Lemon Law - How To Make A Lemonade From Your Sour Experience.

Lemon Law Background

The term “Lemon-Law” is a nick name derived from other common terms
such as “Lemon-Car”, “Monday-cars” and “Friday-Cars”.

A lemon car is a defective car that, when purchased new or used, is found by the purchaser to have numerous or severe defects not readily apparent before the purchase. Any vehicle with these issues can be termed a "lemon car" and by extension, any product which has major flaws that render it unfit for its purpose can be described as a "lemon product".

New vehicles directly from the factory may contain hidden mechanical flaws or defects in workmanship, usually caused by an error during the build process of the car. These errors can range from parts being installed incorrectly, a tool that was used to build the car not being removed, a batch of materials with structural or chemical flaws or simply bad design.

Usually, a car is labeled a lemon if the same problem occurs 3 times in a row over a short period, and previous attempts at repair have not repaired the problem. In most cases, if you get a lemon, lemon laws will make the company buy back the car or exchange it.

Many of you might remember that during the late eighties the average American consumer almost lost faith completely with the American made cars.
The amount of lemon cars along with the high rate of over the average visits
to the car garages as well as the high repairs and spare parts cost, caused many Americans to switch to Japanese and even European cars.

This was a period of time when Americans were reluctant to go to the dealers garages and preferred to go to oil & lube services only.

At that time Lee Iacocca the CEO of Chrysler Corp identified immediately the problem of mistrust of American consumers in American made cars, Chrysler launched a campaign on national TV promising to provide a bumper-to-bumper warranty coverage for 50,000 miles or five years, which ever comes first! Then GM came with the answer of 60,000 miles or 6 years, which ever comes first! Chrysler returned with the final stroke of 70,000 miles or 7 years which ever comes first.

Few months later I went to the Buick main dealer garage in long Island,
I was seating in the waiting room, next to me was a very nervous guy, I asked him why was he so upset with the garage, he explained to me that even though he had this bumper-to-bumper warranty It doesn't cover labor and the damn car is more than a week in the garage and they don't seems to be able to find what is the problem with the car...

The Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act is Known as the "Lemon Law"


The Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act is a United States federal law codified
at 15 USC 50. Enacted in 1975, it is the federal statute that governs
warranties on consumer products

The Act was sponsored by Senators Warren G. Magnuson of Washington and Frank Moss of Utah, both Democrats.
State Lemon Laws have some differences like coverage of motorcycles and used vehicles, but there are some basic guidelines that they do share.
(See 50 state by state Lemon Law Summaries at:
http://autopedia.com/html/HotLinks_Lemon2.html).

In passing the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, Congress specified a number of requirements that warrantors must meet. Congress also directed the FTC to adopt rules to cover other requirements.

The FTC adopted three Rules under the Act, the Rule on Disclosure of Written Consumer Product Warranty Terms and Conditions (the Disclosure Rule), the Rule on Pre-Sale Availability of Written Warranty Terms (the Pre-Sale Availability Rule), and the Rule on Informal Dispute Settlement Procedures (the Dispute Resolution Rule). In addition, the FTC has issued an interpretive rule that clarifies certain terms and explains some of the provisions of the Act. This section summarizes all the requirements under the Act and the Rules.

The Act and the Rules establish three basic requirements that may apply to a warrantor or a seller.

A. As a warrantor, you must designate, or title, your written warranty as either "full" or "limited."

B. As warrantor, you must state certain specified information about the coverage of your warranty in a single, clear and easy to read document.

C. As a warrantor or a seller, you must ensure that warranties are available where your warranted consumer products are sold so that consumers can read them before buying.

The laws define what a lemon car is and require that the manufacturer, not the dealer, takes care of the defects. If a number of attempts have been made to repair a defect that significantly impairs the use, value or safety of a car and the car continues to have this defect, the car is than considered to be a "lemon".

Most statutes set up a warranty rights period of either 12 to 24 months or 12,000 to 24,000 miles. The defect(s) must occur sometime during this period.

Many of the state laws contain specific guidelines as to what constitutes a sufficient number of attempts to repair, and whether these attempts entitle the consumer to a refund or replacement. These are:

a. If the defect is a serious safety defect involving brakes and or steering, the manufacturer is granted one attempt to repair.

b. If there is a safety defect that is not considered a serious safety defect, the manufacturer has two attempts to repair.

c. For any other defect, the manufacturer is usually given three or four chances to repair the same defect.

d. If at any time the vehicle is in the shop for a cumulative total of 30 days in a one year period, with at least one of those days occurring the first 12,000 miles.

If any one of these of these guidelines can be satisfied, the consumer is usually given the right to require repurchase or replacement of his/her vehicle.

Most lemon laws do allow an offset for use of the vehicle by the consumer. Oftentimes, a reduction in the consumer's purchase price return is used in relation to the number of miles he/she had put on the car. One law spells out the reduction in refund for use as follows:

(miles at time of refund X purchase price)/100,000

Only about one half of the lemon laws allow the consumer to recover attorney's fees in his/her action. Those states that do allow attorney's fees provide for a greater likelihood of success and representation in warranty disputes.

What the Magnuson-Moss Act – Lemon Law, Does Not Require

First, the Act does not require any business to provide a written warranty. The Act allows businesses to determine whether to warrant their products in writing. However, once a business decides to offer a written warranty on a consumer product, it must comply with the Act.

Second, the Act does not apply to oral warranties. Only written warranties are covered.

Third, the Act does not apply to warranties on services. Only warranties on goods are covered. However, if your warranty covers both the parts provided for a repair and the workmanship in making that repair, the Act does apply to you. (Source: http://www.ftc.gov/index.html).

Finally, the Act does not apply to warranties on products sold for resale or for commercial purposes. The Act covers only warranties on consumer products. This means that only warranties on tangible property normally used for personal, family, or household purposes are covered. (This includes property attached to or installed on real property.) Note that applicability of the Act to a particular product does not, however, depend upon how an individual buyer will use it.



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Sell Your Car Online: Step 5, Making Search Engines Love Your Classified Ad

Car classifieds websites can help you sell your car or truck very quickly. In step 4 of this series, titled “Sell Your Car Online: Step 4, Writing a Compelling Description of Your Automobile“, you learned how to write a powerful description of your car that transforms the viewer of your classified ad from a browser to a buyer.

The fifth step in placing an ad is making your listing search engine friendly. A crash course in search engine optimization is in order. Being “search engine friendly” means the web page in question has all the correct hidden and visible parts that search engines are looking for. A web page must have the following to be considered search engine friendly:

- TITLE tag, which is shown in the title bar of the window (mine shows “Google – Microsoft Internet Explorer” when visiting Google.com).
- META DESCRIPTION tag, which is only visible if you view the source code.
- HEADER tag, which displays text in a larger font than the rest of the page (just like the headline in a printed newspaper).
- Hyperlinks, which are simple text links that allow navigation on the internet.
- Emphasized text, which is text that is bolded, italicized, or underlined.
- Copywriting of at least 200 -250 words on the page (with a minimum number of images).
- An ALT tag for the first 3 images on your page, which displays when the image is not available.
- The ability for the search engine spiders to index the page.
- A URL that is static, not dynamic.

The key to search engine rankings is which keywords you use and where on the page you use them. For proper search engine optimization, your keyword should show up in the TITLE, the META DESCRIPTION, a HEADER, an ALT tag, a hyperlink, and an emphasized portion of text. Also your keyword should show up 2-3 times per 100 words on your page (once per paragraph should do).

Your page must be indexed by a search engine. Search engines have a piece of code called a spider or robot that actively seeks out web pages to “crawl” or index. They follow links from one web page to another trying to find as many web sites and pages as they can. Once they crawl the site, they add the page to the search engine’s database so it will show up in the search results. But there is a problem. Some of the auto classified web sites do not allow their classified listings to be indexed by the search engines.

The URL needs to be static and not dynamic. Pages that are driven by a database usually have dynamic URLs which include “?”, “=”, or “&” as part of the full address of the page (example: www.someclassifiedsite.com/index.php?a=5&b=222). Search engine spiders have problems indexing pages that have dynamic URLs, though they are ever improving. To ensure your page does not have a problem being indexed, it must be a static URL (example: www.someclassifiedsite.com/category5-222.htm).

So, what does all this mean for you? First you should know that when you place an ad in an auto classified site, you only have control over 2-4 of the 9 criteria listed above. That makes it hard for you to give your listing an advantage over other similar listings in regards to search engine rankings. So let’s take a look at the things you do have control over.

