![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jenniferkobernikNext to housing, transportation is the biggest expense for most Americans, and I imagine the same holds true in many countries. Beyond the purchase price, personal automobiles cost money in debt servicing if they are financed, fuel, insurance, inspections and registration, maintenance and repair, depreciation, and even expenses associated with poor health due to lack of physical activity, poor air quality, exposure to toxic chemicals, and injuries from car wrecks.
Ideally, get rid of your car (or at least one of them, if there is more than one person in your household who owns a vehicle). Consider walking, biking (possibly with a small cargo trailer and/or electric assist), public transportation such as bus or train, carpooling, borrowing a car or requesting a ride from a friend occasionally, the use of ride sharing services or even the occasional taxi, or moving to a location within walking/biking distance of your work, grocery store, or other important locations. If you are able-bodied, rather than paying for a car which you drive to a gym (!), ditch the car payment and gym membership and walk (or run, or bike, or rollerblade for that matter) to the grocery store and back with a backpack a couple times a week. You will probably stay able-bodied longer that way (unless you get hit by someone driving a car!).
If you must have a car, never buy it new, and never finance it. Buy a make and model known for its longevity, and don’t upgrade until absolutely necessary. Also consider gas mileage when buying, but don’t be suckered into paying too much for shoddy models because they promise marginally better mileage.
The more you know about cars, how to discern their true condition, and how to fix them, the cheaper you can buy them used without disaster ensuing. If, like me, you cannot remember what a carburetor is or does, despite it having been explained to you half a dozen times, try to find a friend or relative who understands cars to shop with/for you. But if they really like fiddling with cars and assume that everyone else must too, make sure they don’t tell you to buy something that needs more work than you can give it—if they say things like “just replace the head gasket and it will be good to go,” ask questions like this to help calibrate their expectations: “Which of those little dots on the floppy metal thing is the oil supposed to be at when you check it?” or “Are the spark plugs under the hood or are they under the car somewhere?” or “What does a clutch actually do, really?”
If you have already subjected yourself to a car payment, get out from under it however you can—sell the car and save up cash for a used vehicle, for instance. At the very least, pay it off as soon as possible, and don’t do it again. (Of course, if you have unsecured consumer debt such as credit cards, pay that off first). If your car is nice enough and you drive a lot, you may be able to make money by having it wrapped in advertising and apply that toward your car payment—yes, this is horrifying and tacky, but it’s suitable punishment for having financed a car!
Drop comprehensive coverage on your car (once it’s paid off), and carry only liability insurance. Compare rates and see if your insurance company offers premium reductions for safe driving records, low mileage, or other behaviors.
Learn to do your own maintenance, do it regularly, and record it. If you must have work done at a shop and don’t know much about cars, take someone knowledgeable (preferably a working-class male, maybe the same one who helped you buy your used car) with you. This will usually reduce attempts to overcharge you or perform unnecessary repairs, or at least make them less blatant and more likely to get caught.
Drive only when necessary, drive at a reasonable speed, and don’t dissipate the energy in all that petroleum as waste heat from braking because you won’t stop tailgating.
Really, though, try to get rid of your car altogether. If you can’t or won’t do this, the money you can save through tips and tricks will be less by an order of magnitude than if you simply ditched the car (or turned your vehicle into your house, as mentioned in the last post in this series).
See you February 4th!
Ideally, get rid of your car (or at least one of them, if there is more than one person in your household who owns a vehicle). Consider walking, biking (possibly with a small cargo trailer and/or electric assist), public transportation such as bus or train, carpooling, borrowing a car or requesting a ride from a friend occasionally, the use of ride sharing services or even the occasional taxi, or moving to a location within walking/biking distance of your work, grocery store, or other important locations. If you are able-bodied, rather than paying for a car which you drive to a gym (!), ditch the car payment and gym membership and walk (or run, or bike, or rollerblade for that matter) to the grocery store and back with a backpack a couple times a week. You will probably stay able-bodied longer that way (unless you get hit by someone driving a car!).
If you must have a car, never buy it new, and never finance it. Buy a make and model known for its longevity, and don’t upgrade until absolutely necessary. Also consider gas mileage when buying, but don’t be suckered into paying too much for shoddy models because they promise marginally better mileage.
The more you know about cars, how to discern their true condition, and how to fix them, the cheaper you can buy them used without disaster ensuing. If, like me, you cannot remember what a carburetor is or does, despite it having been explained to you half a dozen times, try to find a friend or relative who understands cars to shop with/for you. But if they really like fiddling with cars and assume that everyone else must too, make sure they don’t tell you to buy something that needs more work than you can give it—if they say things like “just replace the head gasket and it will be good to go,” ask questions like this to help calibrate their expectations: “Which of those little dots on the floppy metal thing is the oil supposed to be at when you check it?” or “Are the spark plugs under the hood or are they under the car somewhere?” or “What does a clutch actually do, really?”
If you have already subjected yourself to a car payment, get out from under it however you can—sell the car and save up cash for a used vehicle, for instance. At the very least, pay it off as soon as possible, and don’t do it again. (Of course, if you have unsecured consumer debt such as credit cards, pay that off first). If your car is nice enough and you drive a lot, you may be able to make money by having it wrapped in advertising and apply that toward your car payment—yes, this is horrifying and tacky, but it’s suitable punishment for having financed a car!
Drop comprehensive coverage on your car (once it’s paid off), and carry only liability insurance. Compare rates and see if your insurance company offers premium reductions for safe driving records, low mileage, or other behaviors.
Learn to do your own maintenance, do it regularly, and record it. If you must have work done at a shop and don’t know much about cars, take someone knowledgeable (preferably a working-class male, maybe the same one who helped you buy your used car) with you. This will usually reduce attempts to overcharge you or perform unnecessary repairs, or at least make them less blatant and more likely to get caught.
Drive only when necessary, drive at a reasonable speed, and don’t dissipate the energy in all that petroleum as waste heat from braking because you won’t stop tailgating.
Really, though, try to get rid of your car altogether. If you can’t or won’t do this, the money you can save through tips and tricks will be less by an order of magnitude than if you simply ditched the car (or turned your vehicle into your house, as mentioned in the last post in this series).
See you February 4th!
