Should I buy another car?

[Yuriman]

Nice! Maybe I'll have to lowball some dealers. Thanks for posting the numbers. I've actually been trying to drive in the high 60s in my WRX during my commute lately. Not sure if it is really helping though.

I'm sure it is.

You can grab something like this and pair it with your smartphone to watch your instant MPG on the cheap, just to see how much you actually save. It can double as a code-reader, as well as give other information like coolant temperature.

Over on ecomodder, they often will get dedicated units like a ScanGauge or UltraGauge.

 

[evident]

You have the exact same commute as me. I live in PA, cross the bridge and work in NJ. about 75 miles a day. I would keep your car and drive your vehicle since it's fun.

i have about 130K on my accord and looking for something with moar power tbh. I feel bad because it's a great car thats given me no issues, and it's paid off.

 

[RearAdmiral]

You have the exact same commute as me. I live in PA, cross the bridge and work in NJ. about 75 miles a day. I would keep your car and drive your vehicle since it's fun.

i have about 130K on my accord and looking for something with moar power tbh. I feel bad because it's a great car thats given me no issues, and it's paid off.

It is super fun but I want that fun to last longer without having to buy another WRX. Commutes aren't the best source of driving fun though.

 

[z1ggy]

It is super fun but I want that fun to last longer without having to buy another WRX. Commutes aren't the best source of driving fun though.

Do you need your highway commuter car to be able to haul any people/goods? I'm asking because if it's purely just you driving down the highway every morning, and not for driving any other people anywhere, or picking up groceries, etc... Why have you not considered a motorcycle?

It fits all your demands if you think outside of the box.
-cheap (buy something used. I got my first bike for $700, and my 2nd for $3300)
--> gear can be had used and relatively inexpensive as well.
-Fun
--> even my first cheap crapper bike was still faster than my current car

-Better than your WRX on gas
--> my "crotch rocket" bike that I could go from 5-60 in 3 seconds still got over 30mpg.

Granted, I would suggest something comfortable and meant for the highway...You could realistically get a decent set up on a motorcycle for <$6000. The only problem is in the winter, but that's why you'd still have the wrx. It also saves you lots of miles on the car so you can have that for longer, too.

 

[RearAdmiral]

Do you need your highway commuter car to be able to haul any people/goods? I'm asking because if it's purely just you driving down the highway every morning, and not for driving any other people anywhere, or picking up groceries, etc... Why have you not considered a motorcycle?

It fits all your demands if you think outside of the box.
-cheap (buy something used. I got my first bike for $700, and my 2nd for $3300)
--> gear can be had used and relatively inexpensive as well.
-Fun
--> even my first cheap crapper bike was still faster than my current car

-Better than your WRX on gas
--> my "crotch rocket" bike that I could go from 5-60 in 3 seconds still got over 30mpg.

Granted, I would suggest something comfortable and meant for the highway...You could realistically get a decent set up on a motorcycle for <$6000. The only problem is in the winter, but that's why you'd still have the wrx. It also saves you lots of miles on the car so you can have that for longer, too.

I'm not very comfortable dealing with Rt. 80 traffic on a motorcycle

 

[z1ggy]

I'm not very comfortable dealing with Rt. 80 traffic on a motorcycle

I've only been on route 80 around the Stanhope, NJ area and yeah that can be pretty bad during high traffic time.

I don't think you're going to be able to save money AND still have something fun. Pick one of those two things.

 

[RearAdmiral]

How does this look?

http://www.trustauto.com/2000_Honda_Insight_Chantilly_VA_228303171.veh#

 

[Insomniator]

I dunno, I really feel a car like a G1 insight isn't for everyone. Its a bizarre 14 year old car thats going to be terrible in bad weather (which is often in PA/NJ) and is still costing 5+ grand to get into + insurance. Who knows what maintenence (battery) it will need.

Your WRX already has 115k so its not like you're saving it *before* it gets hit with a lot of miles, and you'll still need to drive it in the winter, and will be DYING to drive it when its nice out instead of the insight thats gonna be a total dog.

The cheapest and best option here is to simply drive your WRX until a suitable replacement comes along. You can get 35-45MPG out of normal cars these days. Spending 6 grand to get 60-70MPG out of a tiny hatchback is not worth it to me.

 

[lynna]

Buying a new can can be determine on you financial capability to spend money for a new car. Also, if you think that the new car that you're planning to buy will give value to your money, then you can go and buy. Good luck to you and to your new car!

