Your old car just went to pieces today and you have very little money in your pockets. Perhaps you could look at the very limited selection at one of those local car dealerships that offer financing on a high sticker price made even higher by the interest rates they plan on charging you. You could go to the bank for a loan and beg the loan officer to give you some cash at a very high interest rate. You could do either of these things but you wish there was another option. Well, there are other options and they are called car auction sites.

How Do Car Auction Sites Work?

If you want to avail yourself of this great money saving opportunity, it may prove helpful to learn a bit about car auction sites first. Car auction sites offer a wide range of vehicle choices due to their very nature. The automobiles being auctioned are usually placed up for bid by individuals or small auto dealerships so prices can range from the no reserve car auction to items that have a preset price or at least some reserve on the car where the seller has the right to refuse to sell unless the price goes higher than his stated reserve price. Thus if a seller put a vehicle on an car auction site with a reserve of two hundred dollars and the highest bidder only bid one hundred ninety dollars, the seller would have the choice of selling the car for the one hundred ninety dollar bid or refusing the sale and relisting the car thru another car auction site.

There are a few things to consider before bidding on car auction sites as well. One major consideration is the location of the vehicle and the cost and method of shipping. The automobiles sold on car auction sites are located around the globe so pay close attention to where the car is located before bidding because all bids are considered final and legally binding as contracts and if you win the bid you will be expected to fulfill your contractual obligations towards the purchase.

Another consideration before bidding on car auction sites is the reputation of the seller offering the vehicle you are looking at. Car auction sites such as Ebay Motors have a great way of making sure you know the sellers reputation. Every buyer and seller on Ebay has a rating. It is generally considered a very good practice to buy from sellers who have high ratings and good feedback. This helps to insure that your experience with car auction sites will be a pleasant one.

Eighty percent of car buyers are using the Internet to research cars and used car prices. For vehicle research, the Internet’s great! For vehicle prices, the Internet sucks! It sucks because the prices do not reflect reality for the buyer or the seller. Web sites that place values on vehicles have created more confusion than ever.

“My car’s worth $25,800.” “I looked up used car prices on the web and my vehicle’s worth twenty grand.” I hear quotes like these everyday. I wish, for the customer’s sake, that the values are real. By “real” I mean a viable number according to market value.

As hard as it is to accept, even for me as a dealer, what we think a car is worth, and what it’s actually worth according to “market value” is often drastically different.

To find a vehicle’s value the context must first be discussed. What’s context?

Context includes, but is not limited to:

1) Vehicle condition: mileage, maintenance, 1-owner…etc 2) Desirability: new model, special editions, just plain cool… 3) Seasonality: plow trucks, convertibles, 4-wheel drive…etc 4) The Economy: factory incentives, gas prices, hybrids, SUVs 5) Location: Beverly Hills versus the Bronx

Now, each of the above context variables could easily have several sub categories. For example…

Vehicle condition is extremely relative. One person may think there vehicle is perfect, someone else states it needs $1000 worth of work.

Desirability is also relative. A bunch of very cool bells and whistles may not add any value, or it may add $1000’s.

Seasonality is relative. A convertible in the summer has more value than one during a Chicago winter. A plow truck in June will have significantly less value than in November in the northeast.

Economic recessions, exorbitant gas prices, combined with manufacturer incentives can shift new and used car prices all over the map.

Location has a major effect on used car prices. A convertible in California is worth more than one located in Canada.

To summarize, context funnels down to market value. Web sites such as Edmunds, NADA, and Kelley have drastically missed this mark, creating a host misinformation. To be fair, these are great research sites, but they can not be the final say on price.

Stating that a vehicle is worth a certain amount of money based on a web site’s data does not take the above factors into account. It’s a value based on misinformation.

These web sites have created an aura of trust when in actuality, the values are mythical. The market is the real indicator of vehicle worth—for better or worse.

What should one do? Buyers and sellers would be wise to follow the market. Check out autotrader.com, cars.com, and/or *ebaymotors.com and watch what vehicles are being advertised and sold for. While these sites are not the final word either, they’re much more accurate than web sites leaning heavily on opinion and averages.

