The sun shining overhead without a cloud in the sky, and you in your freshly washed car ready to hit the open road for an exciting summer adventure. Could anything possibly ruin this perfect moment?

As it turns out, absolutely. 

There are few things that can put a damper on your plans and your road trip spirit more than making your way out to your car to find that it's already been "claimed" by a nearby flock of birds. Not only can these annoying avians create a serious aesthetic headache, ruining the shiny like-new look of your car, but if left unchecked, they can also have a serious maintenance impact that can end up costing you money. Here are a few things to keep in mind to prevent your car from going to the birds. 

Make your car off-limits
Birds are a lot like small children – they'll go pretty much anywhere they can get away with. This means that when it comes to de-birding your car, prevention plays a significant role. Just like when you're preventing a precocious toddler from grabbing the cookie jar, if you want to keep feathered friends away from your ride, make sure it stays off-limits.

As much as you may be tempted to use your garage to store your old Halloween decorations, unused sporting equipment and a whole host of other items that never see the light of day but that you can't bring yourself to part with, resist the temptation to cave in to clutter. Instead, use your garage for what it was intended for – keeping your car safe. If you don't have a garage, you can accomplish a similar effect by purchasing a cover for your car. As an added bonus, this can help you keep the sun out.

Get it washed
You walk to the parking lot only to find that during the work day a wayward bird has seen fit to mark your car. Better add it to the list of things to take care of this weekend, right?

Wrong. It may not seem like a big deal, but bird droppings can be far more than just an eyesore for your car. Droppings are highly acidic, and if left sitting on your car, these caustic chemicals can eat through your car's clear coat and paint, and may even begin to rust the body. To make matters worse, many urban birds swallow gravel, which makes their droppings particularly abrasive. These damaging effects are even more pronounced in the heat of summer, so be sure to get your car cleaned as soon as you can.

Polish carefully
For those tough stuck-on jobs, you'll likely need to polish your car after you wash it to remove any additional traces of unpleasantness. Just be careful when doing this. The average bird damage area is around 2 millimeters thick, while your car's paint and clear coat is only about 4-6 mm thick. Buffing the affected area is necessary for blending the affected area with the surrounding parts of the car, but if you go too far you may end up damaging the overall paint job. 

For more tips on maintaining or buying a high-quality pre-owned vehicle, head to New Jersey State Auto Auction. You'll find hundreds of Carfax-certified cars on the lot, and a knowledgeable sales staff committed to helping pair you with the car of your dreams.

The decision to buy a car is a big life step. While having your own wheels can be exciting and liberating, it also requires a great deal of financial responsibility if you want to ensure that you don't end up in trouble later on.

There are a lot of figures to take into account, like loan amounts, monthly payments and estimated cost of ownership, so planning your finances around your car purchase will be more complex than just you might think. Here are some tips to help you avoid punching above your financial weight.

Use a monthly payment calculator
Determining your actual monthly payment will be a huge part of planning your spending. Fortunately, there are numerous tools available for free online that can help you figure out how much you'll be spending every month. All you need to do is enter in a few basic values, such as the cost of the car, your down payment, the loan term and the interest rate, and you'll be provided with a monthly payment value.

Do note that these tools aren't "official," and as such, the information they provide may not be exactly the same as what you get at the dealer's office. With that in mind, an online payment calculator can still be a useful tool.

Cost of ownership takes things like taxes, insurance and other "hidden costs" into account.

Figure out cost of ownership
Cars are unlike many other products in that you don't simply pay once up front. Vehicles carry hidden costs with them in the form of cost of ownership. Sometimes called "true cost to own," this value includes expenditures you may not have originally thought of, such as insurance premiums, depreciation, and estimated fuel and maintenance costs.

This is more than just an exercise in economics. Often, the cost of ownership can be a significant deciding factor in choosing which car to buy. For example, a car may have a higher sticker price than another, but if its total cost of ownership is lower, due to being more fuel efficient or reliable, for example, it may end up being a more cost-effective purchase in the long run.

Putting it all together
This may seem like a lot to take in, especially if you're new to the process. But don't fret – it's still possible, even simple, to use this data to put together a fairly accurate and simple picture of what your prospective car is going to cost you. 

While monthly payment calculators offer a glimpse into your short-term expenditures, the cost of ownership adds a longer look at anticipated costs. Many true-cost-to-own calculations are based on a five-year ownership period. Depending on the term of your loan – three to four years, usually – prorating that value and adding it to your monthly payments over the loan term can help you narrow down the amount you should be putting away for your new ride. It may not be perfect, but if you're heading to the dealership, having as much information as possible will help make the process easier.

When you're ready to purchase a high-quality used vehicle, head to New Jersey State Auto Auction. There are hundreds of Carfax-certified cars on the lot, and you'll find the sales staff helpful and eager to assist you with finding the car that's right for you.

Owning a car is a big responsibility. While your wheels certainly endow you with a sense of freedom and independence, there's also much that you need to be aware of as a vehicle-owner if you want to avoid spending tons of money on repairs.

Of course, cars are incredibly complex machines, and mechanics spend years learning the literal ins and outs of automotive repair so they can help you keep your ride on the road. But there are a few basic things that every driver should know.

Here are four preventive maintenance measures that you don't have to be a mechanic to know.

1. Motor oil
Checking and changing your oil is a key thing to learn in terms of keeping your car running smoothly. Fortunately, it's also one of the simplest. In fact, one of the most complicated parts of checking your oil is figuring out exactly how often to do so.

