2nd tow vehical

[agallant80]

I was wondering if anyone has been through this before. My current truck which is a daily driver costs about $1,400/month between payment and fuel. It is starting to annoy me. Not that I can't afford it just who wants to spend that much on a ride. I could be saving the difference. My question is this. I have a chance to switch to a car and save about $600/month and buy a late 90's Tahoe for about 3K from someone I know and trust. The tahoe has a new block and transmission. I would put helper springs in it, upgrade the breaks and change out the rear to 4.10 My only concern is am I going to spend the same amount having two vehicals. On paper the ansewer is a No. But when you add in an older truck, things breaking, new tires etc will I end up where I am today in terms of spend?

Someone must have been in this situation before. If you have a truck for towing/home depot and a car for commuting then I would like to hear your thoughts. By the way I drive about 2K miles a month not including boat pulling.

 

[Bayou Dave]

Re: 2nd tow vehical

Will the Tahoe cost you as much or more than the $600 you are going to save? Probably not. You will have another vechicle that has value and you will still save money.

 

[haulnazz15]

Re: 2nd tow vehical

There are very few situations where buying a newer vehicle is more economical than repairing the old one. They will both have maintenance to do on them. I can't imagine what you are driving to end up with $1,400/month in expenses but it must be a nice loaded-out 1 ton diesel or something!

The Tahoe (or any other truck/SUV from that period) will be fine. A new engine and transmission is all the better. Just get new shocks/springs as needed and make sure the factory brakes are in good shape with good pads. Change out all of the fluids and go on your way. The repair that would probably be the costliest on a Tahoe is transmission/transfer case (4x4) repairs. It would be difficult to come up with $600/mo in maintenance/repairs for a rarely-driven vehicle. After 4-5 months of $600 repairs, you'd probably have replaced most of the major wearable components on it!

 

[agallant80]

Re: 2nd tow vehical

It is a 1 ton Diesel. Not loaded out. They are just expensive to own and operate. I go through about $100 a week in fuel and that does not include any out of town trips which are a few times a month.

 

[gtochris]

Re: 2nd tow vehical

You need a very efficient car for 2k mile a month run. I had a 2002 Civic 5 speed I bought in 2008 for $1,200 and ran till 185k with nothing more than a brake job, 2 tires and alternator. I got a consistant 38-42MPG. Mazda, Toyota, Honda, something 4cyl for commuting. If you want more comfort Impala / Malibu are a solid low cost choice.

Yes- Insurance went up some for adding a car, however my GTO insurance dropped since it was a new car and being driven recreational. I only carried Liability. The fuel savings from 18MPG on premium to 38MPG paid off quickly, light cars are easy on tires/ brakes so that expense was saved. Vs. a car that needs $600.00 + tires every 20,000 mi.

That early generation of Tahoe gets roughly 11-15MPG stock down hill, adding 4:10 gears isnt going to help that. I dont know what your Tow vehicle is now, but it's asking alot from that platform and short wheelbase.

If It were me, get a cheep car, pay off your current truck and keep it low mile for your towing forever.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: 2nd tow vehical

Just returned from a 2200 mile road trip from Minnesota, to Branson, MO, through the Ozarks to Little Rock, over to Memphis and Nashville, up to Paducah, KY, then to St Louis, Montezuma, IA, Des Moines and then back to Minnesota. My trusty 90,000 mile Impala delivered 28.4 miles per gallon for the trip which included a bunch of "hill country" and in town driving. With the new 2014 Impala such a success, the pre-2014's have become very reasonable cars to buy used. My tow vehicle is 2001 GMC Yukon (5.3L) that has 128,000 and will deliver 20+ MPG. Those are also excellent vehicles (usually loaded) and with higher mileage can be a good buy. What you need to factor into your decision is the "hit" you will take on your current vehicle. I see this over and over where someone buys a big vehicle when gas is cheap but when it goes up they dump it at a significant loss to buy something less expensive and more economical. They then get tired of the econobox image and dump it only to get back into the big vehicle again. All of this is costly as you get burned on both ends of the transaction.

