Monday, September 21, 2009

FOUR MOST IMPORTANT THINGS TO CHECK WHAN BUYING A USED CAR

by FANCY HOCKEY CARS

Hi,

There are four things to check when buying a used car that can save you time and frustration.

Truth be told, there are dozens of things that you could check when you're looking at used cars, but that would take far more time than most of us have.

Looking at the four things to check when buying a used car listed in this article will take a fraction of the time and give you a good idea what kind of car you're about to buy.



1. Vehicle History

This is actually one of the easiest things to check when buying a used car. Services like the constantly advertised, Carfax, exist to make this as easy as possible, and any decent, reputable dealer will be able to provide a vehicle history.

If they don't, you should probably walk away, but you can run your own history with the VIN number. In either case, what you're looking for is a car that hasn't been in any accidents or needed major work done.

2. Exhaust Smoke

You need to have the dealer start the car up for you while you watch the exhaust pipe. What you want to happen is for there to be maybe a little white steam coming out of the car.

You shouldn't get smoke out of the exhaust, unless you're looking at a diesel, in which case a little black smoke initially is acceptable.

White smoke is usually an indicator of engine problems. Blue smoke means the car is burning oil, which is very bad news. Black smoke means there is something wrong with the way the car is burning gasoline. In any event, if the car smokes, you don't want to buy it.

3. Brakes

Another one of the crucial things to check on a used car is the brakes. You're going to need to take the car on a test drive to check this one.

What you want to do is to take the car to an area without traffic, then go around 30 mph and press down hard on the brakes.

You don't want to do this hard enough to slide, but you do want a quick deceleration. If the brakes vibrate or make any strange noises, they need replaced.

If there are any problems with the brakes, you should probably walk away; although these are easily repaired, they usually indicate a car that hasn't been properly maintained.

4. Interior

As far as things to check when purchasing a used car go, this one that doesn't get as much thought as it should. What you are looking for here is a disparity between the interior of the car and the mileage.

If the car has low mileage and a really beat up interior, this is a sign of either poor maintenance or odometer fraud. On the other hand, if it has high miles and a like new interior, this can be a sign the car was owned by somebody who really took car of it.

These four things to check when buying a used car will give you a good picture of the quality of car you're buying, and this will save you big money.
This should only take a few minutes, so make sure you follow the steps and get a car you can rely on.

With Taking the House Edge, you'll have an unprecedented edge before you ever step foot in the dealership.

To put it plainly, there's just some things you learn from the inside that no other "car experts" can tell you about. Dealerships have their sales process down to an absolute science, and only they know where every little psychological hot-button is.

Get Taking the House Edge today and take back control.

Talk soon,

John

Sunday, September 6, 2009

HOW TO GET BETTER GAS MILEAGE

by THE CAR LOAN KING



It seems that every where you turn, the price of gas keeps on rising. Buying and owning a car is certainly a drain on your budget.

Here are some very useful and effective ways that you can save money and achieve better gas mileage.

•A very key element in keeping gas costs at a minimum is to have your vehicle properly maintained for top efficiency. Keeping your brake pads in top shape, as well as spark plugs, and having your oil changed according to schedule will ensure that your gas costs are low and also benefit the environment.

•The most common and most often forgotten way to save gas if to make sure that your tired are properly inflated. Simply, tire pressure is critical in how much gas your car uses. If your tires aren’t fully inflated it causes rolling resistance, this resistance causes your car to drag and waste gas. Keeping your tires around the normal 35 psi will cut your gas costs. Keeping your tires at this recommended pressure will also make your car glide further, so all you heavy footed fast drivers can now take your foot off the pedal!

•Avoid spontaneous pedal acceleration. Try to maintain a steady hold on the gas and when in need of a fast acceleration, try do so steady and evenly. Obviously, when your foot is off the gas, the less gas will be used.

•There is a speed limit for a reason. This is mainly to maintain overall safety; however, if you drive at or around the speed limit, you will waste less gas than if you are driving faster.

•Put your car into neutral when driving down a hill. If it's a steep downgrade leave it in gear and coast that way. The transmission will help slow you down a little on steep downgrades, but in any event try to keep your foot out of the gas for as long as you can.