]

Good Topic, and I agree w/ your view's Walt... Just liked you said, you'll definitely going to save money on gas, if you buy a car, however it will have cost you 15-20K in order to do so...

If you decide to buy a car, keep in mind the driving 3 1/2 to 4hrs across that desert in the summer is tough on all engines, so I would look for a newer car, certified, and very low miles...:thumbsup

My Focus:
I can tell you first hand, I drive a Ford Focus back n forth to Havasu, and its a tough pull for that car... It does fine, and has never let me down, but its certainly a very long drive for that car, several times per/year...

The Plus Side:

My garage to Havasu: 285miles, car has a 14gallon tank, gets there using only 11 gallons, and still have just enough left to run and errand or two when I get there.. Another Bonus, when I go to fill up, its only $30-35 dollars or so...

OH, one last thing Walt, the Focus starts to get kind of uncomfortable after 2hrs or so of driving, usually around Ludlow, just because I'm sitting so slow to the floor, and my knees and legs get uncomfortable... I miss having a truck on longer drives, because sitting up high, is much more relaxing on the body.....:thumbsup

But like you said earlier, in order to get the MPG, your going to have to spend alot of money for a car.....:grumble:

 

[Tom Brown]

One of the things about driving a vehicle with good fuel economy is that it makes the world a lot smaller. For example, if I wanted to attend Desert Storm, it would cost me around $200 in fuel, round trip. In my truck, it would be about $750.

It's great to have such low fuel costs that you don't have to think about it. For less than $40 USD, I can drive for 10 hours at 75 mph. That's a long day's drive.

I can't say I particularly miss fueling up every week, either.

Feel like driving to Florida? Got $250?

I find the car comfortable and it's fun to drive. The down side is there isn't a lot of luggage room. If your chick wants to take a massive suit case, four smaller cases, and a box full of hair appliances, a cooler, a bunch of food for the road, etc. it gets pretty cramped in a little hatch back. It can be done, but it would be a lot more comfortable in an SUV.

It's taken a while to get my gal into the mind set of packing lighter. I don't think she's in love with the idea of getting by with less but she doesn't hate it. On the plus side, these days it takes a lot less time to haul the bags from the car to the hotel room. When we were travelling with the CR-V, it was taking a half hour, just to unload the crap from the car and then another 30 minutes in the morning to cart it all back down. I always wondered WTF was in all those suit cases and what the odds were that she needed 10% of that stuff.

 

[Guest]

For example, if I wanted to attend Desert Storm, it would cost me around $200 in fuel, round trip. In my truck, it would be about $750.

It's great to have such low fuel costs that you don't have to think about

There's your hint Inmates...Look for a 9' tall pasty, thin, giant with a camera at DS

 

[Joker]

Same thoughts here Walt. I'd love to park the dodge and only use it for carrying loads or for the river but I'm hung up on spending the extra cash on a car that may break plus the insurance on it.
I'm throwing about 800.00 of fuel into the pig every month and most of the stuff I haul goes to the job once and sits so I'm not carrying it every day.
Now if I could afford to buy a brand new commuter car, I probably would.

 

[Phebus]

I think the best option would be to extend your trips in Havasu and limit the amount of trips back and forth.

Rework your schedule so you aren't always going back and forth, and you will dollars ahead and all the time spent traveling will be better used.

Buying another vehicle and having increased insurance, registration, smog checks, etc. would be my last option. You bought a nice vehicle because you enjoy it, why cheat yourself?

 

[ductape1000]

what about keeping your truck in AH. get the commuter for work miles and then jump in the truck for the river run.

this is what I would like to do. but I want another van that is ready to run to the river. :thumbsup

 

[Run_em_Hard]

I have a commuter car. I currently drive 100 miles each day to work. Not too bad but doing it in my truck was a tank a week plus wear and tear. I kept my eye out and picked up a 94 Civic for $1400 bucks. Gets 40 mpg and I don't give a shit about it. Perfect for driving to work. Is it as nice to drive as my other vehicles, hell no. But the extra cash in my pocket sure is nice.

 

[OCMerrill]

I tried all this with that HHR I bought. I worked it out that the savings in Gas (vrs. my 6.0 2500 HD gas truck at 9-10 mpg) would make the payment.

