Small Cars - What do you drive?! WHY?

Now that the construction phase is largely done, I'm looking at buying a daily driver.

My 3/4 ton truck just isn't hacking it on the fuel expenditures...especially on longer drives.

Looking for a smaller, more fuel efficient daily driver.

I've owned two subarus (and loved them), but do not require AWD.

A few cars that have caught my eye:

Toyota Matrix - (flat folding rear seats)

Honda Fit - (flat folding rear seats)

Just seeking reliability and a classic that will keep on rolling...think Camry, Accord, Corolla.

What do you drive and why?

I drive a vw tdi diesel which gets 47mph when I drive like hell's hounds and 50 when I drive like going slow will add ten years to my life.

When I can, I'll buy a used Tesla S3. My relatives have one and their energy cost are equivalent to 130 miles per gallon.

hell yes. I'll say it again, their energy costs/fuel cost are equivalent to 130miles per gallon. Tesla's cars broke NHIST safefy machine then sued Tesla when they started to advertise this fact.

You can still get diesel tdi's which get over 40mpg
You can still get geo metro's if you search real hard and rebuild them to get 45 to 50mpg. Get two of them so you can be overhauling the other. Make sure you get the right model of the geo metro cause not all models got that kinda mileage.

You'll have to get a special make of the Toyota Prius to get 45 to 50mpg  all of the Priuses used to get 50mpg or better but now suck except the special makes, check wirecutter.com for the best mpg  -then go buy a used or new S3 Tesla.

We drive a Pontiac Vibe, which is a clone of the Toyota Matrix. Ours is 18 years old (2003), has had few problems other than the regular rinse and repeat sort of stuff which we are very conscientious about (like oil filters etc).
We *love* it for the convenience:
- it will hold 10 bags of chicken feed with the back seats down to distribute the weight load
- the rear hatch lift-over height is essentially 0 which makes it easy on the back
- the front passenger seat also folds down so if you've got something long to go in it may take it so long as it's narrow
- we added a trailer hitch and it will pull our ~4ft X 8 ft trailer within reason

What we like less:
- I'm short, so the sight lines for backing up are lousy - that said, I've not considered them good since I had to retire my 1985 Toyota Tercel.
- our back hatch area did not have any carpeting which is great for sweeping it out, but not so good from the slipping perspective - we got some indoor/outdoor carpet that was rubber backed and cut it to size and it just sits there and can be easily pulled out for cleaning so in fact it's worked out perfectly fine, but we didn't get the cheapest available so at the time I was a bit aghast, but since it's lasted 18 years, I really can't complain.

FYI - ours is 5 speed manual - don't know if they're at all common. In fact, our truck is manual and hubby's friend suggested it was an anti-theft device.

I'm less concerned about the *ultimate* in fuel economy and have absolutely zero interest in hypermiling either.  However, I'm looking for a fine balance of efficiency and practicality...hence the fold flat seats in the Matrix or Fit.  Was looking at Geo Metros as well - but seeking something a little newer.  I do not plan on doing much (if any) mechanical work on the vehicle.  Likely looking at a gasser, not a diesel or hybrid.

Jay Angler wrote:We drive a Pontiac Vibe, which is a clone of the Toyota Matrix. Ours is 18 years old (2003), has had few problems other than the regular rinse and repeat sort of stuff which we are very conscientious about (like oil filters etc).
We *love* it for the convenience:
- it will hold 10 bags of chicken feed with the back seats down to distribute the weight load
- the rear hatch lift-over height is essentially 0 which makes it easy on the back
- the front passenger seat also folds down so if you've got something long to go in it may take it so long as it's narrow
- we added a trailer hitch and it will pull our ~4ft X 8 ft trailer within reason

What we like less:
- I'm short, so the sight lines for backing up are lousy - that said, I've not considered them good since I had to retire my 1985 Toyota Tercel.
- our back hatch area did not have any carpeting which is great for sweeping it out, but not so good from the slipping perspective - we got some indoor/outdoor carpet that was rubber backed and cut it to size and it just sits there and can be easily pulled out for cleaning so in fact it's worked out perfectly fine, but we didn't get the cheapest available so at the time I was a bit aghast, but since it's lasted 18 years, I really can't complain.

FYI - ours is 5 speed manual - don't know if they're at all common. In fact, our truck is manual and hubby's friend suggested it was an anti-theft device.

