Old Audi's worth keeping ? was:Dead Puppy

[james accordino]

Good Huw.  One other thing to add.  If you drive high
miles.  I mean REALLY high miles, what can you do
better than this?  A Merc turbo diesel?  Maybe?  I
currently drive about 260 miles a day.  At 25 or more
miles per gallon.  If you budget for repairs, fix
EVERYTHING that breaks or wears out "while you're in
there" (thanks Huw!) then after a while you'll have an
old shell with most every common wear item replaced.
I've gone both routes and the value you remove from a
new car with high mileage really offsets both its
newness and value.  Plus you still have to replace
items that wear anyway.  Tires, brakes, etc.  Doesn't
matter if it's an '02 Camry or Lexus or an old Audi.
If you drive 50, 60 or 80k miles, you'll need tires,
brakes, etc.  For me repairs, even quite extensive
ones cost much less than new car payments,
depreciation and the higher insurance coverages
mandated by the finance companies.

My $.02
Jim Accordino

--- Huw Powell <audi at mediaone.net> wrote:
>
> > >The way I
> > >see it, I could have a $300/mo car payment, or I
> can budget $300/mo to
> > >maintain my Audi.  The latter gives me a car I
> like to drive.
> >
> > I use the same argument. The problem arises when
> you commit to
> > $1500 (5 months of payments) to fix the tank and 3
> months later
> > something else breaks, thereby "adjusting" your
> payment schedule.
>
> If you keep records from the beginning, no car
> should do that to you,
> though.
>
> You've got the purchase price, amortize that monthly
> on one spreadsheet
> line.
>
> Then there's the money you had to put in right away,
> that starts you off
> with maybe a high monthly average maintenance cost -
> but could easily be
> added in to the purchase price.
>
> Over the years, the trouble free months will offset
> the big expenses -
> or at least they should - and get the long term
> numbers into line.
>
> My 90Q has been slowly creeping down form the just
> over $300 a month
> figure, under 250 now and still dropping.  I've got
> about the book value
> (allowing for body/paint work sort of) into it, but
> I have eurolights,
> new fuel tray parts, new radiator & stuff, 15"
> wheels, new clutch bits,
> and everything except the ABS (and the AC, but I
> ripped that out myself)
> works.  Of course if I factored in my labor it would
> be a darker
> picture...
>
> Parts cars can be entered as line items and as
> things are sold off them
> reduced to zero (I think it's cheating to go below
> zero on them against
> another car, that part pays off the trouble of
> parting them out), then
> they supply free parts.
>
> And what the heck does $250/month get you these
> days, even ignoring down
> payments and much higher insurance?  Certainly not a
> sophisticated piece
> of German engineering, more like a new Saturn.
> Which you're still
> making payments on when it is a rather old Saturn.
> By then, your Audi
> has had everything replaced w/new bits and is still
> as good as new!
>
> --
> Huw Powell
>
> http://www.humanspeakers.com/audi/
>
> http://www.humanthoughts.org/


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