Photo from the commute home the other day...

See rearview mirror




I see this guy about once a week. Either in the morning or evening rush hour. I hope that's me one day. The day I can afford to pay for the gas to drive my old car to work everyday. He's an older gentleman and just cruises around the speed limit. The car looks mostly original down to the paint. It's got the center head light but it was not on. He has a 3rd LED brake light bar going accross the back window which I am sure is for those idiots that tailgate. He wants to be sure they see him when he brake so they don't smash into his lady.

 

What center headlight? .

Frank

 

A not-so-popular aftermarket accessory was a center headlight to replace the center grille spinner. Could be made to trun with the front wheels ala Tucker as well.

 

40 miles @ 15 MPG @ $2.50 + or - < New car payment.

 

I hear ya man, my old dodge p/u get 7mpg, but with a new truck payment being well over $700, plus the added insurance I figure I can buy ALOT of gas. Besides, my old truck will do everything a new truck will do and something a new truck might not do, be there when I get back!

 

That's what it is haha. Need to hurry up and pay off the wife's car..

 

hell my daily driver suv gets 12 mpg id be better off driving my 51 ford. here in vegas gas is 2.83 for regular unleaded.

 

My daily is a 72 pickup that gets about 12mpg. About 100 miles per day, I can't figure out how I would save any money by having a car payment.

No payment +lots of gas is still < car payment + little gas.

 

Yeah, I only do old cars for daily drivers. Cheaper to insurance, cheaper to maintain, 1975 and older is NO SMOG here California, and they gain value as you fix 'em! Only drawback would be gas mileage, but you should be able to knock out at least 15-22 mpg with a basic small block. I had a Plymouth Valiant with a Slant Six that I was getting 30-32 MPG out of when I sold it!!

I'm daily driving a 1964 El Camino right now. 283/TH350, simple car, bought it because it had the hottest heater I've ever had in an old car. I hit a Suburban with it, the whole front clip is mashed, I will only loose $200 when I go to sell it, and I already got a buyer lined up!

I bought a disassembled '57 Chevy truck a year and some months ago, that is finally about to become my daily driver, as soon as I get a few more little details figured out. I left it all stock, except the 350/T5 combo, because I need it to be reliable. I even call it my "S-10", because that's all it will need to be to me.



Reminds me, I need updated pictures, this is before the glass, decent wheels and tires, and other stuff. Still need to replace the doors, cab corners, they're all rotted at the bottom, and a good passenger side fender, but I'll do it eventually.

I love my old cars!!

 

lets do the math then:

100/12=8.3 gallons a day
8.3x2.50 (aprox price of gas)=$20.83 per day
$20.83x5+ days a week = $104 a week

$416 a month in gas alone. if it doesn't go up more.

$13k ford focus (base model hatch with no options) gets 37mpg highway:
100/37=2.7
2.7x2.5=$6.5 per day
$6.5X5= $32.50 a week
$130 a month in gas.

$416-130=$286 difference

13k financed for 5 years at the current rate of .9&#37; = $222 with no trade or down payment.

if you take the $2500 incentive and take your local banks rate (mine is 5.75%) your payment drops down to $216

again this is all with no trade or down payment.

and no, I'm not a car salesman. I just bought a used f150 about a month ago. still looking for another new/er vehicle to replace the 10 year old oldsmobile I drive.

 

Also keep in mind that in 5yrs the car will be paid off, then with no car payment you're way in the black....you've built up some equity rather than throwing that money at Exxon....

 

Also keep in mind you are driving a Ford Focus 100 miles a day.

Driving a Ford Focus or el Scotto's "S-10" = no brainer.

If it came down to having to get better mileage I think I would rather have the no payment Valiant. No matter my situation I'm not buying a Ford Focus.

 

But your still driving a piece of junk in 5 years. I rent cars quite often and got a new focus (less than 50 miles on the odometer) last year and hated it. I was driving on a very windy day in North Texas and the thing was all over the road from buffeting winds. Also I couldn't hear the radio over the cabin wind noise unless I turned it up to scream level.

 

Re: My daily commute. Gee guys, since I'm retired, my daily commute is to go wherever I want to drive my '34 Ford Cabrio. This usally means to another retirees garage to look at his in progress stuff or to another garage where a guy who isn't retired does our kind of stuff for a living. I'm not trying to rub it in, but there is life after retiring especially for an old rodder.

 

Well I sure agree with you guys on that, I compromised and bought a newer Toyota truck, they are pretty decent little rigs and hold their value well. I just hated giving so much damn money to the oil companies.

