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Cost of ownership
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Natedgr8gatsb
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Joined: February 15, 2021
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Location: Arkansas
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PostPosted: Tue May 11, 2021 9:40 am    Post subject: Cost of ownership Reply with quote

I am a new guy here, and have never actually bought my own car before. Never owned my own car is more accurate (shameful, I know, I'm trying to do something about it.

I was wondering if anyone had some information, sage advice, common knowledge, etc. about running costs (regular maintenance, as well as seasonal and yearly jobs) and/or insurance.

I know taxes, laws, and registration change from state to state (though if any Arkies want to chime in, that would be great Very Happy ), but at least general ideas, resources, and what companies I should be looking at or what companies or practices I should avoid.

Thank you so much,
Nate
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KTPhil Premium Member
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PostPosted: Tue May 11, 2021 9:49 am    Post subject: Re: Cost of ownership Reply with quote

Are you talking an old air-cooled VW, or any car in general?
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Natedgr8gatsb
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PostPosted: Tue May 11, 2021 10:38 am    Post subject: Re: Cost of ownership Reply with quote

For the beetle ideally, but any advice would be great.
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KTPhil Premium Member
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PostPosted: Tue May 11, 2021 11:12 am    Post subject: Re: Cost of ownership Reply with quote

The vintage VW can be an inexpensive car, or one of the most costly you can buy.

Body work is expensive, but assuming you are talking about recurring maintenance and repairs, here goes:

The difference its in how much of the work (and these cars need a LOT of work to run reliably) you can do yourself, considering your skills, tools, time, and facilities available.

If you can do all the maintenance (tune-up, lube, chassis adjustments) yourself, you can mitigate the high maintenance costs these labor-intensive cars require.

If you can do heavier work like brake jobs and engine removal, you can save on the larger expenses. Even if you don't tear the engine down, and just do removal, cleaning, and installation work yourself, instead of having a mechanic do it, you see a lot.
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vwinnovator
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PostPosted: Wed May 12, 2021 7:25 am    Post subject: Re: Cost of ownership Reply with quote

depends on the condition of what you start with..

Used worn out will cost a bit to bring back to "normal" condition..

Reconditioned/restored will cost more up front, and if it was done thoroughly, future maintenance will be minimal.

Basic tune ups/valve adjustments/oil changes...
Occasional brake adjustments..
generally are enough, yet more frequent than newer cars..

All the other maintenance issues/intervals are compatible to just about any car..

Wiper blades
Tires
light bulb replacements
wearing suspension components
Etc


Again though, it all depends on what condition you start with.....
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AirHead1966
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PostPosted: Wed May 12, 2021 8:10 am    Post subject: Re: Cost of ownership Reply with quote

Natedgr8gatsb wrote:
I am a new guy here, and have never actually bought my own car before. Never owned my own car is more accurate (shameful, I know, I'm trying to do something about it.

I was wondering if anyone had some information, sage advice, common knowledge, etc. about running costs (regular maintenance, as well as seasonal and yearly jobs) and/or insurance.



Not the advice you wanted to get from a classics car forum but you asked, so:

1. This will be your first car. Get something that is low maintenance. I recommend a nice Toyota or a Honda.
2. Buying a 50 year old car as your first car is a terrible idea. Others may disagree but I would not recommend it. You want something that you can get in, turn the key and go and not worry about maintaining too much.
3. Talk to your neighborhood insurance agent. Find out what the rates will be for the kind of car you can afford.
4. Don't buy anything that is more than you can afford - in payments, gas and maintenance - no matter what the salesman, your friends or anyone else tells you. Only you know what you can afford.
5. Don't buy anything for which there aren't plenty of good mechanics where you live.
6. This will be your only car so buy something that you can jump in and go wherever you need to go without thinking about it - doesn't matter if it is 5 miles or 3000 miles. Hint a 50-some year old car is not the right choice for that but a Toyota or a Honda is.


Good luck.
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vwinnovator
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PostPosted: Wed May 12, 2021 8:24 am    Post subject: Re: Cost of ownership Reply with quote

AirHead1966 wrote:
Natedgr8gatsb wrote:
I am a new guy here, and have never actually bought my own car before. Never owned my own car is more accurate (shameful, I know, I'm trying to do something about it.

I was wondering if anyone had some information, sage advice, common knowledge, etc. about running costs (regular maintenance, as well as seasonal and yearly jobs) and/or insurance.



Not the advice you wanted to get from a classics car forum but you asked, so:

1. This will be your first car. Get something that is low maintenance. I recommend a nice Toyota or a Honda.
2. Buying a 50 year old car as your first car is a terrible idea. Others may disagree but I would not recommend it. You want something that you can get in, turn the key and go and not worry about maintaining too much.
3. Talk to your neighborhood insurance agent. Find out what the rates will be for the kind of car you can afford.
4. Don't buy anything that is more than you can afford - in payments, gas and maintenance - no matter what the salesman, your friends or anyone else tells you. Only you know what you can afford.
5. Don't buy anything for which there aren't plenty of good mechanics where you live.
6. This will be your only car so buy something that you can jump in and go wherever you need to go without thinking about it - doesn't matter if it is 5 miles or 3000 miles. Hint a 50-some year old car is not the right choice for that but a Toyota or a Honda is.


Good luck.


While this could be good advice...

Don't let the age of a car discourage you..

you can have a "new" car in an old shell based on your budget.

I've seen just as many worn out 20yr old hondas and toyotas needing $1000's to get them back into shape.
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my59
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PostPosted: Wed May 12, 2021 3:49 pm    Post subject: Re: Cost of ownership Reply with quote

All of the above is good advice.
The IRS figures milage at about $0.57 per mile, includes insurance, upkeep and purchase costs.
You want to get the most dependable thing you can afford, and have a dedicated fund to pay for upkeep. How much do you think you will drive it, and how much time do you have to do upkeep?
My first car was a 71 mg midget, and it was a cesspool I poured my wages into, having no living expenses. Glorious when it ran, the biggest POS bad idea I ever had when it didnt.
I've been rolling 300d Mercedes since the mid 90's (with a 190e 5 speed in there for a while) and the most expensive cost 1k to buy. Having gotten over the learning curve of knowing how to keep them going has been the key. They look like crap, but do the job. No working ac, or cuise control, loud, and folks get out of the way because it's obvious that their new plastic bumpers will not survive.
If I didn't know how to maintain them and depended on a mechanic to do everything, I wouldn't touch one as a first car.
Meanwhile, we keep a 2012 VW jetta as the long haul car, now with 230k on it. Was dealer maintained until 200k, but my wife's business paid for it.
Toyota corolla is where I'd be looking if it was my firsdidn't.
Toys come later. That's why you see old fucks like me driving cool cars.
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my59: Well son, my grandfather died before I got to drive it, so does that answer your question?
our79: sunroof bus w/camper interior and 2.0 FI
Other:'12 Jetta, '77 Benz 300D, and a 74 MG Midget.
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cbeck
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Joined: January 14, 2014
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Location: high ridge, mo
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PostPosted: Wed May 12, 2021 5:52 pm    Post subject: Re: Cost of ownership Reply with quote

If you have to ask how much.....
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My cut in half and rebuild thread
www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=647779
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