 

[quad59]

Re: 2nd tow vehical

I was in the same situation, keep the newer truck ( nicer and reliable for family and towing) Buy a beater car for cash run it till she dies. When it dies sign the title leave it on the seat and repeat process. Its piece of mind having a newer nicer vehicle you like thats there when you need it and not getting the miles ran up on it. Beater cars are fun too, never wash them, throw some oil in it every now and then and carefree parking at the wally world. By beater I mean under 1k, most people at my work commute and its funny seeing who comes up with the best ride for the least amount of $.

 

[gtochris]

Re: 2nd tow vehical

I was in the same situation, keep the newer truck ( nicer and reliable for family and towing) Buy a beater car for cash run it till she dies. When it dies sign the title leave it on the seat and repeat process. Its piece of mind having a newer nicer vehicle you like thats there when you need it and not getting the miles ran up on it. Beater cars are fun too, never wash them, throw some oil in it every now and then and carefree parking at the wally world. By beater I mean under 1k, most people at my work commute and its funny seeing who comes up with the best ride for the least amount of $.

Or you can turn a profit, my $1,200 Civic I sold for $1,800! so I made over $100 a year in depreciation

I have had people tell me why not sell both and buy 1 new truck/ SUV, but really- this costs the least, gives me variation, and if something needs service having an extra is helpful! I drive the 4Runner most days since it is the best on gas/ comfortable and GTO days I don't have school, want to drive stick, or it isn't going to rain.

 

[jkust]

Re: 2nd tow vehical

Wow, $1,400 a month is a lot of money. So to get this straight, are you towing a trailer on your daily commute or are you driving a diesel truck just because of your out of town trips? Both the wife and I have 5.3 liter V8 SUV's. While mine is a nice luxury suv with all of the things I need for towing heavy and dealing with snow, I honestly don't need an suv. I'm basically burning though money with an unneeded, heavy, gas guzzler. We need one for towing but mine is really superfluous however it was 49k and I got it with under 60 thousand miles, 3.5 years old for 13k as a one owner in pristine shape. That was my logic as it's going to take a lot of gas cost to catch up to how little I paid for such a nice suv. To top it off I haven't spent a single thin dime on anything breaking as nothing has gone wrong. After a while however, the logic starts to wear off at the gas station every week.

 

[limitout]

Re: 2nd tow vehical

I think the one thing not covered here is the load so what boat and whats the weight of it that you are hauling?

unless its huge there is no need or reason to regear the rear end of that Tahoe, they are geared the same as 1 1/2 ton trucks. if its a large load then keep the truck but only use it for the boat and buy a good used economy car or maybe a motorcycle for pounding the highways

assuming the load requires using the diesel or regearing the tahoe, I think with the running around you do you NEED an economy car with great gas mileage to run around in and keep the truck because it will serve you just fine for towing the boat or hauling stuff around town much better and more reliably then the tahoe.

remember its not just the power to haul it but the power to get it back up the launch ramp too.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: 2nd tow vehical

A late 90's Tahoe is not going to tow the boat in your signature unless you pull it VERY short distances. How much does your boat/trailer weigh?

It's rarely worth buying a new vehicle just to chase gas mileage.

 

[oldjeep]

Re: 2nd tow vehical

I went through this calculation a few years ago, and for me it made no sense. (Now that the truck is paid for it makes absolutely no sense) Getting an economy car that I was willy to drive and paying to insure 2 vehicles wasn't going to save any money and would leave me with yet another vehicle to store. You say $100 a week in fuel - does that mean you have a $1000 truck payment? The bright thing to do would seem to be swapping the diesel for a less expensive newish 1/2 ton that is capable of towing your boat but gets a little better fuel milage. Of course that only works if you are not upside down on the diesel and with a $1K payment it seem like chances are good that is true.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: 2nd tow vehical

agreed.. the car is a good plan but the tahoe with it's short wheelbase is marginal at best... IIRC the 4 door is a little longer wheelbase and a little better if that's what it is.

short distance low speed towing would be ok

I think I'd look to pick up a similar age pickup or suburban for a tow pig and a car for commuting

 

[jkust]

Re: 2nd tow vehical

I've got a friend who just went through this but in reverse. They have the 4 cylinder Accord but wanted a nicer luxury SUV yet they drive as many miles as you do. They bought a BMW X5 with the V8. Beautiful suv but guess what, the Accord sees all of the action and the BMW only gets the occasional local drive. The idea was that they would have AWD for snow for the winter as when/if they go off the road nobody will be around to assist.

