Originally Posted by
ChrisM2097
Owning a car doesn't have to be expensive, either. I have a 1991 Ford Escort that I purchased for $750, and have done all the maintenance and repair work myself. Cost of ownership prior to the clutch going out was $6,700 for 2.5 years & 22,500 miles of use. I was tracking every penny I spent on the car - insurance, gas, floormats, air filters, belts & hoses, - everything.
Cost of ownership was $7.80/day or $0.30/mile according to my spreadsheet.
Now, if I could only get motivated to work on the clutch, I wouldn't have to spend so much money driving my truck around.
My current cost of ownership for this very cheap vehicle is $0.32/mile. This number is all-inclusive - vehicle purchase, insurance, fuel(~30mpg), maintenance, accessories, etc. My driving commute is 12.5 miles each way (bike = 10mi). This equates to $8.00/day (12.5*2*0.32). I work 218 days a year (minus sick/vacation). If I drove every day, my commute alone would cost me
$1,744/year (218 days * $8.00 a day)
At that cost, I could buy a brand new commuter ($900) every year, all decked out with new lights($200), rack($50), bags($100), saddle($150), and a few extra sets of tires($300) to last me 5,450 miles of commuting. If you're not going to this extreme, then, yes - riding your bike definitely saves you money over owning/operating a vehicle...even a dirt-cheap vehicle.