The novelty of the fuel savings wore off quickly as that asshole behind me, tailgating in his big truck, caused me to rethink this small car theory. Not for me.

Some things in life, to me anyway, just isn't worth it.

I sold the gas truck and bought a diesel truck. Went from 10 mpg to 17+ but I had to spend another $5k to do it which buys a bunch of gas.

Plus side is I can now tow what was a struggle before.

 

[Cdog]

I'm looking at an outside sales job in Socal where I'll be driving all day everyday on top of my Real estate biz. I have the same problem right now with a 06 duramax. I love my truck and don't want to kill it with that many miles.

Sounds crazy but I've been looking into 2004-2005 Porsche 911's with the tiptronic trans. The later year 996 cars have the engine's figured out and these cars rate 4.5 out of 5 in reliability on every rating I can find. Plus they have a timeless look and are fun to drive. How bad can work and driving all day be if you're in a Porsche all day. I've read on some forums of guy's putting 2-300k miles on them before a rebuild and everything on these cars is replaceable and upgradable. If you look around you can find one with about 60k miles for about 30-40k. Buy once, cry once instead of buying two disposable shit boxes you'll hate driving.

 

[River911]

It wont pencil out no matter how you slice it. You'll never justify the cost of the 2nd vehicle. The only way it will pencil is if you buy a $15K tow vehicle and a $15K commuter. Even then with depreciation, insurance, maintenance, etc. you'll probably only break even.

And why roll in a shit box when you have a $60K truck parked in the driveway?

I put 150K on my 08 and still sold it for $20K (smokin deal for the buyer).

 

[Phebus]

The new Walt. Pontoon boat, commuter car..........

Dude, you're getting old and soft. Better go shave your balls again, and get some attitude back.

 

[t&y]

Yup:thumbsup

Did this a few years ago. For the cost of diesel I was putting in my truck every month I can make the car payment, cover gas, and insurance on my Volkswagon. If I actually drive under 70 it's get's 31 mpg. Average is 27 cause I'm doing 80 or stop and go along with the rest of the So.Cal drivers.

 

[2Driver]

Anybody else gone through this kind of process?

My kid got accepted to a school 15 miles away which = 60 miles a day to and from.

I decided to look for a great deal on a used Corolla each Fall then sell it each spring when he gets out for summer. The plan is to get 95% of my money back on the sale and keep the miles off the Tundra Crewmax.

What I save on gas pays for insurance and tags plus some. The trade-off on maintenance is way cheaper and it keeps accelerated depreciation off my truck. Turns out we drive the Corolla everywhere and at 35 MPG it works. I take the truck on truck stuff.

At the end of the day, I am not saving much money but I'm not shopping for a new $45K truck every 18 months either.

 

[Fltplan]

I don't do as much driving as most of you, but I've went back and forth with the tow vehicle thing. I ended up with a different car for everything. The only way to keep my sanity. I'm not driving around in a "shitbox". I bought a K-5 that's sole purpose is going to the river (our boat stays there, but I need something to put it in and out of the water). The blazer works awesome with the back seat out, bigger than any truck interior and all air conditioned. It's a work in progress and when complete, I'll have less than 20k into it with new everything. I've got a toyota tacome for light duty stuff (mountain biking, dirt biking). M Coupe for the sports car thing. Everyone of these vehicles is budget, considering it's intended use. All of them together are under 60k(when the blazer is completed) and I get good mileage, towing and a cool sports car. I can't imagine driving a 60k truck around all the time and actually don't like driving the blazer around town, just on the hwy to the river.

I've seen people by 2-3 million dollar jets that get a little better fuel economy than one that cost under a mil. It's funny how they justify the difference in price for the fuel savings. I've calculated that some of them would have to live 300 years to appreciate the savings. Of course there are tax reasons and such for purchasing newer, higher priced stuff as well.

 

[t&y]

I ended up with a different car for everything

Right there with you on that one. My insurance guy loves me

 

[River911]

Based on the avg mpg of both vehicles and avg price of fuel for both, you might save $5K over 4 years in fuel. Add together the cap cost for both vehicles, maint on both, depreciation on both, and you'd be better off putting that wasted money in a jar. Which will come to roughly $35K just for the cost of the car and gas. Add insurance and maint and its more like $40K+.

