I need a cheaper daily driver, will a bug cost me my mancard??

[69charger2002]

ok 2 things to consider here(i'm gonna throw important out the window as far as cost and focus on what I THINK is more important)
first off, before i say this, i am a big advocate of who gives a rat's ass what other people think, i do what i want and don't think twice.
ok. you said 2 things that just made me shake my head.. 1. you wanted an honest opinion on losing manhood with a bug.. and 2. you said you're single.. now buddy don't take this the wrong way, whether you're ugly as homemade sin or a stud, either way, a bug and being single is NOT gonna mix well. you are 24, in the prime of your life, the perfect age to still meet a good chic. not saying a civic/accord won't be a cure all. but a bug?? man please don't give in to that one because of insurance costs. everybody makes fun of a dude in a NEWER beetle.. somehow the older ones get away with it without it being goofy, but not those new ones. same goes for a mini cooper.
as for the seriously important stuff. it's been mentioned before. insurance will go down for you 10% in a year with a clean record.. focus on getting an 00-01 that is good and reliable like an accord or camry or whatever. 1. you will have good resale value, 2. you will have reliability and get good gas mileage for your commute and save money 3. you can get liability only and save a BOATLOAD on insurance costs.. just my opinion here take it for what it's worth. you wouldn't catch me dead in a new bug or mini cooper. i guess the main reason is i am 6'2, but also even though i don't care what people think, somehow it would bother ME nonstop
trav

[Old Moparz]

FYI: Buying a PT cruiser is your willing admittance into the over the hill club.  A PT cruiser is the new old man Buick.  But hey, you would look cool driving one Bob.

Could be true about the PT being over the hill club car, but cheap & reliable is why it caught my attention. The ads I saw with a $9995 price tag are from less than 2 years ago, & there aren't too many new vehicles in that price range.


As for me looking cool in one........ 

[JR]

I have no problem with keeping my Mustang til the wheels fell off. It's just those insurance bills. Its 706 for 6 months. (And the 4 cyl only gets 6 mpg more. I dont know how much I'm saving there)  An Accord Coupe the same year is 640. Thats not enough savings there to justify trading cars. I like them and believe me that was my first choice.

I also could care less what anyone thinks. I learned that in my highschool years from the chevy rednecks who gave me hell for driving an old Dodge. I don't think I'd be totally happy with a bug. I'd be happy with how cheap it is to drive and insure. I'm looking at the savings there.

99 percent of the reason I'd trade rides here is cost. I'm not hellbent on anything. I'm just sick of spending so much money here and there. I recently stopped all unecessary stuff like gym membership, and eating out. I'll have my house paid off in 3 months(It was a family hookup), and then all I will have will be the new car payment, a small loan payment, and utilities. I've been working two jobs for a while to knock out that bill. Maybe I wont' need to trade since that will free up some money then.

[Old Moparz]

Do a truly honest cost comparison for yourself to see the exact difference. I mean not just the actual insurance & gas savings difference, but also what you can expect to get from the resale value on the Mustang. You might save "X" number of dollars each month by switching rides, but if you take a big hit on the Mustang, the savings may not match & it could be several years before it does. 

[PocketThunder]

FYI: Buying a PT cruiser is your willing admittance into the over the hill club.  A PT cruiser is the new old man Buick.  But hey, you would look cool driving one Bob.

Could be true about the PT being over the hill club car, but cheap & reliable is why it caught my attention. The ads I saw with a $9995 price tag are from less than 2 years ago, & there aren't too many new vehicles in that price range.


As for me looking cool in one........ 

That doesnt count you already used that picture once in the past on this forum....   

[rick.d]

yes. what were you thinking? just hand me the keys to your charger now.

[JR]

yes. what were you thinking? just hand me the keys to your charger now.

I'm thinking the less money I spend on my daily driver, the more money I have for gas and improvements to my Charger. 

[Todd Wilson]

yes. what were you thinking? just hand me the keys to your charger now.

I'm thinking the less money I spend on my daily driver, the more money I have for gas and improvements to my Charger. 

Theres always someone with something bad to say. You need a good dependable daily driver. You want to save money. I look at this as a time to invest in transportation. A VW Bug or Jetta Diesel in my opinion would be  a very good investment. Diesel VW's have a reputation of running for about as long as the 12 valve Cummins Ram's do  and your MPG will be awesome. With todays vehicle prices and todays fuel prices its a good idea to look into things like you are doing. Its not cool,sweet or badass  its transportation. Get from point A to point B the most times for the least amount of money! You are experiencing this driving around your Mustang! It isnt working inthe $ department!

Just 2 days ago I was at Home Depot about to leave when I saw a dude warming up his VW Bug Diesel and scraping his windows. He must have worked there. Only things I thought was this message thread and how sweet it would be to get the MPG he is getting.

Todd


Go buy it and drive it and not worry about what others say.

[dukeboy_318]

    

just go buy it, who cares what other people think, its for you and if itll save you more in the long run, id go for.  think of it this way, if you dont, you might not be able to go back to school(which is what you want to do  )(not dissing on those that dont either btw), so go for it and then when you get youre better job and can better afford the lower gas mileage, buy yourself a better car or truck whatever, point is id go for it i was you.   

[JR]

Thanks guys. I'm holding out for one now. So far all I've found is the gas versions of both. They do pretty good, but I may as well hold out for a diesel one. At 50 mpg, it would pay for itself. And either one has more personality than an Echo or Yaris or something like that.

Working two jobs has finally paid off, I'm caught up on my bills and am about to pay off all my January bills on the first Friday. Utilities, house payment, car payment, etc, and hopefully put the rest of the months money in a savings account or a C.D. At 24 I really need to start some savings. Busting my ass working for the man has finally taught me the value of a dollar.  Things are starting to turn around now though.

When Tax returns come i'll pay off the last 1500 I owe on my house. It's very small, but nice for my age, and it has been in my family since it was built in the 50s. I'll be a 24 year old homeowner. I can always build on it in the future cheaper than buying some 100k plus house. Then all I will owe is one small loan payment, utilities, and the daily transportation costs. And the one credit card I still use. With a 500 dollar limit I shouldn't get into any trouble there.

The hard part is not talking myself into spending too much on my Chargers. I've got to grow up sometime, may as well be now.

[A383Wing]

Good fer you...... 

Bryan  (I may be be gowing old, but I refuse to grow up)

[Supercharged Riot]

I got a civic (with the smallest engine it ever came with, 1.5L)

I get 35 (mabe 40) MPG.

I commute about 150-200 miles every week

I spend anywhere between $15-$20 a week on gas.

Modern car that I like thats also light & does the job