Consumer Reports Drivers Save Money By Keeping Older Car Running
In a recent press release, Consumer Reports Magazine reports that many of the cars made today can easily make it to 200,000 miles or more, saving their owners thousands of dollars in the process. Their 2007 Annual Auto Online Survey found nearly 7,000 readers that had over 200,000 miles or more on their vehicles.
Readers posted milestones such as a West Virginia family that owned 1994 Ford Ranger pickup that had 488,000 miles. Other cars that seemed typical of the report were a 1995 Honda Civic that had 227,000 miles, and a 1990 Lexus LS400 with 332,000 miles.
Consumer Reports surveyed various cars and found that most of them could build their owners money if they kept them longer than many people do. One of the keys? Proper maintenance. For instance, they estimated that a family who purchased the popular Honda Civic EX (with automatic transmission) might be able to put up to $20,000 over 15 years! That means that the family could save more money than they paid for the car!
If you invested the money you would have paid in car payments while you own your older vehicle, your savings could be even more.
How can consumers encourage get their vehicles to race past 200,000 miles? Consumer Reports offered these tips:
* Follow the maintenance schedule that is listed in your vehicle’s owner’s manual. You might think you’re saving money by skipping “unnecessary repairs,” but it can cost you in the long run.
* If your vehicle needs a repair, get it done as soon as possible. Waiting may cause more injure that hurts your vehicle even if you can’t see it.
* When having maintenance and repairs done, only use parts and fluids that the manufacturer recommends for your particular vehicle. Using the wrong
type of oil or transmission fluid, for example, could result in damage leading to expensive repairs.
* Learn what to inspect for inside the hood. To prevent many expensive problems, get in the habit of opening the hood and checking the condition of many of the parts in your engine. Look, listen, and smell what’s happening with your engine. Are any belts frayed or cracked? Are there any bulges in hoses? You don’t need to be a mechanic to observe potential problems and fix them before they cost you a lot more money.
* Sustain your car clean. When you maintain the inside and outside clean, not only is it more enjoyable to drive, but also a good coat of wax can help preserve the paint and keep rust from forming. By keeping sand and dirt vacuumed out of your car, your interior will wear better and last longer, too.
* Buy a safe, reliable car. When you purchase your car, look for one with a good track record. There are consumer and government groups that rate cars-look for one with a good rating and the latest safety equipment.
They list cars that they believe “good bets,” and “dreadful bets.” Those cars include:
GoodBets: Honda Civic, Honda CR-V, Honda Element, Lexus ES, Lexus LS, Toyota 4Runner, Toyota Highlander, Toyota Land Cruiser, Toyota Prius, Toyota RAV4
Bad Bets: BMW 7-Series, Infiniti QX56, Jaguar S-Type, Jaguar X-Type, Mercedes-Benz M-Class (V8), Mercedes-Benz SL, Nissan Armada, Nissan Titan, Volkswagen Touareg, Volvo XC90 (6-cyl.)
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Filed under Consumer Reports by on Feb 12th, 2011. 