 

[gtochris]

Re: 2nd tow vehical

I went through this calculation a few years ago, and for me it made no sense. (Now that the truck is paid for it makes absolutely no sense) .

Assuming your paid off truck is in good condition, you can prolong it's life by having a car which will eliminate needing to replace your expensive truck when it is worn out. Car maintenance is cheaper in nearly every capacity, even oil changes are 4-5 quarts as opposed to 10-15 for a diesel. So you make it up along the way. Granted if you drive under 10K a year it probably isnt worth it to anyone.

 

[oldjeep]

Re: 2nd tow vehical

Assuming your paid off truck is in good condition, you can prolong it's life by having a car which will eliminate needing to replace your expensive truck when it is worn out. Car maintenance is cheaper in nearly every capacity, even oil changes are 4-5 quarts as opposed to 10-15 for a diesel. So you make it up along the way. Granted if you drive under 10K a year it probably isnt worth it to anyone.

That makes no sense unless you are buying a junker to commute in. My "expensive" truck only cost 28K brand new and is a gas truck so oil changes are the same as a car.

 

[gtochris]

Re: 2nd tow vehical

That makes no sense unless you are buying a junker to commute in. My "expensive" truck only cost 28K brand new and is a gas truck so oil changes are the same as a car.

Exactly, you buy a $5,000 car in cash and no payment. If you are going out for a 20K new car it isnt going to work. I'm sure your 28K truck still gets poor average mileage.

 

[oldjeep]

Re: 2nd tow vehical

Exactly, you buy a $5,000 car in cash and no payment. If you are going out for a 20K new car it isnt going to work. I'm sure your 28K truck still gets poor average mileage.

15-20MPG (2009 hemi crewcab 2wd with MDS), and I guess you have to be willing to drive a junker to the office.

However the OP's issue seems to be that he has a massive truck payment, so buying a second car to save himself optomistically 1/2 of his $100 a week in gas isn't a money saving option.

 

[britisher]

Re: 2nd tow vehical

OK, so the Op is putting out $1400.00 per month, but we don't know what is gas and what is payment, etc. To make sense of this the Op needs to determine what his driving needs are. If he commutes say 20,000 miles per year and tows say 2,000, then it's pretty clear you don't need a gas guzzler for those 20K commuting miles. Do you then need a new and expensive truck to use for 2,000 miles? IMHO NO. I think id the OP puts pen to paper and sets out an analytical approach, then the solution will be there for him to see.
Whilst my situation is NOT the same, here's a scenario I have had. My main ride is a Sub (it gets 15.6 mpg)and my eldest is a HS Senior who several days per week where he's doing after school stuff. The school is a round trip of 50 miles from where live. We went through a spell where me in the Sub or the missus (using her soft top Sebring) would go pick him up. This year, he is allowed by the school to drive there and park, so was taking the available vehicle (guess who's!!!). I keep tabs on all mileage/gas, etc for our vehicles and said he has to have his own car. So I paid out $1500 for a small Saturn, which returns around 30 mpg. I pay the gas, etc.
I now calculate that with him driving the Saturn to school when he needs to, and I get my Sub back, the overall gas spend is less than when me/him just ran the Sub. The car insurance gives me palputations, but there is no way round that legalized mugging.
So a small car for commuting, the big daddy for towing coupled together can work out less.

 

[jkust]

Re: 2nd tow vehical

15-20MPG (2009 hemi crewcab 2wd with MDS), and I guess you have to be willing to drive a junker to the office.

Depending on what you consider to be a junker, the problem to me is the lack of multiple airbags. The reason I sold my good mileage minivan with all of that great capacity. At a certain point, I had to put safety over economy being the minivan was paid off 10 years prior. The same reason I finally grew up and bought a large life insurance policy.