The description you write should have the correct keywords in it. For example, if you have a 1996 Pontiac Firebird Formula for sale, you should ad the term “1996 Pontiac Firebird Formula” once every paragraph. Place the term near the beginning of each paragraph. Also, the term should be emphasized (bolded, italicized, or underlined) in the first paragraph, if the web site allows you to add HTML tags to your description. To bold a word, put before it and after it. To italicize a word, put before it and after it. To underline a word, put before it and after it.

Let’s take another look at the sample description from step 4 in this series. Notice the HTML tags used around the keyword “1996 Pontiac Firebird Formula” in the first and last paragraphs. It is important not to emphasize every keyword. Only emphasize the first and last instance of the keyword in your description.

“This 1996 Pontiac Firebird Formula is in great condition. It has alloy wheels, AC, power everything, and a 6-disc changer. The T-tops are a nice addition, especially in hot weather. Even though this Firebird is 10 years old, it looks like it belongs on the showroom floor. It has flawless red paint on the exterior and a super clean black interior. A brand new automatic transmission was installed only 12 months ago, which is still under warranty.

The best feature about this 1996 Pontiac Firebird Formula is the engine. It has a 5.7 Liter HO V8 that has been well maintained. It does 0-60 in a respectable 5.2 seconds and has a top speed just under 160 MPH. Accelerate and you can hear every one of the 305 horses coming through the exhaust. Any sports car enthusiast would enjoy getting behind the wheel of this one.

Don’t miss this 1996 Pontiac Firebird Formula. It’s a good deal on a great car. Call today.”

It is important to choose the right title for your listing, if the classifieds site you are advertising on allows you to write the listing title. The title should be rather short and include only the most important information about your vehicle. A great title should have the keywords in it that people would use to search for your car or truck. A great title should have the year, make, and model in it, for example, “1996 Pontiac Firebird Formula.” If your car is convertible, you should ad the word “Convertible” to your title.

For a list of keywords that people actually search for on the internet, go to inventory.overture.com. Simply enter the make of the vehicle and it returns the most popular keyword combinations that include that keyword as well as how many times they were searched for in the Yahoo! Network. This will give you a good indication of what people are searching for.

So how do you find an auto classified site that allows the search engines to index their classified listings, displays static URLs, allows you to control your TITLE tag, and allows you to emphasize the text in the Description field? Simple, just go to your favorite search engine and search for a popular make and model car for sale. There should be several classified listings near the top of the search results. Those classified sites are the ones that are the most search engine friendly and would be a great place to post your ad.

By properly inserting these nine page elements that are essential for high search engine placement, your listings have the opportunity to be found by potential buyers when searching the internet. This concludes the series “Sell Your Car Online.” I hope you learned some new techniques in online advertising. Try them out today and see how quickly your automobile will sell.

Top 9 Used Car Salesmen Tricks, and How to Avoid Them

One of the biggest moments in many people’s lives is driving off in their brand-spanking-new automobile. It’s an exhilarating feeling. It’s also a big moment because in that very instant, that brand-spanking-new car loses a big chunk of its value—the difference between the retail price you paid and the car’s wholesale value. That’s typically thousands gone in an instant.

That’s why some car buyers choose to shop around for a used car. You save yourself that steep initial drop-off in value. More importantly, you get a car that runs just as well, is just as dependable, and looks and feels as good as that new car—that is, if you play your cards right.

For if there is one pitfall of buying a used car, it’s the risk of buying a lemon, a junker—call it what you want, you get the point: the wrong car. Used car dealers, after all, have nearly as bad a reputation, if not worse, than lawyers do. This holds true for individual people selling their cars through newspapers, Web auctions and classified sites, or with the old-fashioned signs in their car windows. The saying, “Buyer Beware,” no where has more meaning than with cars.

The opposite to that, of course, is that there are some real steals out there in used cars. We’re talking about quality vehicles that will perform beyond your expectations at a low price. Here’s how to find these perfect used vehicles, and avoid the top 10 scams that used car dealers everywhere try to pull on you.

1. Get a second opinion for the hype. Used car dealers will bombard you with every adjective under the book to sell you on a car—sporty, thrifty, fast, and etc. Don’t take their word for it. Instead, find someone you know, whether a neighbor, a colleague, a family member, or a friend, who owns the same make and model of the vehicle, and ask them for their opinion.

2. Do a background check. One of the most unethical, but legal, things someone can do to you is sell you a used car that’s been in a flood (and sort of repaired), or one that’s had 10 previous owners (none of whom repaired it). To be sure you don’t fall victim to this, track down a history report, including a clearance check on the vehicle title. You can even get some of this information from the seller, simply by asking why they are selling it. You’d be surprised what beans people may spill.

3. Examine for past damage. Used car dealers may also try to peddle a vehicle that was wrecked in a major accident. It’s amazing what autobody experts can do to repair a car’s exterior. So don’t go by the outer appearances of a vehicle. Before you buy it, make sure that it does not have serious damage to its frame, which it would have if it was involved in a crash.

4. Call up your trusted mechanic. Used car dealers, especially the big lots, will say they put their used cars through a “100 point inspection,” or something like that. Once again, a second opinion is in order. Get this one from your own mechanic. He’ll be able to tell how good a shape the car actually is in. Also be sure to ask him or her how often the car had been serviced. A good mechanic can even gauge that.

5. Research for recalls. Needless to say, a used car dealer may sell you a car that’s actually under recall in his mad rush to get the car off his lot. So be sure to call the car manufacturer, or visit their Web site, to see if the vehicle has any active recalls.

6. Avoid the leftover lemon. Along with recalled vehicles, dealers may even perpetrate something much worse on you—sell you a lemon. (By definition, a lemon is a car that’s still under warranty, which has such major problems that, warranty or not, it still cannot be fixed in a reasonable way.) The best way to avoid this is to research in Consumer Reports or the various automobile magazines, which all have yearly reviews of every make and model on the market. They’ll tell you whether a kind of car is known for being a lemon and prone to breakdowns.

7. See through the old paint and bait. Along with performing their “100 point inspection,” car dealers may shine and wax a used car—even repaint it—to hide dents, dings, and rust spots. A keen eye, though, can see right through this.

8. Take the test drive. Once you’ve done all your research, homework, extra credit, and everything else called for in the first seven steps, then comes the fun—the test drive. Drive the car for as long as its owner or dealer will allow you. Then you’ll get a better feel for how the vehicle handles, accelerates, brakes, and otherwise suits your tastes (or doesn’t).

9. Be wary of the pushy seller. At any stage of the game—from the moment you first talk to the seller to the test drive—be careful if the seller gets pushy. Any dealer or seller who is in a rush to move a vehicle should set off bells and whistles. Why the rush? Are they hiding something? In some cases the seller may just be excited to sell you the car—and actually happy for you—but in many other cases, they may be up to something. Better be safe than sorry.

Follow these 9 simple steps to avoid the scams and pitfalls of used car deals, and you could get the car of your dreams—for far less than you’d pay if it was brand-new. Plus, you get that same high when you drive your new used car home, without losing thousands of dollars.

Online Car Auctions – 8 Great Reasons To Buy Online

Are you tired of the hassle of trying to buy a car through a dealer? Haggling with the salesman to get what you think is a great price only to find out from your buddy the great price he paid for his car. Or worse yet seeing the same car advertised at a lower price a day later. Have you ever heard of someone getting a car at an incredible price, or wondered what happens to cars seized by the banks, police agencies or government. Are you curious about what happens to t pre-owned government vehicles?

These cars are sold at auction; some at onsite auctions and some at online car auctions. Buyers can get these cars for thousands less then retail and some starting at bids of $100.00. If saving that kind of money isn’t a good enough reason to visit an online car auction then here are six more.

1. Online Car Auctions are Fun

Online car auction can be a lot of fun. First there is the excitement of bidding for that car you’ve always wanted. Then there is the thrill of getting your dream car at a dream price. You could even practice by guessing what the top bid will be and see how close you come. How much would you have saved?

2. Online Car Auctions Are Convenient

What a better place to shop for a car then in the comfort of your own home. Or if you have a laptop then you could bid anywhere. You could bid at your favorite coffee shop, or at the office (during lunch of course). In addition you can be researching your car, the seller, loans, insurance, or surfing your favorite sites while waiting for your winning bid to come through.

3. Online Car Auctions Save Time and Effort

Driving from dealership to dealership, or from private owner to private owner can waste a lot of your precious time and play havoc with your nerves. What if your schedule just doesn’t give you the time to run around? At today’s gas prices who wants to do all that driving. With online car auctions you set your own schedule for research and can bid at home or during coffee break or lunch.

