# Opinion: Lease a commuter car?



## Mohegan29 (Jan 15, 2004)

Want to ultimately trade in my 2004 330 cab for an M3 cab (the new ones with 400+hp) so I am considering the following:
have about 36 months left on my loan and 10k miles on my car (picked up 11/03). Upgraded to a better loser-cruiser (minivan) for the Mrs. and have been driventhe 3rd car for the last 3 months while winter here in NC. I figure a 3rd car will save me about 20k-25k miles over 3 years that i don't have to put on the cab.
Autotrader lists the $$ difference of a 4 year old car with that mileage differential to a value of about $5,000 or so difference.
I can lease a new commuter car that will cost me about $7k - $8k over 3 years factoring in insurance, property tax, lease payments, etc. as well as factoring in the savings of the additional miles on the cab (new tires - 18" rims with Michelin Pilot Sports, etc).

The motivating goal is that i only take my car out in nice weather and don't have the chore of washing and polishing the car that much as a reult. Mine is Orient Blue w/sand so the exterior really requires some work and in winter it gets difficult.

Is it worth it in the long run, given the net cost difference?


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## 01Byte (Jun 22, 2003)

Mohegan29 said:


> Want to ultimately trade in my 2004 330 cab for an M3 cab (the new ones with 400+hp) so I am considering the following:
> have about 36 months left on my loan and 10k miles on my car (picked up 11/03). Upgraded to a better loser-cruiser (minivan) for the Mrs. and have been driventhe 3rd car for the last 3 months while winter here in NC. I figure a 3rd car will save me about 20k-25k miles over 3 years that i don't have to put on the cab.
> Autotrader lists the $$ difference of a 4 year old car with that mileage differential to a value of about $5,000 or so difference.
> I can lease a new commuter car that will cost me about $7k - $8k over 3 years factoring in insurance, property tax, lease payments, etc. as well as factoring in the savings of the additional miles on the cab (new tires - 18" rims with Michelin Pilot Sports, etc).
> ...


Dude, is this one of those mensa questions? 

I swear, I must have read it five times and I still don't get what you're asking.. :rofl:

Maybe it's just me :eeps:


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## Mohegan29 (Jan 15, 2004)

Arkady said:


> Dude, is this one of those mensa questions?
> 
> I swear, I must have read it five times and I still don't get what you're asking.. :rofl:
> 
> Maybe it's just me :eeps:


should I get a commuter car for the bad weather days and the winter months for the extra couple grand (give or take) over 3 years to avoid the hassle of the maintenance (weekly cleaning, polishing, winter washes, etc)?. The Orient Blue is really tough to keep looking clean. I really enjoy taking it out only when it is nice weather and I don't mind a commuter car on rainy/cold days.

I know my last post was confusing. Sorry


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## Rowag (Nov 12, 2004)

Mohegan29 said:


> should I get a commuter car for the bad weather days and the winter months for the extra couple grand (give or take) over 3 years to avoid the hassle of the maintenance (weekly cleaning, polishing, winter washes, etc)?. The Orient Blue is really tough to keep looking clean. I really enjoy taking it out only when it is nice weather and I don't mind a commuter car on rainy/cold days.
> 
> I know my last post was confusing. Sorry


 Dude, this is one of those questions only you can answer. Is that extra $2-$3k worth it for you?

Me, I'd say screw the extra car and spend that extra cash on a hot tub. Every time you get upset because the car's dirty go jump in. 

Also keep in mind that you'll need to take the BMW out for a spin each week anyway so the tires stay round, mechanicals get worked, etc.


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## cgraff (Oct 3, 2003)

*Yes*

Yes, I think getting a commuter car, if you end up putting more than 15k/year of commuter driving, is better than having one car like an M3 as a daily driver.

1. You can then put the M3 on a limited use insurance policy (read: cheaper insurance)
2. Overall you save gas (e.g. 15k/yr of Honda and 5k/yr of M3 is less gas than 20k/yr of M3 driving)
3. You're not worrying of accident damage or other mishaps happening to the M3. You've got the Honda (or insert other commuter car).

I believe that the fed tax write-off for using a car for work purposes is now $0.42/mile. So if you can find a car that will cost you less than that to operate, then you're effectively deducting the entire cost of that car from your taxes (if you're using it for more work purposes, other than commuting).

So, let's use an example from Edmunds.

Let's assume that the difference in mileage will save you $5000 in 4 years time on the M3. But, we will also save from maintenance, which Edmunds lists at $3500 for after the expiration of the warranty and maintenance program. Since there are other maintenance factors that are not mileage but time dependent, let's say that you're only saving about $1500 overall there.

Insurance, let's assume is roughly 60% of what it'd be normally since you're now on a limited use policy. So instead of around $7000/4 years, you're paying $4500/4 years. That's a $2500 savings there. It depends what you're already paying for insurance, but I guess Edmunds kind of averages that out. Perhaps you're paying less.

Let's assume gas is now spent at 1/3rd what it'd normally be (from $1500/year to $500/year). That comes to $4000 savings over 4 years.

And the financing costs will be the same.

So, from fuel, maintenance, insurance, and depreciation savings, the true total comes to about: $13,000.

Let's now say that you're commuter is a Honda Civic LX (manual, with side airbags).
True cost to own, direct from Edmunds:
$7478 for year 1,
$4751 for year 2
$4417 for year 3
$4715 for year 4.
Total: $21,361 (if you finance the car).

So, in the end, it will still cost you about $7000 more, over the course of the 4 years, to own another car as a daily commuter.

If you lease said Honda, lets say your lease payments are about $250/mo for a 4 year, 15k/year, $0 down lease. Your total payments come to be $12,000. 
Insurance is going to cost you about $4000, Fuel will be $3500, Maintenance will be $2200, and repairs will be $300. For a grand total of: $22,000.

You'd still be making out better if you were to buy a cheap car to use as a commuter. The reason being is that you basically have an asset at the end of its life, as opposed to having to give it back.

But anyways, if you can afford out of pocket roughly $2000/year more for your car budget, it is probably worth it to get yourself a commuter.

-Chris


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