Be Careful with Cars for Sale by Owners

You need to be cautious of the advertisement on the community bulletin board that reads, “cars for sale by owners”. It would be wise to read the whole ad so that you can determine if it is indeed legitimate. People who are offering used cars for sale by dealers and those listings that purport to being cars for sale by owners often turn out to be unreliable.

About eight months ago, I was shopping for a used car. I came upon a most useful and effective category, “cars for sale by owners,” on Craiglist, the most wonderful of no-charge community bulletin boards online. However, all I found were appealing deals I couldn’t afford, affordable deals that included cars with no engines, and no pink slips. There were also no responses after I went out of my way to visit the owners, test-drive and check the vehicle, and call back as requested with an offer.

I also found advertisements that were clearly for automobiles and trucks offered by a dealer and confirmed by the dealer’s business information. However, I was suspicious because an ad for a 1970’s Chevy Truck had contact information that includes four phone numbers, and a distinctively misspelled detail. To make it worst, I found separate ads for a Ford F-250, a Chevy Nova, and a listing for two commuter cars that had the same contact information, those same four phone numbers, and that same distinctively misspelled detail, after I did a search of over 1,000 cars for sale by owners.

I'm sure that the guy behind those ads was fraudulent. The cars and trucks existed, and they were presented with photographs. However, the background in every one of the photos was the same and the contact info and details were also the same. This means that the supposed cars for sale by owners were really listed in the wrong place intentionally, by a guy who wanted the benefits of a used car salesman but did not want to pay taxes.

This person was obviously not very smart because he used the same identifiable info and just smashed it all into cars for sale by owners. He wasted serious buyers’ time and energy because of his acts. He also gave the already dubious characters of the used car business a more negative identity.

How to Avoid the Nightmare of Buying a Stolen Car at a Police Auction

A public car auction can be a great venue for finding a bargain on a used automobile. But if you are not careful, it can also turn out to be a way to end up getting arrested for possession of stolen property! This is not a normal occurrence, but it has indeed happened to people, who have bought a used auto at a public auction that later turns out to be a set of “hot” wheels. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to prevent this terrible experience from happening to you.

A fair number of the cars seized by the police come from drug dealers, gang members, and other criminal types. It stands to reason that some percentage of these autos would be stolen, considering where they came from. Because of that, official police garages and impounding services are required to verify the seized car’s history to ensure that it wasn’t stolen. But sometimes this isn’t done, and a stolen car turns up at a public auction. Since cars at public auctions are sold “as is,” the vehicle’s “hot” status often goes unnoticed until its new owner tries to register it or obtain a new title.

What often happens next is a real Catch-22: The police then charge the car’s buyer with possession of stolen property, even though the car was bought from an auction of police-seized cars in the first place! This can turn out into a legal and bureaucratic nightmare for the unfortunate buyer, who may even face arrest, lockup, and car seizure. To add to their injuries, such beleaguered buyers may find it impossible to get their money reimbursed.

Can this nightmare also happen to you? Not if you take steps to keep it from happening. The thing to do is to get a car’s history before you even bid on it at an auction. You can do this by finding out the vehicle identification number, which you can get during the inspection period prior to the date of the auction. You can run the vehicle identification number through a website such as Carfax and get an online report of the car’s history. The report shows such details as when the car was bought and sold, registered, and serviced, and can tell you if the car has a clean title.

In any case, there is no reason to get scared of buying a car at a public auction. With a little research, you can make sure that the car you are bidding for has no problems associated with it. Then you can go home with an auto you can happily call yours and yours alone.

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If you too would like to opt for a suitable electric cooling fan for your vehicle then SPAL fans are probably the best option.

Saving Money on Gas

HOW TO SAVE MONEY ON GAS

No matter what kind of car drive, gas is expensive. We detail what you can do on and off the road so that you save at the pump!

-- Are your tires properly inflated? Not only will improperly inflated tires cause wear and tear on your tread, you will also end up wasting gas. When checking the inflation, make sure that the balance and alignment of your tires is also accurate.

