Saving Money: Sell the Car, Buy a Motorcycle

Financial help for families

can mean getting rid of expenses that can erode personal cash flow and replacing them with items that save money.

We are having a debate in our family about selling one of our cars and buying a motorcycle for my son to save money on gas, thereby preserving cash flow. I say "debate" but my wife and son want to sell my favorite car while I have remained silent.

Here are our vehicles:

• Chevy Astro van

year 2000 with gas mileage in the teens. We bought it on eBay in 2003 for less than $ 7,000 and it runs well. It has 140,000 miles. We drive it about 800 miles per month.



• Nissan Pathfinder

year 1998 with about 18 mpg. We bought it from our mechanic and it runs well. It has about 133,000 miles and I expect it to reach 250,000 to 300,000 miles. I drive it about 1,000 miles a month.



• Ford Taurus

year 2000, gets about 23 mpg. We bought it for less than $ 4,000 a few years back and it runs fine, too. It has about 122,000 miles but I don't expect it to get more than 175,000 miles without problems. Perhaps I'm wrong.



• Nissan Maxima

year 1988, gets close to 30 mpg. We bought it from a friend for $ 1,000. It has almost 160,000 miles and we use it to putt-putt on errands. It runs okay.

So my son and wife want to sell the Pathfinder since we can get the most money for it and use the money to buy him a motorcycle to save on gas expenses. He goes to college at Azusa Pacific University about 20 miles from our house.


I would prefer to sell the Taurus since I believe it won't last as long as the Pathfinder. I believe the gas savings with the Taurus may be offset by potential mechanical problems.

What do you think? My next step is to calculate the monthly cost on gas between the Pathfinder and Taurus and see if the savings are worth it.