# Calculating True Cost of a car **URL:** \ **Category:** General Discussion\ **Created:** [September 29, 2025, 1:10pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/calculating-true-cost-of-a-car/204162 "2025-09-29T13:10:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![pheaney2\_195411](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8dc957/32.png) [@pheaney2\_195411](https://community.cartalk.com/u/pheaney2_195411)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2025, 1:10pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/calculating-true-cost-of-a-car/204162/1 "2025-09-29T13:10:11Z")
I’m about to buy a new-to-me used car. Does anyone know of any spreadsheet templates or similar where I could track the full cost of owning/using the car for as long as I have it? I’m thinking: Initial Cost Maintenance Gas Trying to decide if I would include ongoing State Registration fees. What other categories do I need to include? ---
**Author:** ![VOLVO-V70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8e8cbc/32.png) [@VOLVO-V70](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VOLVO-V70)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2025, 1:14pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/calculating-true-cost-of-a-car/204162/2 "2025-09-29T13:14:21Z")
This is simple. You just keep a list of vehicle cost and every time you spend money related to that vehicle when it is gone then you will have the cost of owning that vehicle. ---
**Author:** ![TwinTurbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8baadc/32.png) [@TwinTurbo](https://community.cartalk.com/u/TwinTurbo)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2025, 1:23pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/calculating-true-cost-of-a-car/204162/3 "2025-09-29T13:23:00Z")
> [@pheaney2\_195411](#): > > Initial Cost > Maintenance > Gas > > Trying to decide if I would include ongoing State Registration fees. It’s a cost, it should be included. One thing left out- **Insurance** Do you have personal property taxes there? ---
**Author:** ![TwinTurbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8baadc/32.png) [@TwinTurbo](https://community.cartalk.com/u/TwinTurbo)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2025, 1:24pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/calculating-true-cost-of-a-car/204162/4 "2025-09-29T13:24:39Z")
Well, editing existing posts seem to be broken. Adding- Do you have personal property taxes there? ---
**Author:** ![pheaney2\_195411](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8dc957/32.png) [@pheaney2\_195411](https://community.cartalk.com/u/pheaney2_195411)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2025, 1:34pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/calculating-true-cost-of-a-car/204162/5 "2025-09-29T13:34:27Z")
No personal property taxes, but annual registration fee in IL is nearly $200! Insurance is a great point, but also changes so much based on where you live, how many drivers you have on your policy, etc. I know it is necessary as a cost to drive the car, but… I was hoping to get a baseline for future vehicles and to compare notes with others. What do you think? Would insurance fluctuate too much person to person or location to location? ---
**Author:** ![pheaney2\_195411](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8dc957/32.png) [@pheaney2\_195411](https://community.cartalk.com/u/pheaney2_195411)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2025, 1:35pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/calculating-true-cost-of-a-car/204162/6 "2025-09-29T13:35:42Z")
True, it is simple to keep track of those expenses. I’m hoping to build a spreadsheet that will calculate my cost per day and cost per mile as I use the vehicle. Eventually I want to compare ‘buying new or nearly new’ with ‘buying 10-15 years old’ and see how maintenance affects the true cost over time you drive the car. ---
**Author:** ![VOLVO-V70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8e8cbc/32.png) [@VOLVO-V70](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VOLVO-V70)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2025, 1:38pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/calculating-true-cost-of-a-car/204162/7 "2025-09-29T13:38:44Z")
> [@pheaney2\_195411](#): > > I was hoping to get a baseline for future vehicles and to compare notes with others. What do you think? Baseline for future vehicles ? That would be so different from state to state to be worthless. Insurance cost can vary even in the same state . ---
**Author:** ![TwinTurbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8baadc/32.png) [@TwinTurbo](https://community.cartalk.com/u/TwinTurbo)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2025, 1:41pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/calculating-true-cost-of-a-car/204162/8 "2025-09-29T13:41:00Z")
> [@pheaney2\_195411](#): > > Would insurance fluctuate too much person to person or location to location? Yes, significantly. The below will also have a huge impact. I don’t know anyone that will forego collision coverage on a new car but I know lots of people that do on used cars…Those costs add up and can drive the decision between new and used. > [@pheaney2\_195411](#): > > Eventually I want to compare ‘buying new or nearly new’ with ‘buying 10-15 years old’ and see how maintenance affects the true cost over time you drive the car. ---
