Car Ownership cost USA v UK
 

Can anybody point me in the direction of an article, calculator, or otherwise, that breaks down the cost of running a car in the USA versus UK?

For example, I have already come to the conclusion that:

Cons
Insurance is far more expensive in the US, at least for a newly arriving expat.
Sales tax on used cars (I'll be in Florida, so 6%)

Pros
Fuel is around a third of the price (but then slightly offset because Americans drive further typically).
More cars on the road therefore economies of scale dictate price competition. Cheaper purchase prices
Favourable lease prices (if going for a new car)

Unknowns
Maintenance costs inc tires, services, oil change etc
Parts prices on domestic v international cars
Depreciation (larger engine cars retain more value in US v UK?)
Extended warranties available in the US and the protection they genuinely can/can't offer a consumer


Essentially, among other things, I'd like to know if owning a used BMW or Mercedes will be more of a 'luxury' in the US than in the UK. Might be a hard question to answer, but it'll help dictate what I look for when I move to Fort Myers in January.

Thanks all

Re: Car Ownership cost USA v UK
 

To be honest as far as owning anything European seems to be considered “luxury” and more expensive to get parts for.

As far as tires and general wear and tear parts like that I wouldn’t say prices were better or worse. It’s just a case of shopping around and finding the best price like you would. I had to get my wife four new tyres and one place was advertising them at $680 for a set and another place was $405 including fitting. If anything I’d be prepared to pay a little more for car ownership then would you back in the UK.

Re: Car Ownership cost USA v UK
 

Guess we are in the same boat. I am making the full time move at the begining of Jan, but spending a lot of time in the USA before then.

I am a nailed on Petrol Head and although i have quietened down in the past 3-4 years on average Ive have bought 3 personal cars a year for 20+ years (dont ask how much ive lost). Ive also been fleet manager at work (small fleet of 8 cars)

In the UK its rare to meet anyone that know more about buying cars than myself. I know the ins and outs of finance. In the USA its a different kettle of fish.

I'm also interested to hear other peoples experience, but some of my observations - which maybe wrong after a week visiting dealers.

Lease Deals

Its amazing how many nice Cars and SUV's are all around the same price. $3-5k down and $4-500 a month. I have managed to get a good deal of movement from advertised prices.

If the car is around $25k then its probably better to take standard finance over 60-72 months. The monthly amounts wont be a lot different but you have options to dispose of rather than getting locked into a 3 year lease deal.

I wish there were PCP options in the USA, although i have still to get to the bottom of how you can get out of a lease after say 18mths without buying a new car from the same manufacturer.

Hot Hatch vs Saloon

Whilst 50 I'm still a boy racer. My initial thoughts were to get an S3 or Golf R. Issue is a limited supply and residuals are set lower compared to the likes of a bigger saloon or SUV. In fact my local Audi Dealer can do $3.5k down and $550 a month on a MY18 S4 vs over $600 for an S3 with an MSRP $10k lower. The Golf GTI however does seem to be good value.

What does well in Europe residual wise can be the opposite in the US.

US/JP SUV vs European SUV

My wife was set on an Explorer, but by the time you add 4wd, Sync and Leather the price is well north of $40k. The Edge with a nicer engine isnt cheap either. The differential between a new MY 18 Q5 and a Ford is about $80 a month. The Tiguan looks good value against all the usual competition - Mazda, Honda etc. There are some great deals out there.

All the European SUV's tend to run 2.0T engines. Land Rover deals seem off the mark compared to Audi. Jag and MB do seem to have some good deals as do Alfa.

Its fun exploring, but finding fun cars at a good price it tough. I guess I should just buy a big engined Mustang and slide off the road in a NJ winter :)

Re: Car Ownership cost USA v UK
 

That's interesting. I initially got a quote from International Autosource for a Dodge Challenger 5.7 RT automatic, 2017MY. $1800 down and $389 per month, which is great value. Unfortunately I had to commit it whilst in the UK, and I'm not prepared to do that without shopping around and test driving some vehicles.

With regards to terminating leases early, have you considered the lease transfer sites like Lease Busters and Swap A Lease?

Re: Car Ownership cost USA v UK
 

Thanks Ben. So you think it's a tad more expensive? Good to know.

Re: Car Ownership cost USA v UK
 

Well I have a MK7 GTI, 3DR with the performance pack. The same car was just shy of 30k here in Colorado and it was 24k in California so I flew out and drove it back.


