With the high cost of living it is important to look to save money wherever possible. There are actually a lot of ways that you can stretch a dollar and your car is one of those areas. It is expensive to own and operate a car but you can still find ways to lower those bills.
There are repairs to make, insurance to pay for, and the cost of depreciation that all factor into a very big expense at the end of the day. Only your housing costs more in many scenarios. In this article, we will go over the ways to lower your expenses when it comes to your car.
1. DIY Repairs
It costs a lot of money to fix a car since the mechanic charges so much for labor and the parts aren’t usually cheap either. People tend to bring their car into the shop for every repair no matter how minor. There are a number of things that you can fix yourself and save a lot of money. Often, you don’t need to know much about cars to be able to make these repairs.
For instance, changing a car battery is as simple as it gets and takes only a few minutes. There is no need to bring the car to the shop for something so minor. The same goes for changing headlights and brake lights.
Changing the oil is something that everybody should get familiar with. There is no skill involved and the only special tool you need is one to remove the oil filter so you can change it for a new one.
2. Pay Less For Insurance
Insurance costs can be quite high but it doesn’t mean they have to be. There are many ways to save on insurance so you can save quite a bit there surprisingly.
The first thing to do is to shop around for some quotes. Lots of insurance companies are happy to poach customers from the competition and offer a lot of incentives to make the switch. Just by making a few phone calls, you can find some nice savings.
You can also look into your policy to see items that can be cut. If you are not paying for a car loan, for instance, you can remove theft and fire from your policy if you want to save money.
3. Drive Better
Being a bad driver can end up costing you thousands. For starters, if you are a bad driver you will likely be in an accident that will cost you a lot in damages. Avoiding accidents will save you from future expenses but good drivers save money even without that.
You will have more frequent repairs if you drive badly. Brakes wear down faster and need to be fixed as well as the strain on the engine that requires changing worn parts. Drive the speed limit and give space to the car in front of you and you will save money.
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