 

[ONE-A-DAY]

I just talked to a friend of mine who is a big time auto wholesaler and the used car buyer for the walter's dealerships in riverside.

I buy a truck every three years, a 3 year old truck with 40,000 versus 100,000 miles is worth @ 8 - $10,000 more when I go to sell it. He said the best thing to do is get one of the 3 year lease specials on a Honda accord or Toyota camry. Honda has one now for $250 a month, 3 years, no drive off fees. Drive the shit out of it and don't worry about going over the miles. When the lease is up, buy the car, avoid the mileage penalty fees and sell it. Those two cars do so well on resale that I will be very close to break even from the lease buy back price. The monthly lease payment is negated by the gas savings, my truck is worth $10k more in three years, I drive a new car under warranty, the lease payment is a company write off, and I don't have to take any money out of the bank to buy the car.

I'm doing this.

Last question, would it be gay to have a DCB racing sticker on a camry?


MedicalPlanQuotes.com / IPhone

 

[Fltplan]

I just talked to a friend of mine who is a big time auto wholesaler and the used car buyer for the walter's dealerships in riverside.

I buy a truck every three years, a 3 year old truck with 40,000 versus 100,000 miles is worth @ 8 - $10,000 more when I go to sell it. He said the best thing to do is get one of the 3 year lease specials on a Honda accord or Toyota camry. Honda has one now for $250 a month, 3 years, no drive off fees. Drive the shit out of it and don't worry about going over the miles. When the lease is up, buy the car, avoid the mileage penalty fees and sell it. Those two cars do so well on resale that I will be very close to break even from the lease buy back price. The monthly lease payment is negated by the gas savings, my truck is worth $10k more in three years, I drive a new car under warranty, the lease payment is a company write off, and I don't have to take any money out of the bank to buy the car.

I'm doing this.

Last question, would it be gay to have a DCB racing sticker on a camry?


MedicalPlanQuotes.com / IPhone

I just couldn't stomache driving a camry or an accord all the time, regardless of how much sense it made. pick up a 3 year lease on a 3 series bmw and do the same thing. probably don't have the resale value of those two, but close. We've leased a few 3 series and been able to get out of em alright and what a difference on the drive!

 

[t&y]

Last question, would it be gay to have a DCB racing sticker on a camry?


MedicalPlanQuotes.com / IPhone

Absolutely not!:thumbsup In fact, you should throw on a "Powered by Honda" sticker too. Ya know it adds horsepower right

 

[ONE-A-DAY]

I just couldn't stomache driving a camry or an accord all the time, regardless of how much sense it made. pick up a 3 year lease on a 3 series bmw and do the same thing. probably don't have the resale value of those two, but close. We've leased a few 3 series and been able to get out of em alright and what a difference on the drive!

Good point, I will check it out.........thx

 

[Hugh Jascaulk]

The new Walt. Pontoon boat, commuter car..........

Dude, you're getting old and soft. Better go shave your balls again, and get some attitude back.

:rotflmao:

My exact thoughts.:rotflmao:

 

[pronstar]

A few years ago, we had three cars:
- BMW 330i (owned outright, but had high miles)
- VW GTI (leased)
- Dodge Truck (financed)

We scaled-back to save money for our wedding, got rid of everything except the truck because we needed something to pull the toy hauler.

We've got a 60-mile round-trip commute, plus all the other driving we do...about 30K miles per year total.

Getting a fuel-efficient car that gets 50 mpg does save us money, and we drive more/go more places because of it. Fuel costs and depreciation on a vehicle, not to mention replacing a $50K truck every few years, adds up to a lot of coin.

If you want to see how much money in fuel you can save, here's a super-easy calculator:
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/savemoney.shtml

In our case, fuel alone is over $25K in savings over 5 years. That's $5K per year.
Add depreciation into the equation, plus maintenance, and it's easy to see that for us at least, we're money ahead with a commuter car.

