Today’s economy has affected homeowner’s and owners of recreational vehicles like boats. With the real estate market on the down slope and people loosing their jobs the ability to pay mortgages and monthly payments on recreational vehicles has decreased. Foreclosures and repossessions are becoming common place.

Boat Repos

Many of the beautiful boats that are owned by private citizens are being repossessed by banks, credit unions and insurance companies. The payments are not being made and the companies are taking back these boats. As a result of this happening there has been a resurgence of boat repos being auctioned, bank repos and liquidator sales.

Repo Scams

There are several repo scams popping up now that there are so many people that are unable to pay the note on their boats, and people on popular auction sites and online sites are trying to take advantage of people during these hard times. They are offering ridiculous amounts of money for boats and they try to get personal information from the unsuspecting sellers and that is where fraud takes place. The best way to purchase a repossessed boat is to check with the local boating organization that have years of experience that can make a customer aware of the legal auctions that are being held in their specific areas.

Conclusion

Many Boats are being repossessed now and those looking to get a nice boat for a very reasonable price are on the good end of this phenomenon, but there is also the other side where people are loosing their prized possessions. Homeowners before the recession were using the equity in their home to pay on their boats, but with the economy the way it is now they were unable to do that and they lost their boats. The boats that are being auctioned off are being sold for a fraction of the value, of at least 40-60% off of the book value.  With current information reported on the repo cars guide Banks, credit Unions and insurance companies are trying to unload some of these boats and they are letting them go for a fraction of what they are worth. This is a great resource for buyers because these financial institutions don’t have the place or the desire to house these large items.

In England, car auctions have become very popular over the last few decades, especially, the British car auctions have become known around the world for their potential to get hold of excellent quality of cars, great models, and brilliant cars in great condition at the best possible prices.

And to be honest, we personally use car auctions every week to make an extra income, as well as run other jobs for income. That’s one of the advantages of car auctions, you can buy a few cars, make some extra money on the re selling of them, and still pursue other income streams.

We personally do this weekly so there is no reason that anyone else interested in British car auctions couldn’t do the same, after all, people will always like choice, and that’s why in business, there will always be room for sellers in business. If you can market your product well enough, get enough customers, the chances are you will sell if it is a needed item. The car has become one of those items, especially in the fast paced society we live in today.

Once you in the auction, you will be asked if you would like to test drive any of the vehicles on show, in other words, you will have the chance to drive any of the cars which are available for biding on that given day at the auction you have chosen.

You will then be told it is bidding time and you will be seated. Some of the British car auctions will hold their auctions with people standing. Whatever the auction is, whether it seated, or standing, they are all basically the same with 3 main phases. After phase one, the testing phase, you will have the bidding phase which is what we have briefly discussed.

After the bidding phase, you have the payment processing phase, after this part of the auction, is the check out part. You will then be able to take the car away with you on the same day you have won the item. This is of course depending on cleared payment.

If all is well and payment clears at the British car auction, you will before to drive your new vehicle home. Many people take cars home in bulk if they decide to buy a few. They bring large vehicles to drive a load of cars home with them.

Many parents will buy their teenagers their first used car shortly after they turn sixteen. Once mom or dad has helped their teenage driver find a good and reliable used car it is time to find car insurance that won’t cost them an arm and a leg for their new driver. New drivers will typically have higher premiums than older drivers who have more driving experience.

Even though new drivers are considered inexperienced, the premium that you pay doesn’t have to empty your checking account. In fact, parents can save a little bit of money by using their existing insurance policy. Many companies will offer “multi” discounts. This means that if the policyholder has more than one car on their policy, then they will usually get a discount on the additional cars. Other insurance companies will offer auto and home insurance together and this can make paying your insurance even easier. If you are adding a new driver and car to the policy you may receive multi-driver and multi-car discounts.

If the new driver has had a driver education course such as Driver’s Ed in high school, then you may also be able to receive a discount. Many schools offer these courses and if they do not, you may find them available through private companies. You can also take the course and receive a discount for both you and your new driver. Many insurance companies offer these discounts and because many states are requiring that students take these courses, then the situation is even better for you.

Some insurance companies also offer a Good Student discount. These programs award students by offering discounts to students who make good grades in school. If a student also takes a defensive driving course voluntarily, you may also be able to save by sending the certificate to the insurance company, as most insurance companies offer defensive driving discounts as long as the course was not a requirement for a speeding ticket.

