As the children in your family begin learning how to drive, it is your responsibility to teach them about car maintenance. Whether they own their own car or borrow yours, teaching them how to maintain a car will have financial benefits that will follow them into adulthood. There are many practical financial reasons why you should teach your children about car maintenance.
1. They Can Buy a Cheaper Car
Buying a used car is a great way to get a high-quality vehicle without paying a lot of money. However, this comes with the warning that you may have to do extra repairs or maintenance on your used car since it is a little older. If you don’t know what you’re doing, these repairs could cancel out the savings from buying used. If your children want a used car, they need to know how to take care of it. Having the ability to buy used cars will open them up to many more opportunities for cars. They may want something more exciting, like a roadster. Some roadsters weigh up to 3,400 pounds, but cobras weigh much less. If your family wants something lighter, they can save money by knowing how to take care of it.
2. They’ll Stay Safe on the Road
It is essential that your child knows how to stay safe while they’re driving. They need to know how to take care of themselves and the people around them. After all, other cars are unpredictable. Drunk driving causes more than 17 thousand deaths each year and there are all kinds of other dangers to consider as well. If you teach your child regular maintenance, they can keep their car running well, avoiding many types of potential accidents. They’ll also be able to take care of the situation if their car breaks down on the side of the road. On a financial level, staying safe on the road saves you money on both medical costs and car repairs in the future.
3. The Car Lasts Longer
The better you maintain your car, the longer it will run. This is the best way to keep your car on the road for a long time. You can’t avoid all accidents because it’s hard to predict what other drivers are doing. After all, the legal BAC limit in California is 0.08% and people still drive illegally at that point. But if you don’t take care of your car, you know that the mechanisms inside are going to stop working as well over time. This means you’ll have to buy a new car sooner than you otherwise would. You’ll end up spending a lot of money on this car, while you could have delayed the necessity of a new car by a long time. If your child wants to avoid spending extra money on their car, they need to know how to take care of the one they have.
4. It Needs Fewer Repairs
The more maintenance you do, the fewer repairs you’ll have to deal with. While repairs are inevitable, you can avoid a lot of the bigger expenses by taking care of smaller issues early. These bigger repairs can be extremely expensive and completely avoidable. If your child knows how to do basic car maintenance, they can keep the car running smoothly and catch small problems before they get out of hand.
Your family needs to know how to maintain their cars. Cars are an expensive investment and they will continue to cost you money throughout the years. However, regular maintenance can reduce these costs significantly. With the skills you teach them, your children can be frugal with cars while still reaping all the benefits they provide.
