Selling your car or truck? It’s important to keep in mind that prospective used car buyers evaluate the person selling the care almost as much, if not more, than they examine the car itself. In order to win their interest and their trust it is crucial that you should make a good impression. Wherever possible possible, strive make your prospective customers feel comfortable and be open in your response to their inquiries.

Be ready to answer their questions as soon as prospective buyers start calling. Answer questions posed over the phone honestly in an effort to prepare callers for what to expect when they see the car. This works to save both you and the customer a lot of time and work by making only those appointments that have a reasonable chance of becoming a sale. Furthermore, strive to make appointments with each customer for a specific time, rather than leaving them to some vague time such as "after work", or "Saturday afternoon".

Remember that making an appointment when selling a car increases the chances of the buyers showing up. Don’t feel obligated to wait for a late customer. To help things go smoothly, request a contact number (preferably a cell phone) and take it in stride if some prospective buyers don’t show. Cancellations, with or without notice, are simply part of the process.

It should be expected that any potential buyer will ask to test-drive the car. Ride along with them so you can answer questions, as well as ensure the safety of the automobile. There is also the possibility that the customer may not be familiar with the area, so riding along with them allows you to serve as a guide.

Some of the buyers are likely to want to have the car inspected by a mechanic. If a mechanic has already checked it, this is the right time to show that paperwork. This is a reasonable request in any transaction such as buying or selling a car.

Protect Yourself

It is important to be cautious and to take steps to ensure your safety and the safety of your interests. For example, holding onto a buyer’s driver’s license is a reasonable safeguard if a buyer insists on going on a test-drive by his or herself. If the buyer has a problem with this arrangement there’s a very good chance that allowing an unsupervised test-drive would go against your best interests. On the other hand, it’s not unreasonable for a buyer to want the car checked by a different mechanic if it has already been checked by yours. Be prepared to go with the flow a little bit, and you are more likely to get a sale.

Accidents can happen anytime, even if you are an extremely cautious and defensive driver! Most accidents actually occur within a 25 miles of the home, according to a Florida highway spokesman. Sometimes, they happen right in your own driveway. Just ask my sister-in-law who hit her friend’s car in her driveway while backing up! No matter where they occur there are a series of steps that should be followed after an accident.

The Consumer Protection Association of America continually develops a list of recommendations for drivers so that they’ll actually know what they need when a traffic accident occurs. This fine organization takes major steps to increase public awareness regarding traffic safety. Some of the steps are preventative and should be followed now before you’re involved in an accident.

One, have an emergency kit in your glove compartment or storage area. The kit should include a cell phone, pen, pad of paper, and a disposable camera (this is very important). With today most of us carry a cell phone, which takes pictures. As long as you insure that your cell phone is with you and carries a charge this should suffice for the cell phone and disposable camera in the kit. These items are for recording the key information regarding the accident and the scene. You should also have a card with information concerning any medical allergies or conditions you have that require special attention, as well as emergency contact information. It is also recommended by other agencies that you have a number list ed on your cell phone under ICE (in case of emergency), where the attending policeman or EMT can simply hit speed dial on your cell phone to reach your emergency contact. You should also have traffic cones, warning triangles and emergency flares in your trunk.

Two, you need to insure that safety is first! When you are involved in a minor accident and there are no serious injuries, make sure that the vehicles are moved to the side of the road. Do not stay on the road and become an obstacle to oncoming traffic. If you do this, it may result in the occurrence of more and more serious traffic accidents because of your vehicles creating an obstruction in the road. My wife was rear-ended by another woman on an exit ramp and they both left their vehicles on the ramp believing it to be safe and that it was important for the police to see the exact position of the vehicles. In spite of the fact that both vehicles were clearly visible for a minimum of 300 yards and they both had their flashers on, another drive came up and rear-ended the SUV that had originally struck my wife! My wife called me on the cell phone and told me what was going on and I told her to get those vehicles off of the road right away! If the car or cars is not movable, make sure that the other motorists are warned by turning on the hazard lights and setting out flares, traffic cones or orange triangles to divert traffic. If you cannot move the vehicle, do what you can to alert the traffic and then move away a safe distance in case of any further accidents.

