Car Articles

Selling your car these days is not only easier, but you have such a wide variety of choice that it can seem bewildering – especially when it comes to online wheeling and dealing. I’d like to tell you a bit more about your options when being a seller, and highlight some of the sites that I’ve had experience with.

No doubt you’ll find them of use too if you want to use the latest tools to move your motor. Advertising online is one of the quickest and easiest ways to sell your car. It’s a very simple way to get in touch with hundreds (if not thousands) of potential buyers and a great way to showcase your motor in the best possible way.

Of course, the way your ad looks, the length of time it is displayed and the number of images you can use all differ. What about your ad though? Well it’s crucial to get the tone right and emphasize why someone should buy the car. I wouldn’t recommend setting it out like you’re talking to a mate (you aren’t, after all), but I’d certainly make sure that you state why it’s a good purchase, how well it has been looked after and how you have used it.

This part of the ad is really about building up a level of trust and being honest – no-one wants to buy a lemon after all. One thing I would recommend avoiding is a long list of acronyms – unless you’re actually selling to a dealership or a specialist then an online ad (where you can frequently use far more words than a standard ad) can really benefit from having the full description such as Power Assisted Steering.

I’ve heard anecdotes of people selling with only the vaguest of information, but this is rare. The more information you provide in an honest fashion the more likely a buyer is to say to themselves “oh yes, this car is me. It’s exactly what I’m looking for”. If something attracted you to the car in the first place, make sure to mention it. It will certainly appeal to someone else. Without further ado, here are some sites you could use to sell your car.

Ebay
For many, this is the obvious choice. Why is that? Well, how about more than 40,000 cars and one of the best-known auction sites on the Internet. That not enough for you? Well, as a seller you have got a very versatile and powerful formatting tool that can set up everything from single ‘Buy It Now’ auctions all the way through to a much more familiar ‘Classified Ad’. The costs vary depending on how you want to sell your vehicle but a classified costs about £12.99. You have one picture for free to upload, with up to twelve slots being available. You should be able to relist your car if it doesn’t sell.

Pros: A very well known site with a wide range of tools for selling.
Cons: If you get ‘burned’ by a buyer, you won’t be able to offer feedback saying so (new Ebay rules).

Auto Trader
Arguably one of the most famous trade papers for selling a vehicle in the whole of the UK, this is really the bible for those who are looking to buy or sell. The online version is no different really, with access to more than 370,000 motors listed. Sellers get a great deal of advice for free, and there’s the option of paying £2.95 for a proper Glass’s Guide Evaluation (this will allow you to set your car at the correct asking price). The average fee will be around the £18 mark. All ads can be added to or edited once placed.
Pros: Nine images can be used, a huge amount of buyers.
Cons: A lot of competition on the site itself.

Fish 4 Cars
Part of the ‘Fish 4’ brand, this is one of the of the off-shoot sites and provides a range of sales tools. Most of the ads on there are for trade, but private sellers are certainly welcome. It costs just under a tenner for two weeks visibility – this can be stretched up to two months if you think your car isn’t going to shift. There’s more than 110,000 vehicles on there at the moment, giving the sellers a wide choice.
Pros: A huge amount of coverage including 500 local press titles.
Cons: Your ad might be lost in amongst the ‘trade’ offers etc.

Each of the three above offer something slightly different to the seller – though my personal pick would be Auto Trader. The reputation of the service should please most – as will the customer service. You might find you get a better price on one of the others though. If you have any experience as a seller, make sure to give some feedback.

I’ve thought about this question before because I would like to quantify exactly what makes them special. The area of the car market I’m talking about is the really top end - not the things mind that are just expensive cruisers (such as the Rolls Royce range) but stuff with scary, balls-to-the-wall performance to go with it.

Impracticality
One thing I’ve noted during my search for the ‘essence of supercar’ (it could be a well nice aftershave that, though granted it would have a whiff of the high octane stuff about it) is that the car has to be completely impractical. It has to really offer barely any room at all, whether you’re a passenger (real supercars rarely offer room for more than one of these) or a piece of baggage.

This is one of the reasons why you could call cars such as the Subaru Impreza WRX Sti and Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution incredibly impressive and fast - but they aren’t supercars. There’s just too much space, a bit too much ‘well I could help you do the shopping run too’ about them. There’s a place for that, but it’s not as a supercar.

