Author Topic: Help, I'm about to buy a new car for my wife's insane commute!  (Read 4924 times)

magnet18

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By "about to buy" I of course mean "thinking about buying"

It's also almost 2 model years old and electric

The back story, in case context is helpful:
DW and I live in NE Indiana and are fairly mustachian.  We live in a 80s Airstream 310 we bought for 30k, which included a 2000 jeep to tow behind it, package deal.  Our current location costs us $200/mo including water and electric.

This jeep (4cyl manual) is currently my wifes daily driver, and also the only car we have that even runs right now.  I already rebuilt the breaks, but it needs a total front end rebuild and some other fairly involved stuff.

My DD is supposed to be my 1986 Toyota 4runner, but after driving it on 3 cylinders for awhile I have the engine out and am in the middle of rebuilding it in my dads garage.  Total will be about $500 to rebuild everything and replace the clutch and get it back in.  So yea, I'm a gear head that does all his own work, this truck is worth more than what I have in it

How about that insane commute though?
Well, i work in one city and currently have a 20 minutes drive each way.  Would love to be closer, but can't find anything in biking distance

Wife, lost her job 3 months ago, and has just now found something in a better career field doing exactly what she wants to do for double the money, in the neighboring city with a 50minute drive in the opposite direction of me.  It's a 6 month contract opportunity, but it gets her foot in the door and has TONS of potential.

I can't find employment in that city, because we hope to move cross country out of NE indiana soon, (maybe wjen this 6 month contract ends) and if I'm somewhere new for less than 2 years I'll look like a job hopper. (We've both been looking our asses off for remote work, but nothing yet.  Both working remotely and traveling the country is the dream.  I'm a test engineer, bachelors in Electrical Engineering, halfway through a masters in Materials science, in case you have ideas)


tl:dr

Finally to the new car!!
With one truck with no engine in it, and one jeep with a front end about to shake apart, and now a $140k household income living in an RV, with no immediate way out of at least one of us driving an insane commute, literally everyone in our lives is telling us to just get a new car.  I do all my own car work, but if we get another used car and it needs work, i flat out am out of time and energy.
There is a 2017 bolt for sale nearby, almost 2 model years old, and it's still sitting on the lot as new, so the tax credit still applies, and I'm sure the dealer is itching to get it off the lot.  This would give DW something reliable to commute with gas free.

After selling the jeep, we would still need a loan on said new bolt.  Total net worth would be positive, but I've been maxing out the 401K so it's all locked up there.  We would probably pay off the loan before her 6 month contract is up (at which point she'll be hired on for real, or get another similar real job making similar money, will be much easier this time with relevant experience)

What do you think, mustachians?  Am I in a significantly OK place to buy a new 2 year old chevy bolt, or am I being brainwashed by my consumer sucka car clown family?

snogirl

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Re: Help, I'm about to buy a new car for my wife's insane commute!
« Reply #1 on: July 26, 2018, 08:42:33 AM »
I'd find a nice used Honda fit or Pontiac vibe

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magnet18

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Re: Help, I'm about to buy a new car for my wife's insane commute!
« Reply #2 on: July 26, 2018, 08:59:24 AM »
Thanks!

Keep the opinions coming please, I probably just need a facepunch

I find the living in an RV for $200/month thing causes me to tell myself i can afford things that would otherwise be totally anti-mustachian

Car Jack

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Re: Help, I'm about to buy a new car for my wife's insane commute!
« Reply #3 on: July 26, 2018, 09:03:09 AM »
How about a used Corolla or something like that?  Unless your wife, or you can plug in at work and get free electricity, I don't see the advantage of buying electric.  If your wife is driving all highway, the Corolla will likely do as well on cost and any Jamoke can fix it if it breaks down in the middle of nowhere during a commute.  These things are reliable, as would be an older Civic.  Highway mileage is very easy on cars.  I work with sales people who put 30k or 40k a year on cars and get 300k miles out of them all the time.

