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5 Ways To Lower Your Car Costs.
5 Ways To Lower Your Car Costs.
We all love our rides and want the best, but the bottom line for anybody is budget.
This isn’t just the budget for buying a car, but ongoing expenses – insurance, tax, fuel, maintenance, etc.
I always advise to buy a used car, simply because you get more value for money, even when it is a few years old. I also think this is environmentally friendly as it is simply better to keep an existing car running than have a new one made.
Problem? If everybody bought used, we would have no car industry eventually, so there has to be a balance.
Buying new or used both have their individual considerations. Arguably, buying used requires more mechanical knowledge, which is never a bad thing, but some just want the peace of mind of being able to get in a vehicle and drive away.
As online car purchases have become more common, you need to know something about what you are looking at, if you are going to buy only from the car’s description online.
websites like Beepi.com are trying to make the online car buying process more transparent.
Buying online will always have its down sides – not being able to test drive before buying. Some are happy with this, some not. Buying used in the real world is no guarantee that you will buy a gem, either. There have been horror stories and successes from both sides.
As with anything, ask as many questions as you can, go for a test drive if you can and try to be 100% sure that the ride you are looking at is the one for you.
1. Reduce your ‘chauffeur’ miles.
This is not just for reducing the miles you run the children around, it is trying to reduce any unnecessary trips which could be avoided.
School runs add up to 25% of morning traffic. In days past it was a walk to school, bike or bus. Times are different now, but it’s worth considering over the car journey. Why not try a carpool with other parents or car sharing?
2. Buy used.
Used vehicles cost less and if you pick a good one, it should last years.
3. Manual over automatic.
Simply, manual transmissions cost less, usually use less gas and are simply more fun to drive. If all your driving is in traffic, then that’s a different matter, but at least consider a manual for your next ride.
3. 2 miles only.
I promised myself when I got my first car I would not become lazy and I would still walk to the shops. As soon as I got my first car, I drove to the shops!
Get into the habit of only using the car for journeys over 2 miles. It will be hard at first, but in the long run you will be fitter, healthier and have more gas money for the longer more enjoyable cruises!
4. Research
Information is king and this also goes for car use.
Just knowing where to buy the cheapest gas in town can save you in the long run.
Learn about the basic specifications of the ride you are looking at and why one feature may be better than another.
The more you know about a car, the better.
5. Buy a muscle car!
Hypocrite you shout! Isn’t a muscle car the antithesis of what you just said above?
No, not quite. The idea is to reduce the cost and miles you do daily so that you can enjoy those weekend cruises, maybe a better car than you would normally buy, simply due to your year-round cost savings.
I have a friend with a 69 Mustang. The kids go to school in other parents cars, shopping is done locally and due to the cost savings, he can maintain and run his beloved Mustang ongoing.
Not everybody is in this position, but a few savings here and there do go a long way.
You could apply this to other areas of your life. You save just a little here and there, which all adds to the pot so you can treat yourself in the future…….hint, hint…….!
Click for More Muscle Cars – http://fastmusclecar.com/muscle-car-for-sale/
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