Daily driver status-sellout or necessary?

Agreed... some people just can't see the forest through all the tree's I guess

How many of us are going to be willing to put a catalytic converter on our old cars if we "have to"???

enuff said?

 

No shit, even at 10 MPG(I suspect you get better than that?)$600 per mo. @$4.50 gal. is almost 45 miles per day, 30 days a month. My 20 year old luxobarge gets 20 mpg, I drive 130 miles a day to wk, and I still only spend $500 or so($3.75 per gal.). And it's an American V8.

 

Me too brother, me too.

 

You can have good mileage and not drive a new car......if I ever "break down" and get a car for mileage...it'll be an old VW, or maybe a @ 1970 Datsun 510....

Grouch.....why not a mid-late 60's Nova or a Camaro, with a six cylinder?

For the guys that spout off about keeping $$$$ in America every time something like this comes up, China this, China that.....is EVERYTHING in your house MADE in the USA? Nope......

 

lets see Dodges made in mexico, and canada, with Hyundai engines, Fords that are really rebodied, mazdas, Saturns that are plain and simply Opels, saturns that have Honda engines, Chevys that are suzukis and gag, Deawoos, Pontiacs that are Toyotas, or Holdens. So what does that leave, Buick????

How many of you guys own mutual funds, or have 401K's that are based on them. If you think you have no foriegn holdings propping up your future, you better pull your money and stick in a Prince Albert can and bury it under your engine lift tree. Last time I looked, GM is partially owned by some Japanese Conglomerate or is at least in debt to one. Didn't Chrysler just get bought up a Canadian Venture Capitalist. Ford is bleeding money from every opeing, closing dealerships and has a nearly 1 year backlog of SUVs and trucks setting on rented storage lots (as does Chrysler anybody Psssst hey buddy wanna buy an Aspen?)

It is unfortunate but the American manufacturers are so far behind the curve product wise they will never catch up, (Pssst, hey buddy wanna buy a Challanger????)

I'm suprised no one has mentioned resurecting a Vega yet.

Sorry for the rant, but I guess the point is ain't nothing much American anymore cept beer burgers and BBQ.

 

That's a guesstimate. She takes about $110 worth of premium to fill up and it barely lasts a week in normal use. Normal use to me may vary from most. I drive 50 miles round trip once or twice to Simi Valley for a good Tri-Tip sandwhich lunch with some friends out there. Maybe I can go 3-4 times now. Add to that some wasted driving to look at cars to buy. Sometimes I look at dozens before buying one. Add an occasional swap meet. I have to pick up stuff for my shop once in a while. It may, or may not pan out. But, the numbers sure seem to be a "push" at the worse scenario, and I don't "kill" the GP. When not in use, it'll be covered or in the garage instead of sitting in the hot SoCal sun in the driveway every day. Or, I sell the GP and put that money towards building my 38 Chevy Gasser. I'm enjoying all the responses.

 

Fortunately most of the driving I do during the week is during the course of doing business in my 98 Chevy Astro. That thing gets around 15 MPG ,combined driving. I've got a 94 Chevy pick-up that gets around 13. My Olds doesn't do much better.

But....I don't have a car payment.....I did make the decision to drive differently. I have never been an aggressive driver or one to jackrabbit start and speed up to the next light, you know what I mean!!!! Now I take off good and easy from all starts and cruise conservatively along and start to stop well before the light or stop sign. I'm hoping that I will see some gains in mileage by this more conservative form of driving.

I'll say this about other drivers though....most still watch the gas guage drop as they take off and get impatient while following me.....SCREW THEM.....The last fill up in my work van cost me 95.00...I'm doin' what ever I can.

Oh yeah....the Olds is the car I drive most of the time when I ain't workin', so no I ain't gonna stop drivin it while running around visiting and running errands!!!!!

 

You want an American car that is thrifty and smart looking and old?

Not many fitting that description. But a Nash Metropolitan covertible would. yee-hah! There are some still around to be acquired. Not as thrifty as a lot of modern rice burners, but a helluva lot better looking.

 

LS1 idea is good...

2002 Z/28 Camaro 6 spd: 17 city, 26 highway.

Basically the 98-02's are the same.

You can get one of these cars for $5-8K. Will make 290-300rwhp stock, and run low 13's @ 104-105mph stock.

Just a thought.

What mileage do the HHR's get?

 

No room for hauling stuff for my shop for one reason. The 67 GP's trunk has seen full sets of rims/tires to complete big blocks (in pieces) going to and from the machine shop(padded for damage control-trunk looks NEW). A 60's Nova/Camaro with a 6 would hardly pull the skin off rice pudding with the AC on. And they're pricy around here.

