How to Run the Family Car for Less!
One of the biggest monthly expenses for any family is running a car, which is easily capable of adding a good couple of hundred dollars onto the outgoings of anyone who’s not too careful. However, there are a few ways that you can bring down the cost of keeping the family transportation going. That’s why we’ have gotten together with Auto Insurance, experts in insurance company comparison to bring you these tips on decreasing the cost of the family car:
Minimize the actual running expenses
The first way to save money on your car is to ensure that the genuine monthly expenses are kept as low as possible, and there are a few ways to do this. Firstly, ensure that you go easy on the brake and throttle pedals whilst driving: you’ll be amazed how much this can reduce your pad wear over the month, and it’ll also reduce your petrol use. Secondly, always shop around for standard costs such as petrol and tyres: play off garages against each other to get the right price.
Minimize your service costs
Minimal repairs and the like add up over time. Fortunately, if you learn all the basics of maintenance yourself you can save a lot. First, learn how to change the fluids in the car, such as the oil, water and brake fluid. Secondly, ensure that you maintain the right pressure in your tyres, as this can decrease the wear by quite a lot in the long run. Obviously still take your car to a specialist if you’re unsure, but many repairs are easily done at home. Get onto the web and research a problem – you might find an easy solution waiting that’ll save you a good fifty bucks or so.
Minimize the value slide
If you’re running a family, the chances are that you’re going to buy and sell cars a few times over the years in order to suit your needs. Interestingly, this is one of the biggest ways that many families lose money. On a bad sale, you might lose anywhere between 200 bucks to a grand: multiply this by two or three times and you could be looking at a loss of up to ten grand over ten years! For this reason, ensure that you regularly clean out the car and keep it in good condition. Look for potential long term issues such as rust spots or stone chips, and have them repaired immediately – they’ll be far easier to deal with now than when the problem has worsened.
Only use your car when you really need to
How easy this tip is to follow will depend largely on just how used to having a car you are, but if you can cut even a few hours driving from your usage a week, you’ll be able to save a lot of cash. A good example would be when making the school run: if your kids are within walking distance of their school, then encourage them to walk there two or three days a week, leaving a lift home as a treat for Fridays and a commiseration for Monday morning! If you’re going out on a family outing at the weekend then try and bike there rather than taking the car. Unless it’s a distance that you really can’t travel in any other way or you’re in a time-based emergency, leave the car at home.
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