My Old Jalopy Needs Two New Pairs of Shoes!

Ok, I have to admit it: my car’s tires are shot! Let me explain …

Well, for starters my front driver’s side one has two patches on it (caused by some rusty nails). Its partner up front is devoid of holes, but it is slowly leaking air, causing me to fill it up every other week. As for the back two, they are worn down from not getting a front-end alignment when my car needed it six months ago (I rotated them to the back yesterday). I hate to pony up on some new ones, but my safety (and the safety of the people brave enough to travel with me) depends on it.

When it’s time for you to get some new tires, I hope you search the web for advice first — there are way too many places, and much too great a variance in pricing not to (most places’ mark-ups are ridiculous). Once you finish with the beginner-course stuff (speed ratings, brands and styles, and manufacturers’ numbering systems) let me show you how to really save on them (trust me, this will keep a lot of money in your pockets):

Show the “price match” guarantee whose boss. Step 1) Call around for the best price tires for your vehicle. Step 2) Go to the winner (note: cheapest) and get a printed estimate. Step 3) Take this estimate to the nearest tire chain and they’ll beat it by 5% (most places offer this deal) — get a printed copy of their estimate. Step 4) Now repeat step 3 as many times as you feel comfortable with (I’m comfortable with 7-8, but wouldn’t be afraid of 9+ times). Step 5) Giggle when you get 4 new $85 tires for $48.19 a piece (11 times, baby. This is my example, and I laughed hard doing it. I’m still laughing).

Cash and Carry. This one’s a commonsense strategy: we all know that tire shops charge way too much for labor (mounting and balancing). So, what I did was buy all four tires (at $48.19 apiece), loaded them up in the back of my friend’s truck, and took them to a local mom-and-pop shop for less than half the price they would have charged (read: robbed) for this expensive service. This small shop also offered me a road hazard warranty (just like the big guys) and I am sure that I’ll get better service, due to the fact that these people need my business more than those corporate rip-off artists do.

Buy them online. Ok, I didn’t do this, but if you’re too “yellow” to try the price match trick you’d might as well get your car some new shoes at a place like tirerack.com. My neighbors swear by them (these same neighbors are retired New Yorkers, and have a lot of extra time on their hands). One of these old Yankees told me that he bought his set for $350 (including the local shop’s mounting and balancing, plus warranty) instead of the $500 he was going to pay at the Wal-Mart (which was the cheapest for his sports car, by far). The only downside was that he had to wait for 5 business days (7 real days) for them to be shipped. He was fine with this (it gave him more time to complain about the new young neighbors, and his prescription drugs).

I now have my car back on the road, and I feel a whole lot safer since I don’t have to worry about a 75mph blowout on the worst freeway in the world: I-95. Remember this, my friend: in life, there is always a deal to be made on literally everything — you just have to find a way to get it. Companies count on the fact that most consumers won’t pry too much to find the real value of the stuff they’re selling — if this were the case, a set of the best tires on the market would only cost you about $60 bucks a set.

By finding these hidden bargains you are not only saving yourself from overpaying, but you are also keeping companies “honest” enough to let others in on some of the deals.

P.S. Never feel bad for trying to save a buck, because companies sure don’t when the shoe’s on the other foot (or wheel in this case)!