by "jasmits" (jasmits)
Published 12/07/2017 at 13:32
by "jasmits" (jasmits)
Published 12/07/2017 at 13:32
No Tags
STARS: 2
It’s been quite a long time since I’ve made an Oppo post but here we go! First, places and backstory(car is at the bottom if all you’re interested in is cars). This past summer I moved back in with my parents in Portland, Oregon after finishing college, hoping to find an entry-level software engineering job in the greater Portland area. Should be easy in a growing tech center, right? Wrong! While there are plenty of software engineering jobs all of them seem to want at least a few years of experience and despite going to career fairs, meetups and hundreds of applications have turned back basically nothing. Until, this past week I was offered a starting software engineering job at a tech company up in Anacortes, Washington of all places. The job is exactly what I want to be doing and the pay and benefits are toward the upper end of my realistic target, but I don’t really want to spend my 20s living in Anacortes. While it is a drop-dead gorgeous area, I’m a pretty social person and there simply aren’t many young people and not much to do for a young guy. I’m thinking I’m going to take the job because I’m itching to get my real career started, I’m not going to see a better offer, and who knows how long it’ll take for another offer at all doing the work I want to be doing.
So, in looking into moving up there I’ve decided that either Bellingham or Everett look like much better places to live as a 23 year old, as well as having more and cheaper housing options. Bellingham would be about a 40 minute commute and Everett an hour, but I would be alright with that to live in an area with more going on(doesn’t seem like there’s much to do in Anacortes unless I buy a sailboat). I would appreciate any tips/opinions/info from Oppos who live or have lived in the area? Am I crazy for thinking a commute from Everett to Anacortes is a good idea?
Now, cars!!!
For those who don’t know my fleet, I currently have an E36 Compact and a 2nd-gen 4Runner. Both are pretty clean, I really do like both and they have treated me relatively well but neither is ideal for an 80-100 mile round trip daily commute and frequent 400-mile round trips to Portland. Fact is, if I’m committing to that much driving I’m going to need something newer and trouble-freer and starting out on my own one car is probably smarter anyway.
I’m thinking I’m going to sell both and be a one-car person for as long as that lasts(probably not very). I should be able to get at least $6-8 grand total out of the both of them, combine this with the fact that I’m actually going to be making good money all of a sudden and my dad expressed interest in helping me buy a newer, reliable car as a graduation present I actually have some budget to play with.
Here are my considerations: as an avid skier, outdoorsmen, and someone who actually uses their transfer case, I’m more interested in retaining the go-anywhere ability of my 4Runner than my BMW’s road manners. If I only have one car in my life I’m going to be pretty stubborn about a manual. Just my preference. I’ve really been digging the new Tacoma(double-cab, especially TRD Off-Road) because I can have the stick with real off-road capabilities in a practical package that does everything I need a car to do and most of what I want(besides autocross). Used Tacos seem to hold their value so well this is the one time new actually might make sense.
Other thoughts? A JKU(unfortunately I think the descision will need to be made before the JL hits), whichever hot-hatch I drive and like best(GTI, FoST, FiST), Third-gen 4Runner w/stick, older Taco, XTerra(?). Still open to any ideas at this point really.
I keep arriving back at a new or nearly new Tacoma TRD Off-Road as the best option. It may be out of the question because I’m not positive about my exact budget yet, depends on what I can fetch for my cars, what ballpark my dad means when he says ‘helping me buy a newer car’ and personal budgeting, but low-mid $30s is the highest it would be. Here’s the thing though: there are so many unknowns in my next few years that I can’t depend on having the time and space to wrench, so I need something newer. Even most third-gen 4Runners I find are approaching 200k, and low-mileage newish 4x4s with a stick are damn expensive, no matter what. If I’m spending good money(more than 10 grand) on a car I want it to be something I keep for a very, very long time. I also know damn well that I have a bad case of automotive ADHD. My logic is that if I buy a new or newer, say, GTI I will constantly be distracted by other fun sports cars and hot hatches. If I have a solid, reliable truck for daily duty, ski duty and adventure duty, then when I have the budget and space in the future I can buy a crappy old E30 or Miata, play for awhile, and then move on to whatever catches my fancy next. Like I’ve never had any particular desire to sell my 4Runner(just don’t think it’s up to a regular 80-mile commute long-term), it just does what I need it to do, but I’m always thinking of selling my E36 for whatever new fun idea I just had. Any thoughts or other things I should be thinking about?
