I am in sales and well I Drive a lot… I am going to be buying a car for work and for the 1st time in my career I will not be getting company provided car. I have had 2 Dodge Chargers V6 8 speed tran and I never had an issue. So with that in mind I am looking at the Dodge Durango with v6 and 8 speed. Used not new. Can I expect good MPGs with this ride… or should I stay with the Charger… Just wondering… thanks for any suggestions or information that I need to know.
Vehicle purchases are personal choice. What do you consider good MPG, how much stuff do you haul around, do you carry passengers a lot and for tax purposes why are you not looking at new.
Not hating but seriously you need to make a list of what you need and do research.
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I don’t think you will get the gas mileage on the Durango that you have been getting on the Charger. The shape of an SUV increases the wind resistance.
My suggestion is to go to Consumer Reports and read up on automobiles. You can take mileage off your taxes and I think it is about $.54 a mile if the use of a vehicle is needed for your occupation as it seems to be in your case. If you can swing it, start with a new vehicle when your livelihood depends on it. You will start out with new tires, battery, even wiper blades. Since you are on the road, choose a car for comfort.
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How much do you drive for work? What’s your typical weather like?
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Many times when someone goes to a forum such as this and asks “what should I buy” if they report back the vehicle purchased is seldom what suggestions they got.
Case in point: sometime back a person kept posting CraidsList ads of small sport sedans and ended up buying a Mercury Grand Marquis: Go figure.
Do clients ride in this car or at least frequently see you in it? If so, depending on the industry that you’re in, a muscle car might not be the right image to present, to be honest.
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@VOLVO_V70 is right on target. It’s kind of tough to make any good recommendations without knowing what you need other than you’re in sales and you’ll be driving a lot. Some questions I would ask:
Is it being used to transport customers? How many would I need to transport? Do I have to transport samples or other cargo?
Is the look of the vehicle part of my sales message?
Am I making a lot of short trips, like you call on several customers in one city, or few that are 25, 50, a couple hundred miles apart?
Do I stay overnight to do my job?
What do other sales reps in my company drive?
Am I required to drive in bad weather, like snow?
I would think you’d to answer these before worrying about gas mileage.
A lot of the sales reps I work with tend to go with SUV-type vehicles. They will take customers to lunch, needing a comfy backseat and easier to get in and out of. They also have to transport sales or technical materials and safety shoes, hardhats, and the like, so they need cargo space. Their trips tend to be longer, so I would think they would want butt-friendly seats with lots of adjustment flexibility.
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Medical sales rep clients not in the car only haul paperwork and computer. I live in Houston so the only thing that stands out weather wise is rain. I will be driving around 250 to 500 miles a week. New job will kick in cash for car that ranges from 400 to 675 not sure what it is yet, and .27 a mile… I also am a big man 6’ 2 280… I have an outback right now and hate it. No balls under the hood… Thanks for the input.
I have no information but as others said just get what you like, is comfortable, and meets the needs of the job. Often companies would rather pay mileage than provide a car. They don’t have to worry about maintenance, insurance, buying and selling cars, unauthorized use, the old IRS use/income formulas, and so on. The good part is that mileage and per diem is not taxable so it can be a profit center if you do it right. I don’t advise driving a car with 500K on it but it did pay for private college at 40 cents a mile.
If it were me, I’d consider Hybrids. Since you’re not carrying clients or equipment, something like a Prius C (if you can fit in it and feel comfortable, you’ll have to test that yourself). Or for non-hybrid options Toyota Corolla/Honda Civic. They have good reliability over the long term, great mpg on the highway and the Prius will do well in the city (you didn’t specify if it was mostly highway, city, or a mix). They won’t be loaded under the hood (though I never had problem getting enough kick out of my old Corolla when I needed it), but you’ll have to answer what’s more important to you, lots of horsepower or mpg.
Again, this is subjective, we can all give you suggestions on what we would do, but you’ll need to make the final decisions based on what you need/value the most.
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Speaking for myself, Houston traffic, crowded medical facility parking lots, the last thing I would want is any kind of SUV.
