How to Save Money on Vehicle Ownership Costs

**Full Disclosure: This is a sponsored post which also contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I get a teeny-tiny percentage at no cost to you. All opinions are my own.

While your vehicle is probably one of the costliest purchases you will make, the expenses of having a vehicle goes beyond the purchase price. You’ll need to pay gasoline, insurance, repairs and maintenance over the life of the car. The good news is that there are some things you can do to save money on these costs.

Gasoline

• Don’t leave your car running for a long time on cold mornings. While you do need to warm up your car a bit on those cold, winter mornings, you only need to do so for about 40 seconds. Anything longer is just wasting fuel.
• In the summer months, fill your car with gasoline early in the morning. The reason is that outside temperatures are cooler first thing in the morning, meaning gasoline is denser at this time, which in turn means you will get more gas than if you fill later in the day when temperatures rise.
• While we sometimes like to drive over the speed limit, doing so increases the drag on your car. When drag is increased, fuel consumption is also increased.

Insurance

• If your vehicle is more than 10 years old, you really don’t need to have collision coverage as part of your insurance policy. The reason is that oftentimes, the cost to fix the car will be more that the car is actually worth.
• If you have other insurance policies, you may want to consider bundling your policies together. By bundling your car insurance with your homeowner’s insurance, you could save quite a bit on your yearly rates.
• If it is time to renew your auto insurance, shop around to check out the rates of other companies. You should try and get quotes from 3 or 4 different insurers and compare rates to see which one gives you the best bang for your buck.

Repairs and Maintenance

• While we all love to be cool when driving our vehicles, running the air conditioner in your car uses a ton of gas. While it may be a tad inconvenient, rolling your windows down instead can save you some serious cash.
• The air filter in your vehicle helps to keep dirt out of the car’s engine. This, in turn, helps your car to have better fuel mileage. It is important to change the air filter about every 30,000 miles. You can save even more money if you use a replacement filter (like a K&N) that just needs to be washed.
• While your mechanic may tell you that you need to have the engine oil changed in your car every 3,000 miles, this isn’t the case with most newer cars. The majority of newer cars feature synthetic oils, which allow your vehicle to go 10,000 miles or more without an oil change.

Pearson Chrysler Jeep Online has great deals on your next vehicle – or use their service department for your maintenance!