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How To Save Money On Your Vehicle

“Although it seems everybody has one, having a vehicle is a luxury. Whether it is a motorcycle, a car or something bigger like a truck or trailer, these things cost money to run, not just buy.”

Buffer

A key focus of my blog is Financial Literacy/Money. A major expense for most people is their vehicle. A vehicle will cost you, but if you’re smart about it, it will not break you. The following contributed post is entitled, How To Save Money On Your Vehicle.

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Although it seems everybody has one, having a vehicle is a luxury. Whether it is a motorcycle, a car or something bigger like a truck or trailer, these things cost money to run, not just buy. The ongoing expense of being a vehicle owner is something many people don’t expect; these unexpected bills, breakdown costs, part replacements and more can be a bit of a shock to the system. If you don’t know the tricks of the trade on how to keep your bills low, you could end up with a vehicle that costs more than it is worth. So how can you save money on your vehicle?

Here are some handy tips for keeping the bills down on your vehicle.

Image credit.

1. Before You Buy

If you are looking for a new vehicle and want to know how to keep your costs down, don’t just opt for the cheapest one on the market. There is nothing wrong with buying a used car, but it is essential that you do some research before you buy. If you just go straight away for the cheap option, you might be sold a car which is about to break down and will cost you so much more in repair costs. The best thing to do with a second hand car is to have it inspected by an impartial mechanic who can give you the honest truth about how the car will run.

2. Learning Yourself

If you want to keep repair costs down on your vehicle, one way to do this is to learn a few basic repair techniques yourself. With the right tools and know-how, you can fix your car’s general wear and tear issues yourself, such as getting to grips with vehicle touch up paint to repair scratches and scrapes to paintwork. Most mechanics will not only charge for the repairs, but will also give a call-out charge too. Learning the ropes for yourself will help you reduce costs and also give you some handy skills you can use anywhere you go!

3. Sourcing Parts

When it comes to cost-cutting, the parts you source for your car are a big part of that. A new clutch, gear stick, set of tires or bodywork can cost a pretty penny. Plus, if your vehicle is large and you are in need of trailer parts or truck tires, the expense will be even greater. So how can you source parts that won’t cost a fortune?

Firstly, find a mechanic that you trust. Make sure they are well-reviewed online, fair and transparent about any and all costs you incur. This will help you get the best deal when your car needs to go to the garage for a fixup. Secondly, ensure the parts you source are not heavily used. Although these will be cheaper, they will wind up more expensive in the long run when they inevitably do not last as long!

Final Thoughts

Having a vehicle is a necessity for many people’s lives, but the expense of owning one can be a big issue for their bank accounts. Use this helpful guide to save money on your vehicle!

5 Things To Consider If You Need Vehicles For Your Business

Two of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. Some businesses require the use of vehicles. If vehicles are a major expense in your business, they come with a specific of considerations. The following contributed post is entitled, 5 Things To Consider If You Need Vehicles For Your Business.

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Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay

If you’re looking to buy a new vehicle for your business and you don’t know where to begin then don’t worry, you have definitely come to the right place. Whether you’re buying a vehicle that will be used by only you or you’re buying a commercial vehicle for everyone to use, you need to be sure you’re choosing something that is suitable. Although it may be difficult at first, there are lots of questions you can ask yourself to ensure you’re buying the right vehicle. From setting yourself an overall budget to deciding how often you’re going to be using it, the more you think about it the better. With that in mind, here are 5 things to consider if you to buy a vehicle for your business:

-What Is Your Overall Budget?

One of the first things you need to consider when it comes to buying vehicles for your business is your budget, as this will ensure you’re not spending more than you can afford. Whether you’re buying one vehicle or you’re looking at fleet management, you need to ensure you know exactly how much it is you’re able to spend. If it helps, you may want to consider thinking about all of the additional costs that are associated with purchasing a vehicle. From insurance to the cost of gas, you need to be sure you’re thinking of everything.

For a guide to budgeting for vehicles as a business, you can visit this site here.

-What Type Of Vehicle Do You Want To Buy?

