Thank you UltArc and MetroMPG. I appreciate your advice as well as concerns.
Quote:
Originally Posted by UltArc
Even think about getting a lightly used one, just off of a lease, or buy back, and you could get something else.
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Buying used crossed my mind. However two things are making me lean towards a new car. One is Tacoma's appear to retain a high resale value. The other is(and I can't stress this enough) I really want a new vehicle lol. This will be my first new vehicle and just having the peace of mind knowing I have been the only one to drive it, that I have taken meticulous care of it will mean a lot to me. The way people drive around here(Bay Area, Ca), I just couldn't take it knowing that one of those people had a go at the first 20K or so miles of my vehicle.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MetroMPG
Have you done the math to see how much more you're going to spend on fuel over 10 years vs. going for something more efficient? I guarantee you, it's a huge number -- ie. the difference in fuel cost alone will likely pay the entire cost of the more efficient car.
Of course you buy what you like, but make sure you go in with all the info!
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Again thank you for posting this because if people don't realize how much cars take just to run, then they are doing themselves a disservice.
As a note, the original driving force behind my new car purchase was getting something that has excellent crash ratings(as my current car does not), is reliable, and something that is fun and I can enjoy. FE is always a concern but not one of my top priorities. With that said, I do want to make sure I get optimal FE with whatever car I do choose(hence why I joined here
).
I have two dream cars that I have wanted for some time now and I know I am going to buy one of them; the Tacoma and a Subaru WRX STI. I have literally dreamed about both of them at some point.
I don't go racing around town, and I don't go to the track. Neither of those interest me. My next car will just be a DD that I enjoy. I do go backpacking a couple times a year and often times the roads getting to my destination are abused dirt trails with large ruts and sometimes there is a couple feet of snow. I think in these situations the STI's 5.9" ground clearance will be a large disadvantage. Off-roading has always sparked my interest but I have never had a vehicle that was capable, so the truck might be the spawn of a new hobby for me. The STi is also a minimum of $5,000 more than the Tacoma.
Now that we have gotten off track properly, here is the gas cost breakdown for a new Tacoma:
Mileage for the V6 is 16/19, let's assume 16 for a worst cast scenario. I drive ~8,000 miles a year, but again let's assume 10K/year to be conservative. Gas is currently ~$3.80 per Gal but let's assume $4 average.
10,000/16 = 625Gal. per year.
625*$4.00 = $2500 per year.
$2500*10 = $25,000 over 10 years.
Price of vehicle = 33k
Price for the STI, keeping above rates but putting in 25mpg avg since I have seen someone on this site getting 25avg.
10,000/25 = 400Gal. per year
400*$4.00 = $1600 per year
$1600*10 = $16,000 over 10 years.
$9,000 savings over the Tacoma in gas.
Price of vehicle = $38k
Price for Audi A3 Diesel assuming 42mpg:
10,000/42 = 238Gal. per year
238*4.00 = $952 per year
$952*10 = $9,520 over 10 years.
$15,480 savings over the Tacoma in gas.
Price of vehicle = $33k
I compared them to the Audi because I really really like manuals, and I don't see any other efficient vehicles in this price bracket that I would really enjoy that come in a stick shift(the Audi isn't even a true manual). All the values above are made to make the difference in price seem greater. In reality, I hope to be getting better than 16mpg in the Tacoma.
Seeing these price differences in front of me is a bit of a shock. That is a lot of gas money lol. What is a relief to me however is that to save enough gas to recoup the cost of a new vehicle will take ~20 years in a best case scenario. While saving my money for a new car purchase I will continue to keep an open mind and look at all my options before making a decision.
I am also open to hearing suggestions of cars from you guys that you think I might like.
PS. sorry for the long post
