The traditional car buying experience is often seen as an overwhelming task. But thanks to the Web, customers can save time and enter a dealership precisely knowing what they want to buy.
How many times have you started the process by visiting different car dealerships? Purchasing a new or used car is a significant investment and you will hopefully be keeping your vehicle for awhile. You likely have certain features and options in mind, which will help narrow the scope of which models you will consider. But because you want to find the best car to meet your needs, the process can be intense and arduous.
Many car companies and dealerships are posting their inventory online so you can search for a car to best suit your needs. If you begin with the website as your first step, when you walk into the dealership, you have a narrowed list of vehicles that have the features you want, in your price range and you don’t have to waste a lot of time driving around from one dealership to another.
There are three different types of auto retail sites available for car buyers and each has its own unique advantages.
The Coast-to-Coast Dealer’s Website
When browsing online for your car, one of your primary concerns may be selection. CarMax is an online car dealership with a large inventory, located in several states across the country.
When you visit the site, you enter the make, model, price range and other details for the type of car you want. You are asked to enter your zip code, and then given a list of available vehicles at locations near your zip code. You can compare models, pricing, features, mileage, and other details.
If you aren’t sure what type of car you want, this is a good option to check out as many cars as possible in your price range.
The Local Dealership’s Website
The local dealership is probably the best option if customer service, in addition to selection, is important to you. The difference is similar to shopping at a large retailer versus the small specialty shop owned by a local family known for their contributions in the community. But whereas that small specialty shop may not have an inventory comparable to the big guys, the local dealership may not only offer a comparable selection of cars, but services that you won’t find at the larger auto retailers.
Conklin Cars is a new and used car dealer with several locations in Kansas. When working with a dealership that has several locations, you have the advantage of a large inventory, and working with specialists at each location. Customers who have visited the Salina car dealer site, for example, can also visit the company’s Newton car dealership and Hutchinson auto dealer sites online or in person to compare models, features and pricing.
But in addition to searching for cars based on brand, make, model, new, used, and even “building” the car you want, customers can also send questions to the dealerships’ parts and service technicians. Rather than running all over town to try and find the right part your car needs, or taking the car to a mechanic that may not be familiar with your car, you’ve got both covered at one location. This works well because it gives you a one-stop-shop option for not only purchasing your car, but care and maintenance after purchase.
Other notable advantages of using a local dealership include better, low-pressure sales and customer service, in addition to unique services. At Conklin Cars, sales reps are trained to create relationships with customers for any of their car buying or car service needs. For example, customers can rent a vehicle from Conklin Cars, a unique feature of this local dealership not found at many auto retailers.
Brand Name Shopping
If you have a particular brand in mind, visiting the company’s main site is probably your best option. A manufacturer’s website will offer a comprehensive look at all of the company’s offerings. Saturn, for example, is known for its low-pressure, no-haggle pricing. Like most automotive brands, the site is quite comprehensive with a photo gallery of different models, pricing, features and other valuable information to help you make an educated decision on which one of their vehicles will best suit your lifestyle.
Modern technology has created an opportunity for the car buyer to save much time, effort and stress when shopping. Depending on whether you want a vast inventory, a local resource capable of providing all of your car service needs, or you’re focused on one particular brand, beginning the car buying process online is a smart move. If you know your budget and enter the dealership with a clear decision on which cars you want to see, you’ve got the hardest part of the car-buying process covered, and all that will be left to do is make a decision and go through the paperwork.
Scott Conklin is president of Conklin Cars, a Salina car dealer (http://www.conklincarssalina.com/), Hutchinson car dealer (http://www.conklincarshutchinson.com/) and Newton car dealer (http://www.conklinnewton.com/) in Kansas. You can shop online or visit their locations.
We live in an age of information and technology that has made everything around us smarter. Electronic and digital components have made life easier in our homes, offices, and automobiles.
Some of life’s bells and whistles, like nose hair trimmers, are no more than budget-grabbing gizmos. However there are many intelligent tools that can bring convenience and safety to our daily tasks.
In the vast world of "smart" technology, the automotive electronics market is king. Indispensable features such as anti-lock braking systems and electronic stability control are perfect examples of smart and safe automotive electronics.
