What Kind Of Vehicle Should I Get?

Geico266

Geico266

Touchdown! Greaser!
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Jun 15, 2008
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Husker Nation, NE
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Display name:
Geico
My "99" Dodge diesel daily driver pick up has 275,000 miles on it. Runs great, starting to get a little paint bubble due to rust. Interior is perfect, but my butt yearns for something new. I'll keep the truck for work and hauling so I don't really need another PU.

I look around and all I see is a sea of the same style SUV's. :mad2:


What do you drive? What do you suggest?

I like the Honda Ridgeline (terrible milage though), Toyota Rav4 (great mileage) Toyota Tacoma, Nisson Frontier, Nisson Murado.

I would like to stay with a diesel, but no one is going that route!

Would you buy a Chevy? Chrysler now?
 
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If you want an SUV and are also wanting to stay Diesel then you might want to stop by you Jeep dealer. I understand that several model are now out with Diesel.

I am driving a Jette Diesel these days. I got rid of my gas Jeep Cherokee about 6 months ago. I am loving the Jette. Since you also have the PU you might want to look at a car instead of another truck. The Jette is very roomy and well appointed.
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
State your mission (!) :D
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Whoa, never thought of it that way. .... Fun factor is a must, light towing (100 gallon fuel trailer to the airport) open area to put smelly things (why I really like a small PU). Front wheel or 4 wheel drive (I live in snow country) More interested in good mileage at this point in my life, that is why I lean toward a small diesel pick up, but they don't make one! :frown2:
 
smigaldi said:
If you want an SUV and are also wanting to stay Diesel then you might want to stop by you Jeep dealer. I understand that several model are now out with Diesel.

I am driving a Jette Diesel these days. I got rid of my gas Jeep Cherokee about 6 months ago. I am loving the Jette. Since you also have the PU you might want to look at a car instead of another truck. The Jette is very roomy and well appointed.
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Actually, the Jetta is next on my list to test drive! A buddy had one and he said they are very fun to drive, certainly better than a Dodge pick up! :yesnod:
 
Geico266 said:
Whoa, never thought of it that way. .... Fun factor is a must, light towing (100 gallon fuel trailer to the airport) open area to put smelly things (why I really like a small PU). Front wheel or 4 wheel drive (I live in snow country) More interested in good mileage at this point in my life, that is why I lean toward a small diesel pick up, but they don't make one! :frown2:
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You don't live in snow country...you just live in a place they leave the snow on the ground.....even in the "big city".

We got a Nissan Murano last year- no problems, but we put only 5000 miles during an entire year on it.
 
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I'm not fond of GM products, but the Avalanche might be an interesting choice.
 
Geico266 said:
The Nissan Murano transmission fascinates me! No shifting?
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Depends on how you define shifting. It's continuously variable so so gear ratios are changing, but you don't feel it. It's very smooth. Trade you a ride in it for a ride in an RV-12 :)
 
Geico266 said:
I think I'm in love!

A Jetta Sportwagon TDI!

http://www.vw.com/jettasportwagen/en/us/?tab=tdi

40 MPG!
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They are nice. I opted for the sedan as none of the wagons had a sun roof and DARN IT! I wanted a sunroof!

I get well over 40mpg on the highway. My last trip I 44mpg. I have been tracking every fill up since I got it and my average fuel economy is 37.6mpg. Most of my trips are stop and go suburban traffic. Average cost per mile is $.07. This is with a sample size of almost 6000 miles
 
Old VW Caddy diesel? you can run bio diesel through them without any mods IIRC :D
 
smigaldi said:
They are nice. I opted for the sedan as none of the wagons had a sun roof and DARN IT! I wanted a sunroof!

I get well over 40mpg on the highway. My last trip I 44mpg. I have been tracking every fill up since I got it and my average fuel economy is 37.6mpg. Most of my trips are stop and go suburban traffic. Average cost per mile is $.07. This is with a sample size of almost 6000 miles
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I'm crushed. I just found out the VW Sportwagon is rear wheel drive only. That's a deal killer around here.
 
Subaru anything. All wheel drive, effecient. They love them in Boulder.
 