Depreciation over 5 years:
Dodge Ram 2500: $25,000+
Toyota Prius: $10,000

 

[PaPaG]

So I keep doing the math on buying another car just for work and trips to Havasu and drive my new ford diesel F250 alot less and leave it in Havasu. I drive @ 35-40,000 miles a year. Rough math on a car with 30 mpg versus my truck saves me $1800 for every 15,000 miles driven. The second aspect is the depreciation impact of wracking up all the miles on a new $60,000 truck versus the lessor impact on let's say a couple year old $15,000 car like a camry, accord, etc.

I know I can buy alot of gas for the $15,000 spent on a work car, but it's just killing me to see 10,000 miles on my truck after 3 months.

Tires on the truck cost $350, on a camry they cost $75, oil change on the truck $100, car $25, etc etc.

Anybody else gone through this kind of process?


MedicalPlanQuotes.com / IPhone

Drive a economy car can save you thousands and thousands of dollars and wear and tear a year on the expensive rigs.....If you have a short distance to work or trips then no big deal but if you drive 40k miles a year on your vehicles then saving 6-7k a year in fuel is HUGE. 6-7k a year is a HUGE amount of money to save and invest. NOT counting depreciation on a new 50-60k diesel or new SUV versus the depreciation of a 13-25k econo car is also a HUGE margin...do the math and do what works for you...

 

[paradise]

We've got 3 cars
The Tahoe mama drives everyday (very few miles a yr)

My Lancer we bought new as a commuter car (doesn't get great economy but way better than the truck) that I drive every day for most of my work.

The duramax (only used for towing or hauling)

For us to go to the river costs $50 round trip in my car, $100 in the Tahoe and $150 in the truck. We keep a jeep at the river so it's a lot easier, faster and more comfortable to just take out the car and use the jeep to launch.

Same thing with work. If I don't need a ladder it's a lot cheaper to drive 100+ miles in the car than the truck.

For us it made a lot of sense, but the car is actually fun to drive and not a pile so that helps too.

 

[ONE-A-DAY]

:rotflmao:

My exact thoughts.:rotflmao:

Last time I checked you drove a Camry for your commute you ball shaved homo

 

[waterboy]

I have an 09 Honda accorrd ex-L v-6 with navigation with 50,000 miles. It was my commuter car but now I work 7 miles from work. It's not worth keeping it anymore, anyone interested? It's gray $19,000 and it could be yours.

 

[Abc123]

Some of you guys have broght up concern with putting too many miles on your diesel. My buddy has 247k on his 2005 Duramax and it runs like a champ. He'll its still on its factory brakes. Tows back and forth almost every weekend in the summer to the river and is also a daily driver. There are plenty of other guys on the diesel forums that have well over 200k miles on their trucks and they run great. Remember why a diesel is better than a gaser???...Not only power, but longevity!

 

[Fltplan]

Good point, I will check it out.........thx

What I meant was to buy a bmw coming off of a 3 year lease with low miles. Don't know if it came across that way or not.

 

[SBjet]

Buying another vehicle and having increased insurance, registration, smog checks, etc.?

Right. It's not just fuel, it's the total cost per mile when you add in depreciation, etc. You have to figure it for both vehicles. The IRS puts it at about $.50/mi., avg. Your truck probably costs more than avg.
There are plenty of vehicles that get over 30 mpg for less than $10,000. Those will cost less than avg.

Sounds crazy but I've been looking into 2004-2005 Porsche 911's with the tiptronic trans. .

Bwa ha ha, my first guess is that this is one vehicle that would cost even more than the truck per mile.

My kid got accepted to a school 15 miles away which = 60 miles a day to and from.

I decided to look for a great deal on a used Corolla each Fall then sell it each spring when he gets out for summer. The plan is to get 95% of my money back on the sale and keep the miles off the Tundra Crewmax.

.

The Corolla is a great cost saver. It is a little uncomfortable for trips over 2 hrs. It won't pay to buy and sell like that, buy one and drive it til it dies.

. He said the best thing to do is get one of the 3 year lease specials on a Honda accord or Toyota camry. Honda has one now for $250 a month, 3 years, no drive off fees. Drive the shit out of it and don't worry about going over the miles. When the lease is up, buy the car, avoid the mileage penalty fees and sell it.

I doubt that works.
Buy one a few yrs old, run it 5-8 yrs.

