hey guys. So im still a student in college who was doing okay untill gas prices rise up to 4.09 premium now. And Im not sure if I still can afford the gas while commuting all local everyday. If the prices are going up to about 5.00 by end of summer but will go down later, then I would keep my TL no problem. But Ive heard that gas prices just gonna keep rising and will not come back down. Im debating whether i should just sell it and get a fuel efficient car. What do you guys think ? I know asking this question is here is almost a NO but still i wanna know your opinions.

 

to be honest, I wouldnt consider the TL a good college car at all. Upkeep is expensive (including gas), you've gotta be the taxi bitch because you can carry everybody and they'll both like your car and probably fuck it up (e.g. puke or otherwise mess up the interior), you cant really haul a lot of shit in it, and you've gotta worry about parking it in all sorts of crap spots. Get an old station wagon. I had an old suby stationwagon and it was the perfect little beater.

 

We have no idea what gas prices are going to do!!
But, when there is a spike such as this it always seems to come back down. Like 2-3 years ago.......

 

A friend of mine wisely said that the cure for high gas prices is high gas prices- as demand falls because of elevated price, so wil the price of the gas. The prices are elevated now out of speculation because of the unrest in the Middle East. That said, you have a 2005 TL. If it's paid in full, selling it to get something more fuel efficient may actually cost you more if the replacement car is more expensive (unless you're willing to get something older/used). Prices on the TL as a used car are lower now, so are you willing to take a hit on depreciation? I assume you know your car well, it runs well, and is reliable. Replacing it places you into a new set of unknowns: if you buy the smaller car pre-owned, how was it cared for? Will you be happy driving something that will be smaller and likely less comfortable? Do some calculations and compare how much dollar wise you would save in the course of a year assuming the TL on average will get 23 mpg overall, and a smaller car will likely average 28 mpg or so (don't automatically assume the average mpg of the small car will be in the 30's). The calculations of the difference in the fuel used may only equal a few hundred dollars per year, and trading down may not make financial sense. If the TL was shot and you needed to replace it, then a smaller, more fuel efficient car might make sense, but making the change based on the price of fuel usually doesn't make sense (unless you drove a Hummer H1 that was really thirsty). Only you know your financial situation, and if the saving of a few hundred per year is worth it. You can also keep the TL, maintain it, have it last a very long time, and have no payments. Drive it conservatively and it's mileage should improve somewhat.

 

This was very helpful bro. Thanks alot. My TL is paid off and i was actually thinking about selling it and get something cheaper so i can save and drive. But i also thought about the cost of transfering fees and such, it probably would be much of saving. So, lets say i sell my car for 15k, buy something about 10k, save the 5k but then transfering title is about 700 bucks. Turned out thats not really saving anything unless im planning to keep that beater. anyways knowing that gas prices will go down eventually is good to know. thanks guys.

 

keep it. your car is paid off. you enjoy it. you won't like the more fuel efficient car because in your mind you downgraded. you don't know the anticipated service costs for another used car vs. you know your car and its service history.

 

you are so right. get a tl when you don't have to carry people around in it. and don't be afraid to say "hell no" sometimes

 

Keep the TL ...... because as mentioned, it would probably cost you more for a new vehicle. It's hard to replace qualilty and class.
Having a TL while in school would make most of us feel like a

 

The TL is a great car... Gas mileage is bad but for 10k you would be downgrading pretty far considering a new TL is 43k now and well worth it...

 

A good example of this is smart cars...
remember how many you saw on the road in 2007?
Then prices dropped back to $2.20 and they almost all disappeared and the people that stuck through it were the champs cause they still had their cool cars that WEREN'T a fad!
I DO like minis and smarts...but if being effecient is the main reason for getting it, you will end up regretting.

Plus, you can buy a LOT of gas for $300+/month that you would pick up on a car payment!

 

I love when genius comes to the table!

 

I'm pushing my mom for an Insight in 2 years.
40mpg here I come!

 

Keep the TL.

 

^wow, quite a compliment! Thanks!

PS...Justn, I've been itching to get one just to see if it's POSSIBLE to make the damned thing LOOK cool! lol...I think the CR-Z would be easier but even then, I ain't paying a quarter of a 100000 grand for a 2 seater unless it's rear wheel drive and gets about 19 mpg

 

Have you tried car pooling?