I'm a DIY mechanic too.  What do you do if something on the bolt breaks?  Probably pay $100 an hour for the dealer to fix it as opposed to an ICE car where you fix anything yourself.

Villanelle

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Re: Help, I'm about to buy a new car for my wife's insane commute!
« Reply #4 on: July 26, 2018, 09:07:51 AM »
Thanks!

Keep the opinions coming please, I probably just need a facepunch

I find the living in an RV for $200/month thing causes me to tell myself i can afford things that would otherwise be totally anti-mustachian

If you need a loan for it, then no, you can not afford it.  You can find a much cheaper solution to address your needs.   


CalBal

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Re: Help, I'm about to buy a new car for my wife's insane commute!
« Reply #5 on: July 26, 2018, 09:10:28 AM »
Buying a new car (or a nearly new car) is not always a bad decision. However, in this case I think it is BECAUSE you say you hope to move in 6 months anyway. If/when you make that move you may find out that you don't need a car at all (well, except to tow the Airstream, if you keep it)! So I personally agree with snogirl and try to find a Honda Fit. The Japanese subcompact cars are great because they have super gas mileage and since they are small you can park them practically anywhere. Bonus if it is a manual transmission (better mileage and more control). I drive a Toyota Yaris (3-door hatchback), and also highly recommend (although they are more rare and can be hard to find used).

magnet18

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Re: Help, I'm about to buy a new car for my wife's insane commute!
« Reply #6 on: July 26, 2018, 09:21:16 AM »
How about a used Corolla or something like that?  Unless your wife, or you can plug in at work and get free electricity, I don't see the advantage of buying electric.  If your wife is driving all highway, the Corolla will likely do as well on cost and any Jamoke can fix it if it breaks down in the middle of nowhere during a commute.  These things are reliable, as would be an older Civic.  Highway mileage is very easy on cars.  I work with sales people who put 30k or 40k a year on cars and get 300k miles out of them all the time.

I'm a DIY mechanic too.  What do you do if something on the bolt breaks?  Probably pay $100 an hour for the dealer to fix it as opposed to an ICE car where you fix anything yourself.

I had forgotten about honda fits, one of those might work.  Small cars like Corolla or Civic won't work because i work in the same building as my mother in law, and anything smaller than an SUV is a complete death trap for her daughter, and I'll literally have to hear about it daily.  A hatchback is fine though.  Don't ask, it doesn't logically make sense, it's just easier to get a hatchback.


Regarding it breaking, 1 it would have to be out of warranty, 2 I'm an electrical engineer with a bit of high voltage and power electronics experience, so there's actually a good chance i could do it myself. 

Regarding the electric cost, free 220V electric included in our current $200/month rv parking spot, but the math say this will save me less than $1500 in 6 months on gas, with the terrible jeep wrangler 15mpg, less with something better

Not trying to banter you, your points are all sound and well taken, thank you

magnet18

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Re: Help, I'm about to buy a new car for my wife's insane commute!
« Reply #7 on: July 26, 2018, 09:27:51 AM »
Buying a new car (or a nearly new car) is not always a bad decision. However, in this case I think it is BECAUSE you say you hope to move in 6 months anyway. If/when you make that move you may find out that you don't need a car at all (well, except to tow the Airstream, if you keep it)! So I personally agree with snogirl and try to find a Honda Fit. The Japanese subcompact cars are great because they have super gas mileage and since they are small you can park them practically anywhere. Bonus if it is a manual transmission (better mileage and more control). I drive a Toyota Yaris (3-door hatchback), and also highly recommend (although they are more rare and can be hard to find used).

Thanks!

Something my wife is interested in is a 2015 scion iq (whatever the yaris clone is)

See my other comment about working with the MIL though, I'll hear about it endlessly

Regarding the airstream, I get this a lot, it's actually an airstream class A motorhome, and it tows the car, so we could tow the bolt behind it, and actually charge it's batteries when breaking in the motorhome (regenerative breaking on a motorhome, talk about cool! I know, it's still doesn't pay for the bolt...)

magnet18

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Re: Help, I'm about to buy a new car for my wife's insane commute!
« Reply #8 on: July 26, 2018, 09:36:49 AM »
Thanks!