4. Online Car Auctions Make Paperwork Easy

Many online car auction sites provide services to make your buying experience as simple as possible. They have automated forms to allow the processing of your sale to happen as quickly and easily as possible. They provide courses on proper bidding procedures. Online car auction sites provide access to companies that help you with finances and insurance. For your sense of peace many sites offer the ability to check the V.I.N number of the car you wish to purchase. There is a lot of competition out there so they do what they can to provide that great customer service experience.

5. Online Car Auctions Are Where You Get Your Car At A Bargain Price

Online car auctions are one of the best places to get a great car at a bargain price. Thousands of cars, trucks, motorcycles and SUV’s end up in auctions. Many of these vehicles are in prime condition; being either repossessed by banks or law enforcement agencies, or pre-owned government vehicles. Many sites boast cars sold for savings as high as 90% of retail. While this is possible most vehicles go for around wholesale or blue book value. Still a sizeable savings over anything you can get from a dealership.

6. Online Car Auctions Help You Stay On Budget

A major problem faced buy most buyers is letting your emotions influence your buying decision. Something the average car dealer knows how to exploit. Online car auction sites protect you from the heat of bidding by allowing you to place a maximum bid level before starting the auction. This way you can only bid as much as you common sense will allow. That is as long as you don’t let your emotion decide the maximum bid to begin with.

7. Online Car Auctions Offer Great Choice

There is thousands of seized and pre-owned cars at auction. You can find almost any make or model of vehicle at online car auctions. Even if the car is unavailable in your area it may be available in the near future or in a city close to you. Depending on the site they may offer access to vehicles in your immediate area or across the country. There are free online auction sites and sites where you purchase a membership for a small one-time fee. These sites offer instant access to large databases of online and conventional auctions across the United States.

8. Online Car Auction Sites Provide Peace of Mind

It’s very important to online car auction sites to maintain a good reputation. To this end many sites provide services such as vehicle history reports for a small fee, or programs to protect buyers from fraud or misrepresentation. You may even be able to check out the sellers rating if they have sold on that site before. There are also resources on how to purchase a car online and how to bid to your advantage.

Give Online Car Auctions a Try... Kust Remember

Information is your friend. Like any major purchase you should do your homework on the vehicle you plan to purchase. Once that homework is done familiarize yourself with the policies and guarantees offered by the online car auction site. Find out what you can about the vehicle and the seller. Look into insurance and financing options. Prepare well and you should have a very enjoyable experience and own the car of your dreams for thousands less than the guy next door.

Car Insurance. It's Getting Increasingly Expensive When You're Elderly.

There were 550 serious accidents last year where the driver was over aged 70 and where driver was either killed or badly hurt, reports the Institute of Advanced Motoring . That statistic represents 8% of the national total of 7,035 similar accidents. That means that the over 70's's have more, very serious accidents per mile than any other sector of the population. This view is supported by the Association of British Insurers whose research shows that drivers aged over 70 are 13% more likely claim on their insurance than the drivers aged between 40 and 50.

As the number of elderly drivers will double during the next ten years, this represents a problem for elderly drivers and their families - not to mention the insurance industry, police and indeed all of the emergency services!

You can probably predict the response from the insurance industry. Many insurance companies already reckon that drivers over 80 are as high a risk as the under 25's - and charge premiums to match! Some are even progressively loading premiums once the driver reaches 60. Then at 70, you'll find that many insurance simply refuse to offer cover. Norwich Union and Esure won't quote after 70 and by the time the driver reaches 80, the field narrows to specialised insurers who insure elderly drivers. Help the Aged and Age Concern both market policies that have no upper maximum age. Cornhill only accepts new policyholders up to 84 but if you've been insured by them for a few years, there's no upper age limit. RIAS and Saga are also pleased to consider older drivers.

As the price of car insurance is based on historical claims experience, a 75 year old male driver can expect to pay at least 33% more than if he were aged 50. By the time the driver reaches 80 the premiums hit boy racer levels! So if you're in your early 50's keep smiling at the lowest premiums you'll ever experience – they won't last forever!

And the fairer sex fare even worse. Whilst younger women are renowned for their safe driving, they become more accident-prone as they get older. Whereas male drivers improve with age. (Where have we heard that before!) As a result, elderly women drivers pay the highest rates for car insurance.

It's a biological fact that eyesight and reaction times worsen as age creeps on. And with traffic becoming heavier and road networks ever more complex, elderly drivers can more easily become disorientated and confused. Even a fraction of a second's delay can make the difference between an accident and a near miss. Insurers are reacting by insisting that more elderly drivers take a medical before agreeing to provide insurance. The best advice is to build up a no claims record and as soon as possible and buy No Claims Protection. This protection cost a bit more but it's well worth the money. Then make sure you pay for any small bumps yourself.

But there are some simple steps that older drivers, and indeed all drivers, can take to reduce the likelihood of them having an accident and thereby making themselves more insurable. It's often more about those little things and being alert to likely problems. For example, car parks are a breeding ground for small accidents. Knowing that take more care. Before you get back into your car, walk round it to see how much room you've got. Then edge out carefully making sure that other drivers in the car park aren't driving into the area you're moving into. Then, if advancing years has stiffened you neck and all-round visibility is a bit more difficult, take special care at junctions and when reversing. Remember to move you head and swivel your shoulders - that way you'll increase your sweep of vision.

Many of the policies for older motorists contain special provisions designed to assist them. On Saga's policy for example, ex company car drivers can use any no claims record they'd built up and if a couple are insured and the main driver decides to quit driving, then the spouse can take over the no claims record. Other policies also provide full insurance cover for anyone who takes over driving in an emergency. Cornhill will even payout £250 if the DVLA stops you from driving for health isues associated with age.

In moves to diminish the numbers of accidents involving the elderly, the UK Government is investigating the issue of deteriorating health amongst elderly drivers. It seems to be considering the idea of obligatory health checks for elderly motorists. At the same time some local councils are introducing initiatives of their own. Torbay council has launched a scheme to encourage families and GP's to take more responsibility for encouraging elderly drivers who are not really fit drive, to give up. A road safety spokesperson for Torbay council said, ”The problem is that the elderly can't always see themselves when it's really time to give up driving so those closest to them must take responsibility for that.”

In the meantime, a survey carried out by the Institute of Advanced Motorists confirms that older motorists are aware that they represent an increased accident risk. Seven out of ten older drivers surveyed said they would like to take a refresher course for motorway driving skills and six out of ten wanted to improve their performance at junctions and on unlit roads. In response to these issues, the Institute has extended its advanced tests to older non-members to encourage them to improve and build up confidence. The tests also help spot any serious problems that should encourage the driver pack up driving.

How Chris Bangle Saved The World: The 2006 BMW 5 Series

He’s mad, they all said. Then they all started copying the BMW design chief’s ideas. Whether you like his work or loathe it, Chris Bangle is the most influential car designer of the 21st century. His ‘visual energy’ was a hallmark of many of the new cars at the recent Frankfurt and Tokyo motor shows. Before Bangle, premium cars followed the lead of Mercedes and more recently Audi – were organic, clean, simple designs. Modern cars are fussier, busier, multi-angled, sharper edged. That’s the Bangle influence.

Bangle himself won’t comment on his favorite BMW, but claims the new 5-Series “is the most avant-garde product we have ever done.” The previous BMW 5 Series was an elegant car, surmising the evolution of the classic BMW look. However, it was not penetrating the luxury car market. With the changing demographic of China and Asia emerging as major car buyers, BMW needed to do something new, something big. Under Bangle’s tutelage, BMW’s design philosophy has encompassed the modernistic approach: form should always follow function. Such philosophy is not something new to BMW – it has been the brand hallmark since the beginning 90 years ago when the infamous “kidney” grille was introduced at the 1933 Geneva Auto Show.

The essential shape of the 2006 BMW 5 Series, with its long snout and short overhang, is the result of the quest for perfect harmony in design, to achieve an ideal 50:50 weight distribution for better road performance. Even the battery is placed towards the rear to distribute the weight more evenly. Look beneath the surface and you won’t be disappointed. The 2006 BMW 5 Series has an all aluminum front end and suspension, rather than steel. As a result, this spacious 4-door, 5-passenger sedan with an assortment of comfort features weighs just 3428 lbs. (165 lbs. lighter than the previous model). The resulting performance gives better fuel efficiency: 20 mpg city and 30 mpg highway, while offering a degree of athletic agility not usually associated with larger luxury cars.

