Vehicle Maintenance and Upkeep Expenses
February 1st, 2008 by Ana
OK, I am back from lecture and prior to that having all four of my tires replaced on the Pizza Taxi. Y’all can probably guess: it wasn’t just the tires! I had a broken outer tie rod on the front driver side wheel. Since this is a potential safety issue (tie rods breaking at highway speed equals UGLY) I had to get that taken care of on the spot.
The good news is I still spent less than I had set aside for this :) Since it had been about four years since I priced tires I had about $600 set aside in the account to make sure I could cover the expense. Total bill of the tires, mounting, balancing, tie rod, labor to install tie rod, and aligning the front wheels still came in just under $400 (clocked officially at $396.38). So I still have $200 more to toss at the stupid truck note in addition to the $1500 I authorized this morning.
The even better news is I added up all the maintenance, repair, and upkeep expenses of the Pizza Taxi since I paid it off a little over a year ago … and it is still over $100 a month cheaper than the car note used to be! Over the five year note I carried on the Pizza Taxi I had almost forgotten the joy of a PAID FOR vehicle. Even though the Pizza Taxi is at that point where the upkeep and replacement starts rearing its ugly head (8 years old and about 88,000 miles) I am so not trading it or selling it because that would cost me much more per month than what I pay out for it right now.
Too many people use the repair costs of a vehicle this age to justify and rationalize the purchase of a new car. Does anyone out there honestly believe they can get a new car for less than $130 per month average expense (including oil changes and tune-ups)? Besides … within the next year I will probably have the equivalent of a new-ish car without the car note!
Posted in vehicles, Murphy's Law |
February 1st, 2008 at 6:15 pm
Owning is always better. You just proved it.
February 1st, 2008 at 7:26 pm
Great job!
The only time owning realy old beats used is when it get really high. I have seen and read about people who constantly are buying $500 cars, because they are cheap. A $3000 that runs, is cheaper then $500, plus the uncertanty factor.
But you are doing great!
February 1st, 2008 at 9:46 pm
My wife and I both drive 98′ beaters but, I’d rather continue repairing them over and over than finance something that will cost me $4k and up.
February 4th, 2008 at 5:57 am
I have two 99 beaters, both bought used, minimal repairs, reliable. The only lemony, unreliable, life-threatening car I ever owned was the ONE I BOUGHT NEW!
Some people rationalize not buying used cars as you’re buying someone else’s problem. The unspoken advantage is, you know what the problems are! (Insist on seeing and obtaining repair and maintenance records when you buy used.) Buying a new car is highly risky, because there is no reliability and repair record established for it yet, either that car or the year/make/model in general. New cars are VERY risky!!!
February 4th, 2008 at 2:36 pm
This is exactly what I needed to read! Last week, I had a car repair bill of $1400….my car is almost paid off (only a few more months), but it’s SO tempting to start shopping for a new car. I have to remind myself how great it’s going to be not having a car payment!
February 4th, 2008 at 3:50 pm
Diva: I am glad you read this BEFORE going car-shopping! The average car note now is over $400 a month, and my maintenace and repair costs are only about $130 a month (a Ford Escort is relatively inexpensive to repair). Once you pay your car off, you might find it fun to keep track of the cost associated with keeping it up and the various repairs. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
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