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Buying a temporary summer car

H

Hellotalkie

Golden Member
Just bought a new speed3 a month ago. Enjoying it way too much 😀

Anyways, I was recently given the opportunity for an internship that I really can't turn down. The only issue is the 75 mile one way commute. Moving isn't an option (lease) and I really have nothing else going on this summer, so it would be silly for me to pass this up.

I don't want to put 9000 miles on my brand new car in 3 months, then road trip back an additional 3000 miles in August for my last year of school (Cali to Ohio).

In total my new car would have about 15,000 miles in 4 months.

So I've been looking on CL, found a CRX HF for 1500. Got the guy down to 1000. Needs nothing, has maintenance records since 1992. Car just hit 159,000 miles. Tires are, passed smog, registered till next year.

I would only drive the car for the summer and let it go in August, but I think this may be the best option?
 
Any $1000-$1500 car is somewhat of a crapshoot. If it has the records it's already a good choice. If it's rust-free, sounds like a great car for your purposes. Remember that those HF's were designed for fuel economy and have like 60HP.
 
$1000 is a crapshoot but i think a fairly decent one. When your done with it i might be interested in this car if you bring it to chicago for $1000.

personally i might just put those miles on the car. I mean why not? The car should handle that easily. Now maybe if you did MPG factors that might be a real reason not to drive it but putting miles on the car... i can careless about it.
 
Maybe you can find a room for rent where your job is? Stay there a few nights of the week? Unless you are in a VERY expensive area, it is probably your best option to see if you can find a room in a house for $50 to $100 a week and just pay for the summer?



When I was in college, I used to stay on campus in Dekalb IL, and then I worked in Buffalo Grove IL. my mom lived by there, I had no class on Weds, so I would come Tuesday after class, and work a 10 hour shift, then Tues Night, I would go to sleep and on Weds, I would work a 10 hour shift. Then, Weds evening, I'd go back to the university.

Every other weekend, I would work Friday evening and then Saturday and Sunday, I would not always get all the hours I wanted, but I was able to average about 30-35 hours per week with this setup for 2 semesters.

I was commuting 80 miles 1 way, but, only commuting twice per week.

Anyhow, even though I was often driving at 2am, and sometimes I made the trip in an hour or so, it was just way too much driving.


Consider temporary staying in the town where your internship happens.
 
$1000 for a CRX in decent shape is a pretty good deal. Want to do some autox or something too? Maybe then I could justify it if not just put the miles on your new car. Why do you care? Are you planning to sell the brand new Mazda really soon?
 
I'd drive the new car but that's just me. This is exactly the type of thing you pay a premium to have a new car for.
 
thedarkwolf said:
$1000 for a CRX in decent shape is a pretty good deal. Want to do some autox or something too? Maybe then I could justify it if not just put the miles on your new car. Why do you care? Are you planning to sell the brand new Mazda really soon?
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It's not that. I'm planning to keep the car at least till the loan is paid off (4 years).

But I rather not have the car at 20,000 miles within 4 months. But maybe i'm just talking crazy!

I figured a CRX HF gets 50 mpg highway, cheap as hell to fill up.

With the Mazda i'll be filling up every 2.5 days (24mpg avg) (15 gallons @ ~$4.10 of premium). So $120 a week. 1,200 in three months for gas...

Or the HF gets a fill up every 3 days. (10 gallons @ ~$3.90) Gas being 65 a week. So $650 in total...

These are just my quickly formed estimates. But mehh maybe you guys are right, I really shouldn't care about the mileage so early on!
 
I have never understood why people buy nice cars and NEVER want to drive them?
 
buying the car for 3 months isn't horrible, but you've got to deal with insurance and selling it again at the end.

I think your best bet for happiness is to follow BurnItDwn's suggestion of getting a cheap room close by. Palo Alto may have quite a few subleases available as kids are home for the summer? 150 miles/day with traffic can end up being 4+ hours/day of commuting. That's a lot of wasted time, and traffic is soul sucking.
 
Some reason I just want the crx and keep it as a second beater car that I can probably learn on how to fix. Has maintenance records from '92 and it's a California car = no rust. Might be a car to have around campus.

I'll keep thinking about it.

Also I forgot to mention I have two jobs at two locations.
Crazy summer coming
 
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And how on earth did you manage to find a non-clapped out CRX in CA? In the time you've been mulling over this its probably gone.
 
Vic Vega said:
I'd drive the new car but that's just me. This is exactly the type of thing you pay a premium to have a new car for.
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I agree with this. It's like buying a palace but keep sleeping in a trailer in the garden. What was the point of the upgrade when having to sit for hours every day in your car is the way you'll enjoy having a nice car the most? Excluding supercars of course, but this is a mazda hatchback not a garage queen.
 
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The CRX HF is a highly desirable tuner car. The CRX handles very well and the HF is the lightest CRX ever made. For a $1k, with a clean chassis, you could probably flip it for considerably more money in the right market.

I would be very tempted to get it, even if you don't always commute in it.
 
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I understand where you're coming from on the high mileage deal, but it's a roll of the dice - you could get sucked in for some major repairs and be stranded on the side of the road. Are you planning on keeping the Mazda for a very long time? If so the driving the Mazda is a better option.

Any car pools or mass transit?
 
This is stupid. Use the Mazda.... Why did you buy a car if you don't want to put miles on it? The highway miles aren't going to affect the longetivity of the car at all. Plus you can think of it as quality time with your new baby. I'd love to put 15,000 miles on my new Mustang on California roads, and it already has 120k.
 
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if hes on a lease OP is probably worried hes gonna go over in his three years.


1g for a HF CRX is pretty good even with a million miles. Some CRXican would probably trade a 2006 civic for one....
 
NutBucket said:
And how on earth did you manage to find a non-clapped out CRX in CA? In the time you've been mulling over this its probably gone.
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No idea. The thing even has A/C. He's holding it for me but meh reading this forum, seems i'm in the wrong to purchase it ha!

But probably going to pass and use the money towards the extra gas. It would've been nice to have an Automatic some days during the week.
 
manimal said:
if hes on a lease OP is probably worried hes gonna go over in his three years.


1g for a HF CRX is pretty good even with a million miles. Some CRXican would probably trade a 2006 civic for one....
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Not a lease, just don't want the speed to have high mileage. Someone sees my car with over 100k within 5 years is going to heavily negotiate me down, especially with them assuming the car was daily beaten on since it's somewhat of a toned down performance car driven by a 20-25 year old.

I should just re-name this thread. Second car as a beater to keep my new car nice! When I go back to campus for my final year, I might not even take my MS3 to campus area, my mirrors have been punched out multiple times in the passed.
 
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