But you’re paying annually for roadside assistance and expect to have a cell phone, the battery works and you get reception? Maybe you’re not Canadian but cell signals in the country don’t work and roadside assistance in itself is a money pit. You’ll freeze to death waiting for CAA to come out in the country. Don’t even get my started about cell phone costs…

$50/m x 12 months for your cell phone
$200/y for CAA
= $800 a year
Lets all not carry anything in our vehicles like our kids, hockey equipment or groceries either – that will save you a bundle in gas! Heck, why not remove all the unnecessary interior accessories like passenger seats too, they weigh something… you don’t need those.

Also the vehicles mentioned are 2009 and 2008 models.. Why not buy a 05 and save a bundle, and hey, they even include a spare tire!

Park as Soon as Possible?
Why not stop going through Tim Hortons drive thru people! You do have legs you know!

Buy used (cars and parts)
Why not give advice like go to your local scrap yard and get yourself a set of winter tires for 1/3 the cost of a retail store? My winter tires on my SUV would be $800 + tax alone (no rims) I got a nearly new set at a scrap yard for $200 cash.

If you’re new to town, get referred to a mechanic from people at work. I’ve saved a ton of money by having an honest mechanic, it pays having a relationship with them. Don’t use the “dealer” mechanics they won’t save you a buck. Most will never offer after market parts and you’re paying a premium. Also check online for negative/positive feedback about the business in your area (BBB).

GPS – borrow one from your friends. I’ve only ever needed one once or twice a year if that. Print out Google Maps for free. You’ll save $200-500 and many of them actually suck and get you lost anyways.

Insurance – check to see if your coverage includes a coverage car rental for you. My neighbour drove into my parked car on the street over the holidays and I was out of a vehicle to get to work. Luckily my insurance gave me a car as part of my coverage. It’s a great thing to have. Just think – my bumper and fender cost $1850 at the body shop so always get the persons insurance and file a police report!

Paying money up front and believing you won’t have to check your tire pressures is a complete waste.

About nitrogen, that’s a great suggestion too. Race cars use nitrogen for the same reasons. It doesn’t expand much so it’s a good gauge for temperature readouts.

Till then,

Jean

Where can I get the nitogen gas over than Costco?

I hate refiling my tires always!

I’m not comfortable with leaving out the spare tire either.

I definitely agree with making sure you follow the manufacturer’s guidelines for maintenance. When i first got my used Honda Civic Si, I didn’t really know about when/how often you needed to get oil changes. I think I’m paying for it now, because I can only seem to get 300 clicks per full tank on it (which is pretty abysmal for a Honda!). I took it to multiple mechanics who said they couldn’t find anything wrong. =(

If you fill your car’s tires with helium it could cause serious problems. If you hit the horn, it squeaks like a rubber ducky. Who is going to get out of the way of a rubber ducky?

Another way to save money are some very simple “repairs” you can do yourself. Replacing windshield wipers is not something anyone needs to pay for. Or filling up washer fluid – if you have your local garage do it, they will charge at least double for the materials than you would pay on your own. I’ve also replaced headlights and tail light bulbs – no labour, no GST (or HST) costs, no markups for parts.

Shop around for car insurance – every year! I was stunned how my auto insurance kept creeping up at a company that originally had the best price. I was stunned because I decided to look around and saved around 20%.

Buy used cars, never new.

Buy a GPS or at least use the internet to print out driving directions so that you don’t waste time and gas trying to find your destination.

Turn off your car when sitting at a railway crossing.

I’ve heard that at highway speeds, it is cheaper to use the car’s A/C than to have the windows down.

I now am a firm believer in rust proofing annually. I had to get rid of one car after 14 years which had a few problems, but the rust was the biggest one. Our other vehicle, which is only 9 years old, doesn’t have a speck of rust. The difference? One only had factory rust proofing, the other has had it done annually. If I had been able to keep the car 1 year longer that would have saved me over $6,000 in payments on a replacement vehicle.

I pay for car insurance but I never used it. Maybe I should cancel it too?

What’s roadside assistance going to do for you if you have no spare and it can’t be patched…do you think they carry tires to fit all cars? You’re going to end up wasting a lot of time/gas/money when you have to go out of your way to get your tire replaced.

And is it worth waiting an hour or more for roadside assistance to come?

Our one car is also a small car which has great milage.

I’m still not comfortable with the no spare tire advice. It’s one of the reasons we didn’t go with the Honda Fit.

One of the best ways to save gas is just to drive less.

Combining errands, public transit, walking (gasp) once in a while will help save money.

Nitrogen in your tires is a cash grab by the tire industry, and has been proven time and time again to not work, so save your cash and get FREE air, not costly NITROGEN.

Nitrogen fill is a waste of money. Regular air is approx. 80% nitrogen anyway. Nitrogen fills leak out just like regular air. The only advantage of a nitrogen fill is that it is clean and dry. Many gas stations don’t look after their compressors very well and the air tanks can become full of water some of which will end up in your tires.

Maintaining your car, keeping the tires properly inflated and not idling are the best things you can do to save money in the long run.

As @Sampson said, Google Hypermiling for info on the best driving tips to save money.

Modifying your driving style (hypermiling) is a much more effective way to save money on gas.

I can get upwards to 30-45% improvement in gas mileage simply by slightly overinflating my tires (wear is even, so neither traction, nor tire lifespan are compromised) and being a ‘feather-weight’ on the gas pedal.

i change the oil every 6-7K. the 5K recommendation is fine if you’re a lead footed hot shot city delivery driver. most car manuals will have two oil change interval recommendations. 5K for ‘extreme’ driving conditions, and 8K for normal.

accelerate slowly. don’t idle the car. it only needs 10 secs most days and at most 30 secs on the coldest days.

park in the first stall you find. if possible, find a drive through stall so you don’t have to back out. the reverse gear is the least efficient.

nitrogen is an expensive fad. you can buy a portable tire compressor for $10-20.