Recent developments by industry experts have created a huge increase in the number of electronic devices installed at automotive plants. Just to give you an idea of how quickly cars have evolved electronically, the Apollo 11 space craft traveled to the moon and back using a mere 150 kilobytes of onboard memory. It’s remarkable to think that the typical CD player uses a whopping 500 kilobytes just to keep our favorite songs from skipping.
Listening to uninterrupted music is a mere iota of how electronics have impacted a car’s performance in order to benefit drivers.
Telematics is the term used for the technology that involves automobile communication systems. The term was originally used to describe the blending of telecommunications and informatics or information technology. This industry has been gaining more and more attention from car manufacturers over the past years. In the mid-1990s, industry insiders predicted that telematics would become "the" go-to technology; increasing overall sales and more importantly, transforming the automotive industry into a major player in mobile technology. In reality, these forecasts panned out to be less than what was predicted. From an initial industry projection of over $40 billion dollars, the figure has been whittled down to half as more conservative measures were considered.
Nevertheless, that is by no means an indication that the development of this telematics technology has been or will be abandoned. In fact, on average automobile manufacturers spend $2000 on electronic systems for every vehicle that comes off the line — in incredible increase from the $110-per-car budget of the early 1970s. This huge increase in spending is reflected in everything from engine performance to entertainment systems, security features to safety devices. Every component of the vehicle works together to provide automobiles that perform better, are more comfortable, and ultimately safer to drive.
Some of the most common smart and safe automotive electronics are as follows:
Controller Area Network More than one computer runs your car. There is actually a network of computers called the Controller Area Network (CAN). Like a LAN (Local Area Network) that’s commonly used in home and business computers, the CAN links computers together. In your vehicle, the CAN basically links the many separate computer systems together and allows them communicate with each other. These interconnected systems involve everything from critical systems like engine management, cruise control and anti-lock brakes and cruise control, to less-demanding applications like automatic window and seat controls.
Fuel Efficiency Skyrocketing fuel prices have forced automotive manufacturers to realize the need for fuel-efficient vehicles, and to meet that demand. Smart automotive electronics are used to create the more efficient burning of fuel, such as the electronic fuel injection system (EFI).
The technology used in hybrid vehicles takes this one step further, with electronic devices that allow the driver to automatically switch between gas and electric engines.
Safety Devices There are generally two categories of devices designed to protect the safety of the driver and passengers: active and passive safety devices.
* Active safety devices: These are systems that constantly work to ensure the safety of drivers and passengers. Examples of active safety devices are dynamic steering response (DSR), traction control (TCS), and acceleration slip regulation (ASR).
While the average driver may not notice these systems at work, they are constantly sensing road and driving conditions and adjusting the car’s performance accordingly to create a safer ride. Electronic Stability Control has been shown by researchers to have a large safety benefit in reducing single vehicle skids.
* Passive safety devices: While these features may be more visible and seem simpler, they are also controlled by smart and safe automotive electronics. Thanks to developments in electronics and technology, airbag deployment has seen a tremendous amount of improvement over the years. Early airbags would deploy too early or too late, offering little or no benefit to the driver and passengers. Now, more advanced systems have created devices in your car that are actually programmed to the conditions that can lead to a high collision impact. Airbag and seating adjustment systems are deployed to minimize impact and decrease the degree of injury to the people inside the vehicle.
Think of the advancements over just a decade, and you’ll agree that the car of today certainly is a far cry from its predecessors. Modern automobiles offer more than simply a means of getting from point A to point B. Smart and safe automotive electronics make "getting there" as comfortable and as secure as possible.
Dorothy Williams enjoys writing for several popular web sites, including http://new-recreation.com and http://nulaf.com
Environmental issues have never been higher on the agenda than today and with this has come concerted pressure on the motorist. Deemed as one of the most highly polluting sources of pollution, the question has now fallen on how to shift people away from their cars. Initiated by the Stern Review, a number of additional schemes have either been introduced or are currently being planned, leading to the question of what does the future hold for the motorist?
The Stern Review stated one overriding conclusion, that the world must act now on climate change or face devastating consequences. Unfortunately it also appears that this action is going to lead to devastating consequences for motorists. Various proposals in the Stern Review were suggested, including introducing a fuel-price stabilizer, meaning when fuel prices they will never be able to fall again, and per mile road charging.
