JoshBuying a car may cost a lot – but sometimes, maintaining and using it can cost just as much (or more), especially if you consider the long-term costs. Being a car owner does not have to mean you have to spend a fortune though because there are many ways by which you can actually save money on your car. Here are some of the most efficient ones:
Re-Assess Your Insurance Policy
Obviously, having a good insurance policy for your car is absolutely crucial. However, paying the insurance is probably one of the largest regular costs you have to sustain as well. It is definitely not a good idea to give up on your insurance altogether, but you should still make sure to re-assess yours if you want to save money. Take a look at what your insurance includes at the moment and see which are the things you don’t really, really need. Then, re-negotiate everything with your insurance agency.
Buy After-Market Parts
Buying parts from the car dealer or from the actual “original” manufacturing company can be an expensive deal. Buying after-market parts, on the other hand, can save you a lot of money. In some cases, after-market parts can cost as low as three times less than the dealer parts. And if you are thinking that this will end up “costing” you in terms of quality, think again. There are a lot of after-market parts that are genuinely qualitative and lower-priced than the original parts so it’s definitely worth looking into them at least.
Drive the car longer
This may seem obvious for most of the people, but the truth is that this is the most efficient way to save money on your car. Simply avoiding to change the car sooner than you actually need to can end up saving you a lot of money so you might want to take it into consideration.
Buy the right car
Again, this may be obvious for some of you, but sometimes, the temptation is just too much for some people. Buying a car you can afford (and not just when it comes to the initial price) can help you save money on the long run. Thus, when making the purchase, make sure you take into consideration not only the initial price of the car, but also the costs of maintaining it as well (how much insurance, registration, regular checks and replacements cost for it, for example). This way, you will be able to buy a car that really doesn’t go above your financial limits.
Also, you should keep in mind that if you want to save money by buying pre-owned cars, make sure you buy something that will not require too many repairs and replacements very soon. If you are not very good with “technicalities”, you might want to bring someone who knows one thing or two about cars. This will help you avoid paying for a car that will cost you too much from a long-term point of view.