Author Topic: car maintenance costs  (Read 12170 times)

Retired To Win

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car maintenance costs
« on: April 17, 2015, 08:16:14 AM »
I just gathered the data for a blog post on what it costs me to keep my 1996 Dodge Dakota repaired and maintained.  And I'd like to have some comparative feedback on what other Mustachians are spending to keep their vehicles operating.

In my case, the bottom lines are: 29,147 miles driven in the last 36 months and a $741.81 grand, grand 3-year total for all repair-and-replace items -- including all work required to pass my state's annual vehicle inspections -- plus all by-the-book maintenance. That works out to 2.5 cents cents per mile driven.

All of this on a very, very non-Mustachian and lazy-ass basis of doing none of the work myself.  :(

Have you got any comparative numbers of your own, or any other feedback, to share?

Thanks!

Note to Mods:
If you are reading this between June 10 and June 18 (2015), you will note that the topic of this forum thread is congruent with the title of a featured blog post in my forum signature below.  This is an unintentional -- and temporary --  coincidence.

The blog post was published June 10th.  The Forum thread was started on April 17th and by June 9th had receded far enough into the thread queue to be buried and have no expectable readership.  So I believed enough time had passed to be able to publish the blog post without stepping on any MMM Forum rules.  Then Wintersun posted a reply on June 9th, a full 5 weeks after the most recent previous one.  Who knew?!

I appreciate your understanding and indulgence. 
« Last Edit: June 10, 2015, 05:54:07 AM by Retired To Win »

Guses

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Re: What does it cost to keep your car running?
« Reply #1 on: April 17, 2015, 08:44:15 AM »
Does this include oil changes?


If it is sticly repairs, my car has cost me 0$/mile over the last 3 years.

HipGnosis

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Re: What does it cost to keep your car running?
« Reply #2 on: April 17, 2015, 09:04:30 AM »
$184 a year for maintenance??  I didn't know I was saving SOOO much by doing my own!
Good thing too, cause I own a car, a pickup and 2 motorcycles (which reduces the mileage put on each of them).
Though I have some money in tools (but my floor jack was a gift) it's been spent over many years.  The battery charger for the truck in the summer lets the battery last a cpl yrs more than it otherwise would.

Jersey Brett

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Re: What does it cost to keep your car running?
« Reply #3 on: April 17, 2015, 09:34:59 AM »
I bought a 2005 Volvo S40 last February and in that year it has cost about 3k in repairs, mainly to fix the A/C (1k) and change timing belt (1.2k) these are both routine maintenance. Some Volvos  have a charming feature where the A/C overload switch goes out every ten years and you have to replace the whole compressor Caveat Emptor!

I should be good now, tires will be next but not for a while. Hopefully I will get a bunch back in taxes for business miles driven

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Re: What does it cost to keep your car running?
« Reply #4 on: April 17, 2015, 09:48:44 AM »
It costs me about 10 cents a mile driven.

YK-Phil

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Re: What does it cost to keep your car running?
« Reply #5 on: April 17, 2015, 09:53:30 AM »
I bought a new Fiat 500 in January 2013. To date, gasoline and oil changes twice a year are my only expenses. I did not spend anything on repair.

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Re: What does it cost to keep your car running?
« Reply #6 on: April 17, 2015, 10:02:21 AM »
All of this on a very, very non-Mustachian and lazy-ass basis of doing none of the work myself.  :(

Short of changing fluids and a battery, what more can the average Joe work on a car built in the last 25 years?

Syonyk

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Re: What does it cost to keep your car running?
« Reply #7 on: April 17, 2015, 10:19:25 AM »
Short of changing fluids and a battery, what more can the average Joe work on a car built in the last 25 years?

Pretty much everything?

