Author Topic: 1994 Toyota Corolla or 2011 Ford Fusion?  (Read 10230 times)

warpgirl

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1994 Toyota Corolla or 2011 Ford Fusion?
« on: March 21, 2014, 11:15:35 AM »
Need some advice from the community- like the title suggests, we have the option of taking a 1994 Corolla or 2011 Fusion from either set of parents. The question is, which one is better to have in the long run?

Background
My husband and I don't currently own a car, but just moved to our first home in an area where it would be useful to have for certain non-walkable/bikeable weekend errands. (We live in the inner suburbs of DC, where car-sharing options are limited, unfortunately.) My parents want to give us their 2011 Ford Fusion SE, that has about 60k miles on it. My husband's parents still have the 1994 Toyota Corolla that he used through high school and college before moving to DC. I think it's got close to 180k on it.

The car will sit in our driveway for most of the time (like many older homes in the DC area, we don't have a garage). So my husband thinks we should drive his old Corolla up from Tennessee and use that, since he believes the Fusion is too nice to just let sit most of the time. Plus the MD excise tax on even an essentially free 2011 car will be about $640 compared to $38 for the 1994. (Although with the drive from TN the cost difference will probably end up being slightly less stark.) I'm voting for the Fusion, but would like the advice of wise people who have owned more cars than me (which is anyone who's ever owned a car).

Pros and Cons
Pros of Fusion- it's got side airbags and is generally probably safer, it has fewer miles on it so would hopefully last another 5-10 years with no major problems, it looks better, no hurting my parents' feelings
Cons of Fusion- more expensive on the front end (taxes), nice car only getting driven ~5,000 miles a year

Pros of Corolla- it's cheaper on taxes, don't have to worry as much about it gets scratched or dented, it gets the job done
Cons of Corolla- paint job is fading, may not have ABS (need to ask his parents), no power doors or windows, lots more miles on it (reliability concern?), might offend my parents if we reject gift

The same or similar- insurance costs and gas mileage
Unknowns- maintenance costs, repair costs if something goes wrong- which will cost more to fix?

Conclusion
If you had to make this choice, and wanted something that would last another 5-10 years, with babies and kids riding in it eventually, which would you choose? Thanks for any thoughts or advice!

MPAVictoria

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Re: 1994 Toyota Corolla or 2011 Ford Fusion?
« Reply #1 on: March 21, 2014, 11:29:12 AM »
This is an easy one, take the Fusion.  It will be MUCH safer, larger and more reliable than the 20 year old Toyota.

FIPurpose

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Re: 1994 Toyota Corolla or 2011 Ford Fusion?
« Reply #2 on: March 21, 2014, 11:29:44 AM »
You should also consider that you're insurance will be way less with a cheaper car. the Corolla will not need comprehensive coverage and should save you a lot of money for a car that you don't plan to drive too often.

Best of both worlds: take gift car and sell it (?) and keep the corolla for cheaper costs. That way you're accepting the gift and having cheaper ownership costs.

Thegoblinchief

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Re: 1994 Toyota Corolla or 2011 Ford Fusion?
« Reply #3 on: March 21, 2014, 11:34:00 AM »
You can't go wrong either way. Both are nice cars despite the age difference.

From a purely financial perspective, the Fusion is a more valuable gift and will likely cost less over the long run despite the tax and insurance difference.

Personally, I'd take the cheap car though. Cheaper to run. Dead easy to DIY, whereas the Fusion is kind of a pain to work on (my Mom has one).

And at 5K a year, even the Corolla will easily last another 4-5 years barring a major accident. Even a catastrophic repair like engine or transmission is cheap on an old car...if you can DIYi/putz.

Forcus

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Re: 1994 Toyota Corolla or 2011 Ford Fusion?
« Reply #4 on: March 21, 2014, 11:45:34 AM »
Without thinking about it, hands down, I'd take the free Fusion.

That being said, from a pure cost perspective, here is the equation for a three year period:

(Average MPG / Miles Per Month) * Average Fuel Cost * 36 = 3 Year Fuel Cost
(Value at Beginning - Value at End of 3 Years) = Effective 3 Year Asset Cost
Estimated Insurance Per Month * 36 = 3 Year Insurance Cost
Estimated Maintenance Per Month * 36 = 3 Year Maintenance Cost
Estimated Registration / Taxes Per Year * 3 = 3 Year Maintenance Cost

Add all of them up and divide by 36 for EACH VEHICLE and you get the effective monthly cost for each vehicle.

