Buying a commuter car

[DawnM]

I did 10 years in a Prius (different model years) with the same commute (but probably more traffic!). It was a great car. I upgraded to the Camry hybrid XLE with the bells and whistles I didn't have in the Prius. Blue tooth and heated seats primarily. So much nicer in a more comfy car. But I'd go back to the Prius in a heartbeat.

Interesting. DH has a Camry Hybrid SE. We do like it. He even suggested a 2nd one.

 

[Squirlz]

We have two 2005 MINI Cooper Ss. I bought mine when I had a 55 mile commute. Best car I've ever had. I've put 130K miles on it with no problems. My Wife bought hers when she lived down near The Dragon and learned how to drive hard. She's had no problems with hers also. I do know that on average they are more problematic than some, but MINIs come with a lifestyle and they certainly changed ours.

 

[clutter]

Correct. Hybrids don't add much to efficiency, if at all, if you're only cruising the highway. In fact, you'll see that many of them have higher city mpg ratings than they do on the highway. Doesn't mean they're inefficient on the highway, just means that the hybrid system doesn't do much. But city driving, or even a good amount of regular suburban driving is where a hybrid will get better mpg. For example, my Elantra gets about 38mpg when cruising the highway. My Prius got about exactly the same mpg in those same conditions.

I know that's the way they are supposed to work. However, after driving them for 13 years, I find that when I do a mix of driving I get the worst mileage. My commute is a combination of highway and clogged highway and city. My not work is suburban (which is where I think the worst mileage is). When I did all highway, I was getting 51mpg in the Prius (in the summer, winter fuel decreases mileage by 4-8mpg consistently) v. a normal 46 - 48. The Camry is the same, but about 5mpg lower.

 

[tvguy]

Yup. The A/C is broken as well. I live in a very hot/humid environment, we were already not driving it from May-October. I just started driving it again when this happened. There are other minor things wrong, the AB doesn't work, etc....

YOu did see that DH wont' even discuss the Fiat???? That isn't on the list. I just think they are adorable.

I'd still fix the Saturn. The depreciation on even a used car will be more than the repairs.

Full disclosure, I understand you may want a different car, my perspective is how to spend the least total amount of money for your transportation.

 

[sam_gordon]

my perspective is how to spend the least total amount of money for your transportation.

But without knowing how much the repairs are, how can you determine what is the least total amount of money? Let's say you have to put $2K/year into this car to keep it running. A new (used) car costs $10K. Five years down the road is the "break even" point. Anything after that is cheaper to get a new car now.

 

[Aimros]

I had a Prius. I didn't love it; but it got the job done. It really felt like it was just made for saving gas $$ - no bells/whistles as a previous poster mentioned (unless you want to pay big bucks for the fancy version).

 

[2pinwheels]

We have a Volt and a minivan. We use the Volt for our daily commutes.

Love it. Love not filling up a car. (Although it has a separate gas engine for longer drives, like road trips.)

Never had an electric car before. Relying on battery power has been freeing.

Bought it used.

It is our stand-in while waiting for the Tesla Model 3.

 

[tvguy]

But without knowing how much the repairs are, how can you determine what is the least total amount of money? Let's say you have to put $2K/year into this car to keep it running. A new (used) car costs $10K. Five years down the road is the "break even" point. Anything after that is cheaper to get a new car now.

I'm not sure how spending $10,000 is ever going to be cheaper than spending $2,000. Sales tax alone on a $10,000 car may be more than the repairs. Other than major collision or rust damage, repairs are almost always going to be a lot cheaper.
Look at fleets like the Post Office and UPS. Post office mail trucks are basically a Chevy S-10 pickup underneath. They are run 25 years. UPS runs basically a medium duty Ford truck, they run those one million miles. Both do this because fixing is cheaper than replacing.

 

[Praying Colonel]

DW was in the market for a car 2 years ago and she wanted a Mini because they were cute. We were a little concerned about reliability (we drive Toyotas and Hondas) and she wanted a little more comfortable ride for long road trips (her family lives 4 hours away). We ended up getting a Camry Hybrid with all the bells and whistles and she's been pleased with it. Efficient, comfortable and no problems since we've had it.

I'm currently driving an 05 Camry that just. won't. die. 239K and is still going strong. My next vehicle will probably be a Prius, but so long as this one keeps getting the job done I'm keeping it around.

 

[DawnM]

I'd still fix the Saturn. The depreciation on even a used car will be more than the repairs.

Full disclosure, I understand you may want a different car, my perspective is how to spend the least total amount of money for your transportation.

We are not going to fix the Saturn. We have already decided and money isn't really the issue. We are ready to move on.

 

[sam_gordon]

I'm not sure how spending $10,000 is ever going to be cheaper than spending $2,000. Sales tax alone on a $10,000 car may be more than the repairs. Other than major collision or rust damage, repairs are almost always going to be a lot cheaper.
Look at fleets like the Post Office and UPS. Post office mail trucks are basically a Chevy S-10 pickup underneath. They are run 25 years. UPS runs basically a medium duty Ford truck, they run those one million miles. Both do this because fixing is cheaper than replacing.

Really?
If you spend $2K/year in repairs (I'm talking true repairs, not routine maintenance) on a car for six years, that's $12,000.
If you had spend $10,000 on a car in year one, with no repairs for six years, it's cheaper.

