Thinking Through Car Costs

Are you a car driver? I am, and from time to time I wonder just how much money I am wasting to drive my vehicle. It can be a little scary to consider this, after all, we need our vehicles don't we? But it is important to ask the question "How can I save money on my car?", especially in this economic environment. My family often told me that "A penny saved is a penny earned" and I think it's a good thing to consider at this time.
So let's look at what we are spending and see if there is some way we could save money on our costs.
- Buy the car. This is the first thing we have to do, and it usually feels more exciting than expensive. But maybe later on we feel like it was a bit pricier than we wanted, even with the whole interest free credit and nothing to pay for the first six months that the dealer raved about.
- Pay for gas. This is more expensive than ever, especially with the terrible relations we have with oil producers like Russia, Iran, Venezuela, and others.
- Maintenance charges. If you pay for car maintenance each year, expect to add a large sum to your car running costs.
- Replacement parts. If you buy just something like new car tires, it can be a few hundred dollars down the pan.
- Parking fees. The price of car parking varies, but if you don't park at home for free this can be so expensive.
- Get repairs done. To get your car repaired is a big cost, especially if you have had a bad accident.
- Pay road tax. We all pay this, sometimes in our income tax and sometimes directly.
- Buy insurance. It's not cheap to get car insurance. If u are under the age of 25, look for young driver car insurance to cut your spending. And if you only drive from time to time, there might be a way to save money with short term car insurance.