-- Get your car services for routine maintenance and engine tune-ups twice a year.

-- If you have junk in your car, get rid of it. Any excess weight can weigh your car down causing your vehicle to burn more gas that it should be.

-- When filling your car up, use the lowest grade (octane) gas.

-- It has become common practice for gas stations to charge extra for using your credit card. If this is the case, either use a different gas stations where you can use a credit card without incurring any additional fees, or pay in cash!

-- Never fill your car up to the top (top-off). When you do this, you lose gas a result of the gasoline spilling over the top.

-- Be a conservative driver. This means that you avoid flooring it as soon as the light is green. Also, try and not rev your engine. Doing so will only waste gas.

-- Avoid driving fast. Dive at a slow, steady pace. An important tip to note is that if you avoid driving the ten mile cushion, and stick to actual the speed zone, you can save a nice amount of money per gallon!

-- Try and not warm your car up during the cold weather for an excessive amount of time. You really should not warm the car up or more than 3-4 minutes on average. Anything more than that is going to result in the wasting of gas.

-- Never drive with your left on the rested on the brake. The lightest amount of pressure you put will cause resistance with the engine needing more gas. Also, resting your foot on the beak will also cause un-needed wear and tear on your breaks.

-- Upon filling your car up with gas, make sure your gas cup is secure. Even if it is only a little loose, you run the risk of gas evaporating!

-- Look to buy a car that is fuel efficient.

-- When using air conditioning to stay cool, don't have your windows open. Also, if you are stuck in traffic, keep your windows open and turn the air conditioning off.

-- At the conclusion of the winter season, take your snow tires off if you use them. These types of tires are heavier, resulting in the use of more gas.

Maintenance of Your Front-End Investment

Speaking of sleek cars, is there a better way to make your car look good than having its proper maintenance? It is doubtful that there's a substitute to that. Car maintenance is a given. You can dress up your car's so-called front end investment and protect it with a decent grille guard and new wax. You can also replace the stock wheels and rims with kick-ass new ones. And the car may look good, but, for ever?

Car improvement pays off only within a limited time frame. The same goes for the coveted 'new car smell.' You can bask in on the thought that every thing about your car is in mint condition. But you ought not to forget that without proper car maintenance, a vehicle's decay is indispensable.

Washing your car's wheels and tires on a Sunday afternoon with a bucket of dish soap and water may have been okay some ten or so years ago. But now, more than giving it a good amount of care, you want to maintain your investment. Towards this purpose, you need to use the proper products to make them last.

A few weeks into driving your car without cleaning your wheels and tires can make them look very bad. Especially with wheels having bright finish, brake dust buildup can turn your lemon car into a slick. You may think that you are getting your rims clean by using harsh detergents, but by doing so you are actually taking away the tire's moisture and promoting deterioration. Good quality car wash soap, liquid wheel cleaner, a tire brush, wheel brush and a smaller brush are what you need to get into the cracks between spokes. A toothbrush works great on elaborate wheels and rims.

Air and Fuel Mix it up for Improved Engine Performance

The sole responsible component for the motion of a vehicle is the engine. For the engine, to enable such motion is through combustion, or the burning of the fuel to create pressure, which then creates for motion. A remarkably tiny amount of fuel is needed during each combustion cycle. Mix it with air, fuel is burnt during combustion process for the engine to create pressure.

To achieve the process, the carburetor is installed to mix jut the right amount of gasoline with air so that the engine runs smoothly. If there is not enough fuel mixed with air, the engine “runs lean” and either will not run or will potentially damage the engine. Having too much fuel mixed with air will make the engine “run rich” and will: not run (during floods); run very smoky; run poorly (bogs down, stall easily); or will even waste fuel. The carburetor will makes this mixture at the right amount.

Carburetors are still found in small engines and in older or specialized automobiles such as those designed for stock car racing. However, fuel injection first introduced in the late 1950's and first successfully commercialized in the early 1970s, have become nearly universal a sit provides better fuel efficiency and lower emissions. But nearly all older cars and other small equipment like lawnmowers and chainsaws use carburetors because of its simplicity and low cost in comparison with fuel injections.

