You've decided to buy a new car (or a "new" used car) and you're wondering what to do with your old one. Should you trade it in? Sell it? Keep it?

Chances are your old vehicle is either paid off or close to being paid off, so the monthly budget issue may be advantageous for keeping it.

Insurance costs should also be less on an older car. And you could raise the deductibles to get it even lower.

Depreciation is also less of an issue with an older vehicle. The big losses in car value take place during the first five or six years.

You can even use your old car for commuting and around town errands. This will save wear, tear and resale value on your new car.

The big issue, however, is potential maintenance costs. Will you get clobbered by expensive repairs down the road? Savings from the above factors may be more than offset by future repair costs.

Well, you don't really know for sure. It's typically a hard call to make because without a crystal ball, there's no doubt it's a bit of a gamble.

However, here's some component examples with the mileages when they typically need to be replaced. This can help you weigh the odds a little more in or out of your favor.

• Alternator, 125,000 miles
• Brake rotors, 80,000 miles
• Brake drums, 150,000 miles
• Brake calipers, 150,000 miles
• Clutch, 75,000 miles
• Headlamp, 100,000 miles
• Sealed front bearings, 125,000 miles
• Shock absorbers, 75,000 miles
• Starter, 100,000 miles
• Timing belt, 100,000 miles
• Timing chain, 100,000 miles

Cars are now built to last longer than ever before. And you can see from the above list that the more expensive repairs tend to occur at around the 100,000 mile mark.

Keep in mind that as you approach 150,000 miles or so, a vehicle often has paint and rust issues. Interior upholstery also tends to have more severe problems at this time. And repairs made at 75,000 miles are coming around again.

From a purely economic point of view, trading in or selling a relatively young vehicle because it needs a few hundred dollars of repairs would not be wise. On the other hand, the prospect of spending thousands of dollars on a vehicle on its last legs should be carefully considered.

Joshua Rose is a Used Car Broker at Auto-Broker-Magic.com. For more information on trade-ins, please read Determining Car Trade-In Value

¶ 6:24 PM 0 comments

If you're dieting and are still not losing weight, or are losing weight very slowly, the problem may be that you're not eating enough to boost your metabolism. You need to eat foods that boost metabolism, so that you can lose weight quickly and easily.

Essentially, metabolism is just the rate at which your body burns calories. However, your body is sneaky. If you're not eating enough, it simply slows down your metabolism, and this is the reason you often feel tired and listless on a diet.

Here's how to get around this.

Stoke Your Metabolism With Food

Your first step is to eat enough, but don't touch that donut! Eat proteins like meat, fish, nuts, and beans. Proteins raise your metabolic rate. Don't fall for the hype surrounding "negative calorie" foods like vegetables. These foods don't raise your metabolism. You need foods which fire your furnace.

Think of your metabolism as a furnace. When you're dieting, or as you age, your body turns down and banks the furnace. You can't stoke your furnace with weeds - stoke it with protein.

Consider Going On A Low-Carb Diet For A Week Or Two

Starchy carbohydrates like potatoes, corn, yams and bread made with refined flour and other refined foods will not boost your metabolism, so consider going on a low-carb diet, with its emphasis on protein for a week or so.

Low-carb diets are difficult to maintain over time. However, switching to a diet which contains more protein for a week is easy, and these foods will boost your metabolism again.

Exercise: Every Step Counts

Unfortunately, when it comes to boosting your metabolism, just changing your diet won't work. You need to move. Even 20 minutes a day is great. Go for a walk, and you'll boost your metabolism for the next 24 hours.

So there you have it - the foods that boost your metabolism are proteins, so eat a lean steak, with plenty of vegetables, and go for a walk. Within hours, you'll feel vital energetic and within days, you'll start to lose weight again.

Make your metabolism roar - Top Metabolism at http://www.topmetabolism.com/ gives you all the information you need to lose weight, and gain energy. For additional weight loss info, visit 30 Day Slimmer at http://www.30dayslimmer.com/

¶ 5:14 PM 0 comments