<> = Spending record = This is bigger ticket stuff, not regular consumables like petrol and tolls. || Date || Expense || Cost || Vendor || Notes || || 2023-01-06 || Dealer 0th service || free || Mazda || Free 1-month service || || 2023-09-06 || Dealer 1st service || $330 || Mazda || Should've been the 6-month service but we couldn't book in earlier || || 2023-10-16 || Suncorp comprehensive || $1388.75 || Suncorp || Covered for $50900 with $995 excess || || 2023-10-20 || NRMA comprehensive || $1612.56 || NRMA || Covered for $35000 with $1000 excess, payments are now MONTHLY || || 2025-11-07 || NRMA comprehensive || $1792.06 || NRMA || Covered for $31233 with $1000 excess, monthly payments of $149.34 || || 2026-08-25 || Dealer 4th+5th service || $860.00 || Mazda || Includes the fuel lines and aircon system cleaning upsell for $250-270 or so || || 2026-11-07 || NRMA comprehensive || $1801.68 || NRMA || Covered for $28358 with $1000 excess, monthly payments of $150.14 || = On-road costs = || Date || Expense || Cost || Notes || || 2023-10-16 || CTP with QBE || $429.28 || - || || 2023-10-16 || Rego || $582.55 || - || || 2024-10-20 || CTP with QBE || $453.29 || - || || 2024-10-20 || Rego || $625.00 || - || || 2025-10-08 || CTP with NRMA || $558.89 || QBE's website is closed from 01:00 to 05:00, so fuck 'em || || 2025-10-08 || Rego || $661.00 || - || || 2026-10-27 || CTP with NRMA || $612.17 || - || || 2026-10-27 || Rego || $580.00 || - || = Estimated yearly running costs = Estimate updated in October 2026, annual values unless specified. * Rego: $580 * A $100 cost-of-living-relief discount is in effect until 2027-08-31 * CTP with NRMA: $612 * Comprehensive with NRMA: $1801 * Servicing: $500 * Tolls: Averaging $110/mon at the moment ($1320/yr) * NRMA roadside assistance ($11 per month): $132 * Fuel: $150/mon ($1800/yr) * Maintenance (eg. tyres, etc): $144 (wild guess) * Loan: $1008/mon ($12096/yr) * Fudge factor: $11/yr That makes it $18996 per year, or a neat $1583 per month. * Monthly: loan, comprehensive, tolls, NRMA, fuel, small maintenance * Yearly: rego, CTP, servicing == Breakdown to monthly costs == These total to $1583 per month. === PAYG monthly === * Loan: $1008 * Comprehensive insurance: $150 * Tolls: $110 * NRMA roadside: $11 * Fuel: $150 * Smaller maintenance: $12 * Fudge factor: $1 Pay $1442 each month. === Big hits averaged per month === * Rego: $48.33 * CTP: $51.00 * Servicing: $41.67 Put aside $141 each month. = Fuel estimates = We're driving about 9250km per year, which equates to 770km per month, and spending about $150/mon at the moment. We're filling about 73L per month. That gives an average mileage of about 9.45L per 100km, sounds roughly correct. The averaged petrol price is $2.00/L, but it definitely goes up and down around that number. This gives us a distance-cost of 18.9c per km. Assume it's shitty and add 10% to that, for $2.20/L averaged. Thanks Trump, thanks for the war in the middle east. * $165/mon for petrol * 20.8c per km Assume it gets REALLY shit and petrol goes to $2.50/L on average. * $188/mon for petrol * 23.6c per km Anyway for now we budget $150/mon for petrol. = Servicing pricing = This is a fixed-cost deal with a nice schedule of expected servicing costs. Assume we drive about 10,000km per year, and service yearly, which is extremely neat. || Year 1 || $350 || - || || Year 2 || $452 || brake fluid || || Year 3 || $426 || engine air filter || || Year 4 || $536 || brake fluid, cabin air filter || || Year 5 || $350 || - || || Year 6 || $528 || brake fluid, engine air filter || || Year 7 || $350 || - || || Year 8 || $536 || brake fluid, cabin air filter || || Year 9 || $426 || engine air filter || || Year 10 || $452 || brake fluid || The average over 10 years is about $440 per service, plus any extra expenses for labour or things that need replacing. Call it $500 to be sure.