Saving on Car Maintenance

Frugal Friday

Your next largest investment after your home is usually your car. Therefore, you should take good care of it to make it run at its best, and so it lasts as long as it can. Cars are built to last well over 100,000 miles these days, but unless you perform maintenance on it, it may break down. And since maintenance can be expensive, here are more tips for saving money.

• Park in the shade in the summer so gas doesn't evaporate in the heat.
• Tread easy on the gas and brake pedals. This will improve your mileage.
• Turn your engine off when parked or waiting for freight trains to go by. Idling uses gas.
• Hold a lighted match near frozen locks to thaw them.
• Search the web site for the cheapest gas in your area.
• Buy gas after the sun goes down. Gas molecules evaporate less when the sun isn't shining.
• Use cruise control on the highway to save on gas.
• Avoid driving during rush hour whenever possible to avoid back-ups.
• Check and replace air filters on a regular basis.
• Opt for a barely used car over a new one, since new cars lose half their value the moment you drive them off the lot.
• Rental agencies sometimes offer their cars at good prices when they are replacing their fleet.
• Check prices for cars online for the best deals.