Merry Christmas !
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Some Tips for Perfecting your Parking Skills
To avoid accidents and save time, there are plenty of small tips to bear in mind the next time you go to reverse park into a tight space, or parallel park on a congested street, but here's a few of them to get you started.
Small scrapes and bumps are very common in car parks, where space is usually of a premium. When you find the best spot to park in, first decide whether to reverse in or go nose first, and then remember to go slowly. Though you'll hopefully not cause any serious accidents while parking, it can still be expensive to fix that scratched paint work if you're not careful. Simply reducing your speed immediately gives you a far greater margin for error and allows you time to consider each movement and amend any mistakes as you go.
Next is observation. By being aware of what is around you on all sides, it can reduce the likelihood of accidents and will improve your spatial awareness, so when you come to get out of the car, you won't find that you're parked too close to even open your driver's door! A simple fix to prevent you from denting your bumper (or anyone else’s) is parking sensors. They can be used both front and rear and will help you park more accurately in no time.
In a busy street or packed multi-storey car park, it’s easy for drivers to get competitive over parking spaces. Don’t. Remember that keeping control of the car is essential at all times, so you should try to avoid any actions that could provoke other drivers. Maintain common courtesy while parking that you would use throughout your day to day life, as this will keep you relaxed and focused as you go to park.
Finally, don’t forget the little things that will make the job of parking easier. Before you begin the manoeuvre, make sure you’re aware of what’s around you and, just as importantly, make sure fellow drivers are aware of you. Signal clearly and early, allowing drivers plenty of time to give you room to park, and be considerate of how much space you take up too - always aim for the minimum.
Though there are plenty of car insurance companies out there, follow these simple tips and hopefully your parking will be bump-free in the future.
http://www.articlesbase.com/cars-articles/some-tips-for-perfecting-your-parking-skills-1621828.html
Some Tips for Perfecting your Parking Skills
To avoid accidents and save time, there are plenty of small tips to bear in mind the next time you go to reverse park into a tight space, or parallel park on a congested street, but here's a few of them to get you started.
Small scrapes and bumps are very common in car parks, where space is usually of a premium. When you find the best spot to park in, first decide whether to reverse in or go nose first, and then remember to go slowly. Though you'll hopefully not cause any serious accidents while parking, it can still be expensive to fix that scratched paint work if you're not careful. Simply reducing your speed immediately gives you a far greater margin for error and allows you time to consider each movement and amend any mistakes as you go.
Next is observation. By being aware of what is around you on all sides, it can reduce the likelihood of accidents and will improve your spatial awareness, so when you come to get out of the car, you won't find that you're parked too close to even open your driver's door! A simple fix to prevent you from denting your bumper (or anyone else’s) is parking sensors. They can be used both front and rear and will help you park more accurately in no time.
In a busy street or packed multi-storey car park, it’s easy for drivers to get competitive over parking spaces. Don’t. Remember that keeping control of the car is essential at all times, so you should try to avoid any actions that could provoke other drivers. Maintain common courtesy while parking that you would use throughout your day to day life, as this will keep you relaxed and focused as you go to park.
Finally, don’t forget the little things that will make the job of parking easier. Before you begin the manoeuvre, make sure you’re aware of what’s around you and, just as importantly, make sure fellow drivers are aware of you. Signal clearly and early, allowing drivers plenty of time to give you room to park, and be considerate of how much space you take up too - always aim for the minimum.
Though there are plenty of car insurance companies out there, follow these simple tips and hopefully your parking will be bump-free in the future.
http://www.articlesbase.com/cars-articles/some-tips-for-perfecting-your-parking-skills-1621828.html
How to Do Your Own Auto Glass Chip Repair
chip repair. While a chip in the windshield may not seem like much environmental waste pollution and the stress of temperature changes can cause it to grow over time, resulting in cracks and repairs more expensive. However, it has to come to this. With this article, and a do-it-yourself glass repair kit cars, you can fix a chip in the windshield before it gets worse.