Looks to die for
Supercars, invariably, look different from all other cars on the road. I was recently driving to work and there was a Lamborghini Gallardo driving on the opposite carriageway. It caught my eye and made my stomach feel light. The sheer looks of the thing made me gawk.

A car cannot be called a supercar unless it looks a bit special. I’m not just talking about a bit of carbon fibre as the bonnet either - it must have something that screams ‘I will eat you if you do something I don’t like’. This can be a rear diffuser; a bonnet bulge or intakes that make the car look like it has miniature caverns. Whatever it is, it must catch your eye. Cars that are trying the same trick (but aren’t supercars) will frequently paint their machines in traditional supercar livery such as bright reds and yellows.

Power and performance
A supercar should be super in every way - whether it is the looks or the performance. This being the case, such a machine cannot carry the moniker unless it is flying the flag for pointless, over the top performance. If your current car can do a higher top speed then you’re either rich or kidding yourself.

Cars such as the new Nissan GT-R are genuine sports cars - simply because it will do the 0-60 run in 3.6 seconds. Truly breathtaking. A bit scary as well no doubt. That’s another purpose of a supercar. Unless you’re a racing driver, it should have the ability to make you wet yourself. Repeatedly.

Costs
This really is something particular to supercars (well okay, you’ll suffer some of this if you get a performance car of the non-super variety). The cost of an initial purchase can be just about as high as you want to go, given how much you can customise your chosen vehicle. Your dealer can give you an options list longer than your arm and if you’re a real supercar buyer you’ll tick more than a few.

Cars you might like which won’t make your bank manager cry
These days, there are some cars that you can get for a very reasonable price that are either supercars or have genuine heritage. The Honda NSX is one such car. You can pick one of these bad boys up for just up from £20,000 and you’ll have a high revving V6 howler to your name that will put a lot of other cars on the road to shame.

Whilst some complain about TVR, if you haven’t got the Earth to spend then I’d recommend one. Look for a good model though, as reliability is a known issue (tell me which ’supercar’ doesn’t come with this feature though). I found a TVR Chimaera (4.3 litre convertible monster) for only £8,650 - a real bargain that will go like absolute stink.

My favourite supercar
As a car enthusiast, naturally I have a preference for a vehicle - should I happen to win the lottery or get an inheritance I wasn’t expecting. My choice is for the Ferrari F430. This two-door coupe is a fantastic vehicle. You can get it in manual or ‘F1′ style paddle shift and it’ll go from 0-60 in less than four seconds and will naturally cost you the Earth to run. I found one however for only £100,000.

I guess the point of supercars really is just that - to be super, in the same way that Superman is. They are unattainable. The height of mechanical and automotive genius. They turn heads. Perhaps though the only sign of a true supercar is whether a boy will have a picture of it on his wall. In that case, make mine a Lamborghini Diablo. This analogy highlights perfectly what a supercar represents - emotion, excitement and power all rolled into a beautiful package.

I’ve made no bones about my passion - and that tends to be fast cars.  You may have even gotten a little sick of hearing Lamborghini this or Aston Martin that.  You’ll no doubt be shouting at the screen - much as many do with Top Gear - and saying ‘where are the normal car reviews?’

Well, I’m not about to review the new Kia Picanto for you (even if it is a good car).  Well, I will if I get an invite to test-drive it.  In the meantime though, what I’d like to do is recommend five cars that you’ll love.  You’ll love them because not only are they on the whole very decent at what they do, but also they’ll save you a fortune in insurance.

Whether you’re a new driver or an older person looking to save money, any of these cars will be suitable for you.  Even if you’re the motorist looking to save a few bob, then you won’t go wrong with these.  This is not least because not only are these cars cheap to insure, but they all have relatively small (and economical) engines.  So, without further ado, let’s take a look at the five.

Skoda Fabia
Don’t listen to those who are still telling the same old badge jokes.  In fact, poke them in the eye and tell them they are about ten years behind the times.  Since VW took over Skoda way back in 1991, things have got better and better.  The Fabia is based on the V Polo and is extremely reliable, hardwearing and very safe.  The 1.2 litre Classic is insurance group one - that fact will certainly make your wallet fatter.

