WOW! How to save $250K over a lifetime!

[ronocnikral]

i bought my car in 2005, with like 32k miles on it. for about $11k out-the-door. It now has 108k on it. hoping it lasts another...10 years. i could care less. the wife and i take road trips in it, that's where all the miles come from. i have owned my trusty commuter since I was 14. she takes no gas and keeps my spare tire around the belt line a little smaller. and teaches me to deal with stress - houston is not a cycling-commuter friendly town.

bought DW's car last year. 2006 lexus with 32K miles on it. $20k out-the-door. i put the greenbacks under their nose and let them smell a sale. i hope to drive that car until i retire. we put 6k miles on it last year. probably less this year, as my wife is the "old lady" you hear about who truly only drives her car to church and the grocery store. and i'm fixing up another bike with a basket so she can ride to the grocery store less than a mile from our house. hopefully it limits what she buys while she is there...

[Westernskies]

Quote:

Originally Posted by youbet You're gona be dead a long time.

Maybe, maybe not.... I want to come back as Purron's cat.

[Danmar]

For most of my life I drove cheap or older cars. Finally in my 50's I could afford the cars I wanted. Went a little crazy I guess. Fell in love with BMW's and bought M5/M6/X5/X3 all new in a 2 year period. Total about $450k. Will gradually replace these over time and some replacements may be a year or 2 old. These were not financially wise decisions but I sure enjoy driving them.

[Meadbh]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Danmar For most of my life I drove cheap or older cars. Finally in my 50's I could afford the cars I wanted. Went a little crazy I guess. Fell in love with BMW's and bought M5/M6/X5/X3 all new in a 2 year period. Total about $450k. Will gradually replace these over time and some replacements may be a year or 2 old. These were not financially wise decisions but I sure enjoy driving them.

You Crazy Canuck......but you seem to be in the minority!

Drive Poll - Bugatti - The Globe and Mail

[Nords]

I finally collected the numbers. Interesting exercise.

1981: 1981 Mazda GLC hatchback. Cost $6200 (full retail!), sold for in 1993 for $600. Our first and last new car.
1982: 1980 Plymouth Champ hatchback. Cost $3000, sold in 1993 for $600.
1989: 1988 Yugo during a temporary assignment. Paid $995, sold it five months later for... $995.
1993: 1990 Honda Civic. Cost $6700, poured $3000 into repairs in 2002, gave up & sold in 2002 for $2500. Also bought a 1990 Suzuki Swift for $4800, sold in 2001 for $1295.
1999: 1994 Ford Taurus station wagon. Bought for $8100, sold in 2006 for $600 (charitable donation).
2002: 1997 Nissan Altima. Bought for $7000.
2008: 2006 Toyota Prius. Bought for $21,500.

Total spent on cars before the Prius: $36,795.

Total spent on cars including the Prius: $58,295. (Part of the Prius' costs should be allocated to entertainment, not transportation...)

Net spent on cars: $54,705.

Looks like we tend to hold on to cars until they're about 12 years old, and we're the owners for 9-10 years of that. (It's become a lot easier to do over the last 25 years.) The Altima is about to exceed all those averages, but it's on deathwatch. If it survives another 69 days then we'll be empty-nesters and able to downsize to one car with few problems. If it dies then we're not going to bother fixing it.

We could be one-car owners indefinitely. In another 4-5 years, though, the EVs should be coming onto the used-car market, and with a photovoltaic array we could cut our gas bills by ~$1000/year...

[EllisWyatt]

We've taken a slightly different tack - we save up to buy a vehicle we REALLY like, maintain it carefully, then drive it until the wheels fall off..........
Which explains the 2001 Suburban (loaded) with 225k miles - still in great shape, a 1997 BMW Z3 w/ 45K miles (wife's pride and joy), 2005 F 150 w/ 70K miles (which I use to commute 700 miles each week), and a 2006 corvette w/ 70k miles (which I used to use to commute - great gas mileage, but a bithigh for maintenance)( Actually considered gettig a license plate that said "yesim50", but realized it was obvious). I'm on the road enough that I prefer to be comfortable
Our previous vehicles lasted between 150K and 250K before we gave up on them.
Only downside is that by the time we're through with a vehicle, there's not much residual value...

[Danmar]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Meadbh You Crazy Canuck......but you seem to be in the minority! Drive Poll - Bugatti - The Globe and Mail

Yes-I've gathered. I voted the middle one.

[NW-Bound]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Westernskies Maybe, maybe not.... I want to come back as Purron's cat.

Eh, don't be so sure, my friend! How do you know if Purron does not have her tomcats fixed?

[ziggy29]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NW-Bound Eh, don't be so sure, my friend! How do you know if Purron does not have her tomcats fixed?

Even better -- no kitten support to pay out.