Should I Change my Daily driver

[paulk68]

Guys, I drive an 08 Silverado 6cyl 4X4 wich i bought new a year and a half ago. I really love my truck but i drive about 80 miles round trip 5 days a week to and from work. with gas prices around 2.70 it is costing me around 60-65 dollars to fill it up. i was talking to my local dealer and he can get me a 2010 cobalt that gets 37 mpg's for 4K off sticker price. That is very tempting but i also feel it is a teenage girl car LOL. i would cut my monthly gas bill in half, i would cut my car payment by 100 dollars a month and i am sure insurance and taxes will be chepaer. i know on paper it seems like the right thing to do but i am having a hard time pulling the trigger. What would you guys do.

Ps all of these savings would help with my 68 camaro project.

[CHRIS67]

I did the same about 2 years ago when gas was about $4.50 a gallon. I put on about 100 miles a day and traded in a Sonoma for the Colbalt sport. It was fun to drive, but at 6'4" my head was 1/4" from the headliner and my family couldn't fit comfortably either. After having it for a year I couldn't take it any longer and got a used Silverado. Yeah I pay more at the pump but I can't put a price on being comfortable for 2+ hours a day.

[Happyfunballs]

It's hard to put a 4X8 sheet of plywood in a Cobalt. Just sayin.

[Tony_SS]

Sounds like a short term gain long term loss. Find a Geo Metro or something on craigslist for $1000 to commute in and park the truck.

[Jim Nilsen]

My brother found out what I have been telling him for years. Have both. He found out that the insurance to have both is nearly the same because of the multi vehicle discounts. Unless you pay totally unreasonable license fees like in Indiana you can save more than enough money to have a truck and an economy car for tranportation.

If you can find an 03 -04 Vibe you will do good in the roomy part and they handle good,get great mileage for the performance and hold their value along with being an American made Toyota. The later not so popular right now,lol

What ever you get, do the math and you will know.

I drove a Cobalt for a week as a rental when the wife got hit in her Lumina and it was a great little car if you fit in it. I am small so I had plenty of fun with it. I tested the cornering and it is pretty nuetral and was surprisingly grippy for the tires it had. Mileage was better than 30+ in the city and the little road trip netted 42 mpg on a nice sunny day on flat terrain. The Vibe gets 26 to 30 in the city depending on the weather and my foot and has gotten 34 on the hiway.

Check the insurance on everything you look at since that usually kills the whole thing for the budget. You can get a list from your insurance co. That will tell you the cost of vehicle insurance for makes and models.

Life is better with both!

[2ndgenhunter]

Just a lil tip on the insurance for a cobalt. They are pricey to insure if you get the 2dr model.

A buddy of mine traded his 05 RCSB Z71 in on a 2dr for the same reason as you and ended up paying 4 dollars more a month for insurance.

[MonzaRacer]

dig up an old cavalier/funbird/sunfire or similar and let truck rest. use it for nice time out dates with gf/wife, take to events and use for work.
Why keep a truck? Mine isnt runnign right now for lack of a carb in good shape, I only had my bike last fall 08/09 so old coworker GAVE me a 91 Cavalier, blessing in disguise. Now getting on my feet and working on 2 cars t otake load off it as it will roll over 200k tomorrow, litterally and it needs some work.
Buy a beater, drive it into the ground, get one that needs a little work ,do it your self and beat that truck payment up Dave Ramsey style over getting another vehicle payment.

[Jim Nilsen]

dig up an old cavalier/funbird/sunfire or similar and let truck rest. use it for nice time out dates with gf/wife, take to events and use for work.
Why keep a truck? Mine isnt runnign right now for lack of a carb in good shape, I only had my bike last fall 08/09 so old coworker GAVE me a 91 Cavalier, blessing in disguise. Now getting on my feet and working on 2 cars t otake load off it as it will roll over 200k tomorrow, litterally and it needs some work.
Buy a beater, drive it into the ground, get one that needs a little work ,do it your self and beat that truck payment up Dave Ramsey style over getting another vehicle payment.

Cavaliers or Sunfires are really good choices for nice beaters and there are so many parts at the yards you can damn near get paint matching body panels to fix them with most of the time I would think.

All good advice here. But if you use the truck for the use of a truck you better keep it or you will regret not having it. I park mine for times and call the insurance man and take the liability on and off and just keep the comprehensive on it to keep the policy going when I'm not driving it, this saves me quite a bit each year and it is just a phone call from driving it when I want to.

[6'9"Witha69]

2 years ago next month I traded in my '03 Silverado for my HHR SS. Better milage and a fun car. 85 mile/day commute and while fitment is tighter, works really well. Insurance was less, even though it is an SS. My only saving grace is I have a '62 F100 parts hauler, so I am still covered in the truck category.

