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Would getting a different car make sense?

furryrabidbunny

furryrabidbunny

macrumors 6502
Original poster
May 10, 2005
475
0
Mesa, AZ
I currently drive a 2007 Jeep Patriot Limited. It is fully loaded with leather seats, sun roof and 4x4. I have a work vehicle so I only drive it on my time off. I bought it last August and have only put 7000 miles on it. I have some issues with it though. First is the gas mileage, I only average about 25 mpg... and the leather seats are way too hot in arizona.

I'm considering trading it in for a Honda Civic. I like hondas and I've owned a 1997 civic prior to the Jeep. I can get about 16k for the jeep on trade in and in my area LX civics are going for aobut 17.5K.

Would it be worth the money/effort to do the trade in? I'm not happy with the Jeep but I dont hate it a whole lot. I'm also driving a lot more though... I recently bought a house that is about 45 miles one way from family and my girlfriend (who is moving in soon) lives about 30 miles one way away. I've put about 2500 miles since I've moved in and I've only been in the house for two months.

Please give me some input!
 
The main $$$ question for you, is how much will you get for it? The first several payments are interest, not principle, so would you get your money out of it, or have to add the amount less than value to the new vehicle?
 
How much did you originally pay for the jeep?

Are the civics you are looking at new or used?

Civics average what, 30mpg. So you're getting a 5mpg gain. So say you put 15,000 miles on your car a year. Lets say gas costs $4.50 a gallon.
Jeep at 25mpg: $2700 in gas/yr
Civic at 30mpg: $2250 in gas/yr

So you're going to save $450 a year in gas. I assume you're taking a fairly large hit on selling the jeep after 1 year, especially with the SUV market right now and jeeps not so great resale value.

This is one thing that makes me want to kick myself in the head. People selling there 1-2 year old SUV, taking a huggge hit on it for a more fuel efficient car. Yes, you'll save $450 in gas a year, but you just lost what- $6,000. $7000, $8000 (?) by trading in the SUV. So no, it doesn't make much sense to trade it in.


Keep the Jeep and be thankful you get 25mpg, and not 14.6
 
For those who don't know, the Patriot isn't a typical gas-hog jeep. Its more of a crossover type vehicle, with a 4 cyl. engine, so its not surprising its getting around 25.

That being said.. to the OP, what don't you like about the jeep? Leather seats I absolutely love.. If they get too hot, try putting up one of those sun shades in the front window when you park the car (the ones with the silver foil reflective stuff on the outside). It takes seconds to put it up, keeps the car WAY cooler, and has the added bonus of saving your dashboard from getting messed up by the sun. That alone may stop your leather seat issue. Another thing to do, is if you have a sun roof, when you park the car, if you know its not gonna rain, use the "tilt" feature that cracks it open. This will allow heat, which rises, to escape the car.

The other thing I would say, is I assume there is a reason you got something with the 4x4... and if there is, you may miss it with the civic.

Assuming you do mostly highway driving (sounds like you do) you could expect maybe 33-35mpg from the Civic. An increase, but nothing earth shattering. I, personally, would much rather have the jeep - its a much cooler vehicle in my view, and likely much more utilitarian - and if you got it "loaded" its probably pretty darn nice. Plus, if you trade it in now you are gonna take a huge hit. The gas mileage diff just won't justify it in my view.

But if you really don't like it - then maybe go ahead?
 
just get a motorcycle for in town commutes and get 60+mpg

i bought a brand new ninja 250 for 3600 and my car usage has dropped significantly but is very nice to have when i need it
 
dukebound85 said:
just get a motorcycle for in town commutes and get 60+mpg

i bought a brand new ninja 250 for 3600 and my car usage has dropped significantly but is very nice to have when i need it
Click to expand...

I like this idea. I like it so much, I do the same thing. Scoot for around town and car when I need to haul or am carrying passengers. Your climate is very cycle-friendly, too!;)
 
Cycling is good in Arizona?! I understand that the wind cools you off, but does a 115 degree wind really cool you off when you're wrapped in cycling gear?

Dukebound: how do you like your ninja?
 
