Commuting on a Budget

If you live in a big city there can be nothing worse than trying to get to and from your place of employment. I used to take public transit buses, trains and subways to get to work for many years. My employer paid for it so I always made sure to take advantage of this great benefit. But for most people its not an option. In most cities, public transportation is a nightmare. The buses may run only every hour and there is no guarantee it will even show up. The most effective means of transportation is still having a car. When you are just starting out in life it is usually best to get a car that is cheap to buy and cheap to maintain. You could buy a car from a private owner but beware. You really have no idea what problems this car has and it could end up being more trouble than its worth. If you go to a used car lot just pay attention to the most crucial things such as how many miles the car currently has on it, the year the car was made and the quality of the interior. Any used car you buy should not have more than 50,000 miles on it. Why? Because most cars began to develop major repair problems at around 75,000 miles and you want something that is going to last you for at least 5 years or as long as you can save for the next car. Also be sure not to buy a car that gets less than 25 miles to the gallon. Gas is pretty expensive these days and you don't want to be filling up a $60 tank of gas every other day. In the end its not a fashion statement to have a car as this point in your life it's about getting to work and getting paid.