How to save yourself a mean buck on car ownership

Cars are money-guzzling machines, there’s no doubt about that. But we’re not in the habit of lying down and letting the costs run all over us. Be a savvy motorist and get the same kind of motor as the one you want, but with a lot less of the cost attached. We’ll be looking at both the long and short-term methods of saving you should be taking on board.

Buying

It’s going to be the most expensive part of the process, but it also has some of the greatest saving potential. For one, it’s always a good idea to go used. Cars that are only a year old and used aren’t going to have a huge impact on their performance and condition, most of the time. However, they are going to have a significantly dropped price just due to the fact that they’re pre-owned. Having a few haggling tips up your sleeve is a good idea, too. Come with a pre-approved loan so you don’t rely on the dealer’s offers. You might even want to pretend you’re buying with cash. That usually tends to get you a lower offer.

Maintenance

After you buy a car, you still need to do plenty of spending to keep it in top condition. But there’s a lot you can do to reduce the costs of maintenance. First, you should be carrying out a schedule of preventative maintenance on your own. Learn how to change the oil, the brake pads and the like. Spend less on having to go to the garage. You might also want to consider replacements that are a lot less likely to have to be replaced in the near future. One of the benefits of xenon lights from places like XenonHIDs.com is that they tend to last longer than halogen.

Fuel

Naturally, you can’t talk about cutting costs without talking about the fuel you use. We won’t get into the idea of driving the car less. However, we will mention that having your spark plugs checked often plays a big role in how much fuel is used in the engine. How you drive matters, too. Drastic changes in speed, such as sudden braking and quick acceleration from 0 will drink quite a bit of gas.

Insurance

When talking about saving on insurance, you want to be careful. You don’t want to cut away too much, in case you actually need it. But you do want to make sure you’re only covering what’s necessary. For example, you’re looking at an old car that you’re considering replacing in the future. You might not want all of the insurance that could into repairing it. Adding a more experienced driver, like a parent, to your policy can help lower the premium. But don’t list them as the primary driver if they’re not, as DriveLikeAGirl.com warns. That’s illegal and could invalidate your whole agreement.

You’ll never be able to get away from the fact that owning a car is expensive. However, keeping the above tips in mind means that it can be a lot more manageable.

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