Thrifty Thursday

 Maintain your car. 

When I was growing up, I remember hanging out with my Dad over the hood of the car. Most Saturdays would find him tinkering with the engine in some form or another and me watching eagerly, waiting to see what new wonder I was going to see. (You would honestly think I would have become a car mechanic instead of a librarian...)   

I also remember one time when Dad rebuilt the carburetor and had pieces leftover when he was finished. That car broke down on his way home when we were in Virginia. If I remember correctly, that was well over $200. I mention this because if he’d taken it to the mechanic instead of attempting to fix it himself, it would have cost less than $50. I remember this because Mom kept mentioning it when they were arguing. 

I mention all of this because it’s actually really funny that when I was in my teens my dad kept telling me (nagging me) about how a car needs to be maintained and why. 

If a car is not fully maintained, it will be more likely to break down. Breakdowns lead to costly repairs. Repairs that could have been avoided if you had paid a measly $40 for a new part two months ago instead of the $400 now.  (Like that time we broke down on a highway in Texas hours after he had worked on the engine, and he had to walk 2 hours to get to a gas station to find a tow truck to come and pick us up. Funny now, kind of funny then.) That repair ended up costing over $700 in 1970’s money, and 2 extra days of his leave while the car was fixed before we could head home. 

Tires. Your properly inflated and rotated tires ensure not only a longer life for your tires, but they also increase gas mileage. Not sure what pressure your tires should be inflated? On most cars, there is a tag with that information around the frame of the driver’s side door. In some cars, it is just inside the door frame, below where the latch is located. On others, it is on the door frame on the floor. Your foot crosses over that tag every time you get into the car.  

As an adult, I have always maintained my car on a schedule. Oil changes, tire rotations, belts, etc.

I have an excellent relationship with my mechanic. One that involves him not talking down to me or telling me why I'm wrong or what I don't know. I tell him when something isn't quite right with my car and he will find out what's going on. I am well aware that my mechanic is a gem. I found him after trying 3 other places that did not meet my standards. (Talk to ME. Don't try to sell me things I don't need. Don't ask me when my husband will be in.)

I bought my first car in 1989. It was a Honda Civic. We have owned 3 Honda Civics in total since that time. You could lay that on the engineering of the Honda Motor Corporation, but our second cars have always been used. We've bought 3 second cars since 1990. Kia, Honda, and Mercury. We tend to drive our cars as long as we can because new cars are expensive and maintenance is cheap in comparison to the cost of a new car.

Seriously, this is the one area that makes a big difference in your bottom line. Maintain you car.