Inspecting the damage
The first step in any repair process to inspect the damage. You can do it yourself or even take your car to a professional if necessary. A general rule is that if windshield damage is limited to a minor chip or Knick, you must repair. Often, small spider cracks can be repaired as well, but the cracks with long veins present a major problem and usually are not repairable. If in doubt, consult a professional for their opinion.
Select the repair kit
If you determine that your chip is actually glass repair, a trip to your local auto parts store will offer different options for repair. Although offered by different companies, most do-it-yourself kits windshield work the same way and have similar elements. The kits typically include a stabilizer or a base that resembles a suction cup, a nozzle or applicator, a tube of resin and a curing adhesive film.
Perform the repair
Before diving into the repair, be sure to read carefully the detailed instructions with the kit. Once done, the first step is to clean the chip and the area around it as best as possible with glass cleaner. Wipe dry with a clean towel afterwards. If there is any debris on the chip, a safety pin or similar item can be used to remove it.
When the area is clean, the stabilizer or base shall be affixed to the windshield, usually with an adhesive. Make sure it is carefully positioned and that the seal between it and the glass is tight. The next step usually involves placing the applicator nozzle or the stabilizer. Generally, the air is extracted from between the stabilizer and the windscreen, while injecting the resin. The vacuum thus created helps to draw the resin into the crack and to protect it from pollutants in the air.
Once the resin has cured for the time specified in the instructions, applicator and the stabilizer are removed. The next step usually involves placing a drop of resin on the repair and then placing the cured film thereof. When making the film, make sure to remove any air bubbles that may be present. Again, the curing of the resin in the amount of time specified in the instructions.
Once the film is removed, if any part of the repair is not uniform, usually can be solved with a razor blade. Any excess resin or adhesive residue can be cleaned with glass cleaner. If completed correctly, the repair should be kept fairly quiet at this point.
While a chip in the windshield may seem insignificant, it is important to take care as soon as possible before it becomes worse. With the information provided in this article, you will find it a simple job that can save you big money in the long term.
http://www.articlesbase.com/automotive-articles/how-to-do-your-own-auto-glass-chip-repair-1507480.html
How to Do Your Own Auto Glass Chip Repair
chip repair. While a chip in the windshield may not seem like much environmental waste pollution and the stress of temperature changes can cause it to grow over time, resulting in cracks and repairs more expensive. However, it has to come to this. With this article, and a do-it-yourself glass repair kit cars, you can fix a chip in the windshield before it gets worse.
Inspecting the damage
The first step in any repair process to inspect the damage. You can do it yourself or even take your car to a professional if necessary. A general rule is that if windshield damage is limited to a minor chip or Knick, you must repair. Often, small spider cracks can be repaired as well, but the cracks with long veins present a major problem and usually are not repairable. If in doubt, consult a professional for their opinion.
Select the repair kit
If you determine that your chip is actually glass repair, a trip to your local auto parts store will offer different options for repair. Although offered by different companies, most do-it-yourself kits windshield work the same way and have similar elements. The kits typically include a stabilizer or a base that resembles a suction cup, a nozzle or applicator, a tube of resin and a curing adhesive film.
Perform the repair
Before diving into the repair, be sure to read carefully the detailed instructions with the kit. Once done, the first step is to clean the chip and the area around it as best as possible with glass cleaner. Wipe dry with a clean towel afterwards. If there is any debris on the chip, a safety pin or similar item can be used to remove it.
When the area is clean, the stabilizer or base shall be affixed to the windshield, usually with an adhesive. Make sure it is carefully positioned and that the seal between it and the glass is tight. The next step usually involves placing the applicator nozzle or the stabilizer. Generally, the air is extracted from between the stabilizer and the windscreen, while injecting the resin. The vacuum thus created helps to draw the resin into the crack and to protect it from pollutants in the air.
Once the resin has cured for the time specified in the instructions, applicator and the stabilizer are removed. The next step usually involves placing a drop of resin on the repair and then placing the cured film thereof. When making the film, make sure to remove any air bubbles that may be present. Again, the curing of the resin in the amount of time specified in the instructions.
