Owning your own car has a lot of benefits: it comes with a lot of freedom and independence, you don’t have to rely on public transport or friends and family to help you move about your day, and it even opens up a lot of opportunities for long-distance travel.
However, while you might be saving money on bus or train fares, vehicle ownership comes with a heal of expenses that go far beyond your monthly repayments. Here are some important ones to keep in mind if you’re considering buying your own car.
Insurance
One of the most important expenses that needs to go hand-in-hand with your vehicle is the insurance cover.
Owning an uninsured car is never a good idea, and simply asking for trouble. The best auto insurance will have you covered in the case of any damages, accidents or theft, and will even cover for another person’s vehicle repairs if you were at fault in an accident.
Routine Maintenance
Neglecting to take your car in for its annual servicing is only going to create future problems that could end up being far more expensive. Around once a year, your car will need maintenance and replacements on its petrol filters, oil filters, oil, spark plugs and more, and these are crucial to take care of.
Saving a little each month to make this annual expense easier to manage is a great way to fit this expense into your budget in a way that doesn’t break the bank.
Other Maintenance
Aside from this annual service, your car will need maintenance on other wear and tear elements. This includes things like tyres and brakes which won’t need to be replaced each year, but rather every couple of years.
It’s hard to plan for these expenses since they’re more irregular, but chat to your mechanic about the expected lifespan on these parts and try to plan ahead if you can.
Fuel
Naturally, you need to fill up your fuel tank if you want your car to get you anywhere. How you budget for your fuel expenses depends on the nature of your travel: how often you drive, how far you drive, etc.
You can minimise this cost by opting to walk, take a bike, or carpool wherever possible. Driving less will not only lower your fuel costs but minimise the wear and tear on your vehicle and extend its life.
Cleaning
Whether you choose to wash your car at home or take it to be cleaned professionally, this is an important part of taking care of your vehicle. Keeping it cleaned regularly will help you to extend the life of its cosmetic elements, and keep it looking good for longer, making it easier to sell in the future if you wish to do so.
There are pros and cons to both washing it yourself (which is cheaper) and having it cleaned professionally (which will likely be done more thoroughly), and so the decision is up to you and your budget,
