Do you take your car for granted? Most of us these days could not live without our cars but at the same time don’t give them the TLC they deserve. Automobiles slave for us day in and day out and when they act up, become the target of insults. Just like a good relationship, vehicles need maintenance to perform as expected. I’m not saying that all your time and attention needs to be put in to them, but they do deserve a little love.

With the continuing down economy and fewer new car sales per year than in the past, it is important that we maintain our vehicles. If you can afford to buy or lease a new vehicle every 30,000 miles then you can ignore this article. Fact is, most consumers will keep their car for far longer than this. Actually, Edmunds statistics say that the average consumer will keep their new vehicle for 5-6 years. At the average 15,000 miles per year, that may set you at 90,000 miles. Some studies show averages of even up to 10 years since the decline of the economy.

It is less expensive to maintain a vehicle than purchase a new one. If you’re looking to pinch pennies, pinch them in the right place. Dish out a little more dough on the maintenance to prolong the life of the vehicle to save on new car costs. Make sense? Vehicles these days are built to last a lot longer than past years. Getting 10 years out of a car with proper maintenance is well within reach. When the costs of maintaining or repair your vehicle get up to 50% of the value of it, then make the switch.

Some believe that it is cheaper going the “if it’s not broken, don’t fix it” route. If only this were true. While your car is in use, everything from the oil to the tires and internal engine components are experiencing wear. Eventually something will wear down and break. Some fixes are a lot less expensive than others. Take your transmission for example. Replacing the transmission fluid every so often as it “breaks down” may cost you a few hundred dollars, while replacing your transmission only once will cost you several thousand. This is true with almost every system on your vehicle.

Truth is, no one enjoys spending money on vehicle maintenance and repairs, considering all the more pleasurable retail items out there. But having to purchase a vehicle more frequently will create an even bigger hit on your wallet. For something that just serves to get you from point A to point B, why not save as much as you possibly can. Save yourself bundles of cash by maintaining your automobile.