If you’re college bound you are probably starting to plan what you need to take with you, how you’re going to get there and maybe even what car you’ll drive when you do. Most college students don’t have a vast budget and even with their parents helping them out they need to be as frugal as they can when it come to their car expenses.
There are two things that help college students stick to this budget. One is advanced planning and the other is car maintenance. It is always best to plan in advance before making any big purchases, like a car, and when it comes to a college student this is of particular importance. The recommended way to find the right car is first to do your homework, find out which cars are the most cost-effective, affordable and have the lowest overall costs. Speak to friends, get your parents to help, and research the web.
When it comes to maintenance you will probably need some help. Most college students won’t have the know-how, room or time to be able to fix or maintain their cars themselves so it’s important to find a good, trustworthy garage close to the college. Here again, it is good to do some advanced research. Ask around, speak to other students that are car owners, they might be able to give you some recommendations. The most important thing you need to know is whether the garage is trustworthy, if they have done a good job in the past and if their rates are competitive. This information is important to have in advance because you never know when you might need to use it. The same goes for a towing company. It’s important to find a good, reliable towing company in your area that you know you can depend on if you need their services. It’s imperative to find out if they service your area, how long it will take them to reach you and their work hours, (it’s best to find a company that works 24/7). Good towing companies also provide emergency services like changing flat tires, jumpstarting dead car batteries and unlocking locked cars. Being away from home it’s very important to know that you have someone to depend upon if you need help with any of these things.
Once you have found a good garage you should make sure to follow your car’s service schedule. You probably haven’t had to do this before and many drivers don’t make an effort to keep to their cars’ service schedules. But this really is a must for maintaining your car, after all, prevention is always better than cure. This way you can catch any problems early before they become bigger and much more expensive. A well-maintained car also runs more smoothly, which in the long run is cheaper.
Don’t ignore dashboard messages. If you are not sure what the message means you can always call your garage and they will be happy to tell you. You can also check online. There is no excuse for ignoring these messages, and the problem won’t go away by itself, it will just become bigger. Another way to save yourself money is by taking care of your tyres. Tyres are not cheap so you should try to get maximum mileage out of them.
Maintaining your car may take a bit of time and effort, but it is worth the time you spend on it. Dealing with problems that have grown over time because they haven’t been taken care of can break the bank.
