<title>Learn about adding cars or other vehicles to your lifetime plan</title>
<category>lifeplan</category>
<klink type="cncpt">Tell me about adding cars or other vehicles to my lifetime plan</klink>
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<p>Though you might think of a car as an asset, Money sees it differently because a car depreciates over time. In other words, you typically wouldn't sell a car to fund your retirement. So, the best way to incorporate your car into your lifetime plan is to plan for when you'll have to pay for it, but not to add it as an asset.</p>
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<tease>Where do I include expenses like gas and car maintenance?</tease>
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<p>They should be included in your total living expenses. You can include them through your budgeted expenses, by adding an expense category to your budget. <alink type="prcdr" href="Addoreditagrouporcategorywithacompletedbudget.xml"/></p>
<p>If you don't budget expenses, just include the costs in your Lifetime Planner estimate. You can also add current annual living expenses to your plan. <alink type="prcdr" href="Definemycurrentannuallivingexpenses.xml"/></p>
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<tease>What if I own a collectible car that actually does appreciate in value?</tease>
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<p>You should add the car as an asset instead of following the instructions in this topic. <alink type="prcdr" href="AddanassettomyLifetimePlan.xml"/></p>
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<tease>Why can't I just include my car payments as part of my living expenses?</tease>
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<p>If you've added your car loan to your plan already, adding this expense to your living expenses will cause the Lifetime Planner to count this amount twice. <alink type="cncpt" href="LearnHowNotToDoubleCountExpenses.xml"/></p>
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<tease>I lease my car, and I'm planning to buy it when the lease is up. How do I include that in my lifetime plan?</tease>
<reveal>
<p>If you're going to pay cash for the car at the end of the lease, enter the end-of-lease cost as a one-time expense. If you're going to take out a loan, enter it as a planned loan. </p>
