A car is more of a liability than it is an asset. Car owners everywhere have to spend on it, be it on maintenance, repair or fees charged on it. As such, car owners must have a proper financial support plan lest they are unable to use them.
In Zambia, a car owner is no different than any other. Cars consume high finances incurred in taxes, servicing and repairs. The government of Zambia has imposed various taxes on car owners. These include taxation of car fitness, insurance, carbon emission and road tax. All these taxes are compulsory and are usually paid to particular insurance companies and government authorities. The government uses some of these taxes in road maintenance, such as the fitness and carbon emission taxes. On the other hand, insurance helps the government in civilian protection from road accidents and other life eventualities. About ZMK600.00 ($60.00) is charged per annum on insurance, carbon emission, car fitness and road taxes. The cost of insurance ranges between ZMK600.00 to ZMK1500.00 ($150.00) per annum and depends on the insurance company.
Repair and maintenance costs are also compulsory in the lifetime of a car as they ensure it performs as required. A car owner has to prepare in advance for such costs. Maintenance and repair fees vary from vehicle to vehicle depending on the model and capacity of the engine.
Toyota Corolla 2000 available at CarYandi.com has an engine capacity of 1490cc. It requires oil and air filters and a change of engine oils regularly as any other car. These enable the engine to run smoothly. An oil filter will cost a Toyota Corolla 2000 owner roughly ZMK120.00. It is used in engine oil purification by filtering out particles and dirt. Air filters cost around ZMK65.00 to ZMK100.00 ($10). Air filters help in cleaning the air used by the engine for fuel combustion. Dirty air prevents complete combustion making the engine to use more fuel than normal.
A Toyota corolla requires standard 5 liters of engine oil which costs ZMK200.00 ($20) on approximation. Engine oil requires to be changed during at every required servicing point. The quality of engine oil varies from the different manufacturers. Poor quality will destroy your engine. Similarly, cars with bigger engines require more amounts of engine oil. As advised on CarYandi.com, car models vary in performance thus the differentiated needs. A car owner also incurs the cost of labor which varies depending on the service garage or mechanic attending to your car. In Zambia, simple basic vehicle servicing costs about ZMK300.00 ($30.00). This is without the inclusion of costs of repairs.
