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Tips For Improving the Gas Mileage of a Used Car

Published Wednesday, August 27, 2008 by bloggerblognet4542 | E-mail this post

With sky rocketing gas prices, many people are turning to new vehicles rather than purchasing gas guzzling used cars. Virginia Beach gas stations are charging a dollar more per gallon than they did a year ago and this means wasting fuel is going to eat at your wallet regardless of how new or old your vehicle is. There are many things you can do that will not only save you gas money, but also help your new or used vehicle last longer too.

Driving in Hot Weather

In the summertime, air conditioning is one of the biggest causes of poor gas mileage. If you absolutely have to use the air conditioning, run it on a low setting until the car reaches a comfortable temperature. Then, turn it off and run the fan by itself to maintain the temperature of the vehicle.

Driving with your window down at low speeds is fine, but at highway speeds, this can be worse for your gas mileage than anything else can be. When you run your vehicle with the window down, the air current enters into the vehicle and holds it back causing your car to work harder to propel itself forward.

Car Maintenance

For both new and used cars, Virginia Beach drivers and others around the country need to schedule maintenance on a regular basis. Things such as dirty air filters, spark plugs, and dirty oil can wreak havoc on the best running vehicles. When you schedule your vehicle for its oil change, make sure to have a quick check done on the rest of these small components. They are quick, easy, and cheap to change and the payoff is significant.

When was the last time you checked your tires? Tires that are extremely worn down slip on the road's surface and are forced to rotate more than they should. Check your tire pressure at least three times each week to ensure they are correctly inflated, but keep in mind, that overinflated tires are just as bad as underinflated ones.

Driving Habits

Perhaps most influential on the gas mileage of a vehicle, is your own personal driving habits. For example, in Virginia Beach, used cars and new ones alike spend hours in any given month lined up at red lights.

To cut this down, try to avoid rush hours and alter your route as much as you can to cut out red lights without adding on too much added distance. Stopping and starting is also hard on gas. It also helps to keep your overall speed down to the speed limit or slightly less while accelerating and decelerating as gradually.

All vehicles will have a top limit on their gas mileage, but practicing these few simple tips will help you to save as much gas as possible. Best of all, these are all simple things that don't require a large investment of time or money. Soon, you will notice that you are not only saving money on fuel, but you will also find that you will save money because your vehicles will last longer.

Author is a freelance copywriter. For more information on Used Cars in Virginia Beach, visit http://www.beachford.com.

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Tips For Improving the Gas Mileage of a Used Car

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