Geico266 said:
Actually, the Jetta is next on my list to test drive! A buddy had one and he said they are very fun to drive, certainly better than a Dodge pick up! :yesnod:
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I know where there's a very nice 350z for sale that goes pretty fast and
is lots of fun to drive. ;-)
 
I would say Jeep, but you're looking for good mileage, soooooo..... :(

There are some diesel Jeeps running in Europe. Just waiting for them to make their way across the pond, although there are a few home-spun Cummins diesel conversion TJ's running around these days.
 
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Jetta TDI.. thing gets fabulous highway mileage.. and its pretty sporty when it needs to be. Trunk big enough for a couple bodies in it.. yea.. thats my vote.
 
I test drove a Honda Pilot today. Very, very nice truck. I'll be sitting in one soon.
 
Since you apparently keep vehicles for a loooong time, look seriously at Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep products. They are coming with a lifetime powertrain warranty now.
I bought a Commander a couple years ago and got the lifetime powertrain. More importantly, because the really expensive stuff (engine, transmission, axles) is covered under the powertrain warranty, the Jeep lifetime bumper-to-bumper warranty was only like $1500 (including rental car coverage). So far we haven't had to use it, but it's nice to know we have total coverage on every single thing on the vehicle for as long as we own it.
 
I had an '04 Dodge Cummins. Put 108,000 miles on it in two years and sold it (two years to the day after I bought it). Loved it. If I'd bought the 4x4 version I'd still own it. Wish I had.

I suppose my question would be is there any need for you to get something new, or do you just feel like it? I've pretty much come to the conclusion that it's virtually impossible to buy a second vehicle for fuel savings and actually come out ahead unless you've pretty much gotten the second vehicle for free and it's reliable. With 275k on the Dodge, you're not going to sufficiently depreciate it with additional miles. Meanwhile, if you go out and buy a new car you'll be absorbing a ton of depreciation. The Dodge is just broken in and will keep on going, as you know. So, the economist in me would say just keep on driving the Dodge until it gives you a reason to replace it.

Now, if you're going to buy something anyway: I'd look at what you can get some good incentives on. I'd suggest a sedan of some sort. I drive a Ford Excursion and love it, but that doesn't make any sense for you. My fun car is a '92 Jaguar XJS V12 5-speed (which is for sale). It gets about the same mileage as your Cummins unloaded on the highway, and is a blast to drive, but I'm passively trying to sell it because I don't use it and there's really not any benefit to it, especially since my life pretty much involves either driving to work or to the airport. You can frequently find some used upper luxury cars dirt cheap with low miles. Makes for a nice car to drive, although expensive to repair unless you can fix them yourself, and usually not the best mileage.
 
Ted DuPuis said:
I had an '04 Dodge Cummins. Put 108,000 miles on it in two years and sold it (two years to the day after I bought it). Loved it. If I'd bought the 4x4 version I'd still own it. Wish I had.

I suppose my question would be is there any need for you to get something new, or do you just feel like it? I've pretty much come to the conclusion that it's virtually impossible to buy a second vehicle for fuel savings and actually come out ahead unless you've pretty much gotten the second vehicle for free and it's reliable. With 275k on the Dodge, you're not going to sufficiently depreciate it with additional miles. Meanwhile, if you go out and buy a new car you'll be absorbing a ton of depreciation. The Dodge is just broken in and will keep on going, as you know. So, the economist in me would say just keep on driving the Dodge until it gives you a reason to replace it.

Now, if you're going to buy something anyway: I'd look at what you can get some good incentives on. I'd suggest a sedan of some sort. I drive a Ford Excursion and love it, but that doesn't make any sense for you. My fun car is a '92 Jaguar XJS V12 5-speed (which is for sale). It gets about the same mileage as your Cummins unloaded on the highway, and is a blast to drive, but I'm passively trying to sell it because I don't use it and there's really not any benefit to it, especially since my life pretty much involves either driving to work or to the airport. You can frequently find some used upper luxury cars dirt cheap with low miles. Makes for a nice car to drive, although expensive to repair unless you can fix them yourself, and usually not the best mileage.
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Yes, you are correct. A second vehicle just to save fuel mileage makes no sense at all. Basically, I just want something else to drive...I think.


You bring up another avenue that I have thought about. Just put some bucks into the truck! I could have the body work done, repaint it, get rid of the plastic bedliner and have one sprayed in. New fog lights, new tube running boards, and I'm good to go for another 200K! Cost say $3K, certainly better than depreciation that comes with buying a new car. Here in NE we pay HIGH ($500 - 700 per year based on value of vehicle, right now my truck is under $100) taxes every year, plus 7% sales tax when you buy it, that is $2,100!

