Those that have a daily driver that isn't a Tundra

My daily is a V12 LOL, I kidd you not. We get gas perks for life from my work so I can't complain

 

I want to know more haha

 

Yes, more.

 

My daily is a 2022 Corolla Hybrid. 33k miles in 2 years at 50mpg vs The Tundra’s 13! So far it’s almost paying for itself with fuel savings. It’s not luxurious but it’s simple, super reliable and comfortable enough.

 

Gas is like $6.50 in CA right now and my truck gets 9mpg lol. I leased a Mazda3 for $320 a month and that little sucker gets 30mpgs. I’ve never done the math but I’m assuming with gas, insurance, maintenance, and wear and tear, I’m basically driving the Mazda for free without adding 10k a year on my truck. And I actually like driving the Mazda daily over my truck. It’s way easier and more comfortable.

 

My 2 cents. To all the folks looking to save money or mileage on their vehicles. Stop buying things on credit. Keeping up with the neighbors is bad way to go. The only mortgage or debt you should have is for your house, everything else is frivolous. Work hard while your young and able, save money and invest well. Take care of the pennies and the dollars take care of themselves.

 

So I've ruled out leasing anything. The only way leasing something makes sense is if it's an electric vehicle. I'm going to keep my eye out for something small and good on gas for relatively cheap. The good part is, buying a cheap car at 2k means you can pretty much sell it a year later for 2k. Nothing really goes for cheaper unless there's something major wrong with it.

Liability is pretty cheap and yearly registration is only around $55 so it's really only come down to gas and maintenance. The latter of which I can handle on my own or have a family member assist if I need it.

Also, time is on my side so I don't need to jump into something quick. If a decent DD falls into my lap, then great. If I need to wait a few months then great also.

 

Picked up a manual 2007 FJ cruiser with 190k miles for 12k as a daily driver. Insurance ended up being about 10$ a month for full coverage (have two other vehicles). The mpg haven’t been awesome, around 17, but it’s very fun to drive and fits into smaller parking spots. I think getting any older Toyota/Honda as a daily is a good idea, especially if you can get a more interesting vehicle. It makes choosing the truck just for truck duties easy and makes driving the Tundra more special.

 

I just bought a daily driver last week. My 2021 Tundra turned 52k miles last month and is averaging 13mpg.

I bought a 2013 Volvo XC60 T6 R-Design for $12k. I average 21mpg with it. With the current fuel costs in my area of $3.69 per gallon and me driving about 12k a year, I'm only saving $1300 a year in gas. It would take me over nine years to recoup my costs in gas alone. But, calculate the value of a Tundra with much less miles, and then add in cost of insurance, registrations, etc... You are almost always ahead just driving the vehicle you have.

But, I really enjoy driving my new "smaller" 325hp SUV that has more amenities than my 1794 Edition, gets all the soccer moms breathing heavy, and is just a joy to drive in town vs the Tundra...

 

That's a very practical daily driver. Not necesarilly just to save money but also enjoyable to drive around.

 

I still have my 2012 Prius with about 200k miles and on its’ original hybrid battery… still netting 45mpg. I average about 20k a year also on the DD. Insurance is about $41 a month and reg is about $140 a year. All it needs is an oil change once or twice a year. Had it since 50k miles. Finally on my first brake pad change. Look into Prius hybrids.

 

After rolling my 2016 4R down a hill in 2018 I picked up a 2014 BMW 535D w/M Sport package that has been my daily ever since. I put a Race Chip tuner on it and still get low 30's MPG with a heavy foot; 18g tank gets me around 575mi.

Locally diesel is on par with 87 and the only downside is going thru rear tires. It had 30k on it then and is sitting at 135k now while the 2014 Tundra I picked up as a dedicated tow vehicle is at 76k.

 

I bought a 2007 civic in 2018 and have put about 60k on it driving back and forth to work. Paid $3400 for it and it gets 35mpg. I don't really ever drive it except for commuting, cause I would much rather drive my truck, but it's nice to have a second option if the truck is broken or something.

 

It’s a running joke with my wife. I should have her write up her assessment of one I used to justify my Jeep Liberty CRD and Appleseed biodiesel reactor. I learned a lot and had a good time with it all. No regerts…but it’s not a wise financial move.

 

2015 Passat SEL TDI

 

80-120 mile commuting per day. DD is an '09 Corolla.

