WWMMD? Car Edition

[picaflora]

I'm going to try to keep this as brief as possible, but give you all the details.

DH commutes to work 50 miles one way. It hasn't been that big of a deal because he carpools with a friend most days and they split the gas.

We had 2 vehicles - an F-150 and a Nissan Sentra. I normally took the Sentra except for the days he drove to work - then I took the truck (My commute is 12 miles one way).

While driving home in the Sentra DH got rear-ended and it totaled the car. We replaced with a used Subaru Outback that I'd been wanting forever. (The Sentra didn't have much space for longer trips or camping, and taking the truck gets expensive).

Fast forward to this week - DH's carpool buddy is leaving that job to go somewhere else. No one else from his office lives near us. The Outback gets 27mpg. This isn't horrible... but not great. We've already decided that he'll stay overnight at his parent's house (they're in the same town as his office) 2 nights a week to cut back on gas/mileage.

DH asked me tonight if I would consider trading in the Outback for a more fuel friendly vehicle. We would sell the Outback privately for what we bought it for, and he would have to find something for the same amount or less. There is a loan on the Outback, but we did put some money on the car as well.

Would you trade in the car you've been wanting for a more fuel-efficient car? Or would you keep it? It was supposed to be "my" car, but at this point I'm not going to drive it much. DH will most likely be at this job for at least 2 years, if not longer. We don't want and aren't in a position to move to that town in the foreseeable future.

[lanyac]

Can you get rid of the f-150?

[IrishBelle]

May 10, 2012 20:17:13 GMT -5 lanyac said:

Can you get rid of the f-150?

This would be my suggestion as well. Replace it with something more fuel efficient and you get to drive the Outback again.

[picaflora]

We are trying to keep the truck - we use it quite a bit as we DIY lots of things around the house. Also... its a 2005 with only 13,500 miles on it. We got it from DH's boss (belonged to his FIL) and they sold it to us for $10,000 because they needed to get rid of it. Its paid off, and worth $15,000 - 18,000. We could do so, but I'm not sure we're at that point. We want to eventually get a pop-up or a small camper and give up the tent camping. We'd need a truck at that point, and we expect this truck to be around for a LONG time.

It does make the most sense though doesn't it. :/

[FishChicks]

Would you try to replace the Outback with something more fuel efficient and equally roomy for camping, or just a fuel efficient small car? What will be the savings from the vehicle that replaces the Outback, versus the cost of using the truck for camping trips and DIY projects?

I have an Outback, too, so I'm looking for some justification for you to keep yours!

[picaflora]

DH was looking at the Impreza Sport hatchback, since the highway mpg is 10 miles higher. However, I'm not seeing any used ones in our area, and the new ones are a bit more than I would be willing to spend.

We aren't sure what we'd replace it with yet. DH is hoping to find something with 34mpg or higher. He liked the Chevy Malibu that they gave him as a rental - but that's not happening. You've definitely given me something to think about and I'd have to crunch some numbers.