[78 Type-LT]

Buy a 4 banger beater..cav, aspire, festiva & keep tha truck...

[rebelgtp]

I'm with those that say pickup some inexpensive beater for your commute rig. Honestly if you could actually get something for the truck if it was me I would sell that, buy an older truck (if you really need a truck, which I do) for cash and find a beater commute rig.

[Damn True]

This

https://www.pro-touring.com/forum/showpost.php?p=632930&postcount=163

[Tony_SS]

How bad do you need a truck and 4wd?

[paulk68]

well that is the thing, i paid 14999 plus taxes and reg. for the truck brand new and can get 14500 for trade in right now. it has 27000 miles on it already and i owe 8K on the truck over the next 3 1/2 years. i can get the brand new cobalt taxes, title, registration and all for 13K. so then i would owe 7500 on the cobalt? so that is pretty much a wash but now i have a new car with a full warranty for my daily driver as i need to be at work everyday so reliability is very important. and i would cut my monthly gas bill from 320 to about 120. so the 200 dollars a month saving would make the car payment. then i can find an older, fun truck. plus my silverado is just a basic work truck and a v-6 which is dog. i just do not know. i would love an older c-10 on ck-1500 to have fun with and something that is easier to work on. i use my 4X4 only during snow storms. which we get about 5 or 6 good storms a year in CT. Thanks Guys

[tillman]

paul
I had the same situation.I purchased a 1991 toyota truck for 2500.It gets 27mpg.I think you should look for something like this and keep your truck
Just my 2 cents

[2ndgenhunter]

Well if it only costed you 500.00 to drive 27k miles you did good. 200.00 is a nice chunk of change towards the 68.

[Tony_SS]

well that is the thing, i paid 14999 plus taxes and reg. for the truck brand new and can get 14500 for trade in right now. it has 27000 miles on it already and i owe 8K on the truck over the next 3 1/2 years. i can get the brand new cobalt taxes, title, registration and all for 13K. so then i would owe 7500 on the cobalt? so that is pretty much a wash but now i have a new car with a full warranty for my daily driver as i need to be at work everyday so reliability is very important. and i would cut my monthly gas bill from 320 to about 120. so the 200 dollars a month saving would make the car payment. then i can find an older, fun truck. plus my silverado is just a basic work truck and a v-6 which is dog. i just do not know. i would love an older c-10 on ck-1500 to have fun with and something that is easier to work on. i use my 4X4 only during snow storms. which we get about 5 or 6 good storms a year in CT. Thanks Guys

Ok, if that's the case, and you don't mind paying the lost equity you'll lose when you drive the car off the lot over time, then I think that's a good deal. That's a pretty good monthly savings there. I would go for it, then look for an 81-87 c10 for a fun/work truck. I have an 86 short bed with a 350 TBI and 700R4. I paid $2600 for it. If you need the 4x4 those are out there too. Easy to fix, cheap parts. I say go for it.

Also consider the HHR's. Mine gets 34mpg hwy and they can be had for about the same price I think. They drive really nice (same suspension as the Cobalts).

[Jim Nilsen]

well that is the thing, i paid 14999 plus taxes and reg. for the truck brand new and can get 14500 for trade in right now. it has 27000 miles on it already and i owe 8K on the truck over the next 3 1/2 years. i can get the brand new cobalt taxes, title, registration and all for 13K. so then i would owe 7500 on the cobalt? so that is pretty much a wash but now i have a new car with a full warranty for my daily driver as i need to be at work everyday so reliability is very important. and i would cut my monthly gas bill from 320 to about 120. so the 200 dollars a month saving would make the car payment. then i can find an older, fun truck. plus my silverado is just a basic work truck and a v-6 which is dog. i just do not know. i would love an older c-10 on ck-1500 to have fun with and something that is easier to work on. i use my 4X4 only during snow storms. which we get about 5 or 6 good storms a year in CT. Thanks Guys

get rid of the truck while the trading is good. I know you can find an old C10 anywhere for 1,500 to $2,000 that will go forever and ever with little or no maintenance. I know ,my 77 has gone 10 years with nothing but new mufflers,gas and insurance and it was 3k total when I got done painting it and putting new tires and wheels on it.

I bought the Vibe and it was my first and only new car ever and I don't ever regret it as I would never have built a car that got 30+ mpg and had no maintenance except oil changes and the usual stuff. It sure made it easier to find time to work on the Cormaro.

You don't need the 4 wheel drive and the repairs that will come all too soon .

I think you know what to do and have the math correct.

Goodluck and we can all look for a truck for ya.