**Author:** ![Mustangman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mustangman/32/44130_2.png) [@Mustangman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Mustangman)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2025, 2:01pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/calculating-true-cost-of-a-car/204162/9 "2025-09-29T14:01:47Z")
> [@pheaney2\_195411](#): > > Eventually I want to compare ‘buying new or nearly new’ with ‘buying 10-15 years old’ and see how maintenance affects the true cost over time you drive the car. I did that when I bought my first new car… and the second… But the data only related to ME, and no one else so I gave it up. Maintenance is a predictable thing… Follow the manufacturer’s recommended service and calculate cost. The problem comes in anticipating failures (which is not maintenance) that are anticipated or completely random. If you buy a new car with a warranty, there is no cost for random failures, only maintenance, if you sell at the end of the warranty period (say 4 years). This is the most expensive way to buy a car because of the depreciation. Low cost out of pocket while you own it, high cost when you sell it. A used car just out of warranty might have only limited random failures or could stick you with a BIG ($$$) failure because of poor quality or poor previous maintenance. You are buying a cheaper-per-mile car but greater risk. That risk can be minimized by keeping the car only 4 years. Both of the last 2 examples assume full coverage insurance. Or you can buy an 8 year old used car (my word got censored - and it was not a bad word, just the term we use for VERY used cars), skip the full coverage, but assume greater risk of that BIG failure. That big failure, like a semi-serious your-fault accident could mean you junk the car. Or that car could run another 4 years with no issues more than maintenance. Consider those 3 cases all have their plusses and minuses but no amount of record keeping will help you predict the future risks. Heck, if you try each of the 3, it will take 12 years of data collection but only give you 3 samples. It might satisfy your curiosity, but it won’t help you plan future purchases. ---
**Author:** ![MikeInNH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a587f6/32.png) [@MikeInNH](https://community.cartalk.com/u/MikeInNH)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2025, 2:03pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/calculating-true-cost-of-a-car/204162/10 "2025-09-29T14:03:29Z")
> [@pheaney2\_195411](#): > > Insurance is a great point, but also changes so much based on where you live EVERYTHING changes on where you live - Insurance, gas, repairs, taxes and even gas mileage is dependent upon where you live and travel. All you can do is estimate. [Cost of Car Ownership - 5-Year Cost Calculator | Edmunds.com](https://www.edmunds.com/tco.html) [AAA Estimate Vehicle Ownership Costs](https://www.aaa.com/autorepair/drivingcosts) ---
**Author:** ![davesmopar](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/davesmopar/32/41750_2.png) [@davesmopar](https://community.cartalk.com/u/davesmopar)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2025, 2:15pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/calculating-true-cost-of-a-car/204162/11 "2025-09-29T14:15:48Z")
I think you might be looking for something like this.. Check this app out, I see lots of members on another forum using it, I use it for gas only, but others use it for maintenance and stuff, I don’t know how deep it goes into total cost, but you can share it as well as look at others like yours… > **[Fuelly - Track and Compare your MPG](https://www.fuelly.com/)** > > Fuelly allows you to tracks your gas mileage over time, helping you calculate fuel expenses as you drive. I haven’t used the phone app yet, but here is a screenshot of it on my Android… (downloaded, just don’t use it) ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/original/3X/a/a/aa578fb2193c77b7ae6bed4033a745320ef7f56f.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![pheaney2\_195411](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8dc957/32.png) [@pheaney2\_195411](https://community.cartalk.com/u/pheaney2_195411)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2025, 3:20pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/calculating-true-cost-of-a-car/204162/12 "2025-09-29T15:20:50Z")
Thanks for the great discussion everyone. The reality is yes, this only applies to me… but am I correct in thinking that if buying a 10 year old used car proves to be cheaper than a 3 year old used car, that would true whether someone lives in New York City or in a cornfield? Yes, there specific costs would be different, but the relative costs should change similarly? I am thinking correctly here? Or what am I missing? ---
**Author:** ![VOLVO-V70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8e8cbc/32.png) [@VOLVO-V70](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VOLVO-V70)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2025, 3:30pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/calculating-true-cost-of-a-car/204162/13 "2025-09-29T15:30:03Z")
> [@pheaney2\_195411](#): > > Or what am I missing? What you are missing is the fact that used vehicles can either have zero ploblems or very expensive problems . My personal thought is buy new and drive it until it is worn out . You are making this way too difficult . ---