 

[Jumpem]

Get a Crosstrek XV with CVT. Capable AWD and ground clearance for the snow. Good fuel economy with the CVT.

 

[Yuriman]

I dunno, I really feel a car like a G1 insight isn't for everyone. Its a bizarre 14 year old car thats going to be terrible in bad weather (which is often in PA/NJ) and is still costing 5+ grand to get into + insurance. Who knows what maintenence (battery) it will need.

Statement of fact. I love mine, but I'm also a bizarre person.

Ad shows a very clean car (no IMA light), and they're basically done depreciating at this age, but drive it and see if you like it.

Report back with what tires are on it. Michelin Energy Savers are a popular replacement for the stock Potenzas that give a much nicer ride with only around a 5% MPG loss, but anything else and you're probably losing more than 10% of your gas mileage from the tire choice.

The IMA light could have been reset, so a test drive really needs to be at least 20-30 minutes to give the computer a chance to read the battery state. Drive it hard, and see if you can get any lights to come on.

 

[halik]

I got mine from a dealer in North Carolina. He was asking almost $6000, but with $3500 in cash in front of him he took it. Said that he'd had the car for close to 6 months and everyone who came to look at it thought it was horribly ugly. Lots of truck culture around there.




This is about what you can expect in a Gen2 Prius:

And a Gen1 Insight:

Note that these charts were made in warm weather with the A/C off.

If you drive at 80, you're going to get around 44MPG in a Prius and probably closer to 40 with the A/C running. Slowing down to 65MPH improves that to about 56MPG.

In my Insight I get about 65-68MPG cruising at 68MPH, and around 63 with the A/C on, dropping into the mid 50's as I approach 75. In stretches of road where I can cruise between 35 and 45 I sometimes see numbers in the 100's. The Prius doesn't get all that much worse fuel economy (~20%), biggest reason I picked the Insight is initial cost, really, and I have no need for backseats in my daily commuter. Plus, I like manual transmissions.

Slowing down a little is pretty much the single biggest improvement you can make to your commute cost, regardless of what you drive.

Just curious what would be a ballpark for an Insight going normal highway speeds/operation (75-80/ac on) ?

 

[Yuriman]

Just curious what would be a ballpark for an Insight going normal highway speeds/operation (75-80/ac on) ?

I've rarely driven it for long distances at 75-80, I tend to stay around 70 even when I'm in a hurry. It's a car that somehow encourages economical driving, with its instrumentation. When I primarily drove a fast car, I tended to drive fast, but now I stay in the slow lane and nobody seems to mind, they just get in the left lane and pass. I never realized before, but a very significant percent of traffic does actually adhere to the speed limit.

70 with the A/C, I can expect at least 65MPG if the weather is warm
80 with the A/C, I'm probably looking at closer to 50MPG

Taking it across the country at 65MPH, I can drive from Tallahassee to Monterey on about $100, around 3 tanks of gas.

 

[RearAdmiral]

Get a Crosstrek XV with CVT. Capable AWD and ground clearance for the snow. Good fuel economy with the CVT.

While this car looks cool I don't really think it suits what I want. If I were to go newer I would probably just get a Legacy until I have kids, then get an Outback or something. The trunk looks awfully small on the Crosstreks.

 

[angminas]

I think you should seriously check out the Fiesta mentioned above. I hear it's got some pop, and it will greatly improve your mpg while costing about what your Subaru is worth (I think), not to mention cheaper maintenance (warranty yo) and insurance (I think). You just bought a house, and you're getting married next year...now is a great time to save money, and the Fiesta can do that for you without making you want to jump off a cliff.

 

[angminas]

Look at some calculators to figure up the opportunity cost of changing your situation. If you can cut your gas bill in half and put an extra $200 on your mortgage every month, you're going to save yourself tens of thousands of dollars by the time you're done paying on your house.

 

[Zodiark1593]

I feel for ya, doing just shy of 80 miles/day with my 98 Volvo V70. Though my gas use seems to range around $200-$250 per month even though the Volvo is supposedly rated at ~26 MPG highway. Guess my less than animalistic driving habits are paying off. :hmm:

Aside from fuel, maintenance is another expense to consider with long commutes. With modest, and consistent driving habits, I doubt the motor or tranny are experiencing undue wear due to lessened stress, oil changes as ever are important, and other components like tires, shocks, brakes, and things of that nature are likely exposed to additional wear directly due to your mileage, and seemingly minor issues like a small coolant leak should definitely be fixed ASAP. Speaking of repairs, perhaps you also have a large gaping hole in your seat by now due to the car being your room away from home. :awe: