It’s always fun to drive a new car off the lot.
It’s not always fun to pay for it.
In fact, paying for a car is unfortunately getting less enjoyable, for a variety of reasons.
Cars are getting more expensive.According to the Kelley Blue Book, the average price of a new passenger vehicle jumped 3 percent in the last year, to $33,845. And, again, that’s just the average. Many people spend far more on a new car.
It’s taking us longer to pay off our cars. Last year, an analysis from Edmunds.com revealed that drivers are now spending more than ever in history to pay off their loans. The average length of time to pay off a car is 69.3 months, up 6.8 percent from five years ago.
Car insurance is going up. Federal Consumer Price Index information shows that car insurance shot up 7.9 percent in 2017. So it stands to reason that if you buy a newer, more expensive car, you’re going to see your car insurance premiums far surpass what you’re paying now.
If you have more money than you know what to do with, go have fun buying that new car. For the rest of us, it obviously makes sense to keep our current cars in as tip-top shape as possible. And it can be done. As Consumer Reports pointed out last year, the average age on all cars on the road is more than 11 years, up three years from 1995, and that plenty of cars have 200,000 miles and more on the odometer. What’s more, Consumer Reports pointed out, making your car last up to 200,000 miles, which typically takes about 15 years, can result in savings of more than $30,000.
To keep your car running in tip-top shape, it is important to perform routine maintenance on your vehicle. That means making sure your car receives regular oil changes, keeping the air in your tries from going too low and making sure car parts, like brake pads, aren’t pushed to the brink.
Nobody wants to pay for a car part that has plenty of wear and tear left, but when it comes to car maintenance, it’s always smarter to play it a little safe. If you never change a timing belt, you may run out of time – where not only are you pulling over at the side of the road at an inopportune time, you may later discover that your worn and shorn timing belt has led to damaging other parts, like cylinders and crank bearings.
Bring your car in for regular service at your local Milex Complete Auto Care store. Our professionals will handle all of your vehicle maintenance needs and be sure to catch any minor issues before they become major, expensive problems. Which is why it’s important to…
Listen to your car. Your car often will tell you when its in trouble. Maybe you have lights that come on when your tires are low. There’s that check engine light. If you’re constantly turning up the radio to drown out a weird car noise, listen to the noise, not the music. Your car is speaking to you, and it probably would like to speak to a mechanic, stat.
Do you smell anything weird in the car? That’s another possible problem. Look at it this way. If you feel pretty bad, you hopefully go to a doctor or at least take some medicine. If your car seems like it feels bad, you should get it checked out.
Be sure to visit your local Milex Complete Auto car store for regular maintenance on your vehicle. Every time you think about putting off a visit to get your car looked at, keep in mind that saving your car will save you money in the long run.