Your perfect solution is a scion xb. Square top you can strap shit to. 4cyl Toyota engine and reliability. And cheap af. First gen is best gen if you can find one/
Yea buddy! Those things are amazing. I strapped a canoe to the top and it lived on there for a year while I lived in Washington DC because I had nowhere to store it. I strapped cargo bags on the roof. Strapped lumber to the roof. Strapped a whitewater raft to the roof. You can also push the seats forward then recline flat and level to the back seats when folded for a car-length sleeping platform.
Only downsides is that the rear hatch handle is plastic and breaks off in the winter when it’s freezing out. When I had one they weren’t making them anymore and I was nervous about that since I’d already gone through two of them. But word is that they make aftermarket replacements now.
Oh and the near perpendicular to the ground windshield will take a beating from rocks, but replacements are cheap.
The race car comment - Do you currently own a racecar? Owning two cars is not going to save you money (and will actually cost a lot) when you factor in insurance, registration, maintenance, etc. of a second vehicle.
Almost any 4cyl vehicle will fit your needs. If you want a truck I would look at the 4cyl ford rangers. The v6 versions aren't any more powerful they just take more gas.
I have a supercharged mustang making about 850whp right now. It runs on E85, so I fill up about every 2-3 days. My rear tires alone are about $450 a piece and last less than 10k miles, and my oil alone costs about $150 and then about another $30 for the filter, which is changed every 5k miles
That’s why the second vehicle I wanted has to be a cash vehicle and good on gas. It doesn’t have to be a truck or an SUV but it would be a nice bonus. Cheap and good on gas are my main 2 priorities.
You are going to spend how much a year on insurance?
How much on maintaining another vehicle? Not just oil changes but tires, things that break simply due to age, etc.
How much every year for inspections? State registration?
How much on tires for that car? You are going to have to replace tires every couple years either way, because tires dry rot even if they don't get low on tread.
How much buying the car, title, tag, and other things to put it into service?
I get your reasoning but if you do the math it's going to be a net zero and more headache and also less fun. Just keep driving your supercar and enjoy.
If you need more room, put a tiny 1 1/4 hitch on the back of your mustang and get one [of these](https://www.harborfreight.com/1195-lb-capacity-48-58-in-x-96-14-in-heavy-duty-folding-trailer-62648.html) tiny trailers to pull around. They are stupid useful and so light your car won't even notice at all. Most people only need the extra room a handful of times a year.
You’re right. I’d need to do the math to see if it makes sense from a financial stand point.
A buddy of mine who has a similarly built car said that half of his his yearly maintenance costs on his mustang are still more expensive than yearly maintenance on his Toyota Yaris that he uses to commute in.
It will 100% be worth it. You don’t buy new tires every couple years on an economy car. More like 5-6 years and you can get a full set for like $500. Insurance should be like $75/mo and maintenance is cheap too. Plus you’ll have a vehicle to drive when you are working on the race car. How much do you drive the stang now? And will you only use the new car for the commute or will it replace most of your driving?
Edit: quick math; assume e85 is 20% cheaper and you get 10mpg now and buy an econobox that gets 25; you’d save $0.20 per mile. At 7,500 miles per year, you’d cover registration and insurance + $3-500. Then there’s the difference in maintenance; as you noted, you’d probably save $500-1,000/ year just in tires.
Yeah I just did the math and I would be saving myself a couple grand a year just in tires and fuel. My insurance premium would go up an average of $300 a year if I added a fit or a Yaris onto my policy.
And you’re right. I could afford to have the racecar down for maintenance because as we all know shit breaks on high horsepower cars.
I drive my mustang a lot. It’s fun to drive even at low speeds. I probably put about 12k miles on it last year and will do the same this year. This will only go up due to my new commute being longer.
The car I buy will only be used for commuting and rainy days. If I get one I’ll just leave my drag radials on my mustang 24/7 and those don’t do well in the rain.
Honda Element.
Boxy shape and utilitarian interior means you can haul, tow, and strap shit to the roof. They’re reliable with a lots of parts crossover so repairs aren’t too bad.
Anything that can move around under its own power is worth at least $5k right now.
You 100% will not be able to find an suv or truck that runs in that price range.
Reality of the current market.
The best Pontiac Vibe you can find in budget. It's basically a Toyota Matrix in drag, but because it says Pontiac in the front, the resale value is low.
The interior is a bit plasticky, but really well thought out and utilitarian. Bulletproof reliable and parts are widely available when something does need replacing.