Brakes are easy.  Not much has changed.
Water pumps, serpentine belts, and timing belts don't need changing nearly as often as they used to, but they're not that bad on many vehicles.
Spark plugs are generally straightforward.  So is the distributor, which is still present on many vehicles in your 25 year window.
Air filters are designed to be changed, though the cabin air filter may be a pain.
Fuel pumps tend to fall into "easy" or "drop the tank" categories, but easy ones are an hour project mostly.
Suspension work is harder, but is certainly still doable, if you've got a good breaker bar.
I've done an idle air controller recently for someone - it was sticking and causing drivability issues.
Headlights/brake lights/turn signals are generally easy, though some cars make it tricky.

And if you want to get nuts, you can totally rebuild engines on newer vehicles if you care to.

The nice thing is that all the common maintenance you used to have to do (points, water pump, carb adjustment, etc) is less common - the computer handles a lot of that stuff flawlessly, and tells you when it's unhappy (seriously - a cheap OBDII reader and phone means the computer will, most of the time, tell you exactly what's wrong).

Now, if by "Average Joe," you mean literally an average car owner who drives it and ignores the warning lights and noises until something expensive fails, then takes it to the mechanic and bitches for the next 6 months about how expensive the shop was, yeah, there's not much that can be done to help there.  But if you're willing to dive in, a LOT of stuff can be done with a simple set of hand tools and an afternoon.

I'm not going to total up my auto maintenance recently because I've got a truck I'm slowly converting from "takes it to a shop for everything" spec to "enthusiast spec" and that's cost a good bit, but I'm getting a better engine out of the process, and replacing 20 year old rubber is always good for reliability.  I've got another $1500 or so of parts I'll order once I have more space to work, since redoing the intake/exhaust system to resolve boost leaks and pre-turbo exhaust leaks is a major project (and I may as well swap the turbo wheel out with an upgraded one while I'm in there, since... well, I'll have it off - may rebuild the turbo too if it needs it).  On the other hand, I fully intend to keep this truck for the rest of my life, and it spends it's life moving large things and towing heavy things.

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Re: What does it cost to keep your car running?
« Reply #8 on: April 17, 2015, 10:21:33 AM »
You need a fairly long time frame for this type of study.  I had a car that cost almost nothing in repairs for several years and then required about $1200 in repairs in less than a year.

Nate R

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Re: What does it cost to keep your car running?
« Reply #9 on: April 17, 2015, 10:46:25 AM »
4.2 years, 130K miles.
Oil Changes, Wiper blades, brakes, tires, O2 sensor, other various maint items: $2120. (All work done myself.)
1.6 cents/mile. Pretty close!


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Re: What does it cost to keep your car running?
« Reply #10 on: April 17, 2015, 11:20:20 AM »
All of this on a very, very non-Mustachian and lazy-ass basis of doing none of the work myself.  :(

Short of changing fluids and a battery, what more can the average Joe work on a car built in the last 25 years?

I replaced an intake manifold gasket on a car built in the last 25 years to fix a water leak. That was probably the most intense thing I did lately, though I've done many other things (radiators, heater cores, etc.) and it is doable. I'm not a mechanic, just a guy with a garage and a few hand tools. I do extensive work to vehicles that are older than 25 years, though (rebuilding an automatic transmission has been my greatest victory. Let's just say it took some help.)

Broken emergency brake cable was the worst, not difficult but the replacement parts suck. It worked for one day and now it is too stretched to engage with it tightened all the way up.

Any time something breaks, check YouTube for a video. There's a decent chance it is something doable. Particularly common stuff such as cam timing sensors, belts, and other things that wear out frequently have nice DIY videos.

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Re: What does it cost to keep your car running?
« Reply #11 on: April 17, 2015, 11:25:03 AM »
I bought a 2005 Volvo S40 last February and in that year it has cost about 3k in repairs, mainly to fix the A/C (1k) and change timing belt (1.2k) these are both routine maintenance. Some Volvos  have a charming feature where the A/C overload switch goes out every ten years and you have to replace the whole compressor Caveat Emptor!

I should be good now, tires will be next but not for a while. Hopefully I will get a bunch back in taxes for business miles driven


I have a 2008 Volvo S40T5, and I shop around for repairs.  The dealership wanted $1400 for a timing belt.  A local Volvo master-certified shop wants $600 for the same repair, warrantied.

