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Park My Car? - The Dollar Stretcher
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Park My Car?

I seem to have a problem that to my knowlege has not been addressed:     Due to gasolene increases I have been taking the advise of the experts on how to save money at the gas pump.  Consequently, I use my car as little as possible, by walking everywhere that I possibly can, using my car only when necessary, about twice per week.     Apparently this has been causing me several auto repairs which my auto mechanics attribute to my car not being used enough.  The most recent being a $90.00 car battery, which did not last me near as long as the batteries when I was driving more frequently.     This situation has me baffled as it appears there is far less cost for me to fill up the tank more often, then to be paying high repair bills.    

I would appreciate your imput.

Sincerely,

Joan

I'm not a trained automotive expert, but I am an old car nut and have a '65 Impala in my garage that goes out once or twice a month. So I spend a lot of time with cars and people who love cars.

There's no reason that you should have to use your car more than once or twice a week. A modern battery and charging system should work fine under these circumstances. Most replacement batteries specify an expected life (i.e. 60 month, 72 month, etc). If you get much less than that there's probably something wrong with the charging system (alternator, voltage regulator) or a slow drain on the system. If all of your trips are very, very short you can buy a 'trickle charger' that will keep your battery charged. They run about $50 and are very easy to use. But, even that shouldn't be necessary if the car is being driven a couple of times a week.

As to the rest of the car, a twice a week drive shouldn't cause any problems. Generally a car needs to sit for months before gaskets and seals will give you trouble. Gasoline should be good in your tank for 6 months or more.

Perhaps your mechanic knows something that I don't, but I hang around people who use their collector cars infrequently. And, how to store cars that aren't used is a common topic for discussion. My guess is that he's just using that as an excuse for things that were going to go bad anyway due to age.

I'd go back to walking and see what happens.  

 Keep on Stretching those Dollars!

Gary 

Comments

 

sunshinetreva said:

Two cars back I drove a 94 Ford Thunderbird.  I have a very trustworthy, reliable mechanic who told me I needed to have the muffler replaced on one side (the T-bird has a dual pipe exhaust that was split one on each side) and the other needed some minor work but would hold up a bit longer.  6 months later I was replacing the other one.  Why?  Because, generally speaking, Monday through Friday, I only drive my car to work and back home.  Saturday or Sunday I group my errands and do a loop.  Because my car never ran for very long I never got the moisture all the way out of my mufflers causing them rust at a faster rate and therefore needed more frequent replacing.  I did not have the same problem with my Chevy Aveo which I drove for 3 years in the same pattern, but the T-bird had a much larger engine.  Either way, it *can* happen, but it should be a rare occurrance.

July 4, 2008 9:47 PM

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About Gary

For more than 25 years, Gary Foreman has worked to manage money effectively. Prior to starting The Dollar Stretcher, he was a financial planner and purchasing manager. While helping clients manage their hard earned money as a financial planner, he applied commonsense, time-tested techniques during the turbulent 1980’s. The experience convinced him that you didn’t need to hit the lottery to accumulate significant wealth. Following that, Gary had an opportunity to learn more about how to get the best value for a dollar spent in the corporate world. As the Purchasing Manager for a computer manufacturer, he was responsible for supervising over $10 million in annual purchases. Gary began The Dollar Stretcher website <www.TheDollarStretcher.com> and newsletters in April 1996. Over 300,000 readers benefit from the time and money saving ideas presented in The Dollar Stretcher newsletters each week. His mission is to help people "Live Better for Less". He also provides private label newsletters for companies wishing to provide money saving information for their clients and/or prospects. Gary lives in Florida along with his wife of thirty years and their two children. Much of his time is spent working with the men's ministry of his church. One of their ongoing projects is the "Holy Smoke BBQ" which sells bbq on Friday nights with the profits going to support local foster kids and orphans. When he has a free moment you’ll find him restoring a Checker station wagon nicknamed “Two Ton” or cruising in a '65 Impala SS Convertible with doo-wops playing in the background.

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Gary is a former financial planner and purchasing manager who edits The Dollar Stretcher website <www.stretcher.com> and newsletters. You can follow Gary on Twitter.com/gary_foreman
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