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I was looking at a 2004 ES Lexus with 20mpg for city and 2002 Corolla with 32mpg for city. I calculated (taking into account premium gas price for Lexus) for 10 miles per day or 300 miles per month and it turned out to be $22.50 difference per month. (Corolla being $22.50 per month and Lexus being $45.00 per month)
Is it worth driving a Lexus rather than Corolla for $22.50 more per month? '
Turns out to be $270 per year and $1080 per every 4 years.
Also consider the cost of maintenance/wear & tear items on the Lexus versus the Corolla. Oil changes, tires, brakes, belts, etc. I suspect it would be more on the Lexus since it's considered a luxury brand.
Also consider the cost of maintenance/wear & tear items on the Lexus versus the Corolla. Oil changes, tires, brakes, belts, etc. I suspect it would be more on the Lexus since it's considered a luxury brand.
That 4th generation of Lexus ES is largely just a gussied up Camry. Can have it serviced at a Toyota dealer just as easily.
I am a retired fleet manager and I have had Toyotas and Lexuses in the fleet over the years.
You are missing a lot of the costs. The gas is only one of them. Maintenance on Lexus products generally is more expensive as the parts cost more. In addition, most Toyotas are cheaper to insure than are Lexus.
Whichever vehicle you are going to purchase - vehicles that are 13-15 years old, you had better have a good INDEPENDENT mechanic check out the vehicles. Toyotas and Lexuses that have not been properly maintained over the years can be real money pits.
To the OP, the fact that you're even debating the decision tells me you don't care enough about the perceived "pizazz" the Lexus brings and should buy the Toyota.
In addition, I agree with the quoted post above re: the maintenance/repair costs. Buying any car at that price is a major gamble, let alone "luxury" cars that have more widgets, gadgets and electronics than can cost a lot to fix. With bottom-dollar cars the more simple it can be the better.
I am a retired fleet manager and I have had Toyotas and Lexuses in the fleet over the years.
You are missing a lot of the costs. The gas is only one of them. Maintenance on Lexus products generally is more expensive as the parts cost more. In addition, most Toyotas are cheaper to insure than are Lexus.
Whichever vehicle you are going to purchase - vehicles that are 13-15 years old, you had better have a good INDEPENDENT mechanic check out the vehicles. Toyotas and Lexuses that have not been properly maintained over the years can be real money pits.
READ and COMPREHEND this posting above.
The condition and miles on odometer the number of owners accidents rust and on and on . . . go into the purchase of any used car.
Someone is missing the point - when buying a used car.
Last edited by unit731; 02-14-2019 at 12:04 PM..
Reason: Spelling (again)
First of all, what is the purchase price of each? What are expected maintenance costs? Insurance? Registration? There's a lot more to consider than the price of fuel. If you're not going to look at total cost of ownership why even bother with one component of the equation?
But mostly, only you can decide whether the benefit is worth the cost.
This is what I was gong to say. Insurance differences will likely be a whole lot more than gas. Then you have to factor in comfort, driving pleasure, safety or perceived safety, many other factors.
However, you made me think about the gneral question "Is 422.50 a month significant?" Our cable company raised our monthly rate from $70 to $90 a month and I cancelled cable. That is only $20 a month difference, so I guess it is significant. Would you cancel your cable if they jacked up the price by $20 a month? What about Netflix?
Buy Lexus. Enjoy life. $20 is not worth it comparing Lexus to economy shoe box. Reliability for both is same.
With cars this old, I don't think the upgrade to Lexus is necessarily much of an upgrade. It could just provide more annoyances when if/when the little upgrades stop working. Power this, heated that, computerized what nots, and worn out luxury finishes (cracked leather, scratched and peeling chrome, etc.).
I was looking at a 2004 ES Lexus with 20mpg for city and 2002 Corolla with 32mpg for city. I calculated (taking into account premium gas price for Lexus) for 10 miles per day or 300 miles per month and it turned out to be $22.50 difference per month. (Corolla being $22.50 per month and Lexus being $45.00 per month)
Is it worth driving a Lexus rather than Corolla for $22.50 more per month? '
Turns out to be $270 per year and $1080 per every 4 years.
When I am looking at a car to buy, the very last thing I look at is gas mileage, if I look at that at all. Every car I own gets horrible mileage around town (where I do most of my driving), but I like comfort and performance vs gas savings, so I am willing to pay a little (or a lot) more at the pump. My cars all require Premium too, but that still doesn't affect my decision making.
For the small amount of $ 22 bucks you are calculating, I would not let that be my determining factor. More importantly , I think, would be the cost of maintaining a Lexus vs Corolla. I know the Lexus is just an upper model from Toyota, but I bet repairs and parts, like tires, are a lot higher. I owned two Corollas when I used to drive 100,000 miles a year for business, and you couldn't kill those things.
$0.70 or 70 pennies a day. Is that difference meaningful in your life? If yes, thean look for a car cheaper than the Toyota.
Or figure out a way to earn more money so that amount is no longer meaningful. My concern if this amount is meaningful is what happens when either vehicle blows up and needs a major repair or replacement.
The small difference in gas costs, is not even worth considering.
What is important in an old cheap car, is what condition it is in, and what may cost you to keep it operating.
Forget brands, and people telling you that being a Lexus it is better. Both are a lot of prior operating mileage, and how well they were maintained is the test, not which brand they are.
If you have a regular mechanic, take each car to him/her (yes there are women mechanics) and let him/her make the decision for you. One can cost a fortune due to the way it was maintained or what it will very soon need that costs money to keep it operating. The other hopefully will be in better condition and will not be as expensive to maintain.
The answer as to which car is the best to buy, is not something that anyone on this chat line, can advise you, as we are not in a position to evaluate each auto. You may be told, you should not buy either one, as they will both need serious work costing big bucks in the near future, and to look for another car.
When buying that cheap of a car, brand means nothing. Current condition and potential for a problem soon, are what is important.
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