Between the new car smell, sleek upholstery and paint job, there are many experiences and memories you can expect to make with a new car. That being said, a brand new car does come with responsibilities, just like any other vehicle. When it comes to insurance for your brand new auto, you’ll want the best coverage available.

Shopping Around with Different Companies

As you compare different auto insurance packages and research insurance companies, you’ll see that some agencies are better equipped to insure certain vehicles than others. Just like people have opinions about cars, insurance companies are no different, only their opinions are based on statistical evidence. This includes how often your make and model breaks down, is involved in a traffic collision, or is stolen. Before a company is willing to insure you, they need to be positive that you (and your car) are not a liability risk. Your risk factor will determine the cost of your monthly premiums. Comparing car insurance quotes could help you sort out the bad coverage options from the good.

Taking Your Time

Some people absolutely dread doing anything that deals with numbers and finances. However, it only makes sense that you take your time when evaluating all of your potential risks, options, and costs for a specific quote. In other words, even if it takes you two hours to thoroughly complete your car insurance quoting comparisons, it’s well worth it if it means getting a fair deal. Your time is valuable however, so if you’re looking for a new auto insurance plan, make sure you’re protecting yourself. If you have to, pick up the phone and the old-fashioned way to see what individual insurance companies can offer you. However, it’s recommended you have some quotes to use as bargaining ammo. It could pay major dividends finding out just how bad a particular insurer wants your business.

Comparing New Car Options

Another thing to remember is that new cars also come with insurance options that don’t cover older vehicles. These options include new vehicle replacement should your vehicle be damaged or stolen. It’s one of the top perks of owning a new vehicle and it’s available under different coverage types. Though keep in mind, this option’s availability is dependent upon the specific insurance company you wish to work with. With this option, if you do have the new car replacement option and you get into an accident within the first few months of owning your new car, then your insurance company will buy you a new car to replace the one that was declared totaled by your insurance adjustor. That is a great perk (among many others available) that you can only receive with new cars under certain auto insurance packages.

When you’re shopping for a new car remember that there are more than enough ways to get ahead. Obviously a new vehicle means having to pay more money. However, you can minimize the increases you’re going to pay through continuing to shop around for new car insurance quotes that will both cost less and give you better overall coverage in the process. You have to remember that you don’t have to break the bank in order to drive around a new car. And, as long as you do your planning and quoting before you take that new car for its first spin around the neighborhood, you might even be lucky enough to pay the same amount (or less) than you were before. It’s all about finding the right company to protect you.

Comparing Car Insurance After You’ve Bought a New Car is a post from: When Life Gives You Lemons. Did you like the post? Follow me on Twitter, like me on Facebook, or hop on over to my blog and leave me your feedback.

But wait, you might say, have cars not always been linked to personal fashion somehow? Yes, that’s true to some extent. However, the styling of the past might have pushed an already good car to the next level among consumers who were concerned about good looks only after the performance question had been settled. It is different among today’s fashion cars. They go for looks and styling first, and then worry about performance and reliability.

It all started with the Smart car in the 1990s. If you are unaware, SMH CEO Nicolas Hayek founded Smart Automobile. SMH is the manufacturer behind the designer Swatch Brand. Hayek began tinkering with the idea of designer cars in the late 1980s in the hopes that he could replicate the success of Swatch in the automotive world. Daimler AG now owns his former company.

Vauxhall Adam

Let’s talk about some of today’s modern fashion cars, beginning with the Vauxhall Adam. The Adam is intended to be a classic city car made by Germany’s Opel. As a roundish three-door hatchback, the Adam looks a lot like a more sophisticated Volkswagen Beetle. Its sleek profile and contrasting roof color make for a unique visual appearance that any fashionista would love.

If you need more proof that the Adam is a fashion car, just consider the names of the three different choices: the JAM, the GLAM, and the SLAM. Need we say more?

Fiat 500

The original Fiat 500 was a super thrifty Italian city car made between 1957 and 1975. It was anything but a sleek and sexy fashion statement. In fact, some of the older models pushed the envelope on ugly. The new 500 is entirely different. Fiat gives a nod to the original 500 with a bit of retro styling in the body design, but the look is still very modern. It is available as both a coupe and convertible.

Ford KA

Ford introduced the KA as its entry into the city car market in 1996. Truth be told, the first generation of the KA did not create a lot of optimism among Ford loyalists in terms of styling. As with some of the early versions of the Fiat 500, the first-gen KAs were difficult to look at. Thankfully, the company that now dominates the UK market figured out how to make this cute little city car a lot more attractive.