Renault Clio
The third generation of the supermini is a modern classic in many ways and the quality certainly goes some way to explaining why you see them just about everywhere.  The way in which the internal space is handled is very clever, meaning that there’s actually quite a bit of room inside.  Going for the 1.2 litre will see you getting almost 50mpg, something that you won’t see from many other engines.

Nissan Micra
Granted, this car will probably be the least popular in this review.  Why is that?  Well, the perky little car is what a huge number of people learn to drive in every year.  Given this fact, I know that I for sure was desperate to distance myself from the Micra - even if my ideal car is a Nissan (a 350Z for the record).  However, the modern Micra is actually a damn good car.  You’ll get keyless entry, parking sensors, air con and many other perks you wouldn’t necessarily expect.  Overall, it’s a really good car and it won’t cost the Earth to run.

Fiat Punto
There is a large number of this particular Italian supermini on the road and for good reason.  It enjoys being revved.  It really is that simple.  Much like James May said in his review of the Fiat 500, these Italian cars are made to be lit up by pushing the revometer until the valves have “jumped up and are dancing on the bonnet”.  I couldn’t agree more - and it is one of the more involving cars here.  Not only that, but even the 1.3 litre sporting will see you managing to get very reasonable insurance quotes.

Ford Fiesta
This is a car that has been around for about 30 years now - which must tell you something.  Granted, there are so many superminis out there now that the Fiesta can look a bit of an oldie (not least because the design has never really been altered that much) but it is a testament to the quality that so many are still going.  The newer and younger models however are really geared for the modern generation and feature such additions as Bluetooth and new-design alloys.  Why get it?  Well the 1.25 litre version is a group two and will give you about 45mpg.  You can chuck it in corners and it’ll give you a smile.  With that in mind, what’s not to love?

Conclusion
You’ll have seen that there’s a trend in these ‘cheap to insure’ cars - and that is the fact that they are pretty much exclusively superminis with small engines.  There’s nothing wrong with that, in fact they can offer a great drive along with frugal performance.  So, for a change, let’s all hail these little metal marvels of money saving.  Make mine a Fabia (VRS edition diesel mind you).

There is an increasing trend for people selling their car on eBay motors, rather than going the traditional route of putting an ad in Auto Trader. Unlike an Auto Trader advert you have much more control over how your advert is displayed on eBay as as been able to display detailed information about your vehicle.

To achieve the best price when selling your car on eBay here’s some profitable tips:

Pictures - lots of ‘em!: Buyers like to see plenty of pictures so they can get an idea of what your car is like. Before you start taking pictures make sure you give the car a good clean, inside and out, so it is looking it’s best. Then take around 20 exterior and interior shots. Cars always look best in the sunshine so look out for the good weather and seize the snapping opportunity! Once you have your pictures choose the best 10-12 and use them in your auction.

Protect your Data: To avoid car cloning, blank your number plate out on the images you display on the auction. Most image manipulation software will have a blur or pixelate feature which is useful for this purpose.

Be honest: There is no gain to be made from describing your car as something it is not. If the auction winner comes to collect the vehicle and discovers they have been mislead, they will simply walk away. If you car has known problems, detail them in the description. A lot of buyers on eBay are in the motor trade and take any problems into account when biding - it won’t make them lose interest.

Low bid price attracts interest: eBay is such a busy site these days that you can take the risk of starting bidding at 1p safe in the knowledge that your car will usually achieve its market price. Sure, for piece of mind you can set a reserve, but a 1p no reserve auction always attracts more interest from bidders.

Answer questions: Once the auction is live you’ll start getting questions from existing and potential bidders. Be sure to answer these questions promptly or bidders interest might switch to another vehicle.

Prepare your documentation: Any service history is a bonus but the most important document to have is the V5 logbook. Without this, you cannot sell your vehicle legally and no purchase will pay for a vehicle that does not have a logbook.

Guest Post from The Van Man who is an expert on Van Hire

In my last article, I took a look at ‘green’ cars that you could buy - stuff that if you drove it every day it wouldn’t try too hard to stuff up the environment on your way to work. What I’m going to do in this article is exactly the opposite. Why, I’m sure you’re wondering?

