Cheapest Car to Operate

OK, so let's say I have a new M5 in the garage (I do not) and I want a semi-beater as a DD that will be as cheap to own as possible. I am talking fuel, oil changes, new tires, wear & tear...everything. What is the cheapest car you can own?

I am thinking that a 1 liter 3-cyl Geo Metro has to be the cheapest, but what do you say?

4afe FWD Corolla.

BP powered Mazda BG Chassis.

Honestly, the two cheapest, and WILDLY surprising to me that i've owned, are my MX6 GT and my old 5th gen Celicas.

The Celicas never needed any attention other than oil changes, gas, brakes, and tires.

The MX6 sometimes needs a little more attention, but parts are mind-berkeleyingly cheap and these things are ridiculously easy to work on. I firmly believe that if my car hadn't been such a pile of E36 M3 when it go to me (horribly molested by previous owners) it'd be one of the lowest maintenance cars ever.

I think my official answer would be anything FWD and BP powered, though.

This is where the P71 wins. The sheer volume of them made (and still on the road, especially in fleets) makes replacement parts absolutely dirt cheap. Pick any random P71 part and go look it up. If that's not cheap enough, call any junkyard. Point #2 is they are literally one of the cheapest cars to insure on the planet (I got that from multiple agents too, BTW, and I paid less for coverage on my P71 than I pay for Collector's on the Javelin!). Yeah, it'll suck down some gas, but the buy-in, upkeep, and insurance just can't be beat. That's what made it part of the trifecta in the first place (plus you can put your E30 in the trunk and your Miata in the back seat.)

How much do you drive? When I was commuting, a P71 would've put me in the poorhouse. With my current short commute, not such a big deal.

80s-early 90s Chryco.

Cheapest we ever had was a toss up between the above, a 225 powered pickup and a 1.5 mirage s 4 door.

BP powered Mazda BG Chassis

Srsly. Or buy my integra. Unkillable.

The P71 is out because fuel economy is worse, you need to buy 8 spark plugs instead of 3, you need 15 or 16 inch tires for $100+ each instead of skinny little 13" tires for $25 each, oil changes would use more oil, brake pads cost more, etc etc etc.

Im assuming that you are going to get a great deal on the purchase and that it will be pretty mechanically sound, so operating costs and wear items are the main cost points.

I'm wondering if a diesel Golf would be better?

^ Ding. Cheapest car I've ever owned has been my diesel golf. But I was driving a LOT. Near zero depreciation, 1200kms to a tank, and diesel is usually cheaper than gas here in the North.

In reply to pinchvalve:

Find a 3-cylinder Metro. Then drive it with a 200Lb adult in it in a hilly area. Plus it's older and more stuff will break. 13" tires are more expensive than 16'"s (especially the ubiquitous 225/60/16, I can find them used for $10 a tire on CL add day long), etc, etc. It's only $8 for a set of pads for a P71, and that's from a real manufacturer!

poopshovel wrote:

BP powered Mazda BG Chassis

Srsly.

Or this. Damn good cars.

pinchvalve wrote: I'm wondering if a diesel Golf would be better?

Can't say that my Jetta has been the most reliable, but if you like fixing things I guess you could consider it cheap.

pinchvalve wrote: I'm wondering if a diesel Golf would be better?

Can't say that my Jetta has been the most reliable, but if you like fixing things I guess you could consider it cheap.

Any 88-00 Civic would get my vote. The less options the better.

I know we have some Honda haters here, but the cheapest real transport for someone who has a job they have to be at and doesn't enjoy spending all their time keeping a dd on the road is a 90's Honda Civic.

They aren't cheap, but they don't depreciate. Keep the rust at bay and you can drive one for five years and sell it for what you paid. 35 honest mpg (according to the epa, not your weird uncle Dale who taped all his door panels shut and drafts semi trucks and turns the engine off on long downhills). Easy as pie to fix. Parts aren't Chevy cheap, but you can find good prices online or at the junkyard (certainly cheaper than vw parts. Only drawback is that they are pretty easy to steal (I've heard).

logdog wrote: Any 88-00 Civic would get my vote. The less options the better.

Ha, the tl;dr version of my post. +1 for the less options. One of the only pita things I can think of with the cars is the sunroofs on the high spec models.

98 Mazda Protege. Cheapest turd wagon ever to keep on the road and very reliable and fun. Just make sure you already have a family because the best form of abstinence is to drive a Protege.

Dull as E36 M3, but if you like iron-clad reliability and 50 mpg as well as cheap insurance; Toyota Echo.

civic or echo... maybe the fit as well?

mad_machine wrote: civic or echo... maybe the fit as well?

The fit is too new, still too much depreciation to be had. The civic and echo are closer to depreciation equilibrium.

spnx wrote: ...50 mpg...

You know uncle Dale!

http://www.fuelly.com/car/toyota/echo

I don't! Also, my figure of 49.5 mpg is British gallons, since I'm in Canada. Not sure what the exchange rate is. I think it's the perfect beater though.

In reply to spnx:

Just kidding around, actually the echo is a really good bet. All the (edit: low ownership cost related) benefits of the civic, but without the Honda tax.

I've only had to do plugs, an oil change, and put gas in the e21.......

It's remarkably cheap to lease whatever you can get for $99/month and just rotate it out for another one. Very little maintenance and no repairs, and you're generally going to be driving the latest thing so fuel economy should be pretty good too.

$1200/year in repair costs is Really Good for most older cars.

Knurled wrote: It's remarkably cheap to lease whatever you can get for $99/month and just rotate it out for another one. Very little maintenance and no repairs, and you're generally going to be driving the latest thing so fuel economy should be pretty good too. $1200/year in repair costs is Really Good for most older cars.

QFT. If you can put up with the horrendous transmission, they are leasing smart cars for $99 month. Almost as cheap as a bus pass.