The unsullied splendor of the 2006 BMW 5 Series is found inside the car. The easily visible dials and the uncluttered cabin enhance the art of driving. The car also features an improved iDrive control panel which has been upgraded for easier personalization of comfort and convenience features. The wheelbase is longer at 113.7 inches (2.3” increase) and length is up by 2.6 inches. This translates into a larger trunk, and a roomier cabin, especially in the rear where two adults can peacefully sit. The two front seats are equally supportive and can be adjusted in 20 directions. The lumbar enhancement and thigh support on both the front passenger and driver seats will keep you comfortably focused as you enjoy the joy of driving.

Passion fuels success in the 2006 BMW 5 Series. The all-new engine is 40% lighter than last year’s model. Made from a magnesium block with hydro-foamed camshaft, it’s equipped with 215 horsepower in 525i and 255 horsepower in the 530i. The resulting 0-60 times are 7.3 seconds and 6.4 seconds for 525i and 530i, respectively. Additionally, the 550i features a 4.8-liter V8 power plant with 360 horsepower. The 550i can cover 0-60 mph in a scant 5.4 seconds. At the top of the BMW 5 Series lineup is the sensational M5, featuring the refined Formula 1, V10 engine with 500 horsepower. The engine is mated to a 7 speed sequential manual transmission producing a gargantuan 409 pound-feet of torque at 6100 rpm, redlining at 8250 rpm.

Going fast is only half the battle; the car must also protect the inhabitants in case of an accident, and maintain its composure in all sorts of road conditions. As such, there are numerous safety innovations integral to the 2006 BMW 5 Series. For example, the Xenon Adaptive headlights automatically swivel to follow the curves of the road. Data from light sensors determine the car’s direction and projects the light so the driver can see the road ahead with less strain. For enhanced handling, BMW’s xDrive™ distributes varying power between the front and rear axles, ensuring agile, neutral and forgiving handling during spirited driving. Additionally, the Dynamic Stability Control™ provides further tenacity on slippery road surfaces.

Sales and profits at Bayerische Motoren Werke AG have grown as the Bangle cars, including the 3 Series, Z4 and the 7 Series, have come on stream. Rival design chiefs, who were once Chris Bangle’s most vociferous critics, have tempered their language. Renault’s Partick Le Quement, possibly the world’s most respected car designer, says: “There are some really strong designs;” Nissan’s Shiro Nakamura prefers BMW 5 Series clear design language: “It’s challenging and unconventional.” The combination of strong visual sensibility, sublime engine technology, a luxurious cabin, and advanced safety features have contributed to making the 2006 BMW 5 Series the benchmark in the mid-luxury market. Of the six iterations of the new 5 Series, the MSRP ranges from $41,800 for the 525i sedan; $51,100 for the 530xi wagon; and $81,200 for M5. Like the madness of a misunderstood artist, Christopher Bangle has indeed improved on BMW’s bottom line.

Tips To Avoid Car Insurance Premium Increases & Becoming Assigned Risk

Below are some tips to reduce your auto insurance bill, prevent substantial premium increases and avoid becoming assigned risk.

Claim Reports: You know about credit reports, you should also know about claim reports. C.L.U.E.® (Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange), is a claim report service provided by ChoicePoint, Inc. ChoicePoint, Inc. states on their web site "C.L.U.E. is a claim history information exchange that enables insurance companies to access prior claim information in the underwriting and rating process. C.L.U.E. Personal Property reports contain up to five years of personal property claims matching the search criteria submitted by the inquiring insurance company. Data provided in C.L.U.E. reports includes policy information such as name, date of birth and policy number, and claim information such as date of loss, type of loss and amounts paid."

Tip: C.L.U.E. reports contain information on claims history by a residence address. Just like credit reports, a C.L.U.E. report may have errors. It is advisable to obtain a copy of your C.L.U.E. report at ChoiceTrust.com to check your report for errors.

Credit reports: Insurance companies are now looking at credit reports to determine future premiums. They have determined that people with better credit scores have fewer claims. Consequently, if you have a poor credit report you may find yourself paying more for car insurance.

Tip: Always make at least the minimum payment for your bills on time, particularly your insurance bill.

Glass Coverage: Most auto insurance salespeople recommend "full" glass coverage for an additional premium, when you purchase collision coverage for your car. They remind you how much it costs to replace all your windows if broken by a vandal. What they do not tell you, and it is unlikely that they would even know (I would only trust the answer from an underwriter, not a sales representative), is whether your insurance company will use a previous glass claim to increase your future premium and whether they will report your glass claims to C.L.U.E.

Some insurance companies will report glass claims to C.L.U.E. and then use these claims to raise your premium or even worse, cancel your car insurance policy making you assigned risk with a substantial premium increase. Allstate notified me that after four claims in less than five years, they terminated my auto insurance policy and then offered to sell me coverage in their Indemnity Company with a shocking premium increase. These claims consisted of two claims for a broken windshield, one for a stolen and recovered car and one accident.

I had a sports car and had to endure a total premium increase over a period of four years of approximately $12,000 and remain claim free before I became eligible for coverage outside of the assigned risk pool. I wrote a letter to the president of Allstate complaining that they should not have considered my glass claims when canceling my car insurance because the glass claims were made under a separate part of the policy for which I paid a separate and additional premium. Allstate responded in a letter stating "Although this claim activity does not indicate that you were directly at fault in each loss, the frequency and severity of the above losses was not within our range of acceptability. After careful review, I regret to inform you that we cannot reverse our original decision regarding the above policy. We have however continued to offer coverage in our Indemnity Company."

Tip: Check with the underwriting department of your insurance company to see if they will consider glass claims when assessing premiums or if they report glass claims to C.L.U.E. If yes, do not make a glass claim. The two windshields which Allstate provided me with were aftermarket windshields which would have cost me less than $300 each. During the last 30 years of my driving history, I have experienced two broken front windshields, one broken rear windshield and two broken side windows. While the financial risk of totaling a car can be substantial, the financial risk of replacing a windshield is comparatively insignificant. It does not make sense to file a glass claim if it will increase your premium. You may even want to decline this coverage altogether and save the premium.

Tip for leased vehicles: Some lease agreements require that the car be returned with an OEM windshield. If you lease a car and replace a front windshield using your "full" glass coverage, insist that the insurance company provide you with an OEM windshield from the manufacturer. If you pay for the windshield yourself, check your lease agreement carefully to see if you must use an OEM windshield from the manufacturer or if you can use an aftermarket windshield. Some people with leased cars who have replaced a windshield with an aftermarket windshield are shocked, when they return their car, to find that the leasing company is charging them $800 for a new OEM windshield, even though the aftermarket windshield is in perfect condition.

Car Rental & Towing Coverage: While it may be a good idea to have this coverage, it is not always a good idea to use it. Some people have realized that this coverage is not just available when an accident has occurred. For instance, some people have used the car rental coverage when their car was in a repair shop or the towing coverage when their car broke down on the road. As with glass coverage, using this coverage may be the same as filing a claim.

Tip: Check with the underwriting department of your insurance company to see if they will consider rental or towing claims when assessing premiums or if they report these claims to C.L.U.E. If yes, do not use car rental or towing coverage unless you have had an accident, in which case it will be part of the accident claim. If you are concerned about towing costs when your car breaks down, you can buy one of the roadside assistance memberships such as the one available from AAA which provides additional benefits not provided by your automobile insurance policy.

Ten Tips on Choosing Your Irish Driving Instructor.

First of all let’s examine why you would need a Driving Instructor in order to learn how to drive. Sure everyone needs a teacher, advisor or instructor, don’t they, when facing up to a new challenge? Or do they? Which comes first, the Chicken or the Egg?


Would you go out and Order an expensive Steinway Piano, never having played a note?

Would you go to your local swimming pool and jump in the deep end if you had never been in the water before?


Would you ring up your local light Aircraft Company and order a Cessna for next day delivery and ask them to have it tanked up and ready to go?


How about booking a two week scuba Diving holiday in the Aegean when all your experience to date is a deck chair on the beach at Torremolinos?


All of the above scenarios are about as inconceivable as you can possibly imagine; yet thousands of Irish learner Drivers are doing the equivalent every day of the week. Why so? Well it is a combination of the previously lax laws and now that we do actually have some legislation heading us in roughly the right direction, the inability of the Garda to enforce them .Yes we have had a good deal of changes to our system of Driving Tests and Licensing recently but Mandatory tuition has yet to be enacted. When it is introduced, hopefully we will be on the slow uphill climb to some degree of motoring competence instead of the current Motoring mayhem which we currently enjoy.


