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re: Buying a car. Loan question
Posted on 4/7/15 at 11:31 am to kennypowers816
Posted on 4/7/15 at 11:31 am to kennypowers816
quote:
kennypowers816
^^Makes a bunch of good points about TDI ownership. OP mentions a 1.5 hr commute, but does not state mileage. If it's really all high-speed highway driving, then the TDI might enough on fuel to offset higher maintenance costs. But, if it's mixed city/suburban without lots of highway miles, the TDI's fuel efficiency won't necessarily beat a smaller, very efficient gas car (like the aforementioned Corolla). Also you can easily find online calculators to help you compare fuel savings over time on vehicles of differing gas mileage.
This post was edited on 4/7/15 at 11:33 am
1
Posted on 4/7/15 at 11:38 am to hungryone
quote:
f it's really all high-speed highway driving, then the TDI might enough on fuel to offset higher maintenance costs.
Not likely when you factor in the price difference of diesel vs gas.
quote:
hungryone
Sorry for the slight derail, but were you the one that said you get 55-58 mpg in the summer? What do you do to get that?
I pretty much never get that for a whole tank. Maybe some small stretches of small highways going 50-60 mph, but I run 75+ for about 80% of my mileage and average much closer to 40.
This post was edited on 4/7/15 at 11:40 am
Posted on 4/7/15 at 11:54 am to kennypowers816
quote:
Sorry for the slight derail, but were you the one that said you get 55-58 mpg in the summer? What do you do to get that?
Nothing special. It's a 2015 Golf TDI. 25 mi commute, 20 mi rural/suburban driving, 5 mi city. In winter, it was averaging 47. Now that the weather's warmed up, I'm getting 51-55, with a few days so far up around 58 (if I get lucky and catch no red lights or trains). I'm told that fuel economy will get better after about 10K miles, as well. Granted, I'm only 5K miles in, the DSG tranny is fine. My SIL has a 2013 Passat, mostly rural/suburban driving, and she averages 45-55 bopping around to see clients.
It's the short hop driving that's a mileage killer. Even stop n go in traffic for longer periods yields better mileage than multi under 5 mile trips in a day.
Posted on 4/7/15 at 12:13 pm to olemissfan26
So you're current car doesn't even have 100k on it, but you're looking to buy a car that has at least 60k miles? Why buy a new car? Just how bad is your gas mileage?
I drive a 2010 Fusion 1,500 miles/month just to and from work.
I bought it with 64k miles for $12,000 in the fall of 2013.
This is the type of car you'll get for $11k
The car now has 97k miles (so you'll be in a similar situation very soon).
You bet your arse I'm not going to start looking for another car until I've got 175k on this one.
I get 33-34 mpg during my commute. Is this your only concern? Gas mileage? Is it worth getting a new car? Especially with how cheap gas could be for the foreseeable future...
I drive a 2010 Fusion 1,500 miles/month just to and from work.
I bought it with 64k miles for $12,000 in the fall of 2013.
This is the type of car you'll get for $11k
The car now has 97k miles (so you'll be in a similar situation very soon).
You bet your arse I'm not going to start looking for another car until I've got 175k on this one.
I get 33-34 mpg during my commute. Is this your only concern? Gas mileage? Is it worth getting a new car? Especially with how cheap gas could be for the foreseeable future...
This post was edited on 4/7/15 at 12:16 pm
Posted on 4/7/15 at 1:24 pm to hungryone
quote:
It's a 2015 Golf TDI. 25 mi commute, 20 mi rural/suburban driving, 5 mi city
Interesting. The newer model and the fact that its a golf probably have an effect. How are you measuring it? Calculating it yourself or just taking the reading on the dash?
Posted on 4/7/15 at 1:24 pm to kennypowers816
quote:
Not likely when you factor in the price difference of diesel vs gas.
Wife drives 120 miles daily with 115 of that being 55-60 mph limits. She's getting ~55 to the gallon and we come out ahead with the savings.
Posted on 4/7/15 at 1:33 pm to kennypowers816
quote:
How are you measuring it? Calculating it yourself or just taking the reading on the dash?
I calculate myself at each refill, but use the dash reading for comparing am vs pm commute. Average per tank is around 48-50. Increased temps mean it will probably go up a bit more.
Posted on 4/7/15 at 1:37 pm to Golfer
quote:
Wife drives 120 miles daily with 115 of that being 55-60 mph limits. She's getting ~55 to the gallon and we come out ahead with the savings.
If you're consistently getting ~55 mpg, then maybe it does make sense. This is pretty tough to know for sure. Just a few big factors to consider (assuming the same car, Jetta in this case, but different engines):
1 - Difference in the initial price of the vehicles
2 - Difference in realized fuel mileage
3 - Difference in realized fuel prices
4 - Difference in maintenance costs
What really helps in deciding between Jetta models is knowing that the TDI will hold its value better and will last much longer than the gas engine. Basically, this assumption significantly decreases the gasoline advantage in point #1. The longer you can hold the car, the better off you are with #2, assuming #3 remains constant. #4 is anyone's best guess.
-----
My point of saying that it's not likely was talking about cost of maintenance for a TDI vs Corolla, Elantra, Civic, etc. Again, I'm not ragging on TDI owners (I am one). I just don't think its the right move for this guy based on the facts he's provided thus far.
Posted on 4/7/15 at 1:42 pm to kennypowers816
quote:
I just don't think its the right move for this guy based on the facts he's provided thus far.
Indeed. If I were in the same position, I might want to take the existing car to a trusted mechanic for a once-over. If it has been well maintained, he might be better served changing key parts (timing belt, hoses, etc) for a couple grand and keeping it for another year or two. At my house, 100K is just getting broken in. Again, maintenance and make/model will determine whether 100K is edging into unreliability or if the OP just has the "wanna new car" jitters.
Posted on 4/7/15 at 9:12 pm to olemissfan26
I have a passat tdi and unless you can do the maintenance on the car yourself steer clear of it
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