Posted by kcm.MN on January 29, 2019 at 11:41:15 from (174.219.7.242):
Still keeping with MTC's Battery topic, here's a different sort of question -- one having to do with the economics of choosing a battery.
As mentioned in the other thread, I bought a new battery just last week. When the old battery died, I borrowed one from the old Farmall 460. That battery was almost 10 years old and is still going strong. It is also an AGM battery purchased at Auto Value. I priced one of those batteries and it was $200 + tax. Ouch! I can remember when a new battery cost under $30. Wasn't so long ago that they were $80 new (Home Depot has one for $89, but no Home Depot near me). A couple years back, I bought one at Wally World for $120, and thought that was highway robbery. Now locally (and we don't have a lot of choices here), seems like the $142 price of this one is rather a deal these days.
This one is made by East Penn Manufacturing in the USA, so am hoping for decent life out of it. The feller at the parts store said there are only 3 major battery manufacturers in the world now; 2 in the USA and one in Mexico. ...I have no idea if that's true!
Anyway, I priced some other high-end batteries online when I got home. Come to find out, $200 for an AGM battery is actually quite a bargain. Who knew?? Anyway, got to thinking about the overall value of a battery -- how much will it cost me per month or year over its lifetime?
Seems I normally get the life expectancy that the batteries say I will, on average. That said, the AGM batteries don't "claim" to last any longer than flooded-cell batteries, even though they have earned that reputation of longer life.
So I ask, what kind of battery is the best value, and how much is simply too much these days??
My battery is the Deka Ultimate 778DT maintenance free battery. It's said to have 850 cold cranking amps. The DT on the end (778DT) means dual terminal, so it has both top-mount and side mount terminals. Great! Can use it in the Chevy (side mount) or Dodge (top mount) trucks, if needed. Cool!! My final price (including my old core) was $151.75 out the door. If it lasts me 6 years, than the battery will cost $25.29 per year to own.
IF I had purchased the AGM battery, it would have been about $60 more. Would it have lasted longer? No way of knowing. What about an Interstate or maybe an Optima? Wow, those Optima batteries are expensive! How long will they last? I have no experience with them, so can't say.
So, what's the best overall value in new batteries these days??
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