What does this car actually cost?
The dealer shows you the monthly loan payment. We show you what owning it really costs — gas, insurance, maintenance, depreciation, the lot.
01The vehicle
$
$
$
02The loan
$%
$mo
03 · The two numbers
Total 5-yr cost
$60.9k
Loan interest paid
$5,845
Ops only · 5 yr
$16,500
Cash committed
$5,000
What you're really committing to
$60.9k over 5 years for a $35.0k car — almost 1.7× the sticker.
The sticker price is ~57% of the total — the rest is interest, gas, insurance and maintenance. And the car loses ~$21.7k of resale value over those 5 years.
02 · Where the money goes
5 years of ownership · $60.9k broken down
Total 5-year cost · $60.9k
55% car · 10% interest · 27% operatingHover each segment for the detail
Loan principal$33,600
What you borrowed55.1%
Loan interest$5,845
6.5% over 5 years9.6%
Down + trade-in$5,000
Cash and vehicle value8.2%
Fuel$10,800
$180/mo17.7%
Maintenance$5,700
$95/mo avg9.4%
Depreciation · resale value over 5 years
Retained
Lost
Real out-of-pocket vs asset retained
$47.6k
Net cost after selling for ~$13.3k residual. The car kept 38% of its value — the other 62% is gone.
Year-1 cliff
$7.0k in 12 months
A new car loses ~20% in the first year. Buying 2 yr old skips the cliff entirely — for the same $35.0k you'd get a $43.8k spec.
Make this fit your life
Sibling calculators
Folding it in
Budget — find the $1.0k
The true cost is what hits your monthly. See where $1.0k/mo fits in your overall budget.
Open ↗Refinance later
Should I refinance?
Rates change. If APR drops 1.5pp in 2 years, refinancing the remaining balance may save thousands.
Open ↗Save your work