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François Pugh

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Have you done the math on how much it would cost you to switch cars vs the extra gas you'll spend just driving the 4runner? I don't know how much you are paying for 4runner, but spending $25k to save gas doesn't seem reasonable at glance.

If you do switch I guess there are two ways you can go with this, since you plan to get a new 4runner anyway after graduation, you could just get rid of it now and get something else you enjoy. I can relate to how much you don't want to get rid of it, the day I sold my Wrangler I literally sat alone for hours feeling lost, but you will find something else you like.

If you can manage two cars with your parking rules and such, forget good in snow, you already have one. Find a small light car with manual, they are fun to toss around and probably great on gas, and drive them on no-snow days, drive your 4runner when weather is bad.
After surviving seven years with a very small car (Pontiac Wave), I would advise that if you decide to go small to save fuel, don't go that small, unless you like to live dangerous. My Mazda 3, being just a bit bigger is a much better handling car and gets better fuel mileage to boot. The tiny car was too light in the rear, too short in the wheelbase (and front wheel drive - it's more problematic when your drive train affects the front instead of the rear), which makes for exciting, but potentially expensive, winter driving.
 

JeffB

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This is definitely part of the equation. That being said, I'd already planned upon graduation and bar passage (which will then give me a significant salary jump) I'll do 2 things. First, buy a bigger home. A 1 bedroom condo is a tight squeeze. Second, buy a new(er) 4runner. The one I have is a 2010 so by the time I graduate it will be 12 years old so even if I keep it there will be a change of vehicle after graduation.

While a 4runner is a great car, at about 107k miles I can expect to start needing more major maintenance. Going to a newer vehicle, possibly a CPO, may save me some headache of having to do major repairs on a vehicle when I have even less time than I do now to manage that.

Every car, obviously, is different and my Toyota experience is anecdotal. That said, I would not worry about a 2010 4Runner with 107K, 140k, 200K, or even 250K on the engine, assuming reasonable regular maintenance. I haven't owned that model Toyota or any model with that particular 4.0L V6, but I believe the reputation of the motor is that it is a little bit noisy, but otherwise bulletproof. Of the Toyotas we own or have owned, 107K is just starting to break in, not break. That includes 2 LCs (1992, 1999) and a 2008 Sequoia. The 98 LC is still going strong at almost 300K and the Sequoia is about to hit 120K. I would not hesitate to take the LC on a cross country road trip tomorrow, and I'd trust the 5.6L in the Sequoia to power a generator at a field hospital - even if I were a patient inside the tent. Knock on wood, these dang things just don't break, and there are tons more 4.0L V6s in the 4runners and Tacos that have stood the test of time, mileage and abuse. And as at @Muleski mentioned, you may well have an appreciating asset where you are located.

So,

1. Keep the 4Runner
2. Pay it off early if possible before school starts.
3. Bank the car payment thereafter as though you were still making it. Instant rainy day fund.
4. Grin and grind through law school. It gets better, I promise.
5. Regard your new paycheck and old 4Runner as a badge of honor in 4 years. You fully earned both.
6. Buy whatever the hell you want in 2022, keeping your long-paid off 4Runner in the garage of your new, bigger house for Home Depot and landscape supply runs on weekends.
 

Sibhusky

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I'm inclined to tell you to keep it. But then I kept my Audi for 19 years and 170,000 miles. (It went from being a high mileage car to a low mileage car as both of us got older.). Bank every payment you don't have to make on it once that loan is paid, then pay cash for the next one. I'm 66 and only on my fifth car, paid cash for the last three. IMO, your car is a youngster.
 

jzmtl

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With your estimation of 75 mi for 4 days a week for 9 months, and assume 30 mi per day for rest of the year, you are driving 13800 mi per year. Let's say you go buy a very efficient compact hatchback, say a Mazda 3 that gets 33 MPG combined, and assume 19 MPG for your 4runner, you will save $739 per year with today's Denver gas price, that's only $62 a month.

Will a new car payment cost only $62 more per month? If not it's cheaper to just drive the 4runner. As for maintenance, it's an Toyota with no fancy electronic crap, chance of something breaking short of regular wear item is astronomically low.

So probably makes more sense to keep it and deal with the crappy gas mileage.
 

Blue Streak

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With your estimation of 75 mi for 4 days a week for 9 months, and assume 30 mi per day for rest of the year, you are driving 13800 mi per year. Let's say you go buy a very efficient compact hatchback, say a Mazda 3 that gets 33 MPG combined, and assume 19 MPG for your 4runner, you will save $739 per year with today's Denver gas price, that's only $62 a month.

