A comment I made in that "worst repair" thread got me wondering how much I spent on buying cars in my life? So I made a list of cars I've bought- hopefully I didn't forget any of them- and yet again realized that I'm easily confused by accounting. For example, should
every car make the list? Some of them were bought for parts only and never got licensed or driven by me. Since they really never performed any "car" function for me, I think I'll leave them off this list.
Then there are all the gifted cars. Over the decades, when anyone in the family or extended family had a beater on it's last leg, there was a choice: scrap it or let Frank have at it. And a few times I've been gifted with nice vehicles too, for a surprising total of 11 times! Those should be on the list for even though there was no purchase price for me, I titled, licensed, repaired, and drove 'em. They performed their car functions.
Then there are the other car expenses. Nah, trying to tally all that up would just be insane- lack of records and/or too many records. It was bad enough trying to remember the purchase prices for some of those cars from years and years ago.
Indeed, my comment about not spending $4500 on cars in my entire life- if I exclude the F150 (a
truck ha ha) was true. To make it true I also have to exclude another pickup I bought for $6000- it was supposed to be for the ex-G.F. but after she hit a deer with it, it became mine again- go figure.
So... drumroll..... the grand total is $3710 for 25 cars, averaging $148.40 each.
Bah, if the trucks are included the total rockets to about $28,000... but at $1,037 each vehicle, or $800/year, the seeming extravagance of it really wasn't a money pit after all.
The F150 was the only one of the entire lot I purchased new. Wow did that thing ever wreck the average cost!
Some other things popped out at me since I compiled that list. For instance, I've only had one Japanese car out of the 27, ever, which goes back to the late '70s- a '78 Toyota SR5. There were seven air-cooled VWs, five Chevys, 10 Fords (including pickups), two Dodge Dynastys, and one Pontiac, one Buick, and one Triumph.
Five were red, 11 were blue, three were black, three grey, two bronze, and one green, one white, and one yellow.
Oof Da.