Investing in a Car?
Cars are expensive commodities to run these days. There is the initial outlay for the car itself, which although has become more affordable since the days of Henry Ford, is still a big expense. But the drain on the wallet doesn’t stop there.
Next you have the tax, insurance and fuel costs which mount up to a very tidy sum each year. With fuel prices hovering around the £1 a litre mark and tax costs rising to penalise ‘dirty’ car engines, insurance companies are trying to get more creative in an increasingly competitive market.
If you add to this the cost of breakdown cover and the expense and annoyance of having an accident or breaking down and your can quickly move from pleasure to pain.
Obviously when you buy a car it’s not just about something that will get you from A to B. There are other factors you will look at. For many people this used to be purely aesthetic, but now we have to become more financially and environmentally savvy.
To keep fuel prices down, you want an efficient car. The greener the car, the lower the tax, so a small, economic car will ultimately be the best value. However, this isn’t always practical, you might have a big family or live on a farm and need a four-wheel drive. Plus, a car isn’t just about being practical. Sometimes we want something that goes fast and looks cool.
So if you splurged on the car, you’ll need to find other ways to cut down on running costs. One way to do this is to take time and choose the right car insurance for your needs. Insurance companies are getting more creative with the ‘bundles’ the offer to get you to sign up to their car insurance premium.
Many of the big names offer free gadgets such as sat navs; money off your food shopping; discount on other home or travel insurance, as well as specific insurance for women and the over 50s.
A good idea has come from Kwik Fit Insurance. Kwik Fit car insurance includes all the usual benefits such as courtesy car and 20% online discount, but to save money on car parts and MOTs, which we all know can be astronomically priced, it has included a 10% AutoSave Card.
This card entitles you to 10% off many items that you need to buy for your insured car at Kwik Fit centres. This includes the obvious such as tyres, breaks and exhausts, but also servicing and MOTs.
By saving on the running costs, you can afford to have the car that you always wanted.