I didn't know that the Vibe and Matrix were one in the same!

https://www.guideautoweb.com/en/articles/3357/pontiac-vibe-vs-toyota-matrix-six-of-one-a-half-dozen-of-the-other/

I may read up on this and begin pricing out Vibes since they appear to depreciate a little more than the Toyota.

If the guts are the same, who cares?

We bought an '09 Honda Fit new, 11 years ago. It's still going strong. I love it. It navigates well in snow and ice (as long as the snow isn't deep), the seats fold down (this was really handy before we had kids, as we could fit random shelves and dressers found at yard sales in there). The hatch space is pretty reasonable, too. Now that we have kids, we can't fold down the seats nearly as easily--as we usually have kids there! But, it's roomy and holds the car seats well. There's good head space, too. My brother is 6'5", and he fits in our Honda Fit, as well has his Yaris. My parents have the Matrix, and it's done well by them, too. The Yaris is the smallest, then the Fit, then the Matrix. We bought all our cars around the same time, and they're all doing well.

We average 34-36 miles per gallon with an even mix of rural, city, and freeway driving. When doing long road tips without traffic, we can get about 42 miles per gallon.

I love our car!

Speaking of what you can fit in it without the seats folded down, we can often get two big (40 pound?) bags of pine shavings, as well as 2 40 pound bags of chicken feed. And that's just in the back. We can put quite a few bags of feed under our kids feet, too .

For many years I drove a 5 speed ford escort.  That was a great car for just getting from place to place (kinda limited on cargo space).  I could get 35 mpg easily.  

I sold the car as it was getting up on miles, but I miss it frequently.  That car was the last manual transmission I ever owned.  Too bad, it was a great, reliable and affordable little car.

Eric

Nicole Alderman wrote:We bought an '09 Honda Fit new, 11 years ago. It's still going strong. I love it. It navigates well in snow and ice (as long as the snow isn't deep), the seats fold down (this was really handy before we had kids, as we could fit random shelves and dressers found at yard sales in there). The hatch space is pretty reasonable, too. Now that we have kids, we can't fold down the seats nearly as easily--as we usually have kids there! But, it's roomy and holds the car seats well. There's good head space, too. My brother is 6'5", and he fits in our Honda Fit, as well has his Yaris. My parents have the Matrix, and it's done well by them, too. The Yaris is the smallest, then the Fit, then the Matrix. We bought all our cars around the same time, and they're all doing well.

We average 34-36 miles per gallon with an even mix of rural, city, and freeway driving. When doing long road tips without traffic, we can get about 42 miles per gallon.

I love our car!

For sure, years ago - my dad and I rented a car and drove to Indiana for a workshop at Darby Simpson's place.  I was initially disappointed when they gave us a Yaris, as I'm about 6'3" and 200lbs - but surprisingly, I fit comfortably inside that little car and enjoyed driving it.  A mechanic friend of mine is a "honda guy" and speaks highly of his Fit.  The fold flat rear seats is what is making me look at it.  I'm a Subaru guy at heart, but seeing as I have a 3/4 ton truck, the practicality overrides the cool factor and my love of the Subie.

Look forward to exploring the Fit, Matrix, and Vibe more...as well as hearing feedback from others on their practical little fuel efficient cars!

I am currently driving a Honda Insight- hybrid. Cost us 4k used. Gets good gas mileage. Some major cons for me though- it's SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO LOW to the ground. I scraped it driving in town actually and now all of my sensors are screwed up. It's also super light. I get blown around by the wind almost as much as a semi truck.

Before the Insight I drove a Kia Rio. I drove it for 11 years until it had 180k miles on it. I loved it. I mean they're crappy cars but it did really well in bad weather. I miss it!

saw the posts about what you can fit in the cars.

I don't know what the Insight can fit because I'm banned from putting things in it by my spouse. The KIA could fit an entire hay bale in the trunk though.

We have a Camry because we inherited it. However, when we are in a position to buy a replacement we would really like a Honda Fit. I have driven them before, and they are impressively easy to handle in the city (e.g. better turning radius and sightlines than the Camry), and spacious in the right way. They are well named because you can fit your stuff in the boxy back, and you can fit the relatively compact car into a parking spot.

I bought my Corolla used in 2004, and haven’t done anything but oil changes and struts because I beat this poor machine up. I get 33 mpg which is about the same as a Fit. I would say as much as I love this beater I have thought of getting a vibe for the cargo room. I have carried 5 rolls of 4000’ high tensile in it which is 800#, and the suspension is the same on the vibe/matrix. I have 200000 miles on the poor thing and it’s been awesome. I recently found a vibe in the neighborhood for sale that’s a 2008 and may upgrade if mine does before the vibe sells. My wife hates it!