 

the pricing listed wasn't because you would enjoy it more, it was to show you that you could buy a new car EVERY 5 years for what you would be paying for gas to drive your favorite antique on the road with rush hour morons. Personally, I'll take the focus with the airbags to deal with the rush hour morons and enjoy some nice cruising after work is done.

plus you have to try to maintain that old worn out vehicle too. Don't get me wrong I drive my roadster to work at least once or twice a week but I only have to drive 12miles.

 

Wha? 13k financed over 5 years at 5.75% comes out to about $250.00, meaning you're really paying 15k for the Focus when you've sent that final check.

In 5 years, assume that 15k focus is probably worth about 3k trade-in (and that's being WAY generous).

An old car equally as well maintained will still be worth about what it is now, possibly more depending on what it is. You'll have the occasional expensive repair, but you'll likely have that on the Focus too.

For the new, efficient car, that's 250 bucks a month for loan, 130 for gas, and 200 for depreciation, bringing your actual monthly total to $580.

You're really spending more, and again, you're driving a Focus.

 

on the bold: if you read my post, there is $2500 rebate if you find your own financing. you end up financing around $11k

current trade in value of a 5 year old fuckus is 3500-4500

you would be looking at buying for $7k if you had a trade. which actually drops your payment down to $135 a month.


and your really NOT putting that mileage, wear tear and risk of incedent on your collector vehicle.

 

If it's being driven everyday to work it's not really a "collectors" vehicle. All in the point of view I suppose.

 

I would classify a 57 chevy pickup as a collectors vehicle. it's definately not some POS 70's junker.

 

I'm not sure which would be better in a big wreck. There are a couple of reasonable points of view.

The newer cars are designed to absorb the impact by rolling up in a little ball. It is done to protect the occupants. The older cars transferred those forces to the occupants. Would you rather have your car survive the wreck, or you and any family that might be in the car with you?

Slonaker

 

How about a used 2WD Ford Ranger or S-10 4 cyl-5 spd that gets 20+ MPG. Usually run $3000-5000 for something decent and they run forever. I got a
'98 Ranger off Escam for $3250 with 96K (I didn't even get screwed this time) and it runs like a top, can carry swap meet junk, engine blocks, etc. Best of all, I just carry liability insurance on it, and can park my 10 MPG '99 Chevy Crew Cab big block in the garage with just comp insurance until I need it to tow my trailer (very rarely).

 

You want airbags and rubber steering wheels, that's a different story.

But don't try to suggest that buying a new car every five years is better for your wallet, cuz it ain't. Buying new cars is a losing proposition money-wise no matter how you slice it. And, with your full financing suggestion, you're fucked if you ever want to sell the car in the first 3-4 years because you're upside-down the second you sign the papers.

If the argument is that you own it after your 5 years of financing, well, great, soon enough you're driving another old car, only this time it's a run-of-the-mill POS, but at least then you can make the argument that you're saving money on gas.

 

Lets look at the whole picture a little.

I'm a car guy, I'd rather have an ass whipping than drive a Focus (or any late model plastic stuff). It's simply not who I am.

I can't think of a single thing on my 72 that is more difficult to repair than a late model. By the time that 5 year note is up, the econobox will have 150-175k miles on it. Brace yourself for some maintenance costs then. Worst case in the 72, I have to buy a new crate engine for 1200 bucks. No late model has a 1200 dollar crate engine.

And finally...I owe nothing on the old truck. If I were to lose my job or become disabled or something, I wouldn't have any debt to hang over my head.

Just the sales tax alone on the above mentioned Focus will be near 1000 dollars. That's 1000 dollars gone, poof, never to be recovered, not to mention depreciation of the little car anyway. Add yearly registration and smog checks on top (neither of wich the 72 requires) and the cost goes even higher. Full coverage insurance on a late model isn't exactly free either.

Mainly, I don't owe anyone a cent on what I drive. I own it outright. Try debt free living, it's quite refrehing.

 

"Try debt free living, it's quite refreshing."

This is the bottom-line golden quote.
Truth in it's simpliest form.
r

 

That's a cool old car in the rear view. I have only driven mine to work a couple times, with not so good results.

Sorry for the On Topic post y'all.

 

I spend about $500 a month driving my comfortable old car 130 miles a day, + weekends, at 16mpg. I wouldn't drive a Ford Fuckus or Chiyota truck if someone GAVE me one for FREE.

 

It costs more to look cool. You pay it or you don't.

 

I drive a 67 Grand Prix everyday. And so far, my gas bill hasn't come anywhere's near a newer car payment. So, WTF?