Once the film is removed, if any part of the repair is not uniform, usually can be solved with a razor blade. Any excess resin or adhesive residue can be cleaned with glass cleaner. If completed correctly, the repair should be kept fairly quiet at this point.
While a chip in the windshield may seem insignificant, it is important to take care as soon as possible before it becomes worse. With the information provided in this article, you will find it a simple job that can save you big money in the long term.
http://www.articlesbase.com/automotive-articles/how-to-do-your-own-auto-glass-chip-repair-1507480.html
Choosing a Car Stereo
There are two main contributing factors to the quality of the audio that is produced by any audio equipment which are the frequency response and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). The frequency response of the ear is around 20Hz to 20KHz although this often diminishes with age. A 'loud' facility is sometimes provide to boost the frequencies that become degraded with age. The SNR is important as it is what constitutes the background hiss that is often associated with cheaper audio equipment.
The car stereo or head unit today can play audio from a wide variety of sources which we will now discuss below.
Cassette Deck
If the reason for replacing your car stereo is to allow you to play your CD's or music from your iPod then please be aware that it is possible to purchase equipment that allows you to play music from an external source. These specialised adapters look like a cassette with a flying lead that plugs into your alternate music source ie iPod, CD player etc. This is often a very cheap and easy alternative if funds are tight!
Audio Cassettes in general do not give as good an audio experience as CD players as their frequency response and SNR is often inferior to that of modern digital equipment.
Although cassette tape sales have declined extensively it is still possible to purchase due to the amount of tapes that are still out there however as a long term investment a CD or MP3 player would probably be a better choice.
CD player
The CD has been around for many years now and is well established in the market-place. A CD can store its information in a multitude of formats but the most popular at the moment is usually just referred to as an Audio CD in the specifications. These are the CD's that you can buy of the shelf from any major music retail shop.
As with all technology the the common audio format is under threat by a relatively new format referred to as MP3. MP3 is a digital audio compression technique that allows much more audio to be squeezed onto a single CD. A typical compressed song will be roughly 4-6MB depending upon the quality of the audio and a typical CD can store around 700MB of data. So you can see that you can store many more songs using MP3 technology than with the conventional music CD's.
It is also possible to purchase a head unit that has a remote CD player or CD changer. A CD changer is like a mini duke box that can be located in your boot, glove compartment etc. They typically have between 6 and 12 CD's within them and often support the ability to play songs randomly between all the CD's.
USB/Memory Card
With the rapid adoption of MP3 format and the availability of cheap USB memory sticks car audio manufacturers have started to adopt USB ports on their equipment as standard. A USB stick or memory card can be thought of as a very small CD usually about a couple of inches long and about half an inch wide but capable of storing vastly more information than a conventional CD. Something to check when buying a head unit supporting this feature is the upper memory limit of the USB stick or memory card. Typical memory cards today are around 2-4GB which would store many albums however these sizes may not be supported by the head unit.
If you purchase a head unit supporting this type of media then you'll need to make sure that you have a method of getting the music from you CD collection onto the memory stick. This will involve 'ripping' the audio and copying it onto the memory. There are many programs available for doing this such as Windows Media Player.
Radio
Most people are familiar with car radio's and understand what to look for when purchasing one. However something to keep in mind when looking is the uptake of DAB radio which is the new digital transmission method.
DAB radio uses modern digital compression techniques to offer a greater variety of music and programmes as well as short messages etc that often appear of the display. Since this is a new format and isn't widely adopted as the mainstream format most DAB radios also still support FM transmissions.
The DIN form factor
Finally something which should be overlooked is the form factor and connections for the head-unit. With early cars there wasn't really a standard which led to all sorts of problems when replacing the factor standard unit. However there is now a standard size referred to as the DIN which is 2 1/8" (50mm) tall and 7 1/8" (180mm) wide and double-DIN which is twice as tall as the standard DIN size.
The connectors used to plug the stereo in are fairly common but there is no one standard connector. Luckily due to the size of the problem there are many different types of adaptor readily available in most car audio shops.
