11th October 2006

How to Buy Cheap Cars from Government Auctions

If you want to know how to buy cheap cars from government auctions, look no further than your own local city. Police and government auctions are held all the time featuring cheap cars that have been repossessed or taken as property of the state. Call you local officials to find out more about how to buy cheap cars from government auctions, such as when these auctions are being held and where they are located. You’re bound to turn up some good information. You can also check listings in your local paper, which should carry information about such things.

If you’re wondering about how to buy cheap cars from government auctions, then you must already know that buying cars from government auctions is a good way to turn a profit for yourself. You can re-sell these cheap cars to buyers who are looking for used cars for a variety of reasons. If you know anything about cars or work with someone who does, you can even do a little work on the cheap cars, upgrading them and thus upping their re-sell value. When you know how to buy cheap cars from government auctions, there are plenty of ways to make money.

How to buy cheap cars from government auctions isn’t the hardest question to find an answer to. The question is how to find buyers from the cars you buy at government auctions? Put up colorful, eye-catching signs on busy roads, and be sure to list your cars in local newspapers and perhaps even on the Internet. There are buyers out there, and the answer to finding them is in advertising. Knowing how to buy cheap cars from government auctions is the first step toward turning cheap cars into great profit for yourself.

If you want to know how to buy cheap cars from government auctions, simply look around. Listen for announcements on the radio. Call your local government office. Check out listings in the newspaper. When you know how to buy cheap cars from government auctions, those cheap cars can become very valuable indeed.

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11th October 2006

Car Repair Prices The Acceleration of Car Repair Scams

The phenomenon of price-gouging has a fascinating history. In the 1970’s most service customers had at least a rudimentary understanding of automobile repairs, and thus there wasn’t as much for a service center to hide behind.

In the 80’s, with the increase of advanced emission controls and enhanced electronics, confusion set in. The rapid pace of technology kept everyone—technicians and customers alike, bewildered and guessing.

As the 90’s came to a close, cars were full-blown computers on wheels. In addition to complex mechanics and electronics, the industry now encompassed advanced computer technology. Suddenly, sophisticated technical information and a solid understanding of the interactive theory between mechanics, electronics, and computers was critical to fixing cars.

The industry was not ready for this. It’s still not.

With all the technical confusion from the 80’s and 90’s, price-gouging took a firm hold. Mechanics could easily hide behind complex terminology, and wax nostalgic with the client: “They just don’t make em’ like they used to.” Suddenly your car needed $300, $400, $1400 computer sensors and gadgets.

What was really happening is that your mechanic was learning—he was practicing on your car! Costly computer devices were often replaced unnecessarily due to misdiagnoses. Or, they were damaged by improper diagnostic techniques and obsolete testing equipment. Even though you didn’t need these parts when you dropped your vehicle off, you did by the time you left, AND you paid for them. This still happens today—every day.

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11th October 2006

8 Facts You Must Know About Lamborghini

Lamborghini, or Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. as it’s officially called, produces some of the most exciting sports cars in the word. Some of the newer Lamborghini models are the Countach, the Diablo, the Gallardo and the Murcielago.

Fact 1: Lamborghini is named after the founder of the company Ferruccio Lamborghini (1916-1993). Ferruccio Lamborghini founded the company in 1963 when he was 47 years old. The factory is located in a small Italian village called Sant’Agata Bolognese near Bologna.

Fact 2: Ferruccio Lamborghini was a successful tractor manufacturer before he got interested in sports cars. His interest in sports cars made him buy many different high-performance cars including both Maseratis and Ferraris, but he was never really happy with any of them and therefore decided to built his own, perfect sports car,

Fact 3: Lamborghini used to be an independent company, but today it is a subsidiary of the German company Audi AG. Audi AG became the owner of Lamborghini in 1998. Lamborghini went bankrupt in 1978 and was sold to Chrysler a long time before Audi AG became the sole owner of the company.

Fact 4: The fastest Lamborghini is the Le Mans version of the Murcielago R-GT model. It has been reported to have a top speed of 370 km/h. The fastest street model from Lamborghini is the Murcielago LP640 with an estimated top speed of 340 km/h. Both of the models have a V12 engine with more than 6000 cc.

Fact 5: Several of the newer Lamborghini models feature the familiar Lamborghini scissor doors that rotate up and forward on a hinge near the front of the door. The Countach, the Diablo and the Murcielago all have scissor doors, but the Gallardo does not. Both the Countach and the Diablo are no longer being produced, so the Murcielago is the only current model with scissor doors.

Fact 6: No Lamborghini have ever been produced with less than a V8 engine. Most of the Lamborghini models throughout the history of the company have come with the legendary Lamborghini V12 engine, but the newest model, Gallardo, only have a V10 engine. No Lamborghini models with a V8 engine have been since production of the Silhouette stopped in 1989.

Fact 7: The first Lamborghini was the 350GTV from 1963. It was extremely fast for its time with a top speed of 280 km/h. In 1964 a smaller version of the 350GTV appeared. The smaller version was called 350GT and had a top speed of 240 km/h. The Countach from 1974 was the first Lamborghini to go faster than 300 km/h.

Fact 8: In 1975 did Walter Wolf, a rich Canadian businessman and F1 racing team owner, persuade Lamborghini to produce three super powered Countach models. The Wolf Countach had the same engine as the orginal Countach prototype and were able to reach a top speed of 315 km/h.

