In order for car owners to get the most out of their vehicle, it may be best to practice preventative care, as opposed to reacting to problems when they occur.

This includes getting a tuneup when a car reaches certain mileage milestones such as 50,000 or 100,000 and ensuring that the oil is changed every three months or 3,000 miles (whichever comes first).

However, one of the easiest, and most inexpensive, ways to provide optimal car care is to regularly check the air pressure in the tires. The best part? This can be done with a simple air pressure gauge and most of these devices sell for about $10. Find the right store and it could be cheaper.

Razvan Bosomoiu, Goodyear brand manager, explains that car owners who don’t properly inflate their tires can cause their car to “increase vehicle fuel consumption, meaning that motorists may get less miles per gallon than with properly inflated tires.”

But why is something like air pressure so important? One simple reason is that by ensuring tires are correctly inflated can save owners money in the longrun.

Your car will get better gas mileage

With all the talk of hybrid and electric cars coming to the market, along with rising gas prices, more consumers are concerned with gas mileage and how they can maximize it. A car with a high gas mileage means it can go further on one tank of gas when compared to other vehicles with low gas mileage.

Consumers who have yet to look into new or used hybrids can increase their gas mileage through the air pressure in their tires.

Tires with low air pressure can cause a car to drag, which means it will need to use up more gasoline to run properly. Maintain the right PSI in tires will avoid this problem and can increase a vehicle’s gas mileage, which in turn may save money on gas.

Tires last longer

While replacing a tire for a car is inevitable, car owners can put off the process longer if the air pressure is checked on a regular basis. Aside from causing a car to drag, a low PSI can cause increased wear and tear on a tire. So owners who fail to check the air pressure may fall victim to tires with a short life.

This also includes over-inflation of tires, which is a bad idea. The thinking that more air is a good thing is wrong, since over-inflating a tire past its recommended PSI may cause blowouts or bulges in the tire.

Always forget to check? Do it at the gas station

It” true that sometimes the simplest tasks are the easiest to forget. One idea is to get into a regular schedule with checking a car’s tire pressure. Always doing it when filling up the gas tank or on a Sunday evening may help remind owners. Or consider saving the receipt from the last time you had to buy new tires as a reminder to maintain proper air pressure in your tires.

Since the introduction of the Toyota Prius in North America in 2000, a portion of the general public has had a fascination with the hybrid vehicle, thanks to the automobile’s impressive gas mileage and environmentally friendly features.

And now, almost a decade later from that first introduction, there are more hybrids on the market and increasingly more interest among car buyers, most likely because of the financial benefits that come with owning a hybrid vehicle.

But for those who are interested in purchasing a used hybrid car, what exactly goes into researching this new type of automobile? And for those who have purchased used cars in the past, can their prior knowledge be used toward a hybrid purchase?

Here are some things potential hybrid owners should consider when looking at used cars.

Get the history

As with all used car purchases, it’s still important to run the history of a car, be it hybrid or not. The oldest hybrids out there will be approximately 10 years old, and it’s worth knowing what kind of work has been done to it and whether or not the car was involved in an accident.

It may also be a good idea to get a pre-purchase inspection from a dealer who is authorized to sell the same make of the used car you are looking at.

Mileage may not be a big issue

In the past, people who were looking to purchase a used car usually paid attention to the mileage of the vehicle. High mileage meant there was most likely more wear and tear on a car. However, this way of thinking may not apply to used hybrids.

These are cars are meant to have a higher mileage, so it may be typical to see cars with 80,000 miles on it. In fact, there have been reports that some hybrids in the market have already gone past 100,000.

The hybrid battery

Part of the reason hybrid cars get such good mileage is because they partially runs off a battery, which also helps owners of these vehicles to save on gas (a full tank of gas in a hybrid can go much further when compared to a standard gas-powered car).

But like all batteries, there may come a day when the one in an older hybrid model needs to be replaced. It’s important for used car buyers to get a full understanding on what a battery replacement may entail. For example, those looking into a used Toyota Prius should conduct research and talk to dealers so they understand how they should replace the car’s battery if it should come to that. In some cases, it’s been reported that a replacement battery could cost upwards of $2,000.

Learn how to drive

Finally, keep in mind that hybrids are a different kind of car and that just turning them on may confuse some consumers who have spent years driving gas-powered vehicles. Doing the necessary research on how to operate a hybrid car will help buyers be more comfortable during and after the process of buying a used car.