Keep the opinions coming please, I probably just need a facepunch

I find the living in an RV for $200/month thing causes me to tell myself i can afford things that would otherwise be totally anti-mustachian

If you need a loan for it, then no, you can not afford it.  You can find a much cheaper solution to address your needs.   

Your logic cannot be argued, thank you, somehow i lost my grasp on that basic fact

RWD

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Re: Help, I'm about to buy a new car for my wife's insane commute!
« Reply #9 on: July 26, 2018, 09:37:13 AM »
Buying the Bolt wouldn't be a terrible decision in the grand scheme of things, but there are definitely more financially efficient options here (as already discussed). One of the big problems with today's new electric cars is they are depreciating extremely fast as new technology comes out.

magnet18

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Re: Help, I'm about to buy a new car for my wife's insane commute!
« Reply #10 on: July 26, 2018, 09:42:08 AM »
Buying the Bolt wouldn't be a terrible decision in the grand scheme of things, but there are definitely more financially efficient options here (as already discussed). One of the big problems with today's new electric cars is they are depreciating extremely fast as new technology comes out.
That's actually why we zeroed in on the 2017 bolt, there were no significant upgrades from 2017-2019, but it's done a lot of depreciation sitting on the dealers lot

The logical thing to do, of course, is sell the jeep, get a honda fit, and wait until we can buy a bolt with cash, then see if it makes sense to get one

Ecky

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Re: Help, I'm about to buy a new car for my wife's insane commute!
« Reply #11 on: July 26, 2018, 09:46:17 AM »
I drive a gen1 Insight and my partner drives a 2007 Fit. I average around 70mpg and she averages around 45mpg. Both vehicles were purchased under $3,000. The Insight is nearing 300k miles (150k of those are mine) and has only ever had a clutch master cylinder ($70 from RockAuto). I recently sold the (perfectly good) hybrid battery for close to $1000 and am just driving without it, as a conventional gasoline car. The Fit is just passing 200k and has never had any non-routine maintenance, runs great.

I'm going to put in another vote for a Fit. Older Hondas are phenomenal cars, and you can't go wrong with a manual Toyota either.
« Last Edit: July 26, 2018, 09:47:50 AM by Ecky »

magnet18

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Re: Help, I'm about to buy a new car for my wife's insane commute!
« Reply #12 on: July 26, 2018, 09:54:26 AM »
I drive a gen1 Insight and my partner drives a 2007 Fit. I average around 70mpg and she averages around 45mpg. Both vehicles were purchased under $3,000. The Insight is nearing 300k miles (150k of those are mine) and has only ever had a clutch master cylinder ($70 from RockAuto). I recently sold the (perfectly good) hybrid battery for close to $1000 and am just driving without it, as a conventional gasoline car. The Fit is just passing 200k and has never had any non-routine maintenance, runs great.

I'm going to put in another vote for a Fit. Older Hondas are phenomenal cars, and you can't go wrong with a manual Toyota either.

What condition were those in when you got them? I can't find a decent looking fit on Craigslist for less than 5, did you go high mileage?

Thanks!

CalBal

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Re: Help, I'm about to buy a new car for my wife's insane commute!
« Reply #13 on: July 26, 2018, 09:56:26 AM »
Buying a new car (or a nearly new car) is not always a bad decision. However, in this case I think it is BECAUSE you say you hope to move in 6 months anyway. If/when you make that move you may find out that you don't need a car at all (well, except to tow the Airstream, if you keep it)! So I personally agree with snogirl and try to find a Honda Fit. The Japanese subcompact cars are great because they have super gas mileage and since they are small you can park them practically anywhere. Bonus if it is a manual transmission (better mileage and more control). I drive a Toyota Yaris (3-door hatchback), and also highly recommend (although they are more rare and can be hard to find used).