Second and third generation KAs are as sleek and sexy as anything you will get from Vauxhall or Fiat. In a move of marketing genius, Ford produced a limited number of Sublime models in 2005 with a unique leather interior. If you have one of them, you have one of the most sought after KAs on the market.

That moment when cars became fashion statements was that moment that car shopping changed forever. If you are the kind of person who looks at styling above performance, there is no shortage of choices for you to consider. You might even find one that matches your shoes!

Do you buy your cars to make a fashion statement?

When Cars Became Fashion Statements is a post from: When Life Gives You Lemons. Did you like the post? Follow me on Twitter, like me on Facebook, or hop on over to my blog and leave me your feedback.

We’ve been planning out our finances recently for the next few years and one big purchase that is more than likely coming up is a new vehicle for J.

We try to use my car as much as possible so we can ensure his truck doesn’t get overused. Plus our car is much cheaper on gas, which is nice considering the truck only gets about 15 MPG. We both need a vehicle as a condition of employment at both of our jobs, so it’s not an option (as much as I’d like it to be) for become a one car family, and a large purchase like a new vehicle takes some consideration.

Differing Opinions

What J wants out of a vehicle and what I want are vastly different things. I personally think I’m a bit more practical than he is, but I am sure he thinks the same thing about himself.

I think a small, practical car that is good on gas and super reliable would be the best way for us to go. I’d prefer a four door.

We wear our vehicles into the ground, and therefore it is quite likely that we’ll have children while we still have the next set of wheels. Our next car needs to be practical for that.

In contrast, J wants a truck. He thinks that as home owners, there is often the need for a truck and that it’s more practical to have a truck and a car. Since I already have a car, that would indicate that the truck would be the next purchase.

I am not on board with a truck for two reasons:

– The cost (upfront, gas)
– It’s a nearsighted thought

We already have a small car which isn’t really the best vehicle for children. If we want to keep the vehicle for 10 years, and in five years we have kids, what are we going to do with car seats and carpools in a truck?

We’d have to sell it before we’re ready to.

The Financials

I took out a loan for my car back in 2012. It was a decision I never came to regret, because I needed a car. I worked, lived, and went to school in 4 different cities and didn’t’ have the cash for one sitting in my bank account. I paid it off very early and didn’t incur much in interest costs.

There are loan options available for our next purchase, like the ones that Money Barn Finance offer. We won’t need a loan this time around, because we’ve got enough saved up for a decent, new to us vehicle, whether we decide on a car or a truck. However, if there was a very low interest rate on a car loan, we would definitely consider taking it out. We make about 6% on our investments in ETFs, so if we could get an interest rate at 3% or less, it would be worth it for us to just take the loan and keep our money in the investments, working for us.

Whatever we decide when the time comes, we will have options because we’ve saved and planned for our vehicles to give out one day. It is comforting knowing that if and when it happens, we can replace with no problem.

Considering Our Next Vehicle is a post from: When Life Gives You Lemons. Did you like the post? Follow me on Twitter, like me on Facebook, or hop on over to my blog and leave me your feedback.

My transportation costs stayed around $200/month, which was gas and only gas.

When that car officially died in January, I bought my Honda. Since I was driving my own car, I have to pay for insurance as well.

This freed me completely financially; I do not owe anyone and I am accountable only to myself. The only downside is the cost.

In 2009, I got into a fender bender in my previous car because I didn’t shoulder check and cut somebody off, resulting in the car hitting me from the side. The accident was my fault and it caved in the wheel well of the other car. Apparently this is an extremely expensive repair, because I ended up being presented with two options: I could either pay it out at $4,000 or “enjoy” a nice 10 percent surcharge on my insurance premium. I would have had to take out a loan to pay it out, so I chose the surcharge with the plan to not drive for the next couple of years. I chose the surcharge. The insurance on my Honda is $4,000/year.

My saving grace was that I lived fairly close to work for a few months, saving me a lot on gas, so my monthly fuel expenses went down by quite a bit.

When I got my current job in April, I started working farther from home, costing me more in gas. On top of that, they are building a new bridge that I have to cross every day to get to work. The government is tolling the bridge at an astronomical $3.50 per pass ($7/day if you go to work and then come back home), to help pay for the bridge. The tolling starts in December.

