Car Insurance

Thinking of leasing a car? It’s pretty awesome to always have a
new looking car sitting in your driveway! But, you may want to
take a few things into consideration before jumping in to a
lease head first.

When you lease a vehicle, you’re given the right to use it for
a specific number of months and miles. Yes, the monthly
payments are lower than if you bought the car outright. And
that’s pretty attractive! A low monthly offer definitely
captures your attention during car commercials. But at the end
of a lease, you’re empty-handed. The lease might allow you to
buy the car under certain terms – make sure those terms are
stated, if that’s something you think you’re going to be
interested in.

It depends on your needs. You may not want to keep a vehicle
very long, in which case, leasing could be a valuable option.

Either way, check the beginning, middle, and end of lease
costs. Are there mileage limits? Most likely. What upkeep is
required? You usually have to abide by manufacturer’s
recommendations on servicing the vehicle (changing oil,
rotating tires, etc.).

Usually if you end a lease early, you end up having to pay a
pretty hefty termination charge. Check out all the fine print
so you know exactly what you’re getting into.

Many times you have to agree on a specific number of miles
you’d drive a year. (normally 12,000 to 15,000 annually). If
you go above that, there’d be additional charges. Take that
into consideration of you’re planning a family vacation by car.

Damage, excess wear to the vehicle, and any missing parts incur
additional charges, as would be expected.

Naturally, the leasing company requires you to have car
insurance.

There might be extra upfront costs, like a down payment, a
security deposit, taxes and other fees. So your initial payment
might be higher than you first thought. Check it all out before
signing on the dotted line.

I have several friends who would only lease, and would never
consider buying a car. If you’re the type of person who wants
to trade your car in every two years or so, and you take good
care of your vehicles, leasing may be for you. On the other
hand, if you’re the type to drive a car into the dust and hold
onto it forever, leasing would be a more expensive option than
an outright purchase.

Step #1 : What Kind of Vehicle Do You Need?

Answer the following questions to help decide which kind of
vehicle is right for you:

How many people will you be transporting?
How long is your commute?
What kind of gas mileage do you expect?
What conditions will you be driving in?
Which safety features do you want?
What size of vehicle do you want?
Do you want an automatic or manual transmission?

Step #2 : How Much Can You Afford to Spend?

In order to distinguish the range of vehicles, you must decide
how much you can afford to spend. Remember to take into
consideration additional costs such as title, tax, registration,
insurance, and additional costs. In most cases when you are going
to finance the vehicle, it is best to get preapproved so that you
will know how much you can spend. Other questions to ask yourself
are:

How much can you put down as a down payment?
How much can you afford to pay in monthly payments?

Step #3 : Will You Buy the Vehicle or Lease It?

Deciding on whether to buy or lease your vehicle is an important
decision. If you plan on keeping the vehicle once it is paid off,
then you will want to buy the vehicle. On the other hand, if you
just wish to drive the vehicle and not obtain ownership, then you
may want to just lease the vehicle. Normally the price for
leasing a vehicle is considerably less than purchasing the
vehicle, since you are just leasing the right to drive it.

Step #4 : Decide on Which Vehicles You Wish to Consider

This is the time when you want to pick out the makes and models
of the vehicles you are considering. By answering the questions
listed in step #1, you should have some idea of which vehicles
you wish to consider.

Step #5 : Find the Vehicles

Visit http://www.autopixal.com/buy/ and find the vehicles you are
interested in. Be sure to select the correct distance, price, and
year of the vehicles you are interested in.

Step #6 : Research the Vehicles

Compare the prices of similar vehicles. Use our website to find
other vehicles that may not be within the distance you selected,
but have the same options you selected. Use the articles under
the research section to find additional information to help
assist you in your decision.

Step #7 : Find the Market Value of the Vehicles

Use the market value tools at
http://www.autopixal.com/research/vehiclevalue/ to find the
market value of the vehicles you are considering. By finding the
market value, you can use that to your advantage in negotiating
the price.

Step #8 : Schedule a Test Drive

Contact the seller and schedule a test drive. When taking the
vehicle for a test drive, be sure to take the vehicle into
different driving conditions. The Interstate or Downtown are two
places in which you may want to drive the vehicle. Also be sure
to listen for vibrations or noises caused by the vehicle while
driving.

Step #9 : Negotiate the Price

Inspect the vehicle to see if you can find any additional
elements that you can use in your negotiations. Small problems
can serve to your advantage when they are presented. Take into
consideration any problems you may have found while driving or
inspecting the vehicle, and the market value of the vehicle when
deciding on a price. Don’t jump the gun with your offer. Give the
seller time to consider the fact that you may not be too
interested in the vehicle and the seller may lower the price in
hopes of closing the deal.

Step #10 : Close the Deal

Find out any information you may need to know about the vehicle
from the seller. Contact your insurance provider, or use the
Insurance section of our website, along with the Vin# from the
vehicle in order to obtain insurance for your vehicle. Then
transfer the title and register the vehicle in your name.
Depending on your state’s laws, the requirements for buying a
vehicle may vary. Contact your local DMV for additional
information.

