Thinking about finally getting a 2nd car as a daily driver

First your first gen shouldn’t die !! Second I bet corollas get good resale. Haven’t looked though. They r cool looking for sure.

 

I did this back in November. I bought a 2017 Subaru Legacy. I love the AWD and how planted the car feels on the road, plus a lot of other things.

 

I'm a fan of multiple vehicles (see sig below). Two years ago I realized we had 4 cars and there was too much overlap in their uses coupled with the fact that one vehicle pretty much only had one use so didn't get used much. As others stated it can suck for insurance, parking, maintenance and wanting to mod them all. But, instead of getting rid of any I just swapped them out for a better, more capable stable of cars.

Personally, I couldn't imagine daily driving a Tacoma unless my job required it or I didn't drive enough miles for it to matter. These things guzzle gas and I generally do not like driving large vehicles in urban areas.

So now my wife has a CR-V which is a great car that does a little of everything well. I bought a CR-Z hybrid that I use to commute and for any other trips where I want to save $ on gas. My Integra is the garage queen / track car so more like sporting equipment or jewelry than a useful automobile, lol. And then my Tacoma is here for picking up car parts, furniture, materials/supplies for projects and home maintenance...etc as well as our go-to for adventuring. Each vehicle has a specific purpose so we just choose what we drive based on the vehicle that best suits the situation.

 

I would have bought a Prius if it didn't look like a Prius. I like the Lexus CT but it's slower and gets less MPG and has less room.

 

If you are a basic DIY and are willing to drive vehicles a few years old, you can do it for around the same money as a new or very newish vehicle. And serve multi functions.

For a good while we had 2 drivers and 3 vehicles. A nice Highlander for road trips/people moving, a Sonoma for local-ish light truck/foul weather duty, a Miata for my daily, autox and cruising the beach strips in the winter.

The Miata I modded, because racing. Everything else was just nicely maintained.

My insurance was comparable to having 2 much newer vehicles, I had no payments, and maintenance was modest. Mostly because I did it myself.

 

Yeah... lot of that going on. It's a shame.

 

I got a 2012 Acura TSX as my other vehicle. Small and rather quick with 205 horsepower. Basically a slightly smaller Accord with a Civic SI drivetrain. Searched for awhile for a smallish somewhat "luxury" sports sedan that didnt have a laundry list of recalls and flaws (looking at you, IS250...). The Acura was what fit the bill and budget.

 

I'm a big fan. Having a 2nd vehicle lets me preserve my precious 1st gen from road salt and commuting hazards. It also allowed me to take my sweet time doing gears and lockers. I'll typically get bored of my 2nd vehicle after awhile and get something else. Had a 2005 Honda CR-V rare 5 speed manual 4WD (ultra-reliable), a 1993 Hilux regular cab 22RE 4X4 auto (super slow but I loved it), a 2016 F150 ecoboost I've been extremely happy with, and I just got a bitchin' friend deal on a double cab long bed duramax. I will miss gapping ricers with a 4 wheeler in the bed of my F150, but I'm looking forward to putting a slide in camper in the "new" truck and doing some luxury camping with a wet bath and heater.

I've also had infatuations with and nearly purchased an NA Miata, NB Miata, 5th gen Pontiac GTO, 3rd gen 5 speed 4Runner, FJ40, FJ60 and FZJ80. But my regular cab taco "Whitey" is my forever car.

 

I drive a 2011 Subaru Forester as my work vehicle I need the AWD going from job site to job site. The tires are waaay cheaper and I get 27 MPG Hwy and the tires and gas lasts a long time in the Taco by driving it on the weekends.

 

I bought a Lexus RX350 new in 2016. The thought of getting rid of my Tacoma never occurred. I bought that one new in 2001. I paid cash for both as I'm not rich, but never had kids.
That RX put the Taco into semi-retired mode and funny thing is, as nice, quiet, classy, cutting-edge and neat as the RX is, I tend to get to missing the truck and when I get it out of its slumber for some exercise, I actually enjoy the truck a little bit more than the RX.
Having two vehicles is fun. It makes each one a breath of fresh air when rotated into use.

 

also to add, just take it easy with cars. I had 9 cars for 2 drivers for about 2-3 years.

It was fun but way too much work. I'm down to 4 and the fiance has 2, and its way more manageable. I could probably sell my other pickup but I like it so I'm keeping it.

 

So you finally realized it.

First I bought a $500 2004 Saab 9-3 with 215k miles that got 22mpg, came with 10 more HP than the taco.
Then it broke and I bought a 2015 Golf R that gets 18-20mpg, and has 150 more HP than the taco.

Needless to say the taco now mostly sits in my driveway waiting for truck-specific applications since it gets like 13-14mpg. Every truck should pair with something more commuter friendly imo.

 

I have 2 vehicles. My truck, and my DD.
I have debated selling my DD several times now, and had it posted for sale a couple as well, but eventually took it down.

Coming from a long line of Audi's before the Taco, my DD is a '99 Audi A4 Avant manual 2.8L 30V V6 Quattro.
It's definitely not winning any beauty contests, but I've had so many Audi's I know which ones go forever and this is one of them... and parts are pretty cheap on it now.
Gas mileage isn't anything great (21-23 average), but I having something I don't have to care about when I drive to the store, or park in a lot, or go to a trailhead that doesn't require my truck is really nice.

I don't care if it gets door dings, a scrape, whatever.
I know how to fix it, and it gets the job done.
It also holds a TON of cargo for the avant.

I commute 50 miles roundtrip for work 5x a week... Add that up and its 13,000 miles a year.. JUST COMMUTING TO WORK...
So that would put me in the 20-25k a year in miles on my truck.

Once I realized that, I'll be keeping my DD... Don't care about the miles on the DD either. It's a beater that is mechanically sound.

 

One the best cars anyone can drive. The only thing better are the generations before that one.

 

Yaris is a good commuter

 

My DD is a 2019 Accord 2.0 manual transmission. Its comfortable, just fast enough if you want to speed, runs on regular, and could not give 2 craps about the maintenance since its a lease, gets low 30's MPG . Traded in my wrx which wasn't that comfortable on long drives(God that makes me sound old).

Screw it, just the G-class 6x6 or a Hummer H1, now thats making a statement.

 

I have the hatchback version of that...2016 scion IM...now Corolla IM.
It's a fun car to drive, comfortable and gets decent mpgs. I'm pretty happy with mine. I'm so glad I have a manual. My truck is the only automatic I've ever owned.

One thing about my car...the clutch engages near the top. It's the one thing I don't like about it. Does yours do that? I need to adjust mine.

 

how many miles on truck

maintained or neglected

need work/rehab near future

money Not spent on 2nd can always be spent on truck