Savings Rate Highest Since Reagan

[Scallywag]

We're on the Ramsey Every Dollar plan (starting in 2017) and given our small income in a very high cost area, we've never be able to afford much unfortunately and are forced to keep spending to a limit. There's little wiggle room which may explain why our expenses during the shutdown are in line with what we usually spend each month. Wish we've seen a reduction in our spending but we don't.

Plus, this month (May), I am REALLY worried. My car has been having an ongoing problem with it's tires and we're also due for scheduled maintainence (based on mileage).

Scared to take it into the dealership in case we get ripped off as they're struggling and may try to get as much as they can from anyone who does come in. My car is important but not to the tune of potentially thousands of dollars in alleged repair needs.

[kork13]

Dealerships generally will charge the highest rates for repair work, and yes, commonly exaggerate the necessity of fixing random little issues. Get some recommendations on 2-3 honest, reliable mechanic in your area. They'll likely be less expensive, and you can compare their cost estimates & recommendations between a few different shops.

[disneysteve]

Dealerships generally will charge the highest rates for repair work, and yes, commonly exaggerate the necessity of fixing random little issues.

Either I've just been lucky or our local shops also inflate their prices but I just haven't found this to be true. I've tried a couple of different shops that friends recommended and never found them to be cheaper. Plus, they are far less convenient because the dealer provides a loaner. With the private shops, I need to call Enterprise and get my own rental which also means the pick up and drop off process takes a lot longer. So even if the local shop is a little cheaper, the cost of the rental erases any savings, so I went back to the dealer for all service.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

I've had some bad problems for small shops when doing full service. I don't mind oil changes at fast places but the dealership we usually do major services because they work on same type of cars all the time.