I grew up around automobiles. My dad built a (illegal) massive garage in our backyard to work on the many cars he bought in the classifieds. He would fix these junkers up and make a few extra thousand on each car. My little bro went into the U.S. Marines to be a mechanic on Humvees. Much to my father’s chagrin, filling up my car with gasoline is the extent of my auto expertise.
2o1o was evident of my lack of auto skills. In one visit to the mechanic I spent over $5,000 (read the review on Spitzer Toyota for the full story). Personally, my 2000 Toyota Avalon is barely worth that much. I am certain I could have used that money to just go buy another used car, but I didn’t (and luckily we had savings to offset the hit financially).
Anyway, below are 2010’s auto expenses. They are not all mechanical expenses, we did some traveling, and we grew out of being a one car family. My new year’s automobile resolution for 2011 is to find a friend who can do my auto work =).
| Company | Times Visited | Total Amount Spent | Recommendation | Review |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AAA | 2 | $209.46 | Ryan & Lacy Positive | This year Lacy and decided to try out Triple A. We have insurance, but are cars always seem to need a tow. We purchased it for both our cars with three tows per car (they have other services but this was our main reason for going with it). Unfortanetly we used almost all the tows (5). The most epic tow was when we got our minivan stuck in the mud in the back hills of Pennsyvania. We called a tow truck which got stuck. That tow truck called another tow truck, which also got stuck. Finally, the biggest tow truck they had came out and got all three vehicles out. It was a very loooong night, but nonetheless we were glad we had gone with AAA. |
| Alamo Rent-A-Car | 1 | $300.50 | Ryan & Lacy Positive | I found that Alamo usually is the cheapest car rental company IF you get it from the airport. For our first trip to Utah last year we used them with no hassle, and I have never had any problem until the second trip we went on last year to Utah (see review on Dollar Rental). |
| Dollar Rent A Car | 1 | $924.33 | Ryan & Lacy Positive | So, we have never used Dollar Rent a Car until we went on our second trip to Utah last year. I absent-mindedly forgot my wallet which had my drivers licence and credit card. Lacy had hers but she is only 21. Only Dollar would let her drive for a "reasonable" price. It wasn't really that reasonable since we had no reservations, but compared to everyone else it was a steal! This trip has taught us to always check Dollar instead of just going with Alamo. |
| Hertz | 1 | $15.00 | Ryan & Lacy Positive | So, if you read my woes with my Toyota Avalon you undertstand my gratitude for having a rental car. A few years back all I rented was from Hertz, but they became much more expensive and I moved away from using them. However, this time I didn't have a choice since the automotive shop repairing my car only uses Hertz. It was annoying that I had to $15, but that wasn't Hertz problem, but rather Spitzer's (which I have already shared my feeling on them). Altogether it was a good experience, but again I wouldn't use them due to price. |
| Monroeville Dodge | 1 | $5,000.00 | Ryan & Lacy Positive | There is a really interesting story about Monroevill Dodge that I will have to blog about someday. However, our overall experience with them was quite positive. We purchased a 2006 Dodge Minivan, put down a large cash amount (from our savings) and pulled out a loan with Monroeville Dodge for $5,000. I hate going into debt, but now with another little one added to our family this year it has been a positive move! |
| Parking | 10 | $99.00 | Ryan & Lacy Negative | So, the one thing I really hate about Pittsburgh is the paid parking. My very first visit ever to Pittsburgh cost me $35 in parking, which was for only parking my car twice in two days. It is a rip off. If you look at how much we've spent this year it makes you cringe. We averaged about $9 for parking and that really is ridiculous. If you are coming to visit here I would definitely plan into your budget parking fees! |
| Pepboys | 2 | $240.76 | Ryan & Lacy Negative | Lacy already wrote a post on Pepboys, which was more echoing my complaints about them. I have taken our van into them on the alignment multiple times, and they say have fixed it. Even now it is not fixed. I don't know if it is a scam on their part or just bad mechanics! Either way, I wish there was a better option than these guys! |
| Spitzer Toyota | 2 | $5,190.41 | Ryan & Lacy Negative and Positive | As mentioned in the Pepboys review Lacy already wrote about Spitzer Toyota, but I have to put my two cents here. These guys are good mechanics, but be prepared to hold onto your wallet. Speaking to one of the counter guys (Jared) he told me about all the services needed done. The total was in the thousands of dollars. I knew the car had been in a wreck before we bought it, but didn't realize the extent of the damage. I told Jared that we wanted specific things done, and I signed a paper thinking that was what was being done (bad on my part for not looking into all the charges). When I came back I found out the price I was expecting to pay was actually double. Luckily we had some savings (that was going to go to buy our minivan), but I am still irrated (mostly with myself) that this happened! |