If you wanted to drive off the dealer’s lot and onto a tricky trail in 2015 with the family, you would have wanted a Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon. You would have paid $35,995 for the vehicle, $1,200 in delivery charges, and $2,790 in tax, and another $1,217 to insure it for the first year. Over five years and on top of that $41,202, you would have spent an average of $4,403 in financing charges, $7,750 in gas, then $3,255 in maintenance. Repairs depend on how much you bust it up going off-roading, but assuming no trail damage, the average spent on repairs is $1,290.
Trade-in values hold strong at about $23,000 after five years. Totaling the figures up, that gives us a five-year real cost of ownership for a Jeep Wrangler Unlimited of $76,963, or 2.1 times the original price.
Purchase Price: $35,995
Delivery charge : $1,200
Taxes (CA 2015=7.5%): $2,790
Insurance (5 years): $6,085
Financing fees: $4,403
Maintenance: $3,255
Repairs (average cost only for years out of warranty): $1,290
Fuel (average EPA for 13,000 miles/year over five years): $7,750
Total Spend Over Five Years: $62,768
Depreciation: $12,995
Money Left For Next Car: $23,000