How much should I budget for car maintenance?

[greenmom4]

We have two cars that we own and will maintain until we drive them into the ground. Car #1 (aka, "my" car) is a 1998 Volvo with 217k miles on it. The belts (serpentine and timing) were replaced last year and it's been kept up well. Car #2 is a 2007 Acura with maybe...30k miles on it.

How much would you budget yearly for maintenance on these cars? Including oil changes, tires, etc?

[tinuviel_k]

When I began my "car maintenance fund" I put $1000 in a separate savings account for that purpose. Then I put in $100 every month. It has been super nice to automatically have enough money in the account for things like service, new tires, a repair... I love not having to scramble for the funds.

I am thinking of upping the amount to $200 a month eventually. My car is a 1997 Subaru wagon with 225,000 miles, and while it has been a great, reliable car I know it will not last forever. But saving $100 extra a month right now I will have enough to cover if it needs a major repair, or enough to put a healthy down payment on a newer car when the time comes years down the line. Kinda like an advance car payment.

If I were in your situation I would probably start with a repair fund of $1500, and then put in $150-$200 a month to cover both car's needs. Starting with money in the account isn't necessary, of course, but I was worried about having to do a big repair when I'd only been saving for a month or too, and I wanted that padding so I could take care of problems right away without using a credit card or my emergency savings.

[Carson]

We have a VW with 140k miles and a 1958 pickup. Both have new tires and brakes and are in good mechanical condition. I put $160/mo in our car maintenance fund. That covers our repairs, maintenance and fairly expensive registration fees. DH does all the work himself.

ETA, if a major repair came up, we'd likely replace the VW.