I wouldn't say it's significantly more expensive to the point it would put me off buying one, as I did :lol:


I'd say just shop around again, I got it through enterprise auto sales (the car rental company, although mine wasn't a rental - it had one owner from new on a lease and he defaulted on payments so the car was repo'd and they picked it up).


I've always had cars from VAG, I know them, they're great to work on and they're fun to drive. I had a Ford F150 for a little while before trading it in for this and holy crap did I forget about the F150 quickly when I got back into a VW! European > Yank Tank

Re: Car Ownership cost USA v UK
 

Isnt the MSRP for the car over $40k ? That being the case the taxes alone would be more than $1800. I learnt pretty quickly that $0 down doesnt mean $0 down. On the Tiguan that actually mean $2.7k down to cover taxes, first months rental etc.

Re: Car Ownership cost USA v UK
 

You raise an interesting point and I would love to hear some answers.

If buying second hand are there any particular states where car prices appear lower ? More than happy to fly somewhere, save money and have a road trip back. The same might apply buying new.

How difficult is it sorting out the paperwork when you do get it back to your home state ?

As I mentioned it looks like the GTI is great value, but what else really competes against it ? New Type R, Focus RS ?

Re: Car Ownership cost USA v UK
 

Prices in northern states maybe lower but that can be due to the harder winter effects on the vehicles. Quite a few years back I got to compare one of my cars with one of similar age that had been brought down from the north east. The corrosion on the underside was significant due to salt used up north vs none on the underside of mine (NC based car)

Re: Car Ownership cost USA v UK
 

Salt has been banned for years in my State. We just have to use chains or studded tires.

The other thing to consider is most imported cars are the high end models with most of the options. This means that most cars are in the $25k+ price range.

Re: Car Ownership cost USA v UK
 

I agree all the European cars come fairly well loaded. They do tend to bring in a few without much spec to they can advertise cheap lease deals. Apparently in some states you must have a car to the spec advertised available.

Getting anything less than an HSE spec Discovery Sport is tough work. This makes the car very expensive compared to a UK model.

Re: Car Ownership cost USA v UK
 

I wouldn't touch a MK3 Focus RS with a shitty stick. They've had tons of engine issues and recalls. I also don't own a staffy and an ASBO so it would feel wrong to get a sporty Ford or Type R :lol:

Re: Car Ownership cost USA v UK
 

Also if you want a basic thing like heated side mirrors, you have to buy a top spec vehicle in the majority of cases.

Re: Car Ownership cost USA v UK
 

Really good point.


Some of the top of the range trucks or SUV's are crazy money with things like heated mirrors or blind spot indicators etc.


Again, for 24k in a European car I got the performance pack, heated seats and mirrors, the front radar thing on the front that keeps the car in between the white lines and you get set distance to the car in front etc etc and quite a few other things. Way better equipped from standard too.

Re: Car Ownership cost USA v UK
 

I believe the MSRP is under $40k believe it or not. I was told that the tax is put on top of the monthly payments, and that in Florida it is only charged on the amount of finance during the lease, and not on the entire MSRP of the vehicle. So (in this case):

36mo x $389 = $14004
$14004 x 6% sales tax =$840
So an extra $25 or something per month for the tax.

My calculations might be a little off, as I likely haven't accounted for some other fees. I have read that Florida is one of the most desirable places to lease a car. Other States like NY and NJ, you are taxed up front.

Re: Car Ownership cost USA v UK
 

Don't expect to save a penny because of cheaper gas - becsuse of how much further you will drive you will likely spend around as much on fuel if you have an equally efficient car as in the UK, and more if you have an SUV or truck which is less fuel efficient.

You may find that many components last a lot longer - the set of tyres on my Accord will clock up 100,000 miles in December. The previous set did 100,000 miles too. We have had the Accord from new and it now has 338,000 miles on it, and although we replaced the engine at 296,000 miles, much of the rest is original, including the clutch and gearbox, shocks and springs, steering rack, radiator, and exhaust system (excl the cat). The prop-shafts were replaced at 325,000 miles. The brake pads were last replaced 256,000 miles ago, though it is a mystery as to why the original brake pads only lasted 80,000 miles. :confused:

Re: Car Ownership cost USA v UK
 

What is sales tax? That is such a foreign concept for us Oregonians.

