I don't play blackjack at the level to get airfare reimbursement and to get picked up in a limo (at least not yet), so let's talk reliable and fuel efficient vehicles.
I'm thinking about investing in a reliable car for long distant travel purposes.
Getting to and fro the west coast casinos (AZ/CA/NV) is my plan.
Input and suggestions would be appreciated.
Would adding the vehicle and travel add money to expenses to the degree that it might be comparable to upping your level of play. If so you might be able to up your level of play first... and then addthe vehicle and travel... or maybe it would get you those comps. Just look at it from another perspective might tilt this a different way as far as your decisions. Or the upped play may result in moeby for air and hotel.
Prius is by far the best. I have had three of them so far (I also have a 370z) but for long boring commutes, it is great. On the highway, it does not attract police, looks slow even cruising at 75mph, no need to refill gas for 450-500 miles so fewer stops and surprisingly comfortable. My wife uses in town where the mileage is even better (between 48-54mpg) because it's on electric at stop lights and Rush hour traffic. Oil changes are once every 10k miles. My 2010 now has 80k miles and no problems.
You can use www.fueleconomy.gov for researching your options. It lets you sort by body type (sedan, wagon, hatchback, etc.) You can then follow up by looking at www.fuelly.com to see real world mileage numbers. My advice is to look at it from the perspective of cost per mile to operate. Edmunds.com True Cost to Own tool is useful for this. With current fuel prices (national average around $2.40 right now), going from, say, 35 mpg to 45 mpg would be a difference between 6.9c/mile and 5.3c/mile. The savings amounts to 1.5 cents per mile traveled, so even if you keep the car for 200,000 miles, it's a difference of $3k in fuel costs. And 10 mpg is a big difference. Sure, prices may go back up, but don't focus so heavily on fuel mileage that you miss the big picture stuff. Get something that is reasonable on fuel, but also make sure it's something you actually want to spend a lot of time in and make sure it's a vehicle that fits your style of travel well. If you're going to be traveling with a lot of cash, it's probably best to be in a vehicle that doesn't draw a lot of attention, but most cars that are economical to operate already have that going for them.
This quote makes me chuckle a little in the way it reads.Originally Posted by moses
I will say that a comfortable seat is very, very important. As someone who has taken the last few weeks as "exploratory" travels for my "game", I've come to the realization that my car is economically wonderful for the multi-day trips, but lacks the room for the creature comforts of a "quick nap".
A comfortable seat is important. Don't be afraid to invest in some sort of fancy seat cover or back support. Being able to recline enough to sleep is helpful.
25 MPG is the low end of affordable. Returns seem to diminish above 35 MPG.
3 or 4 year old certified pre-owned Hyundais seem to be a very sweet spot for depreciation, if you can find a low-mileage example. If you can do a manual transmission, that saves even more money. Cruise control is essential if you're driving more than an hour and a half.
Plane tickets are still probably less expensive for occasional trips. Las Vegas is about 24 hours away by car, or about 7 hours away if I drive to the nearest big airport and get on a plane (or about 6 hours away if I drive to the smaller regional airport and catch a plane - higher airfare, but cheaper parking & 2 hours less driving).
If you're making a trip every weekend (or evening), driving is probably necessary. Don't forget that you can move closer.
May the cards fall in your favor.
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