Help with our mustachian move + vehicle questions!

[icemodeled]

Hello fellow mustachians! We are late 20s, no kids and finally decided to move out of state, something we have dreamed of doing for several years. We decided this is the best time before we have kids. So, we want to evaluate everything and do all we can to save more each month after the move. One big area we need to figure out is vehicles. We have a 2008 Ford Escape and a 1987 GMC Sierra.

First question, we want to get a more fuel efficient vehicle. Our 2008 Ford Escape is getting high in miles.. At 180k now, had it 6 years and been a great vehicle. When we move, they charge a $400 first time registration fee.. We're thinking either to sell it before we move and buy there(avoiding that high fee) or sell now and purchase new car before moving. We have been looking at a Toyota Prius.. The 2008 models get 48 MPG and 2005 gets 60MPG! That's amazing, our escape gets about 25 MPG. Any other options with that good of MPG we should consider? We want to spend around $5000 max. Or should we just keep the escape until it dies out on us?

Another vehicle question, any suggestions for more fuel efficient trucks? It's a V6. We bought it for $700 but made a mistake taking it to a mechanic and they charged us $1400(which didn't make any difference in performance) We will sell it before moving but we will have to get one for doing our lawncare work. Was thinking an s10? They seem better on gas. We rather not spend more then $3000 on a truck though. Any opinions of fuel efficient trucks in a lower price point? It will only be used to do lawncare jobs.

As far as our actual move, we plan to move using Budget truck, doing it all ourselves. I believe cost was about $800, 16' truck. My parents were going to drive our 1 vehicle down (with our dog) and we would pay for their return flight. Gas I'm estimating at $300 and were driving it straight there(Ohio to FL). There return flight I'm estimating at $120. I don't really think there's any other cheaper options regarding the move.. We will sell most our furniture and buy slowly after we move from garage sales and Craigslist. Any advice on out of state moves would be great, it's about a 1200 mile move. We will pack lunch/snacks for the drive down and no hotel costs since driving straight there.

Once we get settled in I will do a new case study and budget post. I know there are still areas for improvement. Any suggestions especially about the vehicles would be much appreciated! Thanks!

[NoStacheOhio]

What are you actually looking for in a vehicle? Is it just for transporting humans and relatively small items? If so, a smallish sedan/hatch (including Prius) would seem to fit the bill.

If you require the second vehicle to be a truck, have you looked at 4 cyl Rangers? The 2WD/5MT versions get pretty decent mileage.

[Fishinshawn]

http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2012/03/19/top-10-cars-for-smart-people/  I'd recomend just gettign one of these and maybe buyign a small trailer for your occasional lawn care needs. But you'd be surprised what you can fit into a 4dr hatchback like those listed.

[icemodeled]

We are looking for just a vehicle to get us from A to B. Enough room for groceries, may take a couple weekend trips in it. Just my husband and I and occasionally an austrailian Shepard will be in it. This is just our everyday car (run errands ect)

I will look into the Rangers. We plan to make lawncare a full time job(just been a side job here) but will devote more time to building business. We have done very well with it here and expect to do the same when moved. On average we will use the truck 5 days a week, probably drive 20-50 miles a day? Hard to say, expecting about 15-20 lawns we will mow weekly. So about 4-5 a day to start out. Since we want to make this a more serious business, we want to have a professional appearance. So would like a nice looking truck(not full of rust ect) and will have a small trailer we haul the zero turn/push mower and misc equipment on. Just don't want t choose the most gas guzzling one out there so not all our profits will go to gas costs.

Thanks for the link, that definitely helps! I'll look over each one.

[Mikila]

You seem to be set on a pickup.  For gas mileage, the lighter, the better.  Are you set on any particular make?  Would a 4 cylinder Toyota Tacoma work for you?  Truck beds have gotten higher and higher over recent years, so a utility trailer would offer the easiest loading/unloading of mowers and other equipment.

Good luck on your move.  When deciding what to keep, I would really recommend thinking about replacement cost versus the size of the item.     

[lthenderson]

I would sell the truck and keep the car for the time being. Besides the move and costs associated with that, you have lots of costs coming up starting a business and outfitting your new house. Once you get down there, you can get a more fuel efficient truck for you business and save up for a car in the future. These days, 180k miles is just hitting prime for many vehicles, especially ones that have been cared for their entire lives.

[icemodeled]

Mikila, we are only looking at a pickup because of doing lawncare. It is the most practical as we will need to haul debris and mowing equipment in the bed of it while pulling the trailer. We are open to any make and year, just hoping to stay within $3000. I will definitely check out your suggestion. I would love a 4cyl, as I would think thatd be best on gas.. I would think it could still pull the trailer easily. Thanks for the advice!

ithenderson, Thanks for the reply! We do plan to try to sell the truck asap, we should move in 2-3 months. We have a good amount of equipment and such now that we will be selling and that money will go to buying new (but used) equipment there. Some things we are keeping (trimmers, blower, 1 mower, ect) and wont have to buy. We would have plunty to buy a car also, what we would sell our escape for will go right towards buying a better on gas car.

Our average monthly gas cost is $150. That seems so high.. considering we stay right around town. We havent done any lawn work since fall so this is just normal driving. (I work about 15 minutes away and he works 20 min away). Im not sure how big of a difference a vehicle like a prius or similar would make to the gas cost each month.. if its worth it or not to switch out. Our escape has been good but lately having a few issues now and then with shifting gears. My husband thinks could be transmition. I guess im getting concerned that something major may happen which would result in the car being worth very little.