Oh, and Taco>JK because it’s simply screwed together better. This really would actually be something I plan to keep for many, many years and miles.
"someassemblyrequired" (someassemblyrequired)
12/07/2017 at 16:04, STARS: 1
Anacortes is a really nice town, but yes, it tends a bit older. Another option might be a ferry commute from Orcas or one of the San Juans, but that adds a degree of difficulty. That whole area (Whidbey Island to Bellingham to outskirts of Everett) is beautiful, you can’t really go wrong, and the outdoorsy stuff is all close by. In Bellingham, the Fairhaven area is cool and probably saves you a few minutes commute.
I’d personally probably go Bellingham, it’s a college town and has a bit more going on. Everett is kinda getting into the overheated Seattle real estate scene, but it’s a lot nicer than it once was, and if you want big-city downtown it’s way closer to Seattle. If you need to fly a lot for your job, Seatac or Vancouver are your options, so plan accordingly.
Re: cars, remember Washington has a monster sales tax, and you have to pay it if you bought a new car within 3 months. I’d probably roll with what you have and register them for the cost of new plates in Washington. There’s a local car surtax which can be pretty significant in Everett too (for Sound Transit). The way the taxes are figured plating a 15 year old Ferrari might be cheaper than running a new Taco (there’s a fixed formula for depreciation, based off MSRP and age, which drops to 10% of MSRP after 13 years IIRC).
"jasmits" (jasmits)
12/07/2017 at 16:21, STARS: 1
I would prefer avoiding a ferry commute. I’m definitely spending some time checking both out before deciding(I have 5 weeks before my start date), I was leaning Bellingham because I’m still young enough(23) that a college town is fun and not annoying and it’s a better commute. Tempted by Everett because I do really like Seattle, know a few people in the Seattle/Bellevue area and it puts me an hour closer to Portland. I have a lot of people in Portland I don’t want to lose touch with and do ultimately want to end up back there so hopefully will be making the trip down pretty often. It is beautiful in Anacortes and I love the outdoors aspect, it’s just that I know nobody and am worried about finding friends.
Damn, I did not know about the three month thing. My plan was to buy while still an Oregon resident(we have no sales tax) and transfer. Maybe I could do something sketchy like put it in my family’s name for awhile on Oregon plates but idk how I feel about that. Neither of my cars are up for 80 miles a day long-term, they’ve been fine in the past because they’re generally reliable(always start for me) but little stuff goes pretty often so I’ve always had backup option of a second car but I’m probably rocking one here. Another option might be borrowing my family’s 2004 MDX short-term. Not my first or 30th choice in car, but it’s reliable and comfortable.
"Textured Soy Protein" (texturedsoyprotein)
12/07/2017 at 16:41, STARS: 1
Stick shift FJ Cruiser has the Torsen center differential like the 4th gen 4Runner, and optional rear locking differential.
"jasmits" (jasmits)
12/07/2017 at 16:49, STARS: 0
Ooh, there’s a thought! Not immune from the Toyota tax but much better. I’ll probably give those a look
I always prefer used, it’s just that for a double cab, 4x4 and stick Tacoma it’s like $25k with 150,000+ miles or $30k with 50,000+ or $34k new.. That just doesn’t add up to me.
"Textured Soy Protein" (texturedsoyprotein)
12/07/2017 at 16:57, STARS: 0
I just did a quick search and the tax certainly appears to apply to the newer, lower-mileage examples. But there are some 07-08s with not crazy high miles in the $15k range.
A dealer local to me has a red 2012 Trail Teams Edition like the pic above with 52k miles and no price listed .
"jasmits" (jasmits)
12/07/2017 at 17:08, STARS: 0
Yeah I just did a quick search and they are definitely priced better than Tacomas. And I don’t need the size of a double cab truck, I just want an actual back seat.
"Textured Soy Protein" (texturedsoyprotein)
12/07/2017 at 17:31, STARS: 1
If you want a stick shift off-roader with a back seat and the other attributes you’ve described, I really think the FJ is your move.
Also, for ski duty, the torsen center diff is more desirable than the other options’ part-time 4wd. You can still lock it in 4H if needed, but for on-road snowy driving using the Torsen center diff is more stable. Many of them have the rear locker option. Look for the RR DIFF LOCK button.
