Cars have become an essential part of our lives, which we rely on every single day. This form of transportation comes with a lot of responsibility and costs however. Owning and operating a car is not a cheap endeavor, however it is definitely easier to manage the costs associated with a car with a bit a planning.

Most of the costs associated with owning a car are foreseeable. Running expenses such as gas, oil, and tires can be budgeted for by a factor of the number of miles you expect to drive per month or per year. Other more major maintenance procedures can generally also be forecasted. The owner’s manual of your car will have a recommended schedule for tune ups, and standard procedures.

The cost of keeping the car legally on the road include taxes and insurance fees, which are also predictable for the most part. However some expenses are unpredictable and fall into a grey area which can make it difficult when budgeting. Tickets of all kinds are one of these grey area expenses. Many of us know that terrible feeling we get when we return to our car and find a parking ticket on our window, or when we open up our mailbox and get an unexpected notice about a traffic violation.

Some would consider certain tickets unfair or unnecessary, such as ones given out by parking services. These fines can be unfair to drivers who experience parking time allotments that are too low, while prices for failing to comply can be too high. Certain parking companies such as parkingeye are known for being too strict with guidelines, and even making errors in handing out penalties as a result of automated processes.

There are also other unforeseeable costs associated with keeping a car on the road, especially without enough car insurance to cover damages to your own car. There are many hazards and threats to your vehicle which are out of your control, that you must be prepared for financially ahead of time.