The alternative would be a CRV or RAV which get maybe 23 mpg but are all wheel drive and have substantially more clearance. Subaru doesn’t get much better mileage and the additional cargo room would be super. I would be very leery of old hybrids (like >8 years) as the batteries are often pretty much spent if they have been used in stop and go and you are basically driving an underpowered gas machine but carrying a bunch of battery weight.

Rob Kaiser wrote: I was initially disappointed when they gave us a Yaris, as I'm about 6'3" and 200lbs - but surprisingly, I fit comfortably inside that little car and enjoyed driving it.

I bought a Toyota RAV4 (used) in retirement and like it well enough.  We are rural in northern Minnesota and if I don't have 4X4 I at least want AWD until I may get to the point where I just drive the truck in winter and any sedan/hatchback during the non-winter months.  My own experience has me liking the Japanese imports more that the domestics (USA) for reliability reasons across several decades.....that may have changed in the most recent offerings but I can't speak to that.  The mileage isn't great because of the AWD, but that's the trade-off.  Would relish bombing around in a Honda Fit or similar pint-size.....really miss my older CRV with 5-speed man.

But to the point of my clipped lines from Rob K., I can't recall where I heard or read of it, but somewhere I picked up the notion that Toyota went to great lengths to design comfortable seats.  Although it doesn't appear from internet comments that all are in agreement, I must say I feel them to be very good to my back....and continue to try to push for Toyota sedans when needing to rent.  Being about your size as well, I don't feel to have ever had a bad ride in a rented Toyota, whereas only *some* of the domestic rentals have been equally as comfortable....and several of the latter downright tortuous.

I drive a 1980 CJ-5 Jeep.

My first car was a 1977 CJ-5.  I still have it, but unfortunately in my younger days I converted it into a rock crawler.  I don't really care for it anymore.

I will always own a CJ-5 or earlier model Jeep.  I've owned several Willys pickups, and wagons over the years, but my heart belongs to CJ's.

No power anything, brakes are manual, steering is manual, no electronics, no bs.  A simple car for a simple person.

I get complimented all the time on my Jeep.  There's just something about them.

I dream of having a daily driver flatfender for around town runs.  One that could be cranked over by hand if need be.

New Jeeps are nice, and new cars in general are a pleasure to drive.  I dislike them very much.  Too many extras for things to go wrong.

When people ask me about four wheeling/off roading and I tell them I don't really do that anymore, they question why I drive one.

My reply, "Your car door has more moving parts in it (and you probably have four), than my entire car does.......and of course, my car has no doors."

Enjoy all the moving parts that fail with your vehicles.

:)

Get it, the Jeep smiley.......which I actually also dislike.

Meh....

Well....For day to day best bang for the buck I drive a 93 Dodge 3/4 ton diesel,
I used to drive a Samurai that on the sweetest day of its life may have gotten 28 mpg.
My First Gen gets 23 mpg can haul everything and pull the neighbor out of the ditch and snowplow concurrently!
If the weather is perfect an old Suzuki 250 dual purpose bike gets 72 mpg, but in N Idaho the weather turns lousy often enough its a rare day the Suzy gets a workout!

I have put a quarter million miles on my 2005 Honda Element, which I bought "new/used" in a family transaction from a family member who disliked it after putting 5,000 miles on it.  I love it.

I don't obsessively track gas mileage, but it's basically a Honda Accord with a big box on top.  It's not thirsty.  It's all plastic inside (you can literally hose it out with a garden hose if you're careful) and the rear seats fold down (back) or up (while flat, against the windows) or can easily be removed.  The AWD clings to icy or muddy roads like nobody's business.  

But what I really love is how bulletproof it's been.  Aside from a few headlight bulbs and brake pads, literally NOTHING broke or needed repair in the first quarter million miles.  After that, stuff started to wear out: ac compressor, electric window motors, key locks, a couple of motor mounts, a bunch of suspension stuff.  But that was a case of replacing worn out stuff in a comfortable shop.  I still have never had a mechanical failure on the road that made me get towed home.   I've been driving it for 14 years and when I told the guy who helped me with the repairs that I was hoping to make a million, he looked at me and he looked at the Element and then he said "You ain't gonna live that long."  (In truth we both think half a million miles is a reasonable hope...)

I need a Honda or Toyota buzzbox for this year while I work on my bus. They are so reliable. Nissan can be good also. A friend said the Vibe is a good choice. I’m not sure picky.

