Get Rich Slowly

If you’re new here, you may want to learn what this site is about. I encourage you to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!You probably pay more for your car than for anything other than your home. Though personal finance mavens advise us to buy used vehicles, many people — including myself [...]

Want to save some money on your vehicle? How often do you change the oil in your car? If you listen to advertising from Oil Can Henry and Jiffy Lube, you’d think a change every 3,000 miles was essential. You’d be wrong.
Last winter, an AskMetafilter user wondered:
Is the 3,000-mile oil change a scam? My wife, [...]

Another AskMetafilter user wonders whether she should buy a new luxury car:
Should I buy a luxury car or a practical car? I’m a 27 year old female. I’m single and have no kids. I want to get a luxury car (nothing ridiculous, probably a BMW 325 or IS 250) but I’m wondering if I will [...]

The American Automobile Association (AAA) says that, on average, it costs 52.2 cents to drive one mile. To drive a Ford Focus like mine 20,000 miles per year, the average cost is 37.6 cents per mile.
How close are the AAA estimates? I ran some numbers.
Based on the purchase price of my vehicle ($16,500), the interest [...]

I want a new car. An Audi. Or a BMW. I’ve got that New Car Itch.

I’ve never been a fan of my Ford Focus. I like the leather seats, it’s true, and I know it’s relatively safe, but the car just doesn’t suit my style. It’s no fun to drive. Acceleration is unresponsive. Every little [...]

While doing my finances last weekend, I realized that my monthly auto insurance check hadn’t cleared. I have a frugal friend who works with the local agency, so I dropped her an e-mail to ask what I should do. She volunteered this bit of additional information:
Monthly sucks. You’re paying an extra $36 a year [...]

I certainly don’t intend to turn this into a “how to save money on transportation” blog, but there’s a lot of interest and information out there right now due to increased gasoline costs. Suze Orman has a list of ten ways to drive down your car costs. These are all methods of reducing your auto [...]

Gas prices seem to reached a plateau at around $3.00/gallon for regular unleaded in the Portland area, but they’re expected to rise again before summer. With the high gas prices, people begin to look for ways to achieve better fuel economy. Edmunds.com has an article from last fall that seems more useful now: What really [...]

The Car Talk guys have a sub-site devoted to hybrid cars. Topics covered include:

How do hybrids work?
Frequently asked questions about hybrid cars
Should you buy a hybrid?
Where to go to get a hybrid serviced.
The 2006 hybrid buying guide

In addition to the Car Talk information, automotive.com has a guide to the latest new hybrid car specifications. Cars.com [...]

Today’s Sound Money Tip is a list of common-sense ways to improve your gas mileage:

Keep your vehicle in good repair.
Check and replace your air filter at regular intervals.
Keep your tires properly inflated.
Use the recommended grade of motor oil.

You can further improve fuel economy by driving at a constant, moderate speed. Many people have forgotten that [...]