The simple answer is that apparently we’re all ignoring the government’s advice (read massive taxing) and going for larger cars. This is proven in the figures that show that:

‘Car buyers opting for larger vehicles made up 11.5% of all sales in the first ten months of 2007, compared to 9.5% in 2006. This is the first time that larger cars have represented more than one in ten used cars sold in the UK.’

So, in that case, what should you buy? What I’d like to offer here are not just large cars, but rather performance cars that the government (and some of the rest of the world) seem to hate. The reason being, I quite like them. I like the roar of a big V6, the throb of a V8. Not only that, but right now it’s a great idea to get one.

Yes, I know. I’ve already written about the barmy-as-hell huge road tax costs that you’ll pay for a more polluting vehicle. I’m also aware that in some places petrol has gone well above 105p per litre. However, the savings you make on buying a bigger engined or sports-performance vehicle (and the fun they will provide) should certainly make up for it. So, without further ado, here’s what I’d recommend.

COUPE
Audi TT
What a great, now classic car this is. Granted, there’s a new model, but come on, the old one still looks really interesting. These days, you can get a 2001 model 1.8T 225 Quattro (that means 4 wheel drive) for around £8,000. This, by anyone’s imagination is a great bargain. All you need to look out for really is that it has been regularly serviced, as it is difficult to get at the oily bits. Imports also may be an issue, as they might not put up with UK weather too well.
Mazda RX-8
This is one of the few cars on the road that comes with a Wankel rotary engine. What does that mean? Well how about revving beyond 9,000rpm with super-smooth power delivery? Yeah, that’s sure a great benefit. The RX-8 is an interesting looking beast, and it sounds great. The bad points? Well, the (ahem) running costs might scare you. The engine is only 1.3, delivers 2.5 performance and drinks like a 3 litre. Drive one though, I found a 192 on a 2004 for only £7,500.

SALOON
Alfa Romeo 156 GTA
If you’re looking for something with Italian flair, four-wheel drive and a monstrous amount of power then look no further. This is a car that is serious. Bite your head off serious. How about a 3.2 litre engine. Why not try 250bhp. Not sure about the torque delivery? This car will pull away smoothly from fourth gear. The interior looks classy without being over the top and you can get lovely leather heated seats. As usual, in Alfa style, you get cowelled instruments that only the driver can see. This stops your passenger from screaming when they see you’re doing 140mph. The bad points are pretty much summed up by also saying (much like the good points) that it’s an Alfa. You should be reassured that the 156 was the turning point - with the release of this car the UK dealerships and service centres were proved to be much better. However, check the head gaskets, the 60,000 service intervals and just about everything else. I’d certainly recommend a full main dealer service history. I found a 156 GTA for slightly over £8,000.
BMW M3
This motor is an absolute legend. If you ask anybody, they’ll tell you that one of the most revered BMWs ever made is the M3. This thing is fast. Seriously fast. It is one of the few cars in the world that you won’t mind pulling up at Tesco’s in, before roaring off to hit the Channel Tunnel and then heading on to the Nurburgring. It is a serious driving machine. Faults? Not many. One thing to certainly bear in mind however is the running costs. This is a supercar. If it hasn’t been treated as such, it might be a bit of a grumpy motor. Alongside that, imagine getting less than 18mpg. But what can you do? I found an M3 Evolution with tonnes of kit for only £5,995.

I’ll certainly be following this with some other ‘types’ of motor that you might well be interested in, but in the meantime, explore the options I’ve offered here. You might well find a hidden gem that you didn’t realise was out there, or even that it was available in your budget.

Despite what we maybe seeing on TV, it seems for those people who are old enough the Porsche 911 is the iconic cars of the eighties and the Audi Quattro which has had a nice bit of publicity on the hit TV show Ashes to Ashes came in a close second.

Out of all the cars on the list, I am amazed that at least one of these Fords made it onto the list, the RS 2000, Capri 30s and the Capri 2.8 Injection these cars were true eighties machines and really reflected the times.

The Results of the HPI survey:

What would be your dream 80’s car?

Porsche 911 29%

Audi Quattro 28%

Ford Sierra RS Cosworth 15%

BMW M5 12%

Peugeot 205 GTI 3%

Sinclair C5 1%

Which 80’s car do you most remember?