FYI, I drive an Astro van. Crappy mileage, but the cost per mile is low, and I have the space when I need it. Oh yeah, and zero sex appeal.

 

[Hugh Jascaulk]

Last time I checked you drove a Camry for your commute you ball shaved homo

You haven't checked in a while, got rid of that piece of crap. You've got the Harley, commute around on that when the weather is good.

 

[RogerThat99]

I have driven an F-350 for 10 years. I recently got a Ford Fussion for work. It took a little getting used to driving a car, but I have turned the corner. Now I drive the car almost everywhere and the truck sits. Now I am afraid of all the things that go wrong with a diesel motor if they sit too much. I might sell my truck and buy an older 7.3L.

Driving the car is nice and is effortless. about a month ago, I drove it 5 hours one day, and 5 hours home the next day and it drove so nice as soon as I got home I drove about 45 minutes to go out to dinner with friends and wasn't tired at all.

 

[NAFLASH]

92 to 99 Honda Civic. I have a 95 Civic DX with 233k miles, It's beat to shit and gets driven everyday but I bought it for 850$. It consistently gets 37mpg and runs just as good as my buddies 99 with 60k miles on it.

 

[PokerRun388]

92 to 99 Honda Civic. I have a 95 Civic DX with 233k miles, It's beat to shit and gets driven everyday but I bought it for 850$. It consistently gets 37mpg and runs just as good as my buddies 99 with 60k miles on it.

Nice, but thats not the type of car you drive across the mojave desert, 4hrs, 115+ degree heat...:thumbsdown...

 

[Tom Brown]

It wont pencil out no matter how you slice it.

It's obvious, you've never sat down and calculated it. If you don't want to drive an economy car, that's fine. More power to you.

... but the numbers are irrefutable.

In Canada, diesel fuel goes for about $5.10 USD per US gallon. That makes economy cars more attractive here but not in a significant way.

I've done a few calculations based on my car with the following assumptions:

- $6000 purchase price
- $710 per year registration, tax, and insurance
- $250 per year tire cost
- $110 per year in oil changes
- $650 every three years for timing belt replacement
- 25K miles per year
- numbers are normalized to miles and US gallons

Note: I am already two years into my VW TDI and I expect to get another 5 or more. The VW diesel model ALH engines are known to exceed 1M miles. Several examples exist and are still running, one with factory turbo, the rest have had turbo replacements. I expect the car to fall apart long before then, perhaps at 500K miles.

Here's what the numbers look like:

If the vehicle dies tomorrow (2.1 year total life)

Annual cost = $5195
Resale = $0
Monthly cost = $432
Fuel price = $5.12 per gallon (going price in Canada)
Cost per mile = $0.1500


If the vehicle lasts 3 years (one more year)

Annual cost = $4608
Resale = $2000 (very conservative assumption)
Monthly cost = $384
Fuel price = $5.12 per gallon (going price in Canada)
Cost per mile = $0.1331

Annual cost = $4608
Resale = $2000 (very conservative assumption)
Monthly cost = $294
Fuel price = $2.45 per gallon (guess at best US price on diesel)
Cost per mile = $0.1019


If the vehicle lasts 5 years (3 more years

Annual cost = $4175
Resale = $1500
Monthly cost = $347
Fuel price = $5.12 per gallon (going price in Canada)
Cost per mile = $0.1206

Annual cost = $3095
Resale = $1500
Monthly cost = $257
Fuel price = $2.45 per gallon (guess at best US price on diesel)
Cost per mile = $0.0894


If the vehicle lasts 7 years (5 more years

Annual cost = $3917
Resale = $1000
Monthly cost = $326
Fuel price = $5.12 per gallon (going price in Canada)
Cost per mile = $0.1131

Annual cost = $2837
Resale = $1000
Monthly cost = $236
Fuel price = $2.45 per gallon (guess at best US price on diesel)
Cost per mile = $0.0819


A few notes

- If your fuel price doubles, to be similar to ours, your driving cost will increase about 90 bucks per month.
- Driving the car for a lot of years, and potentially entering the high repair cost and low reliability zone, does not yield a significant saving
- As more miles are driven, the cost per mile goes down. As less miles are driven, the cost per mile goes up.
- This isn't the cost of buying a car. This is the cost of owning the vehicle, maintenance, insurance, tires, the whole deal.


