Comments (0)

By admin, January 28, 2012 10:04 pm

Classic Cars restoration actions

Article by Danial Merrill

If there is one thing that will make you have some sense of accomplishment, it has tobe car restoration. This is an activity that requires time, cash and dedication. Thereare some car models which are effortless to restore since there are numerous parts readily available.Just before starting the restoration process, you call for to know what you want. A few of therequirements consist of cardboard boxes, camera, tags along with a sharpie. You ought to keep trackof all the parts which are required. When it comes to the time where you want to take the carapart, you should know what requires repair and replacement.During the car restoration procedure, make sure that you maintain track of all of the parts that aretaken off. The advantage of having great organization is that it ensures that there is going to beno wastage of time and parts. You ought to have a book to be recording the parts as theyare pulled of from the car. You ought to have two individual boxes where one box will likely beutilized for placing the parts for replacement along with the other 1 will likely be for the parts that wantrepair. You need to take pictures of every of the parts. The photos will assist you to knowhow the car looked just before and after the restoration process. Planning on the entire processwill aid to estimate how much funds you call for as well as the time you’ll want to finish theentire project.You can find superb car restoration shops which you are able to find either locally or on the web. Youcan use the internet to locate these shops. It really is essential to read the reviews about the shopsto ensure that you are able to know whether or not they produce high quality jobs. You can find some shops thathave got up to date tools and equipments which are utilized within the restoration work. Havinga look at the shop initial will assist you to know far more about the shop and also the nature of workthat you’ll be able to expect. It really is crucial to enquire whether the shop has done the restorationprocedure on a car like yours. You ought to take a look at the photos before and after the restorationwork. You can even enquire from the owner of the car regardless of whether he/she was satisfied withthe service offered by the shop. It really is essential to have trust on the shop which will handleyour car.Probably the most crucial part of car restoration is that you ought to attain high quality restorationwork. It’s essential that you need to spend some time inside the shop that you want to restoreyour car. This will help to be comfortable with the shop. Make certain that you know every thingabout the shop. This will aid you to be impressed with the kind of work that they’ll doon your car. After a effective restoration process, you car will have a new gorgeous look.This is an essential procedure that can assist to improve the high quality of your car.car restorationThe classic cars are exclusive brand of cars on their own. In the event you own 1 and it’s not in themuseum, it’s much better that you get an insurance policy for it to make sure maximum protection.The valuation and definition of the car is diverse from 1 state to the other and so youwill want the assistance of an agent to assist in determining regardless of whether your car is really a classicmodel or not. You will also need understanding the policies that have been set for classicvehicle models policy alternatives you can have to ensure that you’ll be able to choose the most effective for you. Hereare some general rules followed when valuing your antique car.Several of the insurers don’t compensate you with full value of the car. This happens mostlyif your car is among the rare ad historic kind. A lot of of the vintage car models are especiallytough to come by inside the market. That implies that these cars are susceptible to loss by way ofnumerous means specifically theft. Knowing the exact value of the car will aid you get thecorrect percentage of reimbursement. The value of the car just isn’t fixed. Value of classic carsis determined depending on the value of the cars inside the market.When you purchase a new model of car, the insurer and also the owner need to establish itsvalue correct from the inception. The exact same applies to classic cars. Determining their exactvalue is critical in helping to decide the cost of repair of the car. One thing to beunderstood is the fact that classic models are much more costly to repair when compared withthe standard car models since a number of the spare parts call for being fabricated. Numerous of theunderwriting insurance companies come up with a policy known as `Agreed Valuation’. Thepolicy estimates the value of the car and bases the premiums of your car on it.In case owners of a classic cars claim that their car has been written off or it has beendamage above repair, the insurers compensate them the full agreed value. Classic carcollectors are even so supposed to know that the agreed value is valid for particular quantityof time only. After a certain period, the value of your car could have changed and hence itcould be advisable to inform your insurer whenever you can find some changes. If you will findsome additions that you’ve got completed to your car to improve its value, the insurer is supposedto know about it to ensure that it can conduct a new evaluation of your car or otherwise the addedvalue of your car will not get compensated.If it is proving tough to come up with precise classic cars value, `Agreed Value’ policy cansave you from having troubles with your insurance company within the future. In case you’reconsidering changing your underwriting insurance organization, it’s critical for you to discoverout whether the new onewill accept your former valuation with the former insurer or youwill need to get an additional insurer. This will prevent unnecessary trouble with insurers whenfiling a claim.classic cars

Henry Ford said, “In the long run people are going to buy the cheapest, and best article no matter where it’s made.” If only the American car makers had learned this lesson they wouldn’t have needed a bailout. Hum, Ford was the only that didn’t.
Video Rating: 4 / 5

Find More Classic Car Articles

Comments (0)

By admin, August 22, 2011 4:06 pm

How to Buy a Car: The Great Little Guide to a Great Big Discount

Written by a former car salesman, this is an indispensable guide through the process of buying a new or used car from a dealer.

