New highway car?

[Nick1994]

I foot the bill for everything. Gas, tolls, car, MX, etc.

Budget is for a new car, under $30K.

Not sure how long this will continue. But at least another year and a half. At that point, I will have racked up a lot of miles!

12,000 miles a month in 18 months is 216,000 miles.
Cost of fuel per mpg for that at $2.07 per gallon is:
20 mpg: $22,356
30 mpg: $14,904
40 mpg: $11,178
45 mpg: $9,936

Significant fuel costs!

 

[MParr]

I foot the bill for everything. Gas, tolls, car, MX, etc.

Budget is for a new car, under $30K.

Not sure how long this will continue. But at least another year and a half. At that point, I will have racked up a lot of miles!

You can get a new Fusion Hybrid SE for around $26,600

 

[TmanP]

12,000 miles a month in 18 months is 216,000 miles.
Cost of fuel per mpg for that at $2.07 per gallon is:
20 mpg: $22,356
30 mpg: $14,904
40 mpg: $11,178
45 mpg: $9,936

Significant fuel costs!

Yeah, I'd be targeting something that got at least 35 mpg highway with that sort of miles driven per year. I'd rather have the extra ten grand in my pocket, for a year and a half of driving, but that's just me... My vote would be for a gently used Camry or Accord with the 4-cyl (maybe the hybrid, but not necessarily). Drive it to 300k and sleep well, knowing you are saving tons of money. Midsize sedans seem to balance not being a "penalty box" (like some might call, for example, a Yaris/Versa, etc) with being cheap to run... 35-40 mpg hwy, compliant ride, decently feature-rich, plus cheap maintenance and plenty of space. I'd much rather spend that much of my life in something decently comfortable, but there's no sense in doing it in a F350 either. I think a midsize of some nature is a good compromise - you're not going to save too terribly much going from 35-45 mpg (diminishing marginal returns), but there's no way I'd even consider something that didn't get at least 30 mpg. 20 mpg for 216,000 miles is over an fuel tanker of gas in just a year and a half... I'd also second renting before you buy - you need to make sure that you like the seats, driving position, armrests, etc. and other things that may become obvious in mile 200 or 400, but not right away on a test drive.

 

[supton]

12,000 miles a month in 18 months is 216,000 miles.
Cost of fuel per mpg for that at $2.07 per gallon is:
20 mpg: $22,356
30 mpg: $14,904
40 mpg: $11,178
45 mpg: $9,936

Significant fuel costs!

Certainly is. But I think the OP has a pair of F150's? At 20mpg one of them would burn $22k in gas. A new car could half that cost, saving $11k -- and burning through some $30k in the process, leading me to think it'd be a net loss. Not saying the right thing isn't to buy a nice comfy car, but being BITOG and all, someone has to be all negative about it and all.

[At least I didn't mention a Vic or a 20 year old Camry... oh wait... darn it!]

 

[Nick1994]

Yeah, I'd be targeting something that got at least 35 mpg highway with that sort of miles driven per year. I'd rather have the extra ten grand in my pocket, for a year and a half of driving, but that's just me... My vote would be for a gently used Camry or Accord with the 4-cyl (maybe the hybrid, but not necessarily). Drive it to 300k and sleep well, knowing you are saving tons of money. Midsize sedans seem to balance not being a "penalty box" (like some might call, for example, a Yaris/Versa, etc) with being cheap to run... 35-40 mpg hwy, compliant ride, decently feature-rich, plus cheap maintenance and plenty of space. I'd much rather spend that much of my life in something decently comfortable, but there's no sense in doing it in a F350 either. I think a midsize of some nature is a good compromise - you're not going to save too terribly much going from 35-45 mpg (diminishing marginal returns), but there's no way I'd even consider something that didn't get at least 30 mpg. 20 mpg for 216,000 miles is over an fuel tanker of gas in just a year and a half... I'd also second renting before you buy - you need to make sure that you like the seats, driving position, armrests, etc. and other things that may become obvious in mile 200 or 400, but not right away on a test drive.

Very true, comfortable seats are a must with this type of driving.

My 15' Sonata was extremely comfortable and was the reason I bought it. Then the Genesis too, but a Genesis would be a poor choice at mid 20's for a V8 or maybe 30 mpg for a V6.

 

[Nick1994]

Certainly is. But I think the OP has a pair of F150's? At 20mpg one of them would burn $22k in gas. A new car could half that cost, saving $11k -- and burning through some $30k in the process, leading me to think it'd be a net loss. Not saying the right thing isn't to buy a nice comfy car, but being BITOG and all, someone has to be all negative about it and all.

[At least I didn't mention a Vic or a 20 year old Camry... oh wait... darn it!]

True, but a $30k 18 month old car with 216,000 miles would probably still be worth $15k.

Existing F150's would also lose their value too as they'd also be all used up.

 

[supton]

True, but a $30k 18 month old car with 216,000 miles would probably still be worth $15k.

Existing F150's would also lose their value too as they'd also be all used up.

True, didn't think about depreciation. That would alter the math.

$15k after 200k? Seems high, but everything is wonky right now.

