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There are 11 common mistakes people make when buying or selling a used car, according to the October 2011 issue of ShopSmart, published by Consumer Reports. All of them add up to lost money. Summarized below. About to buy a new car? Here’s how to negotiate a good price and the three steps of haggling. Did you know you can save a lot of money buying car parts from a junk yard? Make sure to check this car recall site before you pay for any repairs.
Seller mistakes
1. Settling on price. Trading in your car is quicker and easier than selling it yourself, but the dealer price will be lower than if you sell it on AutoTrader.com, Cars.com, or Ebay.
2. Risking your privacy. Don’t list your address or full name or you may attract unwanted visitors. It’s a good idea to meet potential buyers in a public place, instead of your driveway.
3. Combining buying and selling. Trading in your car and buying one at the dealer is a super
Beep beep! Avoid these gas wasting pitfalls. Credit: ollesvensson/Flickr
The April 2011 issue of AAA’s Horizons newsletter has an article by “The Car Doctor” John Paul that outlined six pitfalls that reduce your fuel efficiency and gas mileage. How many are you guilty of?
- Old spark plugs and filters can reduce your gas efficiency by 5 percent.
- A lit check engine or service engine light means you are wasting gas. Modern cars have computers to monitor engine efficiency, so trust them.
- A faulty (more…)
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I’m having second thoughts about giving up my car for Lent. Not because of my business trip to Los Angeles that will pose a particular public transportation challenge, but because a video shoot I’m doing that was moved from today to next week and the location is three hours away!
Three hours by car, that is. By bus, train, and foot I’m guessing it will take me five hours to get there. I need to be on location by 10 a.m. Yikes! It’s an all day shoot so I won’t start my trek home 5 p.m. Double yikes!
Also, it’s supposed to snow Thursday. Yikes, yikes, yikes.
I can throw in the towel, brace myself for a long commute and stick to my pledge, or exempt myself from autolessness for work. Thoughts?
Drivers won’t change their habits until gas costs more than $4 per gallon, says the car leasing website LeaseTrader.com. REALLY?
AAA calculates the national average price for a gallon of regular gas is already at $3.47. Last year the average was just $2.70. In my neighborhood, I’m already seeing $3.59 a gallon.
At what gas price do you start changing habits?
When filling my 12.5 gallon tank hit $50 two years ago, I freaked out. I began riding my bike to do errands around town and carpooling whenever possible. Incremental increases don’t seem so big until you realize how much it adds up to. I’m not the only one who took note back then. When gas prices spiked in the summer of 2008, 78% of all SUV/truck transfers were due to high gas prices, according to LeaseTrader. Now, gas prices are the reason behind just 16% of SUV/truck transfers.
I’m giving up my car for 40 days (for Lent) starting Mar. 9, so I won’t have to worry about gas prices in the short term. Scary thing is that I doubt gas prices will come back down before I start driving again on Easter Sunday, Apr. 24, 2011. The combination of rising gas prices and my temporary auto sacrifice may convince me to give up my car for good.
Are you content to pay $4 per gallon?
To rent or not to rent? Credit: dennis/Flickr
Perhaps as a sign that going car-less for Lent is a good idea, yesterday for the first time I saw a bus go by my house. I can’t pretend to need a car when there is a bus route at my doorstep, can I?
Didn’t think so. Where I was in doubt about this sacrifice, you had none. Other than Linda O., commenters unanimously want me to ditch my car keys.
Final answer? I’m going car-less for Lent, which starts Wednesday, Mar. 9 and ends on Easter Sunday, Apr. 24, 2011. (The end of Lent is debated, but I’m sticking to Easter). During my auto fast, I’m allowed to drive my car on Sundays, which is another issue hotly debated among Catholics. I’m not religious, so instead of giving up a sin for Lent, my twist is that I’m giving up a financial sin.
Owning a car is a financial sin? One calculation shows that driving takes $7,095 out of my community each year. Not only is that a lot of money leaving my pocket, it is a lot of money leaving my community. By riding my bike, I’m improving my health and reducing my pollution output. By taking the bus, I’m supporting local economy. By taking a taxi, I’m really supporting the local economy.
Just one problem. During my auto fast I have a business trip to Los Angeles. I no longer have a functioning bicycle in Los Angeles, so I may have to rely on buses. Or, I could exclude business needs from my fast, just like I did during my no-spend month, which means I could rent a car in Los Angeles.