One problem often experience with fitting new audio equipment is with the memory 'forgetting' its settings. This is often due to the power supply wires to the head unit being switched over. To over come this problem the manufacturers of the cabling adapters easily enable the yellow and red wire to be interchanged which will fix the problem.
It is always worth checking out many retailers before making a selection on a head unit and I would recommend searching a car audio directory for the best choice.
Choosing a Car Stereo
There are two main contributing factors to the quality of the audio that is produced by any audio equipment which are the frequency response and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). The frequency response of the ear is around 20Hz to 20KHz although this often diminishes with age. A 'loud' facility is sometimes provide to boost the frequencies that become degraded with age. The SNR is important as it is what constitutes the background hiss that is often associated with cheaper audio equipment.
The car stereo or head unit today can play audio from a wide variety of sources which we will now discuss below.
Cassette Deck
If the reason for replacing your car stereo is to allow you to play your CD's or music from your iPod then please be aware that it is possible to purchase equipment that allows you to play music from an external source. These specialised adapters look like a cassette with a flying lead that plugs into your alternate music source ie iPod, CD player etc. This is often a very cheap and easy alternative if funds are tight!
Audio Cassettes in general do not give as good an audio experience as CD players as their frequency response and SNR is often inferior to that of modern digital equipment.
Although cassette tape sales have declined extensively it is still possible to purchase due to the amount of tapes that are still out there however as a long term investment a CD or MP3 player would probably be a better choice.
CD player
The CD has been around for many years now and is well established in the market-place. A CD can store its information in a multitude of formats but the most popular at the moment is usually just referred to as an Audio CD in the specifications. These are the CD's that you can buy of the shelf from any major music retail shop.
As with all technology the the common audio format is under threat by a relatively new format referred to as MP3. MP3 is a digital audio compression technique that allows much more audio to be squeezed onto a single CD. A typical compressed song will be roughly 4-6MB depending upon the quality of the audio and a typical CD can store around 700MB of data. So you can see that you can store many more songs using MP3 technology than with the conventional music CD's.
It is also possible to purchase a head unit that has a remote CD player or CD changer. A CD changer is like a mini duke box that can be located in your boot, glove compartment etc. They typically have between 6 and 12 CD's within them and often support the ability to play songs randomly between all the CD's.
USB/Memory Card
With the rapid adoption of MP3 format and the availability of cheap USB memory sticks car audio manufacturers have started to adopt USB ports on their equipment as standard. A USB stick or memory card can be thought of as a very small CD usually about a couple of inches long and about half an inch wide but capable of storing vastly more information than a conventional CD. Something to check when buying a head unit supporting this feature is the upper memory limit of the USB stick or memory card. Typical memory cards today are around 2-4GB which would store many albums however these sizes may not be supported by the head unit.
If you purchase a head unit supporting this type of media then you'll need to make sure that you have a method of getting the music from you CD collection onto the memory stick. This will involve 'ripping' the audio and copying it onto the memory. There are many programs available for doing this such as Windows Media Player.
Radio
Most people are familiar with car radio's and understand what to look for when purchasing one. However something to keep in mind when looking is the uptake of DAB radio which is the new digital transmission method.
DAB radio uses modern digital compression techniques to offer a greater variety of music and programmes as well as short messages etc that often appear of the display. Since this is a new format and isn't widely adopted as the mainstream format most DAB radios also still support FM transmissions.
The DIN form factor
Finally something which should be overlooked is the form factor and connections for the head-unit. With early cars there wasn't really a standard which led to all sorts of problems when replacing the factor standard unit. However there is now a standard size referred to as the DIN which is 2 1/8" (50mm) tall and 7 1/8" (180mm) wide and double-DIN which is twice as tall as the standard DIN size.
The connectors used to plug the stereo in are fairly common but there is no one standard connector. Luckily due to the size of the problem there are many different types of adaptor readily available in most car audio shops.
One problem often experience with fitting new audio equipment is with the memory 'forgetting' its settings. This is often due to the power supply wires to the head unit being switched over. To over come this problem the manufacturers of the cabling adapters easily enable the yellow and red wire to be interchanged which will fix the problem.
