Budgeting For Maintenance

We all do our best to budget for scheduled maintenance. The part that is tough to plan for are unexpected repairs. With proper maintenance, our vehicles can stay on the road longer than ever before. That’s partly because of approved vehicle design and manufacturing quality. But some of those improvements also lead to higher repair costs.

If you are looking for some help budgeting repair costs, www.Edmunds.com has a tool that can do just that.

Let’s say you own a used Honda Civic- a fairly popular car. You have paid it off and want to keep it running for the next three years. You can go to Edmunds’ True Cost to Own calculator and enter your vehicles data. The calculator will then provide estimates on what the service and repair costs may be for the next few years. The estimate is based on where you live, what you drive, and the manufacturers’ recommendations for your specific make and model.

Of course these are just estimates- there is no way to 100% predict what is actually going to happen to your car. The point of using estimators like this is that it is a good starting point. The calculator also has estimates for depreciation, financing, insurance, taxes and fuel costs.

The table below shows that the average monthly cost of maintenance and repair is $83. That may sound like a lot but it is not much compared to a new car payment!

So based on the table, if you set aside $83 or so a month, you’d go a long way taking care of routine maintenance and being prepared for unexpected repairs.

You don’t have to be scared into buying a new car because of problems that may arise with your old car. If you maintain your older vehicle, you’ll save a lot of money on car payments and insurance. It really just makes sense economically!

Contact your local NAPA AutoCare Center today to learn when it is time get quality NAPA replacement parts.

Posted July 10th, 2014