Deadly Sin 1 — Not doing research

This is the actual source of much of the difficulty with selling your own car.
Research is the reason the car dealer has the advantage. He knows his business. The
private seller usually has little to do with car prices until they want to sell their car.
The main benefit of research is that you will know a realistic price that you can
charge for your vehicle. This means that you will most likely sell it more quickly and
easily. A dealer sets his price by charging whatever the market will bear. Proper
research will allow you to quickly estimate the market for your vehicle in a private
sale.

Deadly Sin 2 — Listening to unfounded advice

This follows on a little bit from No. 1. There’s often financial pressure at the time of
selling a car – which leads others around the seller to give their opinions as to the
price or the desperation to sell. It is often given with the best intentions. If someone
is giving you advice as to the value of your car you shouldn’t necessarily ignore it
but it is best to do your own assessment. If you do your own quality research you
will find that you are less likely to be concerned about doomsayers.

Deadly Sin 3 — Not preparing your car for sale

It is amazing, but some people will try to sell a car with a full ashtray of cigarette
butts. At the very minimum you should vacuum the car and give it a wash. If you
really want to maximise your price putting some time into the presentation of the
vehicle is essential. The best way to approach this is to imagine you are the buyer.
See yourself viewing the car for the first time. What impression does it give you?
Now make a list of things that you can inexpensively fix or handle and attend to
them. Properly detailing your car is highly recommended.

Deadly Sin 4 — Trying to hide known faults from a buyer

Well it’s fairly clear that this is dishonest and should not be done. Some states
actually have laws which hold you liable if it is found that you sold a car with known
faults. A used car may have some faults. The best way to handle this situation is to
know exactly what the fault is and how much it will cost to fix it. You can then
reflect that in the price you ask for the vehicle. The principle is to repair only what
will be paid back in the sale price.

Deadly Sin 5 — Selling to a professional buyer

There are people that make their living buying cars at bargain prices. For this reason
you should learn to recognize them. They will make you a very low offer. The best
way to protect yourself is to do the research step thoroughly and be prepared to say
no. They are basically trading off the fact that most people don’t really know the
market and are sometimes just desperate to sell.

Deadly Sin 6 — Not doing your paperwork

You absolutely must complete all the DMV or vehicle authority paperwork to fully
transfer the title. Otherwise you may receive parking tickets or other nasties from
the other party.

Deadly Sin 7 — Letting yourself be bullied by tyre-kickers

Many buyers will make a list of all the things they have found wrong with the car
and then tell you the price that all this costs to repair. Don’t assume that their
figures are correct because they appear to be an expert. It is often the case that if
they are truly an expert they know how to get the repair done themselves for a
much cheaper price. You will find that two of these experts have two totally different
ideas about the price. As you can see, it gets back to research again — if you have
priced your car correctly — you won’t be overly disturbed by tyre-kickers.

By: Graeme Sprigge

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Tallahassee is situated in Leon County and is the capital of Florida. It is the 133rd biggest city in all of the USA with a population of just over 171,000. The Tallahassee metropolitan area population is estimated to be well over 350,000.

Tallahassee is a vibrant city with a great youthful exuberance. It is the unofficial home of Florida’s secondary education. Florida State, Florida A&M and Keiser University all call the city home. Economically, the Tallahassee area is quite diverse and cutting edge. While the rest of the country is locked into a recession, Tallahassee has actually been growing its manufacturing and high tech business sectors.

All of this makes Tallahassee a great and exciting place to live. On the down side, it also makes the city one of the tougher places to safely drive in.

There were over 5500 car accidents in Leon County during 2008. Leon County has over 200 car accidents per 100 million miles driven. That ratio would make it the second most dangerous area in Florida to drive in after Miami-Dade. To put this into perspective, a driver in Tallahassee is about 60% more likely to get in an accident than other Florida residents for every mile they drive.

Of special note to those traveling in Tallahassee is the dangerous intersections that reside in the city. The most dangerous of all of these is the corner of Oak Plantation and Thomasville Road. Drivers are constantly ignoring the turning lane rules, and many accidents have been caused. The city is aware of the problem, and is currently trying to figure out how to make it safer. Red light cameras have not yet been used in the Tallahassee area, although other similar sized communities in Florida have begun to use them to cut down on intersection accidents.

