Archive for the ‘Cars’ Category

Comparing Auto Insurance Rates

By: Green Panda | Date posted: September 16, 2008 (6:24 am)

Photo Credit:  ChicagoEye

Hunting for a Deal on Car Insurance

We’re in the process of comparing auto insurance rates. We’re currently with Progressive auto insurance and have been with them for almost 2 years. We got a letter and email informing us of an increase of our monthly premium from $105 to $117. I called and asked about the rate increase and I was told it was due ti increasing cost of medical coverage in the entire state.

Renewal time always reminds me to keep checking our rates to see if they are still competitive.

Side by Side Comparision of Coverage and Costs

The Progressive premium for six months is $697.48. The coverage includes:

  • $50,000/$100,000               Bodily Injury
  • $50,000 Property Damage Liability
  • $50,000/$100,000 Uninsured & Underinsured Motorist
  • $500 deductible                  Comprehensive *just for my VW*
  • $1,000 deductible                Collision
  • No deductible Emergency Roadside Service *just for my VW*
  • $30/day, $900 max/claim      Rental Reimbursement *just for my VW*

The Geico premium for six months is  $321.58. The coverage includes:

  • $100,000/$100,000              Bodily Injury
  • $100,000 Property Damage Liability
  • $50,000/$100,000 Uninsured & Underinsured Motorist
  • $500 deductible                  Comprehensive *just for my VW*
  • $500 deductible                  Collision
  • No deductible Emergency Roadside Service *just for my VW*
  • $30/day, $900 max/claim      Rental Reimbursement *just for my VW*

I went to AllState‘s site to see what they offered and here is the ball park break down for insurance coverage:

I tried several times to get an estimate from State Farm, but their site keeps going down. I also went to “the General’s” site to compare different insurance, but I got Geico again.

We’ll discuss it this week if we want to switch to another insurance company or not. While Geico looks like it’s the cheapest, my concern is over their customer service. I know a few people personally that had Geico, got into an accident, and switched due to their cheap service.*Sighs* Another bill to think over. While we do have a budget, I want to have a good company behind us.

Which insurance company do you use? Are you happy with the customer service? Conversely, do you know of a company to avoid, why?

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AAA Can Help You Find Cheaper Gasoline

By: Green Panda | Date posted: August 29, 2008 (7:09 am)

Quick Post!

We just got our AAA magazine with fuel saving tips. If you’re a member of AAA, you can use the fuel finder option on the site and see which station has the cheapest gasoline.

Find Cheap Transportation for School and Work

By: Green Panda | Date posted: August 18, 2008 (7:15 am)

 

Walking: If you live close to campus and work, this is the cheapest option. It is also a healthy option, as walking can help you shape up. Make sure you use good shoes for your walks.

Bicycle: This seemed to be a popular option for the students that lived on campus at my university. You can get bikes for $50 or less used.

Scooter/Motorcycle: Scooters can get around 60mpg, but their tanks are usually small (1-2 gallons). They can make excellent short range vehicles. I checked my local Craigslist and I found some for $900 and less.  Motorcycles have bigger tanks and great mileage. You would have to get a special license for one and they cost more than scooters.

Bus/Mass Transportation: If you live in a city with reliable transportation, consider yourself fortunate.

Used Car: If you ask and dig around, you can sometimes get a fantastic deal on a used car. When I needed a car, but was lacking serious funds, I told everyone I knew that I was looking for a cheap car.

I was able to get a Geo Prizm for $500. It was a manual, so I had to learn to drive it. It was not fancy at all, but I got 30mpg on it (Toyota engine). It was pretty cheap to insure it and I was able to go to work and school.

A lot cheap cars aren’t advertised. I heard from a friend of a friend about this car. The man was selling it as his daughter had gotten a new car. Th engine and transmission were in good condition.

Car Sharing: My university partnered with a car sharing company and offered this as an option for students who didn’t want a car, but needed to get around.

The costs vary from location, but around here, I’ve seen it for $5/hour and that includes insurance and gas. Zipcar is available in many cites.

Finding cheap transportation doesn’t have to be impossible. Just use some creative thinking and you can even surprise yourself.

Photo Credit:  Todd Baker << technowannabe

Keep a Gasoline Spreadsheet

By: Green Panda | Date posted: July 08, 2008 (9:14 pm)

Over where we live (North Carolina) regular gasoline is $4.04/gallon. Keeping a gasoline spreadsheet can help you keep an eye on your gas budget. If you use Google Docs for your spreadsheet, it’s free.

If you’re worried about keeping constant track of everything, don’t worry. You can put information once a week (or every two weeks), if you can keep you receipts. I like giving my husband the receipts as he seems to enjoy it more than I do.

You can see what your actual gasoline expenses are and budget accordingly. See how effective hypermiling can be by tracking the before and after.

If you see a dip in your miles per gallon, it could mean you may have to call your mechanic to check it out. My car’s MPG changed during the move, which I attributed to the change in driving environment (more hills and I wasn’t driving efficiently). When I went to the mechanic, I actually needed a tune up and it is about the same as before now.