Another important thing to consider is the type of vehicle you want to buy. If you’re just using it to make a few small trips each week, chances are you’re not going to need anything too expensive. For those that are looking to transport stock or travel to sales demonstrations, however, you may need to consider buying something that you know is going to be highly functional. From being able to store products and equipment to allowing for long journeys, the more reliable the vehicle the better. For tips and tricks when it comes to choosing the right vehicle for you, you can visit this site here.

-Where Do You Want To Buy It From?

Once you know what type of car you want to buy, you need to think about where you’re going to buy it from. Whether you’re getting it from a local garage or travelling a little further, deciding this in advance is important.

-Are You Buying Brand New Or Second Hand?

Another important thing to consider is whether or not you’re going to be buying something brand new, or whether you’re going to go for something second hand. Although buying something second hand will save you money, you may want to consider whether or not it’s going to be a high enough quality. The best thing to do, of course, is to test drive it in advance.

-Is It Safe?

Finally, you need to be sure you’re buying a vehicle that is going to be safe for all of your staff members to drive. This means buying something that has been checked over recently.

Do you have to buy vehicles for your business? What do you need to consider to ensure you’re buying the right vehicles at a good price? Did we miss anything? Let me know your thoughts and ideas in the comments section below.

What the Heck is Upfitting?

A key focus of my blog is Technology. Something we see everyday but are relatively unfamiliar with is the concept of “Upfitting”. Automotive vehicles are are upfitted for varying reasons depending on the intended purpose. The following contributed post is entitled, What the Heck is Upfitting?

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(Photo by Zhen Hu on Unsplash)

Ever considered going into the ambulance business?

Probably not a question you get asked very often.

Here ambulance business does not mean the brave men and women who frequently risk their lives to save and help others, but the business of equipping ambulance with the gear that keeps people alive. It’s a rather obscure concept to think about, but interesting nonetheless.

Let’s Talk About Upfitting

Now, what the heck is upfitting?

It’s outfitting a vehicle with specialized equipment that enables the vehicle for emergency use. Upfitting can also mean custom interior and exterior design that makes a non-emergency vehicle simply look cooler. Essentially, it is vehicle customization and upgrading with equipment that was not initially added by the manufacturer.

Most of the time, it’s emergency vehicles that get upfitted. They will need to routinely change their equipment so that it’s always up-to-date and abiding by state or federal regulations. Upfitting these kinds of emergency vehicles increase their efficiency for peak performance. It can also make the vehicle and job for technicians easier and safer. No wonder upfitting is such a crucial process in maintaining emergency vehicles.

Upfitting usually starts with painting and servicing the chassis. Think of the chassis as the “bed” of the vehicle; it holds the wheels and body of the car.

Here is a chassis, FYI (Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay)

Planning could be the most crucial aspect of upfitting. Involving the technicians who will be using the vehicle can create a more thorough, safety-oriented upfitting. You will achieve the best results if you have a thorough understanding of the vehicle’s future application. One factor to consider during the upfitting process includes the end-users and how they will utilize the vehicle. Keeping the end goal and people in mind throughout the process can help upfitters better understand what kind of experience they want the users to have. Another critical factor to consider is whether the vehicle is going to serve a single purpose or multiple purposes. The upfitting process will look a lot different for the upfitting of single-purpose vehicles versus multiple-purpose vehicles.

The devil is in the details when it comes to upfitting, and that’s why it’s so important to have all concerned parties involved in the process from start to finish. Of course, it’s essential to be realistic with your clients about time constraints and any budgeting problems that may arise during the process. Otherwise, your customers could be left disappointed, and that is undoubtedly a place in which no business owner wants to be.

If you happen to be considering upfitting an emergency vehicle, check out https://tcsupfitting.com/. Not only do they deliver top-quality upfitting service for emergency vehicles in the Wichita, Kansas area, but their team is knowledgeable, efficient, and personable. Any emergency vehicle upfitted by TCS Upfitting is a faster, safer, and better-equipped vehicle to help those who need responsive care. Call today for more information or to discuss how you can get started upfitting the emergency vehicle of your dreams.

How To Find The Perfect Company Vehicle

Two of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. An important company cost to figure out is the company vehicle. Cost has to be factored in, in addition to practicality. The following contributed post is entitled, How To Find The Perfect Company Vehicle.