The dealership wanted to charge me $1500 for a repair that certain VINs had covered under warranty. 

Make SURE you always contact Volvo Goodwill to ask for any rebates/coupons/warranty extensions.  My "hotbox" oil trap clogged, which is covered under warranty/recall on certain VINs.  The stealership tried telling me that mine wasn't covered because the issue was corrected by the time my VIN rolled out.  My response, in front of 10 customers was "Statistically, your answer is BULL****.  My car exhibits the problem that supposedly corrected, therefore the recall should be extended.  You fixed nothing."

They wound up taking care of that one for me.

Then, the steering wheel lock pin cylinder failed and they wanted another $900.  I contacted Volvo Goodwill and said "The lock pin cylinder is an anti-theft device.  It failed in the open position.  The logic that immobilizes the car due to a non-safety-related fault in an anti-theft system is unnecessary and seems like planned obsolescence to me."

They gave me a $400 credit towards the repair.   

My Volvo has been a great car except for those two issues.  Volvo customer care (Goodwill program) was helpful.  I STRONGLY urge you to contact them if you run into issues like mine.  Routine maintenance is totally different. 

Retired To Win

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Re: What does it cost to keep your car running?
« Reply #12 on: April 17, 2015, 11:26:48 AM »

Does this include oil changes?...

Yes, the maintenance for last year included 2 oil changes and a servicing of the rear differential.

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Re: What does it cost to keep your car running?
« Reply #13 on: April 17, 2015, 11:31:27 AM »
All of this on a very, very non-Mustachian and lazy-ass basis of doing none of the work myself.  :(

Short of changing fluids and a battery, what more can the average Joe work on a car built in the last 25 years?

Plenty, all you have to do is educate yourself. Absolutely everything I know about working on cars, I've learned from the internet. My day job is being an engineer desk jockey... nothing automotive-related.

My current project involves swapping a 1994 Mazda Miata drivetrain into a 1976 Triumph Spitfire. I also completely redesigned and welded the front suspension and engine cradle from scratch (currently in progress... design is done, fabrication is ongoing).
« Last Edit: April 17, 2015, 11:36:01 AM by Winston »

JLee

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Re: What does it cost to keep your car running?
« Reply #14 on: April 17, 2015, 11:42:43 AM »
All of this on a very, very non-Mustachian and lazy-ass basis of doing none of the work myself.  :(

Short of changing fluids and a battery, what more can the average Joe work on a car built in the last 25 years?

Some history...

2004 Subaru- timing belt, water pump, valve cover gaskets, spark plugs, brakes, turbocharger, exhaust, intercooler, etc.
2004 Cadillac - water pump, brakes, rear differential bushing
1991 MR2 Turbo - complete engine rebuild (done in my dining room) and just about anything else you can think of
'99 Tacoma - TPS sensor, brakes, suspension, ball joints, tie rod ends
2007 Lexus - hasn't needed anything other than brakes, but I can do just about anything necessary

So yeah, you can do pretty much anything. Even for some Mercedes models, which require specific computer equipment - you can buy it on eBay and do it yourself.

Newer cars are easier than old cars, IMO.  My Subaru's check engine light came on one day - pull the code, Google it, bam - isolated problem to a wastegate line. Pop the hood, find a ruptured vacuum hose, fix it, good to go. Diagnosed by the onboard ECU and repaired in minutes in a parking lot.

Guses

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Re: What does it cost to keep your car running?
« Reply #15 on: April 17, 2015, 11:45:58 AM »

Does this include oil changes?...

Yes, the maintenance for last year included 2 oil changes and a servicing of the rear differential.

Ok, makes sense then.

It costs me about 50$ to DIY an oil change (15$ filter, 35$ oil). I only have to do it once a year, but my car uses fancy synthetic oil. Comes out to about a cent a mile.

