Well retirement is nearly here and we are building a home that will be 90 miles from where I'm presently working. Completion date is in Sept so not in a hurry but do like to do home work early.

Do not really want to sell my 2003 7.3 CC since it only has 160k. But I' looking for a high mpg vehicle 26-31mpg range Ford preferably and since I will spend about 1hour & 45 minutes on the road each way, it needs to be fun to drive.

Been looking at the 2009-2012 Mustang V-6 .... do they really get 28-31mpg on the highway? If so then my search is done lol.....

but hey what input you folks got anyways.....

Thanks......C-man.....

 

why not keep driving the 7.3? the HWY mileage should be in the high 10s and you would not have any additional expenses for insurance/registration and an extra car payment (installment or cash purchase is irrelevant)

If you still want a car...i would look ino the new Focus (hatchback): can get a nice one fr less than $20K new and get good mileage. The Fiesta is also good, but the reduction in size is not comparable to the increase in MPG.

You could also get a VW TDi...

 

Well at 17mpg and a 180 mile round trip daily I will have to fill up every two days for a 150 fuel bill every week not good....that's about 600 bucks in fuel alone......for at least another year.

So, I'm looking for a 30+ mpg car.......the focus(?) I think may also get around 30+ so it has to be a fun cat too not just a econo-box.......prefer a Ford but will look into a jetta also maybe a 2009 on up not a new car for sure......I will put some miles on this puppy...

 

The Focus is no econobox if equipped nicely. My cousin has a Focus Titanium (non ecoboost) 2.0L and has a blast while getting 38-40 MPG's daily.

My 2010 Focus is an econobox by comparison and gets 38-40 MPG's daily.

You don't have to stray beyond Ford's stable to find a fun, reliable and fuel efficient car.

 

Thanks....!...I'll look into it....I'm looking into a 2009 to 2011 or so to keep budget down....new retirement house long commute...blah...blah...blah.......so I'll go to the Focus forums and take a long read like I did for the Mustangs so far it looks like a close tie between the two........

thanks and have a great weekend.....

 

Focus are nice, with sis-in-law just got a focus SEL for $17K before taxes. They come with very nice equip and you can still find them with a manual if you want to.

if you got the Focus way get the newer model (the more rounded one): it's a global car and designed in Europe (Germany) and they know what they are doing with small cars. The prior version (more boxy) was an ill-fated attempt to have a North America version and it was pitiful.

Focus is one of the most sold vehicles in the world...

I would get one, but i don't think they are big enough: me and the wife are 6'3" and 6 and don't think we can fit properly with two carseats in the back

 

Yeah I hear yah I do like the 2010 on up models and the 4 seats may accommodate family of 4 adults on rare occasions....though we use the wife's lariat.....I will miss my Super Duty but this will be strictly commuting 180 miles round trip daily for about a year...unless I get really tired of the trips and just retire early but am on pins and needles about mao-bama kare so will have to suck it up for a while.

I love the 300+ hp of the Mustang and 31 ....mpgs at that so will have to pencil whip it and balance the fun factor squared x the mpg ='s decision....

Although the Focus boards do seems to have a lot of mods for the fun factor as well so good thing I have a few months to learn and decide.....

 

if you only need the car for 1 year: does it really make sense? especially if you have no use for it after?

MPG $/Gal $ per trip Car Purchase/day Tot per day
SD 17 4 $42 - $42
Focus 37 3.8 $18 $83 $102
$83=$20K/(12*20) i'm assuming 20 work days per month

maybe you can do a 1-year lease

 

Trying to follow your thinking process cause I'm sure your on to a good thing....so let me think out loud here for a moment....

180mile per day * 4 days a week (work 4-10's) = 720miles a week.
720/17=42 gal a week. 42gal*3.80=$160.9 a week or *4=$643 a month.
$7725 a year for fuel.

Focus using above calcs-720/38mpg =18.9gals*3.50=66.32 per week*52wks=3448.42

2013 Focus for (though w/offers can get down to 12k) 18k for 48 months is $375 (yeah forget apr and all for now)



Hmmmm 4500 yrly pymnts + 3448.42= 7948.42 total costs...sigh...!!!

Another part of this complex equation is that in time I was to trade/sell my 2003 7.3L for a year old from current year model 6.2L F-250 for traveling and possibly pulling a small 30' Forest River 5'vr. Which having owned one a 5'vr mpg is not the issue and it really is hard to not love the comfort and room of a SD Truck!

I may also speak with Bob Riley. He has the HPOP Adrenalin and supposedly even has a gain of 1 or 2mpg or so. That means of course more calculator time Ha......!

I do appreciate the challenge to think this through..... at times we get tunneled vision and talk ourselves into a decision we may regret later on.....

Thanks for that... If I were a rich man a very rich man (think Zorba the Greek) I would make the purchase and keep it then buy my F-250 6.2L but three vehicles is a bit too much........

Well, unless the wife likes it then she can have it after I retire and then i can use her 2010 Lariat for trade in on a 6.2L Bazingah...! Hmmm wonder if she would ever catch on....!

 

No doubt, it would be cheaper to keep running the 7.3.

People always get excited looking at MPG, but what you really need to know is what a vehicle costs you TOTAL, per day, or per mile.

While a 7.3 super duty might not get the same MPG as cars or some other vehicles, you have to consider the added cost you would pay to switch over. And then also consider that the truck had several abilities that a car does not...

 

And also I really doubt a bigger HPOP is going to increase mileage, all it's going to do is increase you're ability to get more fuel into the cylinders.
You would really only need to do that if you're racing.

If you put skinny tires with thick rigid walls, and get a suspension lowering kit, you would increase MPG's for real, but nobody does that, as it would look funny.

 

yeah that would be funny looking...well guess I may still look at the HPOP as we plan on a 30' Forrest River 5'vr in about 2 years......it wil be a great way to get out to more shooting matches and meet great folks at the matches and RV parks......Strange all the searches done yesterday were mostly from teh 2009 era not one hit in teh present about how well they are performing......just something that makes go Hmmmmmmmm.....well thanks everyone for the input have a great weekend looks like I'll just have to suck it up and keep'er.....!

 

I like the analytical approach you are taking to consider your options and you've gotten some good feedback. Ordinarily I would be in favor of driving what you have as opposed to getting something strictly because of better gas mileage. In this case I would pause and consider life after the big commute and how you plan to use your 7.3 CC. Personally, it might make sense to not run the miles up on the CC and be in a position to possibly have to replace the CC at some point. They are a heckuva lot more expensive than a focus or mustang. Maybe a used Mustang with good mileage that you can add beaucoup miles to over the next year or so and then sell and revert to the CC as your primary transportation or just hang onto it as a 2nd vehicle. I think the saving ga$ versus expense of a 2nd vehicle agruement is valid but might be overlooking having to replace your 7.3. Not saying you would have to but you should have a fudge factor built into your equation. Good Luck. I think you are smart to move ahead with your retirement home while rates are dirt cheap and take on a short term commute to lock in a long term benefit.

 

If you get a used commuter car, you could always sell it after you are done for close to what you pay for it now. An older Sentra does pretty good, a mid 90s with a manual will turn in nearly 40 and be pretty peppy.
I have recently gone the supercommuter route myself, but mine includes a boat ride so I went the two wheel route. $6 per ride vs $14 for my truck- Buying that bike makes sense after about ten weeks.

 

Don't forget to figure increased wear and tear on the truck versus a car. Truck tires, brakes, oil changes, fuel filters, etc are considerably more expensive than a car.