When you are involved in an accident with serious injuries make sure that no one is in immediate danger (from fires, falling tress or telephone poles, etc). After you have made sure of this, attend to those hurt. It is important that you not move anyone that has been seriously injured unless they are in immediate danger. Further injury can occur from movement. It is always a good idea to let the emergency response teams attend to and moved the injured whenever possible to help prevent this.

Three, exchange all of the important information with the parties involved. You’ll need to obtain the other driver’s name, addresses, phone numbers (home and work), insurance company, car insurance policy number, driver’s license number, license’s plate number, and make sure to write down a description of each car, the year, make, model, color and any apparent damage. Also, write down what occurred during the accident as soon as possible. Pay special attention to the position of the vehicles, sequence of events and the cause of the damage.

I recommend that you write down all information readily available to you without the cooperation of the other driver such as the license plate number, make, model and color of the car, driver description and brief description of other occupants. Also, obtain any witness information at this time. As long as no one is hurt, most witnesses will soon depart the accident scene, and you want to make sure that you have their information. After obtaining this info, then approach the driver about their information like driver’s license number, insurance information and contact information. This makes sure that the other driver cannot bolt from the scene while you are distracted without obtaining information and it lets them know that you are all business.

Four, take photos of the accident scene and the cars involved. Use your disposable camera or cell phone to document the damage to all the vehicles and the scene of the accident. If there are important points to demonstrate such as long skid marks, hidden entrance/exit, etc. make sure to document these as well. Make sure that the vehicle photos illustrate the total context of the accident so that they will back up your claims. If there are witnesses, make sure to ask them for their name and phone number, and ask if they’ll help you in case of problems with the other driver disputing what actually happened.

Five, file an accident report as soon as possible and obtain a copy of it as soon as it is made available. In some areas law enforcement officials do not respond to traffic accidents unless injuries are present. You should always call the police and request that an officer come to the scene to right up the police report. They will obtain the information from the other drive, if they are uncooperative with sharing the information with you, and they will write down their observations of the scene of the accident, which will further support your claims. If you cannot get a policeman to the scene where your accident occurs, find out how you go about filing an accident report and do so right away. You may have to go to the local police station or you may be able to download accident report forms on-line depending on your locale. A police report usually helps speed up the claims process.

Six, understand your insurance coverage before an accident. The more you know about your insurance coverage the easier the claims process and procedure will go. Does your policy cover towing or a replacement rental car fee? If yours does not and the accident was the other driver’s fault immediately make a claim for this with their insurance company.

The question everyone is typically concerned with is “Who is going to pay for this?” If it is the other driver’s fault you should insist that they pay for the damage. If they agree, get them to acknowledge this in writing if possible. The other drive may be agreeable to pay for the damage now, but after a little time goes by and they are not in your immediate presence they may have a change of heart and decide to try and stiff you (this is why you need witnesses, documentation, etc.).

I recommend calling someone if available to assist you in the accident management process. They will be much calmer and more objective in seeing that everything is carried out. I arrived prior to the police at my wife’s previously mentioned accident when our van was rear-ended. I checked and made sure that everyone was okay. Then I made sure that the vehicles were a safe distance from the road. Next, I obtained all of the vehicle information (make, model, color, license plate number), photographed the vehicles and the accident scene. I then obtained the driver information from the other two drivers involved. After I obtained the car insurance information, I immediately contacted the other driver’s car insurance company and had them open a claim for the damage that had been done to our van. I did all of this before the policeman completed writing his report. I then talked to the police officer and obtained his name and learned the content of his report. When I determined that I was satisfied the content accurately portrayed what my wife indicated had happened, I asked him for the report number so I could obtain a copy as soon as possible. My doing this streamlined the whole process for our claim and it moved through like clockwork.