Syonyk

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Re: What does it cost to keep your car running?
« Reply #16 on: April 17, 2015, 11:50:00 AM »
ECU diagnostics really are awesome. :)

Oil changes, though... :/ Newer cars run the 0W stuff that's just expensive, and my truck simply uses a lot.

sol

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Re: What does it cost to keep your car running?
« Reply #17 on: April 17, 2015, 12:08:21 PM »
I mentally budget $1k/yr for auto expenses outside of gas and insurance, but most of that is depreciation.

Colgate_Toothpaste

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Re: What does it cost to keep your car running?
« Reply #18 on: April 17, 2015, 12:54:57 PM »
You guys really need to buy Amsoil XL.  It costs 25% more than decent synthetic and you can run it for 10k miles (2.5x the normal recommended change, give/take).

Cost savings = :)

Syonyk

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Re: What does it cost to keep your car running?
« Reply #19 on: April 17, 2015, 01:19:07 PM »
Spoken like an Amsoil dealer. :p

If you're going for extended oil changes, a bypass filtration system is usually a good idea.

Retired To Win

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Re: What does it cost to keep your car running?
« Reply #20 on: April 17, 2015, 01:57:38 PM »
I bought a new Fiat 500 in January 2013. To date, gasoline and oil changes twice a year are my only expenses. I did not spend anything on repair.

Well... the thing is only 2 years old.  How much did you pay for those oil changes or are you handling that DIY?

minimalist

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Re: What does it cost to keep your car running?
« Reply #21 on: April 17, 2015, 02:05:07 PM »
I've owned my 2007 Camry for 8 years. Total maintenance has been:
Oil changes 2x a year @ $30: $480
Tire replacement: $400
Rear brake replacement and resurfacing of rotors: $250
Brake fluid replacement: $150
Battery replacement: $90
Engine and cabin filter replacement every 3 years: $150
Windshield wiper blade replacement: $10
Total: $1,530
The car has 64k miles on it, so that's $0.02 a mile.

YK-Phil

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Re: What does it cost to keep your car running?
« Reply #22 on: April 17, 2015, 02:06:19 PM »
I bought a new Fiat 500 in January 2013. To date, gasoline and oil changes twice a year are my only expenses. I did not spend anything on repair.

Well... the thing is only 2 years old.  How much did you pay for those oil changes or are you handling that DIY?

Indeed, I don't expect any repair for several years, especially that I drive less than 5,000 miles a year. I would normally do my oil/filter changes but it cost me $19,99 at the local Meineke garage so it's not worth doing it myself.

JLee

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Re: What does it cost to keep your car running?
« Reply #23 on: April 17, 2015, 03:05:12 PM »
Spoken like an Amsoil dealer. :p

If you're going for extended oil changes, a bypass filtration system is usually a good idea.

lol, I am an Amsoil dealer, if anybody wants stuff. :P I do annual oil changes myself.

Can't Wait

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Re: What does it cost to keep your car running?
« Reply #24 on: April 17, 2015, 03:27:44 PM »
I have a 2004 Honda Civic that I've spent very little on for over 100k miles. I bought it used 5 years ago and just drive it and change the oil when it needs it (maybe 3 times a year) and I bought a new battery from Walmart for 50 dollars a couple years ago.

To be fair though, it probably needs a timing belt change and tune up but I just haven't gotten around to doing it yet. All of that would probably cost around 1200 dollars or so.

Thus far, I've spent 275 dollars on oil changes and a new battery over the 5 years that I've owned it. Not bad for 100k miles of driving.
« Last Edit: April 17, 2015, 03:30:07 PM by GovtWorker »

Retired To Win

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Re: What does it cost to keep your car running?
« Reply #25 on: April 17, 2015, 05:05:52 PM »
...  The battery charger for the truck in the summer lets the battery last a cpl yrs more than it otherwise would.

This sounds like a good thing to do, although I'd never heard of it before.  I already have a battery charger, so it would be no problem.  But what's the rationale for this working?

Syonyk

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Re: What does it cost to keep your car running?
« Reply #26 on: April 17, 2015, 05:53:39 PM »
...  The battery charger for the truck in the summer lets the battery last a cpl yrs more than it otherwise would.

