But depreciation and insurance happen even if you leave the car sit at home in the driveway! Driving your friends or not does not change those costs. If you want to divide up what it costs you to change the oil and get new tires periodically by mileage - so be it, but that figure of the $360 gift is not logical or accurate.

Reply

If you are so cheap, that you want others to pay for your insurance, depreciation, etc you really should drive yourself and let the others "car pool" in alittle more comfort since there will be less people in one car. Following your line of thinking, they should also pay for the inevitable car wash (people do track in dirt etc.), air filter and oil change . "You drive we'll pay for the gas", is a take it or leave it proposition. Just say "no". You also convienently forgot, the car owner arrived at the convention without buying any gas. Cheap skates ride alone!

Reply

In this scenario, he took passengers on a trip he had INTENDED on taking - whether or not he had passengers. This to me states that he initially planned to go to the conference - hence would have driven the 1000 miles alone had he not had passengers. Depreciation would have occurred regardless of who was in the car. Take it as it is.

Better idea - if 4 people plan on driving to a conference - rent a car and split the costs of the rental and gas - still comes out cheaper than an airline ticket per person.

Reply

Aol is so full of it, Going on a 1000 mile trip, It would tickle the heck out of me to drive my ride and they pay for gas, depreciation happens whether I drive or somebody else does, also my insurance is also due if it sets or if I drive, tere are some dumb asses at aol.

Reply

I agree with previous posters indicating that depreciation and insurance costs are incurred regardless of taking 1 trip.

If you check the website the author used to calculate costs per mile, this true cost to own includes financing charges.

http://www.edmunds.com/new/2008/honda/crv/100933614/cto.html?setzip=43214&vdp=off

So the driver should hold the fact that he has a car loan against his passengers? Also, the site uses an estimate of costs over 5 years, despite the fact that after 5 yrs a car bought new would only have about 75,000 miles on it and could easily go another 5 yrs and 75,000 longer with only routine maintenance. The reason people buy a new car every few years is personal preference, not need. If you drive a car for 10 yrs and 150,000 miles 1 trip of 1,000 miles is negligible.

Reply

As Nancy Reagan used to say -- Just Say No!

Reply

A few too many people are looking at this purely from the standpoint of someone riding along. Obviously you'd like to ride along and only have to split the cost of gas. But I'm fairly certain that, were the roles reversed and you were the one asked to drive your car, you'd decline and ask someone else to drive. What you need to ask yourself is why you would, and you'll inevitably come up with the same reasons that this article offers. For every person that you bring along, you're saving 1000 miles on someone else's cars. Every car owner knows that between oil changes, tire rotations, filter replacements, simple depreciation, and myriad other expenses, long trips quickly add up to a lot of money out of your pocket. This may seem silly if it's only one trip, but you need to be cognizent of these expenses in every aspect of your life. If you're the type of person that's always volunteering to be the driver, you're incurring quite a few expenses out of your own pocket. I don't understand why many of you just dismiss the value of this depreciation calculator without any knowledge, expertise, or study of your own.

Reply

well if its your boss your giving a ride home to and their real shady, like giving no money for gas!! and your finances depend on them , you have no choice but to give them a ride home because their a female and they live 15 miles away from the job site and we dont need any women walking the streets at 2am. in the dark in the middle of nowhere.

Reply

Try to turn this around a bit and look at it this way-you have the freedom of having your car,you can while at the convention use this car to visit sites or go where you wish for dinner while in town.Also,all the other expenses except some increase in expenses due to miles are the same(oil change 1000 miles sooner etc) if you were just driving yourself around your home town.Going on the trip and not having any gas cost is a big deal. I would enjoy it b/c I could go as I wished at the convention and not have the gas expense to get there. I see it as a positive like road trips in college-drive to the beach and everyone else paid for the gas(and yes,I paid ins and maintinence back then too)

Reply

Simple solution-- charge whatever the IRS allows per mile for charitable causes (currently $.14) This includes fuel and maintenance costs, but not depreciation or insurance. Or, to extract a little more from your guests, use the IRS rate for medical travel (now @.20).

Reply

This is a little hard for me. Most of the time I prefer to be the driver and I prefer my own car. However, a thousand miles round trip on a short time schedule would be too much for me.
Therefore, I wouldn't mind assuming the additional costs if others helped with the driving and paid the gas.

The only thing no one mentioned is the liability you assume when you transport others in your car. Even an accident that is not your fault could result in a lawsuit (deep pocket rule).

Reply

WOW!!! you city people are so up tight with minor things. I guess people like me who live in simple country towns generally drive their cars and trucks longer and not worry about trading in value. maintain you car. buying a new car every 4 years just seems like a waste of money and seems like a sign of vanity. I have a nice truck, it is well taken care of and it looks great, I have 300,000 miles on it. yes that is 300,000 not 30,000...and you wonder why you have money problems.

Reply

I recently drove to SC, near the border of GA and took a family friend and grown neices. It was a 11-12 hr drive. We rented a car 2 hours south of where we started to get a better price for a 3 day trip. We were attending the same graduation. Two of us were supposed to drive and split the total cost of the rental and gas but I later found out my niece didn't have her current license so I did all the driving. 12 hrs to the graduation and 12 hrs return. I had them pay for my food and all the gas. I paid for the rental than was a deal($200 incl. car renatl insur) Their total amounted well over $250 since I was treated to a very nice restaurant after the graduation, otherwse they bought fast food. One of the passengers was disabled and elderly so we only took what she can offer rather than expect her to pay equal amounts. I grew up in country and this is the better way to live. You don't count every dime someone gets over you and claim they owe you a favor in return. That person that wrote that article is projecting a cheap skate idea, totally forgetting etiquette with friends and family. One day you'll be in a hospital and these people will be the only ones to visit. That is, if you live right with them. Your kindness will go a long way. Otherwise, you will not keep friends since you operate every transaction as a business, then that is what it will be, then they'll say goodbye!

Reply

Jerry hasn't done his homework. The $.50 he quotes is for business travel only.

Reply

I think passangers should pay for maintance and insurence on a car if they are regular passangers such as in year round car pooling

Reply