What kind of car do you drive for those 1+ hour commutes?

Nurses General Nursing

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I'm starting my first GN job in August and my commute is around an hour with traffic. I have a beater car now that clunks, squeals, clicks, and randomly dies but gets upwards of 33 mpg. I'm looking to buy a new car once I get some cash in my pocket. What do you all drive/recommend for that LONG commute?

TIA

Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

Back when I lived 120 miles from my workplace, I drove a Hyundai Elantra. It was dependable and accrued more than 100,000 miles by the time I sold it. I was living 225 miles from school and drove a 2006 Toyota Corolla (I still have this vehicle).

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Specializes in NVRN, ICU, Critical Care.

Prius's are great however depending on what part of the country you're in, you can pick up a used civic hybrid pretty cheap. Honda's are overpriced b/c of their name but the civic hybrid is usually priced at a good level when bought used. And that means a lot coming from someone who's dad is a GM professor, GM was in their wedding vows, and GM is the only brand I can buy while he's alive.lol

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I have a 45 minute drive to work in snowy conditions. I drive a Chevy Cobalt. Reliable, and i have awesome tires on it. (weatherguards) idk if you'll be driving in snow but the tires w/ the front wheel drive, the great gas mileage, and the sweet sporty look of a 2 door make the chevrolet cobalt an awesome choice.

i love my cobalt. lol

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Specializes in NVRN, ICU, Critical Care.

i love my cobalt. lol

I too, rock the slowbalt

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Specializes in Intermediate care.

i have a 45 minute commute, close enough. but i JUUUUUUUST purchased a new 2011 subaru outback sport. i Got it 5 days ago.

It does not get the best gas mileage but i live in Wisconsin, the WORST winter driving state in the country. No joke.....our roads in the winter are awful and a death wish when its snowing. With a 45 commute to work, my fiance and i both felt that i needed a safe winter driving car. The Subaru outback sport got the highest rating in its class for safety/winter driving. it has All wheel drive. I havent tested it out in the snow yet, but Im sooooo excited for winter to come so i can finally drive in the winter without having to go 10 miles/hr.

The other one we looked at was the Volkswagen TDI. It runs on diesel but it gets like 40 miles to the gallon. its a hatchback, LOTS of room in the car, loved the space and handles AMAZING. very close to getting this but my fiance was dead set on me driving the safest car.

He told me money and prices of gas are not an issue when it comes to my safety....AWWWWW :) (but yet, he insists on riding his stupid motorcycle)

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Since everyone is also commenting about safety, I have to give props to the ford focus. My husband rolled our focus on the 91 (Southern California) about a month ago now and walked away from it with a scraped knee. I feel if I don't mention that karma will get me back, the focus is also pretty good on gas for how big the car is.

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Specializes in Pediatrics, ER.

Subaru Legacy. I get around 25mpg with highway/city equal mix.

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Specializes in tele, oncology.

We have an old Civic...175K miles on the original engine and transmission; clutch has been replaced once or twice from too many people learning to drive a manual with it.

And an old Corolla...180K on it.

The bad thing is that the engine/transmission tends to outlast the car around it...I look like I'm driving my parent's hand me down POS. (Which it is, but they cut me a sweet deal when I was in a rough spot.)

Both get good mileage, even with as old and clunky as they are. I'm planning on our next car being a gently used Civic, and handing down the other ones to our kids in a couple of years.

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Specializes in CDI Supervisor; Formerly NICU.

2010 Buick Lacrosse. I love it. I'm just old enough to desire a comfortable ride, everything else is secondary. :)

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A 2010 Mercedes S65 AMG. (in case your wondering what model that is it is the S550 with the hi preformance AMG package) not the best for gas mileage but damn it is comfortable and fun to drive

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.

my prius is comfortable, does well on winter roads and gets 50 mpg. plus it's cute.

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Specializes in Telemetry, Case Management.

I have a 1996 Dodge Stratus. I get 500+ miles per tank of gas, which about covers what a weekly commute would be. How that factors out as mpg I don't know. I know I bought it in 2004 and it only had 44K miles on it. I've put 110,000 miles on it since then. And the only breakdowns I've had are when some ORIGINAL factory part finally wears out.

If I had a lot of money I'd get a Smart car.

One tip, if you have a long commute, and its into a larger city - keep your car dirty and ugly! If you have a nice shiny bright car, they will pull out in front of you 17 times a day - they know you will stop short to keep from ruining your ride! However if your car is a POS or looks like one, they will keep their distance.

That's my two cents. :twocents:

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