Evil thoughts of change

[WormGod]

Maybe you all can help me out here.... I am getting tired of the VX. All the little things have slowly come full circle and added up to finally, trully annoy me about her. The subtle noises, mileage, minor defects, etc. I have made the mistake of even test driving some other cars just to really test myself. Luckily, most of the new cars I test drove were blah. The ones I don't necessarily care for, somehow, I liked.

Here is the siuation though.... I am about to be confronted with a boost in funds. I am in a position where I can get a second car, but that car would be my commuter, preferably something that is ONLY good on gas. I have seen squat out there that looks good and gets that good mileage. The only cars I see that I like are guzzlers, heh. I need one though, and if I do it this way, the VX stays in the garage and becomes "Daddy's Little Weekend Girl".

Just an idea of what I have been plundering around about....

Drove a used '98 Dodge Viper.... simply awesome, but cant have 2 weekend cars, and VX is NOT cutting it as a daily commuter.

Tried the H3.... amazing how much it felt like the VX. I generally am NOT a fan of the H2, but somehow, this was more like driving a Cherokee Sport. VX in garage, H3 sucks on gas, a no go.

Toyota Prius.... perfect, but damn is it fugly. Not as cheap as most people think either.

Honda Element.... not bad, but wow, if I wanted to drive a shoe box, I would just buy some new shoes.

Mini Cooper.... really slick, and as small as it is, I could save money on a casket if I were ever in an accident in it. Just bury me in the wreckage.

Corvette.... don't ask.... you already know the answer.

Toyota Rav4.... REALLY impressed me. Nice ride, decent gas.... definate contender. I did not expect this to surprise me.

If you all could fire me some more ideas, perhaps rides you have tried out, I would appreciate it. I am always trying to find the time to go test drive some more cars for a decent commuter. Something pretty good on gas, looks decent, and drives decent. I really would like to keep the VX as well, but we shall see what the final verdict is. *sigh*

Blue collar, trying to have the best of both worlds.

[bumblebee]

I bought a 2005 Jeep Wrangler last June and love it as a commuter vehicle. VX stays in garage. I am definitely going to check out the 2007 Wrangler with the V6. It's also wider and longer than the current Wrangler.

Keep the VX.

[Lori]

I had to deal with feelings of guilt for having fairly-strong sentiments that I was tired of the vehicle and ready for a new one. But then I remembered a card someone gave me:

Q: What do neruotics eat for lunch?
A: Guilt cheese sandwiches.

So I struggled with my decision to get rid of my VX and replace it with a zippy little sedan, but I didn't beat myself up about it. I love cars so much that I think I will always be getting new (well, used) ones every three or four years. (I wish I could be like Jay Leno and have a warehouse full of really-cool cars. Right now I have three in my garage.)

I wanted to go "luxurious," with butt warmers and other amenities. In the past month, I have test drove Mercedes C-class, Volvo S60, Audi A4 and BMW 3-series. It was a no-brainer to me -- the BMW as it felt so different and so much more fun than the others.

So I bought a used BMW 325:
http://www.stat.missouri.edu/~thombsl/PICS/bimmer1.jpg

I was kinda sneaky with finding a buyer for my red VX -- perused the past few auctions of VX on ebay and noticed a recurring name who would go up to certain price and then stop. I emailed him and now he is buying my VX. It's being shipped to Oregon (from St. Louis) in a few days. I gave him a good deal but I still got more than the low trade-in values I was getting from the dealers. (All 4 were almost exactly the same ~ $10.5K)

Of course I will still visit this site and check on the last VX chit-chat. I actually feel like I know you guys are friends, even though we've never met.

Well that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Lori

[AREA 51]

Yeah, how 'bout that new rav4? 268 horsepower and 4wd. I think it even has a new chassis. It's evolving.

[Navigator]

Yep it's time man, go ahead swap the VX for something new. It's just a vehicle not a religion or something for crying out loud, LOL. They'll be other affordable HALO vehicles someday, I hope. That new RAV4 may not turn heads, but it's got horses out the wazzoo, so go for it or whatever you decide to buy.

You'll still see me with my VX FOREVER, but then you know I ain't exactly rational

[carlymac]

Or you could have your head examined....lol.

[JAFO]

Changing vehicles to get better gas mileage may not be as cost effective as one might think. It may take years before breaking even on the change. Calculate how much more MPG that you will have to get to over come the cost in a timely manor.

