looking at getting a little car

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Ben Poche

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looking at getting a VW Golf for a commuter car (not getting rid of the trac) but a $3.00 a gallon a golf gets 44mpg. is anyone familiar with these. i was thinking of lowering the trac but that is not what i want so a little car will be the solution as my little tuner.
 
Get a Focus or a Cobalt. My cousin has a VW. Not one of the most reliable vehicles built.





Tom
 
I dont understand this concept. You are going to spend on anothor car, what you would pay for gas for the trac....so why not just drive the Trac?



I can understand selling the trac then buying a new car but adding a new car is going to put you in the hole more...
 
i also am looking at doing a suspension and body lift ,and i can't fit in the parking garage. it is bad enough i can't fit with my roof rack. trac becomes play Trac.:D plus the money i will save in gas would save me apx $1800 a year in fuel and insurance is cheep for a third car
 
Fmarano, regarding your "I don't understand this concept", maybe you aren't considering the full picture:



- Maybe bpoche's ST is paid for, meaning at this point it's a sunk cost



- Maybe he is considering getting a low priced, econo car, and the gas money saved driving it instead of the ST will pay a large chunck of his monthly car payment



- Maybe he is going to sell the Trac as well



- Maybe his decision isn't only about saving his money, but consuming less gas for "all of us" (hey, maybe).



I wish someone would give me a hybrid for commuting, if I had one, I would use it.



Gas will be $3.75 by July, avg across the country for 87, mark my words!



TJR
 
my trac is paid for and what ever i buy will be paid for in cash i have no notes.TJR i looked at the hybrid they definately do not pay for them selves an extra 3mpg for an extra $10000 NO but if was given to me as you said i will gladly take it
 
momma and i looked at a mercury milan the other night.... i 'figgered i would save $130/ month in gas. she needs a car anyway, since we gave her sable to our college aged son, soooooo.... we were looking at a grand marquis, for taking long trips in. they get good mileage in the highway, but avg around town. my trac has 96000 miles on it, as we drive 23000 miles a year, and i need it to tow the camper. way, the trac will be around for future camping trips.. JMHO, of course...
 
Here is my take...



I got my 97 escort wagon for $50.00. I put $400.00 bucks into it to make it safe. My labor on all the work...



The car costs $27.00 a week to fill up with gas. The Sport Trac costs $65.00 a week to fill up.

I drive 320 miles to and from the office. Then I have a company car.

HERE IS THE KICKER... The car cost $80.00 to register and inspect each year.



WHEN I added the car to my insurance, since the ST is NOT my daily driver any more, my insurance WENT DOWN $40.00 a MONTH !!!!!!!!!!!!!



OK SO by having a second car It cost me

450 car one time so far

80 reg ins year



thats 530 out lay..



Minus 38 a week gas savings

minus 40 a month ins savings

NOT TO mention the mileage saved on the Trac!!!!



I have had the car 8 months now. ( 38*4)+40 = $192 SAVINGS A MONTH !!!!!!!!

$530/192 SO in the first 3 months the car paied for it self and the last 5 moths i have saved

Close to 900 bucks not driving the ST and owning 2 cars !!!!!

Todd Z
 
Funny you mention this, I just bought a Focus for the same reason. My wife primarily drives the ST and my car was old and had no a/c. I was dreading another AZ summer without a/c so I found a really nice 04 Focus ZTS. It has all the factory options and is getting almost 30mpg. I'm happy so far. The 2.3 I-4 has some zip too. :D



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I tend to agree with fmarano.



If you are going to spend another $12K-$18K for a smaller second car just to save gas, you could buy an awfull lot of gas for that kind of money.



However if you need a second vehicle or you need to replace an old gas guzzler, then it would be practical to by a more fuel efficient vehicle as a replacement.



Buying a new smaller vehicle to save gas is only cost effective if you need to get rid of an old vehicle that you planed on replacing even before the gas prices jumped.



...Rich
 
I drive all of 15 miles a day with the trac and not much on the weekends. Starting as soon as I get street tires on my bicycle I'll "drive" that to work instead. Now, my wife on the other hand gets 25 mpg and drives 75+ a day, if I could get her in a diesel VW we'd save about $30 a week. With the same payments as her car we'd make out like bandits. We'll, we'd save $30 a week.
 
A used Focus would be your best bet. A 5 speed would be the only way to go. Less possible problems with a manual over an automatic to avoid any possible tranny problems. To top it off, a manual vehicle will usually get better gas mileage.





Tom
 
Funny this topic came up. I have been looking for about a month to get an older economy car to do the same thing. I get about 70 miles a day to and from work. In my rough extimation, the Trac at 19mpg would use about 950 gallons of gas in one year. (Just driving to and from work).

If I bougt a car that gets 35mpg, that is only 520 callons a year.

Todays price for gas is about $2.89/ gal. so the cost to drive the Trac to and from work for one year is approx $2745.

The cost to drive something that gets 35mpg would be about $1503.

So I would save $1242 in gas per year.

Today I bought a 1992 Dodge Colt for $500 at the DA auction. Should be good for 37mpg, so if it last 6 mos. it's already paid for itself. If it lasts 2 years I come out way ahead. The only problem is where do I put another car in my driveway!
 
i am not looking for a new car some thing around $6000 if i let money sit in the bank it only makes X % in intrest if i get a car it saves me $150 a month in gas i can't make that much money in intrest per month!!!
 
bpoche,

I'm not sure why you think the only difference is the interest you will earn on the money? If you spend $8000 on a used economy vehicle, you just threw that $8K into a depreciating asset, and you are not earning any interest, you are actually loosing because of the depreciation of the vehicle as well as the additional cost of insurance, and the usual maintenance issues required to keep the used economy car on the road. (Tires, Oil changes, Brakes, and other minor repairs)



It has been proven over and over again, that you cannot reduce your overall expenses by purchasing an economy car to save on gas, unless you need a second car. If you drive a gas guzzler, you may be able to save money in the long run if you get rid of the gas guzzler and purchase a more economical vehilce. Otherwise your expenditure for purchasing and maintaining a second vehicle will never be offset by less frequent trips to the gas station.



...Rich
 
If you buy a $6000 car and save $150/mo, it will take 40 months to save what the car cost you, assuming gas prices do not drop. If the vehicle depreciates 50% during those 40 months, then you have to drive another 20 to get that back...of course the vehicle depreciates further in those 20 months and the vicious cycle continues. You might eventually break even , but by then the vehicle will be all used up, maintenance issues will eat up any savings, so you'll have to buy something else. Of course, if gas prices double, then your payoff come much faster, so it might be a good idea to do this if gas rises to $6.00/gal
 
If gas does indeed rise to $6.00/gal, you won't be able to find a $6000 Corolla! They will be selling like hotcakes for $10,000!
 

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