Used Car Warranties

Chances are at one time or another you have been told that you need new shocks and (or) struts.  After being quoted a large price, you might find yourself thinking, “Can I get away without replacing them and are they covered under used car warranties?

Your shocks and struts serve two functions in your car.  Some cars only have struts, and some only have shocks.  Their purpose is to dampen the oscillation of springs and assist in ride control.

If your shocks and/or struts are worn, your suspension parts and tires will wear out sooner.  This is why it is important to take your vehicle in for preventative checkups.  It is a good idea to have your mechanic look at your shocks and struts every time you get an oil change.

There are several warning signs that might tell you it is time to replace your shocks/struts.  First, you might notice leaks on the housing or dents on the strut body.  Also, you might see high and low worn spots on your tires and pitted piston rods.  Finally, you may have rubber bumpers that are crushed from bottoming out.

It is important not to cut corners when dealing with your shocks/struts.  It is essential that these parts function correctly for handling and cornering.  Purchasing an auto warranty is a good idea for motorists in order to avoid unnecessary repair costs down the road.  After all, you never know when your car will need maintenance.

The number of vehicle repossessions has gone up drastically this year, which is about to top 1.9 million, which is a significant jump of 15% since 2007. Chances are that a large number of those vehicles were large SUVs and trucks or luxury cars that mortgage brokers purchased when they thought the good times would keep on rolling forever.

Now that the housing bubble has popped, the large monthly payments and gas costs are practically unaffordable. People are opting for used cars with used car warranties and staying away from new cars. Unlike many other lenders, carmakers can’t really be blamed for giving out loans that are risky. Borrowers who have great credit scores are having their Mercedes’ yanked away, just like the people who got Honda Civics.

This is terrible news for carmakers, as if they haven’t had enough, because for a repossessed car the average loss is around $10,000. Then the repos that have been heavily discounted end up on dealership lots and give the small amount of car shoppers out there a good reason to buy a discounted repo with the addition of an auto warranty, instead of a new car.

Most people don’t realize that there is certain etiquette involved when buying parts at the parts counter.  Following this etiquette will allow you to get the parts that you want without unnecessary hassle and keep you from driving the staff crazy.

When you go to a parts counter at a dealership you need to have your VIN handy, which is basically the magic key to all of the car codes.  At places such as Advance Auto or NAPA, you just need to know the make, model, year, and engine of your car.

Make sure to know what the part’s name is that you need.  If this is something you don’t know, be able to describe what it looks like or what it is going to attach to.  Don’t make up a name for the part you want; this is where 90% of wrong parts come from.  If worse comes to worse, take the staff out to your car and point to the part you’re looking for.

When ordering an expensive part you want to ask about return policies and auto warranty terms.  And get the answer in writing.  This can be as simple as having him write the information on the receipt.  This will save a lot of hassle if something breaks down the line.

Finally, don’t go to the parts counter to diagnose your vehicle.  Counter-staff gets very annoyed when you try to return a part because it wasn’t even the problem in the first place.

Following these simple etiquette tips will allow you to get the parts that you need with little hassle.  And make sure you have used car warranties, because you never know when your vehicle will need to be repaired.

As the stock market plummeted and the number of jobs lost are at an all time high, many people have missed the big drop in fuel prices. Today, the average gas price across the nation is $3.50, according to AAA. That price has gone down since the record high of $4.11 in July.

According to experts, gas prices would be even lower right now if it weren’t for the fuel shortages in the South resulting from Hurricane Ike. If $3 gas is to become the norm again, you have to wonder if the large shift from buying large SUVs to small cars is going to reverse.

Almost every carmaker has made a shift in its production plans toward making cars with better fuel economy, and it is unlikely that gas prices of $3 per gallon will cause plans to change. Even if lower fuel prices are going to stay for a significant amount of time, the poor economy might still prevent car shoppers from purchasing large SUVs, despite the large discounts. Chances are consumers will still be purchasing small fuel-efficient vehicles, or hold onto their current vehicles and buy used car warranties.

For carmakers, the incredible sales loss last month wasn’t just isolated to the U.S. The U.K. witnessed sales of new cars go down 21% in September, which is the fifth month in a row where new-car sales have fallen. Consumers have become nervous to purchase new vehicles because of the poor economy, therefore, many people are holding onto their old cars and purchasing used car warranties.

Just like in America, the sales drop occurred regardless of many new vehicle models coming out on the market. Other countries that experienced a fall in sales were Italy and Spain.

Even in China, which was car-crazed recently, sales dropped 26%, which is the biggest drop over the last 50 years.

One of the only countries that have seen an uptick in the sales of new cars was France, which saw an increase in sales of 8% in September. In part, this was due to the governmental aid of the purchase of cars that are less polluting. Usually, those vehicles are French brands.

According to the National Automobile Dealers Association, out of the 20,700 U.S. new car dealerships, around 600 will have been forced to shut down this year, compared to 430 last year.

