At what point does a small beater car add up?

[GOOSE]

I was doing the math and I am spending about $80 a week to go about 300 miles, 15mpg's. Everybody tells me I should get a small car and save some money. I crunched a beater car at 24mpg's and came up at about $45 a week.

So for $35 a week or about $1800 a year I have a vehicle that tows boats, trailers and whatever else comes my way, hauls firewood, junk, motorcycles, tools and materials for side jobs, and what ever else you can think a pickup will do. I feel that $35 a week will fall in my lap just for having a pickup.

Has anyone parked their IDI for an econobox? If so how much did it inconvience you for doing so and how much did you really save?

 

[6.5dieselman]

i see no reason to park it. Heck the reason i got ride of my smaller chevy for the IDI is because the IDI is a whole lot better on fuel than that gasser so my idi is my new economy smart vehicle

 

[haligen]

I've actually thought about this for a while. I currently drive my subaru for a dd and keep the truck for truck like duties. But once I figured in the taxes, insurance, registration, and maintenance of a third vehicle the mpg difference doesnt seem to cover the spread. The only good thing is something i've learned over the years of driving used vehicles. Having a spare when one breaks is really really handy.

 

[Diesel_brad]

I have had quite a few "beater cars"

When i was driving 100 mile round trip everyday in my 96 F350 CCLB 460(12mpg) 5spd, i bought a 97 F350 RCLB 7.3(16mpg) 5spd as my beater.

Then as i gradually fixed that up it was to nice to drive everyday in the winter.
So i bought a 88 GMC 4wd stepside 350 auto(15mpg) but gas is cheaper

Then i changed jobs . But now i was driving about 150-200 miles a day. I sold the GMC and bought a ford Probe(32mpg). But i bothered me to no end, i had to constantly drop the car off and grab a truck to haul ANYTHING.

SO i sold the prob and bought a 97 F150 v6 5spd 4wd with a bad engine. I put a crate motor in and about 5k worth of repairs planning on keeping it for a while. Well 100k later and 15mpg max i sold it, for yet agin another probe.

Well you guessed it, again I was not happy with the lack of hauling capability of the probe. So I wanted a sure gas milage machine but still be able to haul something..I wanted a 2wd 4cyl spd supercab ranger(25+mpg). THOSE ARE HARD TO FIND. I stumbled across a 04 Ranger. It is a4.0 v6 5spd 4 door supercab 4wd. I didnt really want a v6 or a 4wd but the price(4,000) was to good to pass on. So now about a year and a half and 45k later I am tickled pink with my choice for a beater. I put a 6.5' wester plow on, safety rack,homemade bed rails, FX4Level II torsion bars, Chevy 1500 rear springs and a set or 32" tires.

On highway trips i get as high as 22mpg and around town I have yet to get below 17mpg. It is my everyday driver and i even run it on the weekends because with the price of fuel, it is stupid for me to drive one of my other fullsize trucks, UNLESS i need to tow or haul something really big.

I load the truck over cab level with fire wood, plow snow, dont wash it, service it EVERY 3k, and run the snot out of it. If it gets dented or scratched well O well, it is my 4k beater. I figuered last lear the truck more than covered the EXtra cost of insurance and reg PLUS it is an extra vehicle my GF is not affraid to drive

My little beater

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[biggin92]

nice beater brad. yall should see flare_side's beater we call it the lesadellac it is a 92 lesabre

 

[gonecrazyi]

I parked mine to drive an 01 VW tdi. I was paying over 75 a week in fuel to just go to work. that didn't even count what i could blow through on the weekends.

I bought the VW with 130k from an older couple with records dating oil changes every 3k as well as all the other basic maintenance needs.

I fill up usually every month and a half now instead of every week. I have about 700 miles and I'm just below a quarter tank.

As much as i hate driving the car and have to pickup the truck when i need something, its nice to be able to keep more of my paycheck in the bank when i don't use the truck.

 

[GOOSE]

The Jetta does make me salivate. That would put about $52 a week or $230 a month in my pocket. The payments would negate any savings but my money would be going towards somthing tangible instead of fuel in the tank. A paid off Jetta TDI along side of my truck would probably be the best case scenario. I'm sure it feels liberating at the pump.

