Suggestions for car for wife's new job

Started by veeman, October 03, 2022, 10:12:34 AM

veeman

Wife quit her job a few months ago and started yesterday at her new job in Brooklyn.  That's over 60 miles one way from our house in potentially horrendous traffic.  Yeah I don't think that's a smart thing to do but that's for a different topic :lol:  Don't want to move because my daughter is in 11th grade and is shy so the trauma of changing her high school is not something we want to put her through. My son, whose currently in 6th grade, is much more resilient and so in two years when my daughter is in college we may move closer to her job. 

Her current car is a 2019 Infiniti QX60 which sucks premium gas.  We both love the car.  The important thing here is my wife suggested we get a new or used different car for her to commute in (since it's "her" idea, this may actually come to fruition).  We have one other car and that's my Hyundai Veloster.  Nanny drives kids around in her own car (for which I pay her gas money, currently at 62.5 cents/mile according to latest IRS figures, which is what I compensate her). 

Sometimes my wife will probably be able to work from home but there's nothing written about it in her contract.  She'll have to see how doable that is.  Hopefully it can be something like 2 days a week work from home.  Sometimes she might take the train/subway to work but honestly the train/subway service in the NYC and greater NYC area leaves a lot to be desired.  Especially in NYC where it's dirty and not very safe.  Plus commute going to work in the morning is much longer on the train/subway but on the way back it's shorter (wife beats morning rush hour going to work but is in rush hour on the way back). 


What would you do?

1) Keep the status quo regarding our car situation.  Using fueleconomy.gov, compared with an EV, we'll end up paying an extra 5 to 6 thousand dollars a year in fuel costs if she drives the QX60 to work.

2) Get an EV.  This would require higher than normal costs of just putting in a level 2 charger because I would upgrade my home electrical system because it's very old (circa 1980s equipment and wiring).  Even my ring doorbell can't be directly hardwired in my house because the system is too old.  If I were to get an EV, I'd probably try to get a Kia EV6 or Hyundai Ioniq 5.  Maybe a Ford Mustang Mach-E.  I think the Tesla Model 3 or Model Y ride is probably not going to be comfortable enough and Model S is too expensive. 


FoMoJo

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Rich

60 miles one way in traffic?  what's the drive time on that?

That sounds like it could be 2-3 hours one way. 
2003 Mazda Miata 5MT; 2005 Subaru Impreza Outback Sport 4AT

MrH

She's going to drive 120 miles a day, in NYC traffic, to Brooklyn?!

That's absolutely brutal.  She's going to be commuting at a minimum 3-4 hours a day?
2023 Ford Lightning Lariat ER
2019 Acura RDX SH-AWD
2023 BRZ Limited

Previous: '02 Mazda Protege5, '08 Mazda Miata, '05 Toyota Tacoma, '09 Honda Element, '13 Subaru BRZ, '14 Hyundai Genesis R-Spec 5.0, '15 Toyota 4Runner SR5, '18 Honda Accord EX-L 2.0t, '01 Honda S2000, '20 Subaru Outback XT, '23 Chevy Bolt EUV

Eye of the Tiger

2008 TUNDRA (Truck Ultra-wideband Never-say-die Daddy Rottweiler Awesome)

CaminoRacer

I'd keep the current cars for now and see how things go.

Car prices should drop in the next year and EVs will be more available if you decide you want something more efficient.
2020 BMW 330i, 1969 El Camino, 2017 Bolt EV

veeman

Quote from: Rich on October 03, 2022, 10:50:40 AM
60 miles one way in traffic?  what's the drive time on that?

That sounds like it could be 2-3 hours one way.

Quote from: MrH on October 03, 2022, 11:04:43 AM
She's going to drive 120 miles a day, in NYC traffic, to Brooklyn?!

That's absolutely brutal.  She's going to be commuting at a minimum 3-4 hours a day?

Yes.  She was at her current job as a mid to high level hospital administrator for over 10 years and since her boss was fired a few years ago, she's hated her new bosses.  So she's been looking for past few years and someone who works at this other hospital in Brooklyn, who used to work directly with her, hired her.  I would never have done what she's doing but that's her choice.  If she leaves at 6:00 am her commute is 1.4 hours to work.  On the way back it can be over 2 hrs.  I really think it's only doable if she manages to work by zoom from home 2 days a week.  Otherwise I suspect she'll quit in a few months. 


veeman

Quote from: CaminoRacer on October 03, 2022, 12:48:55 PM
I'd keep the current cars for now and see how things go.

Car prices should drop in the next year and EVs will be more available if you decide you want something more efficient.

This makes way too much sense. 

veeman

Quote from: FoMoJo on October 03, 2022, 10:22:44 AM
New VW Jetta.

I think if we get a different car for her, it would be an EV. 