Will a new car payment cost only $62 more per month? If not it's cheaper to just drive the 4runner. As for maintenance, it's an Toyota with no fancy electronic crap, chance of something breaking short of regular wear item is astronomically low.

So probably makes more sense to keep it and deal with the crappy gas mileage.
Keep Brad!
 

Monique

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3. Bank the car payment thereafter as though you were still making it. Instant rainy day fund.

We used this approach when we had several loans. Every time we paid off a loan, we shoved the payment into a savings account. It has been a good decision. But we didn'thabe to pay for law school on top of it.

With your estimation of 75 mi for 4 days a week for 9 months, and assume 30 mi per day for rest of the year, you are driving 13800 mi per year. Let's say you go buy a very efficient compact hatchback, say a Mazda 3 that gets 33 MPG combined, and assume 19 MPG for your 4runner, you will save $739 per year with today's Denver gas price, that's only $62 a month.

I suspect those numbers are missing something. I've averaged just shy of 16k / year over 9 years. That's with a 20ish mile commute. But I don't just drive to and from work.
 

johnnyvw

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That's just the commuting. I have an 8 mile commute, but somehow I still manage to put on 15k miles/year. Add in trips to ski areas and other assorted frivolity, and most likely the mileage would be double.
 

Dwight

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My last brand new vehicle was in 1999. :) Dodge Ram 1500 extended cab. Still have it, with 280K. It's for sale. :) Suburban 01, 235K, it's for sale too. Wife wants a car, I want a newer to me 4Runner or Tacoma. Just sold a 98 Dakota and 99 Chrylser Concorde. Figured it was time to get something newer than 2001. Son bought his Jeep 99', Cherokee(rebuilt engine with less than 1000miles) last year. Now he thinks everyone should by one. :)

So I have no real advice on purchasing new. I don't like payments that are almost half a home payment for a vehicle. ;)
 

Dave Marshak

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If you are looking for a used vehicle with good gas mileage, think about a Pontiac Vibe. Most of them are AWD, and it's the perfect combination of Toyota reliability and Pontiac resale value. The downside is they're all at least 8 years old now.

dm
 

jzmtl

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I suspect those numbers are missing something. I've averaged just shy of 16k / year over 9 years. That's with a 20ish mile commute. But I don't just drive to and from work.

Heh, that's what I get for doing math before going to bed... Total mileage should be 17925, but the monthly fuel cost difference is still only $80.
 
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coskigirl

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Heh, that's what I get for doing math before going to bed... Total mileage should be 17925, but the monthly fuel cost difference is still only $80.

I put about that amount on the vehicle per year now. Still, points are taken and will be part of my decision process. Really, I need to sit on it all until I see what scholarship I might be offered and what my company will contribute to my tuition expenses.
 

Doug Briggs

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Keep what you have. Toyota rules.

rummage sale 026.JPG
 
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coskigirl

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Gah! Y'all had me pretty convinced not to buy something different then I went and had a Mazda 3 rental car this past weekend. I have to admit, some of the features like the blind spot detection and push button start/keyless entry were really nice. Yes, I'm being spoiled but the idea of not having to dig out a key while carrying bags of books etc after a long day of work/class, having that little extra guidance while driving in traffic, etc all sounds like just one less headache in 4 years of lots of headaches.

No decisions to be made until after I know where I'm going and with what financial support (scholarship and/or company tuition assistance).
 

François Pugh

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Gah! Y'all had me pretty convinced not to buy something different then I went and had a Mazda 3 rental car this past weekend. I have to admit, some of the features like the blind spot detection and push button start/keyless entry were really nice. Yes, I'm being spoiled but the idea of not having to dig out a key while carrying bags of books etc after a long day of work/class, having that little extra guidance while driving in traffic, etc all sounds like just one less headache in 4 years of lots of headaches.

No decisions to be made until after I know where I'm going and with what financial support (scholarship and/or company tuition assistance).
Two items I never thought I would want until they came with my Mazda 3: the keyless ignition and the back up camera. Bonus, what other car gives you the choice of driving down the highway at a buck twenty five OR getting 54 miles per US gallon (with the roof rack)?
 

tball

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Gah! Y'all had me pretty convinced not to buy something different then I went and had a Mazda 3 rental car this past weekend.