What small car do we drive?      Smart Car

Why?                                       Because it's fun.

I also have a Nissan Frontier pickup truck, but the Smart car is far more fun.

We have two toyota Yaris, and they are great little cars; good mileage, reliable, and with the seats down i can fit more than most people expect( plenty of firewood, lawnmower, live trees, full-size band saw, are just a couple recent examples.

If you do go with Yaris, stick with model years 2007-2011 - after this they moved production of the new model to Mazda(or Hyundai, can't remember which) and the quality suffers a bit (body panels now plastic and falling off easily).

My wife and I have had good luck with Hyundai.  We've put on loads of miles and gotten fairly good gas mileage.
My son likes the stow and go storage in his Grand Caravan, if you want a larger vehicle.  It doesn't get as good mileage, but, it's pretty handy for hauling stuff.

I drive a Prius (the sedan).

It's a sort-of-hatchback, so you can easily carry a lot of stuff, and the mileage is hard to beat: 52 mpg (on average) if I'm the one driving, around 48 mpg if it's my husband who drives a little faster. In summer, without winter tires and a ski rack, I can average 58 mpg.

I've hauled my share of lumber or soil bags with it.

Dan Boone wrote:I have put a quarter million miles on my 2005 Honda Element, which I bought "new/used" in a family transaction from a family member who disliked it after putting 5,000 miles on it.  I love it.

I don't obsessively track gas mileage, but it's basically a Honda Accord with a big box on top.  It's not thirsty.  It's all plastic inside (you can literally hose it out with a garden hose if you're careful) and the rear seats fold down (back) or up (while flat, against the windows) or can easily be removed.  The AWD clings to icy or muddy roads like nobody's business.  

But what I really love is how bulletproof it's been.  Aside from a few headlight bulbs and brake pads, literally NOTHING broke or needed repair in the first quarter million miles.  After that, stuff started to wear out: ac compressor, electric window motors, key locks, a couple of motor mounts, a bunch of suspension stuff.  But that was a case of replacing worn out stuff in a comfortable shop.  I still have never had a mechanical failure on the road that made me get towed home.   I've been driving it for 14 years and when I told the guy who helped me with the repairs that I was hoping to make a million, he looked at me and he looked at the Element and then he said "You ain't gonna live that long."  (In truth we both think half a million miles is a reasonable hope...)

I'm impressed with the performance and endurance you've gotten out of your Element!  Those are good cars, the perfect balance between economy driver and homestead utility hauler.  I was very interested in buying one myself, and right about that same time, but the ergonomics didn't work for me.  I have driven several Hondas before, and while I liked them, I can't report anything like the 6-digit mileage you have enjoyed free of major repairs.  Either you are very lucky or the Element just is that good.

Clearly if not a small cross-over, then a hatchback must be the best configuration for the type of economical, drivable, but still useful vehicle under discussion in this thread.  I was amazed at the duty I extracted from my prior vehicle, a new 2007 Hyundai 3-door hatchback.  The photo was taken April 2009.  It was able to get done most things I needed done, and it was still comfortable to just hop in and drive to the store.  My mileage, when I didn't have 500lbs of hydrated lime loaded in the back, was about 30mpg.  Maybe up to 33mpg on long highway trips if I was very careful.  Not what they advertise, but acceptable.

Several years ago I sold it - 133K miles and a LOT of wear and tear - and bought a used, very low mileage, 2015 BMW i3 Rex.  I love it!  Going electric realized big savings.  And then I put up home photovoltaics.  Since then, apart from depreciation, driving my car is nearly free.  Sadly, BMW discontinued this model.  Also unfortunate: while I think it makes more sense than any other drive configuration out there, the range-extended electric is the least most manufactured style from any brand.  There are currently only a handful to choose from.

The i3 is also a compact hatchback, but the balance of proportions is a little different than the Hyundai.  I have a more spacious driver's position, with definitely more headroom, but also definitely less cargo capacity in back.  The floor of the rear cargo area is just too high, as that is where both motors are.

In any case, while I keep the rear seats folded on the i3 and use it frequently to haul stuff, I have no intention of flogging it as a construction vehicle like I did the Hyundai!

