The Energy Trap...what does driving cost you?

[Frank Lee]

Families are struggling to find the money to pay for gas even as the US experiences its third year of declining incomes.

They pretty much lost me right away, at that line^.

I'm sure it isn't isolated to my neighborhood: look around, what do you see? I see lots and lots and lots of recreational tearing around in guzzler-type vehicles- new guzzler type vehicles, with big loans on them. Yes, it goes way beyond the need to commute. This is not what "people struggling to find the money for gas" do. This is what lazy-arse, ignorant slobs do.

OK... I did go back- for perhaps the same reason we like to gawk at accidents? Those testimonials are giving me a severe schaudenfreude reaction!

[sid]

AAA said the cost works out to about $1 a mile for someone buying a new car over the life of the vehicle? That is not my experience. Six of the seven vehicles I've owned I purchased brand new. For my last one, a Ford Ranger, I drove it 147,000 miles in 11 years and put less than $45,000 into owning it, which includes the purchase price, gas, maintenance, registration fees, car insurance, and everything else I could think off. That is less than $0.31 a mile. That is for a vehicle that averaged between 22 to 23 mpg.

They must be assuming people get a new vehicle every four years. That may have been the norm 30 years ago, but not in the past decade.

[Frank Lee]

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[Mustang Dave]

I must be doing something wrong. I spend a LOT more money to fuel my body than I spend to fuel my vehicles. I spend nearly as much on ethanol as I do on gasoline.

[jamesqf]

Originally Posted by Frank Lee

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I don't know where they're getting their assumptions about what my costs are, because they seem way off the mark for me, and a lot of people I know. First, no one with any sense buys a NEW car: you buy used, and let the fools take that first big hit of depreciation. Buy what you can afford to pay cash for, and there's no finance cost. Then there's the purchased warranty: another waste of money. Same with repairs & maintenance: do it all yourself, and it doesn't cost much. Then go with just liability insurance, and that cost is cut by maybe 2/3.

At current prices, it's costing me about 7 cents per mile for gas in the Insight. Amortising the purchase price over the 100K miles I've driven it so far works out to 8.5 cents/mile (but I expect to be driving it for years yet). Add a generous 10-20 cents/mile for maintenance, registration, & insurance, and I'm still way, way under their numbers.

[user removed]

The last two Honda Rebels I bought for $800 and $500 and sold them for $1400 and $1200. Even after all expenses I made a little money including fuel and insurance. 6000 miles for free excluding my labor and some change left over.

I did the same thing over the last 35 years with salvage vehicles. In most cases I made enough money to pay all costs of ownership, probably for over 200 k miles.

When I retired the wife stopped driving rebuilds and bought a new car. Paid cash for it. At 60 k miles we sold it to her daughter, whose husband drove it another 80k miles. I just sold him my Altima and took the 1999 Maxmia in trade for $2k value. At 140 k miles it still runs great. We drove it to the mountains for a day trip vacation, 322 miles. I refilled the tank today. 14.254 gallons-460.7 miles-32.3 MPG in a car rated at 21 combined on the new EPA. Has not dropped a bit of oil level using 5W-30 Mobil 1.

We left her 2012 Sorento in the garage. She is averaging 27 MPG in the Sorento. I had it up to 32 on the highway, great mileage for a 3800 pound SUV. She is still working at 65 and if she wants a new car she gets a new car. I drive old recycled stuff and make money selling them. In some cases enough to pay all of the driving costs.

Last year combining all expenses I would estimate we spent less than 6% of our income on transportation. Our largest single annual expense is property taxes.

regards
Mech

[user removed]

We paid 18.1k for the wifes Rogue. At 32 k miles we got 14.3k in trade. Cash offer was 14.1k at Car Max.

Works out to $3800 for her to drive a brand new car, under warranty, for 3 years. About $127 a month.

Not having to worry about her breaking down driving to either of her daughter's houses.

Priceless.

regards
Mech

[Frank Lee]

Originally Posted by jamesqf

I don't know where they're getting their assumptions about what my costs are, because they seem way off the mark for me, and a lot of people I know. First, no one with any sense buys a NEW car: you buy used, and let the fools take that first big hit of depreciation. Buy what you can afford to pay cash for, and there's no finance cost. Then there's the purchased warranty: another waste of money. Same with repairs & maintenance: do it all yourself, and it doesn't cost much. Then go with just liability insurance, and that cost is cut by maybe 2/3.

James you know we are not "typical". As one example (I've mentioned before) 1.5 years ago I drove x-country in a 1998 automobile and with very few exceptions, it was the oldest car on the road. Ha- and it's "too new" for me! (too many computer controlled things)

[Frank Lee]

Originally Posted by Old Mechanic

Not having to worry about her breaking down driving to either of her daughter's houses.

Priceless.

regards
Mech

I'm going to start pretending I don't know the difference between a lug nut and a spark plug. Then I will get to drive the fancy new car and GF can drive the beater. Men everywhere should join me and make this a national movement.

[TXwaterdog]

I just bought a 2012 Focus over my guilty pleasure choice of a 2012 wrangler. I made the conscious descion to buy the higher mpg vehicle.

When it comes to buying the right car for the job it's often difficult for some to come to the right decision. Emotions come over them and drive them to buy something more of a guilty pleasure than a tool to accomplish the task. Financing can hold people back on buying used cars ( vehicles older than 5yrs or 100k are harder to finance).