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Wednesday, October 12, 2022

This is how much it costs to own a car in California

Owning a car doesn’t come at a low price, especially in some states.

As record inflation increased the costs of necessities — from groceries to clothing — a study from Insurify analyzed how much it costs to own a car in each state.

The study, published in August and before the recent gas price spike, is based on the average cost of insurance, property taxes, gas and repairs. The website did not calculate leases or car loan expenses since that can vary for each person.

*****

Yeah, I'm not buying that bullshit.
Here, my annual registration costs are about a fifth of what it would've been had I stayed in California, I have no smog check, my insurance is a little less and gas is about half of what Californians pay.
My repair costs have been through the roof these past couple years, but that's only because of the age of my truck - I drive a 2001 F-150 and in the past couple years I've put in a new transmission, new fuel pump and a new engine due to its age. 

24 comments:

  1. I dont know what kind of insurance they have or where they got the quote, but $2000 a year for an Accord in Florida is way high. we have comp, collision, uninsured motorist, and 250k in liability and don't pay that much for two cars.

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  2. If you buy a $50k truck in California, registration is over $4k a year... plus smog.....

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    1. You have to smog new vehicles in California now? It used to be only 4 or more years old as I recall.

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    2. Don't forget that you pay "commercial rates" for a pickup truck, even if you use it to tow a personal fishing boat.

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    3. WTF? $4k/year for the privilege to use your own truck?
      MadMarlin

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    4. It's why people who bought El Caminos couldn't put surf boards in the back. You could put a hard cover on it and put a 'roof rack' and carry that way, but anything in the bed made it a 'commercial' vehicle.

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    5. Where the hell do you live that you're paying that? I live in Southern California and bought a new Tundra in 2020 for $50k and my annual registration bill is $700, which is plenty outrageous enough. But $4k for a 1/2 ton pickup? Never heard of that.

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    6. My 2018 Ram 2500 Diesel was "only" $700 here in Californistan.

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  3. I dropped full coverage on my 2009 Pontiac Torrent, with 130,000 miles, to what used to be called PL/PD. Here in Michigan, we have No Fault insurance, where your insurance pays to fix your own car. And we always had what was a catastrophic care fund, to cover those who were paralyzed and need lifetime care. Just a couple of years ago, the insurance companies and some others got together and made it so you could opt out of that coverage, putting a cap on it for yourself.
    I have a neighbor whose son was filling his car up with gas, and a drunk driver ran off the road, hitting him and putting him in a lifetime state of a wheelchair, and half of his mental capacity. Without the coverage of insurance to take care of him, he would not be able to have what he does. Because of the insurance coverage, he is able to visit his family, and he lives in a place where they give him the ability to be in a setting where he gets the best of care while allowing him to live the best life someone in his condition can.
    You can bet that my wife and I carry that extra coverage which cost about a hundred dollars per year extra. The drunk driver who hit Danny, who was 22 years old, and had a beautiful girlfriend, got 7 years in jail, and was out in half of that. The girlfriend stayed with him for a couple of years, but eventually she moved on. Nobody was upset with her, I thought that she did well to stick by him for as long as she did.

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  4. I work for a Dealership and have for many years now. I can assure you even with higher than usual maintenance bills on your 01 pickup you are still saving money. Lot's of people will try and convince you otherwise, lots of people will use the myth that older cars cost more to justify buying themselves a new vehicle they want and maybe after a certain amount of time older vehicles do indeed cost more to maintain but I assure everyone they can do a lot of repairs for the price of that payment and higher insurance. Even more if you get an employee rate :)

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  5. Keep that truck running until it rusts away under you. You have already hit the 2 biggies, engine and transmission.

    Keep replacing things... Beats hell out of mrw truck payments.

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    1. It's nickel and diming me now. I just got it out of the shop for a sticking brake caliper and a bad multi-function switch on the steering column.

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    2. I have a 2008 Dodge Avenger. Each year it is serviced and checked by a reputable mechanic. We have repair bills now and then but, believe me, it’s better than monthly payments for a new truck with all the computer crap and insurance costs. At least, if necessary, my other half can diagnose the problem. Keep fixing that 2001, when/if SHTF, you’re way ahead.

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  6. The cost of the used vs the new... Wirecutter, what did the truck cost plus the engine & transmission? Anything even close to what a new truck would have cost when you bought it?

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    1. Man... I think I gave my father-in-law $3500 and my Ranger for that truck about 8 years ago, and the replacements mentioned above ran me another 12 grand.
      When the engine was fixing to go, I started checking prices on trucks and they were all over $30k for vehicles that had over 100k miles on them. I decided a new engine would be cheaper, especially since I had replaced the tranny the year before.

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    2. I am so glad that I am somewhat mechanically inclined . When I was 4 I was fetching wrenches for my Grandfather when He was fixing on stuff on the farm . I knew what a 9/16 wrench was before I knew the alphabet . So I'm lucky I am able to figure out stuff and fix things I've had maintenance jobs and learned a lot from watching and listening to the old farts . I can do most of my own repairs ,providing there isnt a huge snowdrift under my shade tree.(note to self , look into finding a shop)Trading out an engine wasn't that bad of a job with a bit of help and the right equipment , but things have gotten so computer infested that vehicles are harder to work on and getting worse every day. If you have a decent older ride keep her for as long as you can. That "Cash for Clunkers" deal ruined a lot of nice rides that would probably still be moving people today. One of the most wasteful things Iv'e ever seen.

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  7. When I moved from rural south GA 30 years ago to metro Atlanta my insurance and taxes doubled but there was the addition of a vehicle inspection. Now that I am retired I am looking to move back to rural south GA.

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  8. Just renewed the tags on Rusty (02 Chevy 1500 that I bought in 06) yesterday, $63.50 for two year sticker. Not sure about the insurance cost as it is bundled in with everything else. Inspection fee was $12.00. 349,840 miles on it, I will replace/fix whatever it needs. It doesn't owe me a damn thing.

    High Tech Redneck

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  9. I’ve always used the $1,000 per year rule.
    As long as the car maintenance doesn’t cost me an average over $1,000 per year I keep it going. So I still drive a 2001 Grand Caravan and a 2004 Dakota Crew Cab.
    The cheapest car you can drive is the one that is paid off.

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    1. I figure it costs $100 a month to maintain a vehicle, that's been a good ballpark number.

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  10. 2005 Saturn Vue 4cyl. Bought new for my wife. Had to fix the A/C 10 years ago and replace the head 2-3 years ago. Expensive to have fixed, but, cheaper than new. It's going to have to last me for many more years.

    Evil Franklin

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  11. Psst, Kenny - ditch the Fords; they're crap trucks. I bought a brand spankin' new F-150 in 1999, a shiny new Lariat. Hands down the worst new vehicle I've owned, and I've owned several, and the second worst vehicle overall including new and used. I'd make you a list of things that failed on that truck but I know you don't have the bandwidth. I've also heard the same thing from mechanics who've told me the F-150 is a piece of junk. Based on that experience I vowed I'd never own another Ford product again.

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    1. The only thing I've had gone wrong with that truck in the 8 years I've owned it that wasn't normal wear and tear was the power steering box right after I bought it and the turn signal switch I had replaced a couple weeks ago.
      Not bad for a crap truck, wouldn't you say?

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