Have we lost our minds?

For the first time since 1991 my wife and I are considering being 'ruless. We went car shopping this weekend and we very well may replace her '05 LGT with a:(:( '09 Corolla. I think the combination of fuel expense, relatively expensive maintenance, slower local traffic patterns making the car both a waste and a PITA to drive, fear of traffic tickets(me more than my wife) has finally pushed us over the edge.

The things in favor:

30+ MPG in mixed driving on regular vs ~19 MPG on premium

Nice quiet smooth generic little car good running errands and for my wife's daily commute 98% of the time (especially with traction and stability control) .

Very reliable

Relatively cheap maintenance

Lower monthly payment with little out of pocket.

Relatively high resale

Easy to upgrade stereo;)

Things against:

No AWD

My wife has driven nothing but Subarus for more than 15 years an other than a month she drove my Impreza they were all wagons. She, in her own words, hates sedans.

No AWD

Her LGT and her last Outback had leather, heated seats, etc the Corolla does not.

No AWD

I already sorted out the stereo and will have to remove it if we trade in the car.

No AWD

The LGT is much more fun.

No AWD

HAVE WE COMPLETELY LOST OUR MINDS??!!

How much fuel will you be able to buy by the amount you save on:

lesser registration; sales tax; less insurance; no depriciation loss; etc?

You are easily talking a real $3-4,000+ total cost to trade.

So...1,000 gallons of fuel...@ 40% better milage...so you have to drive...um...alot of miles to even break even.

Plus, all your disadvantage listed. Just keep your car, it'll last 15 years...

Why do you need the 2000 2500 PU ?

I'll assume you only get 19mpg with the LGT because you can keep your foot out of it. I get 22-23mpg around town and over 26mpg on the highway doing 65-69mph. I have Cobb AP stage 1 93 octane

Instead of the Toyota have you checked out the Honda Civic ?

For the first time since 1991 my wife and I are considering being 'ruless. We went car shopping this weekend and we very well may replace her '05 LGT with a:(:( '09 Corolla. I think the combination of fuel expense, relatively expensive maintenance, slower local traffic patterns making the car both a waste and a PITA to drive, fear of traffic tickets(me more than my wife) has finally pushed us over the edge.

The things in favor:

30+ MPG in mixed driving on regular vs ~19 MPG on premium

Nice quiet smooth generic little car good running errands and for my wife's daily commute 98% of the time (especially with traction and stability control) .

Very reliable

Relatively cheap maintenance

Lower monthly payment with little out of pocket.

Relatively high resale

Easy to upgrade stereo;)

 

Things against:

No AWD

My wife has driven nothing but Subarus for more than 15 years an other than a month she drove my Impreza they were all wagons. She, in her own words, hates sedans.

No AWD

Her LGT and her last Outback had leather, heated seats, etc the Corolla does not.

No AWD

I already sorted out the stereo and will have to remove it if we trade in the car.

No AWD

The LGT is much more fun.

No AWD

 

HAVE WE COMPLETELY LOST OUR MINDS??!!

If you are even close to having the 05' payed off, and the vehicle still meets your needs and is reliable; then you would be fools to get rid of it thinking you are saving money. How much fuel can you buy for the $15-17,000 a Corolla will cost you?

Why not sell the PU?

I'm a carpenter and, unfortunately, I need to have a truck.

My '05 LGT is payed off...and I want to sell it and get a Yaris...I'll save about $1,500 per year on gas, $200 on insurance and still have cash in my pocket after I buy the Yaris with the funds from selling the LGT.

I say go for it.

I just did the same thing about a month ago.

I traded my 05 GT for an 08 Civic EX. I too thought I lost my mind.

I'm driving 600+ miles a week though, averaging 36-38 mpg.

The loss of AWD is a factor, but my wife has a Pilot that I can take should

i need to be on the road in a snow storm.

The payoff amount is right about what the car is worth right now.

It hasn't been a particularly good example of the model IMO. The auto tranny is finicky and the brakes have never been right despite the rotors being cut twice. There is periodically whiffs of coolant. IMO, there is no way this particular car will last 15 years without a major repairs.

The 19.5 MPG is with my wife driving, I get ~15 MPG.

We checked out the Fit and the civic. We liked the new corolla better and you can get trac and stability in a relatively stripped car.

I know we're taking a hit on the car we're just trying to avoid throwing good money after bad. What makes it appealing is $150- $200 a month savings between gas and payments at current gas prices.

Make the lgt a project/weekend car and put the money you save on gas into the lgt...just a thought:rolleyes:

That wouldn't exactly save money since we'd have two payments. Besides who wants an automatic in a toy car.

I'm already thinking about an Impreza project if we get her the corolla;).

