Is it worth it getting a car??
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Elder User
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 805
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From: Small town Iowa
Is it worth it getting a car??
I figured that if i bought a car and it got 10mpg more than my truck i could save $183.86 in 2,000 miles at $3.09 a gallon and it would take me 16300 miles to make up a $1500 car this sound right?
FTE Legend
Joined: Jun 2006
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From: Ottawa, Ontario
Only 10mpg more? If you don't get between 20-30mpg more out of a car you seriously picked the wrong one to buy, and yes with that kind of milage difference it's easily worth it to have one.
Senior User
Joined: Sep 2010
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It does take a while to break even, but there is an added benefit to having two vehicles. If one is down for a while, you can drive the other around while you fix whats broken. I'm sure you're weighing the benefits and drawbacks.
I'm pretty certain gas is going to $4.00-$5.00/gallon if not more in the near future, so having something that gets at least 20-25 mpg is really going to be necessary for any kind of commuting. It really depends on how much you drive before you start saving money
I'm pretty certain gas is going to $4.00-$5.00/gallon if not more in the near future, so having something that gets at least 20-25 mpg is really going to be necessary for any kind of commuting. It really depends on how much you drive before you start saving money
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Elder User
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 805
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From: Small town Iowa
i think ill probably get it an uncle of mine is gonna sell it to me for a good deal $2000 or less its a 99 grand prix gtp 140,000 no rust ok tires new lifters rings main bearings power steering pump and air pump we did all the work ourselfs interior needs some tlc along with headlights its loaded just never want to get ride of the ol truck besides next year is seinor year then community collage should be good for commuting
Senior User
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 307
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From: McMinnville, TN
This really depends on how you use your truck and how far you drive. My dad has driven a truck his whole life, even when he worked 40 miles away. He uses his truck and needs a truck for the way he lives and works.
A few years ago when gas got so high, I was even considering finding a job closer to home to save on gas money. I did the math. I drove 250 miles a week. My truck got 12 MPG, van 19, RX-7 24, Sprint 37+. In the end there were vehicles that were cheaper to drive, but the difference wasn't so great that I needed to worry about it.
If all you do with your truck is drive, then by all means, get a vehicle that is great on fuel economy. Maybe even a motorcycle or even a bicycle. If you need a truck, keep driving. Also keep in mind that a 2nd vehicle, while nice to have, does have hidden costs. Extra insurance, another battery, another set of tires...the list goes on. I personally have about 2 dozen vehicles. Somewhere between 8-10 are tagged and insured at this moment. And neither me nor my wife are working. My car fascination can be very costly!
A few years ago when gas got so high, I was even considering finding a job closer to home to save on gas money. I did the math. I drove 250 miles a week. My truck got 12 MPG, van 19, RX-7 24, Sprint 37+. In the end there were vehicles that were cheaper to drive, but the difference wasn't so great that I needed to worry about it.
If all you do with your truck is drive, then by all means, get a vehicle that is great on fuel economy. Maybe even a motorcycle or even a bicycle. If you need a truck, keep driving. Also keep in mind that a 2nd vehicle, while nice to have, does have hidden costs. Extra insurance, another battery, another set of tires...the list goes on. I personally have about 2 dozen vehicles. Somewhere between 8-10 are tagged and insured at this moment. And neither me nor my wife are working. My car fascination can be very costly!
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Senior User
Joined: Jul 2009
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From: North Platte NE
Having a car can pay for its self. I got a subaru impreza that gets around 28 on the highway. Seeing as how my 94 5.8 gets 16 on the highway if I'm lucky and my 67 with a 352 4 barrel gets 10 if I keep my foot out of it. Neither of them are the best for long distance at all.
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Elder User
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 805
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From: Small town Iowa
thats the thing the only time i could really use a car is a weekend movie or college coming up other than that im 75% of the time hooked up to a trailer in the summer and seem to use my truck constantly during the week i just got to get the idea through my head when going on trips is it doesnt really matter if i would have a car
Elder User
Joined: Jan 2011
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From: Rockport, IN
$2000 is a lot of gas though. Kevin is right. There are more expenses in having two vehicles. If yer a young buck, the insurance on that GTP ain't gonna be cheap by any means. U could git a nice Ranger for that kinda loot too.
Senior User
Joined: Dec 2010
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I have 3 cars/trucks. Well 2 are for me one is for wife. She has exploder. That gets 15mpg. She works and goes to college less them 10 miles from home. Prefect for her. I have 92 f250 5.8 gets about 10mpg. For work commute i have a 97 ford escort gets 32mpg. This past year, jan 10' to jan 11' ive put 24,000 miles on it, in one years time for work. Average price for regular here was 2.92 gal. So i spent $2190 this year on fuel for it. Now if i drove the truck and put 24000 on the truck, i woulda spent $7008 for fuel. it all depends on your situation. As you said you do 75% in your truck. Your a single guy dont have a family i think. So why get the car?
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Joined: Jul 2008
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I'd say it depends on your driving habits and how much higher MPG the car will get. I got a 2003 Focus ZX3 (bare bones with power nothing), for daily driving. I'm in college, I drive over 50 miles per day for work and class, and around 250 miles to home and other misc. driving.
During the summer I was managing almost 40 mpg, but the winter tires and cold weather has dropped that down to 30 mpg. While it may not pay for itself (though it'll be close since I'm going to put around 30,000 miles on this year), I think the convenience of having two vehicles is also worth it. It's a lot easier to do those larger projects on the truck when I'm not worrying about getting it done in 1 weekend so that I have something to drive to class Monday morning.
During the summer I was managing almost 40 mpg, but the winter tires and cold weather has dropped that down to 30 mpg. While it may not pay for itself (though it'll be close since I'm going to put around 30,000 miles on this year), I think the convenience of having two vehicles is also worth it. It's a lot easier to do those larger projects on the truck when I'm not worrying about getting it done in 1 weekend so that I have something to drive to class Monday morning.
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Elder User
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 805
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From: Small town Iowa
well it would be insured under my dad but during the summer i dont see myself useing more than on the weekend maybe a 5speed 4cilinder ranger is in my future they pretty reliable how long do they last whats the best year range to look for?