If you drive a Jeep and you need some replacement parts, you can get them for low prices at Xtreme Terrain Concepts, which specializes in Jeep items. They can be found at www.xtremeterrain.com

What You Need to Know After an Auto Accident

The worst thing has just happened to you. You have had an accident. There’s never a good time to have an accident but it always seems to happen at the worst possible time. So what do you do? First off you need to stay calm. It’s a totally natural reaction to lose your head or panic right when you need to be rational. Just after the accident is the time you should be taking note of all the information you will need to ensure that you are fully compensated and covered for any damage done to your property or to you. Talk to witnesses, get their contact details, make notes and take pictures if possible at the time of the accident. You’ll be glad you did as it will be difficult to accurately recall all of the details as time passes. Finally remeber not to admit that you caused the accident, even if you did.

Right after the accident this will all be the last thing you think of so make a checklist and keep it in the car.

While you are at the Accident Scene, note the following details You will need:

Driver Details of everyone involved in the accident. Don’t forgrt to add yours too. These details should cover the Drivers Name, driving license details and driver insurance details including the insurance company name, policy number and contact details. Finally remember to get the car license plate number.

If you are carrying a camera take pictures of the accident scene, the damaged vehicles and any injuries that were caused by the accident.

Note the contact details of any witnesses such as name, address, phone number and email address so that you can follow up with them later.

Post Accident Follow Up

Complete your own fully detailed description of the accident as soon as possible after it occurred. You can fill this in with the details and any pictures that you took at the scene of the accident. If you were injured then take pictures of your injuries.

Follow up with the witnesses to the accident and get their written details of the accident. If the Police attended the scene of the accident ask for their report.

After the Accident

If you were injured you will need to keep track of the following medical expenses and visits:

Any hospital visits and treatments at hospitals such as MRI, x-ray, physiotherapy and laboratory services.

Over the counter and prescription medications.

You should keep track of the dates, times and reasons you had to visit a doctor or the hospital and keep a note of the time off of work due to the accident. If the time off caused a loss of income you should get a letter detailing all of the lost income from your employer. Similarly if you are still in school you should keep track of all of the hours of missed schooling due to the accident.

While you are undertaking medical treatment you should take pictures of your injuries to show their progress over time. Keep a log of the date and time of the picture and add details of any pain that you are experiencing, how you are feeling, and any distress or discomfort that you experience as a result of the accident.

Keep track of all other expenses related to the accident. These will incluse some of the following: Property damages such as car repairs, damage to barriers, fences and signs.

Some other indirect expenses may also occur such as a cancelled vacation due to injuries sustained in the accident or the cost of a rental car while yours is repaired.Finally there are other miscellaneous costs, such as ointments,lotions to treat your injuries and bandages.

Finally

Never reply to any questions or queries from any other party involved in or related to the accident, such as insurance companies or attournies without first consulting your attourny. Do not settle any bills or sign any documents until you are sure of the extent of current and future medical expenses related to the accident, and have agreed it with your attourney.

We sincerely hope you never need this advice, but if you are involved in an accident it’s comforting to know that we are here!

Financing the purchase of your car can be difficult. Recent research has highlighted the fact that most consumers have decided how to pay for their vehicle even before visiting a forecourt. Reasons for this include high interest rate charges and the motor trade’s poor reputation. Showroom finance is often not considered as an option, with high street and online lenders greatly preferred, perhaps not surprising considering that they do traditionally provide better car finance deals.

