Sample from "Car Buying Tips and Guide Book":

Insurance, Maintenance, and Operation Costs

When preparing the budget you have available to you for your new car, you need to consider more than just the sticker price and any value that you may have on your current car. There are also all the expenses that come with owning and driving a car. And if you don’t budget for these appropriately, you may find out that you can’t afford your new car at all!

The cost of your insurance will be one of the biggest expenses associated with your new car. Because of this, make sure that once you find a make and model that you like, that you look up a quick quote on what it would cost you to insure it. Many insurance companies offer instant quotes right on their website, with no obligation to you to purchase a policy afterwards. The amount of your insurance policy will depend on things such as how old you are, the kind of car you drive, your driving history, and other personal information.

Online quotes will cover all of these things and will give you a good idea of how much you can expect to pay in insurance – and if you can afford it! Operation costs refer to the costs you will have to pay just to keep the car running. Things like fuel can be determined by looking at the gas mileage a car gets – the higher the mileage per gallon, the less in fuel costs you’ll have to pay. Generally, bigger cars such as SUVs and pickup trucks use more gas but you’ll have to look at the specifics of different models to get a better idea.

Other maintenance costs may include things such as repairs so you’ll want to know if those will cost you significantly. Again, a general rule of thumb is that foreign cars are more expensive to repair because their parts must be shipped in, while domestic cars are much cheaper to repair. However, with car manufacturers opening plants everywhere around the globe and the difference between foreign and domestic becoming more and more blurred every day, this isn’t always true. So you should still always check the specifics and ask about the operating and maintenance costs of any vehicle before purchasing it.