This sounds like a good thing to do, although I'd never heard of it before.  I already have a battery charger, so it would be no problem.  But what's the rationale for this working?

Lead acid batteries do not handle deep discharge well.  Starter batteries, as are typical for cars, have very thin plates, so handle even a moderate discharge not-very-well.  They're designed to handle the use case of very, very small amounts of charge extracted (at high amperages), then be recharged.  Going down to 80, 70, 50% depth of discharge on a car battery damages it.

A modern car draws a non-zero amount of current when sitting (radio memory, ECU memory, security system, etc).  And lead acid batteries have some amount of self discharge rate.  The combination means that if a vehicle sits for too long, the battery will be significantly drained.  In addition to not starting, it shortens the life of the battery significantly.  My experience is that 3-4 full discharges is enough to kill a standard automotive lead acid battery (it no longer has the capacity to start in the winter).

A battery tender (which is just a very small charger) keeps the battery topped off when not in use, and will significantly extend the life of the battery.

You don't want to use a high power charger, though.  That'll just boil the electrolyte and either require refilling the battery or, on modern sealed batteries, lead to a quicker death (or, depending on your flavor of battery maintenance, popping the seals, and refilling the battery).

Retired To Win

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Re: What does it cost to keep your car running?
« Reply #27 on: April 17, 2015, 06:51:04 PM »
$184 a year for maintenance??  I didn't know I was saving SOOO much by doing my own!

Well, I know I could shave that $184 down with some DIY.  But $184 is already barely half of what I have built in for vehicle maintenance into my $15,000 annual budget for basic living expenses.  So, the need for further frugality just doesn't grab me here.

Retired To Win

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Re: What does it cost to keep your car running?
« Reply #28 on: April 18, 2015, 08:49:43 PM »
You need a fairly long time frame for this type of study.  I had a car that cost almost nothing in repairs for several years and then required about $1200 in repairs in less than a year.

Sure, the longer time frame the better.  But I'm going to just work with the 3 years of data I have right now.  I can always -- and probably will -- update the blog post on a yearly basis.

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Re: What does it cost to keep your car running?
« Reply #29 on: April 29, 2015, 07:31:20 PM »
I don't even want to know.

I have an '02 Sable and have put 100k miles on it. Last week I spent $550 on an oil change, new front brakes and rotors, and one caliper. I'll need two new tires before the end of the year.

That's right, I spent almost half my car's worth on car repair last week. :(

MMMdude

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Re: What does it cost to keep your car running?
« Reply #30 on: April 29, 2015, 07:48:29 PM »
I only have ballpark numbers but in the same time frame of three years I've driven almost the exact same amount of miles as OP.

I've spent $1300 in repairs then of course fuel, oil changes, registration.   The last one was $600 repair about five months ago but I figured if I spend that much even every year it's better than buying newer car.  My car is worth maybe $2500 and i have heard a rule of thumb that if the repair is = your car value, time to ditch it.  I drive a 2000 Celica which is ridiculously good on gas so that offsets costs too.  That's the other thing - I don't see another car I want that matches space, fuel efficiency and driving fun with what I have now so I will keep driving it.

Syonyk

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Re: What does it cost to keep your car running?
« Reply #31 on: April 29, 2015, 08:00:58 PM »
That's right, I spent almost half my car's worth on car repair last week. :(

And? :p  If it's still running strong, the transmission doesn't have any issues, it's a whole lot cheaper to fix it than to replace the car.

My car is worth maybe $2500 and i have heard a rule of thumb that if the repair is = your car value, time to ditch it.

I've heard the rule of thumb as well.  It's usually coming from places that are motivated to convince you to buy a new car. :)

If I went based on that, almost every time I did anything to some of my cars it would have been worth getting rid of it - it doesn't take much to exceed the price of a $100 or $150 car.