**Author:** ![Mustangman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mustangman/32/44130_2.png) [@Mustangman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Mustangman)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2025, 4:19pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/calculating-true-cost-of-a-car/204162/14 "2025-09-29T16:19:36Z")
> [@pheaney2\_195411](#): > > but am I correct in thinking that if buying a 10 year old used car proves to be cheaper than a 3 year old used car, that would true whether someone lives in New York City or in a cornfield Generally yes, but there are too many considerations that can change that… A 10 year old car in NY is likely beat due to poor streets, heavy traffic and the real killer - salted roads rusting the car to death. A 10 year old NY car might only have a life left of 2 years where a 10 year old car from an Alabama cornfield might be nearly rust free and can go on for another 10 years. Car make and model can also have a huge effect… We loved our Saab but the company no longer exists and parts were an issue so it would not be a wise buy. A 3 year old Fiat Abarth might be ready for the scrap heap because it was poor quality junk when new. Maintenance history can also have a huge effect… a 2015 Toyota Corolla with 100K miles might normally be a great choice if the previous owners changed the oil, brake fluid and transmission fluid regularly and repaired things promptly… If they did not, or it was a flood car, it could be a disastrous buy. ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2025, 5:01pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/calculating-true-cost-of-a-car/204162/15 "2025-09-29T17:01:30Z")
For myself, I never tracked gas, an insurance costs. Just never saw the need and too much of a hassle. I kept/keep good records of repair and maintenance costs though. Every 10,000 miles I would calculate the marginal cost per mile for those miles to see any patterns. I do th3 same for all my equipment, house etc. unless you just like to keep information, there needs to be a purpose for it. That’s how I figured that it makes no difference over the long haul if you buy new or used. Long haul to me is 3-500,000 miles per car, not a measly 100,000. ---
**Author:** ![jtsanders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c2a13f/32.png) [@jtsanders](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jtsanders)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2025, 5:05pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/calculating-true-cost-of-a-car/204162/16 "2025-09-29T17:05:13Z")
The Edmund’s calculator works for six year old vehicles and newer. The AAA calculator is for three year old cars and newer. It won’t work for a ten year old vehicle, but can give the OP an idea of how different vehicles compare to each other. It is likely that if a six year old car costs 20% less to operate over 5 years than a different one, then that 20% likely holds for a ten year old vehicle. I like the Edmunds True Cost to Own feature too for making purchasing decisions. I think I’d add something to the six year old car estimates for repairs since failures are much more likely in a 10+ year old vehicle. Another possibility is to take the last two years of the six year old car estimate (car age 10 and 11 years) annd average them. ---
**Author:** ![VOLVO-V70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8e8cbc/32.png) [@VOLVO-V70](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VOLVO-V70)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2025, 5:49pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/calculating-true-cost-of-a-car/204162/17 "2025-09-29T17:49:20Z")
Just to confuse this issue even more some 3 year old vehicles have such crazy asking prices plus the higher loan rates help make the case for a new purchase . ---
**Author:** ![It\_s-Me](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/it_s-me/32/12660_2.png) [@It\_s-Me](https://community.cartalk.com/u/It_s-Me)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2025, 6:11pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/calculating-true-cost-of-a-car/204162/18 "2025-09-29T18:11:06Z")
> [@pheaney2\_195411](#): > > Eventually I want to compare ‘buying new or nearly new’ with ‘buying 10-15 years old’ and see how maintenance affects the true cost over time you drive the car. Assuming your driving habits remain the same and the cars are similar, I don’t see where keeping track of maintenance and fuel are going to matter. They’re both going to need the same maintenance schedule. An $80 oil change every 6 months is an $80 oil change every 6 months $600 set of tires every 5 years $500 brake job every 5 years The only things that will be any difference will be initial cost and major failures, the older car may never have one, the newer car may need an engine or transmission in it’s first year. ---
**Author:** ![MikeInNH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a587f6/32.png) [@MikeInNH](https://community.cartalk.com/u/MikeInNH)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2025, 6:14pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/calculating-true-cost-of-a-car/204162/19 "2025-09-29T18:14:58Z")
> [@pheaney2\_195411](#): > > The reality is yes, this only applies to me… but am I correct in thinking that if buying a 10 year old used car proves to be cheaper than a 3 year old used car, that would true whether someone lives in New York City or in a cornfield? That’s a false premise. You’ll NEVER EVER be able to make that claim by YOU PERSONALLY collecting data. You need THOUSANDS if not HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of data points to be even somewhat accurate in your predictions. And your location will definitely matter. Availability of parts and qualified mechanics to work on it just to name a couple. ---
**Author:** ![texases](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/texases/32/862_2.png) [@texases](https://community.cartalk.com/u/texases)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2025, 6:56pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/calculating-true-cost-of-a-car/204162/20 "2025-09-29T18:56:45Z")
I bet most any analysis would show the cheaper way to own a car is to buy an older ‘second tier’ (not Toyota or Honda) in decent shape (10+ years old), keep up with maintenance, and drive it until a major repair comes along, then either dump and replace it or repair it, depending on the cost. The ‘keep a heap’ approach. Of course, you have to live with an increasingly-less-reliable vehicle. [Next page](https://community.cartalk.com/t/calculating-true-cost-of-a-car/204162.md?page=2)