There are six main ways in which a new car can be financed. The first is a credit card. However, high interest rates mean that this should only be used as a short-term measure, possibly to pay a deposit. One of the most popular ways of paying for a car is through a personal loan. This simply involves taking out a loan with a bank or other financial institution, and can often be arranged over the phone. Interest rates are competitive and you can pay for the whole cost of your car. Alternatively you could deal with your existing lender if you have a mortgage. Money can be borrowed from a mortgage provider, either by getting a second mortgage or withdrawing equity from your house. The advantage of this is that you can deal with your existing lender and interest rates are very low. However, mortgage loans are over a longer period and a penalty may be imposed if you decide to repay the loan early.

Personal loans, mortgage top-ups and credit cards are the three most popular and well-known methods of paying for a new car. However, three additional options are available which may suit certain people. The first is Hire-Purchase or Conditional Sale, whereby you discuss and agree with the dealer how much you need to borrow. The dealer then gets in contact with the Motor Finance Company and pays for the car on your behalf. You then agree to make monthly payments to the dealer, with the car only owned by yourself once the car has been fully paid for. Low interest rates, deposits and flexible payment terms are associated with this form of payment.

If the car you wish to buy is slightly out of your price range you may want to consider a Personal Contract Purchase. In this option you defer part of the cost of the car until the end of the payment agreement, at which point you can decide to trade-in the car, hand it back to the dealer, or pay the outstanding amount and keep the car. This is an excellent way of being able to afford a car which would otherwise be too expensive. The final option for financing a car is simply to rent it, known as Personal Leasing or Personal Contract Hire. In this case you agree to rent the car from the dealer for a fixed period of time, which includes all maintenance costs. This is an excellent choice if you only require a car for a set period of time, such as 6 months. It eliminates the hassle of buying a selling a car and is simply fixed cost motoring.

To decide exactly what car finance deal you should choose you can fill out a questionnaire on financingyourcar.org.uk – it’ll then recommend the type of finance deal that will suit you best, potentially saving you hundreds of pounds.

Can you remember taking trips by car trying to read those directions while trying to drive? Or perhaps you carried a bulky atlas or relied on your own intuition to get you where you wanted to go. Fortunately, your driving experience can be better now. Times have changed and GPS automobile navigation systems are readily available and perfectly capable of taking you wherever you want to go. Newer automobiles come complete with GPS systems built in but you can purchase a system separately for any vehicle you own.

Before even pricing a system, you’ll want to look into how easy a system is to use. If you find a system that’s too complicated to use, you’ll never be able to operate it within your vehicle, especially when driving. Nothing is more dangerous than trying to program your GPS system while on the fly. Try to find one you can use easily and that can be programmed with just a few touches of the buttons. A GPS system with a big display is important, too. If you find that the display is too small or the directions too complicated, this won’t be a user-friendly GPS system and you’ll want to look for another one.

GPS systems vary in the degree of precision they offer. You’ll want to find a system that gives precise directions that will take you where you want to go and that will update itself whenever new roads are built or when construction will change your driving route. Check to make sure that your system is capable of receiving regular updates and turn down one that isn’t capable of updating changes over time. You may find a system that receives regular updates or choose one that updates manually – such as before you start your trip.

GPS navigations systems are available at specialty stores, electronic stores and online. Make sure you shop around for a price you can afford and ask questions about your new system before you actually buy one. In some cases, there may be a monthly or yearly fee for updates and other services and you’ll want to know about those kinds of things in advance. Some models have extras, including mp3 players and the like. Look to see if the model you’re interested in has any of these types of extras. Check out how accessible the directions are and whether the GPS system you’re evaluating gives voice directions as well as visual directions. Often the screen is not visible in direct sunlight so the voice directions may be all you have to work with. Some models have different screen modes for daylight and nighttime viewing.

Some cell phone services offer the option of getting directions to wherever you want to go right on your phone and you may not choose to spend your money on a separate GPS system you don’t really need. The cell phone service often costs extra but it may be your best option if you don’t do a lot of traveling and only need to find your way occasionally.

The carjacking of parked vehicles or those on the road which come to a stop depends on the car owner being inattentive to their surroundings. Carjackers, like street robbers, prefer the element of surprise. Most victims say they never saw the carjacker until they appeared at their car door.