I tend to look at it more in terms of what I know about the vehicle and what it's doing in terms of reliability.  I also don't generally count "consumables" as repairs - yes, tires, brakes, wheel bearings, oil, fuel filters, etc, cost money, but it's just general maintenance, not really "repairs of something unexpected."  And, especially on a used car, you're now confident of the condition of those things.

Engine or transmission problems, though, can convince me to get rid of a vehicle if the cost of repairs is substantial.  Mostly, I value reliability in my vehicles, so things that might lead to me sitting on the side of the road (a rod through a block, for instance) are more concerning.  Yes, I can rebuild the engine, but it's not always worth it, and right now I don't have the space.

In general, it's almost always cheaper to fix a car than to replace it.  Even if you have to rebuild an engine or transmission, it's almost always going to be cheaper than replacing the car.

In other words, "Ooh... car's gonna cost $1000 to repair, better spend $30k instead!" is silly. :)

Optimiser

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Re: What does it cost to keep your car running?
« Reply #32 on: April 29, 2015, 10:23:29 PM »
My current project involves swapping a 1994 Mazda Miata drivetrain into a 1976 Triumph Spitfire. I also completely redesigned and welded the front suspension and engine cradle from scratch (currently in progress... design is done, fabrication is ongoing).

Is there somewhere I can read more about this project?

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Re: What does it cost to keep your car running?
« Reply #33 on: April 30, 2015, 03:54:58 AM »
I only bought my current car (2002 Holden Barina) in December, and I've done 4,000km since then. Since then all it's demanded is a headlight globe (maybe ten bucks or so at the service station). That, fuel, and a year's registration and insurance ($750 and $530) has been about it.

I had my last car (2001 Peugeot 306 XSI) for four years. In that time it had:

- A $1500 service as soon as I bought it (turns out it was very much due for a timing belt/needed a new O2 sensor, a tensioner or two/etc)
- Other normal services every 10,000km at ~$400 a pop (five). I'm sure one needed something else and was more than that.
- A new alternator (approx $350) and battery ($150)
- Four new tyres ($700)
- A couple of pieces of interior trim ordered from eBay UK (maybe $30 or so)
- A new CD player ($150)
- A new head gasket after the thing overheated (and then a new head a month after it was fixed, but I didn't have to pay for that), $3000 worth.
- A fair amount of oil between the overheating episode and when the clutch finally went a year later. I think the rings were shot.
- Fuel (averaged about 8.5-9L/100km, used to use 98 octane premium unleaded)
- Insurance (about $800pa average throughout)
- Registration (gradually increased over time, maybe $700pa average)

Not counting fuel/insurance/rego, I probably ended up sinking another $8000 into the fucker. :(

I paid $10,250 for it (about $3000 too much but it was exactly what I wanted, silly me borrowed $8000 of it too, obviously in my spendier past), drove it for four years and 56,000km, and sold it for $700 with a busted clutch and a smoky engine (read: the rings were shot and I was just nursing the thing until I was in a better financial position). Funnily enough for the first two and a half years of ownership it was actually pretty reliable.

Live and learn. I'm quite happy with my cheap beater 1.4L Barina for now. Virtually everything is cheaper for it, and if something major goes pop, I can just get rid of it and buy another one.
« Last Edit: April 30, 2015, 04:07:40 AM by alsoknownasDean »

Pooperman

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Re: What does it cost to keep your car running?
« Reply #34 on: April 30, 2015, 05:14:18 AM »
'06 accord. Driven it for 9 years or so. 90k miles. Two not routine repairs: alternator ($500) and rack and pinion steering ($1.5k). Everything else was expected (gas, oil, filters, breaks, tires, etc).

BlueMR2

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Re: What does it cost to keep your car running?
« Reply #35 on: April 30, 2015, 10:00:05 AM »
You need a fairly long time frame for this type of study.  I had a car that cost almost nothing in repairs for several years and then required about $1200 in repairs in less than a year.

