Man Math

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comfortablynumb

10 Year
Joined
Oct 19, 2012
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So closing in on a spiffy showroom new RAV4. Not exactly a wilderness beast but my commute is 50 miles round trip and it is a new Toyota with years of reliability ahead of it.

But I like the Land Cruisers for their rugged good looks; occasional trip into the woods for camping; towing; and the idea that in 2 years my teenage son can learn to drive in a tank.

The cruiser it is such a thirsty beast... But wait a minute. Even with money down on the RAV I will have a car payment. I could pick up a 100 LC for around $10k, baseline it and pay the gas bill instead of the car payment. Stash some away for the repair bill one would expect with a ten year old vehicle with between 150k and 200k miles on it. And have much less depreciation off of the sale price. MAy not be a 10 year investment like the RAV but who knows?

Or am I being stupid?!?
 
You're in a 100 series forum, with many of us that have swallowed the pill and not looked back. Rav4 is surprisingly capable to get you where you've described without issue, but you'll lack the room, proper transfer case, load/hauling capability, good aftermarket support. You'll be happy with the Rav 4 for your purposes, but you will be laying up at night dreaming about the 100 and what could have been ;).

gas mileage is terrible, but you guys south of the border get it basically for free. We are paying close to $6.30 per gallon up here. If you can't or don't want to afford the gas, you shouldn't be getting the truck. It will not get better mileage and gas prices will not go lower.

But then again, you will be driving a legend with an amazing pedigree that is built like a tank and easily has a 25 year service life with proper maintenance.
 
comfortablynumb said:
The cruiser it is such a thirsty beast... But wait a minute. Even with money down on the RAV I will have a car payment. I could pick up a 100 LC for around $10k, baseline it and pay the gas bill instead of the car payment. Stash some away for the repair bill one would expect with a ten year old vehicle with between 150k and 200k miles on it. And have much less depreciation off of the sale price. MAy not be a 10 year investment like the RAV but who knows?

Or am I being stupid?!?
Click to expand...

Not stupid. You have precisely explained to yourself what the logical answer is. Gas mileage is overrated.
 
Buying a new car to save money is never smart math. Depreciation will always trump fuel economy especially if you're putting 15-20k on a vehicle each year.

Now that doesn't mean it doesn't make sense to have both a commuter and a truck, just don't go into debt to do it and don't buy from a dealer. Find yourself a nice private party Corolla, Camry, etc to commute in and then find a nice 100 for family trips and play.
 
The truth is; the most practical choice would be a used Rav 4 or maybe a used 4 runner.
But you don't want to hear that and we don't want to tell you that.
For sure, do not take a out a loan to buy a car if you can avoid it; if you can't buy the cheapest car you can to fit your needs. I know that Low interest rates on new cars make them more desirable but its ploy.
 
OregonLC said:
Buying a new car to save money is never smart math. Depreciation will always trump fuel economy especially if you're putting 15-20k on a vehicle each year.

Now that doesn't mean it doesn't make sense to have both a commuter and a truck, just don't go into debt to do it and don't buy from a dealer. Find yourself a nice private party Corolla, Camry, etc to commute in and then find a nice 100 for family trips and play.
Click to expand...
^ This. But get an Avalon for the commute, much better road manners and amenities, significantly less road noise, and Camry-like MPG's.
 
"used rav4 or 4 runner"

Ok, thought about this. Sequoia too (nice one close by). The RAV does not have the towing I would like. We have a Sienna that tows our boat nicely - but when I have these "I want a real truck" tantrums towing at least what the Sienna can do (3500lbs) is part of it.

I live in the North East and the Toyota Trucks, other than LC's, have some pretty scary frame rot issues. Mint looking trucks that fail inspection due to safety with the frame.

Also thought about the two vehicle trick. My 02 Honda Accord does fine but is starting to nickel and dime me. With a new RAV I'd know what my expenses are for the next 4 years. An LC would require a rainy day fund. Two used vehicles would require a rainy day fund x2.

