Need New Commuter Vehicle

[Iron Cowboy]

I haven't run into to many of them. If I had to put money on a Domestic vehicle breaking into the import niche Ford will probably be the one to build it. If they could just think ahead and not mount a fuel pump control module with an aluminum heat sink directly to a cross member!!

there you go folks, another example of genius engineering, and a guy that has to deal with its results down the road (literally) at least its job security.

I'm sure the only reason it was designed that way was because it was the CHEAPEST way POSSIBLE to build....the you get what you pay for principle couldn't be any more spot on here. Reminds me of a guy I know who's brother in law was an engineer for Ford and told him the three most important things to them in a build were cost,cost and cost. Get it out the door as cheap as possible.

[Scott K]

But they are easy to get at!

[Sonicrunch]

Originally Posted By: skolfoppa

Volkswagon TDIs have good engines and get amazing mileage(38+mpg). I don't own one but would check them out if I needed a commuter. My.02. Skol.

Not the most user friendly and do it yourself oriented vehicle on the road. If you bust a t-belt on a 1.8 turbo your looking at $3,000 easy! I've never found European cars to be ergonomic or functional and sometimes there just backwards in the way they do things.

try working on a BMW. It's like they consulted mechanics when the engineered it. Easiest car to work on. And yes, you will be working on it too.

[Macgyver55]

Originally Posted By: skolfoppa

Volkswagon TDIs have good engines and get amazing mileage(38+mpg). I don't own one but would check them out if I needed a commuter. My.02. Skol.

Not the most user friendly and do it yourself oriented vehicle on the road. If you bust a t-belt on a 1.8 turbo your looking at $3,000 easy! I've never found European cars to be ergonomic or functional and sometimes there just backwards in the way they do things.

I turn down ANY/every job on a VW. We had a couple as company cars and I hated to even open the hood. The frustration isnt worth the money for me.

[deadeye]

Im glad Im not the only one who doesn't like those VWs. Miserable.

BMW's are ok, but when every part has to come from Hamburg it gets kind of expensive and takes a lot of time to repair them.

[CJH]

But man are they fun to drive!!!!

[Ufatz]

Now don't laugh you guys.....I did until I owned it for a year, but a Chevy Aveo hatch back is an awful lot of car for the money, new or used.

They WERE Korean made and sold all over the world but NOW are going to be made in the US.

Ignore a lot of stuff you will see around the internet and talk to people who own and drive them every day. Steady 30-35 mpg, way more room than you think etc. Sure, ours has CRANK UP windows and we love em! Solid door locks, good radio, GREAT heater and they GO in the snow.

Don't bad mouth until you look and drive. This message from a M-Benz BMW man of forty plus years. So there!!

[Iron Cowboy]

Dont laugh, C,mon man I laugh every time I see one on the road Especially if the guy inside is bigger than the little korean that made it and is all pressed up against the window

Not to mention a ride like a skateboard (I have rode in one)and God help you if you get in a wreck with anything bigger than a motorcycle. Comfort, reliability and safety mean something to me. Besides all that money you save on gas is no good if your dead, or best case spent on back surgery from the pothole season AND I'm a guy that has commuted 110 miles round trip per day for 15 years so there! to you too!

[Ufatz]

Okay Cowboy, how about this? look for the safety ratings on this little car and you'll find it is 5...FIVE....highest. Read some reports of people who have actually been in a wreck in an Aveo.

I am over 6' and over 275lbs and its easier for me to get in and out of the little Aveo than into some big sedans.

Ride a little stiff....you betcha. Track in the snow....you betcha. Rinky tink radio....yep. Deliver 30-35+ mpg yep. Melt your shoes with the heater...es sir.

It is what it is...mine was a little over $9K. I have not talked to an Aveo owner yet who was not well satisfied.

It's a kick to drive. And I have the nice auto trans!!

If I get hit head on by an 18 wheeler I guess your right, I'll be just as dead as you will be in your detroit tank. But I'll have a smile on my face!! Ha! To each his own my friend.

[Jeremy airjer W]

I mentioned the aveo earlier. I am also over 6' and have no problem getting in and out. It is what it is, a basic car at a basic price that seems to be of fairly good quality.

[Iron Cowboy]

Ufatz (now I get the name ) Yep your right to each their own. But if you could please, please upload a photo or better yet a small U-tube vid. of you getting in and out of that thing at your size I cant believe its that easy, I have to see it with my own eye's...... My thoughts of it instantly go to the clown's in the small car at the circus

[jhol]

Thanks for all the responses everyone. So far I have found a few to look at.

-Buick Century 2003 it has a previously salvaged title it has 93k miles on it and he only wants $2995. I am a little worried about the salvage title but if I plan on running it forever and also having my mechanic look it over prior to purchase I am not that worried. Not great gas mileage but big and comfortable.

-Chevy Aveo, I have found some nice used ones I am going tomorrow to drive some and see if they are big enough I am 6'3" and 275 so we shall see. I have read some good things and I cannot find anything else with low miles and cheap like a 2009 with 28k miles at a price of $8500. Obviously great gas mileage and all the reviews say super safe.

-Hondas, Toyotas, and everything else. I have found a ton of these with high mileage like 125k to even 200k miles for $3500 on up. I am just trying to come to grips with paying that much for a vehicle with that many miles.

