Total cost of ownership
#1
Total cost of ownership
I recently bought my truck and I love it. I love working on it, driving it, looking at it, etc. I paid $3k for it.
I don't really /need/ this truck. I don't use it for work, and I rarely use the carrying/towing capacity, though when I do it's quite handy.
It seems to be getting about 15 mpg, which I think I can hike up a bit by driving it a little softer plus some of the techniques mentioned elsewhere on this forum. What I'm wondering about is total cost of ownership.
On the plus side, I paid comparatively little for the truck (compared to a newer low maintenance car), and it seems quite cheap, for the most part, to get parts for this thing. On the down side, there is the poorer mpg, and the fact that it needs work fairly often (though I'm hoping frequency of stuff breaking goes down once I baby it for awhile--I think it was a little neglected).
So considering all this, and whatever else, how do you folks think about the total cost of ownership of older trucks like ours, as compared to a more fuel efficient car?
I don't really /need/ this truck. I don't use it for work, and I rarely use the carrying/towing capacity, though when I do it's quite handy.
It seems to be getting about 15 mpg, which I think I can hike up a bit by driving it a little softer plus some of the techniques mentioned elsewhere on this forum. What I'm wondering about is total cost of ownership.
On the plus side, I paid comparatively little for the truck (compared to a newer low maintenance car), and it seems quite cheap, for the most part, to get parts for this thing. On the down side, there is the poorer mpg, and the fact that it needs work fairly often (though I'm hoping frequency of stuff breaking goes down once I baby it for awhile--I think it was a little neglected).
So considering all this, and whatever else, how do you folks think about the total cost of ownership of older trucks like ours, as compared to a more fuel efficient car?
#2
Senior Member
Truck cost: $1600
New rear leaf spring shackle: $45
New U-Joints: $20
New clutch Master Cylinder: $80
New tires(my choice): $800
Only being stranded in the truck once, in downtown: Priceless lol
I've had my truck for 3 years now and haven't had any major issues. A lot of trips on the highways and back roads of the Northwest and she just keeps going. I think the reliability of these trucks far outweigh gas mileage of a small car. The general convenience of having a truck as well outweighs gas mileage.
New rear leaf spring shackle: $45
New U-Joints: $20
New clutch Master Cylinder: $80
New tires(my choice): $800
Only being stranded in the truck once, in downtown: Priceless lol
I've had my truck for 3 years now and haven't had any major issues. A lot of trips on the highways and back roads of the Northwest and she just keeps going. I think the reliability of these trucks far outweigh gas mileage of a small car. The general convenience of having a truck as well outweighs gas mileage.
#3
Salvage Yard Pro
Truck - hand me down which I got in 1998. 189k miles right now. No issues except for a shifter bushing that I may never replace.
Tires - 1 set in 110k miles =$300
Had to fix - IAC Valve = $10
Other upgrades - maybe $300
Maintenance - I do my own plugs, wires, fluids. Maybe $150@year
Fuel costs $20-30 a week
Let's say $120@month in fuel, $150 in fluids a year = $1590 plus $700@year insurance = $2290@year
$6.27@day!
Let's say $300@month car note....$9.86@day by itself without fuel, maintenance or insurance. You do the math!
Tires - 1 set in 110k miles =$300
Had to fix - IAC Valve = $10
Other upgrades - maybe $300
Maintenance - I do my own plugs, wires, fluids. Maybe $150@year
Fuel costs $20-30 a week
Let's say $120@month in fuel, $150 in fluids a year = $1590 plus $700@year insurance = $2290@year
$6.27@day!
Let's say $300@month car note....$9.86@day by itself without fuel, maintenance or insurance. You do the math!
Last edited by unit505; 05-21-2013 at 11:06 AM.
#4
Senior Member
Truck - hand me down which I got in 1998. 189k miles right now. No issues except for a shifter bushing that I may never replace.
Tires - 1 set in 110k miles =$300
Had to fix - IAC Valve = $10
Other upgrades - maybe $300
Maintenance - I do my own plugs, wires, fluids. Maybe $150@year
Fuel costs $20-30 a week
Let's say $120@month in fuel, $150 in fluids a year = $1590 plus $700@year insurance = $2290@year
$6.27@day!
Let's say $300@month car note....$9.86@day by itself without fuel, maintenance or insurance. You do the math!
Tires - 1 set in 110k miles =$300
Had to fix - IAC Valve = $10
Other upgrades - maybe $300
Maintenance - I do my own plugs, wires, fluids. Maybe $150@year
Fuel costs $20-30 a week
Let's say $120@month in fuel, $150 in fluids a year = $1590 plus $700@year insurance = $2290@year
$6.27@day!
Let's say $300@month car note....$9.86@day by itself without fuel, maintenance or insurance. You do the math!
#5
Dodge+Ford = always ready
iv learned from my parents not to spend less then 1500 on a vehicle, 85% of the time you pay another 1500 keeping it on the road in the next year.
payed 4250 for my 250, iv put about $100 into misc parts and then you figure the gas, i spend about $300 a month right now, $60 for full coverage, free towing ect ect.
my f150 i payed 3500, new transmission for 1600, misc parts around 300, tires i got free pretty much, then totaled it out for 5,000 and kept the truck. 77$ for full coverage, same as 250.
so i think im doing pretty good so far, our dodge has only cost us $450 in 60k miles (ac compressor went out last week, starter a year ago, and cv axle u joint roughly a year ago) $51 full coverage same as other 2 trucks.
payed 4250 for my 250, iv put about $100 into misc parts and then you figure the gas, i spend about $300 a month right now, $60 for full coverage, free towing ect ect.
my f150 i payed 3500, new transmission for 1600, misc parts around 300, tires i got free pretty much, then totaled it out for 5,000 and kept the truck. 77$ for full coverage, same as 250.
so i think im doing pretty good so far, our dodge has only cost us $450 in 60k miles (ac compressor went out last week, starter a year ago, and cv axle u joint roughly a year ago) $51 full coverage same as other 2 trucks.
#6
Salvage Yard Pro
Kind of hard to say that you shouldn't spend less than X number of dollars when you talk about these trucks. I think the blue book on my '95 is only around $750 given it's mileage and options. It's actual worth to me to find an equal replacement is much higher. Upkeep is the key, not asking price.
I'd even buy a vehicle from Sean since he's always doing upkeep.....if he could label which make and model each part came from! Lol
I'd even buy a vehicle from Sean since he's always doing upkeep.....if he could label which make and model each part came from! Lol
Last edited by unit505; 05-22-2013 at 09:18 AM.
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#9
Senior Member
But selling your truck and getting a newer car isn't worth it unless your filling up twice a week. You have the price difference of the new vehicle, increased insurance ( mine went up $35 a month when I switched to a 2000 Jetta), parts cost more because there's no scrap yards, cars aren't as safe in an accident, trucks easier to fix/better built, the list goes on.
Last edited by 94FordI6; 05-22-2013 at 07:15 PM.
#10
Dodge+Ford = always ready
oh im not saying buy a brand new vehicle. all i was saying is in my experience, cars for under 1500 have alot of hidden issues. yes you can get good deals, especially if you know what to look for.
granted iv never bought a f150 for less then 1500, iv just watched my parents spend that again and again over the last 15 years, and non of the cars have lasted much more then 2 years, most never made it past a year.
granted iv never bought a f150 for less then 1500, iv just watched my parents spend that again and again over the last 15 years, and non of the cars have lasted much more then 2 years, most never made it past a year.