It is statistics and dangers like this that makes having suitable insurance whe driving in Talllahassee that much more important.

Like most States – auto insurance in Florida is mandatory. If you own a vehicle with at least 4 wheels and registering it – you need to have Florida Insurance. The minimum coverage is $10 000 for both personal injury protection and property damage liability. When driving in dangerous areas like Tallahassee it is recommended to go above those numbers when getting insurance coverage.

Florida is known as a “no fault” state but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t care about who caused any accidents you are involved in. Every insurance policy is required to cover the first $10 000 in hospital expenses and lost wage – that is what makes it “no fault”. The reality is, in most serious accidents – lost wages and hospital expenses will easily climb over that $10 000 mark.

Paying attention to your surroundings, taking a defensive driving course and being properly insured will make sure you can enjoy your time in Tallahassee, one of the countries most beautiful cities. Safe driving!

By: T. Payne

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Kansieo.com

When looking into car finance options it may be confusing as there are so many offers and deals out there. You may want to take what might seem to be the easiest option of walking into a dealership to buy a vehicle and take the finance deal they offer. However, this might not necessarily be the cheapest way of obtaining the finance needed to purchase a car. You may want to compare the cost of interest rates online and there are specialist motoring websites that search for car finance by location for you and allow you to look for a new or used vehicle in your area too.

If you choose the option above to look for a vehicle and car finance by location then of course this may save a great deal of time. Usually you are able to browse through new and used cars in your area and if you find what you are looking for, you are able to compare the best deals on your finance. If you do not understand APR then this may be the ideal choice for you as you may be sure that they find you the best deals possible. When you purchase a vehicle this way, usually everything is taken care of for you and all you do is pick up the car from the dealer.

When looking for a vehicle and car finance by location you then have to decide how much you are able to repay each month. To help keep the loan affordable you may be tempted to stretch out the term of the loan. When considering this you may want to use a loan calculator to work out how much you have to pay in interest and in total. It may help if you are able to pay something towards the cost of the vehicle so if you do have savings you may be able to borrow less and so you pay less in interest. Another bonus to taking a personal loan to finance your car is that the vehicle is yours and providing you keep the repayments up to date, or pay off the loan, you are able to sell or trade in the vehicle whenever you wish.

Of course, if you are going to take the traditional method of buying your car by going into a dealership on foot, the dealer usually offers car finance. When taking finance this way it is called hire purchase. As the name might suggest the vehicle is not yours until the final payment has been made, until then you are just “hiring” the car. You also usually have to put down a deposit on the car. As the vehicle is not yours until you have paid the final installment you are unable to sell the car or trade it in until this time.

Whichever method of car finance by location you choose, reading the terms of the contract is essential so you know exactly how much the vehicle is going to cost in total with added interest.

By: Louis Rix

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With so many high quality used cars available on the market, many people don’t hesitate to purchase a used car over a new one. If fact, many car buyers can get a higher quality used car for the same price, if not less, than the cost of a new model.

As with buying anything second hand, there are some things you need to take into consideration that aren’t always necessary with buying something new.

Research

It is extremely important that you conduct some research when buying a used car. You should have a clear idea of what make and model you wish to buy, the kind of performance you desire, and the comparable market prices on used cars in your area. By doing a little research before you hit the dealerships or private sellers, you better your chances of getting a really good deal.

Car History Reports

If at all possible, you should definitely get a vehicle history report on any used vehicle you wish to purchase. This may give you an idea of any problems the car may have, such as past accidents or any other major problems.

Compare Safety Features

You should do your best to find a used car with the best safety feature available. According to some reports, almost 80% of all accident injuries were heightened because safety features were not available on the car.

Scrutinize All Vehicle Documents

Make sure that all the vehicle documents are valid. The last thing you want to do is buy a car that is stolen, has liens on it, or has a forged “Bill of Sale”.

Last but not least, you should meticulously inspect the overall condition of the car before signing any papers. You should be wary of any rust or damage, and should check that the tires are safe to drive on.

By: Cat Tobin

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