SolveYourProblem eLearning Series:
Gas Prices Are Outrageous,
Save Me Some Money!
( 13 pages )

56. Purchasing a Vehicle

When you are purchasing a vehicle here are some things that you should keep in mind if you are thinking about fuel efficiency:

• Buy a smaller vehicle that will meet your needs in the city. If you want a larger vehicle, that you won’t be using on a daily basis, you might want to think about leasing one.
• Consider putting yourself on the waiting list of the ever popular hybrid car. The amount of money that you’ll save in fuel costs will pay off in a short amount of time.
• Choose fewer of the “power” options that you are offered when you buy your new car. These power options include air conditioning, power windows, and automatic transmission.
• Buy a two wheel drive if you have no real need for a four wheel drive vehicle.

57. Learn to drive efficiently

If it’s been years since you learned to drive you may want to take a refresher course in driver’s education so that you can drive more efficiently and wisely.
You may have some bad habits that you have picked up that could be causing you to drive your car in a way that increases the amount of gasoline use.

Many driving schools will offer special deals for refresher courses for just this reason….to help you become more efficient in your driving habits.

If you have a young person in your home that is learning to drive this is the perfect time for you to become familiar once again with clean and safe driving habits.

58. Tax deduction

The government will give you a payment if you are willing to become more environmentally friendly and want to conserve gas.

The owner of an IRS certified hybrid car is able to deduct $2,000 in the year that the car was first purchased and used.

The cars that qualify under the current law are:

• Toyota Prius (model years 2001-2004)
• Honda Insight (model years 2000-2004)
• Honda Civic Hybrid (model years 2003 and 2004).

Take advantage of these tax deductions if you are buying a hybrid car or are planning to buy one in the future months.

59. Miscellaneous driving tips

• Use a sunshade to keep your car cool and avoid the use of the air conditioner.
• Park in the shade when it's warm.
• Make sure that your parking brake is fully released before you start driving.
• Use a block heater in winter to pre-warm your car engine.
• Don't ride the brake. Drive with a smooth, constant speed.
• Keep the transmission fluid in your car at the proper level.
• If there is smoke is coming from your tailpipe make sure that you make an appointment with your mechanic.
• Make sure that your cooling system thermostat in your car is working properly.
• Avoid air conditioning leaks by constant checkups with your mechanic. Pre-1994 vehicles use CFCs for cooling.
• Immediately fix a slipping transmission.
• When you rev up your vehicle's engine it wastes gas. Avoid revving your engine before your turn it off.
• If you can’t find a place to buy low priced gas on one day wait if you can until a few days later since the price of gas is constantly changing.
• Buy your gas at the wholesale clubs, like Costco. You can often save over 10 cents a gallon or more. If you don't like the wholesale clubs get a gas credit card. You'll get a 1% to 5% discount when you buy that brand of gas.

60. Links for useful information

These websites are a great place for you to find more information about how to save money at the gas pump:

• Advanced engine performance in new model cars. www.gm.com/company/gmability/adv_tech/200_ice/fact_sheets.html
• Understanding fuel economy ratings. www.autorepair.about.com/library/weekly/aa021251b.htm
• Hot new hybrid cars. www.about.edmunds.com/advice/specialreports/articles/101677/article.html
• Determine how much in fuel and fuel costs a trip will cost you. www.fuelcostcalculator.com/
• Information about octane gas. www.autorepair.about.com/od/generalinfo/a/aa060504a.htm
• General information about your vehicle and gas consumption. www.fueleconomy.gov/
• Save money on car expenses. www.askmen.com/toys/cars/30_car_review.html
• Fuel consumption calculator.
www.oee.nrcan.gc.ca/transportation/tools/fuel-trip-calculator/fuel-calculator-input.cfm?attr=8
• Gas tips for Canadians. www.gastips.com/
• Car tune-up information. www.autoeducation.com/ask_the_mechanic/answer5.htm
• Another gas pricing site. www.gaspricewatch.com/usgas_index.asp

61. Types of vehicle fuels

Here is a listing of the types of alternate fuels that are available depending on what type of vehicle that you drive.

Researching these different fuel types might give you the incentive to drive a vehicle that uses a lower priced fuel so that you can save money on your transportation costs.

• Biodiesel
• Ethanol
• Battery-electric and hybrid vehicles
• Fuel cells and hydrogen
• Natural gas
• Propane

62. Current state average gas costs

You can purchase software that will give you a daily reading of what the price of gas is in the area in which you live.

Much emphasis has been placed on finding the lowest prices of gas in your local area.

When you pay attention to how much you are paying for your gasoline instead of just stopping at the first convenient gas station you can be assured that you are taking some control for saving money at the gas pump.

Keep a log of gas prices for a few weeks and you may find that you see a pattern emerging. Many gas stations raise the cost of gas on weekends when people are traveling or when they are home with their families and making more trips on a per day basis.

If you see this pattern emerging in the cost of gas prices you will be able to take advantage of the lower prices that gas stations have during the week.

Make sure that you purchase your gas before the weekend so that you can avoid those high costs.

For current information of daily gas prices make sure that you check out the website: www.fuelgaugereport.com/sbsavg.asp. Prices are in US dollars per gallon.

Conclusion

After reading through this Life Guide you should have all the advice, tips, and information that you need to start saving money at the gas pumps today.

Start by slowly implementing one or two of the money saving tips and before long you’ll start to see a sizeable difference in the amount of money that you spend each week buying gas for your vehicle.

By the end of one year you will have saved yourself from $100 to $500 just by following the suggestions in this Life Guide.

Keep track of all your auto expenses in safe place so that you can have access to any information that you need in a single moment. This will come in handy if you are trying to determine how much you are spending in fuel costs or when the last time it was that you had your car serviced.

Saving money at the gas pumps is as easy as making a few simple changes in your life and your driving habits.

All this money is yours after reading this Life Guide!

You don’t need to make big changes all at once but if you try to adopt as many of the tips and suggestions listed in this Life Guide you’ll be able to spend your saved money elsewhere next year!

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