Note: eBay used car pricing is generally wholesale. In other words, it would not be accurate to compare a wholesale-priced eBay car (which may need a significant amount of reconditioning) to a retail-priced vehicle in showroom and/or perfect working condition.

In the end, and this come straight from industry expert, Barry Roth, “Take the highest price and the lowest price you find on the Internet and throw them out. The remaining numbers in the middle is where one should wade. But don’t forget value. Price is one thing—value is the real key to a great car”

For more on used car values visit www.medwayimports.com/

If you ever wanted to buy or sell a car or any other type of vehicle, you should know that a great place where you can do all these things is the eBay motor car auction.

>From here, from this place, if you want to buy a car you can choose from all sort of models and prices. And the best thing about it is that you will have all the details, all the things you may want or need to know, right there in front of your eyes. No dealer eager to get more money will lie to you. All the facts will be placed on the Internet page, for everyone to see. The decision to whether buy the car or not will depend only on the buyer. You will not be influenced in any way by anyone.

Also, if you are trying to sell a car, the eBay motor car auction is the perfect place for you too. Don’t waste any more time looking for the best dealer that will help you sell that car of yours. The best place for a car that you want to sell fast and for a reasonable price is the eBay motor car auction.

Things that Buyers may Want to Know about eBay Motor Car Auction

The eBay motor car auction has some great features that you may want to know about. For example, there is a free buyer protection. Almost all vehicle purchases on eBay motors are protected up to $20,000. This kind of protection also occurs when you use PayPal to buy parts and accessories, and for these items you are protected up to $1,000.

There are all sort of tools that will help you decide what car to buy, and whether to buy it or not. You will also be able to check the seller’s reputation. If you find it unsatisfactory you can always decide not to bid. The recommendations on vehicle shipping, financing and insurance that eBay motor car auction provides will definitely help you make the best decision.

Things that Sellers may Want to Know about eBay Motor Car Auction

The eBay motor car auction has a worldwide audience. Over 10 million persons visit the eBay motor car auction site every month. This is indeed an appealing thought for someone that want’s to sell his car.

One more thing that you should know when deciding where to sell your vehicle is that on the eBay motor car auction a vehicle is sold every minute. This is indeed a great piece of information.

Here we have a few things you should check on your motorcycle on a regular basis. I assume you have a handbook with the specs for your bike, if not, go get one. You may be able to find some data for your particular motorcycle on the net. You can also pick up workshop manuals for various models on eBay in PDF or CD form for little money.

Whereas with a four wheeled vehicle you may get away with being lax with things like tire pressures etc, this is not the case with a motorcycle. You should not risk compromising the safety and stability of your motorcycle, for the sake of a bit of routine maintenance.

Pre-ride check

•Tires – check condition and for foreign objects in the tread.

•Tire pressures – it is vitally important to keep your motorcycles tire pressures either on spec or very close to it.

•Oil level – always check with the bike on level ground.

•Coolant level – only if your bike’s liquid cooled, obviously.

•Chain – check the tension and make sure it’s well lubed.

•Brakes – check they work and that they feel good.

•Lights – check all your lights, especially the brake light, you don’t want to get rear ended, do you?

•Visual inspection – self explanatory.

•All ok – hit the road.

Periodical checks

•Check battery – see that the connections are tight; I dropped a bike once because of a loose battery connection, strange but true. Also check the electrolyte level on some batteries, a lot of newer batteries are gel filled, sealed for life types, so no need with these.

•Carb balance – if your bike is multi carbed get yourself a Morgan carbtune or similar. It can be a little tricky the first time you balance them, but when you’ve done it once, the second time will be easy.

•Ignition timing – only necessary on some bikes, most newer models have electronic ignition which does not need touching, normally.

•Valve clearances – unless you’re a good home mechanic, take it to a dealer.

•Wheel bearings – grab each wheel with it off the ground and see if there is any sideways play. There should be none or maybe a trace at most.