Teens have higher accident numbers than any other age of driver. As they progress from being 16 to 17 to 18, their driving gets better as they gain experience. This is why it is important to be prepared for teen car insurance to be more expensive when they first begin driving. They are a higher risk because they tend to be involved in many more accidents. As a parent, you will need to expect to pay that higher premium, but as the teen becomes more experience you can expect that premium to begin dropping on a yearly basis. To make car insurance more affordable for your teen, you should be prepared to budget in that amount when purchasing them a used car.

Car insurance is also a good opportunity for students to learn responsibility. They should be able to help parents pay the premium through summer or part time jobs. They should also learn the effect that a traffic ticket or accident will have on their premium. They will also be able to see how being a good student allows you and them to save money on their insurance.

For more Car buying tips visit Atlanta Used Cars at http://www.UsedCarsAtlanta.us and Dallas Used Cars at http://www.UsedCarsDallas.us.

>From 1st July 2007 the UK bans smoking in enclosed public places with as many as 600,000 people forecast to quit smoking as a result. This article looks at if charging people to drive will have similar results for the Motor Trade.

In The Beatles classic song Taxman the lyric goes, “We’ll tax your feet”. Whilst the government hasn’t yet decided to do this it seems the introduction of “pay as you drive” schemes may soon be hitting the roads of the UK but what impact (if any) will this have on the UK Motor Trade.

Well there appears to be a few factors that road users might want to consider:

1. If you’re a driver who drives infrequently or at less busy times you could end up paying less. 2. Or you might drive an average number of miles but due to you driving at rush hours (on you way to/from work or school) you will end up paying more money 3. You may want to use public transport more often 4. You and your friends may set up a car pool scheme so you take it in turns to drive 5. If you spend a lot of time on the road travelling to see friends and family maybe you won’t be able to visit them as often as before 6. If you spend time travelling for work maybe you won’t be able to visit customers as much or worse still increased transport costs may mean your less competitive or jobs have to be cut

And what about people in the Motor Trade itself?

If the smoking ban just announced makes people stop smoking then maybe forcing people to pay more to drive will mean people will simply drive less often. Therefore less cars are needed, less people are needed to service and repair them and jobs are lost in the Motor Industry.

Of course these are all what if’s as nobody really knows what impact this decision will have on the transport system, the motor trade or indeed modern life.

If maybe a positive move with a journey to work being halved due to less vehicles on the road. It may mean a change in the opening hours for businesses or schools so not everyone is fighting to get to and from work as the same time as the school run is being done.

It may mean more money is invested in public transport so we have buses, trains, tubes and other forms of transport that are reliable and we’d be happy using.

Or of course it may mean nothing changes apart from the fact that we have less money in our pockets.

If the results of this survey conducted by Northern Counties Insurance Brokers are anything to go by.

People were asked what impact will having to pay per journey have on you?

– 40% said no impact as they couldn’t live without their car

– 13% said they would stop driving altogether

– 6% said they would drive less often

– 21% said they would use public transpoty more often

– 11% said they would car share to cut costs

– 5% said they would walk more often

– 3% said they would still drive as often but at different times

Whatever your thoughts are on the governments new “pay to drive” schemes the chances are it will happen and the impact on the motor trade could be massive

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.

What are the perks of going to automotive school, and why are people attending automotive school in higher numbers than ever before? The answers are surprisingly random in the fact that people have many different reasons for attending automotive school. The common bond between the students is they all made the leap to take these classes, and get a degree, or certification that will help them in the future.

Obviously most people attend automotive school in order to earn a certification that will help them find work. The major point of any technical school is to offer its student body a way to get certified in any number of jobs, or trades worldwide. Most people that attend are involved in the school for this reason. Gaining a certification will lead to a better chance to get the job that works for you.

Earning an automotive school degree, or certification will provide valuable training for one to use both personally, and professionally. Personally there won’t be a thing wrong with your car that you won’t at least have some idea how to fix. The school of your choice will teach you how to identify most any problem, and further provide instruction on how to fix the problem. This alone can save you thousands of dollars in service, and repair costs at a local shop.

Further, automotive school can prepare you for a career doing what you love to do, repairing cars, and trucks. The great thing about this type of education is that it is created to meet the working persons time constraints. This means that you can take classes in the evenings, or even on the weekend. Some schools are now online, and this adds another way that people can take courses in automotive school.

