MrCjolsen

I'm trying to come up with a per-mile number that I can present to my "accountant" in order to convince her that my cycling jones pays for itself through commuting.

Here's what I have so far. BTW, selling the car is not an option.

13 cents a mile for gas, based on the current price of 3.19 per gallon and my Honda's craptacular 25mpg.

3.75 cents per mile for deprciation due to mileage based on the trade-in value of a 2000 Accord with 70,000 miles vs. 60,000 miles.

2 cents per mile maintenance. Base on one expensive dealer servicing ($400), one set of tires ($500)and 12 oil changes ($25x12) every 60,000 miles.

That's 19 cents a mile, rounded to the nearest whole. Which means that my 1300 miles this year so far have saved us $247.

Am I missing anything? I'd like to get a proper Surly fork for my Crosscheck.

noisebeam

It really depends on if the proper fork is a must have need or a want. Could you still commute without it? Does it improve safety to a measurable degree?
Also you need to keep a bike commute savings for the must have needs, such as if you ruin a wheel, etc.
(I hope the accountant doesn't read BF , if so let me know and I'll delete this post)
Al

Businezguy

One thing you are forgetting is by reducing the amount of miles you are driving your car reduces the amount of insurance you pay for that car if you notify your insurance company. You should figure that into your savings.

CastIron

You're missing a huge expense: Insurance.
Smaller expenses: washes, wiper blades, etc.

Fwiw: My wife's '98 Saab, paid for, liability insurance, maintained at home, has gotten cheaper to operate than my bike habit. The difference is this can't last.

noisebeam

Right, it also might, be possible to have the car insured as a recreational vehicle. Depends what your accountant does with it though.

Al

MrCjolsen

If I didn't know her better, I'd think she went and joined bikeforums and wrote this just to mess with my head.

But seriously, the deal is that commuting pays for my cycling. Most of the stuff I buy I don't really need. After all, I have two bikes (the Surly and a fixed gear) when I can only ride one at a time. We've agreed that I'd probably spend (or want to spend) a lot of money on bike stuff regardless of whether I commuted or rode around Yolo County in circles.

I actually want the Surly LHT fork so I can use front panniers. Also, the steer tube is cut pretty short on my present fork, and I really should raise the bars a cm or two.

But the fork was just an example.

Elkhound

Try this link:

https://www.bikesatwork.com/carfree/c...ownership.html

kill.cactus

It should figure out to more than 19 cents.

Another thing to think of (although it doesn't really pertain to how much you save since you pay taxes anyways) is how much less wear you have on the streets over years and years of work.

Health? I suppose in certain areas in the US biking to work year-round could give you health benefits that would be substantial enough to save money per year.

KenSmith

current IRS mileage allowance is .485 per mile.... use that number, buy a new bike...

Ken

tsl

Jeepers Mr C!

You live in Davis, CA, bicycling capital of the Western Hemisphere. That alone justifies all bicycling-related expenses. You need to demonstrate leadership to the rest of us heathen masses, and to do so, you need proper components on proper bikes.

The argument could be made that the Honda is cutting into the bike budget and ought to be sold. At that same 19¢ per mile, how much money has been wasted on the Honda that should rightfully have been spent on bikes?

Bikepacker67

Ya, but you eat more.

CTAC

Deprecation is miscalculated here:
If you are buying a new car and then trade it in at 70,000 miles, then take initial cost + interest + license fees and then substract trade in value.

If you are buying a car with 60,000 miles and selling it at 70,000 miles, take 60K retail or private party value, and then substract trade in value.

I had my previous car, Nissan Sentra, for 6 years. I traded it in with 98K miles. Even that cheap car was about 15 cents per mile for me.

GeoKrpan

Today on Autoblog.com.
"According to the AAA, it costs an average of 52.2 cents/mile to operate a new vehicle....."

https://www.autoblog.com/2007/03/26/a...-2-cents-mile/

MrCjolsen

I wish. However, the inescapable truth is that I married her for her brians. (although it was her looks that got my attention)

MrCjolsen

But a certain amount of the depreciation happens whether I drive the car or not. My number came from how much less the car would have been worth, had I driven it rather than bike 4000 miles last year.

MrCjolsen

Not really. I was quite the fat ass before I started riding. Trust me, I ate plenty.

CTAC

I'd count that I have to replace the car sooner if I do not ride.

gcl8a

Yikes! She came with other men?

Sammyboy

And she married you for your spleeing and gramer

gear

Don't forget that you save on a health club membership. You do your exercise session while you commute... you multi tasker you.

ItsJustMe

That depends on your current insurance. We haven't had a claim in many years, neither of us has any points or incidents on our licenses, and my car is in the lowest-bracket insurance (it's > 10 years old and is only worth about $3000, tops). Also the area we live in is an extremely low accident and theft rate area.

I called my agent up last year about half-way through my first committed "always bicycle" year and said my mileage was now about 3000 miles a year instead of the 12000, and he plugged it in and said "Doesn't matter. No difference in premium". Turns out that my mileage on my car could be anywhere from zero to about 28000 a year with no difference. He did say that if I lived in a different area, or had a different car with higher insurance, or I was younger (and thus was already paying a higher amount) it might matter.

ItsJustMe

The IRS/AAA numbers are averages. They won't apply in all areas with all cars. They include people who buy BMWs and take them in to the dealer for every scheduled maintenance, and they include people who buy Kias and drive them into the ground and never fix anything. They're a good estimate but they don't necessarily reflect any given person's reality. My current car I bought new and have spent only about $1200 on it, excluding gas, and that includes 2 new sets of tires AND the engine code scanner I bought. I do all my own work and I'm very easy on cars.

steve2k

thdave

The wholesale/retail comment is real--don't just consider the difference on trade in but on trade in of your 70,000 mile car to the retail price of a 60,000 Accord. Also, add tax to that. And add a portion of fitness center cost. You're saving that, too.

That said, I'd subtract a yearly budget for cycle gear--perhaps $150 or so.

JWRB

I don't even figure gas, maintenance, etc... into my equation.

$300 - Sold my Jeep with monthly payment.
$120 - No more parking pass @ innner harbor
$75 - net decrease in insurance

Purchased 1993 Saab 900 for $1800

After 4 months the car is paid for & I now have an additional ~$500 month.

Not too bad if I do say so myself.

Plus, I get to work faster in the morning and at worst same time going home.

I haven't driven to work at all since Nov 10 of last year and about a dozen times since April of last year when I started.