This is a blog post I wrote about motorcycles and why one should never have to replace their vehicle, ever. Even if they have to spend on maintaining it every month. It's in the Indian (as in India) context so the numbers are in rupees and labor is cheap here for motorcycles so DIY doesn't make sense always, although I DIY air filter cleaning, plug cleaning, lubing and other such small tasks. I hope you'll like it. If not, let me know why :)
EDIT: I just decided I'll paste the entire blog here instead of trying to seem like I'm advertising it.
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Well if you’ve been riding your motorcycle or scooter for as long as I have then I’m sure you must have noticed the increase in the number of components that start cribbing and crying to be replaced. And they seem to be failing one after another with no respite. You may have poured a few Ks into the vehicle and may be looking at more bills in the future. This is a situation where most of us would despair and start looking for solutions, after all, you want the damn thing to work for you, and not the other way around. You might even say to yourself “The hell with it, I’m going out and buying new”. I’d like to stop you right there because that would be crazy.
Even the most reliable vehicles need routine maintenance, and over a period of 5-8 years – let’s call it the fatigue point – a lot of parts would have significant wear and tear due to usage, road conditions, metal fatigue, weather (salt in the air?), your riding style and more, some parts will fail and some will not perform to their maximum ability anymore (bald tires). Before you think it is a conspiracy by motor vehicle manufacturers so you keep buying new, think again, because you don’t have to buy new.
Let’s say you’re at the fatigue point with your ride right now and you’re looking at a 60K purchase on a new 2 wheeler. But instead of buying new, I suggest you put this cash into a savings account and withdraw from it Rs1000 every month to maintain your current vehicle. A thousand rupees is a lot to maintain a decent 100-150CC vehicle and with thousand rupees you can avail yourself of an oil change every month and have a thorough checkup done for any other failing or near failure parts. Every month. That is a lot of attention to your vehicle and you come out of the service workshop with a perfectly riding vehicle each time.
I’m not suggesting you really change your oil every month because that is both unnecessary and wasteful but it is just to give you an idea. Let’s say you replace your oil one month, a tire another month, a brake shoe another month or just a light bulb another month. Some months you may spend more than Rs1000 and some months maybe just a Rs100, but at an average of Rs.1000 per month over the course of 5 years you would have exhausted your 60K stash from which you withdrew each month. Now what? you say. Remember, the 60K you stashed away was put in a savings account? So your money made you more money (earning interest) while sitting in the bank instead of depreciating like a stock market crash like it does when you buy a new vehicle. You come out after 5 years with earned interest.
If you’d had purchased a new vehicle 5 years ago that vehicle would be reaching its fatigue point right now and you’d be looking at another 70K (inflation!) in expenses again. Instead, you were wise and maintained your old vehicle religiously so now you ride a 2 wheeler that runs fantastically well. Almost like new. Yes, your vehicle might look old with all the scratches and dings it accumulated over the years but think about all the money and time saved on buying, applying and buffing waxes to make paint look new and shiny. If the body has serious dents, pay someone to get them out and repaint, after all you have a 60K stash waiting for you.
And, this is all assuming you were going to buy new with cash. With a loan added to the picture the figures are even more dramatic and it starts making lesser and lesser sense to replace your vehicle.
I’m sure the same logic could apply to cars as well, you probably only have to add a zero to all the figures above though.
Most frugal blogs talk about DIY jobs to save money which I agree to a certain extent helps in case of a breakdown, but why would you want to waste your entire day cleaning your carburettor when at the workshop they’d be done with the entire vehicle in just the same amount of time? I’d suggest you spend your time on more valuable things in life, such as spending time with family and friends, and not learning to and fixing your ride.
