Lower Your Auto Expenses

Saving money in unexpected areas is a pleasant surprise. You may already put a lot of effort into smart spending, through taking advantage of coupons and sales. You might be used to cutting corners on little luxuries. If you make a few small changes, you can save hundreds even thousands of dollars each year on your car expenses. Here are five easy ways to save cash on your car.

Find a Good Mechanic

You want to be able to trust the person working on your car. For starters, you need to know if you are getting a good price. What’s more, a poorly done job can result in being right back in the repair shop. If you don’t yet have a DC tire rotation provider whom you trust, ask people who have the same make and model as you where they go. Look for a garage that specializes in your brand and gives you honest service.

Shop Insurance

The Internet has made shopping for almost anything easy – including insurance. You may like your current provider, but making a switch might save you hundreds of dollars on your premium. You can use online comparison tools to line up policies next to each other based on deductibles, coverage amounts and premiums.

Also consider certain benefits associated with difference insurance providers. Some companies offer discounts if you have more than one policy with them, or they offer discounts for drivers without tickets or accidents on their record.

Avoid Car Hopping

You might really enjoy getting a new lease every few years, but in the long run, that can actually end up costing you more. In fact, every year you own a car means saving money in terms of taxes, fees, insurance changes, financing and initial maintenance costs. If you have a loan on your car, try to pay it off quicker, saving you money on interest payments.

Learn Simple Maintenance

There are many jobs you should trust your Washington tire rotation mechanic with, like installing a new brake system or other major repairs. However, you can save some money by learning how to do the little things yourself. Changing light bulbs and keeping your tires inflated to the right amount of pressure are simple, do-it-yourself fixes that require only minimal knowledge.

Not only will doing these things yourself save you on maintenance, but it can also save you on gas. For example, tires that are properly inflated get better gas mileage than under- or over-inflated tires. If you know how to check your pressure yourself and do it regularly, you can cut down on your fuel use.

Share the Road

Good for the environment and good for your budget, carpooling means sharing fuel expenses. If you trade off on drivers, this can also mean a long-term savings on the miles you put on your vehicle. Check with people who work with you or search online carpooling sites for other people who want to share the ride.

You can take this one step further and ditch the car altogether. Well, not altogether – but perhaps for your commute. Consider taking public transportation, which can save you a decent amount of money each month – especially if you have to pay for parking at work. Or, get a free ride and a workout by riding your bike to work. Some of these changes take a little effort on your part, but the result can mean major savings.