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Think about it. Your answer to renting a car once a month for $150 ( which I bet with coupons and frequent renter club could be a lot less than that and $60/$80 in fuel.) is to buy another car which is gonna be more expensive overall long term? And you’re buying. Used which means no matter what there is always a chance you’ll have some catastrophic failure. Regardless of the known reliability sometimes **** happens.
What do you mean by zero? Stop,looking at a used car purchase as no cost. You’re starting at $150 a month plus fuel in renting a car. And you stop there. That’s it. $150 (could be less) and fuel.
You’re starting at $8000 dollars in buying a used car. It would take 4.4 years driving a rental once a month to catch up to the purchase price.
I’m not adding in maintenance, storage, repairs, registration, insurance costs. Which would be a ongoing cost
Unless you’re somehow getting the car for free along with everything pertaining to that vehicle........all acquisition of the vehicle, storage, maintenance, registration, insurance, fuel is gonna cost a lot more than $150 a month in rental You're not saving any money by buying your own car. Yoire spending more but you think you’re saving because you’re getting better mpg. Forget the mpg. Look at overall monthly cost of the vehicle ownership and renting. Hell even if you drove your Jeep you wouldn’t be spending more than $150 for fuel. Which is cheaper than even renting the car as you wouldn’t have rental costs.
If you break down in a rental car or they put you in another. Costs you nothing
No, I do see your point and am considering it....that's why it's nice to ask a question in the forums, it'll get you thinking ways that you may not usually.....
Buick LeSabre does solid 32 mpg HWY and is a LARGE vehicle. And costs much less. And is one of the most reliable vehicles ever.
OP, get a hybrid. You can find used Prii for that price.
I say no on the Yaris. It’s not a great car. I had its predecessor, the Echo, for many years and it was a great car, but it lost a lot when it was redisigned as the Yaris.
There’s a lot out there for $8k. Corolla jumps to the top of the heap, an $8k Civic gets you one from Honda’s weird phase. A Honda Fit might be a good choice for you, they are surprisingly roomy. Mazda3 is always a really solid choice, but it’s not the roomiest car ever. I like the Chevy Cruze, but hear they don’t last well, which is sad, it was a fantastic little car when new. And don’t be afraid to shop the Koreans, an Accent or Elantra should more than meet your criteria.
BUT: check out the seats thoroughly. Small cars, in my experience, have cheap seats which are good for sub-hour commute drives, but get awfully uncomfortable for stints longer than that. You may want to step up to a midsize car for acceptable seats. Most with four cylinders should get mid-30s if not drive carelessly.
I would look for a Camry Hybrid, which would put you in the first generation for an $8k maximum budget. Something around a 2007-2011 would be what you would find, getting the Toyota hybrid system without the lifestyle of a Prius. It was introduced in 2007 and if the mileage is not too high, you might not have a battery replacement or refurbishment to worry about for many miles. It's a comfortable car and offers more room than a Yaris, with good economy, in the 30s on the highway.
The Lexus HS 250h would also be around $8k, and would get in the 30s on the highway, the same as the Camry. It's a little smaller than the Camry, but has premium features, and was only available for a couple of years before being replaced by the CT 200h. The CT 200h will get into the 40s, and has a hatchback, but it's a relatively slow vehicle and in the small size class, but would be more to the $10-$11k range.
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Renting at $50 a day will mean an extra $150 a month (3 day trip) as opposed to $0 if I own a small car. I don't want to add the miles to our Jeep since it is our play/fun car, also if I took that, my wife would be left with a large truck to get around in and she is a little uncomfortable in those. I will look at some larger cars though, I would also trade a couple mpg for size..... but for straight out highway travel which is pretty safe, maybe I can sacrifice and get a smaller car. Reliability is also crucial as I don't want to break down on a long trip.....That's why I'm asking for advice....thanks for yours!
This reminds of people who drive 3 miles to save 5 cents a gallon on gas. 360 miles@25mpg =14.5 gallons. @ 40mpg=9 gallons. At $2.80 cents a gallon, the difference is $25.20. Is $25.20 a MONTH worth so much haggling? Get what you like.
This reminds of people who drive 3 miles to save 5 cents a gallon on gas. 360 miles@25mpg =14.5 gallons. @ 40mpg=9 gallons. At $2.80 cents a gallon, the difference is $25.20. Is $25.20 a MONTH worth so much haggling? Get what you like.
Well ya got a point there.......thanks for the input.....
Am I right in assuming that Toyotas are super reliable cars? At least that's what I've always heard....? And I just looked up Prius' and have a question...are they all hybrids? Since I'm going to use it for highway driving primarily, I don't really care about the hybrid feature, do I?
Yeah, I they're all hybrids. Some have plug-ins, some of the newest are AWD, but for $8,000 you'd probably just be looking at a 5 to 10-year-old front-wheel drive hybrid with no plug-in. Mine is a 2015 with 125K miles on it and has a some minor body damage, and I'd guess it's worth around $8,000. Maybe a little less with the body damage.
One of the best things about my Prius is its reliability. I have replaced a few "mud flaps" on it, as they seem to fall off, but other than that, the only unscheduled service has been for a 35-cent fuse, and the dealer replaced it for free. I've never had a vehicle as reliable, not even close. I drive 70-80 mph and generally average right about 45 mpg.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bmwguydc
I would look for a Camry Hybrid, which would put you in the first generation for an $8k maximum budget. Something around a 2007-2011 would be what you would find, getting the Toyota hybrid system without the lifestyle of a Prius. It was introduced in 2007 and if the mileage is not too high, you might not have a battery replacement or refurbishment to worry about for many miles. It's a comfortable car and offers more room than a Yaris, with good economy, in the 30s on the highway.
The Lexus HS 250h would also be around $8k, and would get in the 30s on the highway, the same as the Camry. It's a little smaller than the Camry, but has premium features, and was only available for a couple of years before being replaced by the CT 200h. The CT 200h will get into the 40s, and has a hatchback, but it's a relatively slow vehicle and in the small size class, but would be more to the $10-$11k range.
The Camry Hybrid would be a nice pick if you can find a clean one in your price range. Isn't the CT 200h a Lexus in Prius clothing? Maybe the little one? I'd prefer the full-sized Prius, which is a fairly nice car, even though it's best taken with a break every couple hours. I've also gotta add that a Camry Hybrid would be an excellent pick if you can find a good one for $8 grand. Even the standard Camry would be a good choice. Their mileage is in the high 30s.
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If Japanese brand is needed, I would say Honda Civic before Toyota Corolla.