There are some recommendations to reduce your risk of being carjacked; we have listed some of those common sense recommendations below:

• Always park in well-lighted areas, if you plan to arrive/leave after dark.

• Don’t park in isolated or visually obstructed areas near walls or heavy foliage.

• Use valet parking or an attended garage, especially if you’re a woman driving alone.

• As you walk to your car be alert to suspicious persons sitting in cars.

• Ask for a security escort if you are alone at a shopping center. Do not be too shy to make the request.

• Watch out for young males loitering in the area (handing out flyers, etc.)

• If someone tries to approach, change direction or run to a busy store.

• Follow your instincts if they tell you to walk/run away to a busy place.

• As you approach your vehicle, look under, around, and inside your car.

• If safe, open the door, enter quickly, and lock the doors.

• Don’t be a target by turning your back while loading packages into the car.

• Make it your habit to always start your car and drive away immediately. Don’t hang a round using your cell phone etc, leave as soon as you get into your car.

• Teach and practice with your children to enter and exit the car quickly.

• In the city, always drive with your car doors locked and windows rolled up.

• When stopped in traffic leave enough room to maneuver and escape if necessary.

• If you are bumped in traffic, by young males, be suspicious of the accident.

• Wave to follow, and drive to a gas station or busy place before getting out.

• If you are ever confronted by an armed carjacker don’t resist.

• Give up your keys or money if demanded without resistance.

• Don’t argue, fight or chase the robber. You can be seriously injured.

• Never agree to be kidnapped. Drop the cars keys and run and scream for help.

• If you are forced to drive, consider crashing your car near a busy intersection so bystanders can come to your aid and call the police.

• Call the police immediately to report the crime and provide detailed information.

Do these recommendations sound too hard to put into effect everyday? You are correct if you answer “no”. The alternative could be both dangerous and costly. Take action today.

Thousands rent a truck in the United States every day. There are many companies where you can rent a truck of your choice. For example Budget which has more than 32,000 trucks and about 3,000 locations across the US. Budget is not even the biggest company in this business.

The trucks of most truck rental companies in the US are of GMC, Ford, International and Isuzu make. The sizes of trucks available on rent are cargo vans, 10-feet trucks, 16-feet trucks and 24-feet trucks. Truck rental companies often claims that its trucks have an average age of two to three years.

Truck rental companies also provides hand trucks, packing paddings, adhesive tapes, ropes, packing paper, mattress bags, padlocks, boxes etc at a nominal cost. Most of the rental trucks have air conditioning, FM radio, power steering, automatic transmission, power brakes, walk off ramps, lift gates etc and they are really comfortable.

The rented trucks are often covered by roadside assistance. The internet websites of truck rental companies are full with information about types of trucks, prices etc. Most websites have a very user friendly interactive page where the pick up and drop off locations are mentioned. Online reservations and quoting rates are available on the sites.

An example, if a person is renting a Budget rental truck from Atlanta to New York (approx 1,100 miles) on a Wednesday and dropping off on the coming Monday that is for 5 days. It will approximately cost $650 for a 10-feet truck, $680 for a 16-feet truck and $830 for a 24-feet truck. A car carrier cost will be $50 extra. Out of the above mentioned rates $150 will be refunded as deposit.

The above rates do not include taxes. The extra miles will cost $0.56 per mile and an extra day will cost $56 per day if reserved before hand. If you add extra miles or days after pick up, the cost will be $0.70 per mile and extra days will cost $70 per day.

It is prudent to read the terms and conditions before renting and a cancelation has to be made at least 48 hours before pick up otherwise you will be charged extra for the cancellation.

At the time of a truck rental two things will be required, identification and U.S. issued driver�s license. Identification can be driver�s license, passport, Military ID, Social security card, phone bill, state issued identification etc.