You should probably factor in some expensive suspension repairs for any vehicle that gets substantially better gas mileage than your 4runner, at least if you are planning on still being a ski girl during law school.

When the skiing is good, I-70 is often snow packed, rutted and/or washboard. That will tear most suspensions apart over time. A day trip on a powder day can be like driving 150 miles on backcountry dirt roads. Cars and AWD SUV's are not built for that. Your true 4x4 4runner is one of the few remaining vehicles that is.

My experience is the MPG savings of an AWD car or SUV can be lost in suspension repairs for a front range skier that heads up the hill during storms.
 

François Pugh

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You should probably factor in some expensive suspension repairs for any vehicle that gets substantially better gas mileage than your 4runner, at least if you are planning on still being a ski girl during law school.

When the skiing is good, I-70 is often snow packed, rutted and/or washboard. That will tear most suspensions apart over time. A day trip on a powder day can be like driving 150 miles on backcountry dirt roads. Cars and AWD SUV's are not built for that. Your true 4x4 4runner is one of the few remaining vehicles that is.

My experience is the MPG savings of an AWD car or SUV can be lost in suspension repairs for a front range skier that heads up the hill during storms.
Meh, I've had lots of rear wheel drive cars and plenty of front wheel drive cars. I abused 'em pretty badly, too. Still, I'm not too worried about the suspension on the Mazda 3. I do worry about the front air dam though. It's not got much ground clearance there.
 

Monique

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When the skiing is good, I-70 is often snow packed, rutted and/or washboard. That will tear most suspensions apart over time. A day trip on a powder day can be like driving 150 miles on backcountry dirt roads.

Wha? I've been driving my Outback in precisely those conditions for 9 years, and my suspension seems perfectly fine. And my round trip is over 200 miles.
 

Sibhusky

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Living on a dirt road really kills the suspension. I felt like I was always replacing struts, etc. with my old Audi. I was hardly putting any miles on the thing and it was always shocks, lifter arms, wheel bearings.. Apparently being caked with mud unendingly is not a good thing for a car.
 
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coskigirl

coskigirl

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You should probably factor in some expensive suspension repairs for any vehicle that gets substantially better gas mileage than your 4runner, at least if you are planning on still being a ski girl during law school.

When the skiing is good, I-70 is often snow packed, rutted and/or washboard. That will tear most suspensions apart over time. A day trip on a powder day can be like driving 150 miles on backcountry dirt roads. Cars and AWD SUV's are not built for that. Your true 4x4 4runner is one of the few remaining vehicles that is.

My experience is the MPG savings of an AWD car or SUV can be lost in suspension repairs for a front range skier that heads up the hill during storms.

Maybe you don't know this but I already live on the Front Range and know I-70 very, very well. I've had a Nissan Rogue, a Subaru Impreza and a Honda Civic that I've driven I-70 extensively with. Never needed a suspension repair. That being said, my 30-40 ski days a year will likely reduce to 10-15 while I'm in school.
 

Muleski

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In out family we've had a whole lot of ski cars over the years. Too many. I'm not so sure that the crappy driving conditions described above really materially accelerated suspension problems.

Some cars are just not "great" with suspension wear. Worst in our experience were a couple of Audi avants. The things ate control arms, shocks lasted about 60-70K before the ride suffered. By a bit over 100K, it seemed like every bushing on the car needed to be renewed.

I've commented to @Monique that her Outback XT sounds remarkable. Like ready for the hall of fame, because in three of them, we had pretty much replaced the entire suspension by 150K miles. With both the Audis and the Subies we had friends who do not regularly ski who had similar problems.

We also have friends who I know kept driving cars with "bad" suspensions, and ignored it, or didn't notice! And we have had friends who have driven a lot of basic transportation for many miles, through a lot of terrible weather with no issues. So I guess, It all depends.

Our son has a 2002 Tacoma with about 250K miles on it. He did a lot of suspension work at about 120K, and upgrades shocks, springs, the quality of a lot of the bushings. I think he needs a couple of control arms now. Not bad, but on their way out. That vehicle has been remarkable.

We're on out third Land Cruiser, over about 22 years and maybe 750K of driving. Those things are just another build quality. Even with those, we'd typically replace shocks at 100K intervals, watch the bushings for wear.

I just don't think the winter road "crap", of which we have plenty here in New England, made the wear worse.

Have a fried in ski country with an older Volvo 740 wagon that I don't think he has done a thing to in recent years. Must have 350K on it. Still seems to be "fine."

Back on track. I would keep the 4Runner through law school.
 
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