Rethinking Vehicles in a Petrol Scarce Age
Jun. 3rd, 2008 02:34 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
spirithorse21This past year, two years has been tough for my little truck. I own a 1998 Chevy Blazer that has around 112 thousand miles on it, several new parts, and is responsible for towing my 1991 Trailet two-horse bumper pull trailer. Some of you may think I'm crazy for regularly towing with such a small SUV, but both my trusted mechanic and my father repeatedly reassure me that all is well with this arrangement. Joan, my truck, also instills confidence in this arrangement--she easily tows my boys anywhere around Indiana, especially with the addition of her fuel pump. Now, hauling through the mountains may be another story, but she does a great job here in my relatively flat midwestern state.
Joan is 10 years old, is nearly rebuilt, and has a lot of miles on her. In reality, I need to think about getting a new vehicle. I have always dreamed of getting a true pickup truck, as you may recall. Something like this lovely Chevy Silverado:
But fuel prices have been climbing steadily since 2003 and now they're soaring. We're on the brink of $4/gallon gas with predictions of $5 by the end of summer. Further projections include $7-$9 per gallon. One cannot bat her eyes at that!
Just yesterday, my friend Robin told me that she's selling her 2007 Silverado. Robin is sort of my bench mark for all things logical and smart when it comes to decision about horses, cars, boys, trailers, homes, and finances. When she said she was going to give up her truck because of gas prices, it really got me thinking about the reality of these gas prices. Yes, I've been worried about buying a new truck, but it's not a reality for me yet, so the thoughts just simmered on the back burner. But now, I'm thinking...
Joan is paid off. She has just about every new part you could ask for, including some really important ones like the transmission, brakes and rotors, tires, and fuel pump. Her insurance is dirt cheap, and so are her plates. She does a good job pulling my relatively light-weight trailer. I don't plan on moving to the mountains anytime soon. For an SUV, she gets pretty good gas mileage, even towing the trailer. So why should I pass her on down the line, gaining a mere $3K to $5K (if I'm lucky) toward a new vehicle when I can keep her for towing purposes only? Why buy a gas-guzzling truck when I can buy a fuel-efficient hatch back?
And so, my idea was hatched: Keep Joan and use her for towing purposes only. Talk to my mechanic about ways to extend and improve her life and towing capabilities. Buy a used, fuel-efficient hatch back for everyday purposes.
Which brings me to my three favorite options:
The Mazda3 5 door Touring AT
It starts at $19K new and has a fuel efficiency of 22/29 mpg. It comes with a 2.3L, inline 4 cylinder engine and 156HP.
The Pontiac Vibe
I'm not really set on a model yet. The 1.8L is the best value and has the best fuel efficiency: starts at $16K and gets 25/31 mpg. But there is also a 2.4L, an AWD, and a GT model. At any rate, they top out around $21K new with all my dream features.
The Subaru Baja
This vehicle is no longer produced. Subaru stopped making them in 2006. But I've always been in love with it's cross over qualities between a car and truck. I'm fairly amazed with its features: a 2.5L, 4 cylinder engine with 150HP. Amazingly, the fuel efficiency isn't horrible either: 21/27. Currently, I have found a Certified Pre-Owned 2004 Baja for $18,900 that only has 23K miles on it. I feel the need to go for a test drive at the very least, even if a Baja isn't the smartest choice. Quite simply, I have lusted over these cars for years. *grin*
Replacing the Baja with a more sensible Subaru, CarTalk recommended that I consider the Impreza 5 door Outback.
The Subaru Impreza 5 door Outback
Now, this car begins at $20k, but Subarus are great cars and very rugged--something I really like. It has a 2.5L engine and fuel efficiency is 20/26. To make up for (or rather, contributing to) the lower MPG rating, the Impreza has 170HP.
Out of all of them, my heart goes to the Baja. Realistically, I just need to go test drive these vehicles and talk to some experts about the pros and cons of each. I think it'll be another year before I do anything, but you never know. Maybe I'll jump on this a little quicker than that.
Adding to the list, worthy of a test drive but not a full discription:
1. Saturn Astra
2. Nissan Versa
3. Suzuki Forenza Wagon
Joan is 10 years old, is nearly rebuilt, and has a lot of miles on her. In reality, I need to think about getting a new vehicle. I have always dreamed of getting a true pickup truck, as you may recall. Something like this lovely Chevy Silverado:
But fuel prices have been climbing steadily since 2003 and now they're soaring. We're on the brink of $4/gallon gas with predictions of $5 by the end of summer. Further projections include $7-$9 per gallon. One cannot bat her eyes at that!
Just yesterday, my friend Robin told me that she's selling her 2007 Silverado. Robin is sort of my bench mark for all things logical and smart when it comes to decision about horses, cars, boys, trailers, homes, and finances. When she said she was going to give up her truck because of gas prices, it really got me thinking about the reality of these gas prices. Yes, I've been worried about buying a new truck, but it's not a reality for me yet, so the thoughts just simmered on the back burner. But now, I'm thinking...
Joan is paid off. She has just about every new part you could ask for, including some really important ones like the transmission, brakes and rotors, tires, and fuel pump. Her insurance is dirt cheap, and so are her plates. She does a good job pulling my relatively light-weight trailer. I don't plan on moving to the mountains anytime soon. For an SUV, she gets pretty good gas mileage, even towing the trailer. So why should I pass her on down the line, gaining a mere $3K to $5K (if I'm lucky) toward a new vehicle when I can keep her for towing purposes only? Why buy a gas-guzzling truck when I can buy a fuel-efficient hatch back?
And so, my idea was hatched: Keep Joan and use her for towing purposes only. Talk to my mechanic about ways to extend and improve her life and towing capabilities. Buy a used, fuel-efficient hatch back for everyday purposes.
Which brings me to my three favorite options:
The Mazda3 5 door Touring AT
It starts at $19K new and has a fuel efficiency of 22/29 mpg. It comes with a 2.3L, inline 4 cylinder engine and 156HP.
The Pontiac Vibe
I'm not really set on a model yet. The 1.8L is the best value and has the best fuel efficiency: starts at $16K and gets 25/31 mpg. But there is also a 2.4L, an AWD, and a GT model. At any rate, they top out around $21K new with all my dream features.
The Subaru Baja
This vehicle is no longer produced. Subaru stopped making them in 2006. But I've always been in love with it's cross over qualities between a car and truck. I'm fairly amazed with its features: a 2.5L, 4 cylinder engine with 150HP. Amazingly, the fuel efficiency isn't horrible either: 21/27. Currently, I have found a Certified Pre-Owned 2004 Baja for $18,900 that only has 23K miles on it. I feel the need to go for a test drive at the very least, even if a Baja isn't the smartest choice. Quite simply, I have lusted over these cars for years. *grin*
Replacing the Baja with a more sensible Subaru, CarTalk recommended that I consider the Impreza 5 door Outback.
The Subaru Impreza 5 door Outback
Now, this car begins at $20k, but Subarus are great cars and very rugged--something I really like. It has a 2.5L engine and fuel efficiency is 20/26. To make up for (or rather, contributing to) the lower MPG rating, the Impreza has 170HP.
Out of all of them, my heart goes to the Baja. Realistically, I just need to go test drive these vehicles and talk to some experts about the pros and cons of each. I think it'll be another year before I do anything, but you never know. Maybe I'll jump on this a little quicker than that.
Adding to the list, worthy of a test drive but not a full discription:
1. Saturn Astra
2. Nissan Versa
3. Suzuki Forenza Wagon
