The Maryland Women's Journals - Vehicle Maintenance

Drive Your Car to Death, Save $31,000!

Presented by Judd Shepard III

According to Consumer Reports Magazine, by keeping your car for 15 years, or 225,000 miles of driving, you could save yourself nearly $31,000. That’s compared to the cost of buying an identical model every five years, which is roughly the rate at which most car owners trade in their vehicles.

Shepards Service Auto regularly services many vehicles with well over 200,000 miles on the odometer and these owners have saved themselves many thousands of dollars in expenses. For example, calculating the costs involved in buying a new Honda Civic every five years for 15 years, including depreciation, taxes, fees, insurance, and interest, it is estimated to cost $30,800 more than simply maintaining one car for the same period of time. That is serious money!

The key to keeping a car well beyond 100,000 miles is simple—regularly scheduled maintenance.

Just follow these guidelines:

· Change your engine oil and oil filter every 3,000 miles (lots of stop-and-go driving) or 5,000 miles (mostly highway driving)

· Flush your transmission and drive train fluids every 30,000 miles.

· Flush your cooling system every 30,000 miles

· Change your filters (fuel, every 30,000 miles; air, every 12-15,000 miles)

· Replace oxygen sensors every 90,000 miles

· Replace spark plugs and plug wires when recommended by manufacturer

· Replace timing belt every 60,000 miles

That’s all there is to regular maintenance on the average vehicle. In fact, assuming 15,000 miles per year, the average annual cost to a Shepards Service Auto customer for these services is just $61 per month spread over 90,000 miles of driving to keep a vehicle in perfect running order. Many people spend more than this on morning coffee every month!

According the The Detroit Free Press, average new car payments vary between $400-$500 per month or over $4,800-6,000 per year in car payments. And the real eye opener is any new vehicle still requires the same regular maintenance as your current vehicle!

After many years of experience maintaining vehicles, Shepards suggests setting aside an average of $100 per month for maintenance and repairs. That should also cover any unexpected expenses that may pop up during the long life of the vehicle. An easy solution to avoid financial surprises, is to set up a simple escrow account and pay into it monthly.

Establishing a relationship with a good, honest and quality minded car care facility will ensure your vehicle remains in excellent working order for well over 200,000 miles with little to no major repairs. Shepards Service Auto is honored to help its customers save thousands of dollars in unnecessary vehicle expenses. And we won’t hesitate to tell a customer when a vehicle is reaching the point where it no longer makes sense to keep the car on the road.

Consumer Reports recommends several cars that have the best chance at reaching the 200,000 mile mark and a few that, according to its data, aren’t likely to make it. Including, Honda Civic, Honda CR-V, Honda Element, Lexus ES, Lexus LS, Toyota 4Runner, Toyota Highlander, Toyota Land Cruiser, Toyota Prious, and Toyota RAV4. Consumer Reports Bad Bets for making 200,000 miles are BMW 7-series, Infiniti QX56, Jaguar X-type, V8-powered Mercedes-Benz M-class, Mercedes-Benz SL, Nissan Armada, Nissan Titan, Volkswagen Touareg, and V6-powered Volvo XC90.

Shepards Service Center

410-526-5827