Tanqueray

Shark,

Buddy, you just made me the happiest man in the world! I only pay 13% more to drive my beautiful, fast, agile roadster every day!

Let's see...$208/30 = $7...
$7/day to upgrade from a Kia to an S2000!
If a rental car company offered you that upgrade for $7/day, would you take it?

I just redid your worksheet using my personal situation (local taxes, local gas prices, my insurance company, my commute, my belief that a Kia will only last 7-8 years, etc.) and it only came out to be a difference of 2.41%, or $11/month.

Tanq

crazziedavey

Driving an S2000 as your daily driver is insane. I effectively solved that exact problem by buying a 2002 Honda Civic EX (automatic). This car is not a Kia (the same company which brought you the Hyundai Excel) and WILL last 10 years--maybe 20. But it cost $18,500 after TTL. In three years, the car will still be worth almost $15,000 (based on 1999 KBB figures) But the intangibles are amazing. I no longer worry about my S2000 getting keyed in the Wal-Mart parking lot when I run errands. I'm no longer getting pulled over because it "sounded" like I was speeding. I no longer have punk kids in Mustangs and Camaros trying to get my attention in traffic to race, when I don't have anything to prove to them. Speaking of traffic, the S2000 was never designed to go forward one car length at a time over the evening rush hour. I used to be restricted to "off-peak" driving hours, because it was such an exercise in futility.

The S2000 was designed for recreational driving. It is an expensive toy that some people finance at unreasonable interest rates and pay dealer mark-ups just for the pleasure of a $70 synthetic oil change and $350 tires. The S2000 was never meant to be practical. I expect to lose money on my S2000. I expect to lose less money on my Civic. If you can afford an S2000, shouldn't you be able to afford a reasonably-priced sedan? If that is not the case, why own an S2000 and torture yourself with a Kia? In any case, buying a throwaway car--made in Korea--is a mistake. It will not last ten years--nor will the warranty. I expect the Hyundai Corporation to file for bankruptcy on the ten-year anniversary of the day they made a desperate decision to start selling warranties instead of quality cars.

cthree

These days I only drive my car to and from the grocery store and the race track. Somehow I doubt a second car would save me anything. However, if you'd like to explain to my wife how having 2 cars is cheaper than 1 I'd be most appreciative

lvs2k

All your calculations make perfect sense; however, what is the cost to your soul, my friend, giving up a beauty like the S2000 for the Kia? Why not just rent an S every few weeks when the weather's nice, and save a lot more money.

mntony

Interesting analysis. Of course, you'd save much more without the S at all

Everyone has to evaluate his or her own situation and decide what's best. I drive my S every day, including in snow, but I don't sit in bumper-to-bumper traffic here, and I live only 4 miles from work. I also only have a two car garage. My wife's car takes one side, mine the other. Having another car would mean scraping the frost on cold mornings or uncovering it. I've done my time doing that. Also, with two driving-age kids, four cars (we have three now) would mean rating both kids as primary drivers - ouch.

So many of our decisions ignore the financial end. Your spreadsheet addresses that admirably. It certainly wouldn't bother my ego to drive a Kia, but a Civic would suite me better (that's what I had before the S) and would likely outlive the Kia, in spite of the warranty differences.

Tony

s2ktaxi

If you bought the S2000 to drive, then drive it. Every day/mile that you don't drive the S2000 you are losing out on the joy and fun that others are experiencing...

Now, if you needed a winter/snow car, that's a different situation - though some die hards here in New England have snow tires and all. If you needed a purely commuting car, then consider a commuting car - but to do a cost justification would bring to question why even have the S2000.

Y2K++S2K

I think it is very funny that your assumption is that a Kia will last 10 years minimum (according to a footnote in the spreadsheet). I would guess that after a couple of years a Kia would loose half its value (despit what Kelley says). Also, you will probably be driving your S2k more than you think since the Kia should be in the shop about 30% of the time.