•Steering head bearings – with the front end off the ground, grab the forks and push and pull. There should be no play.

•Swinging arm bearings – with the back wheel off the ground, check for any sideways movement in the swingarm, there should be none.

•Brakes – check fluid levels, brake hoses for deterioration, and pads/shoes for thickness.

•Cables and levers – should operate smoothly. Get some grease on lever/pedal pivot points, and get some lube down the cables, if you can. A cable oiler is a handy tool.

•Nut and bolts – go all round the motorcycle with your spanners and check that all nuts/ bolts/screws are nice and tight.

Well, that’s about it for some basic maintenance, obviously, unless you’re a good home mechanic, any bigger jobs will have to go to a dealer. The problem can be finding a good one with skilled mechanics you can trust. I manage to keep my Yamaha Fazer 1000 running sweet just using the steps listed above. It does help that this model only needs the valve clearances checking every 26,000 miles.

Listing a car on motors” rel=”tag”>eBay Motors has become one of the most popular ways of selling a car. With over 3 million unique visitors to eBay Motors UK each month, a car is sold every two minutes. eBay Motors has a number of distinct advantages over straightforward classified ads, not least the space to fully describe the car, add multiple photos, and the reduced hassle of only having to deal with one buyer, the buyer that wins the auction. Clare Gilmartin, the head of eBay Motors UK, reaffirmed this by saying, “The beauty of eBay Motors is that there’s no need for negotiation and you see the buyers bidding up the price, with sellers often getting more than they expected.” In actual fact, many buyers go on eBay in search for a bargain. Therefore the following guide has been put together to ensure that your car doesn’t become one of those bargains.

The first step is to do your homework. Find out the trade-in value of the car through getting an instant valuation from a website such as wewillbuyyourcar.com. Then use the excellent used car valuation tool on parkers.co.uk. Use these two valuations to identify a fair price for your car. Be sure not to set the reserve price to high, as this will scare off many potential buyers. Often products and cars with lower reserve prices will end up receiving higher bids and a higher final sales price.

Perhaps the most important aspect of selling your car on eBay Motors is the description of the car. There’s a wide choice of cars for sale on eBay so a poor description or missing details will result in people bidding for other cars. Firstly, a picture says a thousand words. Several pictures say even more so be sure to include photos of the tyres and the inside of the car as well. Mention that you have all the relevant documents – the V5 Registration Document, MOT Certificate, and Service History. Also explain your payment terms and whether you offer delivery or collection only.

Aside from the eBay description there are other steps that can be taken to help buyers feel more confident. Consider purchasing an AA Car Data Check. This will provide details of whether the car has been written off, if it has a finance agreement against it, along with a full description of the car, including details such as engine size, fuel type and date of first registration. Mentioning that the AA Car Data Check can be viewed will really help to instill confidence into potential buyers.

Once the auction has begun stay involved in the process of selling your vehicle. Assuming that you’ve accurately described the car and added various photos, only serious buyers will get in contact. Respond to any questions quickly and accurately. Finally, once the auction has been finalised payment must be made. Many people choose to use Escrow.com, eBay Motor’s finance partner, which acts as a secure third party to protect both the buyer and the seller. The buyer pays escrow.com, the car is then collected or delivered, the buyer then checks over the car, after which point Escrow pays the seller.

Generally, making a successful and satisfactory sale on eBay Motors is all about establishing credibility. The feedback score helps but a detailed description, multiple photos, an AA Car Data Check and the use of escrow.com all help greatly to make buyers feel more secure, ultimately encouraging them to bid higher.

You’ve finally gotten your hands on the classic car of your dreams, but wait a minute, now you have to figure out how to get your hands on the car parts you need in order to keep it running. If you’ve worked hard at acquiring the car, then it is probably a safe assumption that finding the parts you need is high on your list of priorities.

However, you can’t just walk into a dealership and place your order for the parts you need because there is a 99% chance they are no longer manufactured by the automaker. Regardless, no matter what your taste in classic cars, whether it is for muscle cars, antiques or vintage models, if you know where to begin looking then with a little digging you can find what you need.

