My Car Story

How much have you spent on cars in your lifetime? Without factoring in insurance, repairs, registration, taxes, and fees, here's what it's looked like for me:

Total Purchase Cost: $96,800
Residual Value: $60,100 (Estimated value of 3 cars I own now)
Price of car ownership: $36,700
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1987 Mercury Lynx (Purchased by my wife before the wedding. Traded in on the Probe for virtually nothing. Probably the dumbest purchase I ever made!)
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1989 Ford Probe
$12,900 financed over 4-years
Sold May 1996 for $3,500
*
1992 Honda Civic DX
Purchased August, 1992
$10,800 financed over 3-years
Sold June 1996 for $8,700
*
1990 Toyota Corola (Right Side Drive)
Purchased Oct 1996 $3,500 for cash
Sold May 1999 $2,000
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1986 Honda Vigor (Right Side Drive)
Purchased June 1996 $1,700 for cash
Sold Dec 1998 $900
*
1994 Subaru Impreza
Purchased July 1999 $7,900 for cash
Sold May 2002 $4,500
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1999 Nissan Altima
Purchased June 1999 $13,500 (financed for 3-years)
Sold July 2006 $7,300
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2002 VW Jetta Wagon
Purchased June 2002 $18,000 (financed for 3-years)
Currently for sale $10,300
*
2006 Subaru Legacy LTD
Purchased July 2006 $23,100 (financed for 3-years, paid off in 1)
*
1964 Pontiac Tempest Custom
Purchased July 2005 $5,400 for cash

DFAS news worth reading

The Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) annual addition limit

If you work in a combat zone anytime during the calendar year and also
contribute to the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP), the annual addition limit
is important to understand.  Learn more about the annual addition limit
of TSP at
http://www.dfas.mil/mil-news/mar2008/annualadditionlimit.html

Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC) Web site provides service
certificates for Servicemembers¿ Civil Relief Act of 2003 (SCRA)

A new free service is available on a Defense Manpower Data Center
(DMDC) Web site to obtain certificates of current active duty service needed
for creditors under the Servicemembers¿ Civil Relief Act of 2003
(SCRA).   Learn more about the DMDC at
http://www.dfas.mil/mil-news/mar2008/freeActiveDutyServiceCertificates.html

New policy for death gratuity beneficiary designations

You may want to update your DD Form 93, Record of Emergency Data, due
to recent changes to death gratuity beneficiary policies.  Learn more
about the policy changes at
http://www.dfas.mil/mil-news/mar2008/deathgratuitybeneficiarypolicychanges.html

TreasuryDirect Program

Did you know that you can buy U.S. Savings Bonds in electronic form and
hold them directly with the U.S. Treasury over the Internet? You can
even convert your paper savings bonds into electronic form and hold them
in an account with the government. Both are possible when you open a
TreasuryDirect account.  Be sure to check out more information on the
TreasuryDirect Program at
http://www.dfas.mil/mil-news/mar2008/treasurydirectprogram.html

Navy Wounded Warrior (WW) Pay Support

The January 2008 newsletter featured an article on the Army Wounded
Warrior Pay Program.  This month, we¿ll focus on the Navy¿s Wounded
Warrior Program.  More information on the Navy Wounded Warrior Program is
available at
http://www.dfas.mil/mil-news/mar2008/navywoundedwarriorpaysupport.html

Do you know your entitlements?

1.  Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) and Household Goods.  If the
member is storing their household goods at government expense while on
temporary change of station orders, can he/she still receive BAH?  For the
answer, got to
http://www.dfas.mil/mil-news/mar2008/bahandhouseholdgoods.html

2.  Leave.  How many days of accumulated leave can members of the armed
forces carryover if they are not serving in areas designated for
greater carryover or in support of contingency operations?  For the answer,
go to http://www.dfas.mil/mil-news/mar2008/leave.html

New Newsletter Feature:

***In order to download the entire March 2008 Military Pay Newsletter
in .pdf format, please go to http://www.dfas.mil/mil-news/mar2008/ and
use the link provided on the website.***