 

Get the CRZ

 

I'm a college student driving an 05 TL too. Gas prices haven't hit me too hard yet but I mostly drive around town getting bad mileage. I'd definitely keep it even if gas prices continue to rise. It's a great car and in my case, I've done too much to it that I won't want to sell it for a long time.

 

shit, i had a v6 dodge ram that barely got over 15mpg..
I am very happy with my 19 around town and low 30s on the highway.

 

Keep the TL but drive it at Civic speeds. The TL actually gets pretty decent gas mileage if you keep the gas pedal off the floor. Easier said than done, I know. lol If I drive nice I usually see around 22-23mpg in town and like erdoc48 said, the improvement seen with an economy car would likely only be 5-8mpg in town, about a 25% improvement. Look at your finances and decide if cutting your fuel bill by 25% is worth driving a lesser car. If you're filling up every week at around $40 you'd only save around ten bucks a week. Not worth trading down in my opinion but if money is really tight you could sell the TL for $15k and buy a used Civic in good shape for $5k and pay off some debt with the leftover cash.

 

Could be worse, you know?!
2005 Pontiac Aztek FWD6 cyl, 3.4 L
Automatic 4-spd
Regular GasolineEPA Fuel EconomyMiles per GallonRegular Gasoline
19
Combined
17 City

24 Highway

Fuel Economics Regular Gasoline Cost to Drive 25 Miles$4.45Fuel to Drive 25 Miles1.32 galCost to Fill the Tank$54.76 Miles on a Tank308 milesTank Size18.0 galAnnual Fuel Cost*$2667

 

keep it. how far is your commute?

Possible to take public transport? I went to UCI and took the newport shuttle to campus with my bike, and rode my bike home. It was about 9 miles and I did this daily.

Great workout, and great way to save money.

If you must drive, drive miserly. Avg 28mpg which is what I get is still relatively good

 

Im confused here. The TL is a fuel efficient and reliable car! Whats the problem? So your telling me your going to sell the TL and spend even more money than what you would have spent on fuel just to buy another car less enjoyable that will save you maybe $400 a year in fuel savings. Everybody is freaking out about fuel costs. In the end even if fuel goes up to 5 bucks a gallon, that difference in an entire year span is probably about the same as someone would spend $1,000 in a nice in-dash nav unit or a fancy exhaust system without even thinking twice. But yet when fuel jumps up a couple bucks and is going to cost maybe $700 over an entire year people freak out. Last year over $20,000 came out of my paycheck towards taxes and I got a whopping $700 back in my return. I spent $6,000 on property taxes, when I bought my TL I paid $2,000 just on sales tax for that.

My point is people need to STOP worrying about fuel prices so much. In the grand scheme of things even at 5 dollars a gallon it is such a minimal cost compared to other things we pay for. Seriously, think about it!!! Yes I know it sucks when stuff just gets more and more expensive and you have to get reminded of it every week at the gas pump, like I mentioned above, it really is a minimal cost compared to the other big things we must pay for.

Keep the TL and enjoy it. Its a good, reliable, efficient car.

James

 

James, what if in 10 - 15 years fuel prices jump up to 10 dollars a gal?

 

The quick answer is that gas can go that high, and if it does, it will kill the economy. More money we make will go to buy not only gas but food, plastics and the like as all of the items we buy are oil based (petrochemicals). It's not possible to say how high gas will go, but we will still have to go to work and school, but we might find other cheaper ways of getting there. I would envision we might be more like Europe in that we'll be driving more cars like the Minis, New Fiats, and Smart car equivalents, or using more fuel efficient scooters or motorcycles, or using more public transportation. Right now, I don't forsee electric vehicles as the way to go because of their limitations and up front cost. I think hybrids will have a much greater viability because the technology is already present and is to a degree, mainstream.

I would say that at this time, if you own a car that gets relatively good mpg, is reliable, and is paid in full, replacing it makes no good economic sense, because of the high cost of purchase, sales tax, and insurance (this assumes an older car will be cheaper to insure as it gets older). If your existing car needs to be replaced, then it might be a smart thing to get a smaller, more fuel efficient car. Getting a new car just based on the price of gas makes no sense.

