Even if it is just chemicals outgassing, there’s nothing like that new car smell. It says you’re smart, responsible and successful. In fact, the only thing better than the new car smell is the pride you’ll feel as you take your new wheels for a spin.
It’s certainly no secret that driving a stylish new car is fun and exciting. New cars carry warranties that protect you from unnecessary maintenance and repair bills for extended periods of time, so they can be great investments. The secret is in buying a brand new car, truck, van or SUV without deflating your budget. For many smart shoppers, the right car loans turn their new car dreams into realities.
Direct Auto Financing
One of the biggest money-saving actions you can take in purchasing your new vehicle is with financing through an independent car lender. This borrowing plan is referred to as "direct financing" or "direct loans."
Direct financing is any kind of financing action, set up by you, without the help of the car dealer. There are considerable savings and minimal risks involved in direct loans, making them the best option for many new car buyers. When you walk into a dealership with a guarantee new car loan in hand, you’ve got automatic bargaining power. You’re able to have an upper hand in negotiations, and you can stand equally to your dealer. In the end, this increase flexibility keeps you from falling into the common trap of dealership price fixing and additional financing costs.
Shopping Strategies
The first strategy in shopping for new car loans is securing independent financing. With that in mind, allow yourself further flexibility by applying for a loan limit of at least a little over what you expect to pay. This gives you extra room for flexibility at closing time, without having to worry about the loan limit. Of course, you’re under no obligation to use your entire loan limit. Arranging for automatic payments is another way to lower your rates. By having your car loan payments deducted electronically from your bank account, you can save more money over the duration of your loan.
Price Haggling
Car dealers are seasoned professionals who are trained to get every dime out of you.
For that reason, it’s no wonder that so many people part with a lot of money after "negotiating" with a car dealer. Unless you’re an experienced negotiator, or have an armor of thick skin, going through a new car purchase can be an agonizing experience. The best protection from slick sales types is to walk in to the dealership with your financing already in place. When you’re in this position, you’ll find car dealers haggling with each other to get your business. Talk to local car dealers, and make it clear to them that you’ve been shopping around. Let them understand that you won’t settle for anything less than the very best deal. This leaves the dealers working to get your business, while all you need to do is choose the best one.
Owning a new car can make you feel like a million bucks, without feeling like you’ve just spent a million bucks. Shop around for car loans and make smart financing decisions, and you’ll soon be cruising along and taking in that new car smell.
George Davis writes for several web sites, including http://togeb.com, http://www.usedcars.biz, and http://real-product.com
Every car commercial tells you that their car has a five-star safety rating. Does this score really mean anything? What tests are being performed and who does the measuring?
The Organizations
In the United States, there are two organizations that score cars on safety ratings, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). The NHTSA is run by the Department of Transportation and is sometimes called the New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) or the government five star rating.
Frontal Collision Ratings
The NHTSA gets its data by running a car directly into a wall at 35 mph. The IIHS does a different test, where the impact is offset, and not directly in the middle. The IIHS test does a better job of mimicking real-life accidents. While most cars do well in directly head-on collisions, most real-life collisions are offset.
The NHTSA scores with five stars. Five stars means that there is ten percent or less chance of injury. Injury is defined as something life-threatening or for which you will need immediate hospitalization. Four stars is between eleven and twenty percent chance of injury. Three stars is between twenty-one and thirty-five percent chance.
The IIHS score is not in a five star format. They rate a vehicle as Good, Acceptable, Marginal, or Poor.
The NHTSA and the IIHS scores should be looked at in conjunction with one another. Remember, both these scores only rate what would happen if you collide with another vehicle the same size as yours. However, many crashes involve only one-vehicle, so these tests are useful.
Side-Impact Ratings
Again, the NHTSA and IIHS uses different side-impact tests. The NTSA crashes a giant beam into the side of a car and measures the shock on two male-sized dummies. They then make a star rating based on the chance of chest injury to the dummies. Five stars means less than 5% chance of injury, four stars is 6%-10%, and 3 stars is 11%-20%. They don’t gage the damage to the head in this star rating, but if they think that it is excessively dangerous, they will add a safety note to their report.
