Aside from being an essential tool for getting your family around, cars are also a significant financial responsibility and, without the right care, they can easily become a drain on your bank balance. Some of the biggest running costs of your car might be the maintenance and repair costs that come along the way. However, that doesn’t have to be the case. Here, we’re going to look at some ways you can cut the costs of your car maintenance.
Buy cars that you can rely on
First of all, take a closer look at the car that you’re considering buying;. Amongst your many criteria, the overall reliability of the car should hold some weight and one of the easiest ways to see exactly how dependable a car is is to visit the ReliabilityIndex. Not only can you get an independent reliability score that can easily be compared across different cars, but the records there also indicate the most common repairs and how much you’re likely to spend on them, as well.
Be careful with used cars
Used cars might be less expensive on the whole but you can’t always rely on them to come with a complete service history or to not have any hidden issues, meaning there may be large repair costs lurking under the surface ready to bite you. It’s recommended that you have a mechanic take a look at any used car you consider or make use of sites like ChooseMyCar that can instead make it easier to finance a new car purchase. Spending a little more on a new car now can help you avoid bigger costs down the line.
Stay on top of it
Simply put, the best way to reduce the costs of maintenance and repairs is to be as proactive as possible. There are apps that can help with that, such as tracking your service history and planned mechanic visits to give you reminders of when you should be doing what. Learning a little DIY maintenance, such as how to change the spark plugs and the brake pads yourself can also help you reduce some of those costs. After all, garages always charge at least a small markup on both parts and services.
Put together a fund for it
One of the big ways that people can get stung by repair bills is that they don’t have the cash on hand to pay for them. This can lead to them having to pay using their credit, which means they have to pay the interest on top when they pay it back. Though it doesn’t technically reduce the cost of your repairs, saving up a car maintenance fund throughout the year will reduce how much you pay for them in the end. Figure out your average annual repair and maintenance costs, knowing that they’re likely to raise each year, and start saving.
Saving money on car maintenance begins from the moment that you purchase a car. For that reason, from that moment onwards, you should be thinking about how your choices affect your finances in the long term.
