- Get a reliable car. This means something like a Honda or Toyota. Look up reviews before you buy.
- Get it used, preferably lightly used. 1-year-old cars are almost as fresh and reliable as new ones, but without the “new car” premium.
- Get only what you need. Almost nobody needs anything larger than a sedan or hatchback. SUVs, minivans, and pickup trucks are a waste of money for most people. If you only need to haul stuff occasionally, it will be cheaper to just rent a larger vehicle when you need one.
- Keep it for as long as you can. Do you really need to upgrade your car every few years? Spoiler alert: nope! You really only need to get a new car once the old one starts to cost more to repair than a new car would cost you. Your car might last you decades if you take good care of it!
- Drive safely. Aggressive driving might get you to your destination a few minutes faster, but doing your best to avoid accidents can save you thousands in medical, legal, insurance, and repair costs. Oh yeah, and it might save your life.
- This means NO TAILGATING, fools!
- Do repairs yourself. Just like with houses, you can save a ton of money if you change your own oil, replace your own brake pads, etc. There’s a YouTube tutorial for everything. Would you rather learn a new skill and save money, or work an extra shift to pay for a mechanic?
- Keep up with routine maintenance. For example, make sure to actually read your car’s manual and figure out how often you need to change the oil! Set reminders in your calendar if you must. It’s way cheaper to do preventative maintenance than it is to fix a broken engine.
- Don’t report small damages to your insurance company. Fixing a dent or scratch probably won’t even cost enough to meet your deductible, meaning you’ll have to pay for all or most of it out of pocket anyway. Only now, your insurance company will probably raise your rates since they think you’re accident-prone.
- Get less insurance. Too many people buy way more insurance than they need. The only kind of insurance mandated by states is liability insurance, but most insurance companies press you to buy other types as well. But guess what: if you have savings, you don’t need to insure your car against damages! You can just pay for repairs yourself, and it will almost always be cheaper in the long run. So if you can afford it, skip the comprehensive and collision coverage, or at least set the deductible as high as you can afford. TODO LINK to full article on this.
- Skip unnecessary repairs. I know this sounds crazy to car people, but if you get cosmetic or low-priority damage… you don’t actually have to fix it. Big scratch or dent on the side? Ignore it. Radio stops working? Just plop a bluetooth speaker in your car. You get the idea.
- Drive less often. Much of the cost of driving is related to gas and wear and tear. Simply driving less will help here!
- Share it with others. Do you really need your own car? Chances are that it’s sitting in a driveway or parking lot 95% of the time. Can you share a car with your spouse? Your friend? Your neighbor? Especially if you’re able to work remotely or commute via transit, this is a surprisingly viable option. Cars are a lot cheaper if you can split the cost with someone else!
- Go car-free. This is the big one here, and it’s so important, I gave it its own entire article:
How to Save Money on Your Car
The Readyist 
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