Ever make and model will be different, but conventional wisdom holds that you should change your oil and oil filter every 2,000 to 3,000 miles if you want to be especially fastidious. Don't worry if that sounds like a lot to you – the Department of Motor Vehicles admitted that you can still drive safely if you change your oil every 5,000 miles. 

While changing your oil may require a trip to the mechanic, checking it is very simple and should only take you a few minutes once you know what you're doing.

2. Windshield wipers
If you've ever been driving in the rain and found that your windshield quickly became a nearly opaque smear of wet streaks, chances are your wipers need to be replaced. You may not realize it, but your wiper blades can wear down, making them less effective and even potentially putting you in dangerous situations with reduced visibility. 

The good news is that wipers are fairly inexpensive, and most people are even comfortable changing them at home. Most modern wiper blades clip directly on to the arm, making for fast and simple snap-together replacement when needed. 

3. Tires
Proper tire maintenance is critical for keeping you safe in your car. These unassuming rubber donuts can affect everything from how well your car handles on the road to what kind of gas mileage you'll get. 

When it comes to tire maintenance, there are two things you should look at: air pressure and tread. Both can be checked quickly and easily. You should check your tire pressure weekly using a pressure gauge – just make sure you refer to your car's owner's manual to learn what the optimal range is. Underinflated tires can compromise responsiveness and therefore safety, while tires that have too much air in them aren't any better. Overinflated tires can reduce the surface area of the tire that comes into contact with the road, which can limit the control you have over your car and increase the amount of fuel it has to use. 

4. Spark plugs
First-time car owners or those who are less mechanically inclined may not even know what a spark plug is, let alone how to perform basic maintenance. But it's a critical component of your car's engine, both helping it efficiently burn fuel as well as transferring excess heat away from your engine.

While many newer cars have spark plugs made from modern materials that are much more resilient than their older counterparts, cars more than 10 to 15 years old will likely have the copper core variety, which require more regular maintenance. As a general rule, have your spark plugs inspected every 30,000 miles or so. If you aren't comfortable taking on the task of changing them yourself, your local mechanic can quickly do so for you.

For more tips on buying, repairing and owning a used car, head to www.njstateautoauction.com. 

You've scrimped and saved, and you're finally ready to purchase your first car. Congratulations! 

Vehicle ownership is a huge step. While having your own set of wheels can make your life much more convenient, it also means there are things you have to consider that you may not have given thought to before. If you're even considering buying your own car, you'll need to learn a whole bunch of scary new words like "financing" and "credit check."

It's true that getting caught up in red tape can somewhat dampen the thrill of driving away in a car of your very own. But if you keep these tips in mind before you sign on the dotted line, you can drive away from the dealership feeling like an automotive authority.

You need credit
Unless you're paying in cash outright, you're going to need to borrow some money to make your car purchase. Car loans come from banks, and banks rely heavily on your credit history to decide whether and how much to approve you for a loan. If you don't have a credit history, your chances of getting approved for a loan may drop significantly.

When you first start thinking about car ownership, building your credit score should be one of your top early-stage priorities. Even if you have exactly zero credit history, you can still work toward building a score with things like a secured credit card, which requires a security deposit in lieu of a credit check. Keep in mind that it can take between six months to a year to build your credit score, so planning ahead is essential. 

Another option is to have your parents or someone with an established credit history cosign your loan, though that places extra pressure on you to keep up with your payments.

Plan carefully when making your budget.

Budget, budget, budget
If you've been saving up to this point, you're likely no stranger to budgeting. But now that you've got a shiny car in your driveway and a monthly car payment to match, you'll need to reexamine your financial situation. Kelley Blue Book noted that just because a car carries a high sticker price doesn't mean it's unattainable. Similarly, a car with a lower cost may still be out of your range due to larger monthly payments.

A good rule of thumb is to plan on spending around $25 a month for every $1,000 you finance if you're on a 48-month repayment plan. If you're financing your car over 60 months, that number shifts slightly to $20 a month per $1,000 borrowed. 

Set realistic expectations
As a first-time car buyer, chances are you're going to have to make compromises when choosing your vehicle. Your car is first and foremost a tool, and just like any other implement, you need to use the one that fits the job. The dealer may offer you a sweet deal on that little red convertible, but can you picture yourself lugging groceries home in it or enduring a multi-hour road trip to visit your parents?

Establishing your specific transportation needs can help you not only choose the right kind of car for you, but also how old or new your chosen model should be. For example, if you plan to use your car primarily to get around town, you should consider a pre-owned model that's a couple of years older, as it's likely to cost much less. Just be sure you look for manufacturer certified pre-owned cars to give you the extra peace of mind.

Keep hidden costs in mind
Just because a car has a given price listed on its sticker doesn't mean that that's what you're going to be paying. In fact, there's a whole statistic that professionals use to measure how much cars actually cost. Referred to as total cost of ownership, it takes into account things like maintenance and repair history, gas, insurance and several other factors that can impact how much you end up spending on your car overall. 

Also keep in mind that not all dealerships are created equal. Excitement is understandable, but don't rush into signing the first contract you're presented with. A car is an investment, and should be treated as such. Do your research online before you start visiting lots. This can tell you useful information such as average value of a car of a given year and model, which can be invaluable when it comes time to negotiate the contract. Having a good idea of what you should be spending on your car based on several corroborated sources can help protect you from overzealous salespeople who may try to take advantage of your neophyte status.

If you're in the market for a pre-owned car, head to NJ State Auto Auction. There are hundreds of Carfax-certified vehicles on the lot, and a helpful sales staff ready and willing to work with you to find the perfect used vehicle for your needs.