Flipboard 2025 Car Tips

If you leased a car and now don’t need it, the goal is pretty simple: get out with the least amount of money left on the table. The tricky part is that leases are designed to keep you locked in, and the “easy” exit options are often the expensive ones. The good news is you usually have more than one path out.

Discover 30 practical car maintenance skills from the 1970s that younger drivers rarely learn today, and why many still matter.

You bought a used car, signed the paperwork, and headed home. Before you even reached your driveway, the transmission gave up. Now the seller keeps repeating two little words: “As is.” Surely those words can’t cover a car that barely survived the trip home. Can they?

That little scrape on the door you got in the parking garage? Those light scratches from everyday use? It’s easy to worry about whether a few cosmetic imperfections will turn into an unexpected bill. The good news is that with most leasing companies, whether you’ll be charged depends on how deep the damage goes and whether it crosses the line into “excessive” territory.

You probably have a favorite mechanic. But have you ever wondered whether your mechanic has favorite customers—and whether you’re one of them? Technicians and repair shops have offered plenty of clues. Some habits seem obvious. Others involve little things most drivers wouldn’t think twice about.

I thought replacing my car battery would solve my starting problems for several years. Instead, almost exactly two years later, I'm standing in a parking lot with another dead battery and another replacement bill. The mechanic says batteries wear out, but this is becoming an expensive pattern. Am I just unlucky, or is something about my car or driving habits causing the problem?

When I found an inexpensive used car with surprisingly low mileage, it seemed like the perfect deal. The odometer suggested plenty of life remained, and the purchase price was comfortably within my budget. But after several trips to the repair shop, I'm beginning to wonder whether I overlooked something important.

I knew my old car wasn't worth a fortune, but the dealership's trade-in offer still caught me off guard. After years of maintenance, careful driving, and keeping the interior clean, the number seemed surprisingly low. The salesperson insisted it was a fair market value, but I couldn't help wondering whether selling it myself would put significantly more money in my pocket.

My car has 150,000 miles on the odometer, yet it starts every morning, drives smoothly, and hasn't given me a serious reason to complain. Still, I can't shake the feeling that something expensive might be waiting around the corner. Should I sell while everything works, or keep driving until there's an actual problem? The answer depends less on the mileage itself and more on what the car's condition, maintenance history, and replacement costs reveal.

If your mechanic says, “Since we already have this apart, you should replace the water pump too,” it can sound like classic upselling. Sometimes it is not. In many cars, preventive water pump replacement really is cheaper when the timing belt, timing cover, or related front-engine parts are already off.

Your daughter is not alone. Panoramic glass roofs have become one of the most desirable features on modern cars because they make the cabin feel airy, bright, and more upscale. The tradeoff is real, though, because more glass above your head can affect heat, noise, maintenance, and repair bills.

If a dealer tells you the factory warranty started before you bought the car because it was a demo, that can be normal. It is not automatically a scam, but it is absolutely something you should verify before signing papers. The key question is not whether it was a demo, but when the manufacturer says the in-service date began.