 

[GR_CoB]

Lexus IS350. Comfortable and quick, while getting nearly 30MPG hwy. A guy I know gets 32mpg hwy in his 2010 Lexus IS350. But he has lowering springs installed, full skid plates, and lightweight wheels (Enkei RPF1 I believe), as well as some bumper lips and a spoiler as Aero aids... He did all of that for looks more than anything, but it did bump his fuel economy from 29MPG to 32MPG on the highway as a surprise.

 

[dareo]

Toyota Avalon / ES350 would be good for a lower budget option. Higher budget? Regal TourX is super comfy and you can sleep in it with the seats down if you had to. I guess the question is, how likely is it that you will continue this level of driving long term?

 

[WyrTwister]

As many here know, (despite the fact that I'm not young or healthy) I love sports cars, and especially convertibles with lots of HP.

However, I'm driving A LOT lately, mostly due to a prohibition on company airline travel. I'm driving twice a week from South FL to Savannah, GA (850 mile round trip) and every few weeks from FL to TN and PA. Often putting 3000 or 4000 miles on in the trip. I drove over 12,000 miles last month, Yikes!

I hate to spend my hard earned money on a boring travel car, but that might be necessary.

Suggestions for something reasonably inexpensive, comfortable, quiet and reasonably efficient? I don't really like the Prius.

We purchased a 2006 Buick Lacrosse 3.8l V-6 , 2 or 3 years ago ( for a road car ) with 36,000 honest miles on the odometer .

$ 6,250 , out the door . We love it !

That is what I suggest , a good used Buick .

 

[Cujet]

You can get a new Fusion Hybrid SE for around $26,600

I rent the fusion hybrid all the time. I can get about 40 MPG with one, I find them comfortable, but a touch tight inside. The Altima gets the same highway MPG, as does the Camry. But good god do I hate the new Camry rentals. I find them noisy, uncomfortable and unresponsive. A rental Camry last year kept slowing down, even with a fixed pedal. I blocked the pedal underneath and kept the thing on the block. It would actually start out OK and make about 80mph, then slow down to about 60 over time. I found that programming frustrating as all get out, as I could not maintain speed without constant attention. I thought it was just one example, but no, other one did it too. Maybe it's been fixed.

I think the OP has a pair of F150's?

I actually have 3 of them, all super crew. The 2009 with the 5.4 V8 is in many ways the best one. But it gets 13mpg and I can't tolerate that. The 2011 is the one I'm racking up the miles on. It gets 18mpg most of the time now, down from 19 a few years ago. (note, it's very dependent on the fuel and it will get over 20 with non ethanol fuel) The 2018 with the 2.7 is up North, it gets 20 most of the time. However, I really don't like driving pickup trucks, I just like cars better.

My 2003 Jaguar X-type was my late fathers car, and in many ways, I keep that in his honor. I enjoy it, despite it's amazingly low quality and frequent repairs. It makes a great winter car up North. So it's heading back up to PA in a few weeks.

The 2009:

 

[gregk24]

The new Jetta gets you an easy 40 MPG highway. They are quiet, comfortable and have enough zip to satisfy.

 

[Astro14]

This is a good idea, but you don't need to get into that price range. Mercedes is having their "Summer Clearance" right now on CPO vehicles. A nice E class or one of the SUV's with the turbo 4 cyl would work great. even the V6 w/300 hp will do fine. Try to get the 9 speed trans, those CVT's from Japan are bad news. Even the Mercedes 7 speed is OK, but the 9 speed is amazing. Oh, and highway MPG with that combo is about 35, and 36 around town with a light foot!
Who knows, you may even find an AMG at a good price, that would be really sweet!

A 15 year old S500 is worth about $3K private party. $4K retail. $5K if you find a really low mileage, super clean one...

 

[drtyler]

I would be looking for a BMW 540i that's three years old or so. Good hwy mpg, nice ride, and plenty of go.

The 530i may get a bit better mpg with the 4 cylinder, but I would rather have the turbo 6.

 

[Malo83]

Regal GS with the 2.0T

 

[4WD]

My v6 Chrysler 300 was an excellent highway cruiser, got very good fuel economy as well, mid to high 20’s, if I slowed down a little it would do 30mpg.

Might find better deals on the V6 Charger w/ ZF8 …
Still has the 4WIS with rear drive and 25/30 mpg highway …

 

[Wolf359]

A 15 year old S500 is worth about $3K private party. $4K retail. $5K if you find a really low mileage, super clean one...

Seems like he has a bigger budget. I'd just get a CPO car. Sounds like the 2017 E300 would probably do it for gas mileage, just not a fan of a 4 cylinder in general. It basically comes with the balance of the factory warranty which was 4 years/50k and 1 year CPO, but you can buy 2 extra years of CPO so you basically get 7 years of coverage with unlimited miles. So if you got a 2017 that was leased in 2017, it'd still have the extra year of factory warranty and you'd have 4 years of CPO. After 3.5 years, dump it with a few months left on the CPO and it'd still be in force with 150-200k on it. I still like the 2016 E-350, still had the V6 with 302hp and also apple carplay/android auto that year, none of the newer options past that are really that ground breaking.

 

[JeffKeryk]

Lexus ES 300h.
Comfort, reliability, good mileage.

You will need reliability if you are gonna drive that much.

 

[DallasTexas]

I vote for an E-class or Toyota Avalon

 

[gfh77665]

2020+ RAM. Top notch interior and best ride on the planet.