Thought experiment - not looking to actually buy..

[earlyre]

been trying to run a thought experiment lately, on if a guy were going to average 70-100mi/day, 5 days a week mostly city driving(say delivering pizzas), what would be the ideal/most ecinomical vehicle for said job.
for some reason Mini cooper keeps popping up in my head, but i don't have ANY experience in or around them to know if they are maintence nightmares or not.
in mostly city, would there be any advantage to a diesel over gas??

what do y'all think.

 

[cadfaeltex]

Crown Vic, there I said it.

Had a Mini Cooper and it would be a good choice, good economy and still somewhat comfortable to drive. A new one you get free service however for delivery pizza's from your example I would never get anything but a used one.

 

[crazyoildude]

forget the mini go toyota corolla or hyundai elantra

 

[antiqueshell]

Toyota Yaris

 

[silverrat]

Toyota Tercel

 

[Gabe]

A moped would be tough to beat.

 

[FirstNissan]

+1 on the moped, check out the honda ruckus. I saw it last weekend at the bike showroom. 50cc engine, top speed of 42mph, 114MPG!!!

If I ever move back to NJ/NY, im looking into one of those for sure.

 

[Nick R]

All city driving? Prius or Fusion Hybrid. Both have proven extemely reliable, and get excellent city mileage.

 

[bk111]

Mazda 2 or honda fit

 

[JimPghPA]

Originally Posted By: Gabe
A moped would be tough to beat.


Yea, like that is going to work in a Ohio, or Chicago winter. And it would be a some fun in the rain.

 

[addyguy]

If you're looking at a used, older car, a Toyota Tercel would be my answer.

For newer cars, a Huyndai Accent or Mazda 2 would be my choice.

 

[Nick R]

I'm surprised at the lack of people suggesting hybrids. That is where they excel, in city driving, 40-50mpg+, for a fairly low cost of entry.

 

[The Critic]

Originally Posted By: Nick R
I'm surprised at the lack of people suggesting hybrids. That is where they excel, in city driving, 40-50mpg+, for a fairly low cost of entry.


Especially since they truly excel once they are warmed up. If your city trips are under 10 miles each time, then don't bother.

The used 2nd generation Prius are being cheap enough now that anyone should be able to afford one. The batteries are cheap enough from rebuilders or on the used market (<$1600) that it is no longer a serious concern once you cross the 200k mark.

 

[sciphi]

For total cost of ownership, look at an older compact, preferably with a manual transmission. One needs some exercise doing that much sitting!

 

[jcwit]

Factor in the cost of the vehicle and the MPG because of the price of gas I believe the Ford Focus would be hard to beat.

There are others some already mentioned that give slightly better milage but the initial cost of the vehicle is much more, and more than lkely you're going to finance it so again up goes the actual cost of the car.

Remember delivering pizza isn't the highest paying job, and replacing $1600 dollar batteries is a streach for that kind of income.

 

[Trav]

 

[Hokiefyd]

Originally Posted By: earlyre
been trying to run a thought experiment lately, on if a guy were going to average 70-100mi/day, 5 days a week mostly city driving(say delivering pizzas), what would be the ideal/most ecinomical vehicle for said job.


If you are literally talking about pizza delivery, I wouldn't consider spending any more than a few thousand dollars, and I'd be looking at older Civics, Corollas, Foci, J-body, etc. This vehicle will be beat to death, possibly driven on roads of questionable construction (like dirt lanes), and with magnetic signs/placards applied and removed on a daily basis. I wouldn't subject any car I cared about (or spent a moderate amount of money on) to this duty. You're looking for an economical beater if you really are talking about pizza delivery.

 

[JHZR2]

crown vic would eat into profits too much with gas. Around town below 20 is likely.

I like the tercel/yaris/accent beater car approach.

 

[Pop_Rivit]

Originally Posted By: earlyre
what do y'all think.


Set your sights on a vocation with more future potential than pizza delivery.

 

[fxrider]

VW