Old Audi's worth keeping ? was:Dead Puppy

[Fred Munro]

I also put on high daily miles, Jim, and having a car I enjoy driving is
also high on my list of priorities. You are bang on in your assessment of
the financial folly of using a new car as a high mileage daily driver.

Fred Munro
'94 S4
----- Original Message -----
From: "james accordino" <ssgacc at yahoo.com>
To: <one at humanspeakers.com>
Cc: "audi list" <quattro at audifans.com>
Sent: Friday, February 15, 2002 6:29 PM
Subject: Re: Old Audi's worth keeping ? was:Dead Puppy


> 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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