Also, I’d like to suggest that a container of sand is really what you want in your trunk, not salt. All salt does is melt ice, and ice with water on it is even slipperier than ice alone. Sand, however, provides traction.

The reason people use salt is to clear ice off of pavement, which is not your need when your car is stuck. In that case, you just want traction so you can get moving.

Get a pail or a sturdy bag and go to your local sand dump and fill it up. It’s much more useful than salt for automotive purposes. (call your city to find out where).

I keep a pair of mechanics gloves (and a pack of nitrile gloves) with my jack. I should throw in an old tshirt.

• flashlight
• spare tire
• first aid kit
• small tool kit
• bottled water
• insurance information
• emergency contact numbers
• medications
• waterproof matches
• cash stash (ideally)

Also, I’m not sure putting a higher grade octane does nothing for a vehcile. I found I got better gas mileage putting in higher grade fuel, as it burns cleaner. Then again, you’re paying more, so are you really saving?

1. cans of sardines (protein and healthy fat plus oil they are packed in)
2. sealed boxes of raisins (carbohydrates)
3. Water (preferable stored in glass jars)

It might not be tasty, but it will keep you alive. Also those items can easily last a year+ in the car minimizing the need to change them out.

Disclaimer: I cross a range of mountains when I visit my parents. Cars have been stuck on the pass for a day or more due to a traffic accident or weather conditions. If need be, I can curl up in my car (out of the wind) wrapped up in warm clothes/blanket and eat if hungry.

Although I’ll never allow someone else to jack up my car with the included car jack that is not me regardless of how capable they appear to be. If you fail to place the jack where it is supposed to be placed it might just slide off of the jack and embed the rotor in the asphalt.

The octane recommended for your car is recommended because that’s the appropriate timing for your car. If you change to a different grade, you can throw off the timing of your engine and damage it severely. (This is when your engine starts to knock.) Ask your mechanic about it.

I also transport hungry teenagers around all the time, so I try to keep a box of fairly melt-proof snacks (Cliff Bars, etc.) and a case of water bottles in the car (the only time I give in to disposable water bottles), along with a few extra pairs of socks, emergency toiletries (the bathrooms at the ball fields always run out of TP!), a first-aid kit, and a book for me to read when I’m waiting for them.

That’s all along with the usual roadside emergecy kit that has the jumper cables, flares, tools, plus a power inverter and some bungee straps for unintended cargo. It’s amazing how little room all of that does take up; it’s all in a smallish tub that’s scootable.

Otherwise, very good points.

1) Gas – I keep track of miles, gallons, miles per gallon, price, and notes (such as whether it was mostly highway driving or whether I had just aired up the tires since last time). This helps me see what affects mileage. It also helps me see when mileage gets worse, which is a sign that something may need fixing.

2) Repairs and maintenance – like KC said, it’s nice to have this information handy.

3) Other (insurance, repair book) – this, in combination with the other two categories, helps me keep track of my real cost of owning a car.

Whenever I get a “new” (to me) car, I like to get a repair book, too. It has more information than the manual and helps me figure out easy things myself. And I like to stock up on oil, oil filters, and air filters the next time I see them on sale. (Everything in this paragraph also goes to the next person who gets my car.)

Another idea: I live somewhere hot, not somewhere cold, so water (for the humans) and hats could be good.

To the person who recommended a flashlight, big metal flashlights also can be used as weapons (defensively only, of course).

You wanna extend the life of your vehicle? Only drive it to work once or twice a week. You can buy a pretty awesome bike with the savings on gas. Just my $.02.