I am not in a huge hurry but I am having a real dilema about wether or not to pay cash for something under 4k or go newer and have a small payment. I have done a great job on paying down almost all my debt except for my lund boat(The only payment I have ever made with a smile on my face) so I am not to keen on picking up more debt on something that is supposed to save money on gas and mileage on my truck. I will keep you all posted, right now I am leaning towards the aveo with a small payment, that I could get through quickly and run for a long time.

[DTro]

Good luck on the new vehicle. One thing I wouldn’t do is get really caught up on gas mileage, unless you are putting on 40+k miles on a year. Sometimes being comfortable and safe is worth the extra $. Especially if you are spending a lot of time driving.

For example:

Going from 20-35MPG (Truck/SUV to Compact Car) and based on 20k miles/year and $2.50/gallon, you will be saving about $2.97/day.

Going from 20-30MPG (Truck/SUV to Small Car) about $2.30/day.

Going from 25-30MPG (Small SUV or Midsized Car to Small Car) about $0.93/day

Going from 30-35MPG (Small Car to Compact Car) about $0.66/day

Now you start putting on 40k/year, and those numbers will start raising some eyebrows.

[goblueM]

by those accounts you're looking at saving about a grand a year by switching to a 35 mpg car from 20 mpg

pretty worth it to me... i know i've been hurting after going from 41 MPG to about 22. Rough on the old pocketbook

[TR21HP]

Good analysis on the mileage and gas is only going to go up, especially this summer.

[DTro]

by those accounts you're looking at saving about a grand a year by switching to a 35 mpg car from 20 mpg

pretty worth it to me...

I agree Blue, especially since it sounds like the OP can get by with a small car.

But I would say look at the numbers and decide if it’s worth a couple of bucks a day to have to shoehorn yourself in and out of a compact car, not to mention the safety factor.

I’m sure that a 5 Star Rating of a full size sedan is a whole lot different than a 5 star rating of a compact or subcompact car.

I guess if I wanted to save a little and sacrifice some comfort, I have tunnel vision towards a Honda Civic or Toyota Corrolla. If I wanted to be a little more comfortable, I’d go with the Honda Accord, or Toyota Camry.

[jhol]

Well you got me thinking more about gas savings

Conservative estimate is about 60 miles per day for 260 work days

Total of 15600 miles a year, assuming gas stays at $2.75

MY truck 16 mpg's spend about $2681

Go to 35 mpg's car $1225

Save about $1456 a year.

Cost of insuring another vehicle and maintenence probably almost a wash. I will however greatly prolong the life of my truck. This mileage estimate for me is EXTREMELY conservative. If the company I work for switches my communities it would go from 15,600 miles in a year to double or triple that. I used to drive from Delano to Hugo everyday. Then the savings would really kick in. I am sure inside the life of the car I want to buy this will happen. Personally the more I think about it the cost of another vehicle is worth the savings in gas, and I get to keep the truck longer and use it for the fun stuff. It always has the portable in the back now and in the summer cleaned out and ready to hook to the boat and go.

[DTro]

Yes, but you also have to factor in the intial cost of another vehicle, which is usually where the forumla gets busted.

[goblueM]

could always go the cheapo route... cheap insurance, and just drive it into the ground

lots of times it is way cheaper than buying a decent car. then again, you have to be able to tolerate an older car

[BoxMN]

Re: having "extra" vehicle... My wife and I have a full size truck (98) and a Malibu (98), and we inherited my Dad's Trailblazer (05). I basically work from home, but when I do have to drive it is from WBL to Excelsior. Wife drives downtown every day.

I was going to sell the Malibu (26-30 mpg), but after thinking about costs to maintain verus the little savings we get by her driving the car to work (she takes car in summer, Trailblazer in winter, and I drive the car when I do have to drive for work) I decided to keep the "extra" vehicle.

It is nice if (when) something is needed to repair on main vehicle - that is not often, but then you are not in a hurry to get it fixed, I can do it myself at my leisiure. Also I can loan it to one of the kids (grown) if their vehilce is down for any reason. This has happened a decent number of times.

And I do look it this way - if I can transfer some of the mileage from my 98 truck or the Trailblazer that just will prolong the life of those cars, keeping me from needing to buy something "New" for longer. So I recommend having an "extra" car if you can, though I know it might not make sense for some. For me it is cheap and worth it.

[Jeremy airjer W]

I save about $30 week by driving the Saturn to and from school.

[jhol]

I am going to look at a 1999 Nissan Sentra manual transmission with 140k miles on it, anyone driven one of these.

[Ufatz]

Ufatz (now I get the name ) Yep your right to each their own. But if you could please, please upload a photo or better yet a small U-tube vid. of you getting in and out of that thing at your size I cant believe its that easy, I have to see it with my own eye's...... My thoughts of it instantly go to the clown's in the small car at the circus

Hey man.....who you be callin' a clown!!

Actually, thats the first thing I said to the sales guy when he suggested that little bitty red hatch back over there. I walked up, opened the door and sat down, Bam....pulled out my check book.

[Dozer]

One thing you have to consider is manintinace on vehicles. For example a set of tires on a truck is $500 to $600 and last for about 50,000 miles. On a small car they are $300 to $350 a set and will probably last longer. Most other parts are going to follow the same trend.

[See yup]

How much do you want to spend?