Calculated my cost per mile to operate...

[Mighty Buffalo]

I've started calculating how much I've spent on my 4R vs how much I've driven. I've included initial cost, regular maintenance items, fuel cost, and upgrades.

Some highlights:

$150 for Yoko Geolanders. I bought a set of take-offs from a Tacoma guy. They were balanced and mounted on his TRD rims. I managed to sell my old rims with the worn tires, so net was $150.

Found a guy to do the timing belt service. $400 for the kit and a new radiator, $300 for labor.

So, after adding it all up, after 9 months and ~13k miles, the cost is:

$0.99/mile to drive

arty:

 

[absalom]

Does that also include insurance, registration, smog test? It's crazy how much money we hemorrhage with these things.

 

[Mighty Buffalo]

Does that also include insurance, registration, smog test? It's crazy how much money we hemorrhage with these things.

Yes, registration and insurance was included in the calculation. I haven't had to smog it yet, but I'll include it when I do it.

I've only owned it for 9 months, so I suspect that as I drive it more, the cost per mile will decrease.

 

[99Runnr]

I just did the calculation, didn't realize I was paying for a Ferrari and got a 4runner? Well damn.

Spent about 10k now and driven it 1500 miles.

 

[LookAtThatDog]

3800 Truck
1000 Transmission
550 2 years insurance
800 Ball joints, tie rods, Tundra brakes
1100 Lift
1100 Wheels/tires

=$8350

$8350 / 33,000 miles = $.25

$35 / 240 miles = $.145 gas per mile

$.25 + $.145 = ~40 cents per mile

 

[cashmoney]

Not counting insurance and registration, ~$.13/mile.

 

[LookAtThatDog]

Not counting insurance and registration, ~$.13/mile.

Is that not counting gas or what? I got a higher figure for gas alone

 

[cashmoney]

That's just gas. ~$20 to fill up twice a week. Greatest part is I get reimbursed $.52/mile by my company for driving so it's just money in the bank. Insurance is something like $75/6mo and registration is $78/yr. This thing is cheap as crap for me to drive.

If we want to go and extrapolate the data on this and add in insurance, registration, and the maintenance I've done to it this year (which would skew the data since it's more than normal but whatever), it would look something like this:

42 miles a day x 251 days (I don't normally drive it on the weekends) = 10,542 miles in a year

$3700 purchase price
$600 taxes
$78 registration for the year
$14 for inspection for the year
$150 insurance for one year
$90 in oil changes (two a year at 6000 mile intervals)
$400 for trans//diffs//transfer case fluids//plugs//wires//air filter//PCV valve (maintenance since I bought it)
$300 for ball joints//ote//ite (maintenance since I bought it)
$800 for tires (maintenance since I bought it)
$850 for suspension lift
$1300 for valve cover gaskets//timing check and adjust//fuel pressure regulator (maintenance since I bought it)
$85 high flow cat converter
$103 for borla muffler

So that's $8,470 worth of maintenance//upgrades//general ownership costs for the past year. Divide that all out by the 10,542 miles a year I drive and we get ~$.80/mile. Add that with the $.13 a mile it costs for just gas and I'm at $.93/mile for 2015.

Now, let's remove all of the stuff that I won't be doing next year (purchase, taxes, tires, tie rods, ball joints, converter, muffler, lift, valve cover gaskets, etc).

42 miles a day x 251 days (I don't normally drive it on the weekends) = 10,542 miles in a year

$78 registration for the year
$14 for inspection for the year
$150 insurance for one year
$90 in oil changes (two a year at 6000 mile intervals)
$400 for trans//diffs//transfer case fluids//plugs//wires//air filter//PCV valve

That comes out to $732 a year divided by 10,542 miles a year that I drive plus $.13/mile for gas and it comes out to $.19/mile.

 

[amalik]

Still cheaper than $300-400 a month for a 5th gen that breaks constantly

Thank you made in the USA

 

[stir_fry_boy]

Still cheaper than $300-400 a month for a 5th gen that breaks constantly

Thank you made in the USA

5th gens are made in Japan, just FYI

My TRD PRO already had the transmission replaced at 4700 miles, that alone was more than all my upgrades and maintenance on my 02' since I purchased it 6 years ago.

 

[amalik]

5th gens are made in Japan, just FYI

My TRD PRO already had the transmission replaced at 4700 miles, that alone was more than all my upgrades and maintenance on my 02' since I purchased it 6 years ago.

Oh. That's even worse for the track record then, lol.

I'm almost positive Tunrdra's and Tacoma's are both made in the US.

 

[2014 Warthog]

Still cheaper than $300-400 a month for a 5th gen that breaks constantly

Thank you made in the USA

WAT?

