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Re: [RC] I couldn't afford NOT to (was: Towing Vehicle) - Lynne Glazer

JMO, of course. I drive a 3/4 ton Dodge diesel for "everything", though I do little towing now. When not towing, at 20 mpg, it serves adequately as an all-around vehicle. Sure, tire cost was more, but replacing the tires at 87,500 this last time and 84,500 the time before along with very little maintenance necessary otherwise has made it a relatively low cost option. The registration was appreciably more at the beginning of its life, since it's a heavier vehicle, it's harder on the roads. I might pay a little bit more in insurance than an econobox.

What has not been stated is the intangible. I have been hit from behind no less than 7 times in my driving career, all while halted at either a stop light or sign, or in a turning lane. One of those rear- enders totalled the two vehicles behind me, did $3500 worth of damage to my then-Dodge dually diesel and herniated two discs in my neck. The first one caused permanent neck damage, no injuries in the others to me anyway. Sideswiped once, in 2007, by an elderly driver who mistakenly thought I was going to make a right turn (while not in the right hand turn lane) and pulled out into my truck. So I just feel SAFER all the time driving a big truck, especially in Los Angeles traffic. I don't "commute", per se, but this week involves one trip into Beverly Hills with two stops, one to Woodland Hills and one to Del Mar. That's between 1.5 and 2 hrs each, each way. Not so much "miles" but "hours" on the road, subject to the vagaries of driver attention span/distractions. I feel as if I can't afford another accident that could jeopardize my life or lifestyle.

Personally, no way would I rent a vehicle to tow to a multi-day ride like EMS then have it sit around for $$ a day, hard to see how that could be cost-effective. And there's that familiarity factor, I "know" how MY truck has been maintained and treated. What its characteristics are, in downgrades and pulling hills. YMMV.

Lynne
<http://www.lynnesite.com>



On Jan 28, 2009, at 9:55 AM, k s swigart wrote:

Michelle Aquino said:

I'd love to have bigger truck, and I'm sure it would provide
 a lot more security, but there's just no way I could afford
 to keep two vehicles for towing and commuting separate...

If one does the math with respect to cost of gas associated with commuting in a tow vehicle, one does not have to commute very far for it to easily become cost effective to run two vehicles, especially if you take into consideration the cost of repairs and the cost of tires as well.

My commuter vehicle is dirt cheap to operate, and if you buy a used cheap one, it is also dirt cheap to register and to insure.

When I first decided to take the two vehicles option (because I was commiting in my truck), I paid $600 for a used Dodge Colt and reduced my gasoline bill from $10 per day to $10 per week (this was when gas was barely over $1 per gallon) and the cost of tires from about 1.75 cents per mile to 0.2 cents per mile (tires for the dinky little car cost about 1/10th the tires for the truck--although this difference has now come down and the tires for my truck are only about 6 times the cost of my car tires instead of 10 times).

After I drove the Dodge Colt into the ground (it had paid for itself in gas money within a couple of months, I drove it for about a year), I replaced it with a $700 Subaru that got the same gas mileage. Drove that one for over 75,000 miles before it died.

Personally, I can't affor NOT to keep two vehicles for towing and commuting. And unless they do very little commuting, I am willing to bet that if other people were to do the math, they would find the same to be true.

If, on the other hand, you do very little towing, thent he cost effective thing is to own a commuter car and RENT a tow vehicle when you want one. And if you go that route, you can rent as much vehicle as you need for THAT trip rather that owning as much vehicle as you might need for any trip.

Commuting in a tow truck is rarely ever cost effective, for anybody.

kat
Orange County, Calif.

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Replies
[RC] I couldn't afford NOT to (was: Towing Vehicle), k s swigart