I had an 83 VW Rabbit Diesel... 45 plus miles per gallon on short form biodiesel.
I'd get waste vegetable oil, filter it really well and cut it 4 to 1 with Coleman fuel.
The little Bunny ran great on it. (Warm SoCal weather may have helped)
I never tried hauling hay bales but with the backseat removed I could fit a 55 gallon drum behind the driver's seat.

neil mcanally wrote:I had an 83 VW Rabbit Diesel... 45 plus miles per gallon on short form biodiesel.
I'd get waste vegetable oil, filter it really well and cut it 4 to 1 with Coleman fuel.
The little Bunny ran great on it. (Warm SoCal weather may have helped)
I never tried hauling hay bales but with the backseat removed I could fit a 55 gallon drum behind the driver's seat.

I used to fit 6 two-string rectangular straw bales into that little Hyundai at once.

I continue to be loyal to that rapidly vanishing breed, the 4-cyl. 5-speed manual with a Japanese built or designed engine.

Over the years, a Corolla wagon, Mazda sedans, and now Kia Souls (2010 and 2011 -- first and second model years, with the Mitsubishi design engines).

Living in the country, we appreciate the Kia's wider wheelbase and higher stance. With the earlier 4-bangers we would struggle with ruts left by wider wheelbase trucks -- going back and forth, I ended up buried in the ditch one time.

They are still reliable but showing their age. I will be looking at Toyotas for the next round.

EDIT: People are amazed at the amount of stuff I can haul in any hatchback vehicle, particularly the Kia Soul. Right now it has 17 containers of free municipal compost in the back!

I learned to drive on a 1.6L Corolla wagon (a '72), and twenty years ago bought another one (a '96). The second one was still going strong eighteen years later, serving mostly as my "farm ute" and especially handy because of its 4WD and locking center diff. However, those attributes cut its fuel efficiency somewhat compared to a 2WD model. I sold it a couple of years ago to one of the guys at a local steel fabrication shop, with about 350K on the clock and still running perfectly aside from a iittle oil consumption.

I think this photo makes an interesting juxtaposition.



On the right is a 1981 model luxury French Citroën CX limousine.

On the left, dwarfing it, is a modern Mini.

Times have changed...

Also of interest is that my partner's dad worked on the design team to create an automatic transmission system for the original mini, because at the time none of the available ones were anything like small enough to fit in such a tiny car.

Interesting thread started Jan 2020, I like toyotos because I feel they are dependable.

My ride now is a Subaru because my daughter feels they are dependable...

We used to have a Ford Aspire, when we were building (but also had and have an 88 Chevy truck for serious hauling). Then we got a VW Jetta, and for the last few years it's been a Fit. I use and abuse them all, using them to haul up to 22 bags of leaves, which I clean off our gravel lane and bring home to make leafmold. And I haul bags of goat manure and hay. It's only my husband and me, usually only one of us., so I don't put dirty stuff on the passenger seat but haul all manner of stuff in the back, usually with the seat folded down. Couple days ago I managed to get a bundle of five eight-foot T- posts in the Fit, along with two fifty foot rolls of five foot welded wire and six bags of goat manurey hay. IWhen Ihad the Aspire, and the Festiva before it, I was often amazed by what I could squeeze in there. But then--think of what Third World people manage to do with limited access to vehicles. In my hitchhiking days in the 70s and early 80s, I noted that the more room a passing car had, the less likely it was to stop. I figured I hitched 100,000 miles, mostly alone but sometimes with a second person and once with three of us--and never once did a car stop, and have to leave without us because it couldn't squeeze us in. Even when it seemed impossible, we always managed.

I see motorcycles and keep thinking, “That… if we wanted to cut down on fuel usage, why have all the weight and bulk of a car? Why isn’t it normal to go on your errands with a motorcycle? Surely they have trailers for bigger loads.”

And a very limited number of passengers (one? Is two possible?) can be taken by motorcycle. For anyone with a small family this seems a very reasonable option.

I don’t use one but if I were to need to go longer distances it might be reasonable option.

The French will soon sell a real Permies car: La Bagnole

("bagnole"is French slang for "clunker")

Fully electric 2-person pick-up truck, Willis Jeep philosophy, 800 pounds dry weight, 20 HP rear motor, 85 miles range.

Wooden dashboard with primitive toggle switches and tiny screen.

For 10.000€, she will climb walls, plow through the snow and work as a mule....  

I have found that with cars it is best to always be shopping. My best buys have been targets of opportunity rather than planned purchases. But this involves having a broad awareness of a number of vehicles.  My #1 deal was when I walked in Ford dealership and overheard a hot discussion regarding a man wanting to trade in a new BMW on a Lincoln.  It seems he wasn’t aware the BMW was a sports car when he bought it.  Of course, he was losing a fortune on the trade in.

