Quote:
Originally Posted by Romeo1
I used to have to commute 100 to 115 miles a day from my old job. Then I drove another 300 -400 and 500 a few times while I was on shift usually. Was about 28-30k commute miles per year depending on how many extra shifts I picked up.
My reference point was a 1 ton diesel pick up that got 19 miles per gallon, and an old Subaru 2001 Forrester that got 25 to 26.
In my experience gas was always $.30-$.60 cheaper than diesel. When gas was around the three dollar mark, The per mile running cost of that Subaru was exactly half of that diesel pick up. We’re talking all the way down to the cost of tires. Literally every single penny accounted for.
That $3000 Subaru made me more money than anything ever. Best part was I sold it for 2700 several years later.
The take-home notes from my experience and others I know who commute are buying a new car to commute in is folly. You’re going to grind it into the ground. The amount of depreciation you take on it just kills anything that gets high Mileage quickly. You burn an insane amount of money to drive a body on frame vehicle as a commuter. The truck was going to cost $80 a month in tires alone. Those were for all-terrain tires that lasted 40- 50,000 miles….
I have now a company Rig and fuel card which is worth a pile of money, especially with four dollar fuel. But if I ever did have to go back to commuting, I would either get a used crosstrek, Impreza, a newer 2.0T WRX, a RAV4 hybrid, or a Prius AWD hybrid…..
I drove my truck the first six months and realized what insanity I was engaging in and bought a cheap commuter instead. Best financial move I ever made outside of not having hardly any debt and socking away money into a 401(k).
I would say destroy a beater or two The next seven years, and save the money for a new 4runner when you retire.
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I am buying something to drive on my days off, either a 4Runner or a 22 Tundra. So the difference is the days on the road for work which will be 10 days per month for 7 years. The extra cost in fuel between the car I drive now and a 4runner for instance is approximately $140/month more for the runner. Just to insure what I drive now to commute in is $100/month so it get close quickly except for depreciation which won't matter if I keep the runner long into retirement. The extra mileage that my commute would put on the 4Runner would be about 110,000 miles. So I enter retirement with a 7 year old 4Runner with about 160,000 miles vs 50,000 miles if I ran my commuter car to work and kept the 4Runner for days off.
Then there is the depreciation on the car I have now. It's worth about $12,000 now and will be worth about $4000 if I keep commuting in it for 7 years. If the gas mileage breaks even after insurance, lic plate and inspection over the 7 years then I compare the $8000 loss on the commuter car to what 110,000 miles depreciates a 4Runner over 7 years. I'm guessing about $10,000, so I come out about $2000 to the good over 7 years driving 2 vehicles. Now if I can find a $3500 civic or corolla that would last 110,000 miles and save half on insurance the savings are greater.
Hopefully a 4Runner wit 160,000 miles in 7 years, mainly all highway or country roads would still last another 200,000 miles through retirement.
I'm hesitant to trust the new twin turbo Tundra though for that type of use even though it gets better mpg.
I'm in Canada so that was a lot of mileage conversion lol. My commute is on a 2 lane road going about 65 mph so no Cannonball Run type interstate commute. I welcome all suggestions. But I am drawn to the 22 4Runner for it's naturally aspirated simplicity and would love to try to make one last 25-30 years.
