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What is a good way to save money on car expenses?
The obvious answer for savings costs with a car is not to have a car.   Of course that must be balanced against other expenses (bicycle, taxi, public transport) to do things. Generally speaking, if you need a car, ways to contain expense are to buy the least expensive vehicle with the most economical engine that meets your needs, keep it undercover (reduces damage or wear due to exposure), proactively maintain it (maintenance is cheaper in the long run than the costs of dealing with a breakdown and cost of repairs, and lack of maintenance accelerates depreciation), and shop around for a good mechanic who will maintain it at a fair price. If you do a lot of milage, or do a lot of towing, or drive under load, consider a diesel.  A diesel engine often costs more each service, sometimes has a shorter service interval, but it also gets greater milage.   There may be a differential cost of fuel (diesel is often a bit more expensive per volume).   For towing, a diesel is often more economical, due to low end power (greater torque at lower revs) which does result in better fuel economy.   It is no accident that most large transport vehicles consume diesel.   Do the sums based on your usage before you buy. Accelerate as gently as possible to get to speed within traffic conditions (less fuel to get to a speed).   Change up to higher gears as soon as possible as - at a given speed - economy will be better, as long as the engine has enough oomph to handle it (so don't try to start from stationary in a high gear).   Don't drive faster than necessary, as drag increases with speed, and hurts economy.   Similarly, reduce speed gradually, to reduce undue wear on breaks and reduce fuel consumption (sharp breaking with power assisted breaks does affect fuel economy). Drive close to legal limits if conditions permit.   This reduces chances of annoying other drivers (who if they get impatient may throw rocks at your car, or collide, or subject you to road rage - which contribute to damage and insurance costs).   It also reduces chances of being pulled over by police and fined for obstructing other traffic. Don't tailgate.   This both consumes fuel in keeping up, and means needing to slow sharply.   And increases chance of accident. Don't idle more than necessary.  Allow stop/start systems on your car to operate - particularly if you're in stop/start traffic.   However, there is a break-even point where stopping and restarting consumes more fuel than idling, so get to know your vehicle.   That depends on how much the engine needs cranking to restart - which is affected both by engine design and maintenance.   Maintain it yourself if you have the skills, but account for the cost of parts and equipment, to be sure it is cost effective  (modern cars are software driven, so equipment to diagnose and maintain can be expensive). Combine trips (don't get into the car for every little thing - wait until you can do a few things during a single drive) and car pool. If fuel prices vary (e.g some places have regular cycles) try to refuel near the bottom of a pricing cycle. Take unnecessary weight out of the vehicle.   Don't load it up with tools unless you need them frequently.