Posted by aminshit on November 25th, 2011
There are a lot of benefits to buying a car second-hand instead of a brand new car, mostly to do with lower cost. In the long run, however, you could end up paying more for your second-hand car if you accidentally buy a lemon, so it is very important to choose carefully what car you buy. If you will be driving a lot in a big city such as Sydney or Melbourne, you especially need a reliable car in good working condition, so here are a few pointers for when you are searching for your next vehicle.
Have a Mechanic Check it Out
A little peace of mind can go a long way. If you are unsure about your own ability to do a car service, Sydney and Melbourne have plenty of mechanics that can have a look at the car for you. Schedule a time with the car’s owner to take it in to a mechanic of your choice. They will run a few basic tests to make sure the car is generally in good repair, and can tell you whether or not the car will pass all of the inspections necessary for the car’s registration.
Ask for a Full History
The history of the car will tell you a lot about it’s current condition. The most important thing to find out is whether it has been in any accidents. Next you want to make sure certain parts have been replaced when they should have been, for example the timing belt needs to be replaced after a certain amount of kilometres or you will run the risk of damaging the entire engine. The last thing to check for is the last time it had a car service. Melbourne and Sydney driving can be very unforgiving and tough on cars, so you don’t want to buy one that hasn’t been regularly maintained.
Carefully Inspect the Outside of the Car
Check for small blemishes on the surface of the car such as scratches, rust bubbles and any panels that don’t line up (which could indicate a body repair job). Check the tires to make sure there still some tread, otherwise you could end up paying hundreds of dollars to replace them later. Look under the hood as well, even if you don’t know what you are looking at you want to see that the motor is generally clean-looking which indicates the car has been cared for. Anything you find at this stage could be used to try and haggle down the price, so make sure you make note of everything you see.
Take it for a Test Drive
Even if you don’t know much about car motors, you can still listen for things that don’t seem right quite right. When the car is started, you want to listen for any loud noises and watch for blue smoke coming from the exhaust, which indicates that the car burns oil. Once you are in the car, if it is an automatic transmission, listen for how quickly the engine noise changes as you shift from ‘park’ to ‘drive’. If there is a long pause before the gear kicks in, it could indicate a problem with the transmission. When you are driving the car, pay attention to how well it handles, how well it brakes, listen for any odd noises coming from the engine and notice how smoothly the gears change over. You don’t need to know much about cars to know that something may not be quite right. If in doubt, refer back to the first point and take it to a mechanic!
Posted by aminshit on November 2nd, 2011
Selling your car can be a difficult thing to do, both in terms of letting go of the vehicle that you love, as well as making sure you get a good price for your car. If you want to make selling your car worthwhile, don’t pay some one else to do it for you – do it yourself. The key is to do your research, educate yourself, and make it hard for people to not want to buy your car. The following five tips will make selling your car much easier than you ever thought possible.
Get Your Car Serviced
If you want your car to be at its best and impress someone enough to want to buy it, it’s obviously worth investing in a car service Melbourne and Sydney are both full of mechanics, including many offering mobile car service Sydney and Melbourne mechanics are known for their skill and integrity, though obviously it’s always good to go with someone who offers a guarantee.
Clean and Tidy
Apart from having the car running smoothly, making sure it looks good both inside and out is a necessity. No one is going to buy a dirty, messy car. Wash, vacuum, wax, polish and do whatever you can to make your car sparkle. It might even be worthwhile replacing mats or any random loose strips on your car. It doesn’t need to be perfect, but its important that you look at your car from the idea of one that you would want to buy.
Price Your Car
Before you decide how much to ask for your car, find out what it is worth. It’s easy to look up your car, make and model on the Internet and get a good idea of what a car like yours is selling for. This 5-minute exercise will make it easier for you to sell your car at a rate that is fair for both you and the buyer, and will probably make it a faster sale.
Advertise
It’s easy to get the word out these days, and while there are heaps of ways to do it, the internet is most likely going to be how you’ll sell your car. Take a couple of good photos of your car and post a brief advertisement on several sites that sell cars. You may have a lot of people respond so be ready to show the car to potential buyers. Word of mouth is also very effective so tell everyone you know that you are selling your car, there’s nothing better than being able to sell your car to a friend.
Posted by aminshit on October 31st, 2011
Leasing cars has become really popular over the last 10 years, with more private people and companies choosing to lease cars over buying them brand new. Contract hire means that you can have a new car on a fixed basis and return it after this for another new car. This is great for keen drivers and car enthusiasts.
