Car ownership is an expensive part of life, and it isn’t getting any cheaper, but fortunately there are certain tips such as proper tire pressure that can help you to make sure that you will save as much money as possible along the way.
Some of the best ways to save money are actually the easiest ones, so be sure to learn what they are.
The first step in taking advantage of the ways to save money on your car is to make sure that you have the right vehicle in the first place. Don’t just think about the sticker price when you are considering the cost of your next car. Think about how much it will cost you in the long run when you take all of its various expenses into account.
Some factors that can make your auto insurance less expensive (which is important because this is something that you will be paying throughout the life of your vehicle) include choosing four door instead of two, opting not to have four wheel drive unless you need it, and choosing an American made car so that parts are less expensive to replace and because they have a lower theft ratio due to the fact that they don’t always hold their value as long. This is not the same for every U.S. made car, so do your homework before you buy.
Other ways to save include simple steps such as tire pressure and getting the most out of a tank of gas.
Your tire pressure gauge can actually be a vital tool to help you to reduce the expenses associated with your car ownership. For this reason, the first step is to make sure that you have one that is accurate (so that you can actually trust the information that you’re receiving) and that it is easy to use (so that you’ll actually use it!).
Proper tire inflation maintenance can save you a fortune every year not only on the tires, themselves, but also on gas. Federal data suggests that if you corrected the inflation of all four of your tires on a regular basis (monthly is usually enough), you could save about 3.3 percent on your gas bill. Consider how much it cost you to fuel up the last time. How much was 3.3 percent of that bill? Now, multiply that by the number of times that you fuel up in a year. Suddenly that savings becomes very clear and a lot more important.
A good quality tire pressure gauge can also extend the life of your tires by about 25 percent. Can you imagine the reduction in expense if you could get another year or two out of every set of tires you own? All it takes is a few seconds every month to measure your pressure and a handful of minutes, at the most, to correct the inflation if it’s needed.