Anyone want to plug their pickup truck into my vehicle cost spreadsheet? lol!


I totally understand that not everyone wants to bomb around in a 10 year old Volkswagen Golf. This car was 8 years old when I bought it, although it continues to be in very good condition. For those who wish to run a less economical vehicle, more power to you. I don't knock that choice at all but let's not pretend economy cars are not a good value. That's a lie you tell yourself so you can think your lifted pickup is not kicking you in the truck nuts every day as you're idling in gridlock traffic.

 

[ONE-A-DAY]

Wow, and we all thought Tom Brown was just a pretty face :thumbsup

It's obvious, you've never sat down and calculated it. If you don't want to drive an economy car, that's fine. More power to you.

... but the numbers are irrefutable.

In Canada, diesel fuel goes for about $5.10 USD per US gallon. That makes economy cars more attractive here but not in a significant way.

I've done a few calculations based on my car with the following assumptions:

- $6000 purchase price
- $710 per year registration, tax, and insurance
- $250 per year tire cost
- $110 per year in oil changes
- $650 every three years for timing belt replacement
- 25K miles per year
- numbers are normalized to miles and US gallons

Note: I am already two years into my VW TDI and I expect to get another 5 or more. The VW diesel model ALH engines are known to exceed 1M miles. Several examples exist and are still running, one with factory turbo, the rest have had turbo replacements. I expect the car to fall apart long before then, perhaps at 500K miles.

Here's what the numbers look like:

If the vehicle dies tomorrow (2.1 year total life)

Annual cost = $5195
Resale = $0
Monthly cost = $432
Fuel price = $5.12 per gallon (going price in Canada)
Cost per mile = $0.1500


If the vehicle lasts 3 years (one more year)

Annual cost = $4608
Resale = $2000 (very conservative assumption)
Monthly cost = $384
Fuel price = $5.12 per gallon (going price in Canada)
Cost per mile = $0.1331

Annual cost = $4608
Resale = $2000 (very conservative assumption)
Monthly cost = $294
Fuel price = $2.45 per gallon (guess at best US price on diesel)
Cost per mile = $0.1019


If the vehicle lasts 5 years (3 more years

Annual cost = $4175
Resale = $1500
Monthly cost = $347
Fuel price = $5.12 per gallon (going price in Canada)
Cost per mile = $0.1206

Annual cost = $3095
Resale = $1500
Monthly cost = $257
Fuel price = $2.45 per gallon (guess at best US price on diesel)
Cost per mile = $0.0894


If the vehicle lasts 7 years (5 more years

Annual cost = $3917
Resale = $1000
Monthly cost = $326
Fuel price = $5.12 per gallon (going price in Canada)
Cost per mile = $0.1131

Annual cost = $2837
Resale = $1000
Monthly cost = $236
Fuel price = $2.45 per gallon (guess at best US price on diesel)
Cost per mile = $0.0819


A few notes

- If your fuel price doubles, to be similar to ours, your driving cost will increase about 90 bucks per month.
- Driving the car for a lot of years, and potentially entering the high repair cost and low reliability zone, does not yield a significant saving
- As more miles are driven, the cost per mile goes down. As less miles are driven, the cost per mile goes up.
- This isn't the cost of buying a car. This is the cost of owning the vehicle, maintenance, insurance, tires, the whole deal.


Anyone want to plug their pickup truck into my vehicle cost spreadsheet? lol!


I totally understand that not everyone wants to bomb around in a 10 year old Volkswagen Golf. This car was 8 years old when I bought it, although it continues to be in very good condition. For those who wish to run a less economical vehicle, more power to you. I don't knock that choice at all but let's not pretend economy cars are not a good value. That's a lie you tell yourself so you can think your lifted pickup is not kicking you in the truck nuts every day as you're idling in gridlock traffic.

 

[Tom Brown]

Nobody wants to step up with their truck?

I'll take some guesses. Feel free to correct my numbers. I may not be that sharp on your market.

