Daily driver status-sellout or necessary?

I'm 53 and have driven old cars as daily transpo my whole life. The last 2 years has been a 67 Grand Prix. Well, today is a very sad day for me. Gas has risen to about $4.50 a gallon for premium around here, and that's all my GP runs on. So, today, after MANY years of driving the **** out of what fuels my p***ion, I leased a ****ing Toyota (tears are welling up in my eyes as I type this). I may take a sledge hammer to it in the morning. Similar experiences?

 

Ohh man dude, why a Toyota?

 

thats alroght, i got my fiance a pt cruiser. i hate that car.... but it is comfortable...

 

I've got a 99 ****box ****** for a winter driver, I normally park it in the summer. Not this year at 32MPG its my main transport. $20 lasts all week in it. I took the coupe out for a ride yesterday and $20 wouldnt even fill it back up when I was done. I'm pissed and I hate this ****.

 

Doesn't make sense.....lease payment instead of paying alittle more in fuel cost in a car that has no payment, not to mention the increase in insurance premiums for the new car.

You work from home, I mean it's not like you are communting to and from work daily.

 

In my opinion, there is no shame in having a regular car as a beater or daily transport. I have a 94 Buick Lesabre. Looks okay, gets about 18-20 MPG and I don't worry about it no matter where I drive it or park it. In these days of reckless vandalism and high gas prices, trying to drive a hot rod as a daily is a worthless way to show you have balls. Of course, to each his own.

 

just pick yourself up an old falcon with a 6 banger for $1000.00. Those things are great on gas and slightly cooler than a toyota.

 

I've been thinking early beetle or corvair...

 

I guarantee you are paying more for the lease than you are saving in gas.

Do the math.

 

Now thats the truth and funny !!!!

 

my bike is my main ride when its warm enough. 55-60 mpg, and its fun commuting.

 

My gas saving driver is a 1970 Baja Bug, fun to drive, might sell it soon to buy a MKIII vr6 Jetta. VW's are the only acceptable foreign cars to me and they handle great and get good gas mileage and in most cases are pretty damn quick

 

i aint mad atcha johnny!

now granted, you've got a couple of years on me, but i've never driven anything but old cars until recently. not too long ago, my mother in law gave us back a car that my wife had given her around 5 years ago. i'm looking at it going "now what in the hell am i gonna do with this little $#!+ box?" (94 toyota corolla). the answer was to DRIVE IT!


my 60 chevy is a gigantic beast it was a real pain to park where i was working. at the time i think gas was up to about 2.50 and i'm thinking...fill up every other week...park it anywhere...good deal...

hate to say it but i got spoiled on the AC, power everything, CD player, HEATER, ETC...

i'm over being HARD CORE!

now if i had a nice cruiser with all teh amenities, i'd be all about it, gas prices be damned, but for now, i'm a toyota man. the 52 comes out for joy rides only.

 

I wanna sell my 2003 Crown Victoria and buy a 1973 Pinto...any thoughts??

 

Yeah I mean obviously you must have thought it through, but if you dont have a commute (I don't either) so it makes no sense. This morning I went to get a bagel and iced coffee ad Dunkin Donuts spur of the moment, my girlfriend had the Altima so I just took the Suburban that I use for towing/Lowes runs. Not an issue as it was less than 2 miles round trip, but further than that, **** no.

That said, we put an offer on a house this morning, if I can swing keeping my 51 Merc and getting the house it will be my daily I-dont-have-a-work-commute commuter car. At that if it would see 40 miles a week Id be surprised.

 

I did the math.
That's why I have a PT Snoozer.
After a reasonable down, the gas savings pays for the car.
A lifetime warranty is motivation as well.
My wife drives from the bay area to Phoenix due to her dads health so the mileage pays for the car.
Don't worry Grouch, I cried too.

Craig

 

Denise is right. If you do the math, it is going to take at least 5 years before you'll see any savings.

 

i've been mostly driving my '66 VW Karmann Ghia lately, for this same reason. it gets 32mpg, versus 20mpg in my best other old car option.

i still only drive old cars....

-scott noteboom

 

Ya know, there is a middle ground populated by things like LT1 and LS1 p***enger cars. Might still be ******* plastic construction, but at least they are be real-deal V8 muscle underneath and get mileage acceptable to most.

 

I'm teetering on the same fence. I have started to do the math on all of the factors, but do not have all of them, such as insurance, etc. I know what it costs for new car repairs, and can do them myself.

My wife and I both drive pre 70's cars, I have one 89 Aerostar as well for bombing around town, and my tow truck, that now drinks $5.25 a gallon diesel, as well as whatever has more gas in it at the time.

I'm pulling the 58 Ford panel around to the front tomorrow to start on it. It has a 6 banger. Getting that running will be alot less than the lease starts around here. (2000+??)

