Length of Car loans

Here's the government data for the Chevy and Ford pickups, as close to similarly equipped as possible.

Chevy. 29.4% higher MPG on highway; 20% higher MPG combined.





Ford. 19% higher MPG on highway; 21.4% higher MPG combined.



https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/Find.do?action=sbs&id=21155&id=34676&id=21162&id=35925


Consider a road trip of 500 miles. In 2005 that would take the Chevy 29.4 gallons; in 2015 that would take 22.7 gallons. To me, that is significant.

 

I've been driving the same truck since 1988 and I paid cash for my wife's car, so I can't help you with that one.

 

And you're going to spend 45 grand to save 7 gallons of gas are you?

The average mileage a person puts on a vehicle is 12,000 miles a year. At a combined 14 vs. 17 mpg at $2.20 per gallon like it is right now, you're looking at maybe 150 gallons of gas difference, for a grand total of $330 per year.

If you upgrade from a 10 year old truck you might get 10 grand for it, then spend an average of 45 grand on a new one. So you're out $35,000. Even if you stretch the payment out for 6 years and are only at 3% interest rate, you're looking at a $531 payment. This is to save an average of $27.50 a month in gas.

You might like having a new truck but your argument about saving gas money is silliness with trucks. You're out over $500 a month extra in this example. Plus like I said before, parts are cheap due to the market being swamped with them, and parts are usually much more heavy duty and on average will last longer. Truck styling just doesn't change much either and actually many of the older ones are the best looking, so you don't seem like you're rolling around in an outdated piece of crap either.

 

You're smarter than that to know that's not my argument.

Actually, I do "no money down" leases so I only buy the miles I use.

Point taken. Even if gas was $3.50 a gallon your point still stands.

Don't buy new vehicles. It's a losing proposition unless you plan on keeping it for 10 years, and who would do that nowadays with all the constant increases in technology and safety items? Not to mention the out of pocket expense (huge.)

My point in my last post was that gas mileage has indeed increased for trucks in the past 10 years, by 20% or more.

This is totally subjective. Starting in 1997 I've had six F150 leases and now have a Ram 1500. Believe it that styling has changed.

 

There has been big leaps in technology in the past two years. If you stop at 2014 it's not quite the same picture, not a lot has changed in the 10 possibly 12 years prior. Next year will see even bigger leaps:


Lighter weight (aluminum on F-150, probable unibody Jeeps without sacrificing strength)

more efficient transmissions (autos are now more efficient than manuals)

variable timing engines (engines have a much wider power band so you have more horsepower with less gas)

better technology (Hemi engines can shut down half the cylinders)

better aerodynamics (2018 jeeps will be curvier)


etc. These are fairly new advancements though especially in the truck and SUV world. Cars started improving quite a bit around 2012, especially with mass produced variable timing engines.

 

To each their own, I guess. I can't imagine not being able to plug a USB stick into my vehicle's sound system, or going without hands free cell phone calling. Oh well...

 

Yes, it's a great time to be a fan of automobiles.

When my 2012 F150 lease was ending recently I really wanted that new F150 with the aluminum body and twin turbo V6 (the smaller one) but Ford was so dang proud of those vehicles that I couldn't afford it. I ended up with a Ram 1500 Big Horn and it is soooooo much nicer than my F150. Better equipped and it costs less too. I average 21 MPG with it in mixed driving (it's a V6 gas engine, not the hemi).

My wife has an Altima with the "one-speed" transmission. That took a little getting used because it never shifts gears. Also when going down hills the engine free revs up about 1,000 rpm higher than when you are driving level. Weird. But 32 MPG in mixed driving and 42 MPG on the highway is crazy good.

 

That would be a pretty silly reason to get a new car. For $100 you can buy a new stereo that does this in any car.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/jvc-cd-...lack/1516001.p?id=1219500992514&skuId=1516001


Factory car stereos are behind the times. Some manufacturers try to push the hard drive solution then charge over 2 grand for it, but for less than half that you can have one that has better storage capacity that uses solid state memory. NEVER buy a car for its radio, get one that's stripped down then put an aftermarket one in, you'll always come out ahead. The exception may be with the new ones where system diagnostics and readouts are integrated into the stereo display, as well as backup cameras. I don't know how those things work. Hands free and USB is an entirely different story though, that is cheap and old technology at this point.

 

This is what 10 years of truck styling changes gets you. The first truck is a 2004 Ford F-150 XLT. The second is a 2014.

 

Awesome comparo! Yes, Ford doesn't like to upset their customer base with new things. That's why the aluminum body, new style F150 with the smallish (though powerful) V6 twin turbo was such a gamble for them. Run the same photos with Chevy and Dodge Ram, they will at least show some differences.

 

I do not finance cars or lease. Both are rip offs. We work to be as debt free as possible.

 

Yes, the USB input on the stereo would be a silly reason if it was the only thing you got over a 10 year old car. But you also get hands free phone operation, smoother transmissions, reverse sensors and/or cameras, side air bags, flex fuel, heated seats, heads up display, bluetooth and USB inputs for streaming content (podcasts, music) from your phone, GPS, traction control, tire air pressure monitors, accident avoidance systems,

"Play song 'Glorious Day'".
"Play artist 'Mercy Me'".
"Play album 'Jesus Freak'".

Whoops. That unit doesn't do that.

Almost always come out ahead. And of course you don't buy a new car for the radio.

Reminds me of the old joke about the kept woman who got a new car for New Year's. On January 10th she complained that she needed a new car because "the ash tray is full".

I've got the optional premium Alpine 9.1 system in my Ram 1500. It does a fairly good job, although I'm replacing the left and right dash speakers with aftermarket jobs.

 

I wasn't aware that there were any trucks worth having other than Ford.

 

I need a truck for business purposes. It provides a needed function, hauling stuff, and the expense is a tax write off. Most people that slam leasing either don't understand it or don't know how to do it properly.

A good idea.

 

LOL! I know!

I am shocked, shocked at how many things the Ram does better than my F150. I don't think that would have been true with the previous generations of Ram's though.

 

That unit does have hands free, which is why I posted it. Even if that particular one doesn't have something you want, crap that's a bottom of the barrel very basic entry level model, things only get nicer from there.

Again, that's why I posted it. That $100 unit has this.

Again, the expensive navigation systems in factory systems can easily be beat by aftermarket ones. Kenwood navigation is super nice comparatively and is much cheaper.

This is a function of the GPS. Assuming you're talking about rerouting. Maybe you're talking about the automatic emergency braking systems like on Tesla's.

Any unit that interfaces with your phone should be able to do this through the phone. And again, this is the entry level model. If you want it to read nighttime stories, tuck you in, and kiss you on the cheek, I'm sure you could pay a little more.