Taking a deeper look into each proposal uncovers fundamental flaws. Artificially setting prices has never made economic sense and furthermore, the fuel price stabilizer would simply have the effect of desensitizing people from changes in the fuel price. Consider a huge rise in fuel prices which subsequently fall but this fall is not reflected in the price. People become used to this new higher price and when they see that it stays at this level for many months they become used to it, never lowering their consumption, even if fuel prices then begin to gradually rise.
Then there’s per mile road charging. As it stands people are charged on a per mile basis – the further one drives the more fuel they use and the more they pay. Is this not a ploy to generate even more revenue and prepare for a time when cars no longer run on fuel? If everyone was to suddenly switch to electric cars the government would lose a vital source of revenue. Per mile road charging could fill in the shortfall, brought in under the umbrella of concern for the environment.
A couple of new road charges have been brought in. The first, to be introduced in Richmond-upon-Thames, is that homeowners will be charged a fee to park their vehicle outside their homes, the value of the charge depending on the type of car they own. Residents’ parking restrictions, initially introduced to help homeowners park outside their homes, are suddenly being turned against the very people they were meant to help.
The London Congestion charge has already risen to £8 a day from its original £5 a day, and proposals were unveiled recently to charge so-called “gas-guzzlers” £25 a day to drive into Central London. An extortionate amount by anyone’s standards.
However, something has to be done to protect the environment so what’s wrong with making a start and pricing polluting motorists and vehicles off the road? It’s certainly hard to argue against the fact that some cars do pollute large amounts of greenhouse gases and they should be discouraged. But isn’t the real fact to emerge from all this that the car driver is simply an easy target? Infrastructure is already in place whereby large additional taxes can be introduced whilst many people have little choice but to use their car, meaning that the revenue generated from these taxation schemes will be significant. Even the Stern Review undermines its argument against the motorist by producing figures showing that transport is responsible for 14% of all the emissions of greenhouse gases in the UK. Transport that includes car travel, lorries, buses, trains, ships and aircrafts. In addition, the argument is that economic growth will suffer if we fail to act now. This simply neglects the effect of imposing huge taxes on motorists, seriously inhibiting people’s ability to travel to work and help the economy, and this is all without even mentioning a certain rapidly growing country – China.
Charles Cridland founded http://www.yourparkingspace.co.uk/, a site where you can offer your driveway or garage for rent, or find long-term parking spaces for rent.
With congestion continuing to rise on Britain’s roads a number of solutions have been proposed, raising tax being the main one. However, every day in the UK there are over 10 million empty seats on the roads. Worse still, the vast majority of these empty seats are during the rush hour, with average occupancy for commuting only 1.2. The solution appears to be simple – car sharing. This is further supported by recent research which found that over 50% of commuters would car share on their way to work if they could find someone suitable to share with.
Car sharing has often been talked about but only ever considered to be a small scale solution, unlikely to have a significant effect on congestion levels. Again, the evidence suggests otherwise. A 25% increase in car occupancy levels would result in the number of commuting cars on the road falling by 21%. Put another way, if everyone shared a journey to work just once a week then the effect would be similar. With over 50% of people happy to try car sharing out this could be an attainable target.
So why has car sharing failed to take off in a big way? Put simply, a lack of funding. Without the money to raise awareness of car sharing and the ways to go about finding someone to share with, the concept of car sharing is always going to be doomed to being an insignificant solution.
Why hasn’t the funding been provided by the government, particularly in light of the many reports that have come out over recent years highlighting the potential of car sharing? One can only speculate but to governments the idea of car sharing isn’t so attractive. It generates no additional government revenue and is in fact likely to reduce it, particularly with the decline in fuel consumption. Compared with the prospect of continuing to dramatically increase taxes on motorists, many of whom have no choice but to use their cars, car sharing doesn’t stand a chance.
The benefits of car sharing are also often vastly underestimated. Car sharing does hugely reduce petrol consumption for the individuals involved and if promoted in a large way then congestion and pollution could be reduced significantly. Other benefits include reduced parking problems and the lower mileage done by each car means that they depreciate less rapidly.
However, one statistics that is overlooked is the impact of car sharing on road safety. The number of speeding fines handed out in the UK in 2005 reached the 2 million mark. With road safety being of such apparent importance the statistic that the likelihood of having an accident is reduced by 50% if there are two or more people in the car should make the relevant authorities sit up and take note. The way to increase road safety is to promote car sharing. The added fact that it is also makes driving cheaper for the individual, and reduces congestion and pollution, should encourage people to take car sharing seriously.
