For many people, a car is a necessity to get to work so they can pay their bills or run errands. That’s why cars need to work but even if a car owner regularly maintains their car, there will be a time when a car needs to be repaired and that can be a big expense. The average cost of repairs is £603. What happens when you get that big expense and don’t have the money to pay for it but you need your car back? Here are some ways you can pay for the repairs when your car needs them:
Short Term Loans
If you qualify for a loan, you will be able to pay the mechanic immediately and be able to get your car back. You will want to pick a company that will get you the money in a quick amount of time. If you do take out a loan, make sure to pay it back on time. Otherwise, you will have taken care of one problem but created a bigger problem. Services like nowloan.co.uk allow people to find their lowest cost short term loan within just a few minutes and it won’t affect your credit score either.
Working Out A Payment Plan With The Mechanic
If short-term loans are not an option for you, you might want to talk to your mechanic before you let them do the work. They may work with a lender, but you could ask the mechanic to work out a payment plan with you even if they do not. The mechanic will most likely accept the payment plan especially if you are using a mechanic that you have done business with in the past.
Use Credit Cards To Pay The Mechanic
Most mechanics will allow you to use a credit card or multiple credit cards. However when the credit cards are due, if you don’t have the money to pay the cards off, that will cause more problems in the long run. If you have no choice but to use credit cards, use one that has the lowest interest rate. Another tip when you decide to pay with a credit card is to pay just for what you need instead of getting optional work done. Leave that optional work for when you already have the money to pay for it.
Pay With Money You Have Already Saved
While everyone should have money set aside for emergencies or hard times, that is not the case for most people. However, if you do have money set aside for hard times, fixing your car so you can go to work and come home from work can be something worth spending your saved money on. Even if you don’t have enough money to pay the bill upfront, mechanics are more likely to give you time to pay the leftover balance if you can pay most of the bill upfront.
Asking Friends And Family For Financial Assistance
No one likes asking for money from family or friends so most of us won’t unless we have no option to do so. While it’s not a pleasant experience to ask for money, it may be something you have to do if you need money to get your car fixed. If someone agrees to give you the money, make sure you are clear about whether or not the person you are borrowing from wants to be paid back. If the person does want to be paid back, get the terms of the agreement in writing. If you do not get the agreement in writing, one person may remember the terms wrong which could cause a conflict between the two parties.
Preventing Big Problems From Happening
Even if you maintain your car regularly, a big problem could still occur with your car. The chances for problems arising increase as your car gets older. One way to decrease the chance of a big problem happening to your car is to maintain it. If you maintain it regularly, a problem might be caught while it’s small and still cheap to fix. Many expensive problems become big problems when they were neglected. If you check out problems when they first happen and get your car tuned up when you should, you will be surprised how much money you will save over someone who didn’t tend to problems until they had to be addressed.
No one wants to deal with a big bill from their mechanic. It’s much worse when someone needs their car and can’t afford the bill in full. But if you have to pay a mechanic to fix your car, hopefully, some of these suggestions will help you if you find yourself asking “How am I going to afford this bill?”