Would renting a car on a business trip during my auto fast be cheating?
DaLee_pl/Flickr
A provocative ad in my Feb. 14, 2011 issue of Time magazine charges that every car you own extracts $7,095 per year from your local economy. The total includes gas, insurance, the purchase price, and finance charges. A measly $1,390 per year stays in your community, including the cost of your license, taxes, repair, tires, registration, and maintenance. The total yearly car spending – $8,485 – is based on a AAA stat. The ad is paid for by Intelligent Cities, a project from National Building Museum, was created by an act of Congress in 1980 and is devoted to studying the built environment and its impact on people’s lives.
Give up your wheels, start walking, and spend more money in your hometown, is the message. If 15,000 people in one community gave up their cars, that would be an extra 127 million dollars to spend. How many jobs would that create? How much (more…)
This post was brought to you by Diesel Link. For even more Fuel savings use a Fuel Card, Diesel Link have a wide range of fuel cards to choose from.
A company called MyGallons.com offers regular drivers like you and me an intriguing way to save money. Buy gasoline at today’s rates and then use the fuel as needed. It sounds like a huge money-saving opportunity, but the process is semi-complicated.
You pay MyGallons upfront for the gas, including a 6-cent per gallon surcharge MyGallons takes to cover costs, then fill up at any station. MyGallons reimburses you for as many gallons as you pre-purchased.There are multiple ways to get reimbursed and you can buy as many – or as little – gasoline as you like. Joining costs $30 for one vehicle, plus $10 per year for each additional vehicle (up to 4).
Would you hedge your bets against rising gas prices with MyGallons? First consider these factors.
Pros
Ends result is great if (more…)
You can get gas for sooo much cheaper with grocery discounts.
So many readers chimed in to share stores that offer a gasoline discount, which is how I saved $.80 off per gallon, that I wanted to re-post the information for everyone.
The gas programs vary, but basically the more you shop at a store, the bigger the gas discount. At my local Stop & Shop, I earn 1 point for every dollar I spend, with weekly bonuses that range from 200-400 points. For every 100 points I accumulate, I get $.10 off per gallon. The points last 30 days so my balance is constantly revolving.
Thanks to Camille, Christine, Barbara Sagat, Celia, Shannon, Iggy, Diane, Jennifer, JT Ward, Cathy, Aneta, Talliana, Linda, Dan, Florence, and Karyn for compiling this list! (more…)
UPDATE BELOW!
Have you ever heard of grocery stores that offer discounts on gasoline? The more food you buy, the cheaper the gas is. Yeah, right.
A reader left a comment months and months ago about how her Mom bought so many groceries she saved almost a dollar per gallon at the gas pump. I was highly skeptical, until I overheard a cashier tell a customer checking out in front of me that she had 325 gas points.
“That’s good for 30-cents off per gallon,” the cashier chirped. Huh? That was just, well, it was preposterous. As she rang me up, the words bumbled around in my head. Thirty cents off per gallon? PER gallon?
I stole a glance at my receipt. There at the bottom, in clear black type, (more…)
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This is a guest post from Bobbi of Bobbis Bargains.
Unless you live in New York City and use only mass transit, the fastest growing expense you may have is your weekly gasoline bill. I used to pay for my gas out of my pocket money. Now, I couldn’t possibly pay for a tank of gas with all the cash in my wallet. Fuel is a major expense that must be a part of any successful budget.
Knowing this, how can you best stretch your gasoline dollars?
There are lots of articles, videos, and websites that are geared to tell you how to get the most of every ounce of gasoline you put in the tank. These experts tell you to:
- remove extra weight from your car
- avoid unnecessary idling
- eliminate roof racks
- properly inflate your tires
If you like to live a very dangerous lifestyle, you can learn the fine art of hypermiling. Hypermiling is defined as the act of driving using techniques that maximize fuel economy. Extreme hypermiling enthusiasts say they can get very high MPG by employing techniques such as turning off the engine while coasting down slopes, taking routes that avoid stop lights and drafting close behind a big rig to remove wind resistance.
It is possible that all of the above will work. You’d have to check them out for yourself. Some of them are too scary for me to even contemplate.