The technology used is as up to date as possible, and provides state of the art training on how to diagnose, and fix vehicles of all kinds. With the sophistication of automobiles today, it is important to attend an automotive school that is up to date in it’s courses, and material they use for instructing students.

Another important thing to look for when searching for an automotive school is the experience of the instructors. Do the instructors have a lot of experience fixing cars? Or are the instructors new to the trade? The answer to this question will certainly help in any search for a quality automotive school. The instructors should have vast experience fixing cars, and working with students as well. The most effective instructors are those that can both instruct, and relate to students as they take on the tasks that automotive school presents to them. Finally it is important to look for a training program where other students have successfully found jobs after completing their courses. Most automotive schools will offer some type of career assistance, which is imperative for this type of program. The entire point of automotive school is to obtain a career in the industry, and thus career services in an integral part to the mix. Make sure that the program of your choice provides career services, and job placement if at all possible. Once a job is in place, and the money starts to come in, life becomes a lot easier and fulfilling. For those students with families who will need to work during training to support the household, look for a automotive school that will work around your schedule. There should be plenty of programs that will offer this service.

If you have a burning desire to repair automobiles, it’s time to take a look at what automotive school can do for you.

Time has passed and the same old job situation has you down. The life you are living is much like a sad country song. It’s not what you had imagined, and you don’t like your day job one bit. Maybe it was a friend that shared with you the power of auto tech schools, or it could be that you have done your homework and know what auto tech schools can do for someone who is interested in a career change. Regardless of the reason, the time has come to give auto tech schools a serious look, and find out what it is they have to offer, and which schools fit your needs best.

It is important to look only at the Automotive Technology schools that are near you, because commuting is too much of a hassle for most students. The fact is that most auto tech schools require long hours of hard work. This is not conducive to major commuting. For this reason it would be wise to set a standard; to look at those auto tech schools that are no more than 1 hours drive away from your current home. This is the first step in narrowing down the process. Of course if you look at auto tech schools online, that would eliminate any commute whatsoever.

Next it is imperative to look at what you want out of the programs you may apply to, or you are thinking about attending. What degrees, certifications, or other things do you want out of auto tech schools? Thinking about this in advance will also help narrow down your search to the ones that best fit your criteria. Locating the best auto tech schools can be a challenge if you live in a rural area, but it is important to keep your needs in mind, no matter how small the selection of auto tech schools. Further, it is important to look at the ranking of the auto tech schools you are looking at by the people that have attended the school. Is it a high-ranking school in terms of satisfaction and instruction? Is it one that offers students a real chance at learning about the industry? Answering these questions will give you a better perspective of which auto tech schools will work for your needs.

Most importantly the program choose must have a strong career placement program. Finding auto tech schools that offer strong career placement should not be hard, since most of these schools count this as one of the top priorities of the school. After all if one is not getting a job after attending the programs offered, what is the point in making the career change? The auto tech schools or tech schools are simply in existence to give people a chance at a better life, by providing a solid education, and then supplying a list of employers to the student for consideration.

The auto tech schools with the strongest career placement rates should be at the top of your list for attendance possibilities. Career placement rates are simply calculated by taking the total number of graduates, and getting the number of auto tech school graduates that are placed into a job. This will give you the placement percentage. Most auto tech schools use this simple formula to calculate career placement rates. If a school has 100 graduates, and 80 are placed in jobs, the career placement rate for those auto tech schools would be 80%. This isn’t a bad rate, given that a few students will surely change their mind and decide a different career path.

A car purchase is the second largest expense for most consumers and is regarded as one of the most challenging sales experience’s you will encounter. Time after time, dealers take charge of the transaction and often create an intimidating atmosphere for the purchaser.

Buying a second hand car is almost always a difficult experience and surprises frequently occur. In order for a sale to go smoothly, the majority of buyers rely solely on dealerships expertise. Unfortunately, not every dealer on the market is honest with their customers. For this reason, having a third-party testimonial and knowing a dealer’s reputation is crucial to purchasing a car.

DealershipRatings.com is a unique consumer advocacy organization that offers the public the opportunity to write testimonials about their automobile purchases. Featuring a database with over 40,000 dealerships, DealershipRatings.com helps customers purchase a car by providing awareness, and avoiding hassle.

