Edmunds TCO, what's the cheapest car?
Looking at Edmunds TCO for 5 years ownership and a few cars I found:
*Edmunds is applying a $1,500 tax rebate to both the Bolt and Prime in their figures. I tried the TCO's on the 2017 models of the same cars (so about a 5-year-old car) but Edmunds only lists the Prime and the Mirage. I guess the Corolla hybrid didn't exist and they don't have a TCO for a 2017 Bolt.
This was going by the cheapest (base) models. Higher trims give more expensive TCO's. So if my car were to bite the dust, it looks like this is what I have to go with. New is cheaper than used according to Edmunds. Any other eco cars to put on the potential list? |
I built my TCO calculator (linked in signature) precisely because there are none offered on the interwebz, and there's no transparency in how sites like Edmunds does their calculation. Furthermore, it has to make certain assumptions like the price of petrol or electricity that will not be accurate for your location.
The #1 cost by for of any new vehicle is depreciation, and it's not even close. That's why the cheaper the car you get, the lower the TCO will be. The only time efficiency becomes a large factor in TCO is for those that put a lot of miles on a vehicle that was purchased used (most depreciation already occurred). If purchasing a new car and holding onto it for a long time, efficiency becomes a greater factor as well. The Bolt is going to be the TCO winner if the 250 mile range (maybe as bad as 120 in the depths of winter going up the mountains) is acceptable to you. It's also not going to waste your time with needing head gaskets and whatnot. |
I paid $300 for my Insight and almost immediately sold the hybrid battery for $700. I've probably put a few hundred dollars into it in the 3.5 years I've been driving it. Averaging 64 MPG.
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The thing about electric is I could do most of my charging for free. At least that's what I did with the Leaf. I never paid more than $80 per month for electricity when I had it, and right now I'm paying around $70. That includes other things like refuse though. Quote:
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Researching the Prime, the Bolt and the Corolla hybrid, it looks like non of these come with a spare tire. (I haven't looked at the Mitsubishi yet). Yipes! I wonder if there's a way to add a spare to one without just chucking a tire and rim into the trunk space or tying it up on top.
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I've never had a sidewall puncture though, out of dozens of punctures. There might be only 2 instances I've had where a spare wheel was required. |
I called in last week about a sidewall puncture. They didn't have any slots to look at it until tomorrow. Good thing I got a spare. I also frequently drive over mountain passes where there is no cell service. And even then, the last time we needed a tow truck it didn't come until three days later. Relying on a can of tire sealer does not seem prudent.
It looks like if I want a plug-in hybrid or EV and a spare tire carrier then my only options are an SUV or pickup truck... https://www.torquenews.com/1083/here...and-spare-tire |
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These Insight engines seem to run for 5-700k miles with 0w20 changed ever 7500 miles. The batteries are hot garbage though, especially aftermarket, but the cars run "fine" without them. |
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