by Thomas West

Created on: October 11, 2009   Last Updated: October 19, 2009

With the economy the way it is, you're probably planning on keeping your old car a while longer. Here are a few tips that will help your older car get the economy of a brand new model. We actually raised the fuel economy of our Ford Focus from 26.8 mpg to 34.7 mpg using these tried and true steps.

The first thing we did was to remove excess baggage from the cargo area. We love used book sales and it showedthe rear cargo area of our car was brimming with books, and some of them had been in there for months. This is one of the easier things you can do to improve your economy. Remove all excess items from your trunk or cargo area. This will reduce the weight of the vehicle, and the lighter the vehicle the better your fuel economy.

Check the air pressure of your tires with a good air pressure gauge at least once a month. Your fuel economy will suffer if your tires are low on pressure. One of our tires developed a slow leak and it would go almost flat before we noticed it. Now that the leak has been fixed and we check our tires regularly, our fuel economy has greatly improved as well as the life of our tires. You can check the sticker on the door jamb of your vehicle to find out what the air pressure should be for your tires, and you can purchase an electric air pump that plugs into your cigarette lighter for about $15-20.

Keep the exterior of your car clean and waxed. This will improve your aerodynamics by helping the air move over the vehicle in a more efficient manner. I started waxing our car once a month and the numbers do not lie.

Tune up your vehicle and replace your spark plugs. This will not only improve your fuel economy but your car will run better.

Check your air filter element. If it's dirty, replace it. A dirty filter cuts into your MPG.

Change your fuel filter. Check your owner's manual for location of the filter.

Change your driving habits. Do not make jack rabbit starts and brake gently. Take your foot off the accelerator well in advance of stop signs and traffic lights and coast as much as you can. However, if you have a manual transmission, do not take the car out of gear and coast in neutral. This is actually illegal in some states.

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