To keep the commuter car or drive the Taco to work....

Bought the 2015 Tacoma in August. I also own a 2005 Toyota Matrix with about 145,000 miles on it. I had been planning on keeping the car to commute my 60 mile (round trip) to keep the miles down on the truck, but having hard time deciding.

The little money I save in gas is negated by having to pay insurance on the car. So gas savings isn't part of the equation. Really only point in using the car is to keep miles down on the truck.

I guess my main question for others is their opinion if the truck is better off just being commuted with daily or sitting in driveway during week and used for weekends/projects/fun? Part of me thinks it be better for the truck to use it every day and part of me thinks it be better for it to keep miles down? I LIKE driving the truck more and would prefer to commute with it... I just feel like keeping 10k miles off of it every year would be a smart choice...

What are your thoughts??

 

I've been both routes. I kept my old 2002 Civic for about a year to use as a commuter car and the extra fuel, insurance, maintenance, reman transmission, and misc repairs and it ended up costing me way more than it was worth.

Then again, I rarely keep the "new" vehicle for more than 5 years/100k, so it's easier to just to have one.

 

Yea I plan on keeping the truck for probably the life of the truck, if not at least 5-10 year. So resell value is not a huge priority for me. I guess the big question is it better for the truck/engine to be used daily, will driving it only 2-3 a week being better/worse on engine? I'm also in North East so it sitting in freezing weather is another factor.

 

I've been there. And honestly, if the gas mileage doesn't bother you that bad, drive what you like. Before I switched jobs, I was driving around 130 miles a day. Yeah, I prefer driving a truck. But the little Corolla was a lot easier on the wallet.

 

Life is short. Drive what you want and desire.

 

I drive mine daily except during the summer (motorcycles), but if i were you i would just DD the truck. I take mine wheeling and out on long trips, just be prepared to foot the bill should anything break while doing so or do the work yourself. If you arent saving any money then i dont see the need to hassle with another car.

 

True true... that is why I'm second guessing my decision in keeping the car. I much prefer driving the truck, even just my highway commute is more enjoyable in the truck. The way these things run to 300,400,500k+, I don't know why I'm concerning my self with miles....

 

It probably would cost you more to insure the second vehicle than it would save you in gas... I've always been of the opinion that you should drive a vehicle every day. But 60 miles is a bit of a hike, so you will be putting a lot of miles on the truck. I guess it's a matter of whether you'd rather save money or keep the truck low-mileage.

 

Do you still have full coverage on the Matrix?

They have devalued so much, that it may be wise to have liability insurance only, and save on insurance costs.

 

I've heard it's always better to keep a vehicle regularly driven, so the moving parts stay lubricated and the fuel doesn't varnish. At first I was really good about driving my jeep 1-2 times a week (traded for Tacoma) and gradually got lazy and would let it sit for weeks at a time. You could definitely tell when it hadn't been driven for a while....The brakes would squeak and it would idle rough after a few weeks parked.

 

Yes I'm currently insuring it for about $50 a month. Which by using a MPG calculator is about what I save a month between the 19mpg I average in truck and 27mpg in the car. I guess I figure the amount of maintenance I put (tires/oil/brakes) in the car is just less I'm using on the truck. I can go in circles for ever on this, which is why I'm asking opinions here. No friends or family have any decent input on the matter.

I have to double check this stuff. I know very little about insurances terms or policy and really just end up buying whatever is the cheapest. I need to research that a bit because someone else mentioned I should check that I DO have "Full coverage" on the truck. Luckily in my 10+ years of driving never had an accident/claim.

 

Yeah, that is a hard decision to make. I'd pretty much be at the same point you're at, if it were me!

 

Thissssssss!

 

I was in the same boat when I got my Taco in June. I had a beater car which I wanted to keep around as commuter but then decided against it, seeing how much I enjoyed driving the new truck. Ended up selling the beater on craigslist and never looked back on this decision.

 

Yea that's what is happening to me. I like driving the truck so much more. I tend to think we will be better off using them daily and racking up more miles than just letting them sit. Appreciate the input and this will help me makes a decision.

 

its a '15 tacoma, not a classic collector car, i say drive it unless the fuel/insurance costs will save buttloads of money

 

Yea after this thread I'm leaning towards commuting with the truck.

 

I have a 2015 and have to commute about 40 miles, which will soon be a 70 miles commute. I also do a ton of driving to various places all over Michigan for work so the miles add up. It adds up to be about 20,000+ miles a year and it's not that bad.

The Taco will be more enjoyable to drive, it will be newer, more comfortable, and have a much smaller risk of leaving you stranded since it's new vs. a 145k car. I wouldn't worry about the miles since you bought the truck to be driven.

 

Another thought is the Matrix will never be worth more than it is now.
Also if it's reliable and not costing you, how long before you have to start fixing things?
At 60 miles a day sooner or later maintenance costs will arise and there probably aren't many laters left.

 

Valid point as well. I'll put up a craigslist ad for the ol' Matrix and if I get a fair offer... that will help me make up mind. Really don't need a truck, motorcycle, AND a commuter car.

I should just get some better motorcycle gear and start commuting more on the bike during riding season.