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11th October 2006

17 Handy Tips to follow when choosing your Car Insurance

It is an obvious fact that most new and young drivers are on a limited budget when it comes to car insurance so with this in mind this article has summarised 17 handy tips which you should try to consider when trying to find a low cost motor insurance policy.

1. Do some research – Try to find insurance company’s that specialize in policies for your age, gender, car and occupation. Ask around, people who have the same occupation or car as you could give you valuable information on what insurance will suit you best, and whether the policy they are using is good or bad. Shopping around is probably the best tip you will find and is very inportant if you want to find the best quote.

2. NEVER take the first quote – The first quote you get on your car is most likely to be quite high. Insurance companies known that until you have received a few quotes you will not know a realistic one that will suit you. So never take the first quote you receive no matter how good the deal seems.

3. Phone around – When you have a few companies that have caught your attention phone up the companies or car insurance brokers (3rd parties who are simply giving you a quote and not actually ‘underwriting’ your policy) see what quotes they are giving and if they can give any better.

4. Have awareness – Those companies who have all this money to spend on advertising probably are not giving the cheapest policies to customers, but the large amount of money could mean a lot more coverage is available.

5. Play companies off against each other – Do some research and make detailed notes about all the aspects of each quote you receive, then play the companies off against each other. There isn’t much point in lying as most the insurance companies are very aware of the real cost of a car insurance quote. The phone operatives have the ability to negotiate on the price of their quotes and all of them would rather drop the cost than lose good business to a competitor.

6. Mileage – Consider how much mileage you are roughly going to do, less mileage means less time on the road which reduces the chances of accidents. A limited mileage policy is a very good way to get better car insurance quotes.

7. No Lying – LYING! will invalidate your policy, and most companies record telephone calls to cover themselves against litigation. State all modifications on your car and if someone else is likely to use your auto-mobile and whether you will use it for business.

8. Drive more carefully – Not having accidents is very hard to escape but by joining the Pass Plus scheme or by taking an advanced drivers’ course, discount offers can reach up to 35% from some of the major insurers.

9. Protect your no-claims bonus - This may increase the premium by a few pounds, but this fades into insignificance against the potential loss of a 60% discount on a premium of several hundred pounds. But the definition of a protected no-claims bonus can vary widely between insurers. Though accidents caused by another driver will normally have no impact on such a bonus, those caused by the insured could.

10. Garage – If you store your car in a garage, then your car is a lot less likely to get stolen or damaged, so a good way to bring down the cost is to store your car in a garage but remember lying is a criminal offence and would cause you a lot of trouble.

11. Buy online – A lot of insurance companies offer discounts for people who buy online.

12. Voluntary Excess - If you agree to accept a voluntary excess (the amount you agree to pay in the event of an accident), you can reduce your premium.

13. Don’t automatically buy comprehensive - If your car has a low value you can save a third off your premium by insuring your car for Third Party Fire and Theft.

14. Named drivers - Adding a named older driver to your car insurance policy, i.e. your parents, can save you 10% on your premium. Likewise, avoid having younger named drivers on your policy.

15. Pay your premium in one go - It is often cheaper to pay your years car insurance in one lump sum rather than in monthly installments. Most insurers charge interest of around 15% APR (some up to 30%) to allow you to pay your premium in monthly installments.

16. Pass Plus - The pass plus examination is for new and young car drivers who have passed their practical test. It is an intensive training course that helps improve new and young drivers abilities on the road. The pass plus allows you to get up to a discount of up 35% on your car insurance. Taking the Pass Plus will cost around £100 but given the high cost of new driver car insurance you should save more than this on your car insurance premium. Ask your driving instructor for details.

17. Work traveling – If you do not use your car to travel to work then you might be getting coverage you do not need.

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11th October 2006

Saturn Delivers An Affordable Looker

GM conveys to the automotive world the very first hybrid deemed ‘affordable’. It comes in the name Saturn Vue Green Line Hybrid imposed with style and performance.

Vue is a mature platform nonetheless Saturn introduced modifications to give a new version of improved handling and ride. According to Saturn, “The forward-thinking VUE Green Line hybrid SUV helps you go green without going broke. Our hybrid system is designed to give you 20% better fuel mileage than the conventional VUE engine, making less of an impact on the environment – your wallet.”

Saturn auto parts of said hybrid work seamlessly with only two perceptible additions to the gauge cluster — a charge or assist meter and an “Eco” indicator light to notify when the hybrid system is paying off. The hybrid comes with a combined 170 hp from the electric motor and gasoline engine.

Car fanatics are saying that Saturn Vue Green Line Hybrid is a very competent highway companion. “Saturn has delivered one of the best-handling, smoothest-riding and dead-quiet midsize sedans on the market. The Aura is just a marvel of affordable engineering. Too bad the interior lacks the same refinement as the new SUVs and trucks from GM. I don’t think the company has moved fast enough to translate those top-of-the-class cabins to its cars quite yet,” says David Thomas, car aficionado.

Another critic noted, “The ride is quiet at speed, and it even does the weird gasoline-engine shutoff when you come to a stop, like the Toyota Prius does. Buyers will really enjoy how the hybrid system doesn’t make the car feel like any less of a performer. There’s really nothing to detract a regular Vue shopper from opting for the Green Line.”

Saturn Vue Green Line Hybrid hits the balance between firmness, navigation system and bump absorption. It is also impressed with comfy furniture and accessories like slatted headlights. It is a looker imposed with capabilities and performance which can be had without spending a beefy sum.

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