This gives you an idea on opportunity cost. It's why it can make more sense to get a newer, more expensive vehicle than an older one. Note, 36 months was what I selected. It could be any amount of time but the longer it is, the more variable there will be for maintenance costs, and depreciation cost (e.g. the value at beginning - value at end).







warpgirl

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Re: 1994 Toyota Corolla or 2011 Ford Fusion?
« Reply #5 on: March 21, 2014, 11:54:30 AM »
Cool- thanks Forcus! I'll crunch those numbers and see where that leads.

warpgirl

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Re: 1994 Toyota Corolla or 2011 Ford Fusion?
« Reply #6 on: March 21, 2014, 11:59:31 AM »
Best of both worlds: take gift car and sell it (?) and keep the corolla for cheaper costs. That way you're accepting the gift and having cheaper ownership costs.

Yeah, I thought of that... hmm...

AJ

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Re: 1994 Toyota Corolla or 2011 Ford Fusion?
« Reply #7 on: March 21, 2014, 12:07:44 PM »
Which set of parents will be more offended about you rejecting their gift? For me, that would be the tougher part of the equation, since either car would be great.

lackofstache

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Re: 1994 Toyota Corolla or 2011 Ford Fusion?
« Reply #8 on: March 21, 2014, 12:30:15 PM »
I'd personally take the Corolla, the Fusion makes lots of sense, especially if you just put liability insurance on it. I wouldn't worry about the "too nice for 5K miles/yr" thing, it'll just last and be nice that much longer. If you take the Fusion and something happens to it, would you still have access to the Corolla? If so, I'd go that route.

warpgirl

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Re: 1994 Toyota Corolla or 2011 Ford Fusion?
« Reply #9 on: March 21, 2014, 12:32:38 PM »
Which set of parents will be more offended about you rejecting their gift? For me, that would be the tougher part of the equation, since either car would be great.

My parents are the only ones offering their car as a gift. DH's parents would presumably be fine with letting us take back his old car, but we haven't asked yet.

warpgirl

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Re: 1994 Toyota Corolla or 2011 Ford Fusion?
« Reply #10 on: March 21, 2014, 12:35:08 PM »
I'd personally take the Corolla, the Fusion makes lots of sense, especially if you just put liability insurance on it. I wouldn't worry about the "too nice for 5K miles/yr" thing, it'll just last and be nice that much longer. If you take the Fusion and something happens to it, would you still have access to the Corolla? If so, I'd go that route.

Yeah, DH's parents are frugal to the nth degree, so I'm sure the Corolla will be around for as long as it keeps running.

MPAVictoria

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Re: 1994 Toyota Corolla or 2011 Ford Fusion?
« Reply #11 on: March 21, 2014, 12:39:13 PM »
"If you had to make this choice, and wanted something that would last another 5-10 years, with babies and kids riding in it eventually, which would you choose?"

You are planning on putting your children in this car right? Go with the Fusion. Seriously. Car safety has improved tremendously in 20 years.

randymarsh

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Re: 1994 Toyota Corolla or 2011 Ford Fusion?
« Reply #12 on: March 21, 2014, 12:47:11 PM »


Just kidding.

I would take the Fusion. It's larger, which will be nice when you have kids. It's definitely safer. I know "safety is an expensive illusion", but in this case you're barely spending anything and getting ABS brakes, side airbags, and ESC.  It's not like you're spending 60K on a Mercedes that automatically applies the brakes.

warpgirl

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Re: 1994 Toyota Corolla or 2011 Ford Fusion?
« Reply #13 on: March 21, 2014, 12:48:10 PM »
You are planning on putting your children in this car right? Go with the Fusion. Seriously. Car safety has improved tremendously in 20 years.

