Pickup Philosophy Question

[Soundguy]

Pocket change?? Then you've got a lot bigger pocket than I have.:laughing: Of course, I know I'm one of the few that actually keeps track of everything a vehicle costs, and most people would be greatly surprised (in fact, probably wouldn't even believe it) if they knew what a vehicle actually costs.

I'm currently driving a 2001 Ford Ranger pickup, 4-dr SuperCab, loaded with all the options. It was 3 years old with 36k miles on it when I bought it for $13,503.79 including tax, title, & license. And I have a spreadsheet with everything I've spent on it, gasoline, oil & filters, tires, insurance, even wash jobs ($5 today). It now has just over 90k miles on it and if I scrapped it today with zero salvage, it would have cost m $353.05 a month or $0.55 a mile. If I could get Kelly Blue Book "good condition" trade-in value for it, then it would only have cost me $252.53 a month or $0.43 a mile.

I'd be surprised myself if many people are doing any better than that, but for me that ain't pocket change.:laughing: And I actually expect the little truck to last the rest of my lifetime.

what's the numbers look like minus gas and oil and wash jobs and spare parts.

any vehicle you own is going to need those.

 

[Bird]

what's the numbers look like minus gas and oil and wash jobs and spare parts.

any vehicle you own is going to need those.

Yes, any vehicle will need those, but I haven't calculated exactly what you're asking. And I'll admit I may spend a little more on my vehicles than some people because I do believe in "preventive" maintenance, and now that I'm back in town, I let a Ford dealer do all the service, including a fairly long list every 30k miles. In fact, the 28th of last month I spent $675.97 on the Ranger at the Ford dealer; oil change, oil filter, air filter, flush the coolant system, flush the transmission, pack front wheel bearings when they replaced the front brake pads, turned the rotors, cleaned and adjusted the rear brakes, and fixed the driver's power window (some loose parts in the door). I don't wait until it has a problem before having it serviced.

 

[WilliamBos]

That is only 6700 miles per year. That is why your cost of ownership is so high.

Pocket change?? Then you've got a lot bigger pocket than I have.:laughing: Of course, I know I'm one of the few that actually keeps track of everything a vehicle costs, and most people would be greatly surprised (in fact, probably wouldn't even believe it) if they knew what a vehicle actually costs.

I'm currently driving a 2001 Ford Ranger pickup, 4-dr SuperCab, loaded with all the options. It was 3 years old with 36k miles on it when I bought it for $13,503.79 including tax, title, & license. And I have a spreadsheet with everything I've spent on it, gasoline, oil & filters, tires, insurance, even wash jobs ($5 today). It now has just over 90k miles on it and if I scrapped it today with zero salvage, it would have cost m $353.05 a month or $0.55 a mile. If I could get Kelly Blue Book "good condition" trade-in value for it, then it would only have cost me $252.53 a month or $0.43 a mile.

I'd be surprised myself if many people are doing any better than that, but for me that ain't pocket change.:laughing: And I actually expect the little truck to last the rest of my lifetime.

 

[PapaPerk]

Pick-up trucks are a lifestyle.... :thumbsup:

 

[MossRoad]

Some cost you more than others. Our car is averaging about 30 cents a mile while our Suburban is much higher.

Back in 2008 Bird and I had this discussion and at that time our van was costing us $1.10 per mile because of how little we were driving it. The 2nd car is the one that costs the most, it seems. Even if it is sitting, it is costing you money.

Here's part of that conversation:
The reason our van costs so much per mile is that we rarely drive it. One day a week my wife goes to work early, so I have to drive the van. Most other days we ride together. So, the van sits there, with insurance a few hundred bucks a year and plates another fifty or so, plus an annual oil change. So even if I never drive it, it costs us about 4-5 hundred a year. 10m per week X 50 weeks a year = 500 miles per year. Divide that by $500 dollars a year in costs = a dollar a mile. Yikes!

 

[WilliamBos]

Pick-up trucks are a lifestyle.... :thumbsup:

For some they are a necessity. Unless I can write it off, I do not track the costs.

 

[sandybeach]

Wash job? What's a wash job?

 

[WilliamBos]

Wash job? What's a wash job?

When it rains...LOL.

 

[Bird]

Wash job? What's a wash job?

Wow! I have washed the truck a few times in the driveway myself and showed no cost for the water.:laughing: However, I just took a look and found that I've paid $348 for 66 wash jobs for that truck. A couple were $3 drive throughs, but most were $5 at the Star Car Wash; drive through without getting out, but they towel dry it then. I do the vacuuming myself and when I recently spilled a cup of coffee in the floor, I used our Hoover Steam Vac to clean all the carpets.

 

[sandybeach]

You can tell if it's a necessity or a lifestyle:

• shine vs. dirt
• smooth body vs. dents
• neat vs. cluttered
• sparkly clean windows vs. doggie nose-prints on the windows
• well-groomed driver vs. scruffy-looking driver
• nice carpet vs. worn-out floor mats
• same color on all exterior parts vs. mismatched panels, doors, etc.
• bumper stickers ?
• beverage stains ?
• tools tossed in the cab ?
• dings in windshield, fog lamps, taillights
• amount of dirt, dust, grass, etc. that blows out of bed when driving
• actual, well-used gun - or tools - in rifle rack
• too new to be antique, but not by much (truck, not driver) (OK, both)
• size of ball on hitch

By the way - I may have the ultimate mismatched body parts (on one of my trucks, not me): Ford Ranger seats and Ford Ranger tailgate on a Mazda ... or as my better half calls it, a hybrid.

I could go on, but I'll bet other readers have better clues than I do.