Quote:
Originally Posted by Jonster
Hey community,
I’ve been looking for a while and wanted to pay off my current Hyundai Elantra before purchasing, but after discussing with wife, she made a good point and asked why I would spend so much on a car only to drive it occasionally. We can afford letting me daily drive the camaro (gas/maintenance) and we know I’ll enjoy driving it all the time anyhow, so let’s stop caring about depreciation and enjoy the car. I’ll never really enjoy taking “the commute car”.
I currently drive 35-40 miles one way to work (~55-60 min). Instead of paying off my Hyundai I want to just trade it in for a camaro (debating between 3LT or 2SS, I like the features and tech). Only features I care about in addition to trim are NPP exhaust and blackout package.
The point of this post was to ask for recommendations that can make it better for a daily driver. Are all weather tires the best route? Is the v6 (or v4) really that much more practical in terms of maintenance/Gas? Any mods or changes you recommend for better commuting? Etc
Side note: I never plan to track the car, just simply get looks and enjoy an awesome car daily. I’ll probably keep the car for 3-4 years and upgrade.
Thanks in advance
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A V6 is probably the best bet for that commute. It's got plenty of giddyup for when you need it.
If you're a numbers guy, here are some:
V6 = 87 octane. $2.22/gal Gasbuddy in Charlotte today.
T4 and V8 = 93 octane. $2.87/gal
T4 will probably break even vs the V6 in mileage vs. gas cost. For the V8 let's say the mileage diff is 5 mpg for your commute. At 80 miles/day * 250 days/yr = 20,000 miles/yr / 5mpg * $0.65/gal = $2,600 /yr in additional fuel cost to drive the v8.
V6 is $32k and V61LE is $35.5k MSRP. 2SS is from $42 base to $49k for 1LE. If you go 1LE you will need a 2nd set of tires for winter driving (+$1k).
Depreciation will be ~60% at 80k miles after 4 years on whatever you buy, assuming you keep the car in very good condition, no accidents. KBB trace-in value of a 2016 2SS with NPP and 80k miles in very good condition is ~$20.5k... MSRP was ~$43k. V6 trade-in is $14k and MSRP for a V6 2LT NPP was ~$32k.
So the V8 will depreciate ~$1k+ more per year (not bad) but cost you nearly $3k more/year in fuel.