AutobahnSHO

A used Civic or Corolla would be around $13-17k, ours gets up to 40mpg if you go easy on the highway, 30regularly with mixed town driving.

They're easy to sell later.
Will

Laconian

Bolt EUV with Super Cruise. Chevy will cover the cost of the L2 charger.
Kia EV6 GT-Line / MX-5 RF 6MT

r0tor

2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee No Speed -- 2004 Mazda RX8 6 speed -- 2018 Alfa Romeo Giulia All Speed

Morris Minor

I would do nothing for the first two or three months.  See how things pan out.

What pains me here is your comment about the train/subway system being dirty and unsafe. This is tragic. Other 1st world major cities keep their systems clean & updated & safe. NYC should be ashamed.
⏤  '10 G37 | '21 CX-5 GT Reserve  ⏤

Laconian

Quote from: Morris Minor on October 03, 2022, 08:22:23 PM
I would do nothing for the first two or three months.  See how things pan out.

What pains me here is your comment about the train/subway system being dirty and unsafe. This is tragic. Other 1st world major cities keep their systems clean & updated & safe. NYC should be ashamed.

NYC is embarrassingly ramshackle for a city that's the center of global finance. But I guess it's perfectly in line with the country's awesome Jini coefficient. :shrug:
Kia EV6 GT-Line / MX-5 RF 6MT

MrH

Quote from: veeman on October 03, 2022, 03:50:12 PM
Yes.  She was at her current job as a mid to high level hospital administrator for over 10 years and since her boss was fired a few years ago, she's hated her new bosses.  So she's been looking for past few years and someone who works at this other hospital in Brooklyn, who used to work directly with her, hired her.  I would never have done what she's doing but that's her choice.  If she leaves at 6:00 am her commute is 1.4 hours to work.  On the way back it can be over 2 hrs.  I really think it's only doable if she manages to work by zoom from home 2 days a week.  Otherwise I suspect she'll quit in a few months. 

Yeah, I wouldn't make any moves until after a few months.  See if she can work remotely for a portion or if she can keep up with that commute.  That's going to be really hard to maintain.
2023 Ford Lightning Lariat ER
2019 Acura RDX SH-AWD
2023 BRZ Limited

Previous: '02 Mazda Protege5, '08 Mazda Miata, '05 Toyota Tacoma, '09 Honda Element, '13 Subaru BRZ, '14 Hyundai Genesis R-Spec 5.0, '15 Toyota 4Runner SR5, '18 Honda Accord EX-L 2.0t, '01 Honda S2000, '20 Subaru Outback XT, '23 Chevy Bolt EUV

veeman

Quote from: r0tor on October 03, 2022, 07:39:53 PM
Limo

That would be ideal but it's not a provided perk.  I think you would have to be the CEO of a hospital or a really famous doctor who brings in millions of dollars to get that kind of perk. 

Eye of the Tiger

I wouldn't even trust an EV for such a long commute, yet. What if you forget to charge it? Gonna be late. Hybrid all the way. Prinuses are pretty good at being hybrids.
2008 TUNDRA (Truck Ultra-wideband Never-say-die Daddy Rottweiler Awesome)

veeman

Quote from: AutobahnSHO on October 03, 2022, 05:58:11 PM
A used Civic or Corolla would be around $13-17k, ours gets up to 40mpg if you go easy on the highway, 30regularly with mixed town driving.

They're easy to sell later.

You're right getting a used fuel efficient smaller ICE car would make the most sense (like getting a Prius) but no way wife would go for that.  This is not purely an economic decision.  That's a big factor making me pose the question but it's only one aspect to it.  If I get an EV, I'm not going to get rid of the Infiniti QX60.  Using fueleconomy.gov, an EV could save us 5 to 6 thousand dollars a year in fueling costs.  Even with the extra cost of insurance for a 3rd car plus Connecticut's bullshit local city tax on cars, that's a lot of money on extra fueling costs.

Another factor is my daughter will turn 16 in a few months and I'm not a fan of teenagers putting off driving.  I know a lot of women who don't feel comfortable driving in urban traffic, at night, when it snows, etc.  Being able to drive confidently in adverse conditions makes a big impact on quality of life in IMHO.  So I'm probably going to get a 3rd car soon anyways to get her to start driving to school regularly.  Baby steps in the beginning but I want her to be a confident driver by the time she goes to college. 

veeman

Quote from: Eye of the Tiger on October 04, 2022, 07:39:24 AM
I wouldn't even trust an EV for such a long commute, yet. What if you forget to charge it? Gonna be late. Hybrid all the way. Prinuses are pretty good at being hybrids.

I would not get rid of the Infiniti QX60.  Maybe get an EV and that way if we forget to charge one night or power goes out or whatever, she can always take the ICE car. 

veeman

#20
Quote from: Morris Minor on October 03, 2022, 08:22:23 PM
I would do nothing for the first two or three months.  See how things pan out.