So what we’re looking at, then, is the following:

$220 Car Payment
$220 Gas
$330 Insurance
$140 Bridge Tolls
$25 Parking (I have to pay every once in awhile)
$20 Maintenance (pro-rated over the months)

________________________________________
$995 Per Month

That figure is absolutely astounding. It’s double my portion of the rent, and more than our monthly rent as a whole. It’s actually almost half of my monthly income from my day job.

Seeing that figure is extremely motivating for me to get out of debt and pay off my car loan as soon as possible. Paying off my car loan will reduce that expense to $775.

It will also make me feel a lot more comfortable buying a house, which would decrease the bridge toll cost and the gas costs; we are planning to buy closer to work so we don’t have to go over the bridge. I could probably save $100 on gas when we move, and the bridge toll expense would be nonexistent. $515 is much more manageable than $995.

But, the first step is to tackle this car loan like it’s my job.

I’ve been able to pay off $2600 in under 6 months, and for a big portion of those months, I was making half of what I’m now making.

With a trip to NYC in September, I don’t think I’ll be able to put a lump sum onto my loan until October. But having this debt payment every month, hanging over my head, is starting to get pretty depressing. So here’s what I’m planning to do to cut back:

• Never pay for parking unless necessary (Savings – $25/month)
• Eat at home/brown bag it for breakfast and lunch every day, and dinner 6 days per week (Savings – $40/month)
• Find a way to save $20 on my phone bill (Savings – $20/month)
• Stop buying books; read the ones I have (Savings – $20/month)

And then, now that I’ve handed in my final project, I have some extra time with which to make extra money. Here’s the plan with that:

• Put all extra money made from babysitting toward car loan (earned – about $250/month)
• Find an extra $100 per month through side gigs (earned – $100/month)
• Continue to put blogging income toward other savings/travel – otherwise I wouldn’t be able to pay for my trips in September (N/A)

This can all be implemented at the start of August, but the income part will have to go toward my September endeavors for that month. So, by the end of the year if I keep this up, I’ll be looking at:

$220/month payment, $40 going to interest = $180/month reduction
$105/month found via cutting back
$350/month earned at side gigs
____________________________

=$675 extra payment each month

My current loan stands at $9850. By January 1, 2013, I should be able to have my loan decreased to $6,970.

The loan was supposed to be a five year loan, but I should have it gone by the end of 2013.

This is a relief – it’s much more manageable than paying it down for five years. And this is also not accounting for any extra payments that I will be making from my regular income, though I will likely have to save that for the crazy insurance expense that I have to deal with.

Are your transportation costs out of control?

Out of Control Transportation Costs is a post from: When Life Gives You Lemons. Did you like the post? Follow me on Twitter, like me on Facebook, or hop on over to my blog and leave me your feedback.

The Nightmare

First, the locks went. Then, the temperature started skyrocketing. There was a clunking noise in the engine. Finally, it died six feet from

my driveway (okay, that part was lucky). After J and I pushed it into the driveway, we popped the hood and looked at what was wrong. J thinks it’s a cracked engine block, but in any case, it’s my dad’s car and he wants to look at it to see if it’s salvageable, so he’s getting it towed to his shop for possible parts.

I knew it was going to happen within the year, but I suppose I wasn’t prepared for it to happen this soon. I thought I would have at least a few more miserable months with that big hunk of steel. But, being a Type A neurotic planner, I, luckily, had been looking at cars with the suspicion that this would happen. This allowed me to act fast, out of necessity.

Since I work 75 minutes (on a really great, clear, light traffic day) away from my internship, plus another half an hour away from school, I require a car. It’s just not possible for me to take public transit. For example, J even had to drive me to work on Wednesday, the day after the car broke down, because the buses didn’t run as early as I’d have to leave in order to get to work on time. He had to take half a day off to chauffeur me around. So, yes, I need a car.

So, I bought a car the following day of finding out that my old car wouldn’t work, and I financed it.

The Dream

In the post above, I listed what I wanted in a car less than a month ago. Here’s what it specifies:

• At the time of purchase, it would have to be less than five years old (Check)
• It would have less than 60,000K on it (Check)
• It would have to be white, black, gray, or another neutral colour for resale value (Check)
• Could be standard or manual, I’m neutral (Standard)
• Preferably four door (I drive my cars until they die, and four door is easier when kids are on the horizon) (Fail)
• Get more than 45 MPG (Fail)
• Be a Honda Civic, VW Jetta, or Toyota (Check)
• Be less than $10,000 (Fail)

How I Went Into Debt Last Week is a post from: When Life Gives You Lemons. Did you like the post? Follow me on Twitter, like me on Facebook, or hop on over to my blog and leave me your feedback.

