Kazakh economist Almas Chukin believes that buying a car is not a good investment. According to him, for those who drive rarely, taxis and rentals can be cheaper than owning a car, reports infohub.kz.
One of the main financial losses, according to Chukin, comes from depreciation. As an example, he cited a new car priced at around $20,000. The economist believes that immediately after purchase, the car may lose about 10% of its value. In that case, the owner effectively loses $2,000 just by driving it off the lot.
After another year, according to Chukin's estimate, the car may depreciate by an additional 10–15%. Meanwhile, the owner continues to spend money on fuel, maintenance, parking, and other expenses.
The economist recommends that those who rarely use a car consider taxis for daily trips, and rent a car for long journeys or countryside vacations.
However, there is no universal answer as to which option is cheaper. The final costs depend on the price of the car, annual mileage, fuel consumption, maintenance costs, parking, and taxi fares.
Thus, before buying a car, it makes sense to calculate not only its price but also the total cost of ownership over several years. For a driver with high mileage, owning a car may have different economic advantages than for someone who drives only a few times a week.
Earlier, Kursiv Auto reported on how much money is spent on maintaining a car in Kazakhstan.