Sunday, May 18, 2008 

Up Your Used Car Value By Stopping Rust Part 1

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Rust is rust. It's unsightly, it speaks of neglect and inevitable decay. And no one likes it. Certainly not on cars, whether used cars or new. After all, we want our cars looking shiny and brand-new, just as it was when it left the car dealer lot.

When it comes to buying used cars, no one wants to buy a rust bucket. Rust radically depreciates your used car's resale value. So, whether want to buy used car or a new one, the trick is keeping rust from taking root in your car.

Three basic steps are:

FIND RUST
KEEP IT FROM STARTING
ATTEND TO IT ONCE IT HAS STARTED

Most people shopping around at the used car dealer lot fail to detect rust simply because they don't know where to spot it. Of course, you can't expect the dealer to be upfront about rust in their used cars for sale. One needs to understand then how rust usually starts and where it is most likely to emerge.

How Rust Starts
Rust usually begins through the chips and nicks your car receives from the pebbles and stones that hit it during daily driving. With a small nick exposing bare metal in an unnoticeable location, it is just a matter of time until rust forms.

Left unchecked long enough, this tiny nick will eat its way through to the other side. When this happens you have problems because once a rust hole starts, it cannot be stopped. It can only be slowed down.

Where to Look For Rust
The most likely areas to check for rust are in and around the wheel wells, and on the fenders immediately behind the tyres. These are the war zones where your tyres will kick up stones and chip the paint. The front of your car can also catch flying stones from other cars, making this a problem area as well.

The next time you're looking at used cars for sale, use a torch to look underneath the car, and behind the front and rear tyres on both sides. Of course, before you do this make sure the car is parked on a level surface in park/gear and the emergency brake on. If it is on a slope, put blocks under the wheels for added safety. Shine your light on the inside of the fenders and wheel wells.

Another word to the wise for those who buy used car
Avoid cars with fresh paint. Think about it: no one paints a car just because the colour has faded a little. It was painted because either it was in an accident or it had a rust problem or worse yet - both! A crash repairer can hide a lot of sin with paint and body filler

Other rust-prone places to check when buying a used car are the exterior flooring under the driver's and passenger's seats, the interior flooring underneath the carpeting/matting, under the carpeting/matting in the boot, and around the engine compartment. Use your torch, your eyes, and your fingers!

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Want Great Shiny Used Cars for Sale in Australia?
Drop by at http://cars.OzFreeOnline.com, Australia's free car classifieds with the widest selection of great deals in used cars for sale. It's free to sign up, post your ad, and look around!

At OzFree, it's never just a ride; it's a great one!

Barbara Thorp is an article contributor for http://cars.ozfreeonline.com.

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3:49 PM | |

 

Cheap European or American Luxury Cars From Japanese Car Auctions

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Japanese auto makers such as Toyota, Nissan, Honda and Subaru are known world wide for producing high quality, efficient and durable cars. Car auctions in Japan give you the chance to buy and export a used Japanese brand car to your country, usually with big savings on similar priced cars you can find in your local dealership.

But Japanese drivers also love foreign brands such as Audi, Bentley, Land Rover, BMW, Mercedez Benz, Porsche, Volvo and Volkswagon. It's possible to find these luxury cars very cheaply at Japanese car auctions and you can certainly make a very good saving on buying and exporting from Japan.

Japanese drivers take care of their vehicles and because of rigorous safety inspections, taxes and other fees it is more cost effective for a Japanese driver to change their car to a newer model regularly. This means a large pool of well maintained used cars for sale and export.

The auction and export process

Your first step to finding a cheap luxury car is to find a reputable dealer. Second hand car dealers don't have the most solid of reputations to begin with and there are cases of foreign buyers being ripped off by dodgey dealers, but these are definately in the minority.

First, check out the dealers website and see if they have full contact and bank information and are members of the JUMVEA which is the Japanese government sanctioned trade body for foreign car exporters. Membership means that members have to abide by a code of best practice.

Also, make sure that the company is registered with the local government - they should display a government trade license number.

Second, test communication with the dealer by either sending an email or calling (many dealers have Skype or similar so you can do it for free). In your initial emails look out for quality of English, timely response and level of details in the answer. Unanswered or evasive answers and poor quality English may lead to misunderstandings later on.

Once you have contacted several dealers and filtered some out you can start to browse seriously for a car. You can use this free car search tool (http://www.used-car-japan.com/japanese-used-car-search.php) to contact several dealers at once to save you the hassle of filling out loads of forms on different websites.

Auction and exporting process

Generally you can either buy directly from the dealers stock of cars (which they make have from spotting a bargin at auction and bought for later resale) or request they look for something for you at auctions.

You can have a very specific or very general request and the dealer will try to find something and send you deatils of the cars. All the major car auctions are online and dealers have access to national daily auctions giving a choice of upto 40,000 cars a day!

Once you get the car details you can decide to bid or not, send a maximum price you want to bid and sit back and wait for the result!

The dealer will try to get the lowest price for you so you don't pay more than you have to.

Once you have won a car then you also have to consider paying for paperwork fees, transportation, shipping, insurance and customs import taxes when the car arrives in your country.

Local auto regulation compliance

You also have to make sure the car complies with all local auto regulations. Some dealers may help you with this especially if they are in your own country, but others will probably not give much help. Therefore before you buy make sure you know what you will have to do to make the car legal in your own country.

If you're buying a European brand then these are less likely to be an issue as cars made for Europe and re-imported from Japan are the same models so it's likely that the manufacturer already has approval for that car in your country.

Summary

Japanese used car auctions are a great source of both Japanese and European/America brand quality used cars. You can get a great deal for a little research and shopping around, and although it's not the quickest or easiest way to buy a new car, it's certainly a lot of fun and can be much cheaper than buying in your own country.

Keith Taynton has been involved in the Japanese used car industry and runs a website with a complete guide to buying and exporting used cars from Japan.

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5:15 AM | |

 

How To Find Used Cars For Sale On The Internet

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You don't buy a car everyday. It's a big purchase. There is so much to consider and it can seem overwhelming, but here are some basic questions you should ask yourself:

What model of car are you looking for? What specific make and year is best for you?

Where is the best place to find a used car, online or at an actual local dealership? What are the advantages of both?

How much are you going to spend and what effect will it have on your budget? What is the most you can afford to pay?

How much will the fees and insurance come to ?

Is it a good idea to maybe take out a loan?

Here are some tips to make all these decisions easier to make:

Spend some quality time with your computer. Sip some coffee, relax and cruise the internet. A little research will help you make a more informed decision.

Do a simple internet search for both used cars and trucks. You will find lots of websites offering deals.

Look at different styles and different features, and compare prices.

After you have decided what model and make you are interested in, look around at information about taking out a loan. You don't need to make any firm decision yet, the most important thing is to just put out feelers and see what's out there.

It's become much easier and more convenient to buy a car online. You can find some good deals that way. Going all around town and haggling with salesmen is stressful and time-consuming. On the internet, you have access to all the information you need to make an informed purchase, at just the click of a button.

On the internet you can even find out information about a specific car. Things like for example a history report for a certain vehicle and even make an appointment for a test drive. As a matter of fact, you can make the entire purchase on the internet in the comfort of your own home. All the info and options you need are right at your fingertips.

Terry Bolton is an internet publisher. He runs the website http://www.cheap-used-cars.w-eland.com. He gives advice and helps people with automotive issues.

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3:06 AM | |