It is always worth checking out many retailers before making a selection on a head unit and I would recommend searching a car audio directory for the best choice.
Why Online Auto Auction Is The Right Place to Buy Cars?
It is the desire of many people to buy cars cheaply. A lot of people may not be aware of how to get cheap cars even when the desire to buy is there. The search for cheaper cars will take you to local and regional auctions where you may get the desired deal. If it is not possible, the internet will prove to be the best alternative.
You can be sure to get a good online auto auction starting from the search engines. Some of these places that you will get from your researches are sponsored by the government. You will only need to locate a good auto auction agency websites and peruse through the site to find your kind of car.
Buying from an online auto auction will be preferred for a number of reasons:
Variety to choose from
From an online auto auction, you will be likely to get a wide range of car choices. That will also mean getting so many quotations and price lists from the comfort of your home. You will be saved the hassle of getting to walk in many places in search for a car to buy.
They are cheaper
Since there are many places who offer cheap cars through online platform and the competition is high, you will be likely to get cheaper prices than if you were to buy from a dealer or action yard near you.
Convenient
Buying through an online auto auction will surely be very convenient as you will finalize the transaction from the comfort of your home.
Why Online Auto Auction Is The Right Place to Buy Cars?
It is the desire of many people to buy cars cheaply. A lot of people may not be aware of how to get cheap cars even when the desire to buy is there. The search for cheaper cars will take you to local and regional auctions where you may get the desired deal. If it is not possible, the internet will prove to be the best alternative.
You can be sure to get a good online auto auction starting from the search engines. Some of these places that you will get from your researches are sponsored by the government. You will only need to locate a good auto auction agency websites and peruse through the site to find your kind of car.
Buying from an online auto auction will be preferred for a number of reasons:
Variety to choose from
From an online auto auction, you will be likely to get a wide range of car choices. That will also mean getting so many quotations and price lists from the comfort of your home. You will be saved the hassle of getting to walk in many places in search for a car to buy.
They are cheaper
Since there are many places who offer cheap cars through online platform and the competition is high, you will be likely to get cheaper prices than if you were to buy from a dealer or action yard near you.
Convenient
Buying through an online auto auction will surely be very convenient as you will finalize the transaction from the comfort of your home.
CHANGES
A lot changes coming in few days !
Also watch www.car-insurance-crash.blogspot.com
CHANGES
A lot changes coming in few days !
Also watch www.car-insurance-crash.blogspot.com
Car Shows and Insurance Cover
It's best to ensure that you possess plenty of indemnity which may cover your wishes. This can imply having further coverage above the usual insurance that the majority hold on their autos. You must always make sure that you get an adequate amount of coverage to protect the auto without reference to what occurs. You must be completely mindful of this before you go to the car show. Seize the opportunity to truly thoroughly examine all the info in the information in the policy to establish where your coverage is wanting. You may be able to modify your existing policy or you might need to buy a supplemental policy to fill in the gaps. Regardless of which method you opt to take, you need to make sure that the entire amount of the car is covered.
Many people make the error of only insuring a little of their car. You need to notice that when you are dealing with car show deserving cars they are always priced at much bigger than standard resell rates would cover. You will discover after an issue happens that your insurance will only cover a share of the car. Always talk to your insurance agent and ensure that you have enough coverage which may pay the acceptable amount in the event of damage. You actually don't wish to be caught off guard if your auto supports important scratches at the car show to find out that your vehicle can only receive up to $1,000 in insurance money. You need to ensure that all damage is paid for, instead of the insurance company possibly claiming that damage was pre-existing.
The best premier events feature hundreds of the best hot rods, customs, muscle cars, motorcycles, street machines and classic trucks found anywhere in the world.
Automoble Magazine has premier coverage of the big auto shows like Detroit, Paris, Toyko, and more.