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Per the EPA the Durango will get 2-6 MPG less than the Charger. With the difference skewing towards a 6 MPG deficit at highway speeds. So a fairly significant difference. The noticeably heavier Durango, with the same engine and transmission (as the Charger) won’t provide exceptional performance either. A V8-powered Charger actually gets about the same mileage as a V6 Durango.
If you want an SUV with plenty of power, the V8 powered Durango or an Explorer with the Ecoboost V6 will fit the bill. But it doesn’t sound like your job requires the capabilities of an SUV. If you’re looking for a practical vehicle then the hybrid options make alot of sense, if you want an SUV, the hybrid Toyota Highlander is worth looking at. If you don’t want a hybrid then you might want to consider a Subaru Forester XT with the turbocharged H4. or if you’d rather have a regular car, a Taurus SHO is about the size of a Charger, but has a twin turbo V6 and AWD.
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A sedan would be a better choice than an SUV. The lower center of gravity of the sedan yields a better ride w/ much improved corner handling. It’s just an easier-on-the-body ride. If you like the previous Chargers, I’d just stick with that.
If you wanted a different car than a Charger, maybe the Toyota Avalon, or one of the bigger Lexus sedan models. Another idea, one of the larger Mercedes sedans will have a pretty good ride and will be nicely appointed. I sort of like the appearance of that Chrysler 300 too, it’s a fairly large car, but don’t have any experience with how it rides or its reliability.
Excellent advice above to review what Consumer Reports New/Used Car Guide says about the predicted reliability based on owner’s comments. And if you choose a used car, before writing any checks have your mechanic give it a pre-purchase inspection. That costs about $100 & is usually well worth it.
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New job will kick in cash for a car that is 400 t0 675??? What, a one time payment? a week? a month? a year?
I know that you know what you are talking about but we don’t. you have to tell us.
I used to be your size and only 10 lb lighter and I almost always drove Chrysler products because they fit me so much better than anything else. I could not get a comfortable seating position in anything GM made. That includes , Caddys, Buicks, Surburbans, pickups etc.
Unless the cash is frequent, 27 cents a mile is not nearly enough.
Not that I know but I assumed the $400 plus was a monthly allowance to pay for the fixed cost of a car and the 27 cents was to cover the variable costs of fuel and maintenance.
So you’ll have mostly city driving, small cargo requirements, and no passengers. The job requirements don’t really limit your choices much. Smaller SUV or a car would work for the job requirements and would lower the fixed and variable expenses you would have. You’d prefer something you can get you and your stuff in and out of easier since you’ll be doing that several times a day.
Since this is your personal car, too, you’ll also need to consider what you need/want with your non-work life.
The monthly and mileage reimbursements you list seem like they could cover the expense of a work car. Another option to consider is whether you would want a 2nd car for your personal use. So you get the minimum car needed for the job, use it only for the job, keep the expenses for it separated, and have the 2nd car for what you want for personal use.
According to the DoE, it will cost you about $400 more per year for gas in the Durango. I assumed 25,000 miles per year, 25% city driving, and $2.39 per gallon of gas. If you get the V8 Durango, gas will cost $1150 more. A lot of the extra cost is midgrade gas, not regular. You need to drive the V6 Durango if you can find one, and see if you can stand it.
The OP says his current vehicle does not have enough power. Really, how much power would one need in bumper to bumper traffic in Houston.
So this is awesome all the responses are outstanding… I love all the input. Going to check out the idea of Prius… see if I fit in it… and if not I am going to see if I can get a 2016 Charger new v6 if I dont get the price I want… we’ll see what we can do on the 2014 to 2017 Durango… then the question of to V8 or not to V8 Thanks for making me think about this… I emailed the guys on the show and they suggested I go here to get the ball rolling. Thank you all
Almost anything is better than what you are driving now or are considering.
I used to specify cars for our sales reps and we focused on reliability and fuel mileage, riding comfort as well as repair costs. For what you are going to do, a Toyota Camry, Honda Accord or Mazda 6 would be ideal; all with 4 cylinder engines. These cars allow you to comfortably cover costs compared to any mileage allowance you may get.
The Durango would not be a bad choice if you worked in rural Alaska or some other remote area. In that case I would recommend a Toyota Highlander.