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1. Maintaining Can Cost More Than You Think

2. Many people associate the cost of their car with
how much they have to pay when they buy it,
however, things such as the cost of maintaining
your car, insurance, and filling up your gas tank
add more to the cost of your vehicle than the
price tag suggests.

3. Being aware of these "hidden" costs of your
vehicle can significantly help you choose the
right vehicle for you and your life style.

4. The U.S. Department of Labor's recent
research report "Consumer Expenditures in
2013" shows that the US average car owner
pays roughly $9,000 a year to own and
maintain their vehicle.

5. According to the Consumer Expenditures
report, of that $9,000, $3,300 goes to the
purchase and payments towards the vehicle,
$2,400 is for gasoline and oil, and $3,300 for
insurance and maintaining the vehicle.

6. How to Reduce the Cost of Maintaining Your
Car

7. Research has shown that the average cost of
maintaining a small sedan is about 59.5
cents for every mile that you travel in your
vehicle.

8. By comparison, the cost of maintaining a
large sedan averages 97.5 cents per mile,
and at 38 cents more than the small sedan,
can cost $3,800 more if you drive at least
10,000 miles a year.

9. Maintaining Different Engines

10. Keep in mind how much power you actually,
and honestly, need to have when choosing
an engine.

11. An eight cylinder engine may get your more
torque than a four cylinder engine but will
guzzle significantly more gas both while
driving and idling.

12. With gas prices dropping pretty
substantially this year it may not seem like
such an issue, but the difference at the
pump is still noticeable regardless of the
price of gas.

13. Maintaining Your Car Can Be Easy

14. One of the best ways to save on gas and the
cost of maintaining your vehicle is to avoid
driving it in the first place.

15. Walking or riding a bicycle when you can is a
good way to not only save car money, but
also improve your health with daily exercise.

16. Other alternatives include city buses,
subways, and car pooling with coworkers or
friends.

17. Just because you own a car doesn't mean
you are required to drive it everywhere you
go.

18. Treating your vehicle as commodity that it is
and not taking it for granted can make the
true cost of owning a car must less of a
burden and more of a luxury.