What pains me here is your comment about the train/subway system being dirty and unsafe. This is tragic. Other 1st world major cities keep their systems clean & updated & safe. NYC should be ashamed.

Your first sentence makes sense and I don't think I'll do anything for a few months.  Just thinking in advance of what to do a few months from now, assuming she's still at this job. 

Your second paragraph is truly tragic.  Getting into the city is fine but she has to leave the train and switch to the subway once at Grand Central station in Manhattan to get to Brooklyn.  The subway and it's platform is not quite disgusting but it leaves a lot to be desired.  It's not the grime or rats scurrying about.  It's the crazy people interspersed with normal people.  Chance of getting slain or physically assaulted statistically isn't very high given large numbers of commuters but risk of theft of belongings is high and just general anxiety of being in a shithole environment. 

veeman

#21
Quote from: Laconian on October 03, 2022, 07:24:48 PM
Bolt EUV with Super Cruise. Chevy will cover the cost of the L2 charger.

I would get this.  I'm not sure if my wife would go for that.  The Mustang Mach-E, Hyundai Ioniq 5, and Kia EV6 are bigger, cooler looking, and just overall better but also would probably end up costing me $20 thousand more.  I don't think she'll go for getting into a Bolt EUV from an Infiniti QX60 honestly. 

cawimmer430

Get an old last-generation Dieselgate Volkswagen Golf TDI!  :ohyeah:
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Eye of the Tiger

Motorcycle, then lane split and cut commute in half.
2008 TUNDRA (Truck Ultra-wideband Never-say-die Daddy Rottweiler Awesome)

Laconian

Quote from: veeman on October 04, 2022, 08:05:13 AM
I would get this.  I'm not sure if my wife would go for that.  The Mustang Mach-E, Hyundai Ioniq 5, and Kia EV6 are bigger, cooler looking, and just overall better but also would probably end up costing me $20 thousand more.  I don't think she'll go for getting into a Bolt EUV from an Infiniti QX60 honestly. 

She'd probably love the Genesis G60, too bad they're so rare!
Kia EV6 GT-Line / MX-5 RF 6MT

veeman

Quote from: cawimmer430 on October 04, 2022, 09:29:02 AM
Get an old last-generation Dieselgate Volkswagen Golf TDI!  :ohyeah:

I had a VW Dieselgate Beetle TDI about 6 years ago.  You actually don't save that much money with them because of the higher price of Diesel.  Using fueleconomy.gov, we would save $1000-$1500 a year in fueling costs with a VW diesel TDI compared with her current car. 

Plus it's bad for the planet :rastaman:

veeman

Quote from: Laconian on October 04, 2022, 01:57:25 PM
She'd probably love the Genesis G60, too bad they're so rare!

Oooh!  Didn't know this existed. I would love this! About $10 grand more than the highest trim Hyundai Ioniq 5 and $15 grand more than a mid trim one however. 

veeman

#27
Quote from: Eye of the Tiger on October 04, 2022, 12:01:54 PM
Motorcycle, then lane split and cut commute in half.

Death wish.  But I agree, commute times would be shorter. 

AutobahnSHO

Quote from: veeman on October 04, 2022, 07:49:38 AM
You're right getting a used fuel efficient smaller ICE car would make the most sense (like getting a Prius) but no way wife would go for that.  This is not purely an economic decision.  That's a big factor making me pose the question but it's only one aspect to it.  If I get an EV, I'm not going to get rid of the Infiniti QX60.  Using fueleconomy.gov, an EV could save us 5 to 6 thousand dollars a year in fueling costs.  Even with the extra cost of insurance for a 3rd car plus Connecticut's bullshit local city tax on cars, that's a lot of money on extra fueling costs.

Another factor is my daughter will turn 16 in a few months and I'm not a fan of teenagers putting off driving.  I know a lot of women who don't feel comfortable driving in urban traffic, at night, when it snows, etc.  Being able to drive confidently in adverse conditions makes a big impact on quality of life in IMHO.  So I'm probably going to get a 3rd car soon anyways to get her to start driving to school regularly.  Baby steps in the beginning but I want her to be a confident driver by the time she goes to college. 

$5-6k in fueling costs vs a car for 1/3 the cost... But I really haven't looked at EV prices. :huh:

I think an ICE/ hybrid would be ideal for daughter to learn in. Get used to the "dying breed" then transition into EV. It would be much harder to go the other way around.....
Will

r0tor

The only time I've seen this work out was if the individual can work off hours... Like a 5am to 2pm shift
2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee No Speed -- 2004 Mazda RX8 6 speed -- 2018 Alfa Romeo Giulia All Speed