 

Nash Metros are powered by an Austin Engine made in Great Britain. Same as AH and MG sprite and midget except detuned with a three speed instead of 4.

Cushman Scooter anyone????

 

at least its not something gay ,like a prius!

 

Groucho,

You did what you had to do in trying to lower your fuel needs. There's nothing wrong with having a Toyota for your work week driver and your Pontiac for the weekender. I have a Toyota and it's a great car drivers great and very good on gas. My other car is my pride and joy a '49 Cadillac Sedanette which gets 22 MPG not bad for a big car. I, for one wouldn't have chosen to lease, rather choosing to pickup an older Toyota for the weekly drive. Good luck with your Toyota.

CRUISER

 

I thought about a 5 year old "something" or another. But, it wouldn't make sense to me. Friends have done it with limited success. A mass Air Flow Sensor here, and an overdive trans over there, and there goes $2000-$2500. Example-Mom's gives me an 89 T-Bird a couple yrs ago with 90K on the clock. After about a month the electronics act up and won't show any codes on my friend's scanner. It now also needs tires, a smog cert to pay the upcoming tags, and those upcoming tags. So, if I'm lucky enough not to get stranded while sorting out the electric woes, buy tires, smog cert, and new registration, then a month later the $2000 trans takes a shit, I'm married to this "free" car. I feel like I'm in car Kindergarten when I open the hood of a 5 yr old car. With this shitbox, it's Toyota's problem for the 3 yrs

 

I ain't gonna give my ol'junk up and drive a shitbox,,,

yeah it cost a lot more to drive now than in the past,,,and a tank of gas makes a bigger hole in your pocket,,give them a 100 bucks and get 20 back hurts,,,but I don't have a new car payment,interest and big insurance premium.

I'll spent the money on gas and eat less,,,I could stand to lose a few pounds anyway! HRP

 

My insurance only went up $50 a month

 

50 mile tri-tip sandwich indeed.

"I see that worried look, upon, your face,
you got your troubles, I've got mine"...

 

What kinda Toyota did ya get? A pickup???? A Nova/Camaro has more room than any Toyota car....

How 'bout a '64-'67 El Camino with a FI 283?

Nevermind, you've already 'sold out' with the lease.... Got a pic of ya sitting in it?

 

I was spending about that much and using regular and not in CA (so 3.75/gal)

It was my daily and was a modern pickup, but 14mpg was still killing me. I also got a gas friendly daily to drive. I went the used route cause I hate car payments too. I'm now driving a SVT focus and just not having to fill up twice a week is a blessing.. Man I hated getting in the truck and it was always on E

 

Don't sweat it. I drive a 98 4-runner.

Runs like a sewing machine, gets decent mileage, hauls my boat around, and gets me where I need to go off-road for surfing and fishing & such. I have other hobbies besides cars that aren't nearly as costly (mainly surfing and fishing), and I've been focusing more on those activities because of ( a.) lack of funds) and ( b.) these ridiculous gas prices.

I've been passionate about old cars my whole life, but right now I just can't afford to play with 'em much. I have to admit, I'm changing my outlook on building cars. I used to dream about driving ridiculous mega-motored cars that were barely street legal, and now I lean more toward dressed-up-but-nearly-stock 283's & inline 6's with T5 trannys.

Reality is a bitch.

 

A Matrix. 25/31 MPG and a ton of space in the back. Believe me, I ain't proud of it. I've NEVER owned a new car, and thought I never would. Fucking oil companies.

 

I drive a lot for my job and the job pays for the gas and truck. I drive about 3,000 miles a month in a Nissan truck. My gas bill is still only $600-700 a month. I find it difficult to believe running around town is costing that much. You're only paying 80 cents more a gallon that I do.

I respect the decision (like you care) in that you at least have a rationale and motivation with some figures behind it. I don't agree with it and wouldn't have done it myself as I don't any savings. If you are paying as much in fuel as you say, you're going to be paying a huge sum in extra mileage. Based on your figures, you're driving about 1300 miles a month. That's going to be 3,600 extra miles per year or 10,800 miles you'll need to pay for at the end of the lease. I don't know what the price is per mile, but based on 20cents per mile, that's and additional cost of $2,160.

That takes up the $2000 savings someone else detailed earlier.

Now the long and the short of it is...it's your money, spend it as you want to and enjoy life as much as possible.

 

They are 29/30 hwy depending on which year. The 2008 show 30 but I was looking at 2006 and they were 29. They get 21 around town.


Newer Impalas get around the same... Ford Fusion is right there as well.