Becoming involved in car sharing is very straightforward. Liftshare.org was established in 1997 and now has over 130,000 members one million journeys registered. It’s also free to join, with a simple registration form to complete before you can register a journey and begin searching for travel companions. Whether you’re traveling to work, a festival or a sporting event car sharing is possible.
Charles Cridland founded http://www.yourparkingspace.co.uk, a site where you can rent out your private parking space, or find long term parking spaces for rent.
“It’s all about beating the clock.” This quote comes from a wise old service manager, advising me on how to maximize my income as a flat-rate technician. If you have ever wondered why your car doesn’t get fixed correctly, or all your concerns weren’t addressed, you can blame, in part, the flat-rate pay structure.
Flat-rate simply means that your mechanic is paid a flat fee for a particular repair, regardless of how long the repair actually takes. In other words, if your car needs a water pump, which pays two hours of labor, and the mechanic completes the job in one hour, he gets paid for two.
In theory, this can work to your advantage. If the job takes longer, you still only pay the “predetermined” labor amount. In THEORY, not reality!
The flat-rate pay structure is designed to drive productivity. It’s very effective. The flat-rate pay system encourages technicians to work hard and fast, but it does not promote quality.
In terms of getting your car fixed correctly, the flat-rate pay structure has disastrous effects. Flat-rate technicians are constantly looking for shortcuts to beat the clock in order to maximize the number of hours they bill. Experienced flat-rate technicians can bill anywhere from 16 to 50 hours in an 8 hour day.
It’s these shortcuts and the breakneck speed at which flat rate technicians work that result in some of the most idiotic mistakes. In the rapid-fire pace of a shop I’ve witnessed technicians start engines with no oil. I’ve seen transmissions dropped, smashing into little pieces onto the shop floor. And I’ve seen cars driven right through bay doors—all in the name of “beating the clock.”
Flat-rate technicians can get quite elaborate with shortcuts. My favorite was the implementation of an 6-foot-long 2-by-4, which was placed under the engine for support while a motor mount was removed. It made a job predetermined to take 1.5 hours achievable in twenty minutes. A win-win, right? The technician makes extra money; you get your car back faster.
Actually, in many cases the placement of this 2-by-4 damaged the oil pan. Moreover, it caused the car, your car, to balance precariously 6 feet in the air, while the technician manipulated the car lift to access your engine mount.
This tactic was abruptly discontinued when a technician’s 2-by-4 snapped causing the car to crash nose down onto the concrete floor.
Sometimes the shortcuts create very subtle disturbances, which create problems overtime. A quick example: a vehicle had its transmission serviced with a new filter, gasket, and fluid. During the procedure, the technician was able to save time by bending the transmission dipstick tube slightly, in order to get the transmission pan out faster. The vehicle was reassembled, and the technician re-bent the tube back into place and off it went—no worries….
Six months later, the vehicle returned with an intermittent misfire. The engine wasn’t running on all cylinders. After extensive diagnostics, it was discovered that the transmission dipstick tube had chaffed through the engine harness, intermittently grounding out an injector. Hmm, that’s strange. Don’t usually see that.
The high-speed environment and the subsequent shortcuts illustrate the devastating effects of the flat-rate, sales-driven pay structure on the quality of car repairs.
No wonder even an oil change gets screwed up!
The poor quality of work encouraged by the flat rate pay structure is disconcerting enough. Unfortunately, it doesn’t stop here. The negative effects of flat-rate get exponentially worse, as it opens “wide” the door to rip you off!
-Ted Olson RepairTrust Making Sense of http://www.repairtrust.com/ Ted Olson holds extensive certifications from Mercedes-Benz, Toyota, GM, and ASE. He is the author of eight books and numerous articles on the automotive service industry.
The advice is all the same for auto repair scam prevention. You’ll be told to find an ASE certified shop. Ask around. Check out several different repair facilities first. Are they clean and neat? Do they provide written estimates? Check with the BBB. Is it AAA certified? Some will even advise to “ask for the parts back.”
Traditional tips and suggestions merely put a band-aid over an infected, gaping sore. Strong antibiotics are required to address the root source of the problems in the repair industry. To provide repair customers with the above advice is like sending a soldier into combat dressed in a pink tutu. We have to stop scratching at the surface.
