Originally Posted by
charbucks
I agree. I also think it goes off track when people imply that they are soooo smart and clever because they purchased a low cost used car and have been lucky enough to not need repairs/inspections/maintenance, and they live in a place where insurance is shockingly cheap.
You are clearly in a unique situation, and it makes sense for you to own a car. But for those of us for whom owning a car does not make financial sense, we may not realize it until we really sit down and do the math. And contrary to your unfounded assertion that I must either A) not have first hand knowledge; B) believe that any amount is too much; or C) have limited income, I simply looked at my car expenses over the past two years and had my eyes opened.
thank you
Originally Posted by
Jared.
People can spend a ton of money owning a car, or very little, it is truly up to them. You can spend $44k over 5 years, or you can spend 5k over that same time driving those same miles.
What is the point of looking at someone spending $1,000 a year on a car? They really have one foot in the car-free camp anyway at that point, and can never approach the 'same miles' of someone spending $9,000.
What's left from $1,000 after insurance, depreciation, maintenance and tags; maybe a couple hundred if you are very lucky? That will get you gas for 3 or 4 miles a day, which you could easily walk!
If you spend $9,000, at the IRS numbers of something like 52 cents a mile, you can go 17,000 miles in a year, or closer to 50 miles a day, which might meet a need, and justify owning a car. (And that would be with a fairly new car, dealer service, etc...no heroic effort required.)