need some advice. driving 25k miles a year.

Alright you guys, started my new job which is across the state. I did the math where i should be driving about 2000 miles a month, if not more. so that adds up to 24000 miles, not including my personal miles. So just figuring i get 300 to the tank, at $37 to fill up, it'll cost me about $300 a month on fuel, including general usage to the store and etc. So thats $3600 a year in fuel alone.

I've been looking into getting a new car or truck to make sure i actually make it to work, being that I'm on probation for a year, i can't be late. My old 2001 1st gen just turned over 188k miles this morning...

Ive been looking into new cars/ leases, and it looks like if i were to lease its a high mileage of 12k a year, which ill go over in 6 months. But if i were to buy, depending on the warranty, it'll be up in 2 to 5 years.

also then ill have a car payment, and still have to pay for fuel. But at least then ill be covered under warranty.

The next issue is I wouldnt even know where to begin looking for a new car, should i get a hybrid? a diesel? a truck? a compact car? i don't know.

I guess what I'm asking, is for those of you who have been in a similar situation or have more life experience in this, I'm sure you've tried out all of the above options, who did you find, or what do you think is the best thing to do?

 

While $3600 may feel like a lot over the course of the year, it's definitely a lot less than you'll end up spending on a new car (esp. if you finance it - you'll pay a lot of that as interest). For the mileage on your Gen1 - I wouldn't worry about it. Many folks feel like 188K is "just getting broken in." Change the oil a few times through the year (for a lot less than a new car) and it'll keep going forever!

 

so your saying drive it till the wheels fall off?

The GF says its not practical to drive the truck that many miles a year... all highway...

 

IMO......you need a new GF .

Yes. Drive it till the wheels fall off.


Just kidding about the GF thing.

 

If you think the wheels are really going to fall off, I'd get them checked. Even if you spend a couple thousand getting it looked over, you'll still come out ahead of buying a new car.

And - highway miles are the easy-on-the-truck miles - I love those miles

 

Id get a corolla if you are keeping your truck. 20k bought so your payments wont be too much and they get great gas mileage. I guess it also depends on how big of a person you are as corollas are quite small. Else there are the prius.

 

I have a 91 yota with 310k on it. Only thing the engine has been opened up for is a timing chain at 200k. Even then it didn't need it but was preventative. Have never even done a head gasket or bearings. I am a STRONG advocate for routine oil changes. Every 3k. I am not afraid to take that pickup places. 22re fyi. New clutch at 275k. And anew shift cup. Seriously that is it. Repack the wheel bearings every 50k and you will be golden.

 

Unless you are really attached to your truck and dont want to mile it out, drive it. Otherwise buy a used civic or integra for cheap. Putting piles of miles on a new car will make it worthless in no time.

 

I drive my truck 30k miles a year just commuting to work. Screw it.

 

I am a bit partial, but my wife's 2008 Honda Fit easily gets 40+ mpg highway. It has more bells and whistles than my truck, and it is actually fun to drive. Plus, it is relatively cheap for a new one. She currently has 128,000 trouble free miles, owned it since new.

https://www.google.com/search?q=201...droid-verizon&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8

 

i was looking at the scion ia and im, just looking because they're so cheap.

how big is your gar tank and how many miles do you get out of the tank?

 

I drive almost the same amount monthly in my '04, I wish I only spent $37 per tank of gas. More like $55/tank here. And it just hiked up a bit too, ugh.

 

Keep in mind it is 8 years old at this point, so specs may have changed since then. It has a 10+ gallon tank, so full to empty would be about 400 miles. Also has an 850 lb passenger capacity, seats fold up and down, and it is relatively comfortable. Suspension is tight, steering feel is great, and the manual is as good as it gets. Again, no issues over 128,000 miles with anything other than regular maintenance.

 

Depending on your preference in small vs mid sized cars, I'd look for a 2-3 year old Civic / Corolla /Camry / Accord coming off lease - and drive the wheels off it. You'll spend roughly 1/2 the price of a new car for one with 20-30k on the clock. It'll go 200k easy, with regular maintenance.

 

I've been looking at those too, they look to be a little cheaper, considering the new ones are 20,275 (2017 honda civic)

 

if this is a job you intend on keeping you need to move closer to work.

 

OK, you have a high mileage truck that is running fine. 25K miles/yr is not a big deal. What is the biggest worry? If you don't have confidence in the truck due to age and mileage, that's legit. If it is the type of job that will not tolerate you missing a day due to a broke down truck, that adds to it.

If you really need and want this job, sounds like you may need to find a newer vehicle that may be more dependable. You are not going to come out ahead $ wise by buying something with better gas mileage. What you will be paying for is peace of mind and maybe more reliability. You have to decide if that is worth the extra money.

 

I wouldn't recommend leasing a vehicle. It seems to me that leasing is paying roughly half of the car's value new and keeping it for 2 or 3 years.

 

Buying new or committing to a lease, in a new job, on probation, might not be your best move for feeling secure.

Find a late model econo box with modest miles. An example would be an '12+ Elantra, say 35-50k miles. They have a 100k warranty, get low 30's on the road, and are cheaper than the traditional favorites in the Toyota/Honda family. And I'll say it.......... they are built just as well, are just as reliable.

Keep your truck if you can, use it for weekend fun.