Car-Muting

Dasfinc

Ready for the EVlution
Sep 28, 2007
20,919
1,321
Wheaton, IL
So As a few people have seen from other threads, I'm starting my new job Monday, and with it, resuming commuting via car for the first time in 8 years.

The Clubman is [MENTION=4700]Miss Esa[/MENTION]'s car, and the newest/safest thing we own, so I know the no-brainer decision would be to drive that when it comes to MPG's, but having a 5 month old at home, I'd REALLY rather that stay home.

My Commute is only 12 miles either way (so about 480 miles a month), and mostly highway at that, but the difference in fuel costs between my 'best and worst' cars MPG wise is impressive on a monthly basis ($55 in the cooper assuming 28mpg and $3.20 for Premium, Vs. $105 in the Burb assuming 12mpg and $2.60 a gallon for Regular)

So here's the question (Just out of curiosity, since I'm holding out for Tesla Model 3's to become readily available as our next car, and the Mustang cracks 20 on the highway when I'm not ripping on it once it comes back out in April)

At what threshold does your drive to work impact what you drive?

Part of me wants to ditch the Burb once the bad weather's done and buy an EP2 or and 8th gen SI Sedan for daily duty (Granted I likely won't give a shit as soon as the Mustang comes back out of storage and will forget about this comment completely, but just curious what other commuters do)
 

10sec

I haz dat teddy bear smile.
TCG Premium
Jul 26, 2008
25,942
5,812
I prefer to ride my bike to work when it's warm outside, so I usually only drive to work in the winter and it's a boring ass Honda Accord. It just doesn't make sense to have a nice car that's also driven in the winter, so I usually have something that I don't enjoy as a winter car.
 

Knowklew

TCG Elite Member
TCG Premium
Aug 5, 2014
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480 mils a month is less than 6000 miles a year, so fuel costs really dont play as much of a factor compared to someone who drives 15000 miles a year. Personally, MPG is a non-factor for me when buying a daily driver. Buy something you wont hate driving and you will be good to go.
 

Dasfinc

Ready for the EVlution
Sep 28, 2007
20,919
1,321
Wheaton, IL
480 mils a month is less than 6000 miles a year, so fuel costs really dont play as much of a factor compared to someone who drives 15000 miles a year. Personally, MPG is a non-factor for me when buying a daily driver. Buy something you wont hate driving and you will be good to go.

I already have that, Just curious about others :)
 

Bob Kazamakis

I’m the f-ing lizard king
TCG Premium
Oct 24, 2007
85,185
44,802
Denver
Real Name
JK
My commute is 9 miles each way and my truck gets a healthy 12mpg most of the time. No fucks given. I still only fill up every few weeks so it doesn’t seem like that big of a deal to me. I’d have to commute pretty far for me to care about mpg and even then I’d have to have something with some oomph or at least manual otherwise I’d want to put a gun in my mouth daily.
 

cap42

Restoration Hell
Mar 22, 2005
2,763
2,429
Bolingbrook IL
I think this being a car forum everyone will probably say it’s very important what you drive no matter the length or type of commute you have.

I work from home but have several meetings a week that could range from Gurnee, Sycamore, downtown Chicago etc. My fusion was purchased for pure MPG, but it was slow and lacked some additional features. When it came time to replace it I choose a full size sedan that had some gusto.

I could have chosen a much more fun car but I frequently take clients and employees to lunch so something a little more professional was needed. That brings me to today with the impala.
 

Dasfinc

Ready for the EVlution
Sep 28, 2007
20,919
1,321
Wheaton, IL
The longer the drive, the more fun the car ought to be. If you're selecting cars based on MPG, this might not be the right forum for you.

Try https://priuschat.com/

I'm saddened that people continue to not actually read each line of a post...

dasfinc said:
(Granted I likely won't give a shit as soon as the Mustang comes back out of storage and will forget about this comment completely, but just curious what other commuters do)
 

Pressure Ratio

....
TCG Premium
Nov 11, 2005
20,303
11,728
Glen Ellyn
I posted a video in a thread that got no posts lol But it was Ford testing people driving a sporty car versus a boring car. The results were people enjoyed the sporty cars more. Not surprising of course. lol But I couldn't drive a boring car. I enjoy having a car that I can throw around corners and take a blast if open road presents itself. Granted I don't have a real long commute. About 12 miles. I get about 18 mpg with mixed driving and am quite alright with that. Sure, I could save money on a car with better MPG. But I don't see the savings offsetting the enjoyment I have. Plus I paid $10K for a E90 335i X drive and have about $800 in mods. Engine tune, trans tune, turbo inlets, down pipes and lowering springs. I can't imagine I'd have less in a prius that I wouldn't be worried about a battery replacement.

I would have to be making a real long commute everyday to look into a high MPG car. Luckily I don't have that issue.
 

Rent Free

TCG Elite Member
Jan 26, 2015
24,407
20,261
Nowheresville North Dakota
And risk another Miata incident. No thanks. He's on his own with this.

Put some snow tires on it and drive it. Its not a collectable and its likely the most rewarding car to drive you guys have.

I dont know what happened with this Miata incident but anyways cant go around worrying about other drivers at your own expense. Thats what insurance is for especially if you are not at fault.

Buy snows drive the mustang.
 

b4black

before black
Jun 6, 2008
1,331
542
Oswego
I'm saddened that people continue to not actually read each line of a post...

Originally Posted by dasfinc
(Granted I likely won't give a shit as soon as the Mustang comes back out of storage and will forget about this comment completely, but just curious what other commuters do)

I totally saw that. It means nothing to the conversation, IMO. I never understood driving a sucky car daily and having a 'weekend' fun car. Unless your saving every penny in order to afford the fun car.

You can have a great weekend car and a good daily driver too. You spend way too much time in the daily driver for it to suck balls.
 

Blood on Blood

rumble baby rumble
Apr 6, 2005
56,476
45,949
As most of you are aware, my commute is 135 miles per day, 4.5 hrs (I drive 35k - 40k miles per year in total)

I have found:

13 F150 5.0l crew cab - sucks in traffic (not maneuverable), piss poor mpgs, but comfortable, reliable, big presence and great in the winter

14 Taurus 3.5l n/a (loaded) - extremely comfortable, decent mpgs, reliable, solid presence. It’s like driving a couch.

17 Mustang GT (manual trans) - entertaining, decent mpgs, but stressful - always have to be on my toes (others drive like idiots around it). MT82 trans fights you in traffic, MGW shifter helps.

15 Hyundai Elantra - excellent mpgs, reliable, comfortable, feels bigger than it is. Good commuter.



My preference is my current set up, drive the Elantra 4 Days a week and the Mustang GT on Fridays and weekends.


Recommend: small/mid-size SUV or sedan for DD work duties. Comfort, manuverability, decent mpgs, reliability are key.

Leave the big trucks/SUVs and sports cars for weekends.

Consider vehicle safety when selecting.
 
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