...the formerly unthinkable.
I'm really getting bummed out about shelling out the extra coin for fuel...that 19mpg average adds up when you have to drive a minimum of 240 miles every work day.
I've started looking a bit more seriously for another daily driver for my commute from (and back to) Hades. Giving an extra $200+/month than I did just six months ago to the frikken oil companies is pissing me off, and I'm tired of the daily $40 kick in the nuts.
I'm casting about for a new ride that fills the following parameters:
1) Comfortable enough for four hours daily in the saddle. "Comfort" includes decent seats, effective a/c, and a good stereo. I don't need or want cushy- just something that doesn't feel like a church pew or those awful desks from 5th grade.
2) Fun to drive. I enjoy driving fast and hard for reasons of keeping my sanity. Manual transmission is a must for these reasons.
3)Reliable. This car has to run, and run, and run. I maintain my cars well, but I ask almost 50k miles/year without stranding me in return.
4) Fun to drive. Oh yeah...I said that, but it's really important.
5) Frugal. I would like at least an average of 27 mpg. According to my calculations, that would save me ~$3000/year on what I'm paying now in fuel costs alone!
...all while trying to keep the RWD faith. Not easy.
I'm eyeing the Solstice/Sky...but I've decided that buying new borders on financial idiocy since I stomp the crap out of potential resale due to the miles I pile on my ride...the fact that resale on an '04 GTO with 45k miles on it hovers somewhere between jack and sh1t doesn't help. All-new cars are dicey buys anyway.And I'm not exactly in mad rush to give the General more of my money after my Goat's transmission blenderized at only 30,000 miles. Still, the Solstice would come pretty close to filling all of the above...though the fuel economy would most likely be closer to 23-25 mpg. Still an improvement, but not enough to vault the above hurdles.
Sat in an '06 Mazda MX-5 (the first of the 3rd generation Miatas) the other day. That would be a great fun street-dissector...but again, it's a new car. You can find 2004 Mazdaspeed MX-5s (the 178hp turbo variant) with stupid low miles on them for cheap...that may be a good / fun beater.
Then again, I may just have to grin and bear it when I visit the pump every day. I do love the GTO, with it's mixture of speed and comfort it still stands as the best GT value on the market today, period. But spreadsheets don't lie...ack. It's like trying to decide if you should leave a hot girlfriend who is also good in the sack when you know she's spending your money, she refuses to get a job, and you suspect she just might be cheating on you !
I'm really getting bummed out about shelling out the extra coin for fuel...that 19mpg average adds up when you have to drive a minimum of 240 miles every work day.
I've started looking a bit more seriously for another daily driver for my commute from (and back to) Hades. Giving an extra $200+/month than I did just six months ago to the frikken oil companies is pissing me off, and I'm tired of the daily $40 kick in the nuts.
I'm casting about for a new ride that fills the following parameters:
1) Comfortable enough for four hours daily in the saddle. "Comfort" includes decent seats, effective a/c, and a good stereo. I don't need or want cushy- just something that doesn't feel like a church pew or those awful desks from 5th grade.
2) Fun to drive. I enjoy driving fast and hard for reasons of keeping my sanity. Manual transmission is a must for these reasons.
3)Reliable. This car has to run, and run, and run. I maintain my cars well, but I ask almost 50k miles/year without stranding me in return.
4) Fun to drive. Oh yeah...I said that, but it's really important.
5) Frugal. I would like at least an average of 27 mpg. According to my calculations, that would save me ~$3000/year on what I'm paying now in fuel costs alone!
...all while trying to keep the RWD faith. Not easy.
I'm eyeing the Solstice/Sky...but I've decided that buying new borders on financial idiocy since I stomp the crap out of potential resale due to the miles I pile on my ride...the fact that resale on an '04 GTO with 45k miles on it hovers somewhere between jack and sh1t doesn't help. All-new cars are dicey buys anyway.And I'm not exactly in mad rush to give the General more of my money after my Goat's transmission blenderized at only 30,000 miles. Still, the Solstice would come pretty close to filling all of the above...though the fuel economy would most likely be closer to 23-25 mpg. Still an improvement, but not enough to vault the above hurdles.
Sat in an '06 Mazda MX-5 (the first of the 3rd generation Miatas) the other day. That would be a great fun street-dissector...but again, it's a new car. You can find 2004 Mazdaspeed MX-5s (the 178hp turbo variant) with stupid low miles on them for cheap...that may be a good / fun beater.
Then again, I may just have to grin and bear it when I visit the pump every day. I do love the GTO, with it's mixture of speed and comfort it still stands as the best GT value on the market today, period. But spreadsheets don't lie...ack. It's like trying to decide if you should leave a hot girlfriend who is also good in the sack when you know she's spending your money, she refuses to get a job, and you suspect she just might be cheating on you !