monthly cost of car in a city

[rebeccavich]

So, I'm trying to figure out the monthly costs of having a car, roughly.  I know nothing on this topic.  But, assuming about $100 for parking, $150 for gas, $150 for insurance, and a $200 monthly payment, that's -- what?  -- $600/month?  Does that sound right to everybody?  Am I off?

Comments

[bmars]

How much will you need to drive? ZipCars maybe? Would save you a ton if you don't need it to commute.
-b

[rebeccavich]

The trick is, that not driving regularly and using Zipcars when I really want to puts me into the part of town that's both expensive and overrun by students. I'm trying to figure out which is cheaper -- getting a car and having more flexibility about where to live, or not getting a car and living downtown. Frankly, I think I'd prefer the downtown + occasional zipcar option, but I'm trying to be responsible about my finances and trying to figure out what's best.

[mrsmetallian]

That seems high to me, but it might depend how much you drive it. I don't think I go over $50/month for gas, my insurance is probably a third of what you're suggesting (but then, it's Wisconsin), and while I might complain about paying WAY too much for parking, it's less than that (but again, it's not downtown: Metallian does pay about that much). I've always bought used cars and never had a payment plan so I can't judge that. Unexpected repairs can sometimes add up.

[rebeccavich]

Okay. So, let's estimate $50/gas, $100 for insurance (average of what you're telling me and what my brother pays in Boston), parking is accurate because it's $40 at the school and about $50 at several of the buildings I've looked at. That's $250. As far as monthly payments -- I have no particular objections to buying a used car (my parents do, but that's a different story), but even if so -- I don't have any savings, so I'd have to do a payment plan.

[anonymous]

Maintenance is also a consideration, and tends to scale with the age of the car. Given your relative inexperience, I wouldn't want to rely on avoiding nasty surprises due to collision, either. I don't mean to knock your particular aptitude for the skill; I had over 10 accidents as a young driver. I'd advise you to expect some difficulties and not beat yourself up about it too badly if they happen.

[haeddre]

I average $200 a month for gas given current prices ($50 a tank, I go through a tank a week, it was more like $30/tank a few months ago), which will depend on how much you drive. I pay $1250 a year for insurance with a good driver discount, but LA insurance is expensive--it will depend on your city. Assume at least $50 every 3 months for oil changes, but that usually turns into $100-200 with all the other maintenance crap they will talk you into because you're a girl and have never owned a car before and won't be able to tell when you really need to do what they are saying and when it is just bullshit. Also, factor in paying taxes on any car you buy, plus registration fees every year (mine are usually like $200 something). And you need to plan on repairs/maintenance unless you get a relatively new used car--I was average from $2,000 to $4,000 a year by the time I got rid of my "old" used car. If I got out of the repair shop with a bill under $1200, I thought it was a cheap trip, and I was pretty good at telling them "No, I don't

[rebeccavich]

Ah. My parents are actually arguing for a new car, and a new car lease, because it would mean payments but no maintenance/repairs to speak of (until I do something to it, which yes, I do expect I will).

I find that it's an interesting argument.

[wanderinggeek]

$150 a month for insurance seems a little high

[rebeccavich]

The problem is that the college is essentially in suburbia. The only way to get to it from downtown, without a car, is to take the shuttle, which only goes once an hour. The shuttle only goes to one place downtown, to the area where apartments are about $1100 right now, will go up some unknown amount ($100, $300?) before August. There are some apts that are still downtown-ish, but not on the shuttle, that are like $700, $800?. Because the shuttle only goes downtown once an hour, taking public transportation to the shuttle and then taking the shuttle would mean like a one-hour commute each way on public transportation. By car it's 15 minutes. That's the dilemma -- will $700/800 + car be cheaper than $1300? $1400/month?

[mdrnprometheus]

I think that the $1300 will be cheaper, based on my experience in Seattle, which is less good at transit/green than Portland. You will also enjoy Portland much more and meet many more eligible bachelors living downtown. The other thing you need to potentially factor in: ride sharing. Plenty of people who DO have cars would be very happy to have someone ride with them and defer gas costs...