Car running costs 1981 and now.

[joolz]

Recieved the latest Royal Auto mag today and came across this....

"then …
Considering the plight of “the overtaxed” motorist” who in 1981 had been hit by increased State Government charges on third party insurance premiums, registration fees and petrol tax:

“RACV has determined … the total annual running cost for a Ford Falcon (3.3-litre GL) is now $996.55 and for a Gemini (1.6-litre) $712.30.” – RoyalAuto, November 1981

… and now
It is estimated that costs associated with running a medium car are around $11,500, and a small car, about $9000 per year.

– RoyalAuto’s Driving Your Dollars Survey, July 2011"


Was a bit of a shock but not surprised as there are new charges and tax increases all the time not to mention being ripped at the bowser.

[Mr Hardware]

And here's average weekly earnings from 1981 to present
http://www.oesr.qld.gov.au/products/...-aus/index.php

[mik]

yes it is very much a luxury to operate a motor car these days, and it does not look like it will get cheaper either.

[mik]

Originally Posted by Mr Hardware

And here's average weekly earnings from 1981 to present
http://www.oesr.qld.gov.au/products/...-aus/index.php

i always take weekly earnings comparisons with a grain a salt so to speak, what weekly earnings does`nt show is how much of those earnings are disposable compared to x amount of years ago.
i suspect disposable income is a lot less today.

[2011G6E]

Funny...I seem to recall in 1982 petrol being 34 cents a liter when I started driving, and I was working a pretty ordinary job on a farm, 40+ hours a week, and bringing home $220 a week...I was 17. I had two cars for years (usually a four and a six, plus a motorbike), even on basic jobs, and my wife didn't work. We did it tough sometimes, but had it pretty good.

Then there was a loooong period where we had one car and a bike, and even on a four cylinder it was hard to get by sometimes when rego and insurance came. My job had changed and I was making a lot more, but bills just kept rising.
I can look back in my little car record books (where I wrote down every tankful and repairs) to about 1997 with our XC Fairmont GXL (back to '94 with one of my motorbikes, but the book eludes me at the moment), and the fuel in mid-1997 cost 72 cents a liter. In 2000, it cost 86 cents a liter, in 2003 it was up to 93 c/ltr. In the middle of 2005 it cracked a buck a liter. It's been up and down since then depending on who was fighting who and what OPEC was doing to screw us on oil supply.

Some peoples wages have stayed pretty stable with only slight rises, but some people have changed thier jobs and made a hell of a lot more (with the mining boom). I'm lucky to be making massively more than my last job, but even so, bills keep mounting up and thing seem more and more expensive.

Anyone got a link to graphs showing fuel costs and average car purchase prices over the years, compared to the "average wage"?

[BA-XT]

Originally Posted by joolz

It is estimated that costs associated with running a medium car are around $11,500, and a small car, about $9000 per year.

– RoyalAuto’s Driving Your Dollars Survey, July 2011".

Where do they get these costs from? Are they including depreciation on a brand new car? Maybe on a new car yes, but IMO if you can afford a new car then you're not doing it tough. But anyway I did some simple marhs on my BA:

FUEL

Say I travel 15,000km and the average fuel price is 1.40. Say I average 12L/100km. The total cost of fuel would be $2,520.

Servicing. Again new cars are more expensive and I can DYI the basic stuff. Say $200 per service twice a year from my mechanic. That's $400. If you're willing to pay $700 for what can be done for much cheaper by mechanics and not apprentices just to have your service booked stamped by Ford go for it.

Rego is $623 in Vic.
Insurance for me is about $750
Tyres say $200 again on wear and tear
Depreciation of my car say $1000 a year?

So that gives me a total of about $4,500 base. Then allow for things to go wrong.

I often see these running cost figures and think they aren't even warm. For the average Joe in a secondhand big Ford / Holden the running costs aren't $11,000 a year.

[Geez Louise]

I often look at the Australian Bureau of Statistics for information on past costs etc...it does interest me to an extent.

This is the link for information on 1981.

It has employment figures, cost of living, population etc. Chapter 20 relates to Transport.

Cheers
Col

[falconnut]

Petrol up my way is $1.47+ for regular unleaded 91

last year i spent at least 10k on buying, fixing and maintaining my car, and that was only since 7 months ago...

[GasoLane]

Originally Posted by Mr_BA2003

Where do they get these costs from? Are they including depreciation on a brand new car?

From memory they take everything into account, including regular dealer servicing and genuine parts. (That alone would bump up the running costs

[buggo]

Originally Posted by falconnut

Petrol up my way is $1.47+ for regular unleaded 91

last year i spent at least 10k on buying, fixing and maintaining my car, and that was only since 7 months ago...

I don't think buying would be included as a yearly running cost. You don't buy a new car each year then scrap it the next for no money and buy another one. A better way would be divide the cost of the car minus what you sell it for by the years you own it.

[Mr Hardware]

And i think they also include the cost of financing the vehicle too, which is why the figures quoted are so high.