"Dogsatemypants" (kb113400)
12/07/2017 at 19:17, STARS: 1
Without traffic the ddrive from everett to anacortes is about 1:30. With traffic, 3 to 4 hours.
"jasmits" (jasmits)
12/07/2017 at 20:08, STARS: 0
Google maps says more like 50 from north Everett
"Dogsatemypants" (kb113400)
12/08/2017 at 00:33, STARS: 1
That may be true. When i was younger and gas was cheap i used to drive my civic from mukilteo to deception pass and occasionally anacortes or crescent lake. There are a lot of great places to camp and hike up north.
"Outlander Engine's Dimensional Emporium" (oengine)
12/08/2017 at 11:36, STARS: 1
Do not forget the Nissan Frontier and Xterra. Brand new job? Put more money in the bank and keep an emergency stash. A low mile Xterra Pro4x will keep up with an FJ, has more all around utility and will leave you another $10k in the bank.
Live in Anacortes for a year. It’s not that bad, and a short commute is worth more than you realize.
For weekend offroad excursions, you have several very nice options. Take the ferry to Port Townsend, and explore the northern and eastern sides of the Olympics. Take Highway 20 over the Cascades and explore the side roads.
For weekend fun, hit Bellingham. And Seattle has neighborhoods around Lake Washington that rival Portland.
"someassemblyrequired" (someassemblyrequired)
12/08/2017 at 22:33, STARS: 0
Yeah it’s not an easy call, Bellingham is probably a bit cheaper and more hip than Everett, but Everett is a good hour closer to Seattle. You can’t really go too wrong and Worse comes to worse, you can always change when your lease is up. Enjoy the MDX (honestly driving it and pocketing your car payment until you build up some savings is probably your best bet). It will be cheap to plate, sales tax exempt, and if you live in Everett it will probably save you a few hundred bucks a year in registration taxes.
"jasmits" (jasmits)
12/09/2017 at 03:15, STARS: 1
Short term probably means months not years before I’d need to find something more permanent, my dad might just loan it to me till I can figure out something else(so that’s really time to decide not free car). So it’s not that I won’t need to buy something in the near future, it’s just in a month vs in a few months.
I’m leaning Bellingham, it’s much less traffic to take into consideration and cheaper. Driving up to check both out this weekend.
I am making enough to afford the Taco pretty comfortably(yay software engineering!) and my dad is probably willing to loan me the money so I won’t have to deal with interest or anything, just need to decide if it’s worth it to me. But shit, this my first time shopping for a car that’s newish and lowish miles, everything’s expensive no matter what(to be fair my scale is e36 money) so if I commit to something I want it to be something I’d actually want to keep for a long time, not make myself keep for a long time.
"jasmits" (jasmits)
12/09/2017 at 03:17, STARS: 0
Very true!! It looks like a great place to visit but idk about live.
"jasmits" (jasmits)
12/09/2017 at 03:21, STARS: 0
I’ve looked into Xterras and Fromtiers and there just aren’t many options. Theoretically yes, a low mile Pro4X would be a good fit but I just haven’t been seeing them for sale.
"someassemblyrequired" (someassemblyrequired)
12/09/2017 at 12:01, STARS: 0
Yeah if buying a Toyota in WA state, new is usually the way to go. They barely depreciate at all. Someone I know was looking for an FJ Cruiser, they’re not that far off what they were new, with 80K miles.
"jasmits" (jasmits)
12/09/2017 at 23:11, STARS: 0
I’ve checked out FJ Cruisers too, they are certainly not cheap. Same with Oregon, Toyotas(and Jeeps or XTerras too, anything with reasonable capability and a manual) just lose value so slowly that for once new looks like a good deal. I mean why spend $30k on a a last-gen with 60k on the clock when I could have the exact current-gen that I want with 10 miles on the clock for $33k? I don’t understand who is buying these used.
"jasmits" (jasmits)
12/09/2017 at 23:38, STARS: 0
I mean I’m familiar and happy with my 4Runner’s part-time 4WD capability in the snow but def see how the torsen has some advantages. It’s a thought, but the toyota tax is even worse in the Pacific NW than elsewhere so it’s hard to find a good one at a good price