Car Shows and Insurance Cover
It's best to ensure that you possess plenty of indemnity which may cover your wishes. This can imply having further coverage above the usual insurance that the majority hold on their autos. You must always make sure that you get an adequate amount of coverage to protect the auto without reference to what occurs. You must be completely mindful of this before you go to the car show. Seize the opportunity to truly thoroughly examine all the info in the information in the policy to establish where your coverage is wanting. You may be able to modify your existing policy or you might need to buy a supplemental policy to fill in the gaps. Regardless of which method you opt to take, you need to make sure that the entire amount of the car is covered.
Many people make the error of only insuring a little of their car. You need to notice that when you are dealing with car show deserving cars they are always priced at much bigger than standard resell rates would cover. You will discover after an issue happens that your insurance will only cover a share of the car. Always talk to your insurance agent and ensure that you have enough coverage which may pay the acceptable amount in the event of damage. You actually don't wish to be caught off guard if your auto supports important scratches at the car show to find out that your vehicle can only receive up to $1,000 in insurance money. You need to ensure that all damage is paid for, instead of the insurance company possibly claiming that damage was pre-existing.
The best premier events feature hundreds of the best hot rods, customs, muscle cars, motorcycles, street machines and classic trucks found anywhere in the world.
Automoble Magazine has premier coverage of the big auto shows like Detroit, Paris, Toyko, and more.
Let's Make A Deal On Your Dream Car
But not all is doom and gloom! If we focus on the silver lining of each financial storm cloud! I'm talking about opportunity!
The opportunity to make the best deal possible when you purchase your dream car! Not the opportunity to take advantage of someone, but the advantage to make the best deal possible!
We have all seen the news of major auto manufactures cutting back, closing plants, closing dealerships or even filing bankruptcy, but what is not in the news is that automobile listings are on the rise at major internet sites such as EBay and Craig's list and the same goes for automobile fore sale newspaper adds in cities across America!
We have dealerships slashing new car prices as high as 40% in some areas and the same goes with used cars! This is opportunity knocking for you to buy that dream car at the best possible price.
Now before you jump you should ask yourself one very important question:
Do you really need that car? (Keep in mind that we are in economic bad times and if your purchase is going to place you into a financial strain, if would be best not to make that purchase). You don't want to have to be one who has to sell your dream car because you under estimated your financial situation!
If you answered yes we can now move on to making the best deal possible on your purchase by asking yourself the right questions!
How much can you afford? If you are going to finance your purchase you need to know how much of a down payment you can put down and how much of a monthly payment you can afford. (You must be realistic and honest with your self in this area).
Will your car be used for local or long distance travel? (Keep in mind that gas prices can turn your dream car into a money pit!).
What features are you looking for? You know those little extras such as air conditioning, cruise control, car color, stereo, 4 tires (just kidding), convertible or hard top, Anti-lock brake systems and so on.
Getting this all down (preferably on paper) before you start searching will save you a lot of time and money. Now comes one of the most important steps in any large purchase and that's research!
You will want to check and see what the average selling price is for that dream car in your area by checking websites and dealerships! They do this when you go to purchase a house or to get a home loan to find the value of your property and this same process works on just about any purchase you may make!
Once you have this in hand, you are now ready and prepared to make the best deal possible but you must be willing to walk away from the deal even if you have fallen in love with the car! Keep in mind your goal is to make the best deal possible and if you are willing to walk away your ability to negotiate is increased!
When you make your first offer you should make a low offer allowing yourself and the seller room to negotiate, this process makes everyone comfortable in the deal and at least for me its fun to haggle! But keep in mind that if you go in with a ridiculous offer the seller will most likely walk away leaving you looking like a fool!
Once you have made the deal on your dream car, take three more steps before you lay down your hard earned money!
Step 1: Ask the seller for service records (some will have them and some will not). If a vehicle has been properly serviced during its life time it can turn out to be a little treasure!
Step 2: Be sure to get a vehicle history report! This will identify any major problems such as odometer rollbacks, fire or flood damage and even past accidents.
Step 3: Have it checked out by a trusted mechanic! This will save you from purchasing a money pit!
By just following all three steps your dream car purchase will be one of the wisest purchases you may make!
