Quote:
Originally Posted by cRiPpLe_rOoStEr
I'm not totally unfavorable to 4WD or AWD, but they're substantially different. 4WD is usually part-time and must be used only in low-grip situations such as snow or mud, while AWD applies to full-time systems better suited to paved roads. But anyway, in fact AWD might lead the driver to misjudge the risky circumstances, and eventually figure them out only when it becomes too late.
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Ya, I see where they have a place. But I know flat landers that live where they might get a dusting of snow every 10 years and therefore truly believe that they need an AWD (or 4WD) when I've lived in one of the snowiest and steepest parts of the world and can tell you that snow tires are a whole lot more effective and a whole lot cheaper.
Quote:
Originally Posted by slowmover
OP, you wish to base a car purchase on whatever grounds, but I’ve always had to skew data to more accurately reflect my costs. Plug in real data from your records of the past decade (you have those, right?).
Last year you drove X-miles with Y-gallons at Z-cost. Your fuel expenditure in cents-per-mile was?
Your isolated volunteer miles cost (with any deductions) was?
The associated costs of ownership? (Depreciation is always ignored). The higher annual tires & brakes cost? All on a per miles basis. You’ve taken on a high subsidy cost. What is it for the details of car ownership? It’s a helluva lot more than just fuel.
Do these before you finish with the rest. Even if guesstimates.
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Just guesstimating from off the top of my head.
I bought the car 7 years ago for $600. It replaced a car I had for 4 years that had cost me $250. I do believe that depreciation is irrelevant in my case with these cars, but something that I will experience with my next car.
In the 7 years I've owed this last car I was driving about 12,000-15,000 miles per year until the past year. I would spend around $75 per month or about $900. I'm now driving about double, getting better fuel mileage but also prices have gone up. Now I'm spending around $150 per month. So around $1,800 per year for fuel at the rate I'm going at around 50mpg or so at the price of diesel.
I was changing the oil twice a year, but probably should do it 4 times a year now. I do it myself, I think a jug of synthetic is around $30 and a filter for $10. I mean to change the fuel and air filters every year, although I don't always get around to it for about $10 and $20 each. So far that's $110 per year. I also pack my wheel bearings about once every two years. It's like $5 or $10 for the seals and cotter pins. Still have the original can of grease. I also got a new timing belt and accessory belt a year or so ago for, I'm guessing, $25, that I put on myself.
Now on top of that I replaced the battery once ($200?) and have bought three sets of tires for about $500 per set if I remember right. (Maybe less, I used to buy tires this size brand new for $25 each including installation. Anyhow that's two allseason sets and one winter set.) The winter set I put on a set of rims I picked up for $100. So I have about $1,600 in tires and rims in 7 years and the all-season are just a year old, but the winter tires still have about 75% left on them. I change them back and forth and rotate them myself each season.
I had the car aligned twice. The first job was done wrong, but I didn't ask for my money back. Both times I was charged about $300. So $600 in alignments. But before that I had replaced all the strut cartridges for cheap. I can't remember the price, but $100 for all 4 strut cartridges seems right. I remember it was a whole lot cheaper to replace just the cartridges than the whole strut. I also replaced all the tierod ends once. Um… I guess for about $60. The ball joints and bushings still look fine, never have replaced them. But I did replace a front wheel bearing. I have a press and only paid $60 for the bearing. I also had bought new front discs at the time for around $70 and new pads/shoes and springs all the way around for $40. I had the rear drums checked and turned for $30 if I remember right. And I flushed the brake lines myself a couple times for the price of a couple bottles of brake fluid.
I've installed two block heaters for $30 each. And I've replaced only a couple hoses. I want to say I've spent less than $20 on hoses so far. And I flushed out the radiator with water and added new coolant twice.
I did have an injector line fail. I can't remember the price, but it was under $100 I do believe.
I also replaced the transaxle fluid once and installed new seals at the CV joint flanges. CV joints are the biggest problem. I've changed both axles out at least 3 times for about $100 a pop. I've also changed out a few door handles, both head lights once and a couple other bulbs. I changed the windshield myself twice for about $100 each time. Make that $150 each time with all the glue and stuff.
The car by itself costs about $80 in insurance per month.
Well enough babbling. I figure I spent roughly about $2,500 per year on average, or about 18 cents per mile with the projection of spending close to $5,000 per year at about 18 cents per mile with my new driving needs.
With the price of the car figured in, that raises the total costs per mile by less than 1 cent, unless I sell the car and make that money back.
That's as close as I can guestimate right now.