“You spend days, weeks and even months researching which car is right for you and your hard earned dollars. Why not spend a few extra minutes to find the right dealer for you and your family?” Chris Contessa says.

Chris is the founder of DealershipRatings.com, the first consumer guide of dealerships on the Internet. He has created a community for consumers to share their positive or negative experiences with different dealerships. This is done with unbiased, real world reviews written by visitors and a unique discussion forum in which people interact and can express their opinion in real time.

“DealershipRatings.com wants to be a community for the average consumer to finally level the dealership playing field and make sure that dealers are doing their jobs and helping customers” he added. [PRWEB]

tagTRAX: consumer advocacy organization | consumers | community

In the wake of the announcement Ford Motor company will cut 25,000 to 30,000 jobs and idle 14 plants in North America, Stephen H. Martin, publisher of The Oaklea Press said, “This is definitely a move in the right direction. American automobile manufacturers have tried unsuccessfully too long to compete with the Japanese using the old mass manufacturing model. It cannot be done. They need to fight fire with fire and this means adopting the lean manufacturing model.”

Martin is the editor of two books that tell how to successfully compete in the global marketplace: “Lean Transformation: How to Change Your Business into a Lean Enterprise,” and “Billion Dollar Turnaround: The 3M Spin-off that Became Imation.” The former explains how manufacturers can transform from mass manufacturers to lean manufacturers such as Toyota.

The second tells how a U.S. company, Imation, was able to beat the Japanese at their own game and become world leader in digital storage media, now with twice the market share of either Fuji or Maxell––its closest competitors––which are both Japanese companies.

Martin said that for a variety of reasons, a lean operation typically turns out higher-quality products than a mass manufacturing cousin. It almost always requires 25% to 40% less direct labor. It uses about half the floor space because no room is required for work-in-progress. Warehousing costs are cut to the bone because finished-goods and parts inventories are normally reduced from several months’ to only a few days’ supply.

Many American manufacturers caught onto this in the early to mid 1990s and have now adapted to the new way. These companies are able to compete in the global marketplace no matter in what country or location their products are assembled. Dell Computer, for example, builds products all over the world, including the United States, as does Toyota. [PRWEB]

tagTRAX: american automobile manufacturers | global marketplace | ford motor company | compete | martin

(ARA) – When they first came out, light-duty trucks and sports utility vehicles (SUVs) were purchased primarily by farmers, ranchers, builders and tradesmen who had jobs to get done. Today, they are so popular they’ve actually surpassed passenger cars as the vehicle of choice for most Americans.

Among the biggest selling point, they’re roomier and have more versatility than cars. You can travel comfortably while at the same time hauling cargo or towing a trailer. Because they are bigger and heavier than passenger cars, they are safe; and since they sit higher, also offer better visibility; but unless you’re six-feet tall, climbing in and out of them can be a challenge.

It is for that reason that running boards are one of the most popular accessories on passenger trucks and SUVs, and they have a lot more benefits than you may think. “In addition to making the vehicle easier to get in and out of, they also provide a place to kick off sand in the summer and snow in the winter and allow you to reach the windshield and top when you’re washing it. They also improve the vehicle’s overall appearance,” says Jay Lusignan of Lund International, an automotive accessories company.

Running boards are available in a variety of finishes and come in numerous lengths and designs. You can get them for just about any make and model of SUV or truck. The Lund brand offers ten different designs in its multi-fit line which attach to your vehicle using customized brackets. “If there’s an available bracket that fits your vehicle, any of these multi-fit boards will work,” says Lusignan.

Another accessory where form meets function is the window vent. A set of these will dress up your car’s exterior while at the same time making the interior more comfortable for passengers. They allow you to put the window down slightly to let fresh air in while keeping the heat, rain and snow out. These are great for people who spend a lot of time on the road.

So are hood shields. Not only do they redirect the bugs away from your windshield, they protect the hood from nasty stone chips. They work by redirecting the wind flow, so instead of heading directly towards the windshield, the air flows slightly upward, pushing an insect or rock up and over the windshield. With even one such scratch averted, a bug shield can pay for itself, as some of these scratches can be very costly to have repaired. A bug shield can also save you time on road trips. They eliminate the need for you to stop at the gas station every few cities to wipe bugs off your windshield.

For more information about Lund accessories, log on to www.lundlook.com or call (800) 377-5863.

Courtesy of ARA Content