How Do You Convince Your Broke Friends To Invest In Their Car?

If you don't maintain your car, you become a danger to yourself and everyone else on the road. But maintaining a car is expensive, so your broke friends end up deferring maintenance until they crash.

This came up when we talked about how the people with the least money are spending the most on tires, thanks to tire rental companies.

Automatch was at least glad that people were spending money at all on newer, safer tires.

On the one hand this predatory business practice is totally messed up and it's a shame consumers are not smarter about this type of thing. But on the other... (and I'm totally gonna catch hell for this) Tires seem to be one of the most neglected safety features on a car; I see far too many cars on a daily basis with non-road worthy tires. People that drive with unsafe tires are a danger to themselves and others. I tell complete strangers they should get new rubber often I get "Thanks, I didn't know that, but I don't have the money" So if this type of business, means more people are driving around on safer tires then there is a little bit of a silver lining. Even still, this type of highway robbery should not be tolerated.

JEM knew just what Automatch was talking about.

I went off (not angrily, just kind of overbearing) on a friend recently on facebook when she was looking for the absolute cheapest tires around. Normally I wouldn't be so up in arms but she has a newborn. People will spend huge sums on crap for a kid and then try to skimp on such a basic safety measure... ungh

Brandondrums chimed in, too.

I know, it's ridiculous. I had a neighbor who wouldn't let their kid eat any candy, non-organic vegetables, no meat, wouldn't get them vaccinated out of fear of causing autism, wouldn't allow him to eat certain organic, locally grown vegetables because of 'vitamin interference' with whatever developmental diet he was on etc. etc. etc.

HOWEVER, they drove a 13 year old Toyota Camry which they have never serviced with bad struts, bald tires, fluid leaks of all types INCLUDING a cracked heater core which leaked toxic coolant into the hvac system AND let him run around outside every day, throughout the year with no shoes or socks on where he inevitably would walk through the puddles of oil and power steering fluid and over the rusty nuts and bolts that would fall off the car.

PRIORITIES PEOPLE.

So how do you convince your broke-ass friends to keep their cars in somewhat safe condition?

Photo Credit: Raphael Orlove