Affording car repairs

Car repairs can be expensive, especially when it is not something that you can tackle yourself. Unfortunately, there are some things that the average Joe just cannot fix on his own, so off to the shop you go. Or, do you? At what point do you decide that you can’t afford to pour more money into the car you are currently driving? It can be a difficult decision, especially because it is just as difficult to afford a new car as it is to afford car repairs.

What You Can Do On Your Own

There are some basic things that many car owners can do on their own to either prevent problems or to fix the problem. Some of the most costly repairs are due to the fact that car maintenance is so expensive when you turn to the professionals. Some of the maintenance and repairs that you may be able to do on your own are:

• Change your oil
• Change your spark plugs
• Change fan belts
• Replace alternator
• Replace starter
• Replace break pads
• Change and balance tires
• Repair headlights and taillights

There are many repairs such as the ones listed above that most car owners could do on their own if they were so inclined. You may need to purchase some books and borrow some tools, but these are relatively simple repairs that can be done in just a couple hours time, most of the time these things can be done in less than an hour if you have an idea of what you are doing. These repairs and maintenance items can cost anywhere from $30 to $500 depending on your vehicle and the problem at hand, but they don’t need to. In fact, a $500 brake pad change can cost a car owner as little as $100 or even less. So, before you throw in the towel and go to a professional or decide to buy a new car consider whether or not this is a job that you could handle with a bit of time and perhaps the right manual or guidance from a friend or family member.

Prioritizing Repairs

If your vehicle has some pressing issues and others that could wait you may be able to prioritize the repairs. Talk with your mechanic or think about what you need to do right now and what can wait until later without causing further damage to the car. If your break pads need to be replaced now because you run the risk of further damage to the brake system, maybe your spark plugs will have to wait until next month or your next pay check. Determine if you can prioritize to make the repairs a bit more affordable. A lot of the time you can put out the fires and take care of the less pressing issues later on down the road.

Getting Stuck in a Trap

While prioritizing repairs is a good idea, you can only do that for so long. The problem with a lot of cars is that you can pay $100 this week, $80 next week, and $100 for the two weeks after that. While it seems like your car repairs are relatively inexpensive, they add up. Can you really continue to spend almost $400 a month on car repairs indefinitely? The answer is probably no, so you need to determine if this is going to continue for the long haul.

If you have a three or five year old car chances are you are just having some bad luck and these car repair bills will pass. If you have a ten or fifteen year old car, chances are that you are experiencing the beginning of the end and it will continue to get worse. It’s very easy to get stuck in a car repair trap where you are spending all of your extra cash on one repair after another so that you cannot afford a new car. If you see a pattern of repair bill after repair bill it is time to rethink your car repair dilemma and decide if it is worth all of the money you are pouring into the car. If not, stop draining your bank account on an old car and start making payments on a new one before your bank account dries up!