What is the best vehicle for commuting?

[Xist]

I would start with a Civic, Insight, Corolla, or Prius with 100,000 - 200,000 miles. If you want to make the case for a Mitsubishi Mirage, I will accept it. If you insist that it is a TAHOE HYBRID I will ignore you. If you write two pages explaining that it is a semi I am going to need a tl;dr. If you recommend a motorcycle I will hear you out. Hopefully saddlebags would provide adequate storage.

I do not know how many miles I drove in 2016, but I can figure out how many miles I logged here. However, I figured that I drove 13,000 miles for work, and was able to deduct 8,000, which reduced my tax burden by about $500. I looked up gas prices in Phoenix and they were around $2 a gallon, so I spent $600 or less.

Hopefully less because I always try to go to the cheapest station, use discounts, etc.

Someone reached out to me with full-time job openings in Arizona, New Mexico, and North Carolina. This was through Indeed and I could only say Yay or Nay. I feel that too many people are unwilling to move for a full-time job in their field, grad school, etc., and they limit their own future, but I feel that I need to do the best that I can where I am.

The only job they have in Arizona is in Marana, north of Tucson, and when she went to tell me the pay (I told her that I would mention it in my Facebook groups), she said the information was unavailable. I looked up the school district and they are offering $12.58 for a job that requires a degree. This is the worst pay that I have seen by almost a dollar, but the minimum wage her went up to $12 this year, so you can move for a job in your field that would pay $12.58 * 8 * 180 = $18,115.20 or you could stay and find a full-time job that paid $12 x 8 x 250 = $24,000.

Hopefully you enjoy the job in your field more. Whenever I go to the dollar store or Walmart I ask the cashier if that is the best job they ever had and they always respond "Yeah right!" or something similar.

I posted in a speech Facebook group asking about low school pay and someone responded that she worked for $14.12 for an entire year. The thing is, my agency pays $45 an hour in Tucson, Flagstaff, and the Phoenix area, you just need to maintain a caseload, drive from client to client, and deal with cancellations. I have gone back and forth between home health and school and it seems like I always end up earning the same.

A woman complained "But the gas in home health....truly saps that money" and I responded that it depended on what you drove. Gas was not a concern in my Civic, but I know an SLPA that drives a full-sized pickup 50,000 miles a year, although she does not say how much is for work.
She spends $5,000 a year on gas.

The lady responded "I have a Jeep - it's pretty good on gas, but it's no Prius." and I stopped reading.

The 2019 Jeep Compass FWD 4 cyl, 2.4 L, Manual 6-speed is rated 23/32 and the 2019 Jeep Renegade 2WD 4 cyl, 1.3 L, Automatic 9-speed is rated 24/32.

Obviously, you would be better off with a cheap beater. They very well would be more reliable, too!

US News and World Reports says the Compass would probably start at at least $22,000 and:

The 2020 Jeep Compass is a comfortable, capable off-road vehicle that comes with an outstanding infotainment system. However, its sluggish engine, poor fuel economy, and small cargo area drag it toward the bottom of our compact SUV rankings.

https://cars.usnews.com/cars-trucks/jeep/compass

They say the Renegade costs $22,275 and:

The 2020 Jeep Renegade possesses strong off-road capability and user-friendly technology, but its sluggish acceleration, poor fuel economy, and below-average predicted reliability rating push it toward the bottom half of our subcompact SUV rankings.

https://cars.usnews.com/cars-trucks/jeep/renegade

What idiot buys a vehicle that is better off the road than on it for commuting?! Buy a cheap beater and leave the ornament at home! By the way, are these actual Jeeps, or rebadged Chryslers\Fiats?

[Frank Lee]

They may be intensely concerned with what they imagine impresses other random, unknown motorists. I used to work with a guy with a 120 mile commute, of course done solo in an empty full size V8 4x4 pickup. I ran through the "get a beater like mine" scenario and it would have saved him ****tons of money but he wasn't having it.

People's vehicle choices are intensely personal. A friend of mine who probably has heard more of my anti-SUV rants than anyone recently totaled her SUV. She always claimed she only had it because that is what her ex-husband gave her but she wanted something more economical. What do you suppose she's been looking at/test driving? SUVs. I don't want to hear it, and it looks like she doesn't want to hear what I say either.

P.S. My best commuter vehicle was my bicycle. But then I made sure, when house shopping, to buy within bicycle commuting radius from work, not 120 miles away.

[Xist]

People do what they want [and suffer the consequences]. People make excuses to justify their poor decisions, but I do not have time for people who want sympathy for the consequences for decisions they do not regret.