 

^exactly my point. Join us over at this thread https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-tl-2004-2008-93/say-what-v8-810221/

 

Have you calculated exactly how much more you're paying for gas? My bet is it's less than $5 more for a full tank, and if you can't afford the extra $5 every fillup, then maybe the TL isn't the right car for you.

Gas is more expensive, but not as much as everybody is making it out to be.

 

Here's some math to ponder:
If there is a jump in the price of gas from $3.50 to $5.00 per gallon and it takes 13 gallons to fill the TL from empty, it will cost about $1000 extra per year to account for the price differential, or about $83 per month (this assumes filling up once a week). It's still far cheaper than getting a new car.

 

your other money thing...insurance. not sure if you pay your own or not, i know insurance coverage is freakin' expensive in CA but even more in metro areas like OC/LA. your fuel efficient car that you had in mind might be less insurance-wise, cost less to maintain/upkeep, and less in gas than the TL. i had a civic back in college. i didn't have to worry about it as much as the TL except maybe for it to get stolen (it was on the top 10 most stolen at one point way back when). its a tough call. you know what your financial situation is. you have the rest of your life to go back to a nice car once you establish yourself if you choose to go with a more economical vehicle.

its like riding up in first class and not wanting to go back to coach again.

in the end its your decision. you have to go with makes sense financially and what will make you happy in the end. hope this helps. good luck.

 

I had a very similar situation myself 3 summers ago. My first car was a 2003 Mach 1 mustang. I loved that car, even though it got shit for mpg. I was a full time college student and gas prices were around 4.50 and it was starting to become a burden to pay for gas at that price. I decided to sell my car, ended up getting much less for it than I wanted, to find out that 3 weeks later prices started to dip down and within a month they were down to 3.50. I regretted that move for a long time, until I redeemed myself and got the type-s.

So moral of the story is, gas prices will always fluctuate. If you can afford the prices for the sake of having the type of car you really like, then I would absolutely recommend that. Of course if you are getting into debt because of it, then it really isnt worth it.

 

Keep it Bro...Everyone has touched on the economics of it all, which I understand is the reason you even posted the thread in the first place...BUT...when/if you sell your TL and you're driving around with your girl in your 30-40 MPG Prius, Echo, Focus, Fiesta, Fit, Aerio or whatever, and a clean 3G TL pulls up beside you at the lights...you're gonna feel like a real douche bag...I know I would. You didnt buy the TL in the first place because it was economical, and neither did I - you bought it because it's fast, comfortable, and because it's one of the sexiest sedans on the road.

 

AMEN.

If you do sell, don't buy a Smart Car. They're death traps. I saw one hit a snail and explode, not really, but don't get one.

 

Yeah, but they have BRABUS Smart cars

 

Heard a stat on The Herd this morning that 67 Nissan Leafs have been sold this year - in the entire country. You can be #68!

 

I guess i didnt make myself clear enough.I was debating whether i should sell my TL, use part of the money to buy like a xb or a Fit and save the rest. I paid my car up front and will not make any payment at all. Im not worrying about insurance or transfering fees because in the future my commute is gonna be further than now. oh and I get mostly 18-19 around town, and i dont drive freeway that often. thats why it burns up gas more than most of you guys' cars. anyways im just gonna keep it and drive but will also post it up for sale and just wait for the right offer. i know eventually i will get a new TL when im all done with school.

 

Look at this cool dude in his BRABUS Smart Car

 

If you're not going to lose money in the process, I would look at a Fit. I love those little things.

 

 

[IMG]http://s1083.photobucket.com/albums/j381/Big_PZ/Azine/?action=view&current=CoolBrabusguy.jpg[IMG]

If this doesnt link the pic of the cool brabus guy, Im sorry...GD work computer!! Its a really funny pic...if the photobucket link doesnt work...click this link to the site to see how cool this guy is....If that Brabus wont get you laid...I donk know a car that will!

http://revocars.com/new-cars/2011-brabus-smart-fortwo

 

Thank You! I love those little Fit's man. pretty fun to drive too cuz my friend has one. Anyways i know i wont be losing money or if most is like a few hundreds and ive been driving it for like half a year. I'm 21 and have owned 5 cars ( not all at once ) and i never lost money in the process of switching cars. its just the TL is my most favorite car out of all.

 

I'll take $5/gal any day. When it gets to UK prices of $10/gal, then I will be upset.