Car Maintenance and Transportation

"If your employer offers a transit pass, take it! Although it may take longer to get to/from work, it is a welcome respite from traffic. Leave the driving to someone else while you can drink your coffee, check your email and collect your thoughts. It also gives you a set schedule of when to leave home/work." - Andrew Virden, Class of 1996

"My own personal tip for bike commuting would be to ride your route ahead of your first planned day of bike commuting. Also don't be afraid to ask HR or other people at your office about things like where to lock your bike, or where to change (if you're changing at work). I might get flak for this but the "nursing" room is often a great place to change as long as you're considerate & quick - it's mandated that it needs to be a room with a door that locks that's not a bathroom. In all the years that I've used these rooms for 5 min at the beginning and end of the day to change, I haven't ever encountered anyone who's waiting to pump at the beginning or end of the day." - Liz Niemer, Class of 2013

"As a car owner and a woman, I have found that mechanics will outright lie to you and use fear tactics to up-charge. Always read reviews of mechanics before going and make sure there are comments stating that it’s an inclusive space. I cannot stress this enough— GET AAA. Being stranded because you ran out of gas or your battery died is not safe. Have a plan for when that happens... it’s a “when” not an “if.” Set aside $500 if you can before buying a car. That way you’re not deciding between fixing your car or paying rent. Having a car is a privilege, and is expensive. I’ve found that my personal safety has been vastly improved because I own a vehicle." - Victoria Guillemard, Class of 2018

"Also, there's a lot of car maintenance that can be done at an auto parts store, rather than taking your car to a mechanic or the dealership. Headlights, battery replacement, windshield wipers, etc. can be purchased and installed at an auto parts store. I prefer AutoZone. And always buy the fancy oil for your car, especially if you're living somewhere cold." - Jana Hong, Class of 2017

"My biggest car maintenance tip is to always Google whatever repair is needed with your car or what is wrong with it--I am not particularly handy but I have learned several things from YouTube to fix on my car that has saved me hundreds. There are lots of car things that you can DIY with no special skills or tools (like changing taillights, cabin air filter, engine air filter, and windshield wipers). I take my car to the dealer to get the full 24 point checkup with my oil change and tire rotation and then use the 24 point checkup to research and learn how to do the easy things myself." - Claire Barnes Runquist, Class of 2014

"The best way to circumvent inflated diagnostic charges, and bias (if you're someone who looks like they don't "know cars") is to invest in an automotive diagnostic scanner. They run around $35 at most auto shops, and they're super easy to use. You plug it into the computer system on your car, and it gives you a code for the problem. You can do some googling to figure out if the problem is significant. Then you go into the shop, and instead of saying "my check engine light came on and I don't know why," you can say, "it's an N548 and P883 and I don't want to be charged for diagnostics." - Claire Deason Chevalier, Class of 2006

"- Like it or not, cars are money pits. A newer car costs more up front. An older car is cheaper, but it'll have higher and more frequent maintenance and repair costs.

- facebook neighbor groups, I have used both Minneapolis and Saint Paul ones, are a great way to get car repair shop recommendations. The question is frequently asked and you can always search the group history.

- I've never had AAA, but most car insurances either include a roadside assistance plan or you can add one at a minimal cost. Like someone else said, you're going to need a tow or lock your keys in the car at some point and the roadside assistance or AAA will easily pay for itself.

- Do the required maintenance on your car. I slowly learned this the hard way. You can pay for the little things frequently or you can ignore them and have more major issues later on.

- Find out what the typical repair costs per mile driven are for your car based on make, model, and how old it is. I think I found this info on the AAA website or maybe it was Consumer Reports. Start saving money based on that. It makes it so much easier to pay for regular maintenance and it softens the blow for larger repairs. For example, I have a 2007 Honda Civic and I save about $225/month for all of my maintenance needs. For the past 2 years it has covered all of the work I've needed done on my car. It also makes it easier to decide when to get rid of an old car because it is costing so much to repair.

- I've always saved my work orders from car repairs but I never really did anything with them. In the past year, I entered all of that info (mileage, dates, repair details, cost, recommended services, and a few other things here and there) into a spreadsheet. This has helped me budget and decide on when to do some of the more expensive regular maintenance, like a radiator or transmission flush, instead of just blindly listening to when the repair shops tells me something needs to be done. I also found that I've been sold some stuff way earlier than when my car needed it to be replaced, like an air filter or a cabin air filter.

- Recently, I also found out how often my battery goes bad compared to how long they usually last in Minnesota, typically 3-5 years. Going forward, I'm going to start replacing my battery at 4 years or so, so I don't have to deal with a completely dead battery and possibly getting it towed to a shop and having to buy a marked up battery from them.

- The last thing, especially for older cars, look at when more major long term maintenance needs to be done (I'm thinking about stuff around 75,000 or 100,000 miles, like replacing spark plugs or the timing belt/chain. Do it proactively and you won't have to deal with a major problem later on. I guess this would only apply to older cars, that one plans to drive into the ground." - Tyler Simmers, Class of 2004

"This is advice for buying a car from an owner. Get a friend who is a (car) mechanic involved in your car search. They can help you through the process to check out if the car is worth buying. Take them with you to look at the car and test drive. You will need a car with a clean title. Find a good and reasonable mechanic referral from your circle to get repairs done at a reasonable price, inspection in Maryland is very strict I'm not sure how it is in MN but you want to make sure everything is good before you start relying on It even if the inspection doesn't require it. You will buy the car, get temporary tags, do the inspection, and then get 2 year tags from a tag and title place. Look on Craigsist, offerUp, and letGo for a car you like. I was able to purchase a car and do all repairs for under 3,000. That being said its a 2004 model and the gas mileage is atrocious so my other piece of advice is make sure the gas mileage on an older car is something you can live with. " - Jane Robinson, Class of 2010