Drive It Forever: Your Key to Long Automobile Life

I recommend this book highly. It is a great gift to a young first time car owner to teach them good habits. I loaned my copy to a former co-worker and they liked it so much they never returned it. It just makes sense to take care of your car. Not only is a neglected car a drain on your finances in reduced fuel economy and premature failures, it is unsafe to you and other motorist. A driver that does not take care of their vehicle is a "weapon of resource destruction." Think of the time and effort it took to make your car and how many cars there are in landfills and junkyards. I have a 1973 VW Karmann Ghia that still runs like a champ and turns heads everytime I drive it. I also love not having a car payment and having to have expensive full coverage insurance. The money I have saved by not buying a new car has allowed me to own three vehicles for the price of one. The ghia for fun, a 78 VW bus for hauling dogs and camping and a 94 Buick for road trips. Price a new car and factor in the depreciation as soon as you drive it off the lot and you might start taking care of your vehicle.

Drive it Forever is an older book written in the early eighties. It describes strategies for making our cars last longer. Most of the information is helpful, some dated. I did enjoy the parts about gasoline additives and other expensive "juice" to put in your engine. He says to save your money on those products. Now that our cars do not rust to the frame as they did in the seventies, it is a timely idea to make them last. Drive it forever will give you many hints about how to get your vehicle well over 100,000 miles and if all hints followed, even 1,000,000.