Full of surprising insights and easy-to-follow instructions, How to Buy a Car enables would-be car buyers to take control of the buying process and so get the best possible deal on the car of their choice.

Whether you’re looking for a brand new car, a used car new to you, or maybe just an eye-opening read, this book will prove its worth many times over.Wri

List Price: $ 2.99

Price: $ 2.99

Grille 97 98 Ford Expedition Front Grill Combo Billet Insert Polished Aluminum

US $88.35 (0 Bid) End Date: Wednesday Feb-22-2012 23:44:43 PST Bid now | Add to watch list

US $34.64 (0 Bid) End Date: Wednesday Feb-22-2012 23:46:01 PST Bid now | Add to watch list

Comments (0)

By admin, June 22, 2011 7:04 am

Understanding the Car Buying Process

So there you are.  You just stopped to look.  Now you find yourself across the desk from the Finance Manager and you’re asking yourself, “How did I get here?”  Does this sound familiar?  If this hasn’t happened to you, then I am sure that it has happened to someone you know.

Before I explain to you how to avoid such situations, let me qualify myself.  I am currently the General Manager of a motorcycle shop.  I have worked either in, or closely with, the automobile industry for over 14 years.  I have extensive experience in all aspects of automobile and motorcycle dealerships.

Now the reason that scenario up there took place is because you didn’t stop to just look.  In today’s connected age, a person can look and research whatever they want whenever they want with the greatest of ease.  Think about this for a second if you will.  Do you think that you broke your normal routine, drove to a dealership, got out of your car, walked the lot, and spoke to a salesperson just to look? The answer is no.  You were interested.  You wanted to see if you can get the car.  However in doing so, you walked into a machine.

The sales business, all of it, is designed to captivate and entice people to buy something.  The automobile business has honed and refined this process into a fine art.  The salespeople are trained on precisely what to say and when to say it.  Everything from the design of the building, to the color of the cars has been carefully thought out and researched.  Everything you touch, smell, see, and feel is developed to evoke an emotional response from you.  It really is akin to the moth and flame analogy.

Now that you know that you are at a disadvantage when you are at the dealership, we can concentrate on how to not fall in their trap.  The first step is education.  You, the customer, have all the tools you will ever need to thoroughly research any car you are interested in purchasing.  From models, to equipment packages, to discounts, to financing, the internet has all of the information at the ready.  A couple of great websites that I use frequently are Kelly Blue Book at www.kbb.com and Autobytel at www.autobytel.com.  The information found on these sites is accurate and very useful.

The next thing you need to consider is your budget.  There is a formula that the lending institutions use to calculate whether you can afford a note or not is called the discretionary income formula.  It is quite simple really.  The formula states that 26-30% of your gross monthly household income should be used for all financial obligations accept your mortgage.  I will use this example to illustrate the point.  A family has a household income of ,000 per year.  The same family is looking at buying a new car and the monthly note will be 0.00.  Our family currently has another car note for 0.00 per month, a student loan for 5.00 per month, a boat loan note for 5.00 per month, and a few credit cards in which the minimum payments combined are 5.00 per month.

If we use our formula we see that ,000 divided by 12 months gives us 00 per month gross income.  Now simply take 00 x 30% = 00.00 per month discretionary income.  All you have to do now is add your current obligations and include the new note.  If it all fits neatly into our 00.00 per month discretionary income then the lending institution will assume that you can financially handle the new note.  Some quick addition however reveals that all of the monthly obligations combined bring us to a total of 75.00 per month.  If this is your situation, please walk away.  I implore you, walk away.