This.  I can go years with almost nothing, then all of a sudden I lose an engine ($4500) or have a bad wheel bearing turn into a rear-end replacement ($3000ish), etc.

zinethstache

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Re: What does it cost to keep your car running?
« Reply #36 on: April 30, 2015, 02:18:30 PM »
2 cars and a work truck, $250 on the cars since bought used, model years 2001 and 2008 (not counting oil changes) - have had them in our possession 5 and 2 years. Ironically both needed batteries! $100 and $150 DH swapped out.

$7k 1998 work truck/horse hauler - ran rough when we bought it. Last fall something happened to its brain, literally. $1200 later it has a new brain, but still ran rough. Life got in the way and it was not until last month we returned it to have the rough idle investigated. $500 more. DONE. It runs better than ever, Including the AC now works and it never worked right since we bought it. I'm betting the previous owner traded it in out of frustration with its minor issues. We let it be a crappy truck since we didn't pay much, until finally it couldn't hold on any longer, and now its good as new. It will last us a lifetime. It has low miles, does the work DH needs it to, and used to service my horse hauling needs well even when it ran rough.

Jury is out on longevity of this repair or if it will need more work. My last horse hauler was $2300 in 9 years/70k miles driven, it was my daily driver as well as hauler.

DH is pretty handy, he replaces brakes, fuel pumps, minor electrical glitches, welds some. Does our oil changes. We are very low mileage drivers and drive our cars until they either die, or get wrecked. We prefer to hold their hands when they die. Then we usually trade something for the carcass to get that last bit of cash out of them.

Geldsnor

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Re: What does it cost to keep your car running?
« Reply #37 on: April 30, 2015, 02:32:35 PM »
It costs me none, since I don't own a car anymore.
One thing I think that needs to be added to the cost of a car, is time. Which I came to realize when I did not own a car anymore:

It takes time to clean, maintain, park, fill-up, finding cheap insurances, changing to winter/summer tires, etc etc. All this is instantly gone by not owning a vehicle.

Secondly I don't have to worry anymore about it getting scratched, speeding tickets, hearing strange noises during the drive, making maintenance appointments, etc. To be honest, it is a big relief not owning a car but just rent/borrow it in case it's needed.

Schaefer Light

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Re: What does it cost to keep your car running?
« Reply #38 on: April 30, 2015, 02:40:33 PM »
It costs me none, since I don't own a car anymore.
One thing I think that needs to be added to the cost of a car, is time.
I get what you're saying, but having a car saves me a lot of time.  Biking to work would take at least 3 times as long, and walking would take half the day.  Those would also be much more dangerous transportation options around here.

Syonyk

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Re: What does it cost to keep your car running?
« Reply #39 on: April 30, 2015, 02:57:00 PM »
I like working on my vehicles...

JLee

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Re: What does it cost to keep your car running?
« Reply #40 on: April 30, 2015, 03:37:49 PM »
My daily driver? Gas, oil changes, brakes, tires.  Hard to say overall since I just bought it and did brakes/tires within a few months.

My weekend car? I don't wanna talk about it. :P

Retired To Win

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Re: What does it cost to keep your car running?
« Reply #41 on: May 01, 2015, 09:40:39 AM »
... In general, it's almost always cheaper to fix a car than to replace it.  Even if you have to rebuild an engine or transmission, it's almost always going to be cheaper than replacing the car.

In other words, "Ooh... car's gonna cost $1000 to repair, better spend $30k instead!" is silly. :)

I agree completely.  In fact, many years ago I DID have an engine rebuilt rather than go buy another car.  And I do believe I came out way ahead.  Hell, I ended up with a "new" engine, didn't I?

Schaefer Light

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Re: What does it cost to keep your car running?
« Reply #42 on: May 01, 2015, 10:42:45 AM »
... In general, it's almost always cheaper to fix a car than to replace it.  Even if you have to rebuild an engine or transmission, it's almost always going to be cheaper than replacing the car.

In other words, "Ooh... car's gonna cost $1000 to repair, better spend $30k instead!" is silly. :)

I agree completely.  In fact, many years ago I DID have an engine rebuilt rather than go buy another car.  And I do believe I came out way ahead.  Hell, I ended up with a "new" engine, didn't I?
Over the past couple of years, this has become my philosophy as well.  I've learned from previous mistakes.  It's usually cheaper (and less of a hassle) to fix the existing car than it is to find a good bargain on a used car.

