If you’re wanting or needing to save money here are nine tips to help you keep more pennies in your pocket. This post is brought to you by ChryslerOfCulpeper.net.
1. Wash your own car.
Time IS money, but the cost of convenience might not be worth it all the time. Washing your own car can really save you money. If you decide to wash your car every month that can add. Plus, if you’re like me, the fast versions at the drive-through car washes don’t really ever satisfy me except for getting the dirt off. A good starter kit for your own car wash to get a spic-n-span, classy result can be bought on Amazon or you can DIY to your heart’s content to save even more money!
2. Detail it yourself.
I love having my car detailed because it’s so crazy clean! I once found a church group that detailed my car for $20 for a fundraiser. It was gorgeous on the inside. Later, I went to have my car detailed from a professional business and realized that my $20-detailing was truly a heavenly gift! The professionals wants three times that amount! If you can do this yourself, you’ll have a beaut of a car and bank account.
3. Change your own oil.
I’m pretty sure this step is something we all know, but you can save yourself $20 each time your want your oil replaced (depending on where you live and where you get the change done). This added up over the lifetime of a car, can help make the down payment on the next one!
4. Replace the windshield wipers.
If you have basic windshield wipers, then you can save the service fee by doing this at home. We’re not super-handy people. Sometimes we struggle doing our own car oil change, but this we can do. It’s one of the little things that add up. Also, you don’t have to replace the rods sometimes. Replace the squeegee part for even more savings. The squeegee may be only dirty too. Sometimes cleaning the rubber part of the wiper will save pennies too.
5. Shampoo your own carpets.
You can add life and value to your car by cleaning up the interior carpet. The most efficient way is a professional cleaning system, but you can get a good result from hand-washing the fabric. You need a couple of buckets, clean towels, a carpet brush, a wet vac, and an a fabric-safe, all-purpose cleaner. Follow the instructions for mixing the cleaner, vacuum the carpet, use a brush to clean the carpet using the cleaner mixture, and dry with the wet vac. Beauty and savings.
6. Determine which quality of gas is best.
Did you know that you might get better gas milage from higher quality gas? If you buy premium gas, it might actually save you money. Do a little test – try each of the levels of gas and see how many miles to the gallon you get for your car for each level.
7. Keep your RPMs low.
Surging your car above 3,000 RPMs will burn up gas. Anytime you can coast, do it. Anytime you can not accelerate (with safety in mind, of course) do it! This saves gas.
8. Pick and stick with a good repair shop.
We have had our fair share of experiences with good auto mechanics, but we have had one or two situations when we wouldn’t go back either. Your trustworthy mechanic will help you save money by repairing your vehicle in a way that helps you, not his only his pocketbook. Look for good ratings and word of mouth by “car” people you know
9. Be picky about insurance.
If you have an older car, you don’t necessarily need a lot of coverage on the vehicle. You can simply get liability insurance and use the money you save on the car insurance to put into a savings car for your next ride!
How about you? How do you save money with and on your car?
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