New car maintenance costs over 10 years

[Sjalabais]

Here's an interesting article:
http://twocents.lifehacker.com/the-car-brands-with-the-highest-maintenance-costs-over-1781639773

[ketchup]

Looks pretty much dead-on from what I've heard anecdotally with a few exceptions.

Land Rover and Kia (and Chevy) being tied is interesting.  I'm also surprised to see VW and Mini so low given their German-ness.

[Davids]

I can only vouch for my 10 year old Toyota and yeah that sounds about right for me. My wife has a 8 year old Honda and unless something major happens in the next 2 years she will actually be well below that number.

[Sailor Sam]

<snip>I'm also surprised to see VW and Mini so low given their German-ness.

While my anecdote isn't equal to data, I can vouch that my MINI has already sucked down 8k in maintenance and repairs over the last 6 years. So I can definitely say my particular car's German-ness is biting me hard.

Probably not going to dump the stupid car, either. Because I lurrrrve it.

[gggggg]

Despite their reputation, my VW hasn't ever had an issue. I've only ever changed oil and the various filters.

[Sjalabais]

There are some surprises here. How come BMW eclipses everyone, but BMW-directed Mini performs well? LandRover vehicles tend to become so dismal after that 10 year period measured above, used car warranty companies won't touch them. Volvo cars used to be like fine wine, just getting better with age, but that is probably not true anymore either.

[BudgetSlasher]

Looks pretty much dead-on from what I've heard anecdotally with a few exceptions.

Land Rover and Kia (and Chevy) being tied is interesting.  I'm also surprised to see VW and Mini so low given their German-ness.

Cost isn't always a good proxy for reliability; the example that comes to mind is the Ford Ranger (it had fair reliability), but parts were cheap making repairs less expensive.

Back to the content of the original post: It is unclear to me (though I only skimmed the materials) how the maintenance and repairs were carried out (dealer/independent/DIY) and what parts where used (OEM/generic), which would have a big impact on the cost.

The posted link is just a reposted of this site:

https://www.yourmechanic.com/article/the-most-and-least-expensive-cars-to-maintain-by-maddy-martin


it is interesting to see models in lower cost brands as high cost and cars in higher cost brands as lower cost as well as the break down of some of the common issues.

[fattest_foot]

I only skimmed the Priceonomics article, but "time" seems like a strange way to compare a car's maintenance. Shouldn't miles be a better scale? I'm pretty sure my car that I drive 8,000 miles a year on fares a lot better than one that does 20,000.

[HipGnosis]

I only skimmed the Priceonomics article, but "time" seems like a strange way to compare a car's maintenance. Shouldn't miles be a better scale? I'm pretty sure my car that I drive 8,000 miles a year on fares a lot better than one that does 20,000.

The article says they didn't actually track time (which is a red flag to me, esp. since they post it as: (the time of) the first 10 years of ownership.
I'm also leary of the source of the data.  It's from a 'mobile car repairer', which is a niche market/service, and I must deduce that they don't do 'major' repairs.  I strongly suspect that the majority of their customers aren't mustachian as they are paying for the convenience of the service coming to them.  So it's logical that they pay more for their cars too.
And, it seems (but not stated) that they only used data of repeat customers - they used oil changes as their metric for time.  Driving more does mean more oil changes, but it's quite vague.

[NorCalMK3]

Another reason why I love my Tacoma! The majority of the money I put into maintenance is Preventative. Ill be dropping about $600 on a suspension rebuild soon (CV Axles, Ball Joints, Bearings, Tie Rods, Etc.) It'll probably be good for another 10 years after that.

[GuitarStv]

I can only vouch for my 10 year old Toyota and yeah that sounds about right for me. My wife has a 8 year old Honda and unless something major happens in the next 2 years she will actually be well below that number.

+1

Our Corolla turned ten last year and the maintenance costs sound about right.