There has not been any “new” advice in decades. More importantly, no one has answered why car repair scams have reached an estimated 40 billion dollars per year. Moreover, why is there still no solution to stop car repair scams?
The first hurdle to conquer is the perception of the frequency of auto repair scams. Many folks just don’t believe that car repair fraud is all that bad. Some even argue that the vast majority of repair shops do an honest day’s work, and that a few bad apples are making the rest look like crooks.
This is an interesting argument, and raises a number of questions.
1) If it is only a few “bad apples,” where are they hiding the 40 billion? 2) If most repair shops are honest, why does every state warn against car repair scams? 3) Why are auto repair shops at the top of consumer complaint lists every single year, in every state?
This is even expanding across the continents. For example, just last week Australia listed car repair scams at number 4 on their top 10 consumer complaint list.
The perception of frequency gets distorted because there are a number of levels to repair scams. There are the blatant rip-offs covered in the news. For a great video visit “Repair Scams Caught on Video” @ www.repairtrust.com. Then there are the common scams such as exorbitant prices and estimates, and aggressive scare tactics to get service customers to perform services. These occur every day.
The repair scams uncovered by RepairTrust not only found the tactics listed above and more, but a powerful undercurrent of scamming at the foundation of the automotive service industry.
In reality, most car repair scams go unnoticed by the service consumer. Service customers just have no idea that they were ripped-off. This under-the-radar scamming occurs in dealerships, local shops, and franchises. Affiliation with ASE, AAA, BBB, NADA makes no difference.
An ASE patch on a technician’s arm, or an AAA or BBB sticker on the door of a service center means absolutely nothing in terms of a scam-free facility. Word of mouth recommendations can be just as devastating, as even shops that “seem” honest aren’t.
Check out “Car Repair Prices: There Are No Honest Mechanics” @ Isnare or RepairTrust for further discussion on this. Also, for NEW and FREE scam prevention tips visit the Car Repair Scam Articles @ RepairTrust.
Traditional tips are ineffective in today’s service industry. Service facilities have found new and ingenious ways of ripping people off. In truth, many of the old tips and suggestions have actually become weapons allowing service centers to indulge in car repair scams more than ever.
The car repair playing field must be leveled. Service customers need solid answers, and they need to be equipped with information, understanding, tools, and an insider’s view of the who, what, when, where, why, and how of price-gouging.
Navigating the dim underworld of today’s service centers with outdated information will cost a fortune.
Theodore P. Olson (Ted) holds extensive certifications from Mercedes-Benz, Toyota, GM, and ASE. He is the author of eight books and numerous articles on the automotive service industry. RepairTrust Making Sense of http://www.repairtrust.com/
Getting around in a store or in a mall for an hour at a time can be difficult if you are not feeling well, or if you are experiencing any type of pain. You can put the pain and the discomfort behind you using a scooter. A scooter gives you the mobility you have been dreaming about so you can shop. From groceries, to holiday shopping, or just personal shopping you can take your scooter along, and enjoy your day out of the house.
Advantages Of Owning A Scooter Are Vast, But Different For Every Person
The advantages of owning a scooter include the ability to be self-dependent. You don’t want to wait for your children to take you shopping or do your shopping for you, but with a scooter, you can get out and do it yourself still.
A scooter can be used to take you to the store. If you live in town or near the store, you can ride your scooter to the store, shop while riding the scooter and carry your goods home on your scooter. A scooter is a great method of giving those who are unable to walk or those who are unable to walk long distances the ability to be self-dependent.
While owning your own scooter, you don’t have to disinfect a scooter in the store where you are shopping. Sometimes accidents and spills will happen in the retail setting leaving you with a scooter that may not be clean, sanitized. If you were to purchase your own scooter, you will feel more comfortable.
Using your own scooter also means you have the advantage of always having a scooter that is fully charged and ready to go. Often times those who are disabled will enter retail centers only to find the scooters are out of power, and are useless. To provide yourself the freedom of mobility with a fully charged scooter, bring along your own scooter and leave all the worries behind you.
