How would you keep your losses at a minimum with vehicle replacement?

[ladyofthedogs]

@goodoldan Go electric. My job also pays for my car

 

[goodoldan]

@ladyofthedogs Yeah, the range would be an issue there. I drive 500 or more miles some days.

 

[ladyofthedogs]

@goodoldan The new Silverado could work for you but there is really only cost savings if you can charge overnight at home

 

[ace2015]

@ladyofthedogs If he’s driving 65-75k miles a year, how exactly do you think he’s gonna drive that many miles on a car that goes a couple hundred miles on a charge? Do you plan on him sitting at a charger half his life?

We already are seeing people who use teslas as cabs and put high mileage having their batteries completely die after a couple years. You cannot constantly fast charge an ev and have the battery last.

 

[ladyofthedogs]

@ace2015 I guess it depends on his driving habits. I do about 25k/yr and use a Ford lightning that I charge overnight at home every night

 

[ace2015]

@ladyofthedogs Yeah so OP drives 3x that amount which means they are going possibly 2-3x the range of a single charge in a day. Constant fast charges will kill and EV battery.

 

[ace2015]

@ladyofthedogs Also a Ford Lightning if you can even get ahold of one is like $100k. OP said inexpensive car.

 

[ladyofthedogs]

@ace2015 By not buying gas and charging with solar not buying gas allows me to get a way better car

 

[davidanderson1985]

@goodoldan I'm always amazed that there are people in America who drive 6000 miles a month, or 300 miles a day (assuming one is working 5 days a week). That's just an insane amount of miles. I just can't wrap my head around those numbers.

And this is just the commute. I can't even imagine driving 150 miles one way, every single day, which would be about 2.5 hours of solid high speed driving, and then working a full 9 hours, and then driving 150 miles back to home. Only to do the same thing the next day and the day after.

 

[mc_squared]

@davidanderson1985 Truck drivers do it every day!

 

[davidanderson1985]

@mc_squared

Truck drivers do it every day!

Yes, but that's the truck driver's job. Here, you have someone driving 5 hours a day just to commute, and THEN working 9 hours a day.

 

[mc_squared]

@davidanderson1985 No, if they are reimbursed for mileage, they’re not driving to an office and back…their job is partly being on the road like a salesman of some kind. The IRS doesn’t allow for standard mileage reimbursement deductions for driving to work and back. So essentially, their job IS on the road (while being paid and reimbursed for mileage) for a good chunk of their day.

 

[davidanderson1985]

@mc_squared That... makes a ton of sense. Thanks. I stand corrected.

 

[mc_squared]

@davidanderson1985 Haha, no worries. I only know this because I”ve been that road dawg salesperson!

 

[candicejoy218]

@goodoldan Upgrade the suspension in your current vehicle?

 

[goodoldan]

@candicejoy218 Planning on it. Getting estimates, parts lists, reading technical manuals, DIY write ups, watching how-to videos.

 

[aaarmstee67]

@goodoldan I keep seeing Mitsubishi Outlanders for sale with 25k-50k miles on them for around $10,000. We've had ours for 10 years, 200,000 miles plus and have only ever had regular maintenance costs (oil changes, tires, wipers). They get decent gas mileage- especially if you get the 4 cylinder.

 

[goodoldan]

@aaarmstee67 That's one I haven't come across in all of my looking, but It's probably too big and too little mpg. I'll check it out.

 

[seekhisface]

@goodoldan My best non beater was a Geo Metro from Enterprise rental, still had a little factory warranty left. I paid cash from a windfall. Enterprise actually does the scheduled maintenance. I got ten years of that as my daily work car with the then Federal mileage as almost all profit.

 

[ace2015]

@goodoldan I used to drive 30-50k for my job and my answer was a Prius. They are pretty cheap to buy and in my experience completely bulletproof in terms of reliability. They are also very cheap to maintain. They use small tires that are cheap to replace, and I would get about 70k on a set of brakes due to the regenerative braking they have. If you drive then gingerly on the highway you can average 50+mpg. I switched from a Subaru to a Prius and the car was essentially free with the money I saved in gas.

The traditional answer for high mileage drivers would be small diesel hatchback. Diesels are built to be more durable and can handle the high use. However the extra cost of diesel now will probably negate that.