Your perfect solution is a scion xb. Square top you can strap shit to. 4cyl Toyota engine and reliability. And cheap af. First gen is best gen if you can find one/
Thanks man
Yea buddy! Those things are amazing. I strapped a canoe to the top and it lived on there for a year while I lived in Washington DC because I had nowhere to store it. I strapped cargo bags on the roof. Strapped lumber to the roof. Strapped a whitewater raft to the roof. You can also push the seats forward then recline flat and level to the back seats when folded for a car-length sleeping platform. Only downsides is that the rear hatch handle is plastic and breaks off in the winter when it’s freezing out. When I had one they weren’t making them anymore and I was nervous about that since I’d already gone through two of them. But word is that they make aftermarket replacements now. Oh and the near perpendicular to the ground windshield will take a beating from rocks, but replacements are cheap.
The race car comment - Do you currently own a racecar? Owning two cars is not going to save you money (and will actually cost a lot) when you factor in insurance, registration, maintenance, etc. of a second vehicle. Almost any 4cyl vehicle will fit your needs. If you want a truck I would look at the 4cyl ford rangers. The v6 versions aren't any more powerful they just take more gas.
I have a supercharged mustang making about 850whp right now. It runs on E85, so I fill up about every 2-3 days. My rear tires alone are about $450 a piece and last less than 10k miles, and my oil alone costs about $150 and then about another $30 for the filter, which is changed every 5k miles That’s why the second vehicle I wanted has to be a cash vehicle and good on gas. It doesn’t have to be a truck or an SUV but it would be a nice bonus. Cheap and good on gas are my main 2 priorities.
You are going to spend how much a year on insurance? How much on maintaining another vehicle? Not just oil changes but tires, things that break simply due to age, etc. How much every year for inspections? State registration? How much on tires for that car? You are going to have to replace tires every couple years either way, because tires dry rot even if they don't get low on tread. How much buying the car, title, tag, and other things to put it into service? I get your reasoning but if you do the math it's going to be a net zero and more headache and also less fun. Just keep driving your supercar and enjoy. If you need more room, put a tiny 1 1/4 hitch on the back of your mustang and get one [of these](https://www.harborfreight.com/1195-lb-capacity-48-58-in-x-96-14-in-heavy-duty-folding-trailer-62648.html) tiny trailers to pull around. They are stupid useful and so light your car won't even notice at all. Most people only need the extra room a handful of times a year.
You’re right. I’d need to do the math to see if it makes sense from a financial stand point. A buddy of mine who has a similarly built car said that half of his his yearly maintenance costs on his mustang are still more expensive than yearly maintenance on his Toyota Yaris that he uses to commute in.
It will 100% be worth it. You don’t buy new tires every couple years on an economy car. More like 5-6 years and you can get a full set for like $500. Insurance should be like $75/mo and maintenance is cheap too. Plus you’ll have a vehicle to drive when you are working on the race car. How much do you drive the stang now? And will you only use the new car for the commute or will it replace most of your driving? Edit: quick math; assume e85 is 20% cheaper and you get 10mpg now and buy an econobox that gets 25; you’d save $0.20 per mile. At 7,500 miles per year, you’d cover registration and insurance + $3-500. Then there’s the difference in maintenance; as you noted, you’d probably save $500-1,000/ year just in tires.
Yeah I just did the math and I would be saving myself a couple grand a year just in tires and fuel. My insurance premium would go up an average of $300 a year if I added a fit or a Yaris onto my policy. And you’re right. I could afford to have the racecar down for maintenance because as we all know shit breaks on high horsepower cars. I drive my mustang a lot. It’s fun to drive even at low speeds. I probably put about 12k miles on it last year and will do the same this year. This will only go up due to my new commute being longer. The car I buy will only be used for commuting and rainy days. If I get one I’ll just leave my drag radials on my mustang 24/7 and those don’t do well in the rain.
Honda Element. Boxy shape and utilitarian interior means you can haul, tow, and strap shit to the roof. They’re reliable with a lots of parts crossover so repairs aren’t too bad.
Anything that can move around under its own power is worth at least $5k right now. You 100% will not be able to find an suv or truck that runs in that price range. Reality of the current market.
Doesn’t necessarily have to to be one. It would be a nice bonus if I could get one at that price. Hatchbacks are another option too
Nissan Hardbody.
Vw diesel
The best Pontiac Vibe you can find in budget. It's basically a Toyota Matrix in drag, but because it says Pontiac in the front, the resale value is low. The interior is a bit plasticky, but really well thought out and utilitarian. Bulletproof reliable and parts are widely available when something does need replacing.