Anyway I calculated mine, vehicle cost new, mods, gas, insurance, registration, estimated maintenance over 10 year span and 200,000 miles and I got a grossly estimated cost per mile of $0.59

Expanding it to 20 years is iffier due to unknown maintenance costs but at a guess of $1500 a year and assuming gas stays at <= $5 a gallon I get total lifetime cost per mile of $0.47

 

[paddlenbike]

My daily driver is literally the cheapest per mile car ever made (all-electric Nissan Leaf), but the 4Runner is the only vehicle I own that takes me the places I actually want to go. You can't (or shouldn't) put a price on that. Meanwhile, my DD takes me to work and running errands.

 

[absalom]

My daily driver is literally the cheapest per mile car ever made (all-electric Nissan Leaf), but the 4Runner is the only vehicle I own that takes me the places I actually want to go. You can't (or shouldn't) put a price on that. Meanwhile, my DD takes me to work and running errands.

I had a client who said their electric bill shot up as a result of owning their Leaf. Also, amortize the cost of a new battery pack every 10 years, and I'd be surprised. Also, don't forget to figure in depreciation.

My point is that I bet an early 2000's VW diesel would be cheaper. This is an interesting thread tho.

 

[white_n_slow]

I just bought a volt this week. I have no illusions that it will be any cheaper to own, than say, a 2000 corrolla or above mentioned VW (although I would expect the Toyota to be cheaper than the VW just due to my brand bias). Leaf is cheap to own/operate but the cost of entry is much higher. It would take probably many years, if not over a decade to save enough money on gas to cover the price difference between the leaf and an equivalent (year/options) gas powered economy car.

Yes, electric bill will go up at home, but it costs me about $1.50 to charge up the volt, which is cheaper than gas, even at current prices. Throw solar panels into the mix and the savings really start to get meaningful. But then, you run into the above mentioned initial $$$ investment that you get with the leaf.

Ultimately a cheap 4-banger economy car is probably a better dollar/mile investment, but everyone has their reasons.

 

[ajonesnv]

Does that also include insurance, registration, smog test? It's crazy how much money we hemorrhage with these things.

True, Ive always been astonished how much I spend on my Runner...but I know its far less than having a payment too.

 

[absalom]

I just bought a volt this week. I have no illusions that it will be any cheaper to own, than say, a 2000 corrolla or above mentioned VW (although I would expect the Toyota to be cheaper than the VW just due to my brand bias). Leaf is cheap to own/operate but the cost of entry is much higher. It would take probably many years, if not over a decade to save enough money on gas to cover the price difference between the leaf and an equivalent (year/options) gas powered economy car.

Yes, electric bill will go up at home, but it costs me about $1.50 to charge up the volt, which is cheaper than gas, even at current prices. Throw solar panels into the mix and the savings really start to get meaningful. But then, you run into the above mentioned initial $$$ investment that you get with the leaf.

Ultimately a cheap 4-banger economy car is probably a better dollar/mile investment, but everyone has their reasons.

Not to mention the huge environmental cost of current li-ion batteries. It's basically just pick your poison these days. At least until they stop cockblocking graphene battery tech.

 

[paddlenbike]

I had a client who said their electric bill shot up as a result of owning their Leaf.

.

I'm not sure how an electric bill can "shoot up." Even paying California electricity rates, it costs me $22 a month in electricity to drive 1,000 miles. I can't even get down the street for that much money in gas in the 4Runner.

 

[Unner]

I just bought a volt this week. I have no illusions that it will be any cheaper to own, than say, a 2000 corrolla or above mentioned VW (although I would expect the Toyota to be cheaper than the VW just due to my brand bias). Leaf is cheap to own/operate but the cost of entry is much higher. It would take probably many years, if not over a decade to save enough money on gas to cover the price difference between the leaf and an equivalent (year/options) gas powered economy car.

Yes, electric bill will go up at home, but it costs me about $1.50 to charge up the volt, which is cheaper than gas, even at current prices. Throw solar panels into the mix and the savings really start to get meaningful. But then, you run into the above mentioned initial $$$ investment that you get with the leaf.

Ultimately a cheap 4-banger economy car is probably a better dollar/mile investment, but everyone has their reasons.

Here in SC gas is $1.50. It's pretty great, I'm getting 15 mpg currently, but at these prices it isn't too much of a worry.

True, Ive always been astonished how much I spend on my Runner...but I know its far less than having a payment too.

It's all worth it though when you get that feeling as you walk up to that badass truck that's your's parked in the parking lot though.

 

[gamefreakgc]

My daily driver is literally the cheapest per mile car ever made (all-electric Nissan Leaf), but the 4Runner is the only vehicle I own that takes me the places I actually want to go. You can't (or shouldn't) put a price on that. Meanwhile, my DD takes me to work and running errands.

Not if you have PG&E and have to pay $0.30 a kWh! Some areas of California have stupid high electricity costs for none other than profit. I moved 6 miles and my electricity billed dropped to $0.09 a kWh just because I don't have PG&E anymore. For that area I used to live in, a fully-electric vehicle gets the gas equivalent of 24 MPG. Just slightly better than a 4Runner for half the vehicle!

For that reason, I bought a Altima hybrid. No plug-in necessary, 35 MPG and I have a 600 mile range. Yeehaw!