[SmallTownDA]

Nice to see that I own literally the most expensive car to maintain. :-(

We've spent about 3k over the last 3 years, but we bought the car used (a 2007) and presumably the maintenance costs are heavier on the back end, so maybe we've actually been really lucky to spend so little.

ETA: Although there may be some inconsistencies with the charts. BMW's average is higher than any of the individual models on the most expensive model list, and much higher than only BMW on that list.

[Shwaa]

Another reason why I love my Tacoma! The majority of the money I put into maintenance is Preventative. Ill be dropping about $600 on a suspension rebuild soon (CV Axles, Ball Joints, Bearings, Tie Rods, Etc.) It'll probably be good for another 10 years after that.

Careful what about you say around here, people will give you sh*t for driving that "gas guzzler" Tacoma, even though they are one of the most reliable vehicles out there

-2013 Tacoma TRD Off Road Tacoma owner :)

[BudgetSlasher]

Another reason why I love my Tacoma! The majority of the money I put into maintenance is Preventative. Ill be dropping about $600 on a suspension rebuild soon (CV Axles, Ball Joints, Bearings, Tie Rods, Etc.) It'll probably be good for another 10 years after that.

Careful what about you say around here, people will give you sh*t for driving that "gas guzzler" Tacoma, even though they are one of the most reliable vehicles out there

-2013 Tacoma TRD Off Road Tacoma owner :)

I have a coworker who drive a V8 Toyota Sequoia (he is not a MMM follower) and it is hilarious to watch co-workers who drive they Subaru or Prius talk crap about operating cost/environmental impact of his car . . . only to be told that his commute to work is less than 5 miles where their commute 4 to 6 times that.

Cliff Notes: It is more about how you use it.

[snogirl]

Another reason why I love my Tacoma! The majority of the money I put into maintenance is Preventative. Ill be dropping about $600 on a suspension rebuild soon (CV Axles, Ball Joints, Bearings, Tie Rods, Etc.) It'll probably be good for another 10 years after that.

Careful what about you say around here, people will give you sh*t for driving that "gas guzzler" Tacoma, even though they are one of the most reliable vehicles out there

-2013 Tacoma TRD Off Road Tacoma owner :)

Awesome!
Another 2013 Tacoma TRD Off Road Owner here!  This is my 5th Toyota Truck since 1987. Simply the best as far as maintenance and resale.  Not one has ever let me down or cost me big bucks.
Also selling it after driving the heck out of it still nets some good cash.  I use my truck as a truck and will never be without one. 

[MoneyCat]

Anecdotally, the article is correct that hybrids have very low maintenance costs. I have been driving a Ford Fusion Hybrid for five years and I barely pay for anything other than insurance and gas. Just rotate the tires every 6,000 miles (which is a free lifetime service thanks to buying Goodyear tires) and change the oil once a year and that's about it, other than topping off the windshield wiper fluid. Great low-maintenance car.

[NorCalMK3]

Hybrids may have lower maintenance costs per the article but what about the environmental impact? The impact of mining, transporting and manufacturing those batteries, and what to do with them when they die (They're toxic waste).

My Tacoma isn't the most fuel efficient vehicle, but I have a company gas card... My commute to work is less than 10 miles  so it's fairly low impact. I still do enough towing and hauling (bought a fixer upper house) and take enough trips to the mountains (Dad lives in the sierras and I do a lot of hunting/camping) to justify having the 4wd.

The value I derive from my truck is from the work that it does for me, and the low cost of operation. All I put into it is gas, oil, insurance and the occasional tune-up (Plugs, wires, etc.) before I smog. I replaced the shocks and springs once (they were shot and upcoming maintenance work mentioned above is about the most expensive thing I've had to do.

Check out the pic below. My dad and I both have Tacomas, we hauled 6 loads like that Father's day weekend. Try doing that with a Prius or a minivan!

[bacchi]

Hybrids may have lower maintenance costs per the article but what about the environmental impact? The impact of mining, transporting and manufacturing those batteries, and what to do with them when they die (They're toxic waste).

