car

5 Good Reasons to Keep Your "Clunker"

Posted August 7, 2009 - 09:00 by Xin Lu

Cars and Transportation

The United States recently approved another $2 billion in funding for the "cash for clunkers" program after the program burned through $1 billion in less than a week. Although the program offers enticing rebates of $3500 to $4500 towards the purchase of a new car, here are five good reasons why keeping your perfectly functional "clunker" could be more frugal and environmentally friendly.

full story 21 comments

Will these car buying incentives get you to buy a new car?

Posted March 31, 2009 - 21:37 by Xin Lu

Personal Finance, Taxes, Consumer Affairs, Cars and Transportation

This week President Obama rolled out an initiative for the failing American automakers to restructure. The plan proposes several consumer incentives to jumpstart auto sales. Here are some details on the financial incentives you can expect if you buy a new car this year.

full story 45 comments

Did your car break down? Check for recalled parts and fix it for free!

Posted March 1, 2009 - 15:37 by Xin Lu

Frugal Living, Consumer Affairs, Cars and Transportation

I drive a ten year old car and it has been out of warranty for quite a while. Over the years I have received recall notices in the mail for various parts of the car and got fixes for free. However, not all of these recall notices get to the appropriate car owners so it is possible that your car has a defective part. Fortunately,the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has a very well organized and searchable database for all types of vehicle related recalls.

full story 3 comments

Think you can afford more house in the exurbs? Think again.

Posted August 15, 2008 - 02:37 by Philip Brewer

Real Estate and Housing, Cars and Transportation

Condos for sale--Live in the energy of downtown

Many people who live in the far-out suburbs move there because they can buy more house for the money than they can in town. As an example from where I live, a house in Champaign-Urbana would cost about $60,000 more than a comparable house in one of the nearby towns or villages. If you do the math, though, $60,000 is a pretty small sum, compared to the cost of owning one extra car.

full story 17 comments

It Bears Repeating - Driving Slower Saves Money

Posted July 8, 2008 - 23:40 by Andrea Dickson

Cars and Transportation

We've talked about it until we're blue in the face, but it's worth repeating - driving slower saves gas and money!

full story 31 comments

When to drop collision coverage on your car

Posted November 2, 2007 - 16:30 by Philip Brewer

Frugal Living, Cars and Transportation

Wrecked car

A few years back, I got a tidy little lesson in exactly what collision coverage is. We'd had a car damaged in an accident, damaged pretty badly. So, it wasn't a surprise when the insurance company called and said they were going to total the car. Fortunately, we checked over the paperwork they sent.

full story 9 comments

Better cars are not the answer

Posted October 15, 2007 - 05:53 by Philip Brewer

Green Living, Cars and Transportation

Cars in apartment lot

Wise Bread is an optimistic place. There are some people who can't see the congruence between optimism and frugality. I'm talking about the people who point to our progress from 360 square foot houses to 2400 square foot houses and say that, if your vision of the future doesn't have us all in 16,000 square foot houses pretty soon now, it's a pessimistic one. This article, though, isn't about houses. It's about cars.

full story 27 comments

How the rich stay rich; a lesson in lateral thinking

Posted October 14, 2007 - 10:04 by Paul Michael

Lifestyle

money

A friend recently told me the story of how a millionaire thinks. Not every millionaire of course, just one in particular. It's ingenius, as you will discover. But it really made me ponder about the decisions I make every day, and if I could make better ones just be exercising that underused part of my anatomy - my brain.

full story 33 comments

Dead car battery? Give it a glass of red wine.

Posted 2 years ago by Paul Michael

Filed Under: Cars and Transportation

 

red wine

I love quick fixes for problems. Especially quick fixes that involve alcochol, and let me tell you that this one is pure genius.

If you've ever done something silly, like leave a dome light on all night, or you just happen to have a battery that's on its last legs, then you'll know the sinking feeling of a dead battery. You dashboard panel lights may not even come on, or you get that repetitive cranking that just won't turn over.

Continue reading "Dead car battery? Give it a glass of red wine."

Permalink | 19 comments

How to Survive a Road Trip

Posted July 3, 2007 - 15:33 by Jessica Harp

Life Hacks

road trip
It’s that time of year again. The time of year when you pack-up the car and depart on a summer road trip. Unfortunately, it is also the time of year when relationships are tested. As we all know, road trips always begin on a high note, but by the end even Mother Teresa would be willing to shove her grandmother out of the car. So, how do you not end-up single or friendless at the end of a road trip? Here are a few tips:

full story 9 comments

Have more to say? Join the discussions at Wise Bread's Finance and Frugality Forums.

Finance Blogs - Blog Top Sites