Running at idle or when it is cold, the engine is supplied by the carburetor with a small amount of very rich fuel mixture. As the throttle plate is closed and air from the air cleaner is limited by the closed choke plate, engine suction is amplified at idle-circuit nozzle. This vacuum draws a thick spray of gasoline through the nozzle from the full float bowl, whose fuel line is closed by the float-supported needle valve. More fuel is provided when the gas pedal is depressed for acceleration. The pedal linkage opens the throttle plate and the choke plate to send air rushing through the barrel. The linkage also depresses the accelerator pump, providing added gasoline through the accelerator-circuit nozzle. As air passes through the narrow center of the barrel, called the "venturi;” it produces suction that draws spray from the cruising-circuit nozzle. The float-bowl level drops and causes the float to tip and the needle valve to open the fuel line.

When liquid or air passes through the venturi tube, the speed of flow is increased at the restriction. Thus, air pressure is lowered, creating an “increase in vacuum” or a reduction in ambient pressure. This will enable for the fuel to be drawn into the barrel. This venturi process is used to keep the correct air-fuel ratio throughout the range of speeds and loads of engine.

The float circuit maintains the fuel in the carburetor at a certain level even in the harshest conditions. It maintains the fuel level. When its attached lever forces the needle valve closed, the flow of the fuel from the pump is stopped. The needle valve opens and fuel flows into the bowl again. In this way, the fuel is level to the opening of the main discharge nozzle. The float level must be set with a high degree of accuracy. If the level is too low, not enough fuel will be supplied to the system and the engine will stall on turns. If the level is too high, too much fuel will flow from the nozzle.

The metering rod will tell how much sizes will the carburetor jet opens. The fuel from the float bowl is metered through the jet and the metering rod within it. The fuel is forced from the jet to the nozzle extending into the venturi. As the throttle valve is opened, its linkage raises the metering rod from the jet. The rod has several steps, or tapers, on the lower end. As it is raised in the jet, it makes the opening of the jet greater in size. This allows more fuel to flow through the jet to the discharge nozzle.

When the engine is cold, the choke valves make the necessary fuel mixture adjustments to start it. The engine won't start properly with a cold fuel-air mixture. It will even stall out periodically. When “engaged” (closed) it will increase the fuel air mixture, or otherwise, increased. Placed at the mouth of the carburetor, the choke is a special valve that partially blocks off the entering air. When the choke plate closes, the vacuum below it increases, drawing more fuel from the fuel bowl. The rich fuel mixture burns even at lower temperatures, allowing the engine to warm up.

Also added inside the carburetor is the idle circuit that keeps the engine running smoothly and evenly when no power is necessary. Also known as the idle jet, it admits fuel on the engine side of the throttle valve. Additional air is mixed with the fuel through the air bleed. This result to an entirely separates carburetor circuit that functions only when the throttle valve is closed.

Government Seized cars

You may have heard of government seized cars or repossessed cars being sent for sale by auction to the public. Since the cars are being auctioned off, and there is no personal or private interest in how much they sell for, the theory is that you can get a real bargain here – the figure of 60-90% off the retail value is often used as a benchmark. In addition, it is believed that very few people know about these auctions, except dealers, who buy cars for sale at low prices to on-sell at high markups.

So what is the truth of this? Can you really save huge amounts of money and get a bargain this way? How do you locate the seized car auctions anyway? What do other people say, who have actually bought a car for themselves, from a government seized or repossessed car auction?

Every day, the government seizes cars, then sells them to recover costs – this is true. These are often called 'repo' cars. These cars may have been the property of criminals who have forfeited their assets after prosecution, and are sent to auction by law enforcement agencies. Or, they may simply be unwanted federal or state vehicles which have been replaced by new models. Members of the public are entitled to bid for these cars. In addition, other types of vehicle are often available this way – trucks, RVs, motorcycles, and ATVs. Bidding will often start at $100.