Let’s now have a look at the type of Instructor you should be looking for.


1. Look through the Golden Pages and try to make a short list of those Driving Schools with a Web Site. You could of course, do a quick search on Google using various search terms. A School with a web site is one who takes their profession seriously and who will provide quite a lot of free, but invaluable information .Do not regard a web site as purely a smart way of attracting more pupils. Look at it as a way of getting some valuable info, together with an inside peek at who the Instructor might be, and how he or she does business.


2. Look for a school with qualified Instructors. Now in Ireland at present, but not for long, anyone can call themselves a qualified Instructor, never having so much as looked at an advanced Driving Course or taken any Examinations. We have The Driving Instructor Register here which has been examining Driving Tutors on a voluntary basis since 1996 .A good number of Driving Instructors have passed these exams and will be able to impart an advanced level of tuition.


3. Don’t just ring up a Driving School and with your first sentence ask what prices are your lessons. You are perfectly entitled to query prices, which will be very much the same from all established Schools. Schools that have not been established for long or who are desperate for business will be sometimes somewhat cheaper. Any one that is substantially less than the bunch should be avoided since this is not a profession that is cheap to run and today you get what you pay for .Cheap lessons are exactly that!


4. Ask the age of the Instructor and how long they have been driving. European Driving School standards require that an Instructor must have been driving on a full licence for at least three if not four years. Frankly, anyone with less than ten years driving experience will not have the necessary skills to be a worthwhile choice in my view .We are talking here about teaching pupils skills for life and not a half-hearted few lessons prior to the Driving Test, which sadly seems to be a favourite choice of a good many Irish learner Drivers.


5. Ask what make and model the Driving School car is. There are many models in use by Driving Schools and of course all Instructors tend to have their own particular favourites. Diesel models are extremely economical for the Instructor who lives in the country and who does a lot of mileage. Diesel models are on the increase due to their improved performance over past years and their economy. They also hold their value well and while a little more expensive to maintain they go on for ever if looked after.


6. Ask the Instructor whether or not country road and high speed carriageway Driving are include in the Teaching Syllabus. These form a large part of your every day driving in Ireland and are very important skills to have right from the start. Ask yourself the question...are you going to be spending the bulk of your driving career, driving around your local area or into town and back; or are you going to be visiting the Coast, going on Holiday to the far reaches of the country or even Dublin. Of course you are; after all isn’t this why you are buying a car in the first place? If you are only concerned with transporting yourself within your local area it’s much cheaper, believe me, to hire a Taxi!


7. Ask your proposed Instructor does she or he give Motorway Tuition. While we don’t have the same level of Motorways here in Ireland, as in the U.K or Europe, we do have stretches between major cities and particularly in the Dublin area and of course over the coming years there will be many more miles of Motorway I am sure. These marvels of Engineering require a higher degree of skill and lots of practise in your car before one can safely negotiate Dublin or abroad. This is why Learner Drivers are not permitted on Motorways. We are lucky here in Limerick, in that we have a new ring road carriageway, spanning about 20 miles which is identical in layout and signage to a Motorway apart from the speed limit and the colour of said signs. Perfect for legal high speed Motorway style practise within five minutes or so drive from most parts of the City.


8. Most Driving Schools will usually book lessons at least a week ahead, so don’t expect to ring up and get a lesson that day or even the next. Occasionally if you are lucky, and the School has a vacant slot they will take you but it’s the exception rather than the rule. If the School can’t take you for a week be patient it will be well worth the wait.


9. A good Driving Instructor will ask you for a fair bit of information on the phone in order to gauge your level of skill. He or she will ask questions that may not seem relevant, when all you, as a pupil want to do is to get behind the wheel. Believe me they will be; they will all be designed to build up your driver profile and should not be construed as being nosy!


10. A Professional Instructor will take with a pinch of salt your efforts at explaining just how well you can drive and how you only need a bit of practise here and there at reversing or hill starts. Don’t be defensive, you are about to learn one of the most important life building and life saving skills. A good Instructor will not venture out in your own car, if you already have one, until he or she has seen your capabilities or you have described in great detail your experience. eg. one years driving and getting ready to sit the Driving Test.



This is the first in a series of “Ten Tips” to better and safer Driving.
About the Author: - Robin Piggott has spent a lifetime behind the wheel and is passionate about his Profession (and many other pursuits as well).The next generation of Drivers needs to develop a passion for excellence if they are to stay safe and arrive alive! Visit the Astral School of Motoring Web site at: -

http://www.astralmotoring.ie

A Comparison Of Car Registration Number Systems In Europe.

Although there are many new harmonisation laws across the European Union , each country still has its own unique way of identifying the vehicles registered in each country. The only common element is the blue border on the left edge of the number plate with the EU flag and country of origin and even this is optional in many member country. This article compares some of the member countries display of car registrations.

Beginning with England, number plates have black digits on white background ( front ) and yellow background ( rear ) with EU border optional number plates generally stay with the car during its lifetime.The numbering system has 7 digits with age and area identifiers. The first two digits are alpha characters and depict the area the car was first registered the next two are numbers giving the year of registration and the last three letters are random. France is adopting a new system in 2008 of 7 digits comprising two letters three numbers and two letters all purely random any area identify will be by a logo on the blue strip at the right hand side of the plate.

The number plates will remain with the car during its life. France’s current system comprises 3 or 4 numbers then two letters the two numbers , the last two numbers are the area identifier and if a car moves areas it is re-registered. Similar to England the digits are black on a white background for the front plate and black on yellow for the rear.Spain adopted a new system in 2000 which comprises 4 numbers the 3 letters, black digits on white backgrounds front and rear, although the last 3 letters can give an indication of where and when the car was first registered it is not as blatant as the old system where the first two letters of the registration number indicated the capital city of the region concerned e.g M for Madrid and MA for Malaga.

The blue EU border at the left hand side is compulsory on new number plates but was optional on the old system.Germany adopted its current system after re-unification in 1990 with a maximum of 8 black digits on a white background. Much emphasis is placed on the area coding and if the owner changes his/her area of residence new plates must be bought. The registration will start with letters identifying the city and even district with numbers following. The exact combination of letters and numbers depends on how big the city/district is and how many cars are likely to be registered there.

Curiously a space is considered to be a character so any a gap between digits would have a hyphen in it if it was not a space character. In between the area code and the rest of the digits there is a sticker signifying compliance with emmissions and safety testing.

The EU blue strip at the left is mandatory with the letter D for Deutschland. Italy adopted its current system in 1994 comprising 7 digits starting with two letters then 3 numbers then two letters. They discontinued the area identifier with this system but this proved unpopular so since there is option of having a regional code on the right hand side blue band which also displays the year of registration they also added the blue EU band at the LHS at this time. Both front and rear plates are white with black digits.

Belgian car number plates differ enormously from the previous countries in that they are specific to the driver not the car and when you change the car you keep your registration number. The rear plate is government supplied with red digits on a white background. It is usually mounted on a further plate which has the EU blue band at the right hand side. The front plate can either be the same as the rear or can be a European style similar to the previous countries covered earlier. Current numbering system is three letters followed by three numbers although because they are driver specific there are many still in use with one letter and four numbers or 2 letters and 3 numbers.Obviously area and age identifiers are not used as the registration number is specific to the driver not the car.

Dutch number plates have followed the format of two numbers two letter two letters with hyphens between since 1999 , earlier systems were similar but varied the interchanged pairs of letters for numbers and vice-versa.Both plates are yellow with black digits and have the blue EU band at the right hand side. Apart from special plates such as dealer and export plates the numbers and letters have no significance. Danish number plates normally have two letters followed by 5 numbers, displayed by black digits on white background since 1969 there is no area or age identifier although the number part signifies whether the vehicle is a car or bike etc. The blue EU band at the left border is not due to be implemented in 2008.

It is interesting to note that the United Kingdom is the only country amongst the above to use plastic car number plate , nearly all others use pressed metal plates.

Auto Repair Estimates And Car Repair Prices - The Real Information To Avoid Car Repair Scams

Worrying whether or not you were overcharged for your car repair is an awful feeling. There’s tons of advice on how to avoid getting ripped-off, but few discuss the actual car repair prices. We really need to look at the charges on a car repair estimate or auto repair invoice to determine if we’re paying too much.

The focus needs to shift from giving outdated and ineffective advice to addressing the "actual" and "specific" charges. Are they legitimate charges? Can they be justified by industry guidelines?

Now car repair estimates can be confusing. So let’s break it down to get a better idea if your auto repair shop is billing you appropriately.