As the economy struggles beneath the weight of the recession and the unemployment rate remains stagnant at over 8 percent, saving money where ever possible is a huge priority for many households. When trying to cut back on expenses, it is important to look at all of your shopping habits to see where you may be paying a lot more than you have to. Here are five excellent ways to make sure you optimize your saving this year.

Be Thrifty

Long considered to be exclusively the haven of poor people, compulsive hoarders and collectors, thrift stores should be your first stop when you need a wardrobe change. Many thrift shops provide a large variety of clothing for all ages and sizes. They’re also a great place to pick up perfectly good household items like blenders, slow cookers, hair dryers and lamps for a fraction of what they would cost new. Other commonly found thrift store items include children’s toys, books, games, movies, music, furniture, decorations and craft supplies. If you’re looking for something, chances are good that you’ll find it at one of these establishments.

Shrink Your Cellular Bill

Many people pay a lot of money per month to be able to talk, text, download and browse to their hearts’ content. Even without unlimited services, these monthly bills can add up to an astronomical amount. To save money, switch to a cheaper plan, even if it allows less texting, talking and data usage. Instead of relying as much on costly services to stay in touch with friends and family, write them letters, emails or send them an instant message. Those services cost nothing. Better yet, cut down your phone usage and switch to a pay as you go plan, buying air time only when you need it.

Price Comparison Sites

The popularity of websites that compare prices on different sources for products and services has exploded because of the amount of money they can save people. You can find these sites for just about anything from mobile packages, car loans, internet service carriers, insurance, home loans, credits cards, utilities and more.

Don’t Shop Hungry

One of the worst things you can do for your wallet and waistline is shop for groceries on an empty stomach. Even if you weren’t hungry when you left home, simply being around packages of food and the delicious smells from the deli and bakery can have your stomach growling within minutes. In such a state, you’re likely to buy more food than you need, as well as foods that may be exorbitantly priced or unhealthy.

Take the Car Less

Fuel prices continue to increase, making driving an expensive habit. Unless you’re very far away from your destination or there is no public transport available, consider walking, riding a bicycle or taking the bus or train. These all provide great exercise while saving you the cost of gas. If you’re very close to key locations, you may consider selling the car altogether to save the additional costs on insurance, taxes and wear and tear.

5 Ways to Save Some Money This Year is a post from: When Life Gives You Lemons. Did you like the post? Follow me on Twitter, like me on Facebook, or hop on over to my blog and leave me your feedback.

I’m not joking, I felt all wonky all the time after driving, and I didn’t realize why my head hurt so bad all the time until J pointed out that it REEKED of exhaust in my car when he got in it.

I guess, because I practically live in my car between work, school, and home, I didn’t even notice the smell; or at least, didn’t see it as a cause for concern.

Well, I’ve lived with that madness for a little under a year, and it was torture. Pair that with only being able to roll down one window (yup, so aware that is illegal), and you have one high/unhappy woman in the summer.

Apparently my car had a missing exhaust manifold gasket.

So, after begging my dad to fix it (it is his car, after all), and his mechanic to fix it (and have my dad pay him), and my boyfriend to fix it (several times), I called several mechanics. The quotes were all around $300, if there wasn’t a stripped bolt. Thing is, there was. They were quoting $500 for that. Ouch.

After my griping and whining about not wanting to fix the vehicle, my boyfriend got fed up and grabbed a wrench. After 2 hours of hard, dirty labour, out came my car, minus an exhaust leak (and loud, annoying noise) and my windows were on their way to being fixed.

Yes, I had to pay for parts, but they weren’t overly expensive. In fact, I only paid about $40 overall, cause my dad had some of them kicking around already. In thanks, I bought J dinner and beer, which cost about $40, which he gladly accepted.

Because of his DIY effort, I saved hundreds of dollars and had my car fixed for just over $80.

What was your last car problem? How much did it cost you?

DIY Car Repairs is a post from: When Life Gives You Lemons. Did you like the post? Follow me on Twitter, like me on Facebook, or hop on over to my blog and leave me your feedback.