The advantages of renting a truck are many. You are in charge of your goods, the trucks are in good condition, it has usually many locations and it provides a low cost moving solution.

GTES announced today that it has released the latest update to the SHERLOC Hosted Location Services, adding support for the SVR-200 GPS tracking device.

The SVR-200 combines a high-performance SiRFstar GPS engine with wireless linking via the ReFLEX two-way data network, and provides extremely competitive pricing for both the hardware and the airtime services.

“In discussions with our customers we identified a number of applications requiring a lower-cost hardware platform combined with reduced operating costs,” stated GTES Vice-President of Marketing and Business Development Mark Pocock.

“We believe that the SVR-200 price point will attract both consumer and business operators who want to enjoy the security and efficiency benefits of on-demand vehicle tracking, but had considered previously available solutions too expensive to justify.”

The SVR-200 is a 12-24V vehicle tracking device which supports scheduled or on-demand location reporting, geofences, background tracking, speed and motion alerts, external I/O connectivity, and is available with service plans for the US or Canada.

When used in combination the SHERLOC, web-based tracking service, the SVR-200 provides the means for subscribers to determine the current location of the vehicle either on-demand or on a regularly scheduled basis.

Alerts can be sent to a cell-phone or email account, notifying subscribers when the vehicle speed exceeds a programmable threshold, enters or exits a defined geographic area, or is stopped for more than a configurable length of time.

Visibility of the vehicle location and behavior increases security, reduces operating costs, and improves the efficiency of fleet management.

“We’re pleased to add the SVR-200 to the suite of tracking solutions we offer,” stated GTES President Russ Allen. “SHERLOCâ„¢ is already gaining strong acceptance in the security industry.

“With the unique combination of performance and value afforded by the SVR-200, we are looking forward to addressing the vehicle tracking needs of even our most cost sensitive customers.”

For more information on the SVR-200 or SHERLOCâ„¢ please contact Brooks Marsden, VP of Sales, at 770-754-1666 or refer to our website at www.sherlocgps.com. [PRWEB]

Taking the dog for a ride in the car? Better think twice about your four-legged passenger. According to a recent American Automobile Association study, pets and loose objects are rated as the third worst driver distraction, next to cell phone usage and unruly children.

The reality behind these statistics is not pretty for drivers or pets:

• A pet is propelled with force equal to 30 times its weight in a 30 mile-per-hour accident.
• A 30-pound dog can be sent flying with the equivalency of 900 pounds of force behind it - energy enough to kill it, and anything in its path. At faster speeds, the force is even greater.

In the event of a collision, pets are not only flying objects within the car, but can also be killed through their own impact with a windshield or any other hard surface within the vehicle. Pets are especially vulnerable in the front seat, where they can be injured by airbags, windows, windshields, or from distracting the driver by getting between him and the controls.

So buckle up the pet passengers in your vehicle with the Canine Auto Safety Harness created by Watson’s Senior Pet Products. Available in four different sizes, each harness conforms and adjusts to your pet’s specific proportions to ensure their comfort — and safety. The Canine Auto Safety Harness slips easily onto existing seat belts, and is guaranteed to fit any automobile.

For the sake of passengers, pets, pedestrians, and other drivers, it is important that pets be restrained at all times while riding in vehicles. Unrestrained pets can be a serious threat to both drivers and passengers, creating distractions or impairing the driver’s ability to drive. Without restraint, pets can be seriously injured during quick stops, sharp turns, and accidents. [PRWEB]

tagTRAX: american automobile association | pets | drivers | safety harness

A recent study calculated that drivers who talk on their cell phones are four times more likely to be involved in accidents than those who do not and that hands-free phones are no safer than hand-held phones. While generally supportive, PhoneRanger believes the study is incomplete as it did not separately study the safety of truly hands-free phones. PhoneRanger is calling for a widescale study in the US of the efficacy of hands-free devices for cellphones. [PRWEB Jul 15, 2005]