As cheap as we can be and as environmental as I try to think, vehicles are not our strong point! DH has a Jeep Rubicon and likes to offroad–not a cheap sport, nor is it very enviro-friendly. I have to say though, the offroad club we belong to are actually very respectful and help remove all kinds of large waste from the glacier flats and coastal refuge and they are veryanal about the Tread Lightly principles. Anyway. I had a Cherokee for a while; it was old and it wasn’t the most gas conserving thing out there but I loved it. We finally parted last year and we saved for a down payment on our ‘05 Outback. The gas mileage still isn’t spectacular, but for a family that was used to anywhere between 11-14mpg, it’s sittin’ pretty. I don’t know if I’m really one to be giving out car tips, but I can at least share what we do until we can afford a Prius!
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Buy used. That way you won’t get flatted by the depreciation.
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Long loan, fast payoff. Now, whether or not it is actually smart, this is what we did. We shopped around for the best rate, and chose the 4 year loan. The monthly payments are manageable, but we are actually paying at least double because all of your interest is at the beginning of a loan. You don’t actually pay for the price of the car until later in the loan. If you can add as much as you can to your monthly, you will pay it down faster and pay less in interest. We just got this puppy in November and are working at paying it off at a year and a half instead of 4. The financial calculator link will help you figure out what you can handle. It means doing without some frivolous extras, but we will fully own a relatively new car while everyone else is still upside down.
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You don’t need the SUV. No, seriously. You don’t. I had a friend who went from a blazer to some huge thing like a Sequoia or something. Her excuse was “I need more room.” For what?? Two kids and their things fit nicely into a Blazer. They fit nicely into a sedan! When I pointed that out she said, “Well, I want to feel safer.” Now, I happened to be privy to the fact that she liked to look good more than be safe (don’t ask.) The only unsafe vehicle is one being driven by an unsafe driver. Small vehicles are considered “unsafe” because of the move to bigger vehicles. Trust me, I hauled a baby and medical junk just fine in a two door Cherokee (once considered a big SUV in her hayday). Room is rarely the real issue. I even fit my friend and her two children back there AND went yard-saleing! Sometimes it is warranted, like the friend who runs a daycare. She really does need every seat in the Suburban. If you don’t haul more than two kids and groceries, a car or smallsize SUV is just smarter. You won’t pass out at the pump and you will actually fit into parking spaces.
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Shave all you can off of the insurance. DH is the king of found money. He found a great rate and after reading lots of fine print, found that you can get a little knocked off the payment if your VIN # is etched into every window and if you use something like The Club. He used his dremel, practiced on an old picture frame and then tatted all the windows. I hardly even notice. Call them and ask, it won’t hurt anything.
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Maintenance. It costs, but it could save you more than what you pay the dudes at JiffyLube. I wish someone had impressed upon me the importance of checking oil when I was in highschool. Get cozy with someone who knows how to change oil or do simpler engine work. This is where some of that Wheel-N-Deal can be handy.
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