So like a lot of you my commute to work is killing my wallet due to gas and tolls. When I bought my jeep the round trip to and from work was about 16 miles, now it's almost 60 because of my new job. With gas and tolls I spend about $300/month. Then, add in my monthly payment of $380 and $90 for insurance and I'm spending almost $800 month just to drive my jeep. I can either trade my jeep for something more economical, or keep it and buy a cheap 4 banger car to go to and from work. Only thing with that is I really don't want more cars in my garage/driveway. I know a lot of you are/were in this predicament so any insight is appreciated.

 

Cheap commuter and still have you're fun vehicle. I traded my 07 JK senior year of college for a Nissan maxima. FUN car to drive and very nice. Graduated, got a good paying job year later and traded it for a 2012 jk. Love it, but terrible financial decisions. Should have kept the 07, although I love the new engine

 

Get a motorcycle. With fall entering, prices will be going down. Plus mpg is 40+, get one for less than $2000, and insurance is hella cheap. I was spending $75 every 6 months for my YZF-R1, and I'm 23 year old male.

 

I would get a dart! i have seen some promotions going for 89 a month!.. add insurance and taxes wont go over 200 a month when you get the cheapest version.. or look for a cheap asian car like corolla or yaris. im thinking on doing that too, because I own a Dodge Challenger R/T Classic (I barely take it out) and a JK wrangler . i get no more than 16 mpg on the wrangler thanks to the DIablo TUne .. but before that was like 12.5 mpg and 45 miles of rountrip..

 

well then I would say.. get a Hyosung not a yamaha.. since paid cash the hyosung cost me 4k new 650cc and Iput 124, 000 miles on it, barely changing the oil lmao... the bad part was resale value.. i got 1k for it :(

 

I've got a 2000 Zx12R that I pay 75.00 a year for insurance. I ride almost everyday 60+ miles round trip.

 

it takes you like 5 minutes to get to work with that horsepower eh

 

Good suggestions, but the motorcycle thing scares me a bit. I had several dirt-bikes when I was younger, but a motorcycle on the highways is too risky for me. People drive like a-holes and everyday I hear about someone getting popped by a car. Freaks me out a little. I guess I could consider it, but if I did it'd be an on/off road bike like a DR or something.

 

Been there, done that.

It's almost always cheaper to keep your current vehicle (JK) and keep driving it versus having a second vehicle. The equation can make sense when you can pick up a commuter vehicle super-cheap that doesn't need full coverage insurance, but then you are generally hedging against safety and reliability, and the expense of fixing your POS commuter when it breaks down (not if, but when). You need to take a hard look at the numbers, all expenses considered, and how long it would take you to break-even and recover any gas savings by swapping vehicles, or buying a second one.

I would advise against owning a motorcycle as a commuter vehicle. They're dangerous and impractical, dangerous, highly impractible, and also dangerous. Often impractical. I have thousands and thousands of miles and years under my belt on motorcycles, and the absolute last place I'd ever want to be on one is in commuter traffic on a daily basis. IMO it's an even worse idea if you have kids or significant others that could one day be called "surviving family."

I've got a slightly longer commute (80 miles). I went with the added-expense option of a 2nd vehicle. It's more expensive to keep both vehicles, but it's worth the comfort and ease that driving a commuter car has, versus an ill-mannered, lifted, short-wheelbase JK with large tires.

 

Good input. I'll probably steer clear of the motorcycle option. I have done the math and I think buying an older civic or something comparable will be my best bet. I've seen ones with decent mileage go for a few thousand and those damn things run forever and can easily get 400 miles/tank that costs $35 to fill.