Everyone knows, but it is worth saying again: cars are expensive. Between the cost of gas and the cost of insurance, keeping up a car is difficult, time-consuming and worst of all: pricey. Here are five various suggestions for different ways to make keeping a car cheaper, or at least significantly more cost effective. Read the rest on the next page.
1. Make the car work for you. Instead of pouring money into your gas tank month after month and stressing about the cost, make the car work for you. Find a delivery job at a local pizza place, get a gig with the phone company to deliver the yellow pages, or work as a courier for a local business. At least this way your car is helping to pay for itself, instead of just wasting money.
2. Fix your car yourself. When something goes wrong, buy a manual for your car, talk to someone who knows what they are doing, roll up your sleeves and get dirty. With used auto parts available cheaply from many junk yards, this is often one of the best ways to save money.
3. Drive more carefully. Yes, it can be more boring, but if you stick to the speed limits and (more importantly) are careful when you accelerate and brake, your gas mileage will increase, saving you money.
4. Get married. Seriously. When you get married, you are considered by your insurer to be “more responsible,” so your insurance costs drop dramatically.
5. Take mass transit. Depending on the time factor and the distance, a bus or train is often much more cost-effective per mile than a car is. If you take a train, your gas usage and wear and tear on the car will both drop dramatically. Plus you get a chance to read! Many mass transit systems even have Internet access on board!
Pinstripe Magazine Staff
Online Men’s Lifestyle Magazine on Gear, Grooming, Girls, Gadgets