Owning your own scooter gives you the choice of knowing and being familiar with the scooter you are riding. Riding a scooter you are not familiar can often times be a little awkward as you learn the controls. The retail scooters are big, bulky and will not cut corners very well. Using your own scooter is going to allow you the freedom to travel in the retail setting while still feeling comfortable. You make the personal seat adjustments to your scooter, adjust the handle bars and the controls to your personal liking, and the scooter settings will stay that way, because you are the only one who is using your scooter. Your personal scooter is just like your car, your personal transportation.
jason uvios writes about on Advantages Of Owning A Scooter: If You Like To Shop to visit :- http://www.modern-scooter.info, http://www.crispscooter.info and http://www.scooter-now.info
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.
Andy West is a freelance writer for VC Tech, The Automotive School. VC Tech offers world-class training in many exciting automotive programs. Please visit http://www.vctechnical.com to learn more.
Welcome back to part two of my article series. This mini-used car buying guide is a compilation list of my most important questions to ask when buying a used car.
To recap from part one, over the phone we want to make clever inquiry to see if we can establish with some certainty that the seller is not a private car dealer. Then we ask them questions to determine whether how long they have owned the car and if they are the original owner. The final area covered in part 1 was to pay close attention to the sense we get from the seller’s response to our asking about their reasons for selling. If we are satisfied with the outcome of this initial round, it is time to get a bit more specific.
One of my top questions to ask about buying a used car is whether it has a gas or diesel engine. This may not be applicable unless you are looking for a diesel, as the vast majority of cars only come with a gas motor. However, if you are looking for incredible economy and bulletproof reliability, you will want to consider buying a car equipped with a diesel or even better, a turbo diesel engine. VW Jettas and Golfs are and were and still are built with both gas and diesel motors, and those motors last a long, long time!
Ask them how many kilometers or miles are on the car? For a gas engine, anything much over 250,000 km or 150,000 miles is a bit too much, unless the car has been meticulously maintained. In the case of a diesel engine, 300,000 km or 180,000 miles is just getting going. If it has been meticulously maintained, a diesel can go for a million kilometers.
Determine whether your potential future companion has a standard or automatic transmission? Which would you like better? Generally, a standard 5 speed transmission is the best choice, as it is less complex and more fuel efficient. C’mon! Stick is more fun anyway!
Find out it they have service records. If they have no service records, it is a strong indication that the car has not been well maintained. By looking at the service records, you can see the maintenance history, and any repairs. For example, a receipt for a new engine adds value to any car. When the time comes to sell your car, this can be handy evidence to present someone to backup your request for top dollar.
No list of tips on buying a second hand car can be complete if it doesn’t include being sure that you ask the seller if it has ever been in an accident. If their answer is yes, ask them if it was a write off. If yes, move on. There are lots of other cars to choose from. If their answer is no, find out how long ago the accident was, and what area of the car sustained damage? You will want to look carefully at these areas when you go to see the car.
If the damage is recent, it may be difficult to tell how well the repairs will hold up. If it was a long time ago and it still looks okay, that can be a good sign. If the doors were affected, there is a good chance that they don’t close perfectly anymore, and may make whistling sounds at highway speed. Very annoying on long journeys!
Okay, we are getting some good information from our seller! That’s it for part 2. Stay tuned for part 3 where I will dive into the nitty-gritty of how to narrow down your search for the perfect used car.
Mike Willis is the author of many automotive articles published around the internet on the subject of smarter used car buying. Visit his online at http://www.carsopia.com/ and http://www.cartorials.com
The Scleroderma Foundation and ppc Racing are proud to announce that the Scleroderma Foundation will be an associate sponsor of the ppc Racing/AutoZone #22 Ford Fusion with driver Kenny Wallace during the full 2006 NASCAR Busch Series campaign.
The Scleroderma Foundation first partnered with ppc Racing earlier this year for the Dover 200 on September 24th at Dover International Speedway.
“With Kenny Wallace and ppc Racing, we are certain that our members and all fans of the NASCAR Busch Series will see exciting racing,†said Donna Kohli, President and CEO of the Scleroderma Foundation headquartered in Danvers, MA.
“Kenny is a great spokesperson for NASCAR racing and all his sponsors and we are confident NASCAR fans will continue to support this team.
“It is also a great way to raise awareness and funds for this devastating autoimmune disease that affects over 300,000 people in the United States alone. We wish Kenny Wallace, the #22 AutoZone Crew and the entire ppc Racing team much success in 2006.†[PRWEB]
Related Auto News: nascar busch series | dover international speedway | scleroderma foundation | kenny wallace | autozone | nascar racing