[dadto2jays]

I would trade it and get the all the savings....if you really needed a truck go to u-haul and rent it for the day several of my friends do that when they need a truck. Still alot cheaper than buying and insuring another vehicle

[Frank the Crank]

Sounds like a short term gain long term loss. Find a Geo Metro or something on craigslist for $1000 to commute in and park the truck.


Excellent idea. I just recently stopped driving my '72 Olds Cutlass which was my daily driver and picked up a $500 GMC S-15. See the story at http://www.amberlightgarage.com/2010/01/giving-up-ghost.html Both the gas mileage and visuals on my Olds seemed to be getting worse by the day. Only problem is that now I don't have an excuse not to work on the Cutlass...

[talbotdd]

Ok, I feel the need to put my .02 in because I went through the same thing a few years back. I got rid of my truck and bought a new base model Cobalt for 11k new.

I was doing outside sales so I put over 30k a year on it. It was a great dependable car and averaged 34mpg total. I drove it 90k in 2.5 years and only changed the oil in it.

The problem came when I went to trade it in after taking an office job. Those things are a dime a dozen so I lost my butt on it. I got $2800 trade in on a 2.5 year old car.

If I could do it again, I would just buy a used one for under $4000 and call it a day. The warranty is unnecessary on these - the little 4 cylinder will go forever. They simply aren't a good investment.

I would try listing the truck for sale first and see if you can sell it reasonably and pocket some cash for the Camaro. Either that or buy a DD and keep the truck.



Good luck!
-Dustin

[paulk68]

All great info guys thank you very much. i know resale will be awfull especially since this is supposed to be the last year for the cobalt. If i do decide to go for the cobalt it is going to be for the long haul. i mean run it into the ground long haul. I do not see me changing jobs in the near future so i see the commute for a long time. I am going to try for a week or so to see if i can sell the truck myself and pocket some cash. So that said if any of you know someone looking for a great truck. let me know.

08 silverado 4x4
work truck model
27K+ miles
Color= White
6 cly automatic trans.
regular cab 6 foot bed

[Jim Nilsen]

Ok, I feel the need to put my .02 in because I went through the same thing a few years back. I got rid of my truck and bought a new base model Cobalt for 11k new.

I was doing outside sales so I put over 30k a year on it. It was a great dependable car and averaged 34mpg total. I drove it 90k in 2.5 years and only changed the oil in it.

The problem came when I went to trade it in after taking an office job. Those things are a dime a dozen so I lost my butt on it. I got $2800 trade in on a 2.5 year old car.

If I could do it again, I would just buy a used one for under $4000 and call it a day. The warranty is unnecessary on these - the little 4 cylinder will go forever. They simply aren't a good investment.

I would try listing the truck for sale first and see if you can sell it reasonably and pocket some cash for the Camaro. Either that or buy a DD and keep the truck.



Good luck!
-Dustin

But you drove the heck out of it didn't you, You could have driven it for a lot longer Right? The next guy is going to love you for it yes, but it didn't have to be that way. What I think you are saying is you got tired of a good cheap car and it cost you a bunch to move on too soon for the savings you expected. What I think the best point you make from this is he needs to get something new he can live with for longer than 2.5 years and might have more appeal if he goes to sell it. You do make good points to think about depending on what you want out of the car later.

I have 55,000 mile miles on my 04 Vibe and it is worth at least 1/2 or more than what I paid right now. I still love it and it has a long way to go. I plan on driving it into the ground which will probably be the rest of my life.

Getting rid of the truck for almost what you owe is priceless if you go by your analogy of flipping it quicker because you are tired of it.

Personally you couldn't give me a 4 wheel drive truck no matter what, My brother had to have one and it has made him more broke with a more broke truck down the road than anything he ever owned. I warned him but he had to have a 3/4 ton and claimed he couldn't find one that didn't have 4 wheel drive. He didn't look past the car dealers in our town and had to borrow to get it to begin with and just had to have a 2 year old truck with problem just starting that you couldn't see.

This is getting to be a great thread to get all of the sceanrios from experience to make a good vehicle choice for any reason.

Keep the good advice and experiences coming !

[Ash]

If you can, I'd pick up the April edition of "Import Tuner". They concluded a long term multi-year test car build on a salvage yard Third Gen Acura Integra titled "Ultimate Efficiency" (should be posted on their website sometime this month). The goal was MPG's. Via Engine, Aero, and strategic lightening, they got some REALLY impressive results....and without gutting it. Pretty detailed re-cap of the build. Food for thought that should appeal to the gearhead mentality and a pretty cool idea to buy it and get the maximum fuel efficiency by you working on it. In the end, here are the results.

