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Maine, that is a lot of driving. 182,000--hard to believe. I guess I have to build my car expense, besides the gas of course, into my current rent. I am trying to avoid having to buy a new car in the near future. Besides the obvious cost there, my credit is not as good as it was 2 years ago and I am worried about not being able to get another low interest car loan.
you have a decent car, ive had two corollas before and liked them both..
i had a ford focus 2001 that went 240 k, so im sure your corolla should get at least 200k miles., at least
(my '96 corolla got over 200k)
if you did the math,,,of commuting,,,gas expense, depreciation on the vehicle, and throw in a value on your driving "time" also, more oil changes, brake repairs, , tires, etc..
if you can get comparable rents closer,,,then it might be worth it
however, you do need to like where you live,
if you owned a house,,,it would be more difficult to sell and move..
I might think about finding another job closer to home if the place I was in was a really good deal. The commute doesn't sound too too bad, although mine is 5 miles round trip At least you have an economical car that must get probably close to 35 MPG highway.
Unless there was some damage, 65K miles seems a little early to replace tires and especially brakes on a Corolla.
65K Miles should be like - many not a newborn - but a young child in human age terms and I would not expect it to give you ANY trouble until about 120-130K miles at the earliest - if it were normal, but as I said, something sounds a little wrong.
But if you can deal with driving that distance, a Corolla is exactly the kind of car I would do it in because it is relatively cheap and wearing out a cheap car is not that big a financial hit.
Last edited by blktoptrvl; 03-30-2014 at 06:44 AM..
Reason: Edit - I originally read the commute as 50 miles each way
fifty mile commute nothing that only 25 one way. i just got rid of a 07 tacoma that hit 317,000 with zero maintenance but oil brakes tires. I still had the factory radiator anti freeze in it, no belts, no head gasket. It was still running perfect when i got rid of it. It did 250 miles every day
It was 43 miles each way,96 miles a day in that 11 year old Sentra. Like I said, it was already over 100k (130k, if I remember correctly) I got about 6 months before I had to get rid of it. The front end rotted through, so I don't think I can blame the commute. That would have happened anyway. The engine and drivetrain were still good.
As for your car,it is hard for me to say how long "a while" is. I am no mechanic, but I wouldn't worry until 100k. Even then, as long as you keep up maintenance,and follow the owners manual's scheduled maintenance, you can go well past that(and I never really maintained my Sentra). Hondas and Toyotas are great cars built for the long run.
And I should have been clearer. I wouldn't worry about the car dying at 100k, I would be on the lookout for things to start going around then. I would be more aware of how the car was acting,sounding, driving. But Corolla is a great car. Here in NJ there are plenty of older Corollas running around, including ones from the '90s. and this state is rough on cars.
Drive it, thats what cars are for lol.
I would be more worried about how you handle the commute, heavy traffic patterns and weather issues are high stress.
The type of commute makes a difference too. Is it mostly highway, or is it constant stop and go the whole 25 miles? Most wear comes from stop and go. Highway driving at a steady constant speed is very easy on a car.
One lives in San Francisco and brakes are shot about every 10,000 miles... drives 99% city.
Another lives in Oakland and drives to Modesto for work... has close to 200k miles 99% freeway... brakes last almost 100k miles.
The one in SF had factory Goodyear tires that were very poor and in comparison the the Oakland one came with Michelins.
Some commutes take a toll and it is not all about the miles driven.
I live on a very steep hill that is 1.5 miles.... most neighbors complain about brakes that don't last... my old truck had a manual transmission and my brakes lasted... the new cars have very little motor braking when dropping in low because cars are built for mpg now.
interesting. Just to answer a few questions, my commute is 90% highway. The brakes were worn down. The car had been a leased car before i got it. Yes, in light of everything, a car is the most expendable thing in this scenario. I have added up the expense of driving, the oil changes, the tires, etc. and it will be about the same. I do rent so I don't have to wait for a buyer. I've thought about a new job but the economy….blah blah blah. I do have a good deal where I live now. Thanks for everyones' comments.
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At least you have an economical car that must get probably close to 35 MPG highway.
