So I'm seriously thinking about ditching my Blazer as my DD (no, not getting rid of it all together, just not using it as much). I'm spending upwards of $50/week in gas just going back and forth to work. I can't believe how unbelievably terrible these beasts are on gas.
Anyway, I'm thinking about picking up a cheap car just for going back and forth to work in to save myself some money. I'm not sure if it will work out or not. I've got to crunch some numbers and find out what it's going to cost for insurance for another vehicle on my plan and whether it will work out to be cheaper then what i'm paying in gas right now.
Maybe it's just because it's the winter and heating costs are killing me...I dunno, but I hate having to spend the amount of money I do on gas every week. It's just unreal.

 

You have to determine how much money a different vehicle will realistically save you. I would do that before settling on a particular vehicle. So if you plan on picking up another vehicle that gets double the fuel mileage, you would be saving $25/week. This would be $1300/year in fuel alone. The payback period would be the cost of the more efficient vehicle divided by the cost savings. You just have to be realistic about the fuel mileage of the "new" vehicle.

Another thing to weigh in on your decision should be maintenance that may be required on said vehicle. Buying used, it is quite difficult to tell how well someone kept up on the maintenance. So that could end up costing you more as well. This would cut into the $1300, and lengthen your payback period.

 

Yup...all factors in my decision. I have to figure out whether it will cost me less to get another car based on extra insurance cost vs. fuel savings. The cost of maintenance is also a factor, but I'm thinking something along the lines of a cavalier or something where parts are extremely cheap. Gotta do some serious number crunching lol.

 

I forgot about the insurance aspect (mainly because I spend $80/year for the K5), but that will lengthen your payback period as well.

 

I hear you on the gas. I just keep think I have my Camaro and bike for the mileage in the summer. Pretty much everything to think about has been said by Kyle. The only thing I would add is do you really want to give up your 4 wheel drive? I know that I could easily get a beater that got better gas mileage for the winter, but I bought the blazer for this purpose, DD and 4X4 so I'll suck it up for the 4-5 bad months every year.

 

damn it! the K.Y.L.E. units are not only super knowledgeable, but incredibly convincing in their logic!! GM, you have outdone yourself!

You could always throw caution to the wind and buy a total beater 86 accord, 91 metro, 88 fiesta or the like for <$500. so long as it survives 20 weeks (almost 5 months) you break even. anything past that is gravy

just drive the living **** out of it. change no fluids, use sh*t gas, run the tire's bald, keep a half dozen trees in the car to give it a strawberry vanilla new car pine black ice smell. the worse you dog a car like that the longer it lasts. if you show it any mercy it will die. and the best part is, when you realize it is absolute CRAP and you hate it, you can dump it on some other chump for the same price (assuming it still runs)


but i'd listen to kyle. he's a robot

 

My dad bought a neon to save on gas and mileage on his truck, it's worked out in the long run but that was after 2 years of running it

 

I ran a 95 mercury tracer that we sold a bit back after i bought the blazer...

Thing got about 30-35 easy, but it only had like a 8.9 gallon tank....

Worked out great, saved about 30 bucks a fill up on gas (from a 1 ton van) and only paid 1000 for it from the one owner, put about 20k miles on it in about 5 years, with half of that being driving 5 minutes to and from school. I drove the **** outta that car and it still kept tickin... except the time I exceeded the speed limit and it messed up the throttle body, but 20 bucks later and a little cleaning... and it ran some more...

Worst part about the littler cars... they tend to have 13in tires, which are now more expensive because they are "rare"

Side note... a protential buyer called my mom about the car, and complained because it had a donut on the back (it was missing a hubcap)... ignorant people.... the donut would be bigger lol

 

i miss my shat box. my 88 isuzu imark was everything $300 worth of car should be. down to sthe shoe goo used to cap the broken brake line :d ah memories

 

my tracer had a cracked windshield for the last year and a half I was driving it....

Also before I took my fiancee out on our first date, she told me not to bring my car.. .LOLZ....

Had a hose clamped exhaust that rattled like hell above 3000rpm, along with some dry wall screws ground the sub system....lol the memories....