Here are some places where you should begin your search:

Online Auctions

Ebay is a great place to start your search for the classic car parts you need. Just about everything you could ever want can be found on Ebay, or more precisely in the case of cars, Ebay Motors. If you find the parts you need this way you’ll have to pay shipping charges, but this is just a necessary evil you will have to contend with if you want the parts; however, if you are trying to keep your costs down you can try searching the local swap meets.

Swap Meets

Swap Meets can be hit and miss, and are probably not your best bet for finding the parts you need, but it never hurts to look. You may get lucky and find just what you are in need of, and even better, probably get it for a very low price.

Classic Car Part Dealer Publications

You will often find it very easy to find the parts you need in these types of magazines; however, the downside is that it will probably cost you an arm and a leg to get the parts. This is an option you should use only as a last resort, especially if you are trying to avoid breaking the bank. Explore all of your other possibilities first and if nothing pans out, and you really need the part, or parts, than do it, but don’t just make the purchase because it is easier than being patient and looking thoroughly. You may regret your decision a week later when you stumble across the parts for a lot less money somewhere else.

Clubs and Organizations

Where there is a hobby there is usually a club or organization to go along with it, and this couldn’t be truer of classic car restoration. By locating and joining one of these clubs you can improve your chances of finding the parts you need. This also allows you the chance to network and get to know others who share your same interests, and may even own the same car you do. If this happens to be the case, they may be able to point you in the right direction on where to get the parts you are looking for. Finding these clubs is as easy as logging onto the Internet and doing a search, so there is no excuse for you not to try.

Junkyards

Okay, so having to dig through the junkyard is a not so glamorous idea, and one that you probably didn’t consider when you bought your dream car; unfortunately, you may have no choice. But look on the bright side, it may payoff big time, and if you’re lucky, your local junkyard will be entirely computerized so that all you will need to do is make a phone call to inquire about what you are looking for. You may get lucky enough not to have to go to the junkyard after all.

Whatever the case may be, you probably put a lot of time and effort into getting your car, so what’s a little more effort in order to get it running. The moment you hear that engine ignite and begin purring will make all the hard work worth it.

Selling your car can be surprisingly tricky, particularly if you want to receive the best possible price. Buyers have a huge choice so it’s vital to make sure that your car stands out from the crowd. Some simple tactics, such as making sure you set a fair price, ensuring that your car looks great and using clever negotiation tactics, can be the difference between making a quick sale or being left with an unwanted car on your hands for months.

Setting the Price

Ensuring that you’ve valued your car correctly is the most important aspect when selling a car. Set too high a price and you could end up with a car stuck on your hands for months, whilst setting too low a price will result in a quick sale but knowing that you could have done better. Parkers.co.uk has an excellent used car guide section, where you can quickly receive a reliable price estimate.

Also, take a look through the local classifieds to get a feel for prices. Take into account the number of miles that you car has traveled and whether any extra features have been installed over the years, such as air conditioning or a stereo system.

Preparing the Car

On average clean and polished cars sell for 10% more than the same cars when they are filthy because buyers like to know that the car they are buying has been cared for. Dealers will also pay more for clean cars because it saves them time and money cleaning the car themselves.

For the outside of the car use a good quality car shampoo before polishing the car to create that ‘new car’ shine. Then power spray the tyres and clean alloy wheels. This clean and shiny car exterior will create an excellent first impression.

Use a vacuum cleaner to remove any dust and dirt from inside the car. Dashboards should be cleaned with a ‘low-gloss’ dashboard cleaner. When cleaning the windows remember to be careful around the heater elements in the rear window. Finally, ensure that the car smells nice. In particular remove any cigarette smell.

Where to Advertise

As a generalization when selling a car there are two options available – sell it yourself or sell direct to a dealer. Selling direct to a dealer is a quick and easy way of getting the car off your hands as you don’t have to advertise, deal with buyers, or take the risk of being unable to sell your car for months, during which time your car continues to devalue. Companies such as webuyanycar.com will provide an instant quote online for the majority of used cars.