Plus deer strikes are pretty common up here. I would feel like a total idiot if I owned an LC but wrapped the Honda around the deer because I was cheap on gas.

Have to get back into whine delivery - listen to coworkers whine for 45 minutes while car pooling. But hey, third row seats!
 
My folks have a 2010 RAV4 with the V6. Very reliable, great gas mileage, and I believe it has 268 hp so it kind of hauls ass and is fun to drive. It just isn't as appealing as a Land Cruiser. What is, though?
 
I drove one of those new RAV4s at the dealer the other day.
It was cute.
 
Jordan345 said:
gas mileage is terrible, but you guys south of the border get it basically for free. We are paying close to $6.30 per gallon up here.
Click to expand...
Canadians pay more for gas but not as much as your saying. Maybe your calculation is for imperial gallons rather than US gallon (1 imp Gal = 1.2 US Gal)

Google will give a rough conversion.

Just search "1.30 CAD per litre in USD per gallon"

1.3CAD/liter is US$4.81/US Gallon
 
I'm paying about 1.55 a litre.. x3.8 = 5.89 a gallon.
 
When we purchased the 100 we did the math on having a second car with better mileage for everyday driving, but came to the conclusion that the gas saved ended up being less than than the insurance for the second car. I pay about $1800/year for the 100 and I have the maximum discount possible for "good driving". And after you drive the 100, it's difficult to jump into a corolla. Just not the same!!!

Not all of us Canadians are as "lucky" as the guys out East with their "low" gas prices.
Premium gasoline here in Vancouver is between $1.50-$1.60/liter which equals US$5.68-$6.06/US gallon. Personally I use regular which is around $1.40/liter or $5.30/US gallon. A couple of weeks ago the prices were around $1.47/liter for regular.
 
Jordan345 said:
I'm paying about 1.55 a litre.. x3.8 = 5.89 a gallon.
Click to expand...
Google also factors in the small difference in exchange rate, so you're at equivalent of US$5.74/gallon. High for sure though! Current fuel price averages for comparison. (all fuel grades, I suppose)

canada-tiff.webp


us-tiff.webp
 
I feel lucky;).
 
OregonLC said:
Buying a new car to save money is never smart math. Depreciation will always trump fuel economy especially if you're putting 15-20k on a vehicle each year.

Now that doesn't mean it doesn't make sense to have both a commuter and a truck, just don't go into debt to do it and don't buy from a dealer. Find yourself a nice private party Corolla, Camry, etc to commute in and then find a nice 100 for family trips and play.
Click to expand...

I have to agree.

I purchased a 1997 Saturn and drove it instead of the 80 Series LC and I saved more in two years than the Saturn cost me. The Saturn cost me around $2000. So fuel savings added up. I did move the LC to storage insurance coverage and had only the minimum on the Saturn.

Now, the same scenario with a new car and no, your not going to save money or at least won't realize it for like 10 years.
 
for many years I drove a DD and kept the LC for the occasional fun trip. I basically got to drive the DD for free off gas savings not commuting in the LC. BUT it was a 15 yo DD, very reliable and long just about fully depreciated. Also with low insurance. I don't think the math would have worked out with a new DD.
 
azcromntic said:
I purchased a 1997 Saturn and drove it instead of the 80 Series LC and I saved more in two years than the Saturn cost me. The Saturn cost me around $2000. So fuel savings added up. I did move the LC to storage insurance coverage and had only the minimum on the Saturn.
Click to expand...

That's the way to do it. People get confused and think they're happier driving something new. Close your eyes and you probably won't notice much if any difference. Well, don't really close your eyes, but you get my drift.

The corollary to this is to do all of your own wrenching. Modern cars being too technical is pure myth. IMO it's way easier to work on an OBDII car than to have to worry about distributors, timing, caps, etc. Old cars are great if you can turn a wrench every now and then. If you take them to the shop every time you need air in the tires then yes, older cars will nickle and dime you to death.
 
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