Here’s the spreadsheet that my husband created for tracking your gasoline mileage. Feel free to copy and modify to suit your needs. There are some extra tabs, but you don’t have to be as detailed.

What do you to save on gas money and/or keep track of your car? What’s the price of gasoline in your area?

Photo Credit:  midorisyu

We Got Our Economic Stimulus Check!

By: Green Panda | Date posted: June 17, 2008 (5:38 am)

ABNB Car Loan vs ME!

Photo Credit: Pascal Vuylsteker

We finally got our economic stimulus check yesterday! During my lunch break, I’m depositing into the bank. Once it clears, we’re sending the whole amount $1,200 toward paying down the car loan. I’m excited about it.

My husband is “happy for me”. It’s hard to be excited when he doesn’t exactly see the money, but he knows it’s for a good cause. I love that he’s honest with me. :) He doesn’t see the immediately see the benefits, but it will help us out as I’ll move the car payments to joint deposits.

By the way, we paid our late rent and fees, so hopefully there should be no problems. We may do the money order option. It just kills me how this situation was handled.

As a reminder to everyone who got their stimulus check this week.

  • If you have high interest debt, use the stimulus to pay down or eliminate it.
  • If you have no savings, put it in a high interest savings account to start your emergency fund.
  • If you have no debt and have savings, looking into depositing the money into an IRA.
  • If all of the above is in place, have fun with the money. Actually you could send it to me. :P

I hope eveyone’s day is going well!

DIY Car Repairs Can Save Money

By: Green Panda | Date posted: April 07, 2008 (1:00 am)

We found oil!

Photo Credit: kozumel

If you live in an area with a good transportation system, be thankful. You’ve just saved some money. Owning, maintaining, and insuring a car can be expensive. Getting repairs done a car can add up very quickly. The average rate for labor is $50-$120/hour.

If you think you’re up to it, then doing some basic checks and repairs can save you alot of money and extend the life of your car. Here are some relatively easy things you can do to keep your car running smoothly.

  • Check the tire pressure on all four tires and, if necessary, put air in them to the recommended amount in your owner’s manual.
  • Check the fluid levels (oil, wash fluid ,transmission fluid, etc) in your car and adjust as needed. When I had a longer commute, this became even more important.
  • Check, clean, and perhaps replace the air filter your car.
  • Replace your windshield wipers if they are worn. This is a relatively easy task . I’d also apply some Rain-X while I’m doing that.

There are sites that have some instructions on doing basic auto repairs yourself. I’ve include a video to give an idea of what is available on the web.

Tools for Changing Car Oil — powered by ExpertVillage.com

If you doubt your abilities or want a professional to handle it, then by all means, look for a mechanic that you can trust. While we check our fluids and can replace our wipers, there are some things I’d want a mechanic to do. Since we moved, I’ll record the process we’re going through to find a local shop that is reliable and affordable. (Don’t laugh!)

What preventative work do you do to save you money? Any suggestions on finding a good mechanic?

Update: This post was included in the 8th  Edition of the Money Hack Carnival at Being Thrifty Like Us.


Gas Buddy: Help yourself, Help Others

By: Green Panda | Date posted: March 05, 2008 (12:32 pm)

vw.jpg

Photo Credit: Rojer

My VW Jetta gets about 27 mpg overall, which is pretty good. With gasoline prices around $3.07/gallon in my area, I’m trying to lower my expenses as much as I can. I carpool when feasible, but with a round trip commute that takes 2+ gallons 3x a week to go to my job, it’s not making much of a dent.(the only other coworker who lives near me has a different schedule, so carpooling won’t work.) I decided to add something else to my reduce gasoline expense: I signed up for Gas Buddy (it’s free) and I’m going to try it out for a month.

It’ been out for some time, but I’m just now hopping on to it. People go to the site and enter the gas prices of the stations by them. It’s a community thing and when everyone pitches in, it helps. I don’t plan on using this as my sole deciding factor in my gasoline purchases. I have to consider if driving that location will waste savings for instance. I’m trying to see if gas stations I think are the cheapest actually are the cheapest.

Who has used Gas Buddy? Did it help you out with your gasoline bill? I’m around $40/week to put gas in my car. How much is your weekly gasoline bill?

Check Engine Light is On

By: Green Panda | Date posted: February 20, 2008 (8:48 am)

This is not a good morning for me. I’m sick with this flu that’s been going around and now my check engine light is on. I was heading to work, which is about 45 minutes away from home this morning. The light was on, the car smelled funny, and I swear it feels different.

I did put more oil yesterday, so that could have contributed to the smell. The car felt a bit off, like a little bit of rattling. *sighs*

I called work and they understand. No need for me to take the chance and possibly get stranded somewhere. I work in a rural area, so I’m a bit more leery of the drive. Less people to see me if I break down.

I’m taking the car to the mechanics as soon as they open today. Let’s hope it’s nothing major.

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