Theoretical children at this point. :-) But yes, I think safety is my biggest consideration when I think about the cost-benefit analysis in the long term.

zolotiyeruki

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Re: 1994 Toyota Corolla or 2011 Ford Fusion?
« Reply #14 on: March 21, 2014, 02:56:43 PM »
As an owner of a '95 Corolla with 192k miles and fading paint, I'd say it's a tossup, but maybe that's because I love my Corolla.  Certainly the Fusion is worth more (could you accept it as a gift, sell it, buy a much cheaper car, and save the difference for retirement?), but the Corolla isn't bad to work on, and if it's been maintained, it could easily go another 100k miles.  I'm almost 100% certain the '94 Corolla DOESN'T have ABS, because mine has power locks/windows but no ABS, despite being one year newer.

1967mama

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Re: 1994 Toyota Corolla or 2011 Ford Fusion?
« Reply #15 on: March 21, 2014, 03:01:04 PM »
I'd vote for the newer car -- the fusion -- without hesitation. 

Calvin

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Re: 1994 Toyota Corolla or 2011 Ford Fusion?
« Reply #16 on: March 21, 2014, 03:53:31 PM »
I vote fore the Fusion too. I think it's shortsighted to look at the relatively small amount saved and ignore safety concerns.

Milspecstache

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Re: 1994 Toyota Corolla or 2011 Ford Fusion?
« Reply #17 on: March 21, 2014, 09:13:27 PM »
Do both.  Get the Fusion with the assurance that the Corolla will also be kept around (not at your place but your in-laws) with someone else paying for the upkeep, insurance, tags, etc.

If something happens to the Fusion, then go ask for the Corolla back.

CarDude

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Re: 1994 Toyota Corolla or 2011 Ford Fusion?
« Reply #18 on: March 21, 2014, 09:22:11 PM »
The Corolla is a deathtrap compared to the Fusion, which is one of the safest cars you can buy. ESC, head/torso airbags, ABS, ~3200 lb curb weight, good front, side, and roof scores...it's not even close.

As a comparison from the most objective POV available...the Corolla had a driver death rate of 93. The prior generation Fusion had a DDR of 23...5 times better. And the current Fusion generation has a number of safety improvements over the prior gen Fusion, meaning the DDR should be even lower.

Safety is pooh-poohed too often on these forums, but the fact that the overwhelming majority of people in this thread are emphasizing it should be a warning. I write about this stuff on a weekly basis. Go with the Fusion.

dodojojo

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Re: 1994 Toyota Corolla or 2011 Ford Fusion?
« Reply #19 on: March 21, 2014, 10:54:44 PM »
Would the Carolla pass MD's inspection?  I had heard it was pretty tough.  My friends had an early 2000's Honda CRV which passed DC's inspection without a problem.  They moved to MD in the same year and to register their car, they were quoted over $2K in fixes.  Maybe it was a shady inspection shop?  Ultimately they traded it in for a new car.

Milspecstache

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Re: 1994 Toyota Corolla or 2011 Ford Fusion?
« Reply #20 on: March 22, 2014, 08:23:39 PM »
The Corolla is a deathtrap compared to the Fusion, which is one of the safest cars you can buy. ESC, head/torso airbags, ABS, ~3200 lb curb weight, good front, side, and roof scores...it's not even close.

As a comparison from the most objective POV available...the Corolla had a driver death rate of 93. The prior generation Fusion had a DDR of 23...5 times better. And the current Fusion generation has a number of safety improvements over the prior gen Fusion, meaning the DDR should be even lower.

Safety is pooh-poohed too often on these forums, but the fact that the overwhelming majority of people in this thread are emphasizing it should be a warning. I write about this stuff on a weekly basis. Go with the Fusion.

Where can I see a comprehensive list of death rates by car model?

CarDude

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Re: 1994 Toyota Corolla or 2011 Ford Fusion?
« Reply #21 on: March 22, 2014, 08:48:00 PM »
The Corolla is a deathtrap compared to the Fusion, which is one of the safest cars you can buy. ESC, head/torso airbags, ABS, ~3200 lb curb weight, good front, side, and roof scores...it's not even close.

As a comparison from the most objective POV available...the Corolla had a driver death rate of 93. The prior generation Fusion had a DDR of 23...5 times better. And the current Fusion generation has a number of safety improvements over the prior gen Fusion, meaning the DDR should be even lower.

Safety is pooh-poohed too often on these forums, but the fact that the overwhelming majority of people in this thread are emphasizing it should be a warning. I write about this stuff on a weekly basis. Go with the Fusion.