I don’t know enough about the mechanics of how a car works to say what will help your gas mileage. However, what I DO know is that you WILL definitely drive less miles and therefore USE less gas if you do the following simple steps.
1. Always plan your next day before you go to sleep. Take a few minutes of quiet time before you turn in for the night to go over what needs to be done tomorrow. Map out your stops so that you have to travel the least amount of miles. Decide if an errand can wait until you have another errand in the same vicinity.
2. Make sure you keep a constant shopping list in your purse, pocket or cell phone. This way, if you find yourself in a store, you can pick up everything you need at one time. This will also help avoid impulse buying of items that are NOT on your list.
With just a bit of self-discipline you can spend less time in your car and more time doing the activities you really love.
A new friend shared a little known fact about shopping at Costco. Members can purchase Costco cash cards and give them to non-members. Recipients can get a free one-day membership to use the cash card on gas or warehouse items. The cards are also good online.
Cash cards make great gifts and they are useful for employees, students living away from home, and friends who are dying to buy 20 pounds of strawberries.
Costco’s page on cash cards lacks details but it may be possible for the recipient to re-load a card as long as they leave some money on it. It also looks like recipients can buy goods for more than the card is worth as long as they can pay for the remainder in cash.
It is unclear if a non-member who receives a Costco cash card is limited to a certain number of uses per year. I suppose if they start recognizing you, you’ll need to pony up $50 and get a membership. Otherwise, the usage guidelines are somewhat open to interpretation.
Thanks, Kim!
Yesterday I spoke to the guy who writes AskMrCreditCard.com about cutting our grocery bills, buying premium gas, and splurging. In case you missed it you can listen here.
One idea Mr. Credit Card shared (he doesn’t use his real name on his site) was to make a grocery list for your wardrobe. He thinks his wife would buy fewer clothes if she stuck to her list. Hehehe. Not a bad idea.
I talked most of the show but I made sure to ask Mr. Credit Card for his best credit card tip. Here’s what he said.
Unless you travel frequently for work and your company lets you put the airline miles on your personal credit card, get a cash back credit card. “Some pay more than 1 percent for gas or groceries,” he said. Last year his credit card sent him a check for $400.
Some credit card companies have formed partnerships with online merchants that can earn you automatic rebates – if you know about it. Instead of going directly to a retailer, say LandsEnd.com, and buying clothes, you log into your credit card account and use their shopping portal to get to LandsEnd.com. Many credit card companies have these type of shopping portals (also known as affiliate marketing agreements) that give shoppers who make purchases with their card rebates of up to 25 percent.
“If you’re not making use of these cash rebate cards or online shopping rewards you’re really leaving a lot of money on the table,” Mr. Credit Card said.
Here are a few compelling stories I’ve read in the past week:
Trent at The Simple Dollar reveals his email trick for getting deals. A tad unethical? You be the judge.
I’m going to Harvard. Will you sponsor me? NY Times story on alums who set up Harvard-only loan system. (Don’t let my eye rolling throw you off. I feel bad for poor Harvard students, I really do.)
Bargaineering weighs the pros and cons of making your own dog food, pictured above.
Free Money Finance has a financial stress test for you to take. (Guess what he scored? 100!)
Don’t have the cash to finance your personal growth? Recession Wire shares free education resources. (My addition: iTunes U!)
Frugal Dad asks if it is possible to save too much when you are young.
Gas prices are spiking, USA Today says. Yeah, I noticed when I filled up for $3.19/gal yesterday. $*%&#!
WalletPop has Father’s Day freebies!
Thanks, Tina!
This is a guest post reader Anirudda Gore, who is a 20-something software professional who writes about getting the best value for money at LetsBeCurious.blogspot.com.
I reached my nearest gas station this morning and found $2.63 per gallon, not the cheapest price but it was the closest station. Because I had to get to work on time, I bought that costly gas. Since then I’ve been thinking:
- If the cheapest gas is not available at my nearest gas station, how far should I drive for a better price?
- Is a difference in 5 cents per gallon worth burning the fuel and time?
I created a formula to decide whether you should drive to a far away station to fill-up OR whether it makes sense to buy expensive gas at a nearby station.
When To Drive That “Extra Mile”?
