Cars, Gas, Money, and Maintenance

Cars and SuchToday’s topic is a bit more serious than yesterday. Here’s a bit of back story:

My girlfriend’s car (a 1996 Chevy Lumina) recently died. Long story short, it overheated while she was driving it, we got it checked out, and it has a blown head gasket. Price to fix: at least $1600, just to take apart the engine and find out if the cylinders are warped beyond repair. Not worth it, for a $800 car. So begins car shopping, and why I am writing this post.

There are some rules for car maintenance that I think will help everyone:

  1. Check your oil and coolant once a month, always. It’s amazing how much fluids an old car can go through.
  2. Use good oil when you get your oil changed. If your car has over 75,000 miles, use a “high milage” type of oil. It really does make a difference.
  3. Put premium gas in your car. Think about it this way: you can spend $2 on a box of 100 plastic forks, which will work just fine for about a month, or you can spend $20 on a nice set of 10 metal forks that will last you years. Cheap gas burns dirtier and pollutes more, which leads to a dirtier engine, which leads to higher maintenance costs.
  4. Beware of cheap cars. No one likes to spend money, but there is something to be said for investing your money in a good car. A car is not an asset, it’s a liability, but you can make it less of a liability by buying a car that will last you several years.
  5. Tires! People often forget about their tires. Don’t be one of those people. By checking your tire pressure once a week, you can keep your gas milage higher, and will be more aware of tire wear. If you live in a place that regularly gets snow, this is even more important. Personally, I run my tires 2-5 pounds higher pressure in the summer than in the winter, for better milage.

That concludes todays session of Droskool!

November 4, 2007 | Filed Under RL, babble, droskool, resources

 

Comments

2 Responses to “Cars, Gas, Money, and Maintenance”

  1. Martez on November 4th, 2007 3:18 pm

    Man, Cars was lame.

  2. Rachelskirts on November 5th, 2007 12:07 am

    I like that y’all include pictures with all your entries. (I probably wouldn’t have read up on all those helpful tips for car maintenance otherwise.)

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