Ford Capri SLE 71R (Terry McCann - Minder) 30%

Ferrari Testarossa (Sonny Crockett in Miami Vice) 26%

De Lorean DMC12 (Back to the Future) 23%

Ferrari 308 (Magnum) 21%

Reliant Regal (Only Fools and Horses) 19%

Jaguar Mark II (Inspector Morse) 18%

KITT (Pontiac Firebird Trans Am) (Knight Rider) 17%

British Leyland Mini (Mr Bean) 11%

Jaguar XJ6 (Arthur Daly - Minder) 11%

Golf GTI (Paula Hamilton commercial) 10%

What are some people thinking about?

Source [Auto Trader]

It is of course now confirmed that the Indian conglomerate Tata is the proud owner of two traditionally British marques, Land Rover and Jaguar.  Apparently this all came to conclusion over months of painstaking negotiations, along with several new cars from the various marques such as Tata’s Nano (shown, the ultra small, ultra cheap new Indian transport) and the Jaguar XF.

Ford (the owner of Land Rover and Jaguar previously) hadn’t commented on the financial performance of the two companies, but it’s probably fair to say that Jaguar was losing money whilst Land Rover was on the making money side of things after clocking up record sales in the last three years.

For those interested in the finance side of things, the overall cost came to a staggering £1.15 billion.  Quite, quite incredible money.  More of a pressing concern is the fact that both Jaguar and Land Rover employ staff to the tune of about 16,000 at UK plants in the West Midlands and Merseyside.  What will become of their jobs?  Of course, it will be cheaper to manufacture abroad.  Will Jaguar, as a luxury marque, survive this sort of change?

As is the current relationship, Ford will continue to supply Jaguar and Land Rover with engines, stampings and car components along with various technologies.  This is important for continuity as well as of course reliability - do you want a Tata engine?  Probably not.

So what should Tata be doing with their new IP’s then?  Well, a few things.  First, we’ve seen the F-Type appearing here and there as an interesting concept.  Porsche is currently selling the Boxster on the original 50’s styling.  Tata should capitalise on this and take advantage of the ‘new/retro’ vibe that’s going on.

Diesel power is a requirement these days - whether we like it or not.  Tata’s range of Land Rover and Jaguar needs to encompass mid and top range diesels in order to appeal to the modern day market.  I’m not going to ask for an electric Jaguar XJ mind you, but some versatility is required in what they supply.

So, what has Tata bought, and should they be pleased with it?  Well, I’m not about to say it’s a bargain purchase, but I will say that they are two of the best-known marques in the automotive industry.  Okay, so Jaguar might have a bit of an ‘old man’ reputation and Land Rover must, and I mean MUST shrug off the ‘it’ll break down on you all the time’ reputation.  I mean that’s gone beyond a joke; some have said they’re worse than Alfa Romeo.

Nonetheless, you have two British car brands that are arguably the best known in the world with an amazing heritage.  We know Tata is flexible and the Nano is sure to bring in significant revenue.  Will they be able to handle these new car ranges though?  Well, that remains to be seen.  What I will say though is they’re a strange fit.  Odd bedfellows if you will.  I also have reservations on how the Nano will impact our global environment.

Regardless, for Land Rover and Jaguar the future’s bright.  The future is Indian.

It does not seem to be that long ago when it was announced that Ford had finally relented and decided to build the 2008 Focus RS, but nobody would have guessed that all of this would have happened so fast, for with just a few months the new RS has been spotted out and about in Germany, and although the car would appear to be encased in an ST type body styling is a mere disguise for keep prying eyes away.

There is a few signs that the car has a larger than normal engine, probably something in the region of the 2.5 litre five cylinder model with turbo charger, which is said will be in the RS, the shaping of the bonnet is for cooling this beast down.

In fact that car could be a bit of a few cars like off of the RS Cosworth too, whether this is going to be the actual desired finished or maybe there will be some subtle changes that will move this car into something special and eye catching like it should be for, considering that when this car eventually goes on sale later on in the year it will have a price tag of around £25,000!