Thanks!

Something my wife is interested in is a 2015 scion iq (whatever the yaris clone is)

See my other comment about working with the MIL though, I'll hear about it endlessly

Regarding the airstream, I get this a lot, it's actually an airstream class A motorhome, and it tows the car, so we could tow the bolt behind it, and actually charge it's batteries when breaking in the motorhome (regenerative breaking on a motorhome, talk about cool! I know, it's still doesn't pay for the bolt...)

Hm, so Toyota doesn't make the 3-door hatchback anymore, which is too bad because it is the superior vehicle, but they do make the 5-door version (so a fair amount bigger). Toyota took on 3 of the Scion models, one has become the Yaris iA (not a hatchback) but the Scion iM is now the COROLLA iM. 5-door hatchback. So older Scion iMs would work well. The older Scion xA might also be a possibility (5-door hatchback). The Honda Fit is also a 5-door (maybe they still make the 3-door?), and there is Civic apparently has a hatchback version (sort of) also. So you have some choices.

Regarding your MIL, I get it, family dynamics are tough. But, does your wife WANT a small car? If so (and no, they aren't "death traps" as you know, but I also know some people's view of reality is skewed), your wife should stand up to her mother and say THIS IS WHAT I WANT. It is not her mother's life, it is not her mother's decision. Then again, if you are moving away, it might not be a hill you want to die on and have a damaged relationship later. The 5-door hatchbacks are not subcompacts and the "taller" ones may be just fine in her eyes.

Anyway, good luck!

Oh, and BTW, I did buy my Yaris new, it is a 2008 and I have had it almost 11 years. It has just over 90k miles and it has never had anything mechanical break down. I expect it will last another 10 years at least. (This is why I believe that *sometimes* buying new or near new is not a bad deal.)
« Last Edit: July 26, 2018, 10:00:14 AM by CalBal »

magnet18

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Re: Help, I'm about to buy a new car for my wife's insane commute!
« Reply #14 on: July 26, 2018, 10:58:29 AM »
Hm, so Toyota doesn't make the 3-door hatchback anymore, which is too bad because it is the superior vehicle, but they do make the 5-door version (so a fair amount bigger). Toyota took on 3 of the Scion models, one has become the Yaris iA (not a hatchback) but the Scion iM is now the COROLLA iM. 5-door hatchback. So older Scion iMs would work well. The older Scion xA might also be a possibility (5-door hatchback). The Honda Fit is also a 5-door (maybe they still make the 3-door?), and there is Civic apparently has a hatchback version (sort of) also. So you have some choices.

Regarding your MIL, I get it, family dynamics are tough. But, does your wife WANT a small car? If so (and no, they aren't "death traps" as you know, but I also know some people's view of reality is skewed), your wife should stand up to her mother and say THIS IS WHAT I WANT. It is not her mother's life, it is not her mother's decision. Then again, if you are moving away, it might not be a hill you want to die on and have a damaged relationship later. The 5-door hatchbacks are not subcompacts and the "taller" ones may be just fine in her eyes.

Anyway, good luck!

Oh, and BTW, I did buy my Yaris new, it is a 2008 and I have had it almost 11 years. It has just over 90k miles and it has never had anything mechanical break down. I expect it will last another 10 years at least. (This is why I believe that *sometimes* buying new or near new is not a bad deal.)

MIL logic is that there is no price too high for safety, and that paying extra for more gas is an insurance policy against the inevitable paralysis that accompanies fender benders in anything smaller than a crossover.  Anything with 4 doors and a hatchback, perfectly fine, anything less, deathtrap.  Jeeps and sports cars are also fine, for some reason, despite actually being death traps.  My 86 truck with no airbag?  No problem.  Brand new chevy Malibu?  "Remember that girl that wrecked that one time....."