Syonyk

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Re: What does it cost to keep your car running?
« Reply #43 on: May 01, 2015, 11:52:02 AM »
I'll make exceptions for frame rot. :)

The other issue is that every new used car I've owned takes about 6 months of work to get it into good shape. It's being sold for a reason.

JLee

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Re: What does it cost to keep your car running?
« Reply #44 on: May 01, 2015, 03:02:27 PM »
I'll make exceptions for frame rot. :)

The other issue is that every new used car I've owned takes about 6 months of work to get it into good shape. It's being sold for a reason.

Depends why they're selling it :P

The last one I bought was sold to me by someone who won a 2014 F150 in a drawing and they didn't need both vehicles.

darkadams00

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Re: What does it cost to keep your car running?
« Reply #45 on: May 02, 2015, 09:01:20 PM »
Had to buy a tire last night to keep from being stranded. Almost-new tire was cut on road debris and couldn't be plugged because it was too close to the edge. $90 on the spot with no way to bargain shop for a better deal (too late at night, too far from home). Another data point to support my dislike for cars. $90 would pay for my annual bike overhaul, but it hardly registers on the spectrum of car maintenance and repairs.

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Re: What does it cost to keep your car running?
« Reply #46 on: May 02, 2015, 09:08:55 PM »
Then don't go that that far from home and bike. Nobody forces you to drive a car.

darkadams00

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Re: What does it cost to keep your car running?
« Reply #47 on: May 03, 2015, 02:19:07 PM »
Then don't go that that far from home and bike. Nobody forces you to drive a car.

True. I already put more miles on the bike than on my car not counting a few long-distance trips per year, so I've minimized as much as I can without significant ripples in the social pool. Family and friends just live too far away. Rented a truck yesterday to do some hauling--I'll make that up on the bike next month. Biking is not a cash-generating engine, but it sure is a cash-saving engine. It only takes one mishap to make that abundantly clear.

I like working on my vehicles...

And I consider the time and cost of vehicle ownership a necessary evil barely offset by the occasional use that makes it worthwhile. Working on cars is like cooking meals and working out. Some like to do it, and others avoid it as much as possible. Even if I only counted parts costs for maintenance and repairs, the combination of purchase price, initial and annual regulatory taxes and fees, annual insurance, gas, maintenance, and repairs puts transportation high in the list of living expenses--which is the main reason I eliminated one of my cash suckers. I tolerate the other one, for now.

JLee

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Re: What does it cost to keep your car running?
« Reply #48 on: May 03, 2015, 02:44:58 PM »
It costs me none, since I don't own a car anymore.
One thing I think that needs to be added to the cost of a car, is time.
I get what you're saying, but having a car saves me a lot of time.  Biking to work would take at least 3 times as long, and walking would take half the day.  Those would also be much more dangerous transportation options around here.

Yeah, no kidding. I can get done in 20 minutes what would take me a couple of hours otherwise.

zolotiyeruki

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Re: What does it cost to keep your car running?
« Reply #49 on: May 04, 2015, 01:36:21 PM »
I've owned my '95 Corolla since 2003, so 12 years and 111k miles.  In that time, here's what I estimate I've spent on it:

Oil changes: every 6 months, $20 ea, so about $480 total
Crankshaft position sensor: $600 (it's pre-OBD-II, so it took a lot of the mechanic's time to find it)
Timing belt: $700
Brakes: $50 (replaced just the pads)
Fluid flushes:  $150 shortly after I bought the car
Tires:  I dunno, probably 4 sets @ $300/set, so $1200
Various other fluids (including windshield washer fluid): probably $100

That comes out to $3300 worth of repair and maintenance over 12 years and 111k miles, or about $0.03/mile.  I'll be changing the timing belt in the near future, but doing it myself this time, with a total cost of about $100.