There are two elements behind my motivation to drive to buy cheaper gas:
- Save money on gas
- I can buy more gas at a cheaper price, which means I will get more miles from that tank
Let’s calculate how much more “extra” distance you will travel if you buy cheap gas:
Your monthly/weekly fuel expenses = FE (constant)
Gas Price at the cheaper but far-away station = Pc
Gas Price at the expensive but nearby station = PE
Distance between the two stations = DIST
Your car’s average Miles Per Gallon = MPG
c = cheaper, E = expensive, v = volume
Volume of gas bought in gallons = Total money spent/Price of gas per gallon
Thus, the volume of gas bought at cheaper far-away station, VC = FE/Pc
Volume of gas bought at expensive nearby station: VE = FE/PE
Extra gas you would buy at cheaper gas station: VC - VE = FE/Pc- FE/PE = FE (1/Pc – 1/PE)
Extra miles you can drive if you buy at cheaper gas station:
ExtraMiles = Extra Gas * MPG
ExtraMiles = FE * Difference in Gas Prices at two stations * MPG / Pc*PE
Here’s How To Decide
Plug-in your values in formula above and calculate ExtraMiles.
- if ExtraMiles > DIST: you drive more miles while spending the same amount so consider driving to a cheaper station
- if ExtraMiles < or = DIST: it makes more sense to buy gas at the nearest station, even if more expensive
Application of formula: Case #1
FE = $30
Pc = $2.59 per gallon (3 miles from my apartment)
PE = $2.65 per gallon (1 mile from my apartment)
DIST = 2 miles
MPG = 25 miles per gallon
ExtraMiles = FE * Difference in Gas Prices at two stations * MPG / Pc*PE
= 30*0.05*25/(2.59*2.65) miles
= 5.46368 miles
I get to drive (5.46368 – 2 =) 3.46368 miles extra (one way to my work), thus I will certainly drive away to get that cheaper fuel.
Application of formula: Case #2
FE = $30
Pc = $2.55 per gallon (12 miles from my apartment)
PE = $2.65 per gallon (1 mile from my apartment)
DIST = 11 miles
ExtraMiles = FE * Difference in Gas Prices at two stations * MPG / Pc*PE
= 30*0.10*25/(2.55*2.65) miles
= 11.09878 miles
I only get to drive (11.09878 – 11 =) 0.09878 miles extra; definitely not a go-for option.
Conclusion
“The cheaper, the better” should not be the rule here. Cheaper gas costs $2.59 in Case #1 which is available 2 miles from my home while cheaper gas costs $2.55 but I need to (burn more fuel and) drive 12 miles from my home. Total money spent is $30 in both cases but gas purchased in Case #1 lets you drive (3.46368/0.09878=) 35 times more than that purchased in Case #2.
So the next time you plan to fill-up your car tanks, remember it’s not just how many dollars you save but also how many miles you drive to get that gas. The formula takes into consideration both these factors and thus gives practically guided numbers. Once you decide how much money you want to spend on gas this week/month, now just calculate the ExtraMiles and go from there.
Bargain Babe’s two cents: I like the concept of ExtraMiles, but think it is important to take into account time spent filling up and actual savings. How many people spend the same amount on gas each month? Not me. But I’m curious, what do you think of the ExtraMile approach?
Saving at the pump comes down to two things: getting the best price and driving less. With the start of summer driving season I thought I’d share tips to do both, starting with getting the lowest gas price.
- Check the AAA Fuel Gauge Report to monitor trends. The site lists the average gas price for today, yesterday, a week ago, a month ago and a year ago. You can look at prices nationwide, by state or major metro region. Data comes from 100,000 gas stations.
- Search MSN’s gas map for the best prices near your home or on your route. A green marker tags the lowest price, a red marker notes the highest. You can zoom in or search by state, city, and zip code.
- An alternative to the MSN map is GasBuddy.com, which lists gas prices that have been spotted and entered into the site by users. Search for prices by location, grade of gas, or brand.
Tips to conserve gas (no silver bullet here, folks):
- Carpool, take public transit, or telecommute to work
- Drive sensibly (read: slowly). Speeding can increase gas costs by 40 percent!
- Ride your bike whenever you can, it’ll save you money and get you in shape
- Select the highest mpg vehicle available to you (in my neighborhood a few folks have converted golf carts!)
- Consider buying a hybrid, scooter/motorcycle, or other high mpg vehicle
Some people swear by additives, but I’ve never seen any hard evidence. Do you put anything extra in your gas tank?