We drove the 55 ford to Santa Maria, 302 4 barrel, auto, and got 18 mpg. The 89 Aerostar does about 22 on the highway, and much better in town than the 55. The new **** does between 25-35 HWY?

You would do better buying a little car at the police auction for $600-1200 and driving that for a couple years, or however long it lasts. none of the "new" cars that I have have cost more than a couple of hundred bucks. The Aerostar was $100 and I've been driving it for 2 years. I haven't had to fix but a couple small things so far.

 

my daily is a rain car 52 caddy because gas prices, Most the time im on my bike ! Even if its raining but some times i just dont fell like riding in the rain . But i have been looking at little **** box cars and thinking about it then i say na .lease a hog lol

 

I do work at home. But, semi-retirement affords me a lot of running around to entertain myself. I have been of the belief for years that the rising value of my old car "driver" superceded the cost of a new car. This opinion has changed. Half the cost of fuel at $1.50 a gallon ain't ****. Half at $4.55 is. By my calculations, my new car costs me nothing, and I save wear and tear on my 67 GP

 

I did do the math. Thanks for your confidence that i didn't

 

Thanks brutha. Cryin ****s

 

Maybe this is the difference between lifestyle and hobby.
As far as I'm consirned anyone else can do what they think is best for them, but I won't go modern. The truth is, my old cars are quite economical all factors considerd.
Hotrodladycrusr makes an interesting point.

 

My 67 Pontiac costs me about 5-600 dollars a month in gas. That's Premium only. Cut that consumption more than in half, and the gas the new ****box runs on is 20 cents less a gallon. I gave $1500 drive off fee, and $235 a month for 3 yrs. What do you guys come up with for the math?

 

Adding more power since 1971

This is a sad day

 

Very sad. Hopefully the $ I save will go to the good stuff.

 

My fuel cost's per month are olmost what my rent is..and that's not including my old car's. That's feeding my 02 2500HD GMC only at 10 mpg.
I've alway's been the type to frown upon econo-box's, but i can fully understand why folk's have to go that route or choose to. I honestly think for many it's necessary.
I'll keep driving what i'm driving, but i'm not known to be brilliant.

 

I dunno...I've looked at it too; a new car is going to lose money on your investment, no matter what. You do, however, come out better than with a lease, as when it is time to sell the "new" car, you at least get something for it. With a lease, you pay each month and then just turn it in--if not pay a fine for going over in mileage. (if you're going New, get a 2-year old car that has already taken the depreciation hit)
With an old car, it is either going to not lose money, or will increase in value (the average, "non-investment" vintage car). If I were to invest a total of $12,000 in my '62 Suburban, and kept it as a daily driver for 10 years, only doing regular maintenance on it, it will decrease in value to a certain point...say $6,000 for the sake of argument. If I maintain it, it will ALWAYS be worth at least $6,000, whether I keep it 5 years, 10 years or 20 years. If I buy a new car for $12,000, in 10 years, even well maintained, it's going to be worth what? $2-4,000? Strictly speculation, and the math is open to all kinds of speculation, but for the sake of this discussion, that's what I'll go with.

What if you take the same amount of money you'd put down on a new car, and improve a vintage car? What if you take the same monthly payment, and apply that to a vintage car in an effort to get better mileage? Rather than a beast that kills the tires at will, what about an overdrive trans, highway gears, weight shaving and super-tuning?

What if Groucho had spent the same amount of money each month, detuning his '67 GP? Build a tamer engine, overdrive trans and highway gears? Aluminum radiator, water pump, intake, heads to save some weight...etc. etc. etc.

After ALL the math, including the difference in insurance, what is the break-even point for the cost of gasoline running in a vehicle that gets 16mpg versus 26mpg? How many miles a month do you drive? Let's say you go from 16mpg in a vintage car to 32mpg in a new car--just to make the math easy. At that, your new car payment can only be worth half your monthly gas bill, or you're losing money (not counting repairs). If you spend $100 a week in gas, you're spending $400 per month. If you get twice the gas mileage of a new car, you're cutting your gas bill down to $200 per month, which gives you $200 per month for a new car payment (remember, you still have to put gas in the new car).

I often wonder what's worse...getting ****d a little at a time at the gas pump, or getting gang banged once a month sending a check to the bank for something that is decreasing in value faster than a pet rock.

With all this in mind, I've decided to get the '62 Suburban back on the road and try to maximize its fuel economy (including some simple aero: closing off the unused opening behind the grille that parachutes air, short chin spoiler being the bumper, filler panel between the bumper and cross member, etc.). I'm also buying a '73 Duster with a Slant6/auto, and for now, I'll swap in closer-to-highway gears and a 4spd OD manual trans.

I can live without A/C, power stuff, etc. Yeah, a new car is "nicer," but I like the old stuff. And to me, it makes sense--especially if you're buying something. If it's given to you, or it's a super-sweet deal, that changes things.

-Brad