First, a glossary of terms is in order, as the auto industry has a language of its own…

Aftermarket Parts: parts not made by the manufacturer.

MSRP: Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price

OEM: Original Equipment Manufacturer. Manufacturer approved parts designed specifically for your vehicle.

TSBs: Technical Service Bulletins. Notes and instructions provided by the manufacturer for known and specific concerns(they are not recalls).

Flat Fees: services such as alignments that don't get broken down into parts, tax, labor

Miscellaneous Charges: these can include, but are not limited to shop supplies - rags, chemicals, hazardous waste disposal fees, waste oil ...etc.

Labor Rate: a repair center’s hourly charge to service your vehicle

Labor Time: the amount of time or hours determined that it will take to fix your vehicle

Labor Description: the step-by-step written details of repairs and/or services

Ok, let’s look at the Anatomy of an Auto Repair Estimate:

There are six basic components to a car repair estimate

1) Customer/Vehicle Information

2) Parts

3) Labor

4) Miscellaneous Charges

5) Flat Fees

6) Summary of Charges

Customer and Vehicle Information

Using a generic “top down” style estimate, the top portion simply contains your personal information and your vehicle's specifics: year, make, model, mileage...etc, as well as your request or concern.

We also want find the shop's labor rate. The labor rate is critical in determining if you paid too much. Most repair centers don't list the labor rate. We'll discuss why shortly.

Auto Parts

Parts are listed usually with a brief description, as well as the quantity, and the price. There are three types of parts: OEM (parts made by or for a manufacturer). These are the parts installed by a dealer, although many local shops use OEM parts too.

Aftermarket parts are non OEM parts, and there are various degrees of quality, depending on the brand and where they’re made – China versus USA, for example.

Then there are Used parts purchased from a salvage yard.

To determine if you paid too much for parts, first find out what type of parts are being used. With OEM parts, you don’t want to pay more than MSRP, although most people do without realizing it. Premium aftermarket parts are similarly priced across brands, although beware not to pay more than MSRP, which again, many folks do. Used part prices are all over the place, so pick the price in the middle.

Auto Repair Labor

Labor is billed in tenths. So 1.0 equals 1 hour. 1.5 equals an hour and a half.

Labor rates range from $60 to $100 per hour at local repair shops and $80 to $140 per hour at the dealer level. Labor times are based off established industry guidelines, which are frequently abused.

If you don't see the shop's labor rate posted on the car repair invoice, ask your service center for the rate. Repair shops can manipulate the labor rate (among other things) with a labor matrix. Matrix pricing is a complicated and ethically questionable practice discussed at length in RepairTrust literature. What you need to know is that you can pay as high as $150 per hour rather than the posted labor rate of $105 per hour.

To ensure that you're being charged properly, you'll want to multiply the number of hours billed (which is also often not posted) by the shop's labor rate.

Most labor descriptions are poorly written and difficult to understand. So ask questions.

Here’s a "clear" labor description for a 30,000 mile service on a Toyota Camry.

Performed 30,000 mile service per customer request, and in accordance with manufacturer guidelines. Changed oil and filter, installed new air filter, cabin filter and performed all necessary tests, checks, and procedures, including road test (miles 30,123 – 30,125). Performed lubrication services and confirmed proper vehicle operation. Set tire pressures, and checked fluids, belts and hoses. Note: vehicle is pulling slightly left. Needs alignment

Miscellaneous Charges

The bulk of your car repair invoice will be parts and labor, but we can't forget about Miscellaneous Charges. These charges can include, but are not limited to, shop supplies - rags, chemicals, hazardous waste, disposal fees, waste oil ...etc. The latter of these may be billed out separately in a summary at the bottom of your repair invoice.

Very few of these "extras" are actually used during regular repairs. Miscellaneous charges are calculated off the amount of labor hours billed, not the amount of miscellaneous items used.

Flat Fees

Flat fees can be another very tricky area. Flat fees are services, such as an alignment, which don't get broken down into parts, tax and labor. This makes it difficult to determine the real and fair price. On the plus side, most flat fees are competitively priced.

Be warned however, another term for Flat Fee is called Menu Selling. In other words, you might see Tune Up: $99.99 or Transmission Flush: $89.99. Follow your manufacturer's recommendations only, not a dealer's or repair shop's menu.

Summary of Charges

The last part of an auto repair estimate is the summary of charges. It's usually found in the bottom right hand corner of the invoice. Check it against the charges above to ensure that it all adds up mathematically, as well as logically.

This basic estimate outline may differ from your particular invoice, which may have other categories such as "Sublet" or "HazMat."

A sublet charge is added when your auto repair shop uses another vender to fix or repair your car, such as a glass company that replaces your windshield.

A HazMat charge may include waste oil or other disposal fees. Just make sure that the charges are warranted, as again, they too are often calculated off the labor time rather than actual need.

In sum, understanding the “actual” charges, asking the right questions, and breaking down your auto repair costs is the best way to avoid paying excessive car repair prices.

Buying A Car, Some Tips And Information

"Car buying is, or should be, a calculated decision,"says John Mondin, an auto travel counselor with AAA. The complex and sometimes frightening process of car buying is demystified in a comprehensive guide that covers: How to choose the right car, new/used car-buying strategies, getting a used car bargain,avoiding the pitfalls of leasing, how to shop for insurance.

In addition, Strategies for Smart Car Buyers includes several appendices and a variety of new material to complete the buyer's research process, including: The acclaimed investigative series, "Confessions of a Car Salesman," relating insider secrets in an entertaining account of two car dealerships, monthly payment charts and monthly leasing payments, expanded financing section detailing crucial contract dos and don'ts, plus additional commentary throughout text from undercover car salesman Chandler Phillips.

Online new car buying is a quick and easy way to look for a car in the privacy of one's own home without the pressure of rash buying. Online car buying is a reality now because of the many excellent sites where you can find the car you've been looking for. See all the buying and selling articles you can find on avoiding scams and post-sale problems. As most of us know, used-car buying is a business wrought with scams. One of the best innovations in used car buying is the CARFAX website.

Tips

Educate yourself before buying a car, no negotiating prices without going for a test drive! Do you buy nice clothes without trying them on. Arm yourself with knowledge,with these tips, you can confidently walk into a car dealership, ready to be confronted by eager salesmen. More dealers are better: The more dealers you have in your area, the more competition for your business, the higher your odds of getting a good deal. Some helpful guidelines and car buying tips can be found at the Federal Information Center, as well as a wealth of other money related issues.

Information

The good news is that with the advent of the Internet, a world of information -- never available to our parents and grandparents -- is just a click away. Walking onto a dealer's lot with no information is like walking into the lion's den. And relying on a dealer for information is just slightly better. It levels the playing field by giving accurate information to the consumer.

You can also read up on the latest car reviews by browsing the Web as there is literally a wealth of pertinent information available online. Never discuss in a dealership what you can afford on a monthly basis; dealers can use that information to structure a car loan to meet or slightly beat your monthly-payment requirements, without addressing the more important issues: the total price of the car and the terms of the loan. To negotiate on price, you must be armed with information about the true value of the car you want with all the options you demand.

A variety of Web sites now offer detailed consumer information comparing the dealer's invoice cost, what the dealer paid the manufacturer, against the MSRP printed on the window sticker. Important information about automobiles and fuel economy should always be considered. Some helpful guidelines and car buying tips can be found at the Federal Information Center, as well as a wealth of other money related issues. Check it out, you'll be surprised at the valuable information you'll find there. They combine extensive industry knowledge, dealership experience, and the power of the Internet to empower the consumer with the information they need to negotiate the best deal. They offer valuable research and information about used cars. You can find out about rebates online whereas before, unless you ask the car salesman, he wouldn't volunteer the information to you.

Loan

You will get greater flexibility and savings by getting pre-approved for a car loan before shopping for a new or used car. And,if you decide to finance the car, find out what your monthly payment should be by shopping for a car loan before going to the dealership. You may discover that getting a loan will cost less than financing directly. If you do find a loan that you like, it's recommended that you get approved for it before buying the car. The question you really must ask yourself at this point isn't how much car you can afford but how much car loan you can afford. That determines how much car loan you'll be able to cover comfortably every month for the next three to four years. The next step is to talk to your bank or credit union to find out what rates they're currently charging on new-car loans for 36 and 48 months. There are many ways to find the best loan for you regardless of your credit standing. The prospective car buyer can also look into current interest rates on car loans ahead of time and determine which way they should proceed with regard to financing the vehicle. So be sure to follow these steps; do your research on the car, research available loan rates and programs online, check your impact on your insurance, and then reach a dealer about the car you want.