Source [Auto Express]

Well, as my last post was discussing the purchase of a used MX-5 (though preferably in good condition), I thought it only fair to talk you through some of the issues I’ll be considering prior to making the all-important purchase (as well as being before the next Formula 1 race).

Buying a used car can be risky - but only if you don’t know what you’re looking for. A car that has been carefully looked after and regularly serviced should be just as reliable as a car fresh off the forecourts - if not more so as the engine will be worn in. So what sort of things should you look for when going used?

Generally speaking, the average motorist will do around 10,000 miles per annum. This means that a car should reflect this - so a three-year-old vehicle could be expected to have reasonably covered 30,000 miles. If the odometer is reading say 30 miles instead - be concerned. The car may have been ‘clocked’ - whereby with some careful screw removal the numbers can be turned back.

A false reading means that there could well have been much more engine use than you thought. MOT’s should be able to give you a clearer picture of this. Check the regular touch-points like the wheel, the gearstick and the pedals. Are they worn? This is a sign that the car has also seen regular use - not necessarily bad thing, but it may indicate that other parts of kit might need looked at, such as the brakes (pads and discs), the clutch and the air filter.

One thing that always amazes me is when a car owner complains that ’something has gone wrong’ and the car isn’t up to scratch, yet they haven’t bothered servicing it. An MOT means the car is legally allowed on the road, whether it is in sufficiently good nick to then sell on is another matter. If a car hasn’t got a lot of servicing records, you might be better off just walking away.

If you consider that the engine is the heart of the car, then if it has been looked after then you’re probably going to be okay. On the other hand, the body is, well, literally the body. I know someone who bought a car with a rear bumper that had been concertina’ed. Modern cars are made to crumple yet be incredibly safe. They’ll be okay in one crash, but then need repairing to ensure they are fit to survive another - much like cycling helmets in that respect. Make sure to look at all bodywork before handing over your cash.

Be wary of ‘cut and shut’ cars. This is literally the worst-case scenario of a car you can buy. It means two cars have been cut somewhere in their middles (for whatever reason) and then welded together. Basically, the structural integrity (as any engineer worth his salt will tell you) has been completely compromised. One crash, or even taking a corner too fast, could see the car shearing. Look for any signs of welding, anywhere on the body.

HPI may be left on the car, or any other type of finance. Some people in the past (I’m sure it goes on today, but with less frequency) sold a car, along with the finance to go along with it, unbeknownst to the driver. A solution is to use a car data check, which will tell you of any crashes, write-offs or finance agreements on a particular vehicle.

I’ll go into detail on the mechanical side of what to look for in a later post, but for some more general tips, consider the following:

* Budget well - and stick to it. Insurance and general day-to-day costs must be factored in.
* Check similar cars to make sure that you aren’t being ripped off either by price or mileage.
* The V5 car registration document is incredibly important - don’t buy a car without one. It shows the ‘keeper’ not the owner, so be aware of this fact.
* Listen to the car and test-drive it if at all possible.
* These days, it’s possible to grab a great bargain used vehicle - especially this year, what with the economy driving depreciation to 8% more than it was projected at. However if something looks too good to be true, there’s probably a reason - it is.

Overall, buying a used car is much more fun than buying new - what with the boring ‘extras’ list and what have you. There’s nothing like sitting in a few different cars and getting a feel for them, before handing over the cash for your new pride and joy. Just remember to play it sensible (and safe) and you should do well in getting yourself a brilliant used bargain!

Despite all of the ownership fears at the present with Jaguar and Land Rover, it would seem that the both companies are still fully committed in bringing out some new quality models which will definitely get the pulses racing of some Range Rover driver who want something slight smaller, and of course at the same time those Freelander owners who are looking for something a little larger.

The new Land Rover slips nicely in between the two models, which will open up a new market for the company to enter, that of the BMW X1 and the Audi Q5, which is something that Land Rover has never done before, it has always had models that were too high too low to bother the Germans giants.

Naturally there is still little known about the basis of the vehicle and what sort of model range they will be having. Basically we can think of it as a sort of cross between the Freelander and it bigger and much more sophisticated brother the Range Rover, which has really changed the market itself over the past few years with models that put all of the others to shame.

The new Land Rover model will be launched possibly as the Freelander Sport sometime in 2010.

Source [Auto Express]