At least 80% of the dealerships closing will be domestics because of the large amount of sales that they have lost. And once a dealership has to close, it’s hard to reopen.

According to Grant Thornton LLP, it is estimated that at least 3,800 other dealers need to close also.

The fact is that there has been a surplus of dealers for many years. But the large cost of financing and the present credit crunch has created quite a storm. Dealers are having trouble getting the funds to finance the vehicles and don’t make the money, so they have to close their shop.

Many consumers have decided to hang onto their current cars and buy an auto warranty instead of purchasing new vehicles. Motorists are hesitant to buy because of the poor economy and instead opt to just purchase used car warranties to help them maintain their vehicles.

With gas prices over $4 per gallon, motorists are looking a little more closely at used cars.  The National Automobile Dealers Association reports that last year the average cost of a used vehicle was around $15,000, while it was $29,000 for new vehicles.

While you want to purchase a pre-owned car that has a solid reputation for dependability, it’s even more beneficial to purchase a used vehicle that consumers find less popular, because it has already depreciated rapidly.

Many people believe that the best new vehicles make the best used vehicles, which is true in general.  However, often these cars depreciate at a slower rate, which makes them popular as new vehicles, but means they cost more as used vehicles.

According to Kelly Blue Book, the vehicle brands that depreciate the slowest are Mini, Scion, Volkswagen, BMW, and Honda.

Instead of purchasing those models, consider other brands that have high reliability scores, but depreciate more quickly and can save you thousands of dollars.  Domestic brands are good to consider, such as Dodge, Ford, and Chevrolet.  These will get you a bargain.

If you want to save money by buying a used car, consider depreciation. You can get a good bargain by buying reliable, more rapidly depreciating models, and buy used car warranties to give you peace of mind.

Toyota is following in Honda’s footsteps to manufacture natural gas powered products. The carmaker of the successful Prius hybrid is planning to debut a Camry concept car that uses natural gas in November at the L.A. auto show. These cars are called CNGs, or compressed natural gas. There are only 1,000 refueling stations for these vehicles to fuel up at, and only half of these are retail pumps that are standard of refueling stations that are based at home.

So far, CNGs have not become popular, which is why the Honda Civic CNG is just sold in two states, California and New York. The CNG Honda Civic performs pretty much the same as the gasoline version. However, it is unclear why natural gas is a good alternative source of fuel for vehicles when there isn’t near the infrastructure for it than there is for E85. Also, by creating more of a demand for natural gas, prices will go up for those people who use natural gas to heat their homes.

However, Toyota claims that creating a natural gas infrastructure would be a good way to pave the way for a hydrogen infrastructure in the future.

Are consumers ready for natural gas powered vehicles? The problem is it is inconvenient at the moment. Motorists would rather hang onto their current vehicles and purchase used car warranties, rather than paying money on a new vehicle that will end up being inconvenient.

Analysts have expected the prices of crude oil to go down for months now, yet they keep going up. Will motorists ever be able to afford important things such as an auto warranty and maintenance again? Crude oil prices had a considerable decline early in the year, however the hope is not just that the price will make demand go down, but that the amount of non OPEC production delayed will hopefully catch up late in the year and into next year. The market will soon continue with production, which will cause prices to drop.

The investment of the oil companies are based on around $55-$75 per barrel of oil. If you look at history, that is still very valuable oil. That’s what we are going to see, and gas prices will drop. However, the question on everyone’s mind is when.

Consumers shouldn’t expect price drops to be dramatic until late in the year. Gas prices will likely rise and peak throughout the nation at about $3.50 per gallon. However, motorists could see significant relief late in 2008 as new production is evident online.

There are a few things working in favor of lower gas prices. Ethanol will displace a large part of the demand for gas since it will be taking 10% of gas out of the picture. Also, prices won’t be up an enormous amount from years past, just about a percentage point. However, this isn’t the beginning of the $4-$5 per gallon apocalypse for gas. Never fear, motorists will be able to afford such things as used car warranties and maintenance again.

Most people depend on major car companies, like Avis for rentals on business trips and vacations. Yet, most people don’t realize that firms such as these are great sources of well-priced used vehicles.  Avis’ business is rental cars, however, they also sell their older models.  Car shoppers get a big savings by purchasing a vehicle from Avis instead of car dealers.  This gives people the opportunity to put their money towards used car warranties that will protect their car.

Avis sells their vehicles that are more than one year old so they can make room for more recent models.  This is how Avis ensures that they have a well-maintained and current fleet.  When certain car models prove to be popular, Avis often sells them early, after the car has passed a certain mileage.

Another good thing about purchasing a car from Avis is that they treat their vehicles with metallic paint.  On the other hand, car dealers usually don’t do this.  One concern that car shoppers have is that rental cars have been through a lot of wear and tear.  Yet, Avis points out that vehicles for sale are around six months old and less than 13,000 miles.  Also important is that many times the car’s auto warranty is still valid.  However, the auto warranty will only last for approximately one year, so it is important to shop around for used car warranties.