 

I'm in the same age bracket as Groucho. I'm 70 and almost fully retired. My shop is about 1.4 miles away in the "Hood" section of this small Southern town. At the shop I maintain my vehicles, continue my Brookville Roadster project and once in a while do a small-medium job in my fully equipped machine shop for someone (for fee).
Vehicles running(most of the time) are a pair of '94 Lincoln MKVIII and a 2003 Chev. Silverado 2500HD with Duramax/Allison. All 3 are great on fuel mileage on the highway if kept within posted speed limits (damn hard to do, they all "like to run"). But at almost7,000#, the Duramax is rough on fuel around town, also tires. So I use it only when I need a truick.The MK8 I drove down to the Nostalgia Drags got just under 30 mpg for the trip, but it also drops way off in town, maybe 14-15mpg. Also @9.75:1 comp. ratio, they require premium fuel. All were good choices when bought. But things do change. When I bought the MK8s, premium was only 10c a gal. higher here at the "Petro" staions, now it's 30c+ difference all over.
That Duramax has way better fuel mileage than any gas engine with equivelant pulling power (I also have a travel trailer), and when I bought it, diesel fuel was about 20-30 cents cheaper than reg. gas.
Now diesel is about a dollar higher than gas!
Most of the places around town that I frequent are are within about 2 miles of the house, and I have actually been considering a bicycle for just getting around town! I could use the exercise anyway! Might lose a pound or two! I keep one of the MK8s @ my shop anyway, and can always get it out if I've got to go a further distance than I wanta pedal a bike. Also have been considering a small motorcycle, maybe 200-300 cc.
But it's all just comtemplation and consideration for now, as I only spend $100 or so per month on fuel unless something unusual comes up.
But we do have a store here in town where people donate stuff and the sale proceeds go for charities where my son has bought bikes for very small prices, and it's almost next door to one of the restaurants where I eat lunch, and I just may stop in soon and take a look.
As to our friends across the water poo-poo-ing our complaints and quoting their prices: A huge majority of the difference between prices here in the USA and Australia, New Zealand, UK, or any of these countries is that your tax on fuel is many times higher than ours. And that's your own fault. You elected these politicians, didn't you?
Dave

 

I'm tired of this one- As many times as it's been restated I've yet to read anywhere mention of the fact that your dollar (pound, sheckel, yuan, whatever you use) is worth conservatively AT LEAST twice what our greenbacks are worth...You financial drain pertaining to fuel cost/expense is ROUGHLY the same, considering most Americans have longer commutes to accomplish the same things (as someone who lives in GB, for example) ...

 

I've been torn between replacing my daily driver (2000 Lincoln LS) with either a new Camaro or the Chevy Volt (all electric car with a built in generator). I'm leaning more and more towards the Volt everyday. I need to do some more research into it, but if they have fixed the battery pack issues then I think it would be great. Does that make me a sell out? I don't think so... it would allow me to drop a hell of alot of money into my plymouth.

John

 

Lotsa stuff here, but one thing to not do now is panic and sell out. I think (HOPE) squawblow is right, and the bubble pops and gas comes back to a more manageable price. Remember all the guys that dumped their big blocks and hemis in the early 70's? We don't want to look back in a few years and regret ditching our favorite, irreplaceable car(s). I too am looking for another car, but NOTHING I own is getting sold to acuire it. Hang in there, Groucho.

 

Right on, everyone overseas making that point gets so tired. Friggin England is the size of NY state for cryin out loud. How big can your commute be when you can get from one end of the country to the next in under 6 hours?

 

my math:

you say you're spending 500-600 bucks in gas alone for your 67 riv?

at $4.50 a gallon, that comes to 110-130 gallons a month you're pumping into it.

even if the pig only gets 10mpg, that means you're driving 1100-1300 miles a month.

that means you're averaging 36-43 miles a day/7 days a week.

does that sound right? do you really average 40 miles a day, every day of the week?

if that last figure is off, then you're either not really spending all that money in gas OR, you're getting way less than 10mpg.

 

Gas is so expensive right now, that even when it slips back, it prolly won't be enough to help. I believe that has a lot to do with the high prices. When something "pops" and prices go down 50 cents a gallon, the oil companies will say, hey, we knocked off a whopping 50 cents. But the new price is still be almost triple from just a few short years ago afterwards. I truly believe that's why gas is going up so much and so fast. When they do get forced to lower it, it'll still be a hump to us. Gas went from $1.50 to $3 in a fairly short time span. When it went to $2.75, my friend says gas is cheap today. I said, no it's not, you're thinking of the $3 from yesterday, NOT the $1.50 from last year. He says, oh yeah, you're right. It's an illusion. My ex girl looks at a couch for $2999. A week later, she says it's on sale and was thinking of buying it. They wrote $3999 above the original $2999 and crossed out the $3999. An illusion