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by stocker 2484 days ago
And the cost of financing, which is highly variable based on the individuals credit worthiness.
3 comments

If you’re financing a new car and worried about the cost of ownership, you should probably think about the reducing the biggest cost with a new car on finance.

I.E don’t buy it using money borrowed from someone else.

That depends on the interest rate, I usually qualify for near zero rates, my last loan was something like 0.9%. When an index fund can return more than 5% in recent years it makes more sense to finance the car and leave the cash in the market. I can't think of a situation where the cost of ownership isn't considered, you should always consider what it costs to own any object. Even the ultra-rich will shy away from vehicles due to running costs, re: Bugatti tire change cost.
Cost of taxes are highly variable too. Not just sales tax, some jurisdictions apply yearly property tax to vehicles.
Or folks may not require any financing. In which case, the model 3 is even more cheaper per mile than the camry.
Time value of money applies whether you need financing or not.