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By Brian LaPerle, owner of Northern Tire in Colebrook
This article is the first of a series of articles intended to give you information on how you can save money on vehicle ownership and how consistent vehicle inspection and maintenance can help you achieve this goal.

Do you believe once you have hit the 100,000 milestone you should consider replacing your vehicle? In your opinion, how many miles should a vehicle last? It seems, based on the latest trends, the new milestone is at least 200,000. The financial benefit for you to get this kind of life out of your vehicle is significant. The average miles driven per year is 15,000, meaning you should be able to keep a vehicle for over 13 years. That could mean eight years without a payment.

During those eight years without a payment you should be able to save at least $30,000. Over the same period, you can expect repairs and maintenance to be about 10 cents per mile equaling about $12,000. You therefore save $18,000. This does not include the additional savings of registering and insuring an older vehicle.

The ultimate goal is to keep your vehicle running well throughout the entire 200,000 miles, not just get there. Your vehicle should still be safe and reliable, have equivalent to new fuel mileage, and some remaining resale value.

This idea is not for everyone. Certainly the automotive industry would not be able to afford everyone taking this approach. Many people are doing this now, and for others who want to decrease their cost of vehicle ownership, this is an idea worth considering. In future articles, I will discuss specific steps in order for you to make this happen. You may complete these steps with your mechanic or let the knowledgeable staff at Northern Tire assist you.

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