Long work commute. Need help deciding what vehicle to purchase next?

Posted by slow-car-96@reddit | askcarguys | View on Reddit | 50 comments

So I had a old camry that would get 32mpg. It needed alot of maintenance so i sold it. And bought a full size truck that gets between 15-16mpg(big mistake). I commute daily for work and drive quite a bit on the weekends since i live in the outskirts. I end up averaging about 550 miles a week. Yes i drive a total of almost two hours a day.
So im spending around 140-150 dollars a week in fuel. That adds up to about 550-600 a month just in fuel. So in total with insurance im spending around 700monthly for transportation.
What would you guys do to cut this cost? What vehicle would you purchase?
I do get bored of normal boring vehicles, so something sporty or fun would be prefered. Switching jobs at this point is not an option. Current truck can sell for maybe 2-3k and i am willing to purchase a vehicle in the 5-10k range. Thanks for your time.

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SyntheticOne@reddit

EV is clearly the answer IF you can plug in at home to a 120V wall outlet.

Our EV has an EPA combined range of 303 miles (mild temperatures. The 303 is derived from about 250 miles range at 70 mph and about 350 mile range at 40 mph. We general drive less than 40 miles a day and so plugging in at 120V an overnight 12 hour charge session would gain about 55 miles of range.

Our cost per mile has been 1/6th the cost of gas per mile and of late, more like 1/8th the cost of gas per mile... and, no more trips to the gas station lines.

Cost? You can find a good used higher end EV under $20K and a good used lower end EV (Chevy Bolt, Nissan Leaf) under $12K. Beg, borrow or steal enough money to get into an EV. Far less mantenance and far more satisfying.

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RelativeAmazing8826@reddit

Get a hybrid best of both worlds

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M8NSMAN@reddit

Depends on if interstate driving or a mix, my wife’s hybrid drops of quite a bit at 80 mpg & not running off the battery.

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RelativeAmazing8826@reddit

80mpg is still better than 25-40 mpg that ice cars get. If he cares that much about gas.

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Remy1738-1738@reddit

You should learn how to work on your cars. "A lot of maintenance" could have met a few hours and a few hundred bucks in parts knowing camreys. It's pretty simple to watch a YouTube video or 2 and turn a wrench.

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GeneralJohnStark@reddit

Anything other than a Prius is the wrong answer. The current gen actually look good too.

550mi/15mpg @ $4.50 = $8,581.04/yr and @$3.50/gal = $6,674.20 550mi/52mpg @ $4.50 = $2,475.72/yr and @$3.50/gal = $1,925.56

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Rapom613@reddit

Used TDI would be a great option

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GeneralJohnStark@reddit

Could be! But a lot of the savings get's eaten up with diesel prices.

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anonredditor4093@reddit

I bought a 2010 Prius. Doesn’t get 52mpg. If OP is getting an old used Prius he should expect about 35 mpg -Maybe 40 at best

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GeneralJohnStark@reddit

Drivers report a pretty big range on the 2010 (probably less battery capacity on those 16 years later - how you drive matters a lot too): https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/Find.do?action=yourMpgVehicle&src=mpg&id=26425

For the 2023 owners report in the high 40s to low 50s. At 45mpg OP is still saving almost 6 grand a year at current fuel prices: $2,860.00/yr

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GPW-S2k@reddit

8thgen civic si, fun sporty and decent miles per gallon and fun when needed to be.

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Rapom613@reddit

My old fa5 struggled to get more than 25ish mpg

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J-Rag-@reddit

TDI

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Rapom613@reddit

This is the right answer. My 03 Jetta still ran beautifully when it was totaled at 450k miles

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outline8668@reddit

Yep I would pay extra for a clean 99-03 stick shift vw TDI.

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Rapom613@reddit

For 5-10k, buy the nicest 99-03 VW Jetta/golf TDI with a manual in the country, spend the remaining couple thousand getting everything up to date, and enjoy your little German bank vault that gets 50+ mpg and will run until you retire

The MK4 Jetta is noticeably nicer than a Honda/toyota competitor, especially with the heated leather option. The ALH TDI is likely one of the most reliable engines ever produced, with million mile examples being fairly common, and the while the auto box wasn’t particularly reliable, the manual is bullet proof. On my 03 the clutch last 380k miles

Seriously, with that long of a commute, your comfort needs to be a consideration as well. Something like a Prius could do the job, but man are they noisy and not very comfortable on the highway.

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FlounderKind8267@reddit

Do you want something sporty and fun, or something with good MPG. Because those rarely are the same car

Personally I love my Honda Civic hybrid. I can whip it around corners and accelerate off the line quickly, and it's cheap ($450/mo all in, including insurance) and gets 45mpg, but that might not be what you mean when you say sporty and fun.

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Hitt1te@reddit

I would get an EV with the most comfortable seats I can find. You're always going to see some diesel nutjob here recommending that you pay $6.00 per gallon in diesel fuel and diesel maint. Lmao. There is a reason why they only have E-Golfs now.

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UndercoverHardwarema@reddit

I bought a house about 50 miles out of town. I told my wife we'd find work closer to home, but we never did. We needed reliable transportation to and from work, but between gas, car payments (because we both needed reliable cars), and insurance, we were spending nearly 2 grand a month, just going to work. And the commute was so bad, our reliable cars were no longer reliable 3 years into a 5 year note.

When she passed, I sold the house and moved closer to work. I pay more for rent, but a tank of gas now lasts 2 weeks, and maintaining my vehicle is so much easier, meaning it'll last me longer

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HowsMyBuddy@reddit

OP is looking to trade a very used truck for a very used car. Not sure that moving and paying higher rent is on the table.

