Before working as a teller, I worked at a local tire store and I am quite loyal to them still. However, I’m here to deter some business from them and all tire stores/automechanic shops.
My family, ever since I can remember, has gone to that tire store for everything we needed: new tires, oil changes, safety & emissions, flats, alignments - everything! Last week my mom realized she had 3 lights that had burned out on her Denali. She called the tire store, asked how much the bulbs were, and took it in to get them replaced. Before they actually replaced anything my mom asked them again how much the bulbs were going to cost. Down at the shop, they told her it would be more than what they said on the phone - $35 for each bulb. My mom had them pull her car out, without fixing the lights, and went home. My dad was able to buy each bulb for $12 and replace them himself. That same day something went weird in the wiring of his truck, he called the mechanic and asked him how he would fix it. The mechanic told him there were some wires that needed to be soldered together and it should work just fine. My dad located the wires, soldered it and *voila!* good as new.
So, instead of spending $200 on both cars ($35 on each light, plus labor on my mom’s car and labor on my dad’s car — which is at least $40/hour) my dad spent $36 to fix it all.
I realized it pays to know your car - know how to change the oil, change the lights, change a battery, etc. Even if you can’t fix everything, knowing some of the smaller things (or knowing someone else who does) can really save in the long run.
So, if you are like me at all, you have once or twice driven by a car lot and gazed out at the vast sea of shiny brand new cars. I love cars. I have told my wife that I am jealous of the Jay Leno and the Bruce Wayne/Batman car collections. 