Where can I see a comprehensive list of death rates by car model?

http://www.iihs.org/iihs/topics/driver-death-rates

Not every model is present, but a lot are, and you can extrapolate results for a given vehicle within a generation (e.g., the '07 CR-V results would be the same between '07 and '12 CR-Vs).

Bookworm

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Re: 1994 Toyota Corolla or 2011 Ford Fusion?
« Reply #22 on: March 22, 2014, 09:25:06 PM »
I'd go with the Fusion.  We just (last week) discovered the value of having a car with multiple airbags when a driver going nearly 100 MPH slammed into the rear of my husband's car at highway speed and sent him spinning into the concrete center divider.  He is bruised and shaken and the car is destroyed, but he walked away.

Bookworm

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Re: 1994 Toyota Corolla or 2011 Ford Fusion?
« Reply #23 on: March 22, 2014, 09:28:10 PM »
The Corolla is a deathtrap compared to the Fusion, which is one of the safest cars you can buy. ESC, head/torso airbags, ABS, ~3200 lb curb weight, good front, side, and roof scores...it's not even close.

As a comparison from the most objective POV available...the Corolla had a driver death rate of 93. The prior generation Fusion had a DDR of 23...5 times better. And the current Fusion generation has a number of safety improvements over the prior gen Fusion, meaning the DDR should be even lower.

Safety is pooh-poohed too often on these forums, but the fact that the overwhelming majority of people in this thread are emphasizing it should be a warning. I write about this stuff on a weekly basis. Go with the Fusion.

Where can I see a comprehensive list of death rates by car model?

http://www.iihs.org/iihs/topics/driver-death-rates

Not every model is present, but a lot are, and you can extrapolate results for a given vehicle within a generation (e.g., the '07 CR-V results would be the same between '07 and '12 CR-Vs).

Thank you for this.

CarDude

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Re: 1994 Toyota Corolla or 2011 Ford Fusion?
« Reply #24 on: March 23, 2014, 08:58:20 AM »
The Corolla is a deathtrap compared to the Fusion, which is one of the safest cars you can buy. ESC, head/torso airbags, ABS, ~3200 lb curb weight, good front, side, and roof scores...it's not even close.

As a comparison from the most objective POV available...the Corolla had a driver death rate of 93. The prior generation Fusion had a DDR of 23...5 times better. And the current Fusion generation has a number of safety improvements over the prior gen Fusion, meaning the DDR should be even lower.

Safety is pooh-poohed too often on these forums, but the fact that the overwhelming majority of people in this thread are emphasizing it should be a warning. I write about this stuff on a weekly basis. Go with the Fusion.

Where can I see a comprehensive list of death rates by car model?

http://www.iihs.org/iihs/topics/driver-death-rates

Not every model is present, but a lot are, and you can extrapolate results for a given vehicle within a generation (e.g., the '07 CR-V results would be the same between '07 and '12 CR-Vs).

Thank you for this.

You're welcome!

warpgirl

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Re: 1994 Toyota Corolla or 2011 Ford Fusion?
« Reply #25 on: March 24, 2014, 09:40:02 AM »
Thanks for all the great advice everybody! I'm convinced the Fusion is the way to go and my husband is too. I think we were both annoyed that we'll have to pay so much in MD taxes for an essentially free car. The safety and reliability of the newer car seem to more than make up for that however.

Would the Carolla pass MD's inspection?  I had heard it was pretty tough.

Very true and I hadn't thought of that. So many things to think about as I become a car owner! I almost made it to 30 car-free, but alas. :-)

I'll be sure to post a photo of us posing with the new "hot rod" when it arrives!

zarfus

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Re: 1994 Toyota Corolla or 2011 Ford Fusion?
« Reply #26 on: March 24, 2014, 11:08:47 AM »
I'd go with the Fusion.  We just (last week) discovered the value of having a car with multiple airbags when a driver going nearly 100 MPH slammed into the rear of my husband's car at highway speed and sent him spinning into the concrete center divider.  He is bruised and shaken and the car is destroyed, but he walked away.

Wow, glad to hear he's ok.  This is what I came to say...safety value alone makes this a no-brainer.

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!