Re: Car Ownership cost USA v UK
 

What's State Income Tax? Us (soon to be) Floridians have never heard of such a thing :p

Re: Car Ownership cost USA v UK
 

I did say "offset slightly". I don't know where people keep getting this idea that loads of Americans drive further. Maybe in Texas where everything is spread out. In Fort Myers where the average commute is 9 miles or something, it certainly beats the 75 mile ONE-WAY commute I used to make from Banbury to Brentford every day!

I wonder why the components last longer. Maybe not affected by chronic dampness from UK weather.

On that note, does extreme humidity affect the longevity of car components?

Re: Car Ownership cost USA v UK
 

Tires only last longer if you drive like a a Miami resident or like to run on stage coach wheels. If you have "grippy" tire they last the same length of time as they do in the UK. My last set of tires lasted around 40k on both my cars. However I do not have snail mode in my driving resume.

https://www.cars.com/articles/2013/0...do-tires-last/

Re: Car Ownership cost USA v UK
 

I buy good quality Michelins, that match what we're originally on the car when we bought it new. And I drive faster round the bends than pretty much any car I see, all the time, and that means typically 10-15 over the "recommended" speed limits for bends and interstate cloverleaf ramps. I put my foot on the gas entering bends at the same point that most drivers touch the brakes. Brakes are for whimps, which is why the pads have already lasted 258,000 miles! :rofl:

And more generally, having put 338,000 miles on our Accord in 15 years, and another 115,000 on my F250, I don't have time for doing any speed less than what I can get away with, pretty much all the time!

Re: Car Ownership cost USA v UK
 

Because they do!

It's not necessarily the commute that makes the difference, it's the seven mile round trip to the grocery, the 12 mile round trip to the mall or Walmart, it's the 14 mile round trip to the cinema, ten miles for lunch, 20 miles for dinner, 30 miles to visit friends, 100 miles to visit family, etc., etc., etc..

Driving what would be considered insane distances in the UK can very quickly become normal in the US.

This pattern was true even when we lived in the suburbs of NYC, so it isn't just in Texas, nor NC either.

Re: Car Ownership cost USA v UK
 

You may drive further, other do not. We probably do combined mileage on all our vehicles of under 15k miles a year. I could never do 100k on my tires anyway before they reached end of life. I think 6 years is probably a good time to think about changing tires. Why drive , when you can fly?

Tires Expire in Six Years - Tire Safety Group

Re: Car Ownership cost USA v UK
 

My thoughts as well. Would love an RS3 or M2, but spending enough getting here and putting my daughters through Uni prevents me.

Re: Car Ownership cost USA v UK
 

Well it only takes us 4 years to do 100,000 miles, so that's OK! :p

And to your "sticky tyres" point, we only got 40,000 miles from the tyres on our Mustang GT. I couldn't find suitable Goodyears when the time came to replace them, and went with Pirellis despite them not having a great reputation for wear because they will almost certainly age out before they wear out, and they give a superior ride to the Goodyears it was shod with previously.

Re: Car Ownership cost USA v UK
 

I think it does matter where you live. Just off to physiotherapy in a minute a 6 mile round trip. To get there I will drive past all the places you mentioned, stores, cinema, big shopping mall and restaurants. Even going into downtown Portland is only 20 miles return.

Of course there are longer trips. 180 miles return to Corvallis for a Beaver football game, 6 times a year, or 500 miles return to visit Mrs Ls twin sister but both of us drive less miles here than we did in the UK.

Re: Car Ownership cost USA v UK
 

Well many of my journeys are in the same direction, and I try to combine as many tasks as I can into one journey, but it is rare that it is possible to combine more than two or three things. :(

Re: Car Ownership cost USA v UK
 

I used to car commute to my job and regularly drove 20k-25k a year (even though I worked at home at least one day a week). Now I also work in SF and can use public transit/walk/bicycle to work. So my mileage is down to < 8k per year, a lot less than I drove in the UK. Of course, to offset that, gas here is the most expensive in the lower 48!

Re: Car Ownership cost USA v UK
 

I had an RS3 sportback in the UK very briefly. Fantastic car.

It is worth noting that the GTI, Golf R and S/RS3 are all the same 2 litre 4pot engine just with a different map. My stage one APR map took my GTI to significantly better figures than a Golf R. I would like an RS7 one day though! :wub:

Re: Car Ownership cost USA v UK
 

A couple of days ago I saw a guy who lives in our neighbourhood driving a BMW with Munich registration plates on it.

