‘I’ve had 16 free batteries’: This Florida woman used lifetime warranties to continually replace parts on her car for 43 years. Here’s how you can save money with a similar strategy

Woman used lifetime warranties to her maintain car

Some people say nothing lasts forever. But they’ve clearly never met a car owner with a few lifetime warranties.

According to an older video that is now trending from the streaming service Growing Bolder, Rachel Veitch maintained her 1964 Mercury Comet Caliente for 43 years — and saved money on it by using her lifetime warranties.

Don't miss

• Commercial real estate has beaten the stock market for 25 years — but only the super rich could buy in. Here's how even ordinary investors can become the landlord of Walmart, Whole Foods or Kroger
• Cost-of-living in America is still out of control — use these 3 'real assets' to protect your wealth today, no matter what the US Fed does or says
• These 5 magic money moves will boost you up America's net worth ladder in 2024 — and you can complete each step within minutes. Here's how

The frugal Floridian eventually died at the age of 99. Growing Bolder reported that she drove 540,000 miles in the car she named Chariot.

She could keep the car after many miles and many years, thanks to the lifetime warranties that fully covered her seven mufflers and 16 batteries. Some of these companies even updated her warranty to cover costs by different companies.

“Penny’s still pays for it, but Firestone puts it in,” Veitch told Growing Bolder about getting her batteries replaced for free. “And I’ve had 16 free batteries.”

Veitch kept her car maintenance costs low for a whole life. Here’s how you can do the same — and not just for your car.

Buy to keep

When Veitch bought her car, she knew she wanted the $3,289 vehicle to last forever. She learned all the mechanical details of the car so that she could figure out when she needed lubricant and when the car needed fixing.

Even when she took Chariot into the shop, Veitch saw to Chariot’s care. She told Growing Bolder that she would either remain present during tune-ups or, if she had to leave, refer the mechanics to a diagram of the car’s inner workings, which showed all the parts needing lubrication.

Taking care of your things is one of the best ways to ensure that you don’t have to buy new ones in the future.

Buy for loyalty

Veitch was married thrice — but Chariot stuck around longer than any of her ex-husbands.

“She’s never lied to me, never cheated on me and I can always depend on her,” she told Growing Bolder.

Though Veitch put in the work to keep Chariot running smoothly, she also smartly bought parts with lifetime guarantees. She once paid $13 for a 6,000-mile checkup thanks to these guarantees.

That’s a good principle when buying anything. Though many companies have axed their lifetime guarantees, such as L.L. Bean, there are still a few out there who are committed to quality.

Patagonia has its “Ironclad Guarantee,” which offers free repairs for any of its products in perpetuity. The brand told Women’s Wear Daily that it fixes around 40,000 of its items per year.

Another company is Craftsman, the tool company. It has full lifetime guarantees for many of its products, such as hammers, screwdrivers and certain gauges. It also offers many limited lifetime guarantees and three-year guarantees on other products.

What to read next

• Rich young Americans have lost confidence in the stock market — and are betting on these assets instead. Get in now for strong long-term tailwinds
• Thanks to Jeff Bezos, you can now use $100 to cash in on prime real estate
• Stop crushing your retirement dreams with wealth-killing costs and headaches — here are 10 'must-haves' when choosing a trading platform (and 1 option that has them all)

This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.