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UndercoverHardwarema@reddit

If it's costing 700 a month to commute, it is worth looking into

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chef-keef@reddit

I was in your shoes with the large truck so I sold it and got a ford maverick and I love it

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abrandis@reddit

The answer is a hybrid, all newer Camry's are hybrid and can get around 45-50mpg , for maximum mpg at the expense of room and comfort than a Prius will get you over 50mpg....

But also hybrids from Honda, Hyundai, Kia will get you similar results.

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Miliean@reddit

To be 1000% honest, at that amount of driving you'd be a perfect fit for a used Tesla. You're well within the range as long as you charge each night, I assume since you live in the country that you could install a home charger.

Used EVs are really good value but I think it might be a stretch for your budget. But regardless, not having to pay for gas frees up some significant cash flow that would allow you to get a small loan. Not sure what Tesla prices are like in the US, but in Canada you can get decent ones all day long for $20k.

You might even get something that has a decent version of self driving to make those long commutes somewhat more relaxing.

You could do something cheaper like an older Bolt or Leaf, but I think that the range might become an issue at that price point.

But seriously, a $200 car payment and no gas would be substantially cheaper than even the most fuel efficient $10k ICE vehicle.

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Wraith347@reddit

Seconding the EV recommendation. I’d run the numbers based on your electric rates and see how much you would save weekly— the difference in fuel spend could likely easily pay for a more modern electric car. Wouldn’t necessarily have to be a Tesla either. If you can charge from home, an Ioniq or Bolt might do well for you too. If you can set up Level 2 charging at home, you might be the perfect use case.

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Miliean@reddit

For sure, the only reason I recommend a Tesla over an Ioniq or Bolt is because they're just so darn cheap on the used market. I checked just after writing this and there's a 2019 model 3 with full self drive for $19k CAD near me ($13,700 USD), I live in a fairly small market and didn't search that hard.

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drgojirax@reddit

Would you consider an EV? You'd need frequent charging but doing 100 miles a day is gonna be expensive in any ICE car.

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slow-car-96@reddit (OP)

Yes I would consider an EV, what do you have in mind? From what I know most EV’s are in the low 20k price range.

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Cars_Music_GoodTimes@reddit

Use Chevrolet Bolt or Tesla Model 3.

I drive an EV. I have my charger programmed to charge at night when electricity costs are low. My electricity costs are 1/3 of what I was paying in fuel for my previous Chevrolet Colorado 4 cylinder with a short, urban commute.

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jules083@reddit

The Chevy bolts are all over auto trader in the 10k range.

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drgojirax@reddit

Used Bolts are a great value. I'd definitely consider one for this commute.

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jules083@reddit

Yeah, I've been kicking one around. They won't quite make my commute on a charge all the time, work in construction, so I'd have to trade cars with my wife from time to time. That's the only reason I don't have one. She wouldn't care so much, but I do.

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drgojirax@reddit

Low 20s used will give you lots of options. You need to test drive and research.

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Rough_Cancel7265@reddit

Not an EV for your situation, anything you could afford for that budget wouldn't be what you're looking for. I would say maybe Focus or Fiesta ST, Fiat 500 Abarth for something newer.

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Wraith347@reddit

Honestly the savings on gas alone would likely pay for a more expensive EV. And the instant EV torque is pretty dang fun to drive.

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Squintz_ATB@reddit

I have a focus ST and it's a blast. I have a little bit of work done to it (not a ton), but it's definitely the most fun car I've owned. The milage isn't amazing, but I still average around 25mpg which I feel isn't bad. I know it'd probably be a little more if it was stock. I live in the mountains so that's including my daily commute and then ripping up and down all the back roads for a few hours every weekend when the weather is nice.

I got mine for a little less than 20k when it was a year old with 15k miles on it. You can def get one now for within OP's price range with an acceptable amount of miles. Only thing would be that it needs premium gas which would factor into the difference in operating cost compared to his old camry.

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Lordofpineapples@reddit

Prius

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deconstruct110@reddit

Exciting? Maybe not, but very endearing cars. I drove my 07 (Gen2 right in your budget) on construction sites all the time. They do dirt and gravel ok, just too low for curbs. The cargo space is epic. And they are easy DIY cars with a great community including r/prius.

Read about what to look for and get an OBD2 reader. Hypermiling is a game that saves money.

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Character-Plantain-2@reddit

C5 Corvette. 30 mpg on highway and entertaining. If you can tolerate an automatic it's in your range. Holds value well.

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GiantWang6969@reddit

Premium fuel and not entertaining on the highway as wind noise can be horrid. Buttttttttt pop up head lights and corvette

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Character-Plantain-2@reddit

They already demonstrate they will make a questionable choice. As another car guy, it's my duty to suggest another one. But it's what I'd do.

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GiantWang6969@reddit

If you sell it for 3k and buy something with 35mpg for 5k you are over 2 years away from your break even point at these fuel prices. If fuel prices drop you get closer to 10k or can’t sell the truck for 3k that break even point just keeps getting pushed back

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Loud_Entertainer2724@reddit

Civic, Accord, Carolla, Camry

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KarsaOrlong1@reddit

Buy an old civic or Corolla and be done with it

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specialneedsdickdoc@reddit

Need help deciding what vehicle to purchase next?

No, but thank you for asking.

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dwcanker@reddit

Chevy Bolt EVs show up under $10k if you shop around. It will be an older one with some miles on it BUT those older ones had their batteries replaced under a recall. The warranty on the battery also reset so you will at least have some warranty on that one part for awhile. The key thing to check is to make sure it has the DC fast charging option and it was and option for the first year or two.

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