For example lets take the average driver, who carves up 12,000 miles of pavement a year at 18 MPG (what my VX gets). At this rate of consumption you would burn up 666 (I didn't plan on this) gallons of gas. And lets say the average price of gas is $2.00 per gallon, giving us a total of $1,332.

Now lets say we upgrade to the Honda Insight, which gets 56 MPG, about the best you can get of any vehicle. So 12,000 miles / 56 MPG = 214 gallons of gas at $2.00 = $418.

So you save (1332 - 418) $918 per year. However, you must take into consideration the cost of abtaining the more fuel effecent vehicle. Lets say you trade in the VX and you get your loan pay off of $15000. Nothing lost nothing gained. The Insight is $22,000 (plus tax,title,etc). So you have the difference of $7000 which will take you 7 1/2 years to break even, before you start saving any money.

Yes, I did not account for the vehicle being new vs used but you also need to consider that in a couple of years the VX will be paid off and you will have approx $300 a month in your pocket instead of another car payment.


Second case, hybrid vs standard model.

Lets say we where going to by a new 2006 Ford Escape and we are trying deside if we should get the standard edition or the Hybrid.

Standard 2.3L 4 cyl gets 22 MPG city.
12,000 Miles at 22 MPG = 545 Gallons @ $2.00/gallon = $1090

Hybrid 2.3L 4 cyl gets 36 MPG city.
12,000 Miles at 36 MPG = 333 Gallons @ $2.00/gallon = $666

So with the Hybrid you will save $424 per year but on average the Hybrid will cost you $2,500 more. Taking nearly six years to break even before you begin to save any money. Not to mention that the Hybrid has additional parts that need maintenance, repair, and possibly having there own environmental disposal concerns.


Changing vehicle just to save on gas is not cost effective. Consider how many years you keep a vehicle on average; is it five years or less? You may never even make it to see a savings.

That is unless you happen to own an EV1, but wait a minute GM scrapped them all. Thanks, GM!

[Jolly Roger VX'er]

That's a toughie. In the end, only you can really answer your question after some reflecting and soul-searching.

In the past, I've never held onto any vehicle longer than 3-4 years before getting either thoroughly bored of it or tired of it letting me down (breakdowns or nickel-diming me to death). I'll be finally paying mine off this summer (big party everyone!!!) which will bring me up to 5.5 yrs of ownership when that day occurs. I have a daily driver to take life's beating (1995 "torch red" Chevrolet Monte Carlo Z-34) to get me to and fro to work and it gets about 22/23 miles per gallon regularly.

Personally, the region I live in tends to dismiss imports in general; and I really haven't had the positive remarks and bouts of head-turning like many others on this board experience. Sometimes when I hear people at work or in public get excited about Dodges (Rams, Chargers, SRT8 vehicles etc..) Fords(Mustangs, Lightenings, etc....) GM's (SSR's, Vettes, GTO's, etc...), I get a little envious. If I lived somewhere else where people got as excited about my VX as I do I'd be hard-pressed to let her go!!!!!

Basically I feel I'd get screwed royally if I ever traded her in since I bought her new when they were priced at $32k. My personal game-plan is to keep her and wait to see if that new Dodge Challenger with the 6.1 Hemi V8 gets the ok for production. Then, I'll most likely make my VX a daily driver (unless the resale value goes up dramatically!) and buy the Challenger for my pleasure vehicle!

The only other vehicle I've been slightly tempted by is that Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8....but, I've refrained from test-driving one and I like the looks of my VX alot more.

My advice to you....is to install that blower and then make your decision afterwards! It just might change your mind Plus, your mileage might go up over-all as mine has!

[Joe_Black]

Understand you as I've had "wandering car eye" quite a bit lately. My problem is, it's among my own "herd"! With two VX's in the family it was hard to make the decision to part with one, especiallly the first one that was bought new. I pay it off next week and that makes having it up for grabs even harder! But, if I ever want to do the turbo-diesel swap on the IronMan the funds have to be available. Good Isuzu diesels aren't cheap. There's a Cummins 4-cylinder that'll fit and mate to the stock transmission, but at 200+ HP and over 500 lbs. of torque I'm afraid the 4L30E won't last long.