Final Thoughts

The world of car buying is changing rapidly. Online new car buying is a quick and easy way to look for a car in the privacy of one's own home without the pressure of sales people pushing you into rash buying. The key to successful car buying is to meet your wants and needs within your budget.

Hello From Nova Scotia: Putting My Car In The Ditch In Chebogue River

So after my visit to the Yarmouth County Museum I said goodbye to this fishing town on the southwestern tip of Nova Scotia and set off on my trip along the Lighthouse Trail. It was an overcast and drizzly early afternoon when I began my trip along the curvy roads heading east from Yarmouth. A flat landscape with marshy areas and occasional rocks and forest was stretched out in front of me. The odd farm house or small village brightened up the drive.

Barely out of town I saw a unique scene that would tickle every hobby photographer: a meandering river with a few small dark islands stretched out like a huge animal’s paw prints. A ray of light was shining down from ominous looking clouds. Naturally I had to take a picture….

So I decided to park my car on the side of the road where there was a patch of mowed grass and a patch of higher grass. I just wanted to get my vehicle out of the path of the traffic that was moving pretty fast on this cross-country road. What I did manage to do was not only to move my car out of the traffic flow, I also succeeded in putting my vehicle in the ditch!

The stretch of higher grass was not simply a continuation of the mowed section, it was actually a two foot deep ditch!! So here I was, with my vehicle at a 30 degree angle with two wheels in the ditch and definitely no way to get out. Believe me, I tried, but the wheels just kept spinning through.

Just as I was spinning my wheels and reflecting on my stupidity, two vehicles approached my location, one coming from the west and one coming from the east. Literally seconds after I had gotten myself into this predicament both these vehicles stopped, and their drivers came up to me to help.

I felt very embarrassed for having put myself into this ditch and apologized profusely. I explained that I was just trying to park the vehicle to snap a picture of the interesting landscape that was stretching out before us. The gentlemen laughed and introduced themselves: Don Cook and Sandy McCall were driving a delivery van for Cook's Dairy Farm while the man from the pickup truck turned out to be Randy Cook, Don’s cousin. Well, I always like to make connections with the locals and meet the people behind the destinations, and I always try to understand what makes up the collective psyche of an area. My rather unfortunate predicament could not have given me a better opportunity to meet some of the locals and to get some real insights into their way of thinking.

Don, Randy and Sandy first tried to lift the vehicle, but my Chrysler Sebring rental vehicle was way too heavy to even budge. So they all got down on their knees to have a look at my vehicle and concluded that the first course of action should be to bring in Uncle Hugh, who actually owned the property that I got myself stuck on. He was also the owner of a tractor, a powerful vehicle that might actually be able to get me out of the ditch. So Don walked over to the nearby farmhouse and I saw an older gentleman come out. They talked for a bit, and Hugh Grimshaw went to the garage and fired up the old tractor.

Uncle Hugh tuckered over on his tractor, parked in front of my vehicle and also evaluated the situation. Upon some deliberation he said that if he tried to pull me out of the ditch, he might actually damage the underbody or the muffler of the vehicle and concluded that this was a case for a professional tow truck driver. At the same time all the gentlemen reassured me that it is a relatively frequent occurrence for people to go off the road right at this point. Apparently various other people before me had mistaken the high patch of grass for a safe place to park.

So after accepting my very embarrassed thanks Uncle Hugh and Randy left while Don and Sandy packed me into their delivery van to take me to Cook's Dairy Farm from where Don would call a tow truck. Sandy got into the back of the van and kindly offered me the front seat, and Don drove us three minutes up the road to his family's business: Cook's Dairy Farm.

We went upstairs into the office and Don offered me a coffee. I took a glass of milk instead, indeed milk that was pasteurized and packaged right here on site at Cook's Dairy. While we were waiting for the tow truck to come, Don showed me around a bit and took me to a wall in his office that held several old family pictures. He explained that his great-grandfather, Francis Cook, was a sea captain and a descendent of the Mayflower. Don’s grandfather Stephen Cook had gone into farming and started the family’s cattle farm. A number of years ago fire destroyed the barn, fortunately the animals were outside at the time, but the family made the decision to get out of the farming business. Today it is the third generation of the Cook family that runs this dairy operation.

Don also told me that as a young boy, he spend a lot of time on the very river that I was trying to take a picture of. He went fishing with his grandfather who had a very poignant saying: “There are only two kinds of people: those that live in Chebogue River, and those that want to live there.” A simple way to sum up his sense of local pride.

A few minutes later it was time to go to meet the tow truck driver. A local gentleman by the name of Ken Gillieo arrived just minutes after Don and I had gone to my car, and hooked up a cable to the underside of my vehicle. He started his tow truck and within a minute or two he had pulled my car out of the ditch with not a scratch on the vehicle. My ordeal – and it had not really been an ordeal at all – was finished in less than an hour from when I went into the ditch. I was ready to roll again.

I profusely thanked Don Cook for his generous assistance and drove off on my explorations along the Lighthouse Trail reflecting on the lessons that I had learned: first, never park your car anywhere unless you know what kind of surface you are on. Secondly, the often talked about friendliness and helpfulness of Maritimers is not just based on rumour – I experienced first hand the generous instant help extended by the locals to a complete stranger. I also learned about the deep sense of rootedness, tradition and family that characterizes this area, and the pride of place that people feel in this region. I also detected a preference for a simple contented life, so different from our harried urban lifestyles and our constant futile quest for happiness.

I drove off on my journey with a warm positive feeling about my encounter and a real sense of gratitude for the instant selfless help that these people had extended to me – a memory that will stay with me for a long time.

Sometimes a road trip can teach some very meaningful lessons…

How To Save Time & Money On Car Rental

Lowest Rates Vs. A Good Bargain

Many people approach Car Rental as a lowest-price-possible contest rather than to concentrate on the value of the deal they eventually would get,in terms of what type of car, what’s included (air conditioning, automatic gear shift etc’) as well as what type of service they are buying.

The thing is, Car Rental market is very competitive one and rates differences for comparable quality and service are relatively small, sometimes as small as $10 to $20. These minuet price differences are going to vanish in the wind when you consider the long lines and lost time at the cheapest renter counter, drop charges for remote destinations, late return fines, and gasoline inflated rates as well as other service charges you didn’t think about when you shopped for the “best deal”.

Don’t get us wrong, we don’t like to pay higher prices more than you do. We do recommend to shop around and check the various rates available, especially when it’s so easy to do it via the Internet at comparison sites.

All we say here you need to consider other things beside the price and when you compare please make sure you compare apples to apples and not apples to pears.

Things to consider when ordering a rented a car

Who is using the car, are you by yourself on a business trip or you are traveling with the whole family? How much luggage are you going to have, does the car you are thinking about is big enough to have you all plus all your hand luggage and big suitcases? If not, consider to change to a mini van or a car with extra large trunk.

Do you need an Infant seat or a child booster? make sure it is mentioned clearly with your order, usually there is a shortage of these seats and they are provided for extra charge. Check the state laws for where you are traveling. A new law in Denver for instance, requires Booster Seats for all 4 and 5 year olds who are not 55 inches tall.

Do you actually need the car in the town or city at the first few days? If not, consider to take a taxi, a bus, a train or the hotel shuttle into the city and when it’s time for you to go out of town and travel around, then, rent the car from the city location and by that save up to 15% on Air-Port charges as well as on city parking fees.

Are you going to a very warm and humid destination? If yes, it’s recommended to order a car with air conditioning, usually the price difference is negligible, the problem is that it’s not available in all destinations like in some European countries.

Most major rental car companies allow for unlimited mileage in the same state, but it's a good idea to check their policy before confirming. Many smaller local independent companies charge mileage after 100-200 free miles per day.

As mentioned before price is not the only factor to consider when choosing a car rental company. If you choose a very small, no-name company, don’t expect them to provide you with service across all nation or continent, what would you do if the car is needed to be replaced or serviced for some reason?

Frequent or Preferred Renter Programs and affiliations

Frequent renter programs, Like airlines and hotels, major car rental companies track their customers’ rental histories and offer preferential service to loyal customers. Most of the major companies offer frequent renter programs that are similar to airline frequent-flyer programs and hotel frequent-guest programs.

Preferred renter clubs, Most major car rental companies also offer preferred renter programs or clubs (one example is the Hertz #1 Club). When you belong to one of these clubs, you get preferential treatment, including automatic upgrades when those cars are available. You can join these programs at any time, even if you are a first-time renter with that company.