ErikCLDR said:
in the head. People selling there 1-2 year old SUV, taking a huggge hit on it for a more fuel efficient car. Yes, you'll save $450 in gas a year, but you just lost what- $6,000. $7000, $8000 (?) by trading in the SUV. So no, it doesn't make much sense to trade it in.
Click to expand...

It's also bad for the environment to have another car produced for you. I realize that you're going to sell the Jeep to someone else, so it's not like the Jeep is being thrown away, but there are more cars out there than owners, and you're just adding to the number of cars floating around in the ether.


Keep the Jeep and be thankful you get 25mpg, and not 14.6
Click to expand...

Agreed. You're really not going to gain much by selling your Jeep, although Civics do depreciate far slower than Jeeps.
 
Badandy said:
Cycling is good in Arizona?! I understand that the wind cools you off, but does a 115 degree wind really cool you off when you're wrapped in cycling gear?

Dukebound: how do you like your ninja?
Click to expand...

It was in the 90-low 100's here last week and the week before and it wasn't a dry heat and I was fairly comfortable. I've also made the San Diego to Phoenix ride a few times in summer heat.
As long as it's a straight commute, it isn't bad. It only gets real hot when you sit at a stoplight for a few minutes - especially on asphalt.

I have a 1/2 helmet and wear jeans and denim jacket for highway trips in summer. I'll ride with shorts and a t-shirt on short in-town runs when hot or lazy.:eek:
 
The Phoenix metro area is a great one to have a car with great gas mileage. However, having said that, there was an article I read on MSNBC.com yesterday that explained how you can gain a lot by just a single mile per gallon increase when it's 13 to 14, but you have to increase it by a lot more when you start to hit the higher numbers. I'd keep it.

The heat isn't going to get better for several months, and last year was the worst one I've experienced in my life (I've lived here for all of my 26 years). Expect a lot more 110+ degree days.
 
Thanks for all the input

I'm not going to go through with it... the gains will not even be close to the lost I would accrue.

Seat covers are a good idea... don't know why i never thought of it.

And it is freaking hot... 109 today will hit 112 this week for a few days.
 
I also say keep it.

I have recorded 25mpg over-all, for the 18 months I have owned my KIA Magentis (Optima in the U.S.).

It's a small V6, 2.7 litres - 182 hp - 5 speed auto, but I drive it like I want to. ;)

No old man driving for me!! :D
 
Badandy said:
Pfft...I was talking about combined for me.
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Yea I get 14.6 average. Probably 16.6 Highway, 17 if I hold 65mph, and probably 13 city. :eek:

Thats why I occasionally drive my my dads weekend car which gets 17-18 average. Not much better but hey, it's a start.

iJohnHenry said:
I have recorded 25mpg over-all, for the 18 months I have owned my KIA Magentis (Optima in the U.S.).:D
Click to expand...
That's also the 2nd time I've misread Magentis for Meningitis hahaha

As for keeping the car cool get one of those sunshades. Sheepskin seat covers also keep the seats cooler.
 
the thing that scares me about gas prices is that they probably will keep going up... we might see $5, or even $8... who knows where it will stop... i want something better than my car, and it gets on average 25mpg... i am so sick of spending so much on gas... so i guess my point is, i think it might be worth it to spend money on a car that gets better gas mileage... but if gas stays the same or goes down again, then it might be a waste of money.
 
25mpg is good, i think you will take more of a hit trading in the jeep for the civic. higher mpg vehciles are being sold at a premium and everyone is going to try to screw you over on the trade in. I would keep the jeep and get seat covers. 450 bucks a year in savings isn't that much considering how much you would lose on the jeep.
 
Heh, I have the opposite problem. I have an '05 Toyota Matrix that I bought because I thought I'd be saving a lot of gas compared to my previous car which was a RAV4. Turns out the Matrix uses "almost" as much gas as the RAV (very minor savings) and yet I lost out on four-wheel-drive, more cargo space, etc. Shortly after I bought the Matrix I started seeing ads for the Jeep Patriot, and noticed that its fuel economy was roughly the same as the Matrix! (2WD version, anyway...) So I was debating whether to trade in the Matrix for a 2WD Patriot...

In my case the question would be whether I would regret going from a Toyota to a Jeep.
 
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