I purchased a used car with a resale value of $32,000 for $17,900 several years ago by following each step! The car had an outstanding service record and even has a set of 8 manufactured vehicle manuals! So I took the deal to step 2 and ran a vehicle history report that cost around $19 and found out it was totaled because of hale damage even thought it was all repaired! Since I was all good with this I had it checked out by a trusted mechanic that cost me $75 and all was well so I made my purchase and drove this car for 5 years until I sold it for $15,000 making my true purchase less than $3,000!
Be prepared to stand firm and a willingness to walk away and you will find that your dream car purchase can be most exciting!
http://www.articlesbase.com/automotive-articles/lets-make-a-deal-on-your-dream-car-952754.html
Let's Make A Deal On Your Dream Car
But not all is doom and gloom! If we focus on the silver lining of each financial storm cloud! I'm talking about opportunity!
The opportunity to make the best deal possible when you purchase your dream car! Not the opportunity to take advantage of someone, but the advantage to make the best deal possible!
We have all seen the news of major auto manufactures cutting back, closing plants, closing dealerships or even filing bankruptcy, but what is not in the news is that automobile listings are on the rise at major internet sites such as EBay and Craig's list and the same goes for automobile fore sale newspaper adds in cities across America!
We have dealerships slashing new car prices as high as 40% in some areas and the same goes with used cars! This is opportunity knocking for you to buy that dream car at the best possible price.
Now before you jump you should ask yourself one very important question:
Do you really need that car? (Keep in mind that we are in economic bad times and if your purchase is going to place you into a financial strain, if would be best not to make that purchase). You don't want to have to be one who has to sell your dream car because you under estimated your financial situation!
If you answered yes we can now move on to making the best deal possible on your purchase by asking yourself the right questions!
How much can you afford? If you are going to finance your purchase you need to know how much of a down payment you can put down and how much of a monthly payment you can afford. (You must be realistic and honest with your self in this area).
Will your car be used for local or long distance travel? (Keep in mind that gas prices can turn your dream car into a money pit!).
What features are you looking for? You know those little extras such as air conditioning, cruise control, car color, stereo, 4 tires (just kidding), convertible or hard top, Anti-lock brake systems and so on.
Getting this all down (preferably on paper) before you start searching will save you a lot of time and money. Now comes one of the most important steps in any large purchase and that's research!
You will want to check and see what the average selling price is for that dream car in your area by checking websites and dealerships! They do this when you go to purchase a house or to get a home loan to find the value of your property and this same process works on just about any purchase you may make!
Once you have this in hand, you are now ready and prepared to make the best deal possible but you must be willing to walk away from the deal even if you have fallen in love with the car! Keep in mind your goal is to make the best deal possible and if you are willing to walk away your ability to negotiate is increased!
When you make your first offer you should make a low offer allowing yourself and the seller room to negotiate, this process makes everyone comfortable in the deal and at least for me its fun to haggle! But keep in mind that if you go in with a ridiculous offer the seller will most likely walk away leaving you looking like a fool!
Once you have made the deal on your dream car, take three more steps before you lay down your hard earned money!
Step 1: Ask the seller for service records (some will have them and some will not). If a vehicle has been properly serviced during its life time it can turn out to be a little treasure!
Step 2: Be sure to get a vehicle history report! This will identify any major problems such as odometer rollbacks, fire or flood damage and even past accidents.
Step 3: Have it checked out by a trusted mechanic! This will save you from purchasing a money pit!
By just following all three steps your dream car purchase will be one of the wisest purchases you may make!
I purchased a used car with a resale value of $32,000 for $17,900 several years ago by following each step! The car had an outstanding service record and even has a set of 8 manufactured vehicle manuals! So I took the deal to step 2 and ran a vehicle history report that cost around $19 and found out it was totaled because of hale damage even thought it was all repaired! Since I was all good with this I had it checked out by a trusted mechanic that cost me $75 and all was well so I made my purchase and drove this car for 5 years until I sold it for $15,000 making my true purchase less than $3,000!
Be prepared to stand firm and a willingness to walk away and you will find that your dream car purchase can be most exciting!
http://www.articlesbase.com/automotive-articles/lets-make-a-deal-on-your-dream-car-952754.html
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