[GasoLane]

Here ya go.......

http://www.mynrma.com.au/motoring/bu...ting-costs.htm

[302 XC]

Originally Posted by buggo_gt

I don't think buying would be included as a yearly running cost. You don't buy a new car each year then scrap it the next for no money and buy another one. A better way would be divide the cost of the car minus what you sell it for by the years you own it.

It would have to include the new car purchase somewhere in the equation
Wether it would be even the monthly payments to use as a guide
But if people totalled the depreciation over a 3 /5 year loan ,then totalled the running costs , including the massive loss of the car new at the time then 3/5 years later ,it would shock even the most faint hearted
Statistics are only ever based on an average,isnt the average Ks per year around the 15-20K a year ???

[GasoLane]

Originally Posted by 302 XC

It would have to include the new car purchase somewhere in the equation
Wether it would be even the monthly payments to use as a guide

No, they are talking Running or Operating costs after purchase, but including depreciation, see the link.

[mik]

i don`t think people are`nt taking into account , even if it does`nt cost you much this year or the next, you are putting wear and tear on the car all the time, your driveline & brakes are wearing, at 100,000 k`s you might need a water pump,fan belt, and a steering rack, engine timing belt if the car requires it,
tyres and wheel alignment/s, 150,000 an oil seal or two, tensioner pulleys, radiator, exhaust system, wheel bearings f+ r, 170,000 universal joints,shock absorbers, turbo, you drive the highways often, time for new windscreen every couple of years, + normal servicing,fuel ,rego, insurance, depreciation, incedentals,car washing,globes,etc,etc over the cars life i`d bet the figure probably is`nt that far off.

[SVR73]

no way would it cost $9000 to $11,000 per year for that
my AU has done 125,000 km and still has original radiator, two sets of tyres since I got it in 2004 with 40K on it. rear rotors and pads I put in in 2004 are still on the car and using them today. (i'm very light on brakes),

sure I've done minor things like lubricants, one new set of iridium plugs and new plug leads but still no rack replacement whatever. serpentine belt is going to get replaced because I feel its smart to do it now.

still got the original windscreen with no chips in it at all and I've travelled to speedways in QLD, NSW, VIC and here in SA more times that I can remember

count myself very lucky I guess. have never had an original exhaust however.

same for the AU forte I had from 1998 till 2004, never changed anything other than rack and lube's,plugs, tyres.
it does help when I do most of the servicing myselfand supply the parts myself which I get cheaper than retail to the shop that does the more complex stuff I cant or wont do. supplying the stuff makes it cheaper for sure. just had the coolant changed using redline for 40 bucks including the product and labour

[Franco Cozzo]

We cracked the 300,000km mark in our 2003 323 a few weeks ago, its had a replacement windscreen and a new oil pump and its missed a lot of services in its life, its only that I've taken over the servicing is that it gets done, the engine is really tired, its also now fouling the middle two spark plugs, and seems to be pushing them out somehow, because I tighten them up, then next service they are loose, only on the middle two.

Its had a good run.

[Geez Louise]

Ok, let's revisit the opening post. I have highlighted the bits I find interesting.

Originally Posted by joolz

“RACV has determined … the total annual running cost for a Ford Falcon (3.3-litre GL) is now $996.55 and for a Gemini (1.6-litre) $712.30.” – RoyalAuto, November 1981

… and now
It is estimated that costs associated with running a medium car are around $11,500, and a small car, about $9000 per year.

– RoyalAuto’s Driving Your Dollars Survey, July 2011"

So in reading this, it could be ANY medium car....Correct? This figures would also be based on an average or have they gone the upper end of the scale?

[joolz]

The annual running costs does include finance.

http://www.racv.com.au/wps/wcm/conne...perating+costs

[wrongwaynorris]

Originally Posted by Mr Hardware

And i think they also include the cost of financing the vehicle too, which is why the figures quoted are so high.

Bingo , yes they work on the fact that 90% of people finance their new car purchases and work on market rates at the time of doing the calculation . That on top of depreciation which is usually 225 per annum means we get the figures they arrive at . Which I believe are unerringly accurate .

[wrongwaynorris]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

We cracked the 300,000km mark in our 2003 323 a few weeks ago, its had a replacement windscreen and a new oil pump and its missed a lot of services in its life, its only that I've taken over the servicing is that it gets done, the engine is really tired, its also now fouling the middle two spark plugs, and seems to be pushing them out somehow, because I tighten them up, then next service they are loose, only on the middle two.

Its had a good run.

Just about to crack the 333,333 k mark in the Futura with NO major repairs and only routine servicing and obligatory disc and pad changes . Engine serviced every 5000 k's with filter , trans serviced every 2 years , all fluids dropped annually , wheel bearings repacked etc etc etc all the stuff you should do if you want a car to last . Only run it on 98 octane and every time I change the plugs they come out nice and clean .The car still drives like a new one , good oil pressure ( albeit I am now running Nulon 40 w 70 oil ) trans is smooth as , no diff noises . Will take a photo of the odo when it cracks 333,333 . Maybe we should start a high roller thread in the forum somewhere .