Not to worry! Both NiMh and LiOn batteries can be put into a landfill safely (they're considered non-hazardous). It's better -- even financially -- to recycle them, of course. NiMh batteries can be recycled and generate no landfill products while Li-ion batteries are >70% recyclable.

[GuitarStv]

Hybrids may have lower maintenance costs per the article but what about the environmental impact? The impact of mining, transporting and manufacturing those batteries, and what to do with them when they die (They're toxic waste).

Not to worry! Both NiMh and LiOn batteries can be put into a landfill safely (they're considered non-hazardous). It's better -- even financially -- to recycle them, of course. NiMh batteries can be recycled and generate no landfill products while Li-ion batteries are >70% recyclable.

Environmental impacts of transporting the batteries will be significantly lessened once we stop using so much gas to transport stuff too.

[Digital Dogma]

And thats one of the many reasons I bought a Toyota Tacoma, very happy to see it up there cheaper than a Honda Civic after 10 years. This pretty much matches what I've had to do to my truck - wheel hub, mill brakes, engine oil and gear oil changes, and tires after 7 years of ownership.

My Father's Tacoma is under a recall notice, '07 with 30k miles on it and the frame is rusting, they're going to replace the frame by removing all the parts and rebuilding it on a new frame they ordered. This time next year hes going to have a "new" 10 year old truck .

[SyZ]

I've had my 2011 Toyota Yaris since Nov 2012 and I think I've replaced the tires and battery once. 77k miles, never had any issues or needed to replace anything, cheapest gas possible. Perfect car

[Sjalabais]

@NorCalMK3, here's my 1971 Volvo 145 during forest duty. The cheapest car I ever owned, the most fun, the most beautiful, the most well-built, and the most relaxing to ride. Now I'm in a Honda seven seater on the way to become cheap after three years, but there's not much joy in this machine.

[Bettis]

I hope you didn't forget to pack the COOOOKKKIEEEESSS

[Sjalabais]

Never forget.

To pack the cookies.

[NorCalMK3]

@ Sjalabais:

Yeah those old Volvos are tanks! I had a buddy in high school who owned one and it was damn near indestructible. Where we were hauling firewood had a lot of unimproved dirt roads, plus getting the loads around the house like in the pic needed some clearance under the vehicle. I almost had to break out my tow strap at the wood yard to help out a guy who was hauling wood in a Subaru with a trailer.

I'm a bit of a gearhead and I enjoy working on cars, plus I have friends who are mechanics, machinists and parts vendors so my expenses related to maintenance are low. I do have a "fun" car (feel free to ridicule me all you want) but It's paid for and doesn't require much maintenance.

I think the main thing to take away in the discussion on vehicles is that a car or truck (at least your primary one) is a tool, nothing more, nothing less. It needs to perform the work you need it to perform efficiently and at minimal cost. Too many people fail to realize that.

[Sjalabais]

I full-heartedly agree on that. Car guys like us tend to ridicule the term 'appliance', but that's just what it is. I will one day own a Volvo 140 or GAZ 24 again, but I'm fully aware that this won't be financially meaningful. Also, I lack the skill to maintain my cars myself, what little I do is very hard earned.

[Cassie]

WE loved our Volvo but spent a lot of $ repairing it. Our saturns rarely needed any repairs. Now we have a 6 yo Honda and 8 yo Toyota and have had no repairs at all.

[Sjalabais]

My older Volvos ('71 145 and '77 242) have been very reliable and incredibly cheap to run also when parts broke. Here in Scandinavia, you can still buy the most common parts for them everywhere. But a '93 245 I had wasn't only a pleasure, and I could tell from material choices etc that the quality guys had lost out over the business folks at Volvo over the course of the two decades separating the car from my other Volvos.

For everyday use though there's almost no way around a Toyota or Honda, or maybe a newer Kia. Appliances need to work, and they need to get us from A to B.