Originally Posted By: AndyinAL
Originally Posted By: Cardenio327
Originally Posted By: AndyinAL
18 months ago I took a job that requires me to drive an average of 350 miles per day using my personal vehicle and my fuel. At the time I did not own a suitable vehicle so I rented cars while I shopped (only $150 per week using Costco discount - not bad considering I was logging almost 2k per week)
They kept giving me Ford Focuses. I had 4 different ones. 3 of the 4 had transmissions that made the strangest sounds I have ever heard coming from an automatic transmission. Hunting for gears, refusal to downshift at very slow speeds then slamming into a gear. It felt and sounded like a dry, mechanical power delivery as opposed to the smooth hydraulic nature of an automatic. Somebody mentioned clutches earlier - it sounded like dry, rattling, banging clutches.
These were all very new cars with less than 12k miles. The one that shifted right was nice to drive and I kept it until they demanded it back for service. The other 3 I cussed and could not imagine how a major auto company could put out something like this in 2013. I suspect a traditional, smooth transmission would probably increase fuel consumption by 1% or something. I would not own one. Everything else about the car seemed nice.
I ended up getting a 2005 Corolla. With 250k on it now it drives and shifts like new.
I can't imagine a Focus having the same resale value 8 years from now as a Toyota. The styling is not the greatest though...
YMMV
Sorry to derail the thread, but I have a question for AndyinAl:
If you don't have any other costs other than fuel, $150 for 2000 miles put you at about 7.5 cents per mile in depreciation/financing/licensing/insurance/repair/maintenance/&c. costs. That is a bargain! I don't see how you could do better than that buying/financing/leasing a new car. To me, with that kind of miles being driven, it makes sense to keep on renting, just keep a beater car for weeks when you don't work. Leave the rental company/other renters holding the bag on repairs/mtce./depreciation/wear & tear/tires/oil.
I did not buy a new car. I paid $6,000 cash for a 2005 Corolla S with 100k miles. Bought it from a private seller so I was able fill out the title work and pay the appropriate amount of sales tax
Even if I were to continuously rent, I would still own a personal vehicle. That $150/week was made possible by me having my own existing auto insurance an not paying extra for it with the rental. License plates are negligible on an 8 year old car.
Depreciation - regardless of miles, a good running Corolla is going to have value. I only paid $6k - not much there to lose.
Maintenance - I do all of my own. 15k mi OCI, a 4qt transmission drain and fill every now and again, tires easily last 75k (I actually just turned 40k on a nice set of pre owned tires that I only have $100 in) Everything else is so rare and sporadic it totals just a fraction of a penny per mile. I carry a spare alternator and fuel pump assembly from a 30k wrecked car just for peace of mind. Those items cost me about $50 each. I should install them and carry my high mile ones as spares, just haven't gotten around to it. Spare serpentine belt too. Oh, and the Corolla has a timing chain that evidently requires no service.
I hated trading in the rentals for service. Always took longer than it should. Had to transfer all of my stuff. Never know what you are going to get... a funky transmission, a roaring wheel bearing, an annoying dash rattle... you name it. Every time I would pick up a rental, I had to spend time cleaning the inside of the windows (always filthy) and inflating the tires. I like having my GPS and satellite radio permanently installed in my work vehicle. I like having RainX on my vehicle - Another thing I would have to take time to do to a new rental.
Taxes. I can legally deduct 55.5 cents per mile from my gross revenue when using my own vehicle. That is $195 per day. Theoretically I should only deduct the cost of the rental and fuel if I was renting - only about $65 per day.
What I don't like about my Corolla: I really wish it had ABS. The radio is too far to reach comfortably from the driving position. Rear drum brakes do not self adjust. I manually adjust them at every tire rotation, restoring the higher "pedal feel" - most people wouldn't notice the difference, except for the parking brake being tighter.
I see no reason why this car will not last many years to come. It has already paid for itself many times over. Eventually I will get something different and newer... for a change, maybe a little quieter, with ABS and 10 air bags, but for now I am just making money with my little Corolla.
Those rear hubs are common to a number of Toyotas, I think a rear disc setup is an easy swap. It is on drum braked Camrys. Of course the time to do it is when the rears need a rebuild, you may find parts to convert are little more than the drum setup.