The payoff amount is right about what the car is worth right now.

It hasn't been a particularly good example of the model IMO. The auto tranny is finicky and the brakes have never been right despite the rotors being cut twice. There is periodically whiffs of coolant. IMO, there is no way this particular car will last 15 years without a major repairs.

The 19.5 MPG is with my wife driving, I get ~15 MPG.

We checked out the Fit and the civic. We liked the new corolla better and you can get trac and stability in a relatively stripped car.

I know we're taking a hit on the car we're just trying to avoid throwing good money after bad. What makes it appealing is $150- $200 a month savings between gas and payments at current gas prices.

Given the poor build quality you have experienced (and I did too with mine) I'd say get rid of the bastard.

Try not to get too bored driving the new Corolla; better get some black socks to go with your sandals too. Yawn...

Toyota Corolla *yawn*

How about a Legacy 2.5i? you can get the limited with all the goodies and start using regular again.

I <3 my 2.5i at the fuel pump, and the fact that I did not have to give up anything in terms of comfort from my 2005 LGT, and gained some!

X

<devils advocate>

You live in Long Island ... how often exactly do you need AWD?

I think this is a knee jerk reaction to a spike in gas prices. My guess is this will last about a year and then return to somewhere between $2-$3/gal. I think you should keep what you got, slow down, accelerate slower, and find someone to commute with (that's what I did). I'm stage 1 and getting 27 mpg overall and 29 mpg highway, and communting with 2 other guys to work.

I couldn't imagine crushing the gas peddle with my right foot and then waiting a full 8 seconds to get near 60 mph.

<devils advocate>

You live in Long Island ... how often exactly do you need AWD?

I couldn't imagine crushing the gas peddle with my right foot and then waiting a full 8 seconds to get near 60 mph.

8 seconds in a Corolla or a Legacy 2.5i?

I have a MT 2.5i SE, and I know it doesnt take 8 seconds to get to 60 mph...maybe in the AT

<devils advocate>

You live in Long Island ... how often exactly do you need AWD?

Say that to the girl with the Nissan Z trying to park while there is an inch of ice on the road!

I tis not just about snow, but ice as well.

Now if it was Florida then that would be a valid point.

X

I dunno .. a FWD car with good snow tires will be more than sufficient for the 3 days a year the city has inadequately plowed and salted.

I lived in Boston last year, and the only trouble I had with my old car was in my own driveway.

Say that to the girl with the Nissan Z trying to park while there is an inch of ice on the road!

 

I tis not just about snow, but ice as well.

 

Now if it was Florida then that would be a valid point.

 

X

Dude, I live in rural western South Dakota. We got a lot of snow this past winter, and had snow last month even. I used 4 wheel drive on my truck maybe twice, and both times were to get up roads I would need 4 wheel drive on if it had rained too (ie muddy logging roads).

I think a FWD sedan will do great, my wife's car is FWD and it does just fine in the snow and ice.

8 seconds in a Corolla or a Legacy 2.5i?

 

I have a MT 2.5i SE, and I know it doesnt take 8 seconds to get to 60 mph...maybe in the AT

yeah. don't kid yourself dude.

mazdaspeed 3 for the win though.

i too am thinking about the same thing..

but i am keeping my leggy..

corolla >> civic. i dunno. i tend to like toyota tranny better than honda tranny.

I think this is a knee jerk reaction to a spike in gas prices. My guess is this will last about a year and then return to somewhere between $2-$3/gal. I think you should keep what you got, slow down, accelerate slower, and find someone to commute with (that's what I did). I'm stage 1 and getting 27 mpg overall and 29 mpg highway, and communting with 2 other guys to work.

 

I couldn't imagine crushing the gas peddle with my right foot and then waiting a full 8 seconds to get near 60 mph.

:lol: $2-$3 a gal that's cute. Gas prices will never go down significantly. The price rises dollars and falls pennies. Once people are willing to pay $5 why only charge $3.

As far as accelerating slower, the car drives like crap if you try to accelerate slowly(see note about finicky auto tranny) and my wife doesn't drive that fast. The car has also never been off Long Island and with our current lives it probably never will. It's honestly just too much car for her daily needs and every time I drive it she complains about the way the tranny acts so I almost never do.

No offense but I have a hard time believing you get such good mileage. If you're going by the cars computer, don't, it says our car gets 23 but my wife keeps meticulous gas records and her best tank was 23 with 19.5 being average over 2 1/2 years. Her '05 LGT uses ~30% more gas than her '97 Outback did and frankly my wife liked that car better.

At first we were considering getting a non turbo 'ru but everything they sell gets roughly the same mileage and it's just not enough of an improvement to be worth the switch:(