Commuter Vehicles

How many of you guys have commuter cars? I'm looking at getting something cheap for about $1000 that gets really good gas mileage to just drive to work and back. I absolutely love my '18 TRD Sport, but would like to keep the miles down. I'd keep my '01 TRD OR, but I need to sell it, unfortunately

 

Just drive the Tacoma. A cheap commuter plus the cost of maintenance, licensing and insurance will buy a lot of gas for that Tacoma. You bought the Tacoma to enjoy it right? Might as well drive it as much as possible

 

Not me. I put about 100 miles a day on my truck, mostly highway with some city. I've got no interest in keeping the miles down. I'd rather drive it to death and do more maintenance than have it sitting all the time. The extra gas and maintenance on my truck is still cheaper than the cost of owning a separate commuter, even a cheap one.

I plan on keeping my truck until it falls apart though.

 

Motorcycle/scooter, though that makes it mostly warm weather transport.

 

Unless you drive hundreds of miles per day for work, it makes no sense to purchase, maintain, and pay insurance on another vehicle to save on gas or miles. You end up spending more money.

 

I may spend more, but I have vehicle issues. Here’s my commuter, 06 Acura rsx.

 

Would you buy a 80", top of the line TV, but then use a 40 year old, 10", black & white TV to keep the hours off of your new big screen, and electricity costs down?

I need to enjoy the vehicle I'm in - that's 95% of the reason I have a vehicle to begin with. A cheap commuter does not fit that purpose. The only exception would be a dedicated work vehicle to keep my personal vehicle in good condition (if my line of worked required that).

 

It’s worth it to me to have a commuter because I don’t have to worry about dings and scratches trying to park my Tacoma in compact spaces.....

 

Just park in the Tesla spots. Plenty of room

 

I have a dd, it’s a great way to keep miles off the taco. It’s also nice to have a fast car, it makes the taco seem like a truck.

 

Good idea, I’ll carry an extension cord with me and just shove it up the exhaust. Hybrid taco

 

Got a 2010 Fusion for $4500 and a 1997 C1500 long bed w Leer fiberglass bed cover for $6500. Both well cared for, and only driven by old people. PERFECT daily drivers. Come and get'em. Perfect reason to have a DD: I keep my camping/fishing stuff always packed and organized in my truck. That way I don't have to spend the time getting ready to go...and then need a nap. Daily drivers rule.

 

03 Corolla; this thing is an absolute tank and the cheapest/easiest car to fix on your own. It's at 257k and still averaging 35 mpg; got it for $900. When we got the Tacoma I learned very fast that that was an exception, not a rule. Anyways, my husband is currently dailying the taco, so might end up getting him a motorcycle... maybe.

 

Motorcycle is my main transport to work 8-9 months a year. Insurance is cheap, upkeep is simple, good on gas, you can get around left lane hogs, and most importantly for me parking is a breeze (22k+ employees, ~12k parking spots where I work, people literally get to work at 3am just to get a freaking parking spot and go back to sleep). A good investment in gear($700-$1000) plus a quality helmet($500-$800) are the only things you need to splurge on IMO. Throw a Sena or Cardo system in the helmet if you want to listen to music, make phone calls, or get audible Waze reports.

 

None of my business, but both of you guys think twice about the motorcycle thing.

 

Why's that, out of curiosity

I used to ride but I lived in a small town at the time, and the highways weren't super busy. People here really don't pay attention for motorcyclists, that's my main concern.

 

My poor eyes...

 

I used to ride as well. Live in Houston. The last half of your comment answers your own question. Cheap commuter is one thing, hospital bill is another beast entirely. This past year my buddy broke his back, neck, ribs and wrist. Another riding buddy went down and broke all sorts of stuff as well. I sold my bike because I jus woke up one day and decided I wanted to walk for the rest of my life.

But Hey! To each their own. Nothing closer to flying than doing 180+ on a ninja!

 

I have a 2002 Mitsubishi Lancer not much umpf but 30+ mpg and you can find them used for 2-3k or less.

 

Great Christ! Do you work at the Pentagon?