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Image Credit Pixabay.com License CC0

Whether you just have a couple of company cars for the directors of your business, or you have an entire fleet of cars and vans that are used by a range of employees, there is a lot that you need to consider when it comes to buying, owning, and managing your company vehicles.

The decisions that are associated with the vehicles will start when it comes to working out which vehicle you would like, and whether you would prefer to buy or lease it.

Whether To Buy Or Lease The Vehicle

Vehicles are expensive to buy and there are a lot of associated costs in terms of running. You will need to decide whether the cost of owning a vehicle is really worth it, or if it may be a better option to look at a lease hire option.

When you buy a company vehicle, the advantages are that it becomes a financial asset. The problem with vehicles as an asset is that they very rapidly diminish in value. The amount that you pay for the vehicle new, will be so much lower after just a few months of ownership. If you were to sell the vehicle on after a year or two, you would not get a good return on your investment.

On the other hand, leasing will mean that you and your company will be able to use the vehicle as and when you need it, and after a set period of time, it will return to the company you took the lease out with.

With a lease vehicle, you would be required to maintain a certain standard to the vehicle, and there may be limitations on the milage that you can do. Any deviation on these points could mean that you have to pay out at the end of the agreement.

Buying New Or Used

If you did decide to go down the route of buying your vehicle, you have the choice of buying new or used. There are definite pros and cons to both options.

As previously discussed, a new car does not hold its value. However, you will get the benefit of the manufacturer’s warranty which may mean a reduction in repair costs should anything go wrong with the vehicle during the warranty period.

Used vehicles can often be much cheaper, with the biggest percentage decrease coming from the first year on the road, buying something that is only a year old will be much cheaper than buying the same model brand new off the dealer’s lot.

Of course, if anything goes wrong with your used car, you won’t have the manufacturer’s warranty to fall back upon and you will have to manage any costs incurred in maintenance yourself.

Selecting Your Vehicle

When choosing the vehicle, work out what you want from it before you decide on the make and model. If you are going to be driving long distances, then you will want an engine that is built to last. How many people will need to ride in it? If it will be used for carrying things, think about the size. If you’re buying a van, decide whether it is important to have a tail lift. You may not currently use pallets to load your vehicles, but if you are likely to do this in the future, having the ability to raise a pallet truck to the level of the van is going to be vital. Fuel efficiency and environmental impact should always be a factor in your decision making, but you may also want to throw in insurance costs, and availability and cost of spare parts. Some vehicles have very cheap generic parts available, while others can be a lot more proprietary.

If you are buying a used vehicle, have it thoroughly inspected and do your due diligence to check that it has never been written off following a major crash. Try and find out about any work that has ever been carried out on the vehicle and ask to see the service history. This will give you an indication of any potential problems that may emerge in the future so that you can factor repairs.

Getting Your Vehicle To Your Business

There are of course practicalities to contend with when buying your vehicle. Getting the car or van from the dealer’s lot can prove to be tough. The vehicle may be coming quite a distance, and it may be that you are unable to go and get it yourself. Or, it may not currently be road legal yet. Whatever the reason, you will no doubt want to look for reliable and cost-effective car delivery options.

Vehicle Insurance

Before you buy your vehicle, you will need to factor how much it will cost to insure it. You will need to get a comprehensive level of cover to ensure that you do not have to pay for any repairs in the instance of a crash where your driver was at fault.

The next thing to decide will be who can drive the vehicle. If it is for a certain person, for example like a company car that a member of your team working in the field will drive, then this is fairly straightforward. You may want to have a pool car, which can be used by anyone with permission, or you may be looking for a delivery vehicle which may be assigned to multiple drivers. Being clear about the way in which the vehicle is used will help to determine how much it will cost to insure it.

Conclusion

There are a great many decisions surrounding the purchase or lease of a company vehicle, and it is important that you weigh everything up to work out what is right for you. The way that the vehicle is used, and whether you wish to view it as a company asset will be vital. Make sure you do your due diligence into the specific vehicle you are buying to make sure that it is the most cost-effective option available.