THE CAR COST GAME
Can Jake afford his first car?
Get your voting cards ready! ⬜ 🟠 🟢
WARM-UP VOTE #1
How many hours are there
in a full-time work week?
35 hours
⬜ WHITE
40 hours
🟠 ORANGE
45 hours
🟢 GREEN
ANSWER
40 hours/week
8 hours/day × 5 days = 40 hours
WARM-UP VOTE #2
How many weeks
are there in a year?
42 weeks
⬜ WHITE
48 weeks
🟠 ORANGE
52 weeks
🟢 GREEN
ANSWER
52 weeks/year
365 days ÷ 7 = 52.14 ≈ 52 weeks
MEET JAKE
Jake is 19 years old and just started a full-time job in Saskatoon in January 2025.
Jake's Thinking:
MEET JAKE
Jake is 19 years old and just started a full-time job in Saskatoon in January 2025.
Jake's Thinking:
"I need a car to get to work. I found a decent used car for $6,000."
MEET JAKE
Jake is 19 years old and just started a full-time job in Saskatoon in January 2025.
Jake's Thinking:
"I need a car to get to work. I found a decent used car for $6,000."
"I'll take out a loan and pay it off in 12 months — that's about $500/mo."
MEET JAKE
Jake is 19 years old and just started a full-time job in Saskatoon in January 2025.
Jake's Thinking:
"I need a car to get to work. I found a decent used car for $6,000."
"I'll take out a loan and pay it off in 12 months — that's about $500/mo."
"The car looks good, I won't spend much on maintenance or gas."
MEET JAKE
Jake is 19 years old and just started a full-time job in Saskatoon in January 2025.
Jake's Thinking:
"I need a car to get to work. I found a decent used car for $6,000."
"I'll take out a loan and pay it off in 12 months — that's about $500/mo."
"The car looks good, I won't spend much on maintenance or gas."
"I make good money, I should be fine!"
JAKE'S NUMBERS
Hourly wage
$18/hr
Hours/month
~173 hrs
Monthly income
$3,114
Monthly needs (rent, food...)
$1,750
Car price
$6,000
Loan interest rate
8.99%
Loan term
12 months
JAKE'S NUMBERS
Hourly wage
$18/hr
Hours/month
~173 hrs
Monthly income
$3,114
Monthly needs (rent, food...)
$1,750
Car price
$6,000
Loan interest rate
8.99%
Loan term
12 months
Jake forgot about: insurance (he's only 19!), oil changes, winter tires, surprise repairs...
TIME TO VOTE!
After 1 year, will Jake...
Have money
left over
⬜ WHITE
Barely
survive
🟠 ORANGE
Go into
debt
🟢 GREEN
Hold up your card!
LET'S SEE WHAT REALLY HAPPENED
Open the spreadsheet — reveal month by month!
Month | What Happened | Extra Cost | Leftover |
Jan | Plates/registration + supplies | $110 | $129 |
Feb | Smooth month | — | $219 |
Mar | Oil change + air filter | $90 | $169 |
Apr | Brake issue repair | $450 | −$191 |
May | Windshield chip → crack | $350 | −$101 |
Jun | Smooth month | — | $269 |
Jul | Smooth month | — | $229 |
Aug | Alignment + wipers | $120 | $119 |
Sep | Smooth month | — | $259 |
Oct | Winter tires + install | $900 | −$681 |
Nov | Brake pads/rotors | $300 | −$61 |
Dec | Battery + washer fluid | $200 | $9 |
THE RESULT
$372
left over for the ENTIRE YEAR
THE RESULT
$372
left over for the ENTIRE YEAR
That's $31/month — less than $1/day!
THE RESULT
$372
left over for the ENTIRE YEAR
That's $31/month — less than $1/day!
No savings. No fun money. No emergency fund.
One more surprise bill and Jake is in debt.
WHERE DID JAKE'S MONEY GO?
Total Earned
$37,368
Total Spent
$36,996
Left Over
$372 (1%)
NOW... MEET CATHY
Cathy also wants to buy a car.
YOU get to decide her numbers!
4 votes coming up — get your cards ready!
CATHY VOTE #1 — HOURLY WAGE
How much per hour does Cathy earn?
$15/hr
≈ $2,595/mo
⬜ WHITE
$18/hr
≈ $3,114/mo
🟠 ORANGE
$22/hr
≈ $3,806/mo
🟢 GREEN
CATHY VOTE #2 — CAR PRICE
What car does Cathy choose?
$3,500
Beater
High miles, runs OK
⬜ WHITE
$6,000
Decent used
Same as Jake
🟠 ORANGE
$12,000
Nice & reliable
Low miles
🟢 GREEN
CATHY VOTE #3 — LOAN INTEREST RATE
What interest rate does Cathy get?
5.99%
Good credit
⬜ WHITE
8.99%
Average
🟠 ORANGE
14.99%
Bad credit
🟢 GREEN
CATHY VOTE #4 — DRIVING EXPERIENCE
How experienced is Cathy?
Brand new
Just got license
≈ $400/mo insurance
⬜ WHITE
2 years
Some experience
≈ $280/mo insurance
🟠 ORANGE
5+ years
Experienced driver
≈ $180/mo insurance
🟢 GREEN
FINAL PREDICTION!
After 1 year, will Cathy...
Hold up your card!
Have money
left over
⬜ WHITE
Barely
survive
🟠 ORANGE
Go into
debt
🟢 GREEN
LET'S PLUG IN CATHY'S NUMBERS!
Open the Excel spreadsheet
Change the input cells to Cathy's voted values
Watch the numbers update automatically!
The spreadsheet recalculates everything: loan payment, totals, leftover cash!
KEY TAKEAWAYS
A car costs WAY more than the price tag
Loan interest, insurance, gas, maintenance, repairs — they add up fast.
Young drivers pay A LOT for insurance
Jake's $360/mo insurance = $4,320/year — almost as much as the car!
Always budget for the unexpected
Winter tires, brake repairs, cracked windshields — surprises WILL happen.
Do the math BEFORE you buy
A spreadsheet takes 10 minutes. Going broke takes way longer to fix.