Hey guys, I'm new to the forums but I have a question that I'm hoping you guys can help me with.
I drive a 1994 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo with a 5.2 V8 and AWD. Gas is a killer. I work two jobs and through commuting to them and school, I blow though 125-175 a month on gas. Now, I know that recently gas prices have been exceptionally high, but the amount which I am paying has inspired me to consider other options.
My Jeep is an automatic. I drove a manual recently for the first time and fell in love with it. It was as natural as blinking and much more exhilarating. It was as if I was driving the car, rather than just... driving the car...
My question to you all is this. There are three options.
1) Keep the jeep and forget about saving money and a manual tranny
2) Keep the jeep and buy a beater with good gas mileage (honda civic? I would like your adivce here too :-)) for 300-1000 dollars and use that until it breaks. The problem with this is the excess money that I would spend on insurance for the beater would cancel out the money I would save on gas.
3) Sell the jeep (for about 2800), save a few more hundred (maybe 500-700 more) and get a nicer manual car with good mileage (honda civic? honda prelude?)
Another importance piece of information is that my mother (sorry guys, I am only 17. I live under her roof and therefore under her rules) prefers the jeep for its safety aspects. Living in Northern NJ, when the winter comes around, sometimes it can get icy. She likes the jeep and wants me to keep it for that purpose. Now, if (through the advice of you all) we decide that it would be a good decision to sell the jeep and go with a manual car with good gas mileage, I would have to wait until late winter to do the swap.
Thanks for your time and thanks in advance for you advice. It is greatly appreciated.
-Tim