Eloan has developed a process for Los Angeles car loan searches that simplifies the process instead of having to search through banks by cutting costs and time with online applications. (www.Eloanstate.com)

Eloan is regarded as a leader in online loans. They seem to handle a huge majority of the online loan applications and maybe traditional loan searchers are turning online due to efficiency.

Eloan says they reduce commissions and lender fees by cutting costs and they then pass the money saved onto the consumer.

This online giant, Eloan, does state by state loan applications for just about every type of loan imaginable. The reasons customers say they get so much repeat business is because it only takes about 5-10 minutes to fill out an application and the loan is processed within 24hrs.

Los Angeles car loans customers have also been known to search online because they can receive their loan check, or what Eloan calls their “Power Check” within 24hrs if overnight shipping is chosen.

With online loans taking the market by storm competition for this market will surely increase thus creating a better environment for the consumers. Meanwhile Los Angeles car loan customers continue to fill out applications at Eloan.

Anyone tasked with establishing an organisation’s fleet soon discovers that leasing vehicles is a more complex process than they might have originally realised. Mistakes can prove expensive and binding so that due deliberation should be given to the detail of any proposed leasing package prior to entering into a firm commitment. Of course, leasing a fleet of vehicles requires consideration, not only of the direct acquisition costs of the cars, but also those costs associated with the funding package, taking into account the cars’ residual values. Fortunately, expert help is at hand in the form of the independent vehicle finance broker.

The simple fact is that no one is better placed than an experienced vehicle finance broker to offer assistance to a fleet manager in the intricate process of identifying not only the least expensive and most appropriate vehicle for the requirements of the organisation, but also the best possible financial package available in the marketplace for a variety of vehicles.

The vehicle supply sector can be split essentially into three major groupings – the dealer network, major leasing and contract hire companies and a broker network.

While the shortcomings associated with arranging leasing packages through the dealer network are well recognised, less widely known is the fact that the independent vehicle finance broker is often better able to secure a larger discount on the price of a vehicle for its client than most major leasing and contract hire companies.

Ultimately, however, the size of discount that a broker, large or small, is able to secure for a vehicle should not be a fleet manager’s overriding concern. Rather, it is usership – how much it is likely to cost to run a car over a specified period of time – instead of discount that should be the primary factor for consideration. Of course, a car manufacturer can affect the cost of usership through his pricing strategy for the car, though there are other factors involved, such as the vehicle’s residual value, running costs, servicing costs and road tax bracket.

A common error made by many fleet managers of larger organisations is to allow themselves to be lured by the false economy of the supposed benefits associated with a single point of contact and so enter into an exclusive arrangement with a single vehicle manufacturer and agree terms with a single contract hire company. While such a strategy might well shift the burden of responsibility for sourcing the best available deal onto the contract hire company, that strategy comes at a cost in the form of a loss of control and, ultimately, a reliance upon the contract hire company to secure the most competitive deal.

Organisations uncomfortable with the prospect of delegating control of what is invariably a considerable overhead to a third party would be better advised to seek the advice of an independent vehicle finance broker which, by definition, is better placed to secure the most economical and appropriate deal in the marketplace through reference to a range of established contacts within the marketplace.

Another common error made by many fleet managers is to allow themselves to be lured by the false economy of the supposed benefits associated with ‘cutting out the middle man’ and approaching a lender directly to make the necessary financial arrangements for the acquisition and management of their vehicles.

No single lender has the flexibility of an independent vehicle broker with access to a range of quotes from a variety of financial institutions, with whom they will enjoy an ongoing professional relationship allowing for right of entry to rates and deals not widely available to non-specialists. Consequently, no lender has a comparable ability of a professional broker to analyse such quotes in order to identify the most competitive and appropriate deal available for a client organisation.

Clearly, vehicle finance offers available from funders change on a continual basis. Only a specialist broker is in a position whereby he or she is able to keep track of these changes and so offer his or her client with the best value offer at a particular point in time.

In effect then, an independent finance broker can provide a fleet manager with a single point of contact, research the rates available from a range of finance houses (rather than tying an organisation in to a single contract hire company) and, by assuming the role of ‘the middle man’, can save the fleet manager costs, rather than the popular misconception of simply adding another layer of overheads to the process.

First Vehicle Leasing, the Glasgow-based independent finance broker, has today (10/9/03) launched First Choices, a uniquely comprehensive Personal Contract Purchase package introducing fixed cost motoring to the UK for the first time.

Available in four options, First Choices removes uncertainty from the cost of motoring to offer an all-inclusive service unrivalled in the present marketplace.

Andy Bell, Managing Director of First Vehicle Leasing, says: ‘The first and simplest First Choices option involves a straightforward lease, providing motorists with certainty about the monthly payment required to drive their car. The second option adds to this a fully comprehensive fixed cost car insurance package for the duration of the lease, regardless of any speeding offences, minor accidents or break-ins that may occur during that period. A third option adds a guaranteed fixed cost servicing package over the period of the lease while a fourth offers an early termination insurance package.’

First Vehicle Leasing, a specialist in the provision of a full range of vehicle acquisition methods, launches First Choices nationwide from today, following the successful culmination of a 12 month pilot programme.