Cheap old car are subjected to a fair amount of wear and tear. Both time and distances driven affect the lifespan of your used car. By making sure you properly and frequently maintain your car, you can make your old car last a lot longer than average. This saves you lots of money over the years.

There are dozens if not hundreds of things you need to keep in mind when maintaining your car. Below, I have listed the ones that experience has taught me are the most essential.

1. Your car belt allows your engine to transition its movement into other parts of your car, such as the wheels. Should your car belt ever snap, then you’ve got a big problem on your hands. Without a car belt, it’s not only the wheels that stop turning. Your engine will destroy itself it it runs long enough without a car belt present. Since your engine costs a lot of money, you are wise to take good care of it. This means keeping an eye on your car belt. Replace it in time and you will prevent major car problems in your future.

2. By keeping good maintenance records of your old car, you’ll know exactly when to replace or maintain parts. After a certain time and distance, your car will require a belt change, new tires, an oil change, an oil filter change, etc. If you neglect to keep a record of this, sooner or later you will either pay for maintenance too early, or you’ll forget to maintain something and end up with a broken car.

3. One of the most frequent things that need changing, is the oil. Your car uses oil to keep everything running smoothly. Without oil, your engine would wear out much, much quicker. It makes sense to frequently change your oil to ensure your engine stays alive. You can easily check your oil level by popping the hood and using the dipstick to see how much is left. Never let it get below the minimum level. This minimum level is likely marked on your dipstick.

There are lots more things to keep in mind when it comes to cheap old car maintenance. If you’re looking on information about a very specific car part, use the search engines and you will find your answer. Naturally, you should always use the search engines in your research before you even buy a car. Simply browsing around for people’s reviews on a certain brand and model of the car, can teach you a lot about the used car you are eyeing.

If you own a cheap old car, it is a good idea to look around for a trustworthy car mechanic. The ones you need to avoid are the ones that try to talk you into replacing more parts than strictly necessary. A good, honest car mechanic will usually try to talk you out of replacing parts that still have some life left in them. Find a good car mechanic and stick with him.

Car maintenance is an important aspect of car ownership. If you put some time and energy in becoming an informed car owner, I’m sure you will find out that it was a good investment. Once you know what you’re doing, you are likely to avoid the biggest of problems throughout the lifespan of your old car.