Gasoline isn't only rising cost for drivers

[marmar]

AP, via Yahoo!:



Gasoline isn't only rising cost for drivers
Sunday May 25, 2:17 pm ET
By Dan Caterinicchia, AP Business Writer
Gas not only accelerating cost for drivers; tuneups, oil changes, rentals become more costly


WASHINGTON (AP) -- Does filling the gas tank leave your wallet empty and spirit sputtering? Get used to both because almost everything car-related is costing more.

From oil changes to parking lot fees, sticker shock will make this summer even stickier.

"Everything is more expensive," said Raj Amber, a partner at AAA Limousine in Alexandria, Va., bemoaning the recent oil change cost increase to $30, up from $25.

Amber's frustration is common among consumers facing $4 a gallon for gasoline, $45 a day for car rentals that cost $31 last year, and bigger bills from mechanics, tire shops and parking garages. Cost-fighting tactics are somewhat schizophrenic: vigilant tune ups to stave off new car purchases or bare-minimum crucial fixes combined with a hope-for-the-best mentality.

Fuel remains the single biggest expense for car owners over the lifetime of a vehicle at about 30 percent of costs, followed closely by depreciation and insurance. But the prices for maintenance and repairs, which combined account for less than 10 percent of an automobile's costs, are creeping up.

Travel agency AAA estimates that the average cost of owning and operating a car in 2008 will be $8,121, up from $7,823 last year.

"Purchases I'm making for our cars now are all driven by a preventative mentality," said Tony Farrell, a freelance writer in Richmond, Va., who has a 2001 minivan and a 20-year-old Honda Civic he had considered selling. "A year ago, I would have let it run ragged. Now I want that car in good working order because I want it to last." ......(more)

The complete piece is at: http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/080525/car_costs_beyond_gas.html

[Double T]

1. Inflation is double digit out of control for EVERYTHING.

The NEXT PRESIDENT needs to tell the truth about our ruined nation and make certain the 'criminal corporate mentality' does NOT control the WH, Congress and our country.