Owners that use their Tundra to Commute to Work - What Gas Price will make you switch Vehicles ?

True. Once we get rid of the governor we have now, property tax relief will be up there with border security.

 

You guys save in other areas.
My nephew just bought a new build in New Braunfels and I was surprised by how much he paid. I remember looking at homes 12 years ago in that area with my wife and you could buy a damn mansion for 700,000. Something that would cost 1.5M in Colorado. You Texans are starting to deal with the countries migration now as well, unfortunately.

Anyway, sorry to derail OP. My truck is paid for so any increase in fuel I’ll absorb before I’d sell.

 

I had two vehicles, a 2019 Honda Accord and my 2010 Tundra. Sold the Honda last fall when prices were peaking. By my calculations, it cost about $4k a year to own the second vehicle (at least before its paid off).

I drive about 13k miles per year. Figuring 13 mpg thats 1,000 gallons of gas.

So, gas prices would need to ~double to make the math work on a (newer) second car.

 

That thing just screams "squish me".

 

I switched in April of 2020 when I realized I was paying 400/month for gas. I drive a lot and the truck was only for fun. I switched to a RAV4 Prime, and I save 2500$ cash on gas annually. I do miss the space and comfort. There were other things that made me trade - experience with driving on ice and snow while having to shift from 2HI to 4 HI back and forth; low safety rating for the passenger (my wife); “can you help me move something?”

 

I always find these questions interesting since it seems like most people will spend $5 to save $2.

Gas is $3.75 here in the Seattle area. Over $4 if you don’t buy at Costco. Say I drive 15,000 miles per year (I did pre-Covid) and get 13mpg (my annual average). That’s $4,327 in gas per year, or $360/month.

Let's assume you don't have a commuter already. People seem to lose their mind when gas hits $5. They sell everything and go spend top dollar on a ratty old Geo. So say I buy a commuter for the work week. If I drive the Tundra on weekends, that's 2/7ths of the weekly mileage and 5/7ths for the commuter...or 4k miles per year on the Tundra and 11k on the commuter. At $5/gal, that only saves me $215 a month if the commuter gets 35mpg. Half of that savings will go towards insurance and maintenance (at least), so I'm saving about $100 a month. But how much did I spend to buy the car? A more expensive car will have lower maintenance (in theory), but take longer to pay off.

Let's come at this from the other direction. I have $6-10k to buy a commuter with, which means I want $500/mo in savings so my ROI is less than two years. I don't start saving $500 a month until gas hits $12/gallon.

So that's my answer...$12/gallon. But by that time, the economy will have long since collapsed and none of us will be working. So really, I just fill the truck up and hope I get a full tank before the stupid $100 cut-off limit.

 

I drive my Sequoia as a commuter car. Put about 20k miles a year between work and personal trips. The car is too good and need the space for me to sell the car for a commuter car. Does not make sense for me to get another car since I have no need for it and then I would have to end up doing double the maintenance.

 

I still miss my '06 Seq. smooth, semi-peppy. 14mpg avg.

yes, I'm redundant.

 

Trucks would have to get something like 30MPG before I'd think about trading in mine for MPG specifically. I drive about 25 miles a day *IF* I have to go onsite.

 

ditto on 30mpg.

they didn't ask me...but...they should have the fancy hybrid crap & 10sp on the 5.7. easy answer.

then you can have the trifecta...v8/hybrid/supercharger.

 

So my opinion is we all have different definitions for what a threshold is to each of us. In this case the Gas Price and when do you act.
Once thresholds get crossed or broken, people respond.
Some will like yourself figure out how much more its going to cost, do the math and come to a conclusion on how to respond.
Others have a "number in their head", they do not know what this exact number is, per say, if someone asked them, but...when this number hits...
Its game over for them they respond.
Now, I have seen people with calculations, abandon them,prior to their thresholds being met.
And I guess where I am with this question, my curiosity, is trying to gauge where the US and Canada thresholds are for these rising gas prices. Different factors at work in each country.

So far you are an extreme at one end of $12 gallon. The other extreme others have already hit their thresholds and are now driving CRV's and RAV4's.

