Posted: 8/11/2006 7:23:58 AM EDT
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My Truck's MPG = 14 My daily commute = 90 miles round trip Price of gas = $3.00 Cost per day = $19.29 Total Cost per month = $385.71 (figuring 20 trips a month) 4cyl commuter car MPG = 30 Daily Commute = 90 miles round trip Price of gas = $3.00 Cost per day = $9.00 Cost per month $180 monthly payment on car $200 (with my credit) Total Cost per month $380  I'm sure there are other factors I'm not thinking of....but DAMN |
on average I have to put in 20-21 gallons after about 300 miles. Now those numbers might be a little different with more highway driving. We'll see. Depending on the stop and go content it may be worse! ETA: 17mpg drops it down to 317.65 |
Got one.... But it doesn't work year round. I'm a wuss and will NOT ride in the rain if I can help it. ETA: I'm a nerd, so I did up a whole spreadsheet, with formulas and everything! 
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your math is correct , but also remember the repair and upkeep side of the coin. |
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The big bits to include in your math are: *all* your driving, not just your commute to and from work, your car payment, and insurance. Payment: Truck: $0 Car: $200 Insurance: (truck's paid off, car's not) Truck: $90 Car: $140 Total miles driven: 2250/mo Work: 90/day = 1800 / mo Other: avg 450 / mo (gun shows, eating out, kids, groceries, etc) Price of gas: 3.00 Avg MPG: Truck: 14 Car: 30 Total cost: truck = 0+90+2250*3/14 = $572.14 car = 200+140+2250*3/30 = $565 Obviously, the more you actually drive, the more you'll save on the car. Also, if you can make a bigger down-payment, you can probably lower your monthly financing bill. Also, buying a used car out-right, or financing a couple-year-old car could lower it, too. |
I will NOT buy annother grocery getter. The last one is gone, along with my Ex Wife and I'm a happier man for it. That, and Hippy won't let me get a minivan. 
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I live in south seattle (lower case) The Chevron I gas at has been at 299.9 for quite awhile. I live 4.2 miles from work and get 30 mpg in the city. The down side is I can't shoot off the back porch.  OH well two more years and its retirement and the penisula for me. 
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Bit of a drive from Bellingham but dam its 320 here right now for regular. Also i dont shop at am/pm either. I require guy to at least speek english
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The Acura MDX works great for kid hauling. We fit the twins and the baby (all in car seats) across the back seat and it still has two "third row" seats if the rear. Works great but it prob only gets 16 mpg if that. |
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Well I solved it by having a 1.4 mile commute... So lets see. My car's MPG = 16 My daily commute = 3 miles round trip Price of gas = $3.00 Cost per day = .56 cents Total Cost per month = $11.20 -Yeah I'm a bastard. Somedays I'll take the Motorcycle, that's MotorCycle not "Murdercycle".  Somedays I'll walk. Wife works a whole 4.5 miles away. My wife's car MPG = 28 Her daily commute = 9 miles round trip Price of gas = $3.00 Cost per day = .96 cents Total Cost per month = $19.20 So combined? Roughly $31.40 a month in gas to and from work for two. Yeah...
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How about a VW? 
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I didn't go beater cause I need a modest amount of reliability, but I paid $3500 for my ride exactly six years ago and I'm at 270,000 - it won't die. After maintenance and such, I figure I pay about $80/month for transportation (not including gas or insurance). Sure beats my wife's $450/month payment... 
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snip That, and Hippy won't let me get a minivan. my wife has been against vans for years, we needed a new 2nd veh, I wanted a crew cab truck, but after looking at the pros/cons decided to look into a minivan. She hated the idea until she test drove one, then I was harassed for two months about getting one...............have had it maybe 3 months and now have about 6,500 miles on it she's a |
Using your math, my truck: MPG = 19 Miles = 90 Price of fuel = $3.359* Cost per day = $15.91 Total cost per month = $318.23 Savings = $67.49/mo *Fuel Prices current as of 5am August 11, 2006 PST |
Where the F*** were you! It was only Jackie and me for the last 2hrs last night, would have been 4hrs but Brent stuck around and worked 14hr shift. |
How about this factor: A "commuter car" will potentially put you on the wrong side of "the law of superior mass" equation in the unfortunate event of an |
You can't go through life living in fear. Or can you?
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Some people do. I choose not to. Simple decissions can stack the deck in your favor. Although, sometimes economy is a factor in making those decissions. I'm not saying anyone that drives a compact has no concern for their safety. I'm just a proponent for making educated decissions. Think, then jump. Dig? If you think about what you want to buy, at least you have thought about it. 
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Volvo mpg: 23 SV650 mpg: 45 Bicycle mpg: N/A Daily commute: 26 miles Gas: $3 / gallon No payments. If I drove every day, 130 miles, 5.7 gallons, $17 per week. My fiance & I both work in Bothell. I work 5 8's, she works 4 10's skipping Fridays. We always commute home together and she takes the bus in on days she doesn't bicycle. Lately, we've been doing bicycle Monday & Tuesday, drive Wednesday & Thursday, me solo motorcycle Friyday. The bicycle days include 6 miles round trip of driving to the Burke-Gilman trail to avoid the worst of the rush hour traffic because my lady isn't real comfortable dodging cars. On car days using the HOV lane home is a godsend. That works out to: Car: 64 miles / 2.8 gallons / $8.35 per week Motorcycle: 26 miles / 0.51 gallons / $1.53 per week Bicycle: 52 miles / 0 gallons / *see below or 3 1/3 gallons and $10 per week *Last week I blew out the rear wheel on my bicycle and it's going to cost me just under $250 to build a new one. I always try to motorcycle Fridays if weather allows to keep the bike happy. Winter sometimes resembles the "drive car every day" scenerio for periods. Congrats on getting married and the new job, PCR! |
Depends on the car. After seeing people survive getting into a wreck with a dump truck with one, I'd put my Jetta (4th gen, NOT one of the older ones) against a full sized car anyday. As long as you were willing to pay of course.
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I guess it all depends on what you call a TRUCK.... 2 years ago I bought this for $300 and put $40 worth of hubcaps on it, took out the seats... It runs like a sewing machine and I can haul more crap than you can imagine.  
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The math for my commute is about the same. 80 mile round trip, 17mpg. Nissan pathfinder with 175,000 miles. I was looking at buying a small toyota or honda for $3500 or so. Its still cheaper to just run the Pathfinder.... |
As a Firefighter that has been on thousands of wrecks... I live by the montra, " He with the most Lugnuts WINS!"... Most nasty accident I went on was a Logging truck that got T-boned by a Ford Ranger. The most messed up cars I have ever seen in wrecks mid-late 90's Camaro's. and the most nasty dead kids were in open top jeeps and open top with no rollbar blazers ( popped his head like a grape, and he was still kicking when I got to him). |
Too bad he yanked the seats. That would be an excellent shuttle for going from the Exit 77 park & ride to the pit for LCR shoots. |
Yeah, but I always get the right of way at every intersection. I get away with alot driving this around. 
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