[cowmeat]

The Volt is optimal for my commute . . . well, technically my first Volt was since my commute was at the outer limits of its EV range.

I live a little over 19 miles from work so I can make the round trip on EV charge alone, but even if I need to drive the car out of town it still makes more sense than taking my wife's Explorer since the Volt gets 40 plus mpg running the ICE. And I've charged for free at work for a couple of years now!

At one time we were contemplating moving way closer to work, at which point I would have just ditched the car altogether and used a bicycle, but it didn't pan out so I have the next best thing

I used to work with a guy with a 120 mile commute, of course done solo in an empty full size V8 4x4 pickup. I ran through the "get a beater like mine" scenario and it would have saved him ****tons of money but he wasn't having it.

I gave up trying to make sense of people's hilariously ridiculous life choices a long time ago.
Here in redneck territory (central Florida) I work with a bunch of guys with close to that commute who all drive big trucks. Two of them drove F150's at least 40-50 miles each way for over a decade, including the construction downturn when gas was over 4 bucks a gallon. One just traded his in for another brand new F150 and the other just traded his in for a new Jeep 4-door.

*Not that I have anything against trucks! I own a 2000 Chevy 3500 myself, but I only fire it up to tow a lawn trailer, boat trailer or to load it down with plywood or drywall or something too bulky or heavy to fit in the Explorer

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

I have been a Chevy guy for a long time. Wouldn't disconsider an Aveo or a Sonic as an option for a commuter.

[roosterk0031]

I'm at 282,000 on my Cobalt with minimal issues. The 2010 Cobalt (auto) I got 40 mpg on the last tank before I sold it with over 100,000 miles on it. Had BCM replaced was the only issue it had. ($600). Owned both since 2x,xxx miles. One salvage title from Hail, 2010 from front end collision.

My most recent purchase the 2016 Cruise Limited is a nice car, 17,000 miles for $13,200 or so, warranty to 100,000. 43 mpg indicated over 70 miles driving home from dealer with some city mixed in.

The Elantra purchase was very similar also with 100,000 warranty, 46 mpg on a short tank last time I drove it.

Got to make it to work to get paid.

I'd rather make payments for 4 years and have something I know and can trust for 10.

[oil pan 4]

Yeah you definitely need a hybrid tahoe. Hahaha.
But it sounds like a hybrid car that can get 44mpg without even trying is the way to go.
Crazy drivers in NM will hit and run on you just because they don't have insurance, motorcyclesare death traps.

[freebeard]

Originally Posted by OP

If you write two pages explaining that it is a semi I am going to need a tl;dr. If you recommend a motorcycle I will hear you out. Hopefully saddlebags would provide adequate storage.

motorcyclesare death traps

.

Your example is $22K. An Arcimoto Evergreen is $20K





Just A Car Guy: Harley Davidson didn’t offer hard bags for their motorcycles until 1952. “Royalite Plastic” bags first appeared on the 1952 “K” model Harleys and then on Big Twin models in 1954.

[Xist]

Ninety percent of the cost of a Jeep for a two-seater with a 100-mile range sounds a bit high.

The combined EPA fuel economy for those Jeeps is 26 MPG. Gas is currently $3 a gallon in Phoenix, so if she drives 13,000 miles a year for work, it would take 500 gallons, and cost $1,500.

How much to drive the Evergreen the same distance?

Limited warranty covers 3 years or 36,000 miles
Powertrain warranty covers 5 years or 60,000 miles

Crap.

The warranty is the same on a Fit, but it is a Honda. You will be okay.

Arcimoto plans to offer a standard 3-year/36,000-mile warranty.

[freebeard]

Originally Posted by DDG

Arcimoto claims it achieves an efficiency of 173.7 MPGe.

Do you pay 5¢ or 10¢ per Kilowatt-hour? I have no idea how much an MPGe is in kilowatts.

edit:
Nevermind

Originally Posted by DDG

According to the EPA, one gallon of gasoline is equal to 33.705 kilowatt-hours.

173.7/33.7 is 5.1543.... something. Kilowatt-hours per mile?

How To Calculate Your EV Cost Per Mile - Corporate Monkey, CPA
https://www.corporatemonkeycpa.com/2...cost-per-mile/
Dec 9, 2017Cost Per 100 Miles @ Various Prices Per Gallon. As a very rough rule of thumb, gasoline prices around $2/gallon are equivalent to electric rates around $0.20 per KwH, when comparing an EV to a fuel-efficient (>30 MPG) gas car. And gas prices of $3/gallon are roughly equivalent to $0.30 per KwH. In California,...

'$0.30 per KwH' is 6x 5¢.