Using various services which put these cars and other vehicles into online databases, you can choose to select cars to bid on which are in your local area, and you can select the model of car you are interested in. These auctions are often held at monthly intervals.

There are some drawbacks to these government seized car auctions. Always check the miles a vehicle has driven – federal and state agencies often have a high figure set, after which the vehicle is sent for auction. When you have found a car you are interested in, you can go to the location and view it. Often however, you will not be able to drive it. There will be little or no warranties or guarantees – this is the reason for the low prices. Also, there will be a lot of competition (from dealers) for the best and newest vehicles. So fix the top price you are willing to pay (in your mind), and don’t go beyond that in the excitement of the auction. Often the slightly older vehicles will be ignored by the dealers, and that is where the bargains are to be found.

There are also many advantages to buying a car this way. Many people will report that they did get a bargain, and their new vehicle runs well. Often due to weather, time of day, or time of year the auction will be poorly attended, and so the competition for even the best vehicles will be limited. In some cases you may be the only bidder. Though you are likely to have noticed a vehicle model you are interested in using an online service, when attending the auction preview itself you may well see other suitable cars which you could bid on, so it pays to be flexible.

We recommend that you try this method of buying a vehicle. If you have doubts, first attend a government seized car auction simply as an observer, to see how the process works and to get a feel for pricing levels. Then watch the lists, and go for the car you want at the next auction. Good luck!

Top 10 Things A Dealer Wants You To Know

We interviewed some of the sharpest new car sales associates across the country to give you an insider guide to purchasing a new car or truck. Here’s their insights based on real world experience that could save you money:

Ian Nethercott, Richmond Honda

1) Trade-in value

If you are planning to trade in your car or truck, it is crucial to know what the real market value is for your vehicle. This homework can be done online. It’s is very important to have a clear understanding of what the trade in car or truck is worth.

2) Understand the type of car you’re looking for

It is vital to do the research of the kind of car you're looking for. Hopefully, it is one that meets the demands of your life. If you keep it too vague you will have to rely on the salesperson to sell you. It’s better to have a clear understanding of what color, model, and make/brand of car that meets your lifestyle.

3) Differentiating financing or leasing

After you have chosen the car you want, it is important to negotiate the price first. It’s important to do this as if you were buying the car outright with cash. Negotiate the price first and then look at financing or leasing options. Look for a cash purchase first. If you are looking for leasing, understand what leasing is about prior to coming into the dealership. Most manufacturer websites give you this information. You simply put in what your down payment is going to be in various scenarios and it calculates your monthly payment.

4) What to look for in a sales associate

The good sales associate can lessen your anxiety about the price, brand and dealership. If the sales associate is low balling your trade, they may be looking to make a fast buck, or are not taking you seriously. A low trade in value is a tactic to maintain a higher profit margin in the car they are selling you.

5) Tips on negotiating

Some customers may look for the actual cost of the car, etc. Keep in mind the dealership has to make a certain amount of revenue on each car. Unless the car is in very high demand, most dealers should be able to sell you the car for $1,000 more than the invoice price. Let the MSRP and invoice price be your guide. Always negotiate down from the highest number.

6) How is the dealership after the sale?

If the dealership calls and wants to know how you are doing is usually a good sign they appreciate you as a customer. If you feel they don’t care, take your business of servicing the vehicle elsewhere.

7) Budget

It is important to know beforehand where you want to be with your monthly payments. Do the math on the manufacturer’s website so you know what the payment is going to be.

8) Don’t be fooled by incentives

Many dealerships may have end-of-year incentives you may or may not be aware of. Don’t be fooled. Stay on the thin and narrow to get the deal you want on your own terms – for the car you want!

9) The quality of the dealership

If you feel you are not being treated fairly, walk out of the dealership. There are plenty of dealers who are happy to earn your business and work hard to retain you as a repeat customer.

10) Bear in mind the dealership is going to make some profit

By doing your research, prior to going to the dealer, you will be in a better place to negotiate a deal for a car you want and save money. Remember, the dealer has to make some money. It is costly to keep a car on the lot, and the dealer has to recoup some of their expense.