Wife is apathetic about size other than hating minivans, hating boring sedans, and thinking SUVs and big trucks are dumb.  This wife/MIL venn diagram leaves us with smallish hatchbacks as the sweet spot.

Father on the other hand took one look at the bolt and asked if it came with a free coffin, and will probably say the same about a fit.  Ironic since he loves his 94 jeep. 

He'll get over it though, MIL will mention it every time she sees me for as long as we own a subcompact, and after we get rid of it, she'll mention how happy she is that we're now safe, literally forever.  Not worth it, we'll just get a hatchback. 

RWD

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Re: Help, I'm about to buy a new car for my wife's insane commute!
« Reply #15 on: July 26, 2018, 11:04:46 AM »
MIL logic is that there is no price too high for safety, and that paying extra for more gas is an insurance policy against the inevitable paralysis that accompanies fender benders in anything smaller than a crossover.

Have I got the vehicle for you!

snogirl

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Re: Help, I'm about to buy a new car for my wife's insane commute!
« Reply #16 on: July 26, 2018, 11:12:32 AM »
Hmm maybe MIL will spring for new wheels.

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magnet18

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Re: Help, I'm about to buy a new car for my wife's insane commute!
« Reply #17 on: July 26, 2018, 11:14:57 AM »
Hmm maybe MIL will spring for new wheels.

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You joke, but she helped get my brother in law set up in a nice "safe" Hyundai Santa Fe, that already has engine issues (bad cvvt design, coulda helped pick something reliable, but noone asked me).

magnet18

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Re: Help, I'm about to buy a new car for my wife's insane commute!
« Reply #18 on: July 26, 2018, 11:16:06 AM »
MIL logic is that there is no price too high for safety, and that paying extra for more gas is an insurance policy against the inevitable paralysis that accompanies fender benders in anything smaller than a crossover.

Have I got the vehicle for you!

You joke, but she daily drives a hummer 60 miles (or did until she bought a new jeep a few months ago)

lbmustache

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Re: Help, I'm about to buy a new car for my wife's insane commute!
« Reply #19 on: July 26, 2018, 11:22:45 AM »
I think a Honda Fit, Toyota Yaris, or even a newer Scion iM or similar would be a good fit.

Why not the Volt over the Bolt? Or even a Nissan Leaf? Is it the distance they can travel?

The Scion iQ you mentioned is really tiny. I only mention that because driving cars this tiny for long distances on (I assume) the freeway is kind of nightmarish. They're really just built for scooting around the city. I also put the Chevy Spark in this category too.

CalBal

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Re: Help, I'm about to buy a new car for my wife's insane commute!
« Reply #20 on: July 26, 2018, 11:25:52 AM »
MIL logic is that there is no price too high for safety, and that paying extra for more gas is an insurance policy against the inevitable paralysis that accompanies fender benders in anything smaller than a crossover.

Have I got the vehicle for you!

You joke, but she daily drives a hummer 60 miles (or did until she bought a new jeep a few months ago)

^ OMG

Well, snogirl does have a point. Get MIL to fund the cost difference if it means so much to her.

I kid, but only kind of...

You should constantly send her news articles about wrecks of whatever she is currently driving.

Also, love the tank idea. ;)

Good luck with your dilemma!

magnet18

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Re: Help, I'm about to buy a new car for my wife's insane commute!
« Reply #21 on: July 26, 2018, 11:32:01 AM »
I think a Honda Fit, Toyota Yaris, or even a newer Scion iM or similar would be a good fit.

Why not the Volt over the Bolt? Or even a Nissan Leaf? Is it the distance they can travel?