I inserted myself in the conversation and asked him how much he wanted for it. To my shock he sold it to me for what the dealership was offering him.. I went home with a 2002 BMW with a few thousand miles on it at over $7000 below Blue Book.  Doubly amazing was that the dealership did the paperwork.  At least they were selling a Lincoln.

Homestead car?  I did manage to get an 8500 watt Honda generator in the back seat.  That was another opportunity ..a semi carrying generators flipped in Mississippi.  

Frere Daran wrote:The French will soon sell a real Permies car: La Bagnole

("bagnole"is French slang for "clunker")

Fully electric 2-person pick-up truck, Willis Jeep philosophy, ..............

4X4 ?   That would be a dealbreaker for many if this was not at least an option.  Especially as most true electric UTVs these days have that capability.  Nice concept otherwise!...

John F Dean wrote:I have found that with cars it is best to always be shopping. My best buys have been targets of opportunity rather than planned purchases.

Excellent advice! Frugal types are known to have a little cash on hand for contingencies, and this qualifies.

After years of driving only a 2004 Chevy Silverado, I recently purchased a 2009 Prius (2nd gen), which is known for its incredible gas mileage and mechanical reliability. It's been great so far, good storage space with the folding rear seats, sips gas like fine wine, and it drives like a dream (compared to the truck at least). The 3rd generation of Priuses are known for head gasket and other issues, and I didn't look for anything past 4th gen because they're all more expensive than what I was looking to spend. So 2nd gen (for which production ran from 2004 to 2009) turned out to be my sweet spot, in terms of price and value.

The 2nd gen Prius is the model with the "energy monitor" on default on the car's screen, which is pretty cool (and also somewhat distracting) because it shows a real-time "map" of how power is moving throughout the vehicle - to and from the battery, from the engine, to and from the wheels, & to and from the electric motor. It also shows your real-time mpg, which has made me quite cognizant of how my driving technique impacts gas mileage. 5 years ago in this thread, there was some discussion of "hypermiling", which is using driving techniques (and potentially physical modifications) to get as much "go" out of your gas as possible. I have yet to do any physical modifications to my Prius yet, but the concept is very interesting to me.

Also mentioned 5 years ago in this thread the concept of "heavily modifying" a very light old car, such as a Geo Metro. Apparently, you can take out the engines of these cars and replace them with tiny inexpensive engines from places such as Harbor Freight, which reduces the vehicle's weight further. Replace the original transmission with a go-kart drivetrain and you've effectively built a go kart with the existing chassis and mediocre safety features of a decades-old street-legal vehicle. If you do this, top speed would be significantly lower than a "real" car, and hauling capacity would be as well, but you can allegedly get upwards of 80mpg. You just have to use a rip-cord in the engine bay to turn the car on (which I think sounds like a cool thing to do in the grocery store parking lot). It might not fit the needs of most homesteaders, but for transporting 1 or 2 humans and perhaps a load of groceries in a relatively flat place, I find this idea to be incredibly compelling.

Douglas Alpenstock wrote:

John F Dean wrote:I have found that with cars it is best to always be shopping. My best buys have been targets of opportunity rather than planned purchases.

Excellent advice! Frugal types are known to have a little cash on hand for contingencies, and this qualifies.

Recently passed on a family priced Corolla.  Transaction costs are really high in my state and can really eat up a lot of savings if we are not “due” for another vehicle.

Gray Henon wrote:Recently passed on a family priced Corolla.  Transaction costs are really high in my state and can really eat up a lot of savings if we are not “due” for another vehicle.

Perfectly reasonable. It makes no sense to tie up cash in a vehicle you don't need.

Frugal types like me drive their vehicles to the end of the line. My vehicles are hitting 15 and 16 years old. A collision or a deer strike may well lead to the insurance company writing them off. A sudden big-ticket repair would also lead to difficult decisions. So for me, it makes sense to start sniffing around for a well-priced replacement.

I like David Schmith's idea of a microcar. I think this may be the direction we need to go when it becomes difficult to source gasoline, or too expensive for most. Two solutions short of switching to horses are to have a fullsize car that is used by several families for, say, weekly town trips where reps from a couple families go in, also carrying a list from the others. And a one-family microcar--I think this is the way electric cars should go, instead of this notion that they must have a huge range and be able to go at least 70 MPH uphill, and that a family that nearly always has one or two people in the car but once a year hauls six family members should be sized so all six  can ride in comfort.