Commute about to quadruple; get a better daily driver?

[atalarico]

Hey all,

My commute is possibly going to go from 12 miles RT a day to 60 soon (commuting from Denver to Boulder). I just used a commute calculator and I spend about $200 a month on my current commute, and that will go up to $1042 if I get this new job. :repuke:

That said, I really want this other job, and it will pay me close to double what I make now, with a lot more room for growth, and a significantly better benefits package.

I have a growing list of things to fix/replace with my 97 4runner (transmission, LCAs, valve cover gasket, tires) and I'm just toying with a few possibilities and was wondering if anyone has any advice.

Possibilities:
1.) Drop $2k into the 4runner and another $1k into an electric longboard to get to the bus station and take the bus to Boulder. I love my 4runner, and I don't really want to get rid of it, I've just been grossly underpaid and unable to address the bigger maintenance costs of the last year or so.

2.) Get a used "fun" car for $10-15k and make that my daily driver (thinking IS300, or something that is older luxury but fun to drive). I'd want to keep the 4runner for mountain/weekend adventures, but I don't know how that works with minimally insuring it and not spending any more than I have to keep it running.

3.) Sell the 4runner for $4-5k (paid $6k and have put about $1-2k in), buy a newer gen for $20ish, start over with modding, etc. The trick with that is that I get good highway mileage already (18-19mpg), and I don't think newer gens get any better than that. They're also going to more expensive to insure, and I'd have a car payment.

As you can see, I'm totally lost. I can't move closer to work because of a number of reasons (only a few months into my lease, my partner can't drive so we have to live close to work to accommodate her needs, I don't want to live in the burbs and I don't want to live in Boulder).

Ideas? Thoughts? Considerations?

 

[BrazilianT4R]

How long will that drive take you each way?
Staying monday to friday there is afordable?

 

[atalarico]

How long will that drive take you each way?
Staying monday to friday there is afordable?

Thanks for reading all of that! I'm surprised anyone responded. It'll probably be 30-45 minutes one way in good traffic. It could be feasible to live there during the week, but it's kind of expensive and I doubt I'd really get ahead adding more rent to my income equation.

Tambem, onde vc mora em brasil? Eu morei em BH para 7 meses em 2005 e um mes e meia em 2006! Eu adoro de brasil (tenho uma bandeira adhesivo na minha 4runner)! Tenho saudades de mais! =) Obrigado para sua responsa!

 

[Rocky5000100]

Personally, I would pick up another car for commuting if I had to drive that far. So option 2.

An older BMW 3 series would be nice, maybe awd for the winter too.

 

[BrazilianT4R]

30~45 minutes? That's nothing... Depending on the city here in Brazil (take Rio for instance) when people care to say they have to commute to work they are talking about 2h driving each way, so 4h of the day lost behind the wheel. I used to joke with friends that if they studied 4h a day after work they could get another degree and find another job LOL.

Well, with such a quick drive and the quality of the roads you have there, I'd get a Japanese 4 cylinder like a Civic and forget about temptations like an extra pair of cylinders or turbo engines. Just keep focus on MPGs when driving!

What a small world. I actually live in Belo.

 

[atalarico]

30~45 minutes? That's nothing... Depending on the city here in Brazil (take Rio for instance) when people care to say they have to commute to work they are talking about 2h driving each way, so 4h of the day lost behind the wheel. I used to joke with friends that if they studied 4h a day after work they could get another degree and find another job LOL.

Well, with such a quick drive and the quality of the roads you have there, I'd get a Japanese 4 cylinder like a Civic and forget about temptations like an extra pair of cylinders or turbo engines. Just keep focus on MPGs when driving!

What a small world. I actually live in Belo.

The time isn't as big of a deal for me, as it's really only 20 minutes longer than my commute now (the amazing difference between city and highway driving distances). Really it's the distance and increased cost in gas and wear/tear on the vehicle that is my main concern. I think my gas cost for commuting would go from a couple hundred a month to over a thousand, which might negate any salary increases. Yikes.

As practical as the economy cars are, it's hard for me to stomach because I really *enjoy* driving. To me, it sounds like the act of driving a manual transmission (fast) used luxury car would be really fun. It doesn't sound like it's that practical though, eh? (Fun separate story about me learning to drive a manual in BH and unintentionally circling a military base too many times and then having a bunch of m16s pointed at my friends car...)

Ah well...I don't think I got the job anyway, so there's that too. It just started me thinking about jobs outside of my metro area and what I would do if I saw a jump in my commute. Thanks for the help figuring it out!

Also, small world indeed! I lived near Praca Liberdade on Alagoas and Sta. Rita Durao if my memory serves me right. That was 10 years ago now, so the fact that I still remember the intersection I lived at should give you an idea of how important that experience was to me. I had such a great time there, and I've always said I'd go back for an extended period after the last time I was there. Unfortunately the plane ticket is super hard to justify when no one is giving me a scholarship! I only tapped the surface of the outdoor fun in MG, and I really want to go back to Serra do Cipo to climb again. I can't even imagine how fun it would be to offroad in a Hilux there!