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Car Maintenance VS. Car Repairs

My husband and I have driven used cars our entire lives. We choose to do this because it is cheaper. We save the car payment, and save on the insurance. When you are driving a used vehicle (or even a new one really) it’s best to remember that regular, preventative car maintenance can save you a bundle of money in the long run.

Taking the time and the money to change your oil, rotate your tires, check your brakes etc. will prevent some seriously costly repairs in the future. It’s a lot cheaper to rotate your tires than it is to buy new ones. Likewise, keeping your brakes in good shape prevents the damage and possible injury that faulty brakes eventually cause.

But how do you do that, really? If you never feel like you have enough money to go around, the logical thing to do is to put off that oil change as long as possible. Here’s the inside secret:

Every time you get paid stick $20 into an envelope marked “Car maintenance”. Hide the envelope so that the money doesn’t get used for other things. Then, grab a calendar and schedule the maintenance. It only takes a few minutes and a very small financial sacrifice to take care of your car and prevent much bigger, more expensive problems down the road.

It took my husband and I a long time to learn this and I’m ashamed to admit we went through several vehicles before we learned that pro-active maintenance pays off, big time. Do this for your family and you get to be the hero – the one who is “on top” of everything and looking out for the safety of your family. It feels good, it’s cheap and it will give you confidence in yourself and your car. At least, it did for us!

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