Math on having a second vehicle
I'm thinking about getting a little run around car instead of driving my Duramax as a DD. I drive about 200-250 miles a week and am looking as spending around $5000-$6000 on a little car. I would l...
Forum Discussion
Interesting discussion, and I think most of the points have been covered.
I am also in the "right tool for the job" camp. My truck (in signature) spends most of the time in the garage. While it is very comfortable to drive, I do not enjoy maneuvering and parking a 3500 crew dually long bed in town.
Sure, there is initial cost of a 2nd (or 3rd vehicle), but there is also a saving in depreciation of a more expensive tow vehicle. If you buy a car right, and it has 100,000 miles on it, and put another 50k on it, there is very little depreciation. If I put 50k additional miles on my truck, there is depreciation.
Maintenance is likely less on the smaller vehicle as well. Oil changes might be the same if you have a diesel with longer intervals, but expenses like tires will be much less. Tires on my truck will last around 40,000 miles (I am not one that gets 100,000 miles out of a set on my truck), and will cost in the neighborhood of $1200 to replace. A small car will get 60,000 or more miles out of a set, and likely be around $400 to replace.
And with how reliable vehicles are these days, repairs on a higher mileage "beater" aren't really a concern for me.
So, I think a lot of it comes down to personal preference. And the economical choice isn't always the right one - I think we can all appreciate that given that we all have a very expensive hobby in common. Owning an RV doesn't make much financial sense, does it?
I am also in the "right tool for the job" camp. My truck (in signature) spends most of the time in the garage. While it is very comfortable to drive, I do not enjoy maneuvering and parking a 3500 crew dually long bed in town.
Sure, there is initial cost of a 2nd (or 3rd vehicle), but there is also a saving in depreciation of a more expensive tow vehicle. If you buy a car right, and it has 100,000 miles on it, and put another 50k on it, there is very little depreciation. If I put 50k additional miles on my truck, there is depreciation.
Maintenance is likely less on the smaller vehicle as well. Oil changes might be the same if you have a diesel with longer intervals, but expenses like tires will be much less. Tires on my truck will last around 40,000 miles (I am not one that gets 100,000 miles out of a set on my truck), and will cost in the neighborhood of $1200 to replace. A small car will get 60,000 or more miles out of a set, and likely be around $400 to replace.
And with how reliable vehicles are these days, repairs on a higher mileage "beater" aren't really a concern for me.
So, I think a lot of it comes down to personal preference. And the economical choice isn't always the right one - I think we can all appreciate that given that we all have a very expensive hobby in common. Owning an RV doesn't make much financial sense, does it?