The Scion iQ you mentioned is really tiny. I only mention that because driving cars this tiny for long distances on (I assume) the freeway is kind of nightmarish. They're really just built for scooting around the city. I also put the Chevy Spark in this category too.
Yea, distance.  Looking to do 80 miles round-trip in  cold weather, which means 200 miles stated range to be comfortable. (I drove to work in -20F a couple times last year!  My trucks engine never got up to operating temp!) I love the volt, but with only 50 miles of range, it only gets one way on electric, and it's not cheap.  Old nissan leafs don't have the range, and for some reason the batteries don't retro fit.  New Nissan leafs lack a proper battery temp control system for some reason, so range plummets insanely in the winter (brother in law is a nissan salesman, so he could hook us up and make great money at it too, and he still warned us away, he's hoping they fix that in 2019)

ShoulderThingThatGoesUp

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Re: Help, I'm about to buy a new car for my wife's insane commute!
« Reply #22 on: July 26, 2018, 11:40:54 AM »
I think the Bolt is a reasonable plan. Since its lease rates aren’t crazy cheap, it doesn’t have the same huge depreciation other EVs do.

As for safety, show them the IIHS safetyvideos pf the Bolt, which is a Top Safety Pick, vs most SUVs, which aren’t.

MaybeBabyMustache

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Re: Help, I'm about to buy a new car for my wife's insane commute!
« Reply #23 on: July 26, 2018, 11:48:56 AM »
Have a 2017 Bolt & love it, and it goes about 250+ miles on a charge, which provides a tremendous amount of flexibility. I get to charge for free at work, which makes the cost almost nothing (gas tradeoff vs free charging). We did lease it from new (came with a large rebate). No regrets, as we were concerned about potential battery degradation with buying outright.

CalBal

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Re: Help, I'm about to buy a new car for my wife's insane commute!
« Reply #24 on: July 26, 2018, 11:49:21 AM »
MIL logic is that there is no price too high for safety, and that paying extra for more gas is an insurance policy against the inevitable paralysis that accompanies fender benders in anything smaller than a crossover. 

Lol. I was involved in a fender bender in my Yaris on a freeway on-ramp. Traffic slowed dramatically because of an accident up ahead, I slowed. Guy behind me was not paying attention and hit me. It wasn't a love tap (he was going pretty fast), but the airbags did not deploy. So, classic definition of a fender bender! I walked away unscathed! And the other guy's insurance paid to fix the cosmetic damage to the bumper, tail light, and rear quarter panel. No problems since then either.

Anecdotal evidence is not actually evidence. But then, neither is her anecdotal evidence of "that one time that girl with the Malibu" etc etc etc... :)

magnet18

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Re: Help, I'm about to buy a new car for my wife's insane commute!
« Reply #25 on: July 26, 2018, 12:11:14 PM »
I think the Bolt is a reasonable plan. Since its lease rates aren’t crazy cheap, it doesn’t have the same huge depreciation other EVs do.

As for safety, show them the IIHS safetyvideos pf the Bolt, which is a Top Safety Pick, vs most SUVs, which aren’t.
Have a 2017 Bolt & love it, and it goes about 250+ miles on a charge, which provides a tremendous amount of flexibility. I get to charge for free at work, which makes the cost almost nothing (gas tradeoff vs free charging). We did lease it from new (came with a large rebate). No regrets, as we were concerned about potential battery degradation with buying outright.
Hm, was getting a lot of votes for a honda fit, then suddenly these two?

I have noticed the depreciation thing.  A lot of people trying to sell them for $30000 with 50k miles on Craigslist

use2betrix

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Re: Help, I'm about to buy a new car for my wife's insane commute!
« Reply #26 on: July 27, 2018, 07:28:06 PM »
Remember - your wives contract is for 6 months. Not sure how you’re calculating your new “yearly household income” but I hope it’s not assuming she is going to be a full time, especially at the same money.

You’d hate to use the majority of her 6 month income on a car.

This is coming from someone who has been a contractor for the better part of 7 years and also lives in a trailer (5th wheel)

AccidentalMiser

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Re: Help, I'm about to buy a new car for my wife's insane commute!
« Reply #27 on: July 27, 2018, 07:45:36 PM »
I'd find a nice used Honda fit or Pontiac vibe

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Beat me to it.  I sold my Vibe to my son.  It's the only car sale I've ever regretted.

chasesfish

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Re: Help, I'm about to buy a new car for my wife's insane commute!
« Reply #28 on: July 28, 2018, 05:47:20 AM »
I'm on the side of buying a 5-10 year old, smallish Japanese car that will hold its value.  Your cost per use is less important than the value it retains when you sell it.  (Civic, Fit, Corolla). 