I know that some of the European motor manufacturers (eg. Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Volvo etc.) will sell US spec cars to US residents who go over and inspect the cars over at their European factories. The car manufacturer pays for return flights and a night in an hotel. You then go on a tour of the factory and drive away your new car (can be most places in Europe inc. the UK in most cases) for up to a couple of weeks.

You then fly back to the States and your car is shipped to you free of charge. From what I understand, the car is considered ‘used’ rather than ‘new’ and the import duties are a lot less. I assume the guy in my neighbourhood must have done this with his BMW and would soon be registering the car at our local New Jersey DMV. (Btw; the sea port in Newark is only about 12 miles away, very close to Newark airport).

I think you still purchase these cars via your local dealership but though a special programme (easy to google it eg. BMW European Delivery - BMW USA)

Actually, my Brit friend moved from New Jersey to Switzerland a couple of years ago (when I was still resident in Switzerland) and they moved just around the lake from our place. She decided to import her Toyota RAV4 as it was cheap to ship it....it was nice to see and go out with her in the car with the NJ licence plates on for a few weeks until she re-registered it!

Re: Car Ownership cost USA v UK
 

I wasn't necessarily suggesting combining journeys, but pointing out there are places where all the locations you listed are short local trips. Therefore journeys in some locations are no longer than in the UK, and the sort of area you live in does make a difference to the mileage you drive here.

Re: Car Ownership cost USA v UK
 

Definitely, but as I chauffeured my daughter and Mrs P to a concert this evening, it occurred to me that the more time someone spends driving to and from work the less they might want to drive on the weekend. So although I have a long commute to work, I try to fit in as many errands as I can on the way home from work - grocery shopping, pet food, things from Lowe's that don't require the truck to carry them home, etc. If I worked from home most of the week I would want, and indeed need, to drive more on the weekend.

To wit, I have a colleague who walks to work, ..... but he has a "cabin" in the mountains and so drives four hours each way to and from the cabin on as many weekends as he can manage.

Re: Car Ownership cost USA v UK
 

One difference I can point out from recent experience. Insuring a new teenage driver in the US (in Maine at least) is significantly cheaper than insuring them in the UK.

Our premium for three cars went up in total by $200 a year when my 16 year old daughter passed her test. My friends in the UK are easily paying $1000 a year extra per car for teens.

Re: Car Ownership cost USA v UK
 

The RS3 is a 2.5 :) I loved the engine in my TTRS. I have the 2.0T lump in my wifes S1 (going to miss it) and had it in S3 trim in my TTS last year. Great engine.

Re: Car Ownership cost USA v UK
 

I've also heard of this. Sounds like a bit of a hassle, though! :blink:

Re: Car Ownership cost USA v UK
 

A colleague of mine considered it, when buying a Beemer a few years ago, and came to the same conclusion. You might save a few bucks on the duty (I hadn't heard that was the case), and the flights might be included, but overall, with hotels and dining while touring around for a couple of weeks, it was going to cost him money, not save it, and yes, it was a lot of faffing around.

Re: Car Ownership cost USA v UK
 

As long as the car has the US spec sticker and you can tick box 2A on the HS7 form it is fine.
Shipping is very cheap right now I just paid 700 euros to ship a 110 Land Rover from Antwerp to Baltimore if it is going with a fleet of cars coming over probably a lot less than that.
In Switzerland we had to convert the speedometers from mph to kph before we could register motorcyles.

Re: Car Ownership cost USA v UK
 

On tires, I just bought some that are quoting 80K miles and have a guarantee. I wouldn't get remotely close to that back home. I think 20K was what I was getting. I understood tire standards are different and linked to reducing noise in U.K./ Europe which requires different compounds and a less durable tire. Am I misinformed? Anyhow I haven't done the miles here or tested the warranty but my presumption is (good quality) tires will last longer and therefore be better value.

Edit: we are managing with one car while I'm not working and between commuting / preK round trips, shopping, leisure and road trips we are certainly eating up the miles. Appreciate this is specific to us and not everyone.

Re: Car Ownership cost USA v UK
 

Yeah, I considered my self lucky to get 30,000 miles off a good set of Michelins in the UK. The ones I get here have an 80,000 mile warranty, but I can get at least that in most cases - the original set on our Accord did 80, and the third set did 100. The current (fourth) set are on track for at least 110, but could be more if they still have enough tread to pass the inspection next April. The second set must have been faulty as we only got 60,000 miles on them. :(

Re: Car Ownership cost USA v UK
 

I go through a set in around 25 - 30K