Good writeup, but I'll probably use AAA these days. I've changed tires on the side of the road, and I never enjoyed it. I also didn't enjoy the one in the parking lot ( New Year's Eve -- temp - 6F). I'm 63 now, and somebody else can do it.

Couple of additional points.

With many new vehicles.
- Figure out where they hide the jack ahead of time -- also decide if it's worth anything. Some are real crap
- Spare tire - my minivan has one that you crank down from between the fron seats. I probably should oil it up and try it out when it warms up because I bet that it's a b*tch. (Just in case I get stuck out of range of AAA)