In any case, you've got to determine what's going to be the best fit for your daily needs and still make you feel good driving it. Call that the "fun factor". I'm working on 3 replacements for the Dragon as a daily driver: 1982 Mercedes 300D, 1988 Merkur XR4Ti and a 1986 Toyota MR2. The 300D and XR4Ti will get done first since they've got the most space, as I can't fit a server and router, or big printer in the MR2 which is the kind of stuff I haul around for work. Since I've also got an antique semi my truckish hauling needs are already met, although I get funny looks at Home Depot when making a lumber run with a tandem-axle cab-over sleeper.

So if you have occasional needs where having large cargo area (not necessarily cavernous, but tall) is handy then probably the RAV4 is your car. Toyota quality and service goes a long way, not to mention the significant boosts the RAV4 platform has received during it's life. I've always liked the RAV4 for it's simplicity and balance of features, and enjoy the opportunity to drive one.

If economy is a goal, then take a look at the VW Jetta TDI. The new styling is very sharp and they're comfortable, plus the handling qualities have been reviewed very favoritively as sporty. The fold-down rear seats offer fair storage. The power is impressive (TORQUE!) and a friend with a new Golf TDI is getting near 40MPG in excessively aggressive driving. I followed him to lunch one day in the VX and had a hard time keeping up from stops.

As for rattles, sqeaks and general maintenance issues? Well, no vehicle will be without them. The sign that they annoy you belies another issue which is your subconcious desire to move on. Believe me, as a former automotive restorer you can find something wrong with any new vehicle if you look enough. When you're in one day-to-day things you initially didn't notice during the "honeymoon phase" become apparent and repetitive. Then you'll soon be where you are now.

For what it's worth, my two centavos.

[mistermg]

let us know if the ebony becomes FOR SALE..........

[TEN36VX]

Mini Cooper.... really slick, and as small as it is, I could save money on a casket if I were ever in an accident in it. Just bury me in the wreckage.

Dont discount the Mini. They beat out the Ford F150 in offset frontal crash tests; almost no passenger compartment intrusion. Just a thought. I plan on getting a Mini for a commuter.

[thedutchguy]

To us guys : cars are emotion.
It just depends on how much you are willing to spend, and........................

[WormGod]

Turning a new page this weekend. Gonna look at EVERYTHING out there. I sat down and talked to my ex g/f the other night about the Viper, and just like most women, she was able to fill that hole in my head with some sense. Needless to say, without her (even as the ex), I would probably be living life miserably with LOTS of expensive toys. So, she put me back on track with what I was originally looking for.

BTW, the Viper does have issues with early 90's years. I worked on enough of them back then to know that they are EASILY nothing more than a weekend car. And it must be a perfect, children's book day too. Unfortunately, I HATE the new body style. Oh well.

Anyone know much about the new 350Z's? Never really thought about them much but it is s hell of a nice body style. Might have to add that to my list (looks like a Scooby is sitting prettyy at the top of that list).

[mbeach]

First off, I LOVE Nissan -probably more than Subaru due to my longer history owning Nissan/Datsuns.
I just put a Titan in the driveway, and will most likely add a Pathfinder or Armada by the end of summer.

The Z's window openings are very small -if you are tall, you will find them uncomfortably narrow. Looking over your shoulder (for a merge, etc.) will find you looking at a piece of the ceiling. In fact, rearward visibility in general is as bad as the VX now that I think about it.
I still like the car though -maybe as a convertible for nice days only.

HOWEVER...

During one of the oddest icestorms that Fairbanks has ever seen (this week), the 4wd on the Titan went out. Since the VX is waiting on parts, the wife and I have been using the truck exclusively. She was driving on snot-slick ice all day in 2wd, even though the 4wd indicator was lit.
When she came to pick me up, she was driving sideways down the road. Hmmm... I do a quick parking lot test and immediately take it in to the dealer, where I am informed of a 'secret' recall (yes, there's no record of this).
The bolts that hold the front driveshafts onto the differential output flanges FELL OUT! All 6 on the driver's side were gone, and 4 on the passenger side were lost -the other two were barely finger tight. Apparently there was a problem at Nissan's Alabama (or Mississippi) assembly plant and the 12 bolts were not torqued to spec. So thanks to the same folks that killed Mercedes' ML series and BMW's Z series, (and are killing the Super Dutys), my $40k 4x4 was turned into a useless (for Alaska) roadhazard for an entire day.

The moral of this (long) story -whatever you buy, make sure that it's put together in Japan.

[Ruflyf]

Probably MS plant, they not too bright down here..lol..thank god I am not a native