The downside with selling to a dealer is that you’re unlikely to receive the best possible price. Advertising and selling the car yourself is more time consuming but can also be more profitable. eBay Motors has become one of the most popular ways of buying and selling a used car, so much so that a car is now sold every 2 minutes through the site. When selling through eBay make sure that you include a lot of information about the car along with a couple of photos.

Negotiating the Price

When potential buyers take a look at your car and decide that they are seriously interested in purchasing it the chances are that they will attempt to negotiate the price. This is to be expected because buyers like to think that they are getting a good deal as well. Therefore have a target price and lowest acceptable price in mind before you enter negotiations. If the two offers are some way apart then a moment of silence is often the best tactic. People find silence uncomfortable and awkward, often resulting in them making a compromise offer half way between the two valuations. It’s at this point that you can propose meeting half way between your offer and the new offer, gaining yourself a better deal.

Completing the Deal

Once a price has been agreed the deal still needs to be completed. Ask the buyer for their ID, address, and landline number because sometimes things go wrong in which case it’s good to have a way to contact them. If paid by cheque only let the buyer drive the car away once it has cleared. Finally, write a receipt stating that you are selling the car, and include the details of the car, yourself and the buyer. Write on the receipt ‘accepted as tested and seen’ to cover yourself against any future claims for damages. Then have the receipt signed by both yourself and the buyer, after which a successful sale will have been achieved.

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• EBay Auction to Benefit Sick Kids Foundation

A one of a kind, 2005 Panoz GTLM experience and sports car will be available for worldwide auction with to benefit SickKids Foundation, commencing on January 27, 2006 on eBay Motors.

The 2005 Panoz GTLM experience consists of a two-night stay at the Château Élan Resort, in Atlanta, Georgia, a world-renowned five-star Hotel featuring spa treatments, winery tours and finest golf courses in Georgia. Shortly after arriving, you are whisked away for a tour of the Panoz Auto Development Company where you will meet the Panoz family and auto development team. But when the trip is over, you drive home in car on the cutting edge of automotive design.

The 2005 Panoz Esperante GTLM is an enhanced expression of the Esperante GT, featuring state-of-the art performance abilities coupled with a style and automotive design that remains unparalleled on the roads today. The new Esperante GT design offers standard features such as the new Recaro style seating, sport handling package and a distinctive Blaupunkt sound system. The powertrain is a handcrafted 4.6 litre DOHC supercharged engine integrated with a 6-speed manual transmission, making for an undeniably unique driving experience.

Bidding is open to all international bidders. Bidders are required to pre-register prior to the auction. For additional information or assistance please visit http://www.sickkidsauctions.com.

About SickKids Foundation: SickKids Foundation is the largest non-governmental granting agency in child healthcare in Canada today. Founded in 1972, SickKids Foundation has raised well over CDN$300 million to The Hospital for Sick Children and over CDN$60 million to researchers across the nation. Striving to inspire and encourage generosity within concerned Canadians, the SickKids Foundation’s fundraising mission is to provide significant financial assistance in order to improve the lives of children and their families in Canada and worldwide.

With an international reputation for excellence in health care, research and teaching, The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) remains one of the largest paediatric academic health science centres in the world. [PRWEB]

tagTRAX: panoz auto development | panoz esperante | ebay motors | sickkids | international bidders

VinStickers.com has introduced a seamless system which allows dealers simpler, faster way to sell vehicles online.

“Dealers now have a one stop remarketing solution for their pre-owned inventory. Not only does VinStickers.com produce the FTC mandated buyers guides, vehicle VinStickers, VinBrochures and new car addendums, we now can export a dealers online inventory to all online auto malls, including eBay Motors – all in one easy step,” said Eric Hinkle, COO, VinStickers.com.

“We have the capability of pre-populating nearly the entire listing which streamlines the process and more importantly, increase dealers’ productivity and sales. Professional graphics, multiple photos and important factory data compliment every listing – and that’s what impresses customers when viewing online ads.”

[Full Press Release at: PRWEB Nov 8, 2005]