When to call it quits on a vehicle..

[Martinjmpr]

If you don't need 4wd and a compact truck will work you can get a used Ranger or B-series Mazda pretty cheap. I paid $2k for a 1996 Mazda B2300 in 2013. 4 cyl, 5 speed, 2wd. Ran like a champ and got ~25mpg on a regular basis. Literally the only money I put into it was new tires (about $400), a repair on the rear axle seal (about $100) and a new stereo (about $150, I installed it myself with a kit from Crutchfield.) Drove it for 3 years and sold it in 2016 for $2000 so basically I drove it for 3 years for free. That generation of Ranger was pretty simple (at least the 2wd ones were.) The Mazda even had working air conditioning and since it was a regular cab, even on the hottest days it would get ice cold inside the cab in just a few minutes.

I sometimes wish I'd kept it but with just a 10 mile (one way) commute, I realized that the cost of maintaining, insuring, and registering a 2nd vehicle was greater than any savings I'd get, even considering that my Suburban only got 11 MPG in the city.

Great little truck, though, and surprisingly fun to drive.