I'm fairly confident the Post Office and UPS has mechanics on staff, and probably buy parts in bulk meaning their maintenance costs are less.

A newer car would probably also get better gas mileage and have a better safety rating to say nothing of better technology that makes the drive easier on the driver.

ETA: I'm not saying buying newer is always better. But there does become a time when making repairs is not financially sound.

 

[Nayan]

How about something like a Mazda3 or a Honda Fit? Both are economical and fun as heck to drive.

 

[tvguy]

We are not going to fix the Saturn. We have already decided and money isn't really the issue. We are ready to move on.

That works.

 

[tvguy]

Really?
If you spend $2K/year in repairs (I'm talking true repairs, not routine maintenance) on a car for six years, that's $12,000.
If you had spend $10,000 on a car in year one, with no repairs for six years, it's cheaper.

I'm fairly confident the Post Office and UPS has mechanics on staff, and probably buy parts in bulk meaning their maintenance costs are less.

A newer car would probably also get better gas mileage and have a better safety rating to say nothing of better technology that makes the drive easier on the driver.

ETA: I'm not saying buying newer is always better. But there does become a time when making repairs is not financially sound.

Not per year. $2,000, period, over 5 years. It would be pretty hard to spend $2,000 a year.
Consumer Reports laid out the two cheapest ways to own a car.
1) Buy new and keep it forever.
2) Buy a 2 year old used car, and keep it 2 years. That way you recoup the biggest chunk of depreciation loss in repair savings.

 

[Skippy918]

I just bought a '16 Civic. It's a great car and is fun to drive and also looks sporty. For straight highway driving at 60-65mpg I average about 45mpg.

 

[pfalcioni]

I'm not sure how spending $10,000 is ever going to be cheaper than spending $2,000. Sales tax alone on a $10,000 car may be more than the repairs. Other than major collision or rust damage, repairs are almost always going to be a lot cheaper.
Look at fleets like the Post Office and UPS. Post office mail trucks are basically a Chevy S-10 pickup underneath. They are run 25 years. UPS runs basically a medium duty Ford truck, they run those one million miles. Both do this because fixing is cheaper than replacing.

UPS runs a lot of different vehicles from a variety of manufacturers, including Ford, Chevy, GMC, Cummings, and Mercedes. The chassis may be around for 10 years or more, but the engines usually don't last that long.

 

[DawnM]

Really?
If you spend $2K/year in repairs (I'm talking true repairs, not routine maintenance) on a car for six years, that's $12,000.
If you had spend $10,000 on a car in year one, with no repairs for six years, it's cheaper.

I'm fairly confident the Post Office and UPS has mechanics on staff, and probably buy parts in bulk meaning their maintenance costs are less.

A newer car would probably also get better gas mileage and have a better safety rating to say nothing of better technology that makes the drive easier on the driver.

ETA: I'm not saying buying newer is always better. But there does become a time when making repairs is not financially sound.

15 years is about the length of time we keep cars. This one is 14 years old, but between the A/C, the tires, the ABS issues, and the fact that it is a Saturn and it is not easy to find parts, we are going ahead and replacing it now. Actually, we bought it in Feb. of 2002, so it will be 15 years VERY soon.

The last car we got rid of was a 1996 Saturn and we got rid of it (donated it) in 2013, so we actually kept that one longer than 15 years.

 

[DawnM]

I just bought a '16 Civic. It's a great car and is fun to drive and also looks sporty. For straight highway driving at 60-65mpg I average about 45mpg.

Can I ask how much you paid, or maybe a better question.....how good of a deal did you get? How much off sticker?

 

[sam_gordon]

Not per year. $2,000, period, over 5 years. It would be pretty hard to spend $2,000 a year.

But you're assuming that two grand is all you have to spend for five years. Look at some of the high value items that you may need to replace:
http://www.goliath.com/auto/the-10-most-expensive-car-repairs/7/

Yea, I know, #2 is a hybrid battery and most cars don't have that.

Now, am I saying if you have to replace the brake lines on a 10 year old car, you should upgrade? No. But as items continue to fail, upgrading does make sense.

 

[bcla]

You SURE you don't want to fix the Saturn? What the car is worth should NEVER be a factor in whether to make a repair, how many more miles that repair will get you should be the consideration. My family car is a 1987, and I think the cost of new tires is more than the car is worth, but I get another 6 years and 40,000 miles of driving from them.
Run from the Fiat, one of the worst cars made. You might as well NOT fix the Saturn and continue driving it, it likely will be more reliable than that Fiat.
My DIL's mom has a Mini Cooper and it is fun, and no issues.
Of your list, the Prius seems the best overall choice.
But fixing the Saturn makes more sense.

I remember on Car Talk, their position was that an older used car would universally be cheaper to keep up than new car payments, but the concern would be how reliable it would be and how available the car might be if it needed repairs.

We've got an old car. It may look beat up, but it's been ridiculously reliable and I see a lot of this model/generation still on the road. We go to a mechanic who has the same vintage, and he says absolutely keep it running if we can. It's never needed any major repairs other than collision damage or regular maintenance. There are the occasional minor issues like the door sensor out of alignment. That's resulted in the key in ignition and lights on chimes not working, as well as the dome light always being on unless we switched it off. We've dealt with the battery dying, but it was easy enough to fix with a screwdriver and maybe a $3 part.