Fix Your Car or Trade It In? Edmunds.com Helps You Decide, and Provides Tips for Prolonging Vehicle Life

Fix Your Car or Trade It In? Edmunds.com Helps You Decide, and Provides Tips for Prolonging Vehicle Life

SANTA MONICA, Calif. — June 9, 2010 — Anyone driving an older car today is likely wondering when it no longer makes good sense to keep pumping new life into it. In an article entitled Fix Up or Trade Up at http://www.edmunds.com/ownership/maintenance/articles/141386/article.html, Edmunds.com, the premier resource for automotive information, provides guidance to drivers wondering if they should repair their car or buy a new one.

"A good rule of thumb is to buy a new car if the cost of the old car's repairs is greater than either the True Market Value^® of the vehicle or one year's worth of monthly payments," reported Edmunds.com Consumer Advice Associate Editor Ron Montoya. "Another important consideration is whether an upgrade will give you significant safety benefits."

Edmunds.com also offers tips for prolonging the life of a vehicle in the article Top Five Ways to Make Your Car Run Forever:

• Follow your service schedule: Following the automaker's maintenance schedule is a simple way to extend longevity.
• Check fluids and tire pressure regularly: These few tasks take less than 10 minutes and can save you a lot of time and money on unnecessary problems. Try to do it at least once a month.
• Go easy during startup: Waiting 30 seconds after starting your vehicle will allow the engine to be properly lubricated before you take off.
• Use a single, high-grade fuel: Stick with the grade of gasoline that best suits your vehicle, and stay consistent.
• Drive smart: You'll extend the life of your vehicle if you refrain from treating it like a racecar with unnecessary revving, braking and shifting.

"Most of these tips may seem like common sense, but many drivers still manage to neglect their cars in these ways," said Edmunds.com Editor at Large Karl Brauer.

Many more car ownership and maintenance tips can be found at Edmunds' Car Tips and Advice page.

About Edmunds (http://www.edmunds.com/about/)
Edmunds.com publishes four Web sites that empower, engage and educate automotive consumers, enthusiasts and insiders. Edmunds.com, the premier online resource for automotive information, launched in 1995 as the first automotive information Web site. Its mobile site, accessible from any smartphone at www.edmunds.com, makes car pricing and other research tools available for car shoppers at dealerships and otherwise on the go. InsideLine.com is the most-read automotive enthusiast Web site. Its mobile site, accessible from any smartphone at www.insideline.com, features the wireless Web's highest quality car photos and videos. CarSpace is the most established automotive social networking Web site. AutoObserver.com provides insightful automotive industry commentary and analysis. Edmunds is headquartered in Santa Monica, California, and maintains a satellite office in suburban Detroit. Follow Edmunds.com on Twitter@edmunds and fan Edmunds.com on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/edmunds.