You are right! Nothing lasts forever but bear with me for just a moment. If you tell people you have over 200km on your car, they look at you as if your car has indeed run forever! But I just said it didn't! Oh, so confusing. What is psychology anyway?
So, let us assume for the sake of this article that you do indeed have the goal of getting your car to go that far. What then? How can you maximize the possibility that you can realize this goal with the variables in your control?
A big part of the answer is how you think about your car. If you can work it such that you never want to get rid of your car, then you are very likely to reach that goal. So lets explore some of these factors.
First, lets manage the positive thoughts
Tip #1 : Like the car you get!
If you are going to sit in your car for 153 days, you really have to like it or you'll go find something else to sit in. So, the first tip is to buy a car you like to be in.
Now this does not mean that you have to buy a Porsche(tho some will and many Porsches go over 200k miles) but you should buy a car that you feel reflects you in whatever way you think is important. For instance, if you're the stylish type of person, a subcompact Hyundai may not be the right car. Or if you are an environmentalist, a SUV shouldn't be on your list even if it is cheap. These examples are obvious but the idea is that it is important and should be a factor in your automotive decisions.
Tip #2 : Be comfortable in your car!
Furthering your goal of liking your car, you need to make sure your very comfortable in your car. So, the seat should fit you well. If you are into music, then it should have a good stereo. If you have a family, it should be roomy. If you have a sensitive back make sure the seat has good support.
Tip #3 : Care about your car!
For you to continue the positive motivation, you at the very least have to maintain the first two tips. That is, if you no longer like your car then you'll fail your quest. So do what you have to do to keep liking your car. Keep it clean. Spiff it up once in a while. Give it a treat. Keep it running perfectly. Customize it.
Here are some ways of doing this.
- Upgrade the stereo.
- Wash and Wax it.
- Buy new rims.
- Get aftermarket lights.
- Any other customization you like.
You can do whatever you like here. If the option is to go get a new car, then any of them are cheap. (This helps with spouses too)
Then, prevent the negative thoughts
Tip #4 : Prevent big tickets by following regular maintenance.
Nothing demotivates like unexpected big expenses that do nothing to improve your lot in life. However, as humans, we're quite comfortable with regular expenditures like paying for insurance etc. Use this psychological principle to your advantage.
Replacing transmissions and engines falls into that unexpected big expense. Amazingly these are some of the most reliable parts of the car if you do the basic maintenance - which happens to be dirt cheap! That is. Change the fluids as required for both the engine and for the transmission on the low end of the recommended interval. Most people are pretty good with the engine but fail with the transmission. Check your manual for both and follow those directions to the T.
If you fail with either of these, you are guaranteed to not make the 200k goal.
Tip #5 : Fix things right away - Don't let anything go!
Similar in scope to the above single point of failure catastrophe is the multiple-cost-at-once demotivator.
Here is an example. If you notice your tires starting to go but wait for the shocks to get tired so you can do it all at once, you'll have a bill over 1000$ which is a terrible blow to the psyche of your relationship to your car. However, if you did them separately over 4 months, you'd have two much smaller blows spaced out such that they will seem less significant.
Another example is if you get into a small fender bender. You'll likely get a check from the insurance company which you might be tempted to cash and keep. Don't do it. The next expense decision will then be "Should I spend the 2000$ to fix the fender and get new tires or get a new car?" This is a reasonable dilemma. It can go either way.
This is as opposed to "Should I get new tires for 500$ or get a new car?" which is a much easier dillema. Just get the new tires - it is much less stressful.
Tip # 6 : Maintain the experience!
Next on the scale of motivation destroyers are things more subtle.
For instance, the condition of your tires and of your suspension makes a big difference on the day to day enjoy ability of your car. So keep them maintained aggressively. (This could also save your live if you have the opportunity to avoid an accident)
Similarly, if your seat is completely caved in or has rips and no longer comfortable, you can either get your seat reupholstered or replaced. It may cost a bit but it is cheaper than buying a new car.
Remember, if you don't like your car, it is not likely you'll get to 200k.
So, that's it. It is pretty simple and really requires no additional cost or time. You'll have aligned your behaviors to make it easy to own your car for a long time.
Here are the tips again:
- Like the car you get!
- Be comfortable in your car!
- Care about your car!
- Prevent big pain by following regular maintenance.
- Fix things right away - Don't let anything go!
- Maintain the experience!
Andre Turrettini is a dabbler in many things. He does most of his own car maintenance including that on a classic 911. The day job is that of web software programmer. See his side project here http://itestcars.com - A place for the car enthusiast to read about cars and automotive news (note the articles section of the site) and his personal blog http://theanticool.com - mostly on movies and software here.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Andre_Turrettini
No comments:
Post a Comment