Start here: In the market for a new car?

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Searching for the best deal on tires?

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You might find the lowest price on tires online, but you’ll still have to pay for installation. A better bet: Head to Costco. The warehouse club offers the best overall value, according to Consumer Reports, with brand-name tires and installation (about $15 per tire). Plus, with every installation, you get free inflation pressure checks, tire balancing and rotations, repairs of flat tires and a five-year warranty for road hazards. What’s more, several times a year, they discount select brands by up to

$80 and offer 1-cent installation per tire.

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It’s smart to check out comparison-shopping websites like OpenBay. com or RepairPal.com to get free quotes for car repairs, says Nik Miles, vice president of The Northwest Automotive Press Association. On OpenBay, for example, you input your vehicle’s information and the type of repair needed. The site gathers quotes from nearby repair shops, so you can compare shops by price, location or customer reviews. After choosing a shop, you take the vehicle in for service and pay through OpenBay.

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Want to save on oil changes?

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Gearing up for repairs?

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In the market for car parts?

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The average driver spends about $1,500 a year on fuel. One way to save is to use cash—many gas stations charge 10 cents more per gallon for credit card charges. But pros say it’s also smart to monitor gas prices at GasBuddy.com. “Using the site, we were able to find a 50-cent price difference per gallon between the five nearest gas stations to our office,” says Reed. “That savings would translate to almost $270 on filling up the tank for the year.”

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Working with a car broker instead of haggling at dealerships can help you save thousands, says Philip Reed, senior consumer advice editor for Edmunds.com. Just be sure you’re working with an independent broker who doesn’t charge a fee. Check Yelp.com to find reputable brokers near you. Many brokers have worked at dealerships, so they understand how dealers make money. That gives them leverage to negotiate. How it works: You specify the make and model you’re interested in, and the broker scours dealerships, presenting you with the best offer. Once you make a decision, the broker delivers the car—and a contract—to you.

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“There’s no need to change your oil so often, like in the old days,” says Calkins. “Modern cars can typically run 7,500 or 10,000 miles, depending on the make of the car and the way you drive, before the oil needs to be changed.” And skipping a few oil changes a year can save you a couple hundred dollars. To figure out how often your car needs this service, check the owner’s manual, which will also tell you if you can skip using pricey synthetic oil.

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Most drivers think they have to purchase original equipment manufacturer (OEM) parts—pieces that come directly from the car’s maker—but that’s not so, says Miles. In fact, skipping these parts can help you save hundreds since OEM parts tend to cost about 60% more than “aftermarket” parts, which are not sourced from the car’s maker. “These days, a number of companies make parts designed to function the same as, or in some cases even better than, the original part they are modeled on,” says Miles. Just ask your mechanic to use aftermarket parts when getting an estimate.