That is a sharp little Ranger Brad. I would say tires, brakes, oil changes and general maintenance are about half of a one ton IDI, so a long term commitment to the Ranger will probably pay off nicely. Probably parks a bit easier than my cc long bed also.

 

[flareside_thun]

Hey, that LeSabre cost me 250 bucks and don't owe me a thing....looks like crap but gets around 25mpg and still scoots pretty good.

 

[The Warden]

I've been driving a Mercedes diesel as my daily driver since 2002...frankly, I think it was one of the best decisions I've ever made. I love my truck and have no intention of ever getting rid of her, but the simple fact of the matter is, in my situation, I don't need a truck for 80 to 85% of the driving I do. Granted my insurance rates are pretty low, but I determined at the time that, with fuel, insurance, and registration, I would save about $750 over the course of a year. This was in 2002 when fuel averaged $1.55/gallon; using the same spreadsheet with fuel at $4.50/gallon, I'm theoretically saving $2300 per year in fuel costs

I'm looking at getting a VW TDI to replace the M-B, and hope to add to the fuel savings. I'll either be making payments or it'll be eating a chunk of my savings, but I'm hoping that the savings in fuel will be enough to more than overcome either of those in fairly short order.

IMHO the answer is different for each person...if you spend most of your time empty and commuting to work/school, etc, and ESPECIALLY if you spend a significant amount of time on the highway, I think a small car makes financial sense, not to mention the added benefit of having a second vehicle in case the truck breaks down.

It doesn't seem to be possible to attach Excel spreadsheets to OB posts, but if you want, E-mail me and I can send you an xls file that helps to break it down.

Hope this helps some...good luck!

 

[FordGuy100]

My fuel bill dropped from $400 a month to $250 a month when we bought the TDI. That cuts out insurance and covers interest plus some. The way I look at it is now I'm just paying on a car without interest if you factor it like that.

The other car is a 2000kia sepia. 26-34mpg

 

[yARIC008]

My regular driver now is the diesel mercedes 300D. I picked it up from a friend of a friend for $500 and it gets 35 MPG, he thought engine was trashed, but all it needed was a head gasket. So $100 for parts later, and $200 for registration/tag I was up and running. Alot better than the vans 15MPG.

If you shop around enough you'll eventually luck into a good deal I think.

 

[gonecrazyi]

The vws. Seem to last a long time. My dads has 223k on it now. Its needed a compressor, alternator, and a 2 timing belts since he got it at 60k. I don't plan on buying anything for mine, just going to run it snf enjoy the savings. Means i can put a lot more into my truck.

Warden, I'd love to have a copy of those spread sheets.

 

[GOOSE]

I've been driving a Mercedes diesel as my daily driver since 2002...frankly, I think it was one of the best decisions I've ever made. I love my truck and have no intention of ever getting rid of her, but the simple fact of the matter is, in my situation, I don't need a truck for 80 to 85% of the driving I do. Granted my insurance rates are pretty low, but I determined at the time that, with fuel, insurance, and registration, I would save about $750 over the course of a year. This was in 2002 when fuel averaged $1.55/gallon; using the same spreadsheet with fuel at $4.50/gallon, I'm theoretically saving $2300 per year in fuel costs

I'm looking at getting a VW TDI to replace the M-B, and hope to add to the fuel savings. I'll either be making payments or it'll be eating a chunk of my savings, but I'm hoping that the savings in fuel will be enough to more than overcome either of those in fairly short order.

IMHO the answer is different for each person...if you spend most of your time empty and commuting to work/school, etc, and ESPECIALLY if you spend a significant amount of time on the highway, I think a small car makes financial sense, not to mention the added benefit of having a second vehicle in case the truck breaks down.

It doesn't seem to be possible to attach Excel spreadsheets to OB posts, but if you want, E-mail me and I can send you an xls file that helps to break it down.

Hope this helps some...good luck!

PM sent.

 

[flareside_thun]

It is so damn difficult to find a TDI on CL around here....Plenty of Mercedes 300D's though. Maybe I'll go that route....

 

[rjjp]

I have had a bunch of people tell me the same thing, that's why I'm contemplating 3.55 gears for my IDI, It already gets about 2mpg less than my dads Taurus in town, is a lot more comfortable to drive, doesn't cost me a grand every time a deer runs out in front of me...

My IDI pays its own way, with the hauling and the fair fuel economy.