Posts Tagged: cars

cars and autos — No Comments
22
Jan 10

Car Maintenance is Important if You Want To Save Your Money

You don’t want to fool around when choosing a mechanic for your car.  Keep an ear open for recommendations and warnings when your friends and family have car troubles.  If you know beforehand of a body shop you feel comfortable with, you won’t need to make a rushed or incomplete decision when you need one. Ask friends and associates for their recommendations. I stay in touch with homeschooling families.  They’re often part of a larger group that can share recommendations for mechanics they’ve felt were honest and reputable.

Check with your local Better Business Bureau regarding the reputation of a particular body shop. Ask about the number of complaints, if there were any, and how the complaints were resolved.  Don’t be too anxious if there were some complaints.  No one pleases everybody, and there are some people you can’t satisfy no matter what.  But if you see a pattern of the same kinds of problems, beware. Next, pay a visit to the shop and ask if they handle your vehicle make and model. Check to see how long they’ve been in business.  What kind of feel do you get about the place?  Are you treated with courtesy?  Does the staff behave professionally?

You don’t need to “white glove test” the place, but it should be neat, and organized.  Also, times are a’changin’, and modern equipment is an absolute must. Sometimes, vehicle manufacturers recommend specific repair procedures and tools for the repair of their vehicles. Ask if the shop is trained in these procedures and has the necessary equipment. Are there any civic and community service awards hanging on the walls?  It’s a nice touch. Do you see diplomas or certificates of competence?  You want a technically competent staff.

Look around the place.  What kinds of vehicles seem to be in the repair stage?  Does everything look like it’s being handled professionally?   Don’t be shy about talking to folks in the waiting room to see they’ve tried the shop before and how pleased they are with the service they’ve received in the past. My number one suggestion is to ask around and see where others have had satisfactory car repair work done.  Even if you’re feeling stressed and in a hurry, ask at least 15 people.  That way, you’re likely to get the same place mentioned more than once.  A little time spent on the basics can save you a load of trouble in the long run.  And once you find mechanic you trust, your car’s future looks a lot brighter.

car loans — No Comments
9
Nov 09

Trying To Find A Good Deal On A New Car

We have all heard that depressing statement that a new vehicle depreciates in value the second you pull away from the dealership. I used to think that was an exaggeration until my friend got into a wreck in her Dodge Durango a week after she purchased it. The insurance wouldnít give her enough to cover buying a new one even though she was not at fault in the accident. She had to get an attorney and eventually she was able to get a new vehicle to replace it, but not without quite a circus taking place around the issue for a couple of months.

Buying a new vehicle is one expense that you have to consider very carefully. Those monthly payments can sure take a chunk out of your disposable income. You also have to consider the cost of license plates, insurance, gas, and regular maintenance on the vehicle. To help you find the very best bargains on the new vehicle of your choice you will want to conduct some research before you start negotiations with the salesman.

There are a variety of ways to find out the book value on a particular vehicle. You can go to www.NADA.com or www.KellyBlueBook.com. You can get a very detailed price by listing the make of the vehicle, the various accessories it offers, and the mileage. This information will help you find the lowest price you can expect to purchase that vehicle for.

Next, take a close look at your credit report so you know exactly what interest rate you can expect on a new vehicle. This way you don’t waste your time haggling with the sales. See what they offer you for a price and financing before you bring your information into play. If they match or beat it then great. If they want to give you higher price or interest rate, present your researched information. If they wonít sell you the vehicle for that price with that interest rate then go somewhere else.

October is a very good time of year to start considering the purchase of a new vehicle. This is because they want to start clearing out vehicles on the lot to make room for the next yearís models that will soon be arriving. Since many vehicle dealerships donít see much in the way of sales over winter due to the cold and the holiday season, they are more likely to present you with the deal of the century to make the sell.

If you see other sales around the holidays they may be a good time to save money as well. The key to making sure it is a bargain is to make sure the cost hasnít been inflated or your interest rated jacked up a percent or two to cover the promotional cost of the vehicle. Too many people get caught up in what they see on the windshield of a vehicle rather than looking at the big picture.

New vehicles often end up with a scratch or a dent in them soon after you buy them. While this can be very upsetting you really canít do much about it. Someone leaving their shopping cart in the parking lot of the store can result in the wind running it into your vehicle. You can find great deals of new vehicles that have some body damage such as small scratches and even hail damage from a recent storm. In most cases you will save several times what it costs you to repair the damage.

To motivate customers to make a purchase of a new vehicle instead of just looking many dealerships offer incentives like 0% financing and cash back. Make sure you find out all the details of such promotions as they may be a good way to save money or they may cost you more in the long run. Take the time to calculate all the possible scenarios so that you get the bargain you were after with your new vehicle purchase.