[Bob Lincoln]

Don't go with the 4-speed. The 6-speed is awesome. It leaps off the line, shifts rapid-fire up to 4th and pulls well, and is whisper quiet on the highway. It kicks down readily, usually 2 gears, to give plenty of power.

 

[Bob Lincoln]

You should sit down with a spreadsheet and do the math. I doubt it will pay for you to trade for the Dart based solely on gas mileage. With all due respect, this is a terrible idea in your case. Let's take some sample numbers:

Let's say you get $14K, optomistically, for the Avenger. Now you're 6K in the hole. You buy a new Dart and you pay, let's say, $20K. Now you're $26K in the hole, whereas before you were $6K in the hole. You are in debt by $20,000 more dollars for a car of about the same age and expected longevity.

You now get 31 mpg highway. With the Dart you will get maybe 38 mpg highway. Let's say you drive 18,000 miles a year like I do (more miles makes the payback shorter for gas mileage purposes).

Your gas savings (if you use 87 octane at $3.459 per gallon) will be $279 per year. With $20K debt incurred just to get better gas mileage, it will take 93.2 years to break even. If you use the recommended 91 octane in the Dart at $3.899 per gallon, the payback is 441 years.

I think your Dart will have depreciated long before this, and you and I as well.

 

[Bob Lincoln]

BTW, the error in my math is that you would be another $20K in the hole. You would have the equity in the Dart, which of course would drop as soon as the wheels hit the pavement. So let's say you would be $6K in the hole on the trade-in and almost immediately another $4K in the hole with the Dart. Depending on your loan, you could be in a negative equity position the entire time you own the Dart.

With $10K debt instead of $20K, cut those numbers in half. Your payback would be 46 years.

I know people who kept rolling their debt into the next car and the next. On the third vehicle, they lost their home and divorced. Finances can be tough to manage. It's always best to be at least equity-neutral or ahead on a vehicle, since they are always depreciating assets (except the rare collectible). Sometimes the best way to manage this is to buy a good used car and eliminate the car debt as early as possible before buying the next car. Sounds easy, but really, in terms of reliability, a new car doesn't give much over a 3-4 year old car (or older, if maintained). My last 3 cars, I bought used and paid cash. They cost between 25 and 45 cents a mile to own and operate, all costs included. A new car can't come close to that. And I have only broken down 4 times in 35 years and 725,000 miles of driving. With AAA coverage, it's not a concern.

Once again, trading cars for the gas mileage alone will only create more debt. Trading to reduce payments is a good thing, but still plot the amortization of the loan. It may still not get you out of debt earlier.

And I agree, the dealer is flat-out lying when he says the car will be worth zero. Cars that are over 10 years old are still worth $1500 or more if running. I'd walk away and never go back to someone who made that statement to me.