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"So really, I just fill the truck up and hope I get a full tank before the stupid $100 cut-off limit."

So one difference with the US and Canada. Canadian Tundras no longer get full tanks before $100.
And I myself have a problem with pumping in more than $100. 8^0

 

I think I'd just get a second vehicle before I give up my Tundra. The Maverick is looking really good and I'm curious what the next Tacoma will offer as a base model.

 

I'd really like for Rivian to put a decent grill on their truck.

 

I agree its a hideous front grill. Worse than the new Tundra.
But what I found interesting in the TFL towing video is the Rivian was at 98% battery used after 153 miles towing a small trailer and the Tundra was 32% of gas used.

 

i hear you & agree. I would never tow in an EV...nobody would.

however, we are speaking of "commuting". I could dig a commute in a decent looking EV pickup.

an epic-ly quick EV pick up.

 

speaking of EV's....

I charged the Tesla plaid @ a supercharger (at Rudy's BBQ!) for $11.35 i put in 115 miles of electrons per the dash thing.

the same 115 miles in my truck @ 16mpg @$3/gallon = $21.56

so figgering....the Plaid gets ~32mpg - if we use the $3 as the constant. because a 1000hp car would need 93 octane.

it would be far better if I used home charging numbers...I think supercharging is like 50% higher.

and no, those saving do not make up the price of a Plaid. the price is for the joker grin @ when you are first @ the stop light.

 

I am now picturing a traffic jam (accident induced) on a busy highway in any major northern US city / Canada, in winter, as the EV owner sits there in their EV (do you still call it idling with an EV?) watching his/her battery gauge dwindle down. Is this a concern?

 

LOL touche'

I would be quite hesitant to commute in an EV in the bitter cold. that equates to towing.

it's just a matter of storage...Ev's store about 250 miles of juice. Gas ~400 miles.

my truck idles @ ~.45 gallons per hour there is some math there to get to idle time in an EV.

Truck heat is kinda free....EV heat costs electrons.

 

At current prices, I'm spending $390/month on gasoline for the truck.

In order to make a tiny car save me money, it would have to be a free car that some relative gives me. Because there is NO WAY anybody is going to make a second payment on a small car, second insurance payment on that car, and keep up with maintenance on that car and still come out ahead. Not going to happen. It would have to get like 175 miles per gallon or something and that's just not feasible.

On the other hand a Prius won't haul ATVs or tow 24' enclosed trailers.

So I'm pretty much keeping this truck as long as I can afford to do so. Will have to just suck it up and pray to God that in 2024 we get an administration change.

Interesting tidbit: At 1,700 miles per month driving, and current fuel prices, every 1 MPG gained equals $27/month gained. I lost 2 MPG with these tires. That's $648 a year. Kind of makes me wonder if going back to stock tire size would be worth it.

 

That's a lot of gas per month. I basically commute to work and back (and that's assuming I'm not WFH - which I have been, probably 90% of the time). I probably fill up 2x a month or so, so maybe $180/month.

Truck payment is $600 or so a month...and in literally a month, it'll go to $0 since it'll be paid off. Considering that, it'd take a LOT for me to trade up with MPG primarily in mind.

 

Rudy's now have supercharger?!

 

Yes

well, the wife does!

 

We have a Corolla S for saving fuel, it's our in town runabout and I'll soon be using it to go to work. I drive 250km to work, park for 2 weeks, drive home. I need a truck for family things and basic dude stuff.

 

In Webster tx. They do

 

Ah. I am in West Houston area and I am like, last I passed by one, didn't see a charging station, much less a supercharger!!

I only want to get a commuter car is a manual, I have a few of those in the last and they are a hoot to drive.
Traded in the manual Forester for the Tundra, love the Tundra but still miss rolling the gears and surprising others at the red light.
Most of the time, they don't know what hit them in the face until I have pass the intersection, but then I loss on third gear...hehe
It's fun, and prevents me from falling asleep.... 30 miles one way, I leave around 6:30am so manual does keep me from falling asleep....

 

21 white creme int. Wood

it is a blast

 

He must have the hook up to get a 22

i tried. Porsche dealers are not friendly