Maybe RogerT will loan me his Z until my childish whims of a new vehicle pass.:yes:
 
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Geico266 said:
Yes, you are correct. A second vehicle just to save fuel mileage makes no sense at all. Basically, I just want something else to drive...I think.
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That happens to me about once every six months. I used to just go out and buy "new" vehicles, but with the purchase of my Excursion I've moved towards buying things that are durable (no Ford jokes, please) and that I intend on keeping for a long while. It ends up costing less money, unless you can buy and sell vehicles at such a rate that you only pay insurance on them, but that's harder to do. So now I just end up spending money on the Aztec (which at this rate I'll be keeping forever).

You bring up another avenue that I have thought about. Just put some bucks into the truck! I could have the body work done, repaint it, get rid of the plastic bedliner and have one sprayed in. New fog lights, new tube running boards, and I'm good to go for another 200K! Cost say $3K, certainly better than deprecition that comes with buying a new car. Here in NE we pay HIGH ($500 - 700 per year based on value of vehicle, right now my truck is under $100) taxes every year, plus 7% sales tax when you buy it, that is $2,100!
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This makes a lot more sense to me, and you can even do a couple of fun upgrades like some gauges on the A-pillar or something. I always found my Dodge to be pretty fun to drive. If nothing else, the thing's got enough power that it really scoots when the turbo spools up. One thing I did to my Ford that helped the appearance (and lighting) was to put some new headlights in it with HIDs. You have to be careful not to get ones that look too ricey (I think I may have failed at that), but functionally it's the most noticeable change I've made.

Ultimately, you're probably better off just doing that and keeping the truck longer. I seem to recall the first guy to hit a million miles on his had to change the turbo at 795k and the water pump at 850k. They just don't build 'em like they used to. ;)

My plan is to keep the Ford until 200k (it's not built as well as the Dodge), but after that I'll keep driving it until it forces me to buy a replacement.
 
Geico266 said:
The Nissan Murano transmission fascinates me! No shifting?
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Unless they have re-engineered the Murano CVT transmission, be wary of it. It has a history of expensive replacements.

VW TDI...excellent choice. A friend has a Passat...loves it!
 
I have a sweet 1998 Pontiac Sunfire that I'll cut you a *real good deal* on. It has some minor rust and is a bit dirty. I can't remember the last time I changed the oil but it still runs. It leaks a little coolant and you must stomp on the gas pedal for it to start.

Perhaps we could work a trade for it and the RV-12?
 
jesse said:
I have a sweet 1998 Pontiac Sunfire that I'll cut you a *real good deal* on. It has some minor rust and is a bit dirty. I can't remember the last time I changed the oil but it still runs. It leaks a little coolant and you must stomp on the gas pedal for it to start.

Perhaps we could work a trade for it and the RV-12?
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Is that the same car you had up here? Does it really still run (seems to me it was on borrowed time several years ago)?
 
ggroves said:
Unless they have re-engineered the Murano CVT transmission, be wary of it. It has a history of expensive replacements.

VW TDI...excellent choice. A friend has a Passat...loves it!
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I've yet to see an inexpensive transmission replacement on any vehicle.

What percent of the fleet?
 
gismo said:
Is that the same car you had up here? Does it really still run (seems to me it was on borrowed time several years ago)?
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"Run" is probably being generous. Remember, they showed up to Tony's wedding in Tristan's car. What was more humorous was stuffing four pilots in it.
 
gismo said:
Is that the same car you had up here? Does it really still run (seems to me it was on borrowed time several years ago)?
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It's still running strong. I've been waiting for it to blow up for some time and it just doesn't.

It was doing OK in Minneapolis until I took the transmission out on that metal post / curb combination. After the transmission swap it's been pretty good.

I think the coolant system will be the ultimate death of the car. The coolant lines are rusted out in several spots. So far I've been able to fix the leaks with a dremel and jb weld.

I don't think I've had to wrench on it in nearly a year. I still haven't decided if I'll ever change the oil...It'll probably break if I do.
 
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Henning said:
Don't you have to be a lesbian or dirty hippie to own one of those?
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Tell that to Ken Block.

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