While basic-level club memberships are often free, higher-level memberships (as in the Hertz #1 Gold Club, which allows you to bypass the rental counter) generally come with a price tag. What most people don’t realize is that it’s often possible to avoid the membership fee by simply writing or calling your car rental company and asking them to waive it. They will do it because the car rental industry is very competitive, and they want your business

If you're still faced with a steep rate, try getting discounts based on your affiliations with organizations like AARP, AAA or others. These discounts are usually not great, but they are better than nothing.

In addition, always check for corporate rates if applicable to your situation.

Car Rental Insurance

Some of the Insurance terms seem to be confusing, let’s try to clear them out first.

CDW - Collision Damage Waiver.

LDW - Loss Damage Waiver.

PDW - Physical Damage Waiver.

PAI - Personal Accident Insurance.

PEC - Personal Effects Coverage.

ALI - Additional Liability Insurance.

Many of the Credit Cards have most of these coverage, therefore it’s not mandatory to purchase excessive coverage. It’s better to check this issue with your travel agent, insurance agent and your credit card company a head of time. Some Car rental companies require that you show proof of insurance.

Also be aware that your personal insurance probably doesn’t apply to your rental car when traveling overseas. All this is somewhat complicated and at times confusing because there are no industry standards for terminology and policies vary by locations.

Important things to check and do before leaving the Air-Port

After a long flight and the waiting in lines for your luggage and afterwards for your keys at the car rental counter, it is understandable you just want to take the rented car and drive away to your hotel, but wait! Here is a list of things you must check first.

Start by making a careful check around the car, look for any small dents or scratches, in case you find some, don’t be lazy, go back to the office and ask a representative of the rental company to write down all of these dents, ask for a copy of that report. Other wise you might be responsible for damages you didn’t perform.

Open the trunk, make sure you have a spare tire, a jack and set of tools, there is noting more irritating than to find out in the middle of nowhere that you don’t have a jack when you need to replace a flat tire.

Many car companies will provide you with an extra key if you ask for one. This can come in handy for some of us who are absent minded.

It is recommended to spend some time to get acquainted with the cars’ features and switches, make sure you know where the lights switches are, how to operate the windshield wipers, the air conditioner and even set your favorite radio stations as well as set your side mirrors. It might be quiet frustrating to fight with the new switches while driving, when all of a sudden it starts raining.

Make sure you have a map and it’s better to spend few more minutes and plan your driving route.

Last but certainly not least, If you have a lot of luggage, don’t park the car in the parking lot and go for lunch, in many countries, this is an easy target for the thieves, It’s better to buy some sandwiches and beverages in the air-port, or stop somewhere along the way for refreshing but never leave the car unattended.

In case you are involved in a Car Accident

These are the most important pieces of information to collect from the involved parties: full name, mailing address, telephone number, insurance details, and drivers’ license number.

Also try to get the names and contact information of anyone who witnessed the accident. Make a note of the vehicle’s make, color, brand and license plate number.

Try to pinpoint the exact time and location of the accident. If the police get involved, ensure that you receive a copy of their report. Don't forget to inform your insurance agent immediately and notify the car rental company.
They will let you know about their accident procedure.

If you purchased insurance through the car rental company, they will have to make the claim. If there is damage to the rental car, there will be much paper work to complete

Make sure any involved parties are ok. Any injuries should be taken care of ASAP.

Call the police and/or ambulance (if necessary), and then call the car rental agency. Be as cooperative as possible. The car rental agency will have its own policies regarding accidents.

Exchange information with the affected parties. Try to record everything on the scene. Your notes should include details of the accident, identification of the autos and people involved, and the names and badge numbers of all emergency personnel.

Take pictures if possible. If you are on vacation, you will probably have a camera handy already.

File an accident report with the police, and report the claim to your own credit card company or insurance company.

When returning the Car

Make all necessary arrangements to return the car on time, that includes looking the location in the map especially if you return the car in a foreign city.

Late return charges are high and arbitrary, secondly, if you are late, you probably won’t have the time to fill the car with gasoline yourself and the rental company will charge you exorbitant inflated gasoline rates.

In case you return the car in a city location on Sunday, it might be that the station will be deserted, it will let you in via automated gate, make sure to take the card and leave it over the dashboard, this is your recorded time of arrival.

In addition, lock the car, take the keys plus your rental contract and insert them into the designated box.

How To Identify Your New Car Safety Ratings

One of the most important considerations you should never overlook when buying a new or used vehicle is its safety features. Safety has become more important to everyone in recent years; let’s face it we spend a lot of time in our cars and with our families so car safety should outrank any cosmetic preferences. Now there are very specific government and auto industry standards to keep you and your family safe so let’s take a look at what to look for.

One of the best car safety indicators of overall safety is the government crash test rating. All new vehicles will have these ratings readily available and it is a great place to begin understanding what you new car safety rating is. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration or NHTSA which you can find at www.nhtsa.dot.gov/ is your first stop. The NHTSA uses two methods of crash testing in determining the safety of the vehicle, full frontal impact and side impact. The NHTSA uses a five star rating scale, the higher the number of stars the safer the vehicle is, the lower the number of stars the more dangerous the vehicle. You can find an outline of these car safety ratings and grades at www.safercars.gov.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is another great resource to help with learning about your car safety rating as well. The IIHS is a research group which conducts crash tests as well but more for the insurance industry. The one important difference about their frontal crash testing is that they use a more realistic offset testing method. Instead of crashing head on, which is extremely rare in frontal accidents, the crash test runs the vehicle into a deformable barrier meant to simulate another vehicle moving at 40 M.P.H. and the barrier only covering the portion of the vehicle in front of the driver. Most head on accidents are usually offset somewhat which usually results in worse damage due to torque and structural weakness. The IISH car safety tests cover this and help us understand the reality of a true head on collision. The IISH scores or ratings in their tests are rated by Good, Acceptable, Marginal, or Poor.

Now that you have a better idea of what your car safety rating is, you will also want to know what type of air bag system the vehicle has. All new vehicles are only mandated by law to have dual front airbags but many manufacturers realizing the important of safety have begun to offer side and rear airbags as well which is even more important in multi passenger vehicles like vans and SUVs. The side curtain airbags that drop down from the headliner offer greater head protection from the side and are highly recommended. Some vehicles now even have weight sensors as well that disable the airbag if a person below a certain weight is sitting there. This improvement came about from the first airbags that injured shorter people in the front seat due to headshots and airbag release pressure. You will start to see these improved safety sensors more and more from new vehicles.

Another very important consideration is the rollover rate of the vehicle as well. Vehicles with a higher profile are more likely to turn over. SUVs are up to three times more likely to roll over than passenger vehicles. The majority of all SUV fatalities have been due to rollover. Most SUVs come with options of 4 Wheel Drive or All Wheel Drive giving owners a false sense of security. Drivers of these vehicles think that because they have these options are invincible and push the envelope then expect the vehicle to perform whatever situations drivers put them in. Unfortunately, although they might have better traction in adverse weather and road conditions, these vehicles have more of a possibility of tipping when sharp cornering is attempted.

Antilock brakes have been around awhile and are a proven safety device, which is why insurance companies give you a discount if your vehicle has them; we highly recommended that you buy a vehicle with ABS. Although many who use ABS the first time hate the feeling of not stopping like they used to, ABS does prevent the wheels from locking up during a hard stop, something that can cause the driver to lose control of the vehicle. ABS almost always provides shorter stops, but, even more importantly, the system helps keep the vehicle straight and allows the driver to maneuver during a panic stop.

Obviously child safety is what most of us really care about first off and for good reason. If you do have infants always make sure you look for a new technology called LATCH which stands for Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children. This universal system was designed to make it easier and safer to attach car seats due to the fact that many car seats are incompatible with the vehicle’s safety belts. You’ll also find more and more automobile manufacturers are adding build in car seats to ensure even more safety for our children which you might see this prominently in Mini Vans right now.

One more thing I’d like to touch on is the power features in a car. You should be sure that if the vehicle has power windows and door locks, which is basically a standard feature on most models now, it also has disabling locks that you can control to keep children from accidentally opening doors and windows and creating unwanted chances for injury.

As you can see there are many issues when discussing new car safety and these are just a few of the main safety features to look for. There are many other Consumer Reports and car safety reviews that provide even more information and provide good source for comprehensive car safety information.

Gregg Hall is a business consultant and author for many online and offline businesses and lives in Navarre Florida with his 16 year old son. For quality car care products go to http://www.stopwaxing.com