3 years of truck ownership

Purchase price = $45000 (decent lower model gas new truck, including all modifications and accessories or a premium used vehicle)
Annual cost = $23317
Resale = $25000
Monthly cost = $1943
Fuel price = $5.12 per gallon (going price in Canada)
Cost per mile = $0.4041

Annual cost = $17017
Resale = $25000
Monthly cost = $1418
Fuel price = $2.45 per gallon (guess at best US price)
Cost per mile = $0.2950



I don't know how good my assumptions were. $750 per year for tires, etc. Approximate registration, tax, and insurance cost for a 2008 F150 would be around $1800 here.

 

[spectras only]

Not sure if I should take my thrifty Viper [ 22 mpg highway] or my thirsty Navigator [ 15 mpg] to DS. I could use the Navi as a hotelroom with all the rear seats folded down, saving money on fuel.

Fuel is a deal breaker for Tom because he's further from the US border.I can enjoy the benefit of cheaper fuel filling up at Blaine. And yeah, insurance here is a rip off [ $1900 a year for my Navigator]
by the government of British Columbia's ICBC corporation! Best to have a beater for DD with only mandatory minimum coverage ,driving it to the ground.

 

[DaveC]

Whatever you do don't ask me.

I have a duramax and didn't want to drive it on my commute anymore. So I went to look at a nice inexpensive commuter car like you are now contemplating.

I ended up with a commuter car that costs twice as much as my truck and get 30% less fuel mileage.

Sorry no help here.

 

[Enen]

I found myself pondering a similar choice last year. I commute 67.2 miles round trip 6 days a week. I previously owned a TDI Volkswagen, and it was great. I would rather walk than drive a Prius, and the Accord / Camry was not really my style.

I went with the BMW 335d (diesel). Its a twin turbo in-line 6 diesel. ( a few board members have driven it), and its really fun to drive. There are people that claim 38 to 40 mpg, but I personally have been unable to restrain my right foot to get that kind of mileage.

There are some crazy lease deals on these right now. If you are self employed you might look into a lease in your company name.

 

[DaveC]

Check out Brown getting all number cruncher on us.

FYI diesel in Cali is about $3.5 -$4 depending on where you live. Please recalculate and get those TPS reports to me by the end of bizness today. M-kay

 

[DaveC]

Are up upcharge the purchase price for lift rims tires etc . . If so I think you are spot on. Lol

Registration and insurance is around $1200

Gas is say $3.30. - $3.75 in cali

Nobody wants to step up with their truck?

I'll take some guesses. Feel free to correct my numbers. I may not be that sharp on your market.

3 years of truck ownership
N
Purchase price = $45000 (decent lower model gas new truck, including all modifications and accessories or a premium used vehicle)
Annual cost = $23317
Resale = $25000
Monthly cost = $1943
Fuel price = $5.12 per gallon (going price in Canada)
Cost per mile = $0.4041

Annual cost = $17017
Resale = $25000
Monthly cost = $1418
Fuel price = $2.45 per gallon (guess at best US price)
Cost per mile = $0.2950



I don't know how good my assumptions were. $750 per year for tires, etc. Approximate registration, tax, and insurance cost for a 2008 F150 would be around $1800 here.

 

[spectras only]

Check out Brown getting all number cruncher on us.

FYI diesel in Cali is about $3.5 -$4 depending on where you live. Please recalculate and get those TPS reports to me by the end of bizness today. M-kay

Just south of the canadian border,prices are still higher than in California .
Further south we go,fuel prices getting a bit cheaper.

Bellingham
3.49
Regular (Low)
6 days ago 3.79
Regular (High)
6 days ago 4.04
Diesel (Low)
6 days ago 4.19
Diesel (High)
6 days ago

 

[River911]

It's obvious, you've never sat down and calculated it. If you don't want to drive an economy car, that's fine. More power to you.

... but the numbers are irrefutable.

Brown its obvious you're a moron

How can you own two vehicles, one @ $15K and the other at 4X that amount. Drive, insure and maintain both of them and expect to save money??? The fuel and mileage spread would have to be astronomical and cap cost differential much less than 4X. And that isn't the case here. 17mpg vs 30 and $3.70gal vs $4.40 or thereabouts.

But to answer your question yes, I did pencil it out. It doesn't work. If it makes you feel good getting 30mpg and not racking up miles on your premium vehicle, do it. But in the end its going to cost you more. A lot more.