 

6-10mi per day. 66 F250 410 Mercury motor (that's a 390 FE with 428 crank and rods getting 15mpg on the highway) 4sp. Quit that commuting crap in 2009

 

Spoke too soon. A/C Compressor "clutch" blew off at 180k.

To get this far, it's needed (beyond fluids/brakes/tires)

- Water pump
- Alternator
- Axle rebuild (CV boots)
- Rubber window trim

 

60 mile daily round trip commute through mountain roads was rough on tires and gas in the tundra.

 

So I had bought a 2005 Honda Civic. Had 217k on it. It definitely sat for a couple years. Had a massive power steering leak, an oil leak and needed an overall detailing. Fixed the power steering leak and the oil leak and failed emissions. Needed a charcoal canister. I replaced that next. It rode like complete garbage because all of the shocks were leaking. I knew I'd have about $400 into that. Also needed a timing belt since it was at that interval. I decided putting the money into it was not worth what the car was worth. Considering all of the rust that car was shedding on the road as it drove, I ended up selling it after 2 months.

Luckily, I cut even on what I paid for it plus what I put into it so at least there was no loss.

At this point, unless something comes across my plate that is a perfect deal, I'm going to hold out a few more years until my wife is ready to upgrade from her car. She's got a 2016 Accord EX-L with the 6speed auto and 6 cyl. It'll get 38mpg on the highway and it's been paid for free and clear. Until then, I'll keep driving the tundra daily, racking up miles and smiles.

 

Jinxed yourself! still a solid DD though.

 

Still driving it; the AC compressor without the "clutch" plate is just an expensive idler. The other repairs have been easy DIY and parts altogether cost less than one 10k dealer service on a Mercedes we used to own. The compressor and other parts I will replace will probably exceed all other repairs combined.

Good little car. 40 mpg hwy with easy driving, it is extremely easy and forgiving to work on, parts are cheap, oil changes take less time and cost than anything else we own.

There's also some hard to quantify value in having a car you take care of, but just don't care about.

 

My DD is a 2014 BMW 535d...135k mi


Diesel with M Sport package and Race Chip tuner, fun little car to drive. Gets low 30's MPG with a heavy foot.

My AC went out yesterday though. Getting it in for diagnostic on Friday.

 

I’m fortunate to have an issued work truck. My wife drives a Honda Accord which is a great family vehicle and saves a lot of mileage and gas on our nice truck. We will drive our nice new truck 5-7k miles a year. Some of the miles on the truck in turn also makes our Accord last longer before needing replacement. Honda Accords have been great vehicles for us

 

Spend more than $2k on a commuter though. Otherwise you may be frustrated with a car you’ll need to repair and dump more money into

 

My daily drive is a 2006 Toyota Solara….. has ~ 87k miles on it.
2021 /1794 is a weekend truck and has ~16230 miles

 

My wife bought a 2005 Toyota Celica 5sp 10 years ago with 100k mi for 5k. It now has 185k, gets 35 mpg. Other than basic maintenance not one problem, still on the factory clutch. Seems to me the majority of vehicles mentioned here are Toyotas. I have 3 Toyotas and 2 Fords for DD, 2020 Tundra, 2008 Tacoma, 2007 Fj Cruiser, 1965 F250 and 1966 F250.

 

My vote is find a beater and you'll save money. It might not be enough to make a difference, but at the end of the day you'll save tens of thousands of miles on the tundra.
I've been driving an '05 altima for the past 2 years, averaging about 25mpg on my 75 mile round trip (5 days a week). The $ value for parts & maintenance is inexpensive that nissan. I replaced the whole cooling system for a little over $100.

FYI - just make sure the wife gives you the okay that its safe enough for your 2 year old, I'm having to sale mine because ole lady don't trust the car as much as the tundra - which is agreeable.

 

I split my commuting between the Tundra and an older 6-speed Mazda 6 sedan that gets 30mpg and needs cheap tires, brakes and oil changes. I’ll probably pick up a ‘fun’ commuter of some kind within a year, maybe a Miata or something.

 

Yeah the Accords are great vehicles. Also agree with spending more than 2k. I learned that the hard way with the civic i briefly had. I didnt mind working on it but it was more about the bigger ticket items it was going to need. If the body and underneath was in better shape, I would have kept it.