SUN 1/30 QUESTION ~ budgeting car care/repair?

[❤ mollymouser ❤]

How do you budget for routine, periodic car care and maintenance? (Not to mention registration?) Do you set aside a certain amount every month, or is that what your emergency fund is for?

[Deleted]

Well it comes out of savings but makes it's own line on the budget if you know what I mean. I have about $1000 on my budget that is flexible. If I have to do the car stuff it bumps non essentials like furniture or travelling.

[swamp]

It comes out of the "whatever" category of everyday spending. Each month I know I'll have to pay for something extra like car repairs, medical bills, clothes for the kids and I call it "whatever."

[Opti]

I used to save a certain amount for repairs each month. Right now it comes out of savings since I'm unemployed.

[dividend]

I did a calculation. Insurance + property taxes + an averaged monthly maintenance amount. Figured per month. Then I estimated I would probably have to replace this car in 8-9 years with a similar car, so savings towards that as well. Works out to $375/month total, that I stick in a fund in my savings account. I'm dipping into it this month to buy new tires. And it should let me buy my next car in cash. Owning a care is pretty expensive once you factor in everything.

[bobosensei]

My car registration is 20 a year, I drive an 04 civic and so far the most expensive thing to do was buy a set of tires for a couple hundred dollars. Other than that I've only had to change the brake pads once. Plus 25 bucks a few months ago for a brake inspection. I don't drive much so I do an oil change every 6 months.

I just take this out of regular monthly spending. We don't budget our expenses very well. I just try to keep the AmEx under 1200 a month. So if I pay 300 for car stuff then I try to cut the food bill or I don't buy new stuff for myself of the house. The worst case scenario I put less in savings that month.

[Gardening Grandma]

I set aside XX amount every month for repairs, maintenance and tabs. It's part of my "reserve" fund.

[NastyWoman]

the fixed items such as license, registration. oil changes and planned maintenance are planned into my budget. The rest comes out of a general "pot" of money that I ahve set aside for events like this. I don't add to the fund until I use some of it up, but I don't touch it for anything else either.

My condo maintenance savings on the other hand I keep growing. If no emergency repairs come up it will contain enough money to redo my kitchen in a few years. If there are cost it will just take a little longer to get my nice kitchen

[museumgal]

Insurance and registration have their own lines in the budget. Repairs come out of the monthly "other spending" fund.

[bobbysgirl]

It comes out of one of the three EF I have, if there is nothing in my checking. There's normally over 500 extra in my checking, so then I use it from there.

[dragonfly7]

Our registrations, inspections, and air checks are due in the spring right after we get our tax refund, so the former comes out of the latter and is usually about $200-$225 for both vehicles. I am very good about taking them in for oil changes, which is the monetary equivalent of eating dinner out one time less that month, but don't budget well for anything else. We use our general savings account for more costly maintenance or, when so many things go wrong that it exhausts our meager savings, the credit card. I think my new answer to the question, "How much money should I have in my emergency fund?" is "Enough to replace your transmission."

[motherto2]

I have a line in my budget for car maintenance. I just keep letting it build and then when I have a registration, inspection, oil change, etc. I take it from there.

[dcmetrocrab]

I totaled car insurance, registration, car maintenance and divided it into monthly amounts. It landed at around $162/month I think. Like clockwork my car uses up most of the balance every 2 years for a big repair/job. Just recently it was a new clutch. I've already saved enough cash for my next car, so once I buy it, I'll have to increase the monthly amount prob by another $200 for the next replacement.

[tiredboomer]

Also change your oil and filter regularly. This has kept our cars going for years.

[coffeegrl]

Just spent $281.12 this morning on a new power steering pump. Ugh! I have my insurance and license/registration budgetted for monthly, but I never think to budget for these other repairs. This is really the first major expensive thing I've had to have done to this car. It's a 2005 Ford Taurus. Gonna have to start budgetting monthly for other repairs too!

[Deleted]

I have a line item for car repairs/ future car purchase, one for car insurance and one for gas. Sadly this adds up to 14% of my budget.

[Deleted]

I have a line item for car repairs/ future car purchase, one for car insurance and one for gas. Sadly this adds up to 14% of my budget.

[texaspn]

We have a set amount for gas, oil changes, other routine stuff. The bigger things come out of EF.

[Deleted]

Grrr the chord on my block heater just fried. Not an expensive repair if I can find someone that knows how to do it.