The IIHS uses dummies that represent adolescents or small-statured women. This helps assess the safety of people other than men in the car. They also use a larger beam. They score their rating based on injury to the head, neck, chest, abdomen, pelvis, and femur. This is arguably a more comprehensive test than the NHTSA test.
Rollover Ratings
The NHTSA is the only company that does Rollover ratings. Rollovers are often the most fatal type of accident. The NHTSA measures the chance of a car rolling with no external catalyst, and the chance of it happening for a reason (hitting a shallow ditch, hitting the curb, going onto the shoulder). 95% of rollovers are “tripped,” and have some external element.
Recent NHTSA testing has proven what we know about SUVs being much more likely to rollover than sedans or other cars.
Low-Impact Bumper Test
The IIHS performs a low-impact bumper test to see how much repairs would cost you if you gently hit something by accident. They rate the cars accordingly. Although this is not necessarily a safety rating, it will tell you what you can expect for possible repairs for your car and is something to keep in mind while purchasing a car.
When you shop
Considering the safety ratings of cars is important. But it is also important to know how these ratings are measured so that you can make the most informed decision about your purchase. Maybe you want your car to be cool, or to be functional, but most of all you want it to be safe.
Andrew Dillan is the editor of http://www.theguideto-carloans.com, The Guide to Car Loans. If you are looking for a new car, find the best way to finance your purchase by checking out this informative site!
When you go for a ride on your motorcycle, you’re out to have fun. And hey, you’ve never had a crash before, so why would it happen now? Here are the government statistics about motorcycle helmets.
A brief history of the Law
In 1967, the US federal government said that it would take away funding from any state that didn’t have a helmet law. By 1975, 47 states had complied with the federal government. However, in 1976, they repealed the law, ruling it unconstitutional. Most states softened their helmet laws.
Kentucky and Louisiana
In the late 1990s, Kentucky and Louisiana repealed their helmet laws. While the helmet laws were in effect, nearly 100% of the people wore their helmets. When the laws came off the books, it fell to only half of people wearing helmets. The rate of fatalities per number of registered motorcycles rose 37% in Kentucky, and it rose a staggering 74% in Louisiana.
Don’t mess with Texas
Similarly to Kentucky and Louisiana, Texas took its helmet law off the books in 1997 for riders 21 or older who have insurance or training. Helmet use dropped from 96% to 66%, and motorcycle related deaths went up 1/3rd. This means that the death rates corresponds almost directly to the proportion of people who do not wear helmets.
Florida’s Example
Florida repealed its helmet law in 2000. From 1997-1999 (three years while the law was in place) 515 motorcycle riders were killed in crashes; 48 of those deaths were people not wearing helmets. From 2001-2003 (three years after the law was created) there were 933 motorcycle riders killed in crashes; 566 of these were not wearing their helmet.
What we can learn from this is that more people die when helmet use becomes optional. There were roughly 400 deaths in each three year period of people who wear helmets. However, the rate of people who died not wearing helmets went up more than 10 times. This is not coincidental.
The Helmet Law Defense League is a group of people who lobby against laws requiring the use of helmets. They claim that it anti-constitutional to force people to wear helmets. They also argue that the word “helmet” is too vague.
Bells and Whistles
Even if you don’t choose to wear a motorcycle helmet for safety reasons, there are other reasons. The face guard allows you to see more clearly and prevents damage to your eyes when you go at high speeds. It also offers ear protection. Some helmets can be equipped with intercoms so you can communicate with your friends while you’re on your bike.
The Source
The mortality rate statistics are taken directly from The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The figures can be accessed through their annual reports, and some are available on their websites.
For information on how to get a loan to purchase a motorcycle or other vehicle, visit http://www.theguideto-carloans.com/motorcycle_loans/
Consumers wanting to purchase their lease at the end of the lease term can now apply for a lease buy out loan with myAutoloan.com, a direct-to-customer, Internet-based auto financing marketplace that helps consumers find auto loan financing including lease buy out loans.
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