The problem is, in the last few years a lot of people have all been leasing the same cars. BMW 3-series, Audi A3, Volkswagen Golf, Ford Focus etc. There’s nothing wrong with these models, in fact they drive very well, but for someone looking to stand out these just won’t cut it. It’s difficult to appear as an individual sometimes when you’re on a limited budget and especially when it comes to leasing and contracting cars. Here is a selection of cars for the discerning individual:
Volvo V60
Citroen DS3 – This quirky car is becoming fairly popular on the road, but is still not chosen by a lot of car leasers for some reason. The car has eccentric looks and bold colour schemes and drives as well as it looks. If you want Citroen Contract hire then this is the perfect car for you, and more importantly something a little bit different to the standard Ford Focus.
Saab 9-3
This fantastic compact executive car is still quite popular despite the production slowing down a bit over the last couple of years. The car is fantastic for families (especially if getting the four door sedan). The new 9-3 is due for release in late 2012 as the 2013 model. These changes include a reduction of diesel and petrol fuel consumption and the return of the three-spoke alloy wheel. You could of course go down the route of Saab contract hire.
These are just a couple of vehicles you really do need to consider leasing!
Posted by aminshit on October 22nd, 2011
Renting a car for a holiday or a business trip can get expensive quite quickly. Usually, the daily rates advertised do not include all of the extras you need to pay such as taxes and insurance. But there are a few ways you can save money when renting a car, so keep these in mind when you next visit a car rental company.
Compare Prices
People sometimes assume that all car rental companies charge a similar price to each other, but they can actually vary by quite a bit. Make sure you shop around and compare car hire prices before committing, as you may be surprised at the savings you make from the original quote.
Refill the Tank
Always refill the petrol tank before returning the car back to the rental place. All rental companies have an agreement with their customers that you need to return the car with the same amount of fuel in the tank as when you started, or you can opt to have them refill it for you at a charge. You will be shocked at the premium price you will be paying for them to fill the tank for you, so you are far better off stopping and filling it yourself on the way back.
Use Your Own Insurance
Hire companies will strongly suggest you take out an insurance policy with them. However, you may notice their insurance is charged at very expensive prices and you can do better getting your insurance elsewhere. Before travelling, check with your own car insurance to see if that policy covers car hire.
If that one won’t cover it, check with the credit card company that you are using for the hire car, as they will sometimes insure what has been purchased on their cards. Lastly, check your travel insurance policy as well. Most likely these options will be cheaper than taking out insurance on the spot at the car hire company.
Go Smaller
The bigger the car is, the bigger the rental fee will be. Not only that, but the larger car will more likely be a petrol guzzler as well, which you need to pay for out of your own pocket. If you are travelling on your own, don’t be tempted by the jazzy V8 car of your dreams, just go for a small, reliable car with great fuel efficiency.
Posted by aminshit on September 20th, 2011
Are you going sleepless because of the thought troubling you that who will buy my car? If yes, then you have a solution now.
There are majority of people who think that car selling is tough task. They find it time-consuming as well as stressful. It becomes a pain in the neck when people get stuck with dealers who can be termed as mere time-wasters. So, what is the solution? Well, we have an alternative to avoid this nightmare of selling cars through dealers.
And the answer is selling cars via Internet. There is no denying the fact that Internet has brought a complete revolution in our lives. Today, e can pay bills, buy air tickets, order pizza, and transfer money globally. So, if we can purchase the whole market while sitting at home, why can’t we sell our car?
Yes, it is true that there is online service which is 100% reliable as well as efficient and quick. In fact, one won’t believe it that people have sold their cars within few minutes of promoting it online on the site. These online car selling sites will pick your car without costing you an iota. This is all done as per your convenience. This has proved beneficial to many who have been in need of money, and want to sell their car quickly.
What needs to be done is to list your vehicle’s registration number. Once done, the company will find out the details of your vehicle. After this, you’ll start receiving online offers instantly for the selling car. The price quote is done with the help of advanced software which makes calculation according to specific details about the car.
The customer is paid price via electronic transfer made to your account. No charge is levied for this service. The funds are transferred within few minutes. The car is not taken from the collection address until the client is sure about the payment transfer.
The car which is to be collected for selling can be picked from any location. It can be your home or office.
