We all know it; our vehicles are our pride and joy, they are the aspects of our life which we can enjoy the most, and we spend so much time and care on our vehicles, that we may as well live in them. We use our vehicle every day, traveling to and from work, driving around the locality to see friends, family or do a bit of shopping. We care for our vehicle every day, too, (or we should do, anyway!) by washing it inside and outside, adding stylish and necessary new additions to our vehicle such as alloy wheel trimmings, new windscreen wipers, adding windscreen tint or window film; and we also like to give our vehicle some well deserved TLC by feeding it just the right amount of oil, gas or screenwash. With all this in mind, it is not hard to realize why neutral people (who do not have the same love of our vehicles as we do) may sometimes tell us that we spend more time in and with our vehicles than we tend to spend with our loved ones – but we knew this, right? The reason why we spend so much time with our vehicles is because it allows us to free our mind, to get creative, and to dedicate hard work into creating a thing of beauty. Of course, though, it is important that we all spend time with our family or loved ones – and good quality time at that – so if you are being nagged and hounded to spend more time with your family, rather than your vehicle, then there is a good chance that you will need to listen to what your family want and spend quality time with them. If you do not listen, it may cause friction. You can still spend time maintaining your vehicle, of course, but maybe you could spend a few hours less on it – family time is obviously important. And, your vehicle will not complain when it does not see you for a few hours! Spending time with our vehicles is obviously important to us, but have you ever taken the time to think about whether your vehicle fits with your lifestyle and is relevant to the life you live? Does your car, van or bike allow you to live the best life on the road that your life requires? For example, if your job is a high flying role which sometimes means you have to travel around the county or country, it is highly unlikely that you drive an older car with a low mileage engine and instead, you probably drive a more modern car with a powerful engine, strong horsepower and there is also a good chance that the car you drive for work also uses a diesel engine. Cars such as the VW Tiguan, the Dacia Duster and the SsangYong Tivoli are all good choices for someone who drives around a city for their job – their high driving positions ensures good views ahead (and behind) and all of these cars are well built meaning the interior is very comfortable and airy. However, if you sometimes feel that you need to do something more to portray that the vehicle you are driving is mainly or solely used for work, as you have a second vehicle back home which you prefer to use for social purposes, you could think about car wrapping as that can really show that the vehicle you are using for work is being used for work purposes. If you decide to do this with your car, it can also mean that you will be less tempted to use your work car for social purposes – resulting in you having a true realization of your ‘social’ car and your ‘work’ car. If your lifestyle consists of a lot of free time – like, for example, if you have been lucky enough to have come into money – then there is a good chance that you could spend a lot of time driving around your local area, or driving outside of your local area, in order to explore your surroundings or to get a bite to eat at the newest restaurant in town. If this is similar to what your lifestyle is like, then cars like the Hyundai i10 hatchback, the Citroen C1 or the Vauxhall Viva may be good choices for you as they are nimble to drive and maneuver around busy city streets, but they are also robust, comfortable and the build quality of them is also superb. When driving a car around the city for long periods of time, you may also want to think about how the amount of emissions that are being released from the car is affecting the amount of gas that you put in, and how that gas is affecting the environment. It is becoming more of an important issue for drivers, to think about the environment that they are driving around in, as it may be a good idea for you to think about how your car usage may be affecting the air around you, too. Also, when thinking about emissions, you may also be able to become more knowledgeable about how to take care of your finances more when putting gas into your car – if you put just the right amount in then you will save quite a substantial bit of money rather than filling the car up completely. With a less full tank of gas, you will feel less inclined to use your car – saving money – and may want to simply walk to places. With the saved money, you can invest in additions to your car or save up for that roadtrip which you have always wanted to do, but have never found the time or money to actually do it. With our vehicles, it is essential that we choose the right type of vehicle that will fit and align with our lifestyle. Whether you choose to use a motorbike, a van, a car or even something like a scooter, it is important that you take the time to do research on the type of vehicle that you are thinking of investing in. If proper research is not done by you, then you run a risk of buying a vehicle which is not suitable at all for your needs and this could mean that you will lose out on money, possible confidence in buying another vehicle in order to make amends for the mistake of buying the initial vehicle and can also mean that your passion for maintaining your vehicle could lose a touch of its glamour. When deciding to buy a vehicle, as well as doing a lot of research, it could be really helpful to speak to people who own – or have owned – the vehicle that you are thinking of buying. Online forums, car professionals or even fellow car nuts (like yourself) will all have vital and knowledgeable advice on how to improve your decision. We all know what cars we would love to own, but for some of us it will always be a pipedream (harsh as that may sound, we all know that in some cases that is true) and some of us may need to simply settle for the next best thing. However, if you are willing to save some cash over a period of time then it is much more possible for you to obtain the vehicle of your dreams and then it will always be understandable how much time you will want to put into maintaining it.