I'd avoid an American or European call at all costs for this reason

shelbyautumn

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Re: Help, I'm about to buy a new car for my wife's insane commute!
« Reply #29 on: July 28, 2018, 12:24:49 PM »
+1 on the Corolla. I was given a brand new one for my high school graduation. 10 years and 130k miles later I still average over 30mpg (40 if I'm driving highways). The only non-routine maintenance it's needed was replacing the water pump while it was still under warranty. I'm 99,9% certain I can get at least another 10 years out of it. 


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Re: Help, I'm about to buy a new car for my wife's insane commute!
« Reply #30 on: July 28, 2018, 12:37:24 PM »
Not to get too off topic, but I'm excited to read about two people here who live in RV's. My DH and I are contemplating trying vandwelling, but waiting until our 10-year-old dogs are no longer.

Back on topic, though...for a 6 month contract and then some unknown variables, taking on a car loan = facepunch. Find something used that gets reasonable gas mileage that you can pay cash for. 

Reddleman

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Re: Help, I'm about to buy a new car for my wife's insane commute!
« Reply #31 on: July 30, 2018, 03:08:34 PM »
I'm with the crowd on the Fit/Matrix/Vibe/Corolla train. The Fit is nice, but the resale is crazy- particularly since the other choices are statistically at least as reliable.  I think the best choice is the Vibe.  Since it's a "Pontiac", their resale value is dirt cheap in comparison even thought it is pretty much exactly a Matrix.

I repair all my own cars, but gave up on my wife's vehicle a few years ago.  She just drives too damn much for me to have to think about her cars- I'll just fix mine.  We got her a few year old Prius.  I tend to refer to it as the "World's Most Boring Car", because it is.  But Toyota did a good job with them. 

And it's a hatchback, so obviously safer, right?



RWD

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Re: Help, I'm about to buy a new car for my wife's insane commute!
« Reply #33 on: July 30, 2018, 07:42:39 PM »
buy this nissan versa note

https://www.hertzcarsales.com/certified/Nissan/2016-Nissan-Versa+Note-4ec4b2af0a0e0ae75ee5a1d70a51c155.htm

Really? You'd recommend dropping $10k on a known unreliable model that's been driven 20k miles per year as a rental?

magnet18

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Re: Help, I'm about to buy a new car for my wife's insane commute!
« Reply #34 on: August 08, 2018, 08:21:35 AM »
Thanks to everyone for the input here
We ended up getting a Honda Fit.  I looked hard at the vibe, but the internet has caught on, every Craigslist ad said "Pontiac vibe/Toyota matrix" and asked matrix prices. A rare case of people actually knowing what they have.

There was no way out of this situation without borrowing money somehow, so we got a 2018 model for $17k.

I can fix anything, but I can't fix everything, and god damn, between welding the showerpan, putting in a new floor because of the shower issue, rebuilding my truck engine, maintenance on the jeep trying to get it ready to sell (which will be for sale when my truck is running again), AC on the fritz, sealing seams on the airstream, full time engineering job, full time UCLA grad school, the fact that ALL of my parents vehicles have also broken down this summer, including the reliable ford ranger, lexus rx330, and the backup jeep, and my sisters car, so there isn't even a vehicle I can BORROW, so F*CK IT, I need SOMETHING I don't have to work on, so yes, I caved, and bought a brand spanking new honda fit for 17K, stick shift so we can tow it with us wherever we go, no options but floormats, and will proceed to drive it into the ground for the next 15 years.


I also plotted the depreciation curve, and it's more of a straight line with these, and other cheap reliable cars, which helped me justify it.