Power
132.2 WHP 122.0 FT TQ (Baseline)
144.7 WHP 133.4 FT TQ (After modification)

Weight
2,685 LBS (Factory rated curb weight)
2,060 LBS (After Modification)

0-60 Acceleration
8.1 Seconds (Before)
6.3 Seconds (After...insanely respectable for the power #'s)

1/4 Mile
15.92 Seconds (Before)
14.86 Seconds (After)

Fuel Consumption
21.3 MPG (right off the salvage yard)
37.9 MPG (Rated After)

[monteboy84]

Just buy a cheap beater and run it into the ground. My current 2001 Sable was $2000 in 2006, it now has 200k on it and still runs great.

Imagine your life without a car payment of any kind, you're kidding yourself if you think you "need" a new car. Used cars are just as reliable, trust me.....

[wmhjr]

Do you have kids at or close to driving age?

If you do, make sure you factor the cost of insurance. If you're single or no kids, insurance won't be a factor. If you do have kids of driving age, extra cars make them primary drivers.

Believe me, that gets EXPENSIVE!!!!!

[twosaturns]

Just buy a cheap beater and run it into the ground. My current 2001 Sable was $2000 in 2006, it now has 200k on it and still runs great.

Imagine your life without a car payment of any kind, you're kidding yourself if you think you "need" a new car. Used cars are just as reliable, trust me.....
seriously, not all used cars are equal. some guys do well w/ a used beater, others get nickle and dimed to death.
I have an easier time budgeting a new car payment than getting ready for a surprise repair bill.

[vintageracer]

seriously, not all used cars are equal. some guys do well w/ a used beater, others get nickle and dimed to death.


With the average car payment in the US at over $400/month, that's $5,000/year, you can sure fit a lot broken parts for half that amount!

[monteboy84]

With the average car payment in the US at over $400/month, that's $5,000/year, you can sure fit a lot broken parts for half that amount!

My thoughts exactly. Take your same new car budget ($400 a month) and put that monthly allotment into a savings account for car purchases or repairs, you'll be surprised how quickly it adds up. You'll be even more surprised at how slowly it's diminished by your used car repair bill.

My car has not been repair-free, I've done 3 wheel bearings, a heater core, a battery, 2 sets of tires, brakes, etc, and now I think that my head gaskets may be going out. But guess what, if I get a large repair bill, I sell the car for parts or scrap, and buy another for $3k or so. On the flip side, if you've got a newer valuable car, out of warranty, and have a $3000 repair estimate, you HAVE to fix it, because you have a loan against it.

I'm not saying that there is anything wrong with having a new or expensive car, I'm just saying that driving a cheaper car is more cost-effective than you may think. I'm shopping for something different at the moment, but for a daily runner I refuse to spend over around $5k....

[twosaturns]

With the average car payment in the US at over $400/month, that's $5,000/year, you can sure fit a lot broken parts for half that amount!
at 400/mo, sure, but my new car payment is only $200/mo ('09 Mazda5). my previous supposed to be good used car ('96 Mazda MPV) ran me about $3500 in a year for repairs/maintenance, so I'm on the other side of the equation now.

[paulk68]

my car payment for the NEW Cobalt will be about 150 a month. i know old beaters are great cars but i work at 4 am 45 miles from my house. the last thing i need is to be breaking down at 3:30 am on my way to work. plus the new car payment covers roadside assistance for 5 year 100K miles. plus when i do break down now i need to take time off to fix the issues that go wrong. i just do not have the time for things like that.

[monteboy84]

Understandable on both accounts. Like most everything it comes down to personal needs and preference.

[vintageracer]

my car payment for the NEW Cobalt will be about 150 a month. i know old beaters are great cars but i work at 4 am 45 miles from my house. the last thing i need is to be breaking down at 3:30 am on my way to work. plus the new car payment covers roadside assistance for 5 year 100K miles. plus when i do break down now i need to take time off to fix the issues that go wrong. i just do not have the time for things like that.

You need to buy that new car you want before someone else gets it. You have been sold completely on new car fever!

[helzbelz888]

lol do what i did... i had that problem with my truck so i went to the auctions and bought an old cop car. an '01 crown vic 110k miles for 1500 bucks. gets 20mpg. i've put 30k on it in 2 years and i've only changed the fluids. i'm gonna sell it this year and get another. not as good of mileage as a cobalt but i just dont have a payment...(insurance is 100 bucks a month) plus with that GIANT trunk you can fit all sorts of parts in it. ive hauled a c6 and a 4l60e with not even a half of the trunk occupied.. ive also hauled a 28gallon air compressor with it too.. plus my 10 speed bike fits in it lol

[shortrack]

I'm with those that say pickup some inexpensive beater for your commute rig. Honestly if you could actually get something for the truck if it was me I would sell that, buy an older truck (if you really need a truck, which I do) for cash and find a beater commute rig.

Im with you bud.....you spend a lot of time in the commuter car, get a nicer one.....get an old chevy square for next to nothing for a truck....