Assuming your budget is in order, you can now concentrate on the deal.  STOP! Automobile dealerships are not charitable organizations.  Please do not expect them to “give” you anything.  They will not sell you a car at a loss for them.  They will make some money off of your deal.  That is their job.  That is how they are programmed.  You cannot change it, nor should you want to.  A great number of salespeople will lie to you, and tell you that you bought that car under their cost just to protect your precious ego.  You didn’t.  There are a few, and I mean few, examples in which a dealership actually loses money, but I can assure you that it will not be on your deal.

If you are not comfortable with letting the dealership make a profit from you, then please save everyone involved a great deal of frustration and stay home.  How much profit you ask?  This is where being a savvy consumer comes into play.

Generally speaking, the dealership will give you a price that reflects all rebates and incentives subtracts from the MSRP.  You can negotiate a little better price.  If you get a price that is much lower, say 00.00 or more, less than MSRP minus all rebates and incentives, then the dealership will not be making much of a profit.  Why should you care?  Because then they cannot afford to give you the level of service you deserve.  Yes, you will need service.  Eventually at some point in time you will need service.  A dealership that makes a fair profit can afford to have a superior service department.

Choosing the right dealership is also an important factor.  By and large, older dealerships are better.  The number one determining factor for judging a dealership is employee tenure.  Ask your salesperson how long they have been working there, and what the average tenure is for employees at that dealership.  If the dealership has good employee tenure, then it is safe to assume that they conduct reputable business transactions.  It is also safe to assume that you will be treated fairly.  Dealerships that have loud television and radio commercials where they slap the windshields, jump off of buildings, yell and scream, etc. are what is called podium dealerships.

A podium dealership is one where the upper management is in a mirrored glass elevated box type structure on the showroom floor.  That is the podium.  The salesperson has to get every single part of the deal approved from the manager.  This isn’t always a bad thing.  It does promote consistency as each price is reviewed by the same person(s), and you can be sure that you will get the same price as your neighbor for the same car.  Podium dealerships however, are famous for being high pressure dealerships.  Here is a quote that I bet you will recognize, “What can I do to get you to buy this car today?”  Just typing it makes my skin crawl.  I do not use this tactic in my dealership.  I give people more credit than that.  If a salesperson says that to you, or something similar, run away.

A good dealership wants to build an ongoing relationship with you.  I tell my customers daily that I don’t want to sell them this one motorcycle.  I want to sell them every motorcycle they ever buy.  I also want them to send their friends and family to my dealership.  The only way that is going to happen is if the customer recognizes value in the purchase, and has been treated fairly.

Lastly, we should consider the actual purchase and financing.  The signing of contracts and paperwork generally takes place in the Finance and Insurance (F&I) Manager’s office.  Tread lightly here my friends.  This is where more money can be made off of your deal.  First are points.  Financing points are when the finance manager charges you a different interest rate than the bank charges them.  It works like this.

Your credit application is sent to several lenders either by fax or via computer.  Let’s assume that the application is approved, and the bank tells the Finance Manager the interest rate for the loan is 5.99% for 60 months.  The Finance Manager tells you that he got you approved and the rate is 7.99% for 60 mos.  If you sign that contract then the dealership makes a 2.00% profit on the amount you financed.  In real money it equates to about 0.00 – 00.00 per contract.  But those extra points are added interest for you.  It can cost you another 00.00 – 00.00 over the life of the loan.  It is best to get your own financing from the bank you do business with on a regular basis.  Do not allow the Finance Manager to increase the rate on your financing.

Extended warranties are all other sources of income for the dealership as well as the Finance Manager.  Extended warranties in general are basically an insurance policy.  If you think that your new car will not have any problems for five to seven years of ownership you are right.  You probably will not need an extended warranty, but you might.  In other words, you probably won’t need your life insurance policy for the next 20 years, but you have one don’t you?  Chances are that you won’t need the major medical portion of your health insurance anytime soon, but you have that too don’t you?  You get the point.  Extended warranties are for “what ifs”.  If you think you will not have the cash on hand for a repair, then you should consider buying an extended warranty.

The car buying process should not be a stressful process.  If you stay in control of the situation it will not become one.  Remember to research, ask questions, and take your time.  You do not have to purchase today, or tomorrow for that matter.  Remember to use good common sense.  There is an old saying which reads, “If it walks like a rat, looks like a rat, and smells like a rat, then it’s probably a rat.”  I couldn’t agree more.

This week’s Ignite Show features Rob Gruhl. Rob loves to buy cars, but more than that he loves to bargain for cars. He shares his secrets today. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.
Video Rating: 4 / 5