Great Deals to be Had in the 2008 Car Clearance

You will always get a good deal on a new car when the dealerships want to clear out their inventory to make room for the cars of the New Year. The 2008 car clearance, though, has been the best one in recent memory in terms of the deals offered to customers. One only has to listen to the news and see the line ups of cars waiting at the docks in San Francisco to see that the sale of cars has diminished to next to nothing. As a result of the global economic situation, car manufacturers are finding themselves in financial difficulty and have drastically cut prices in order to move the cars.

If you watch any of the ads on TV featuring the special deals associated with the 2008 car clearance (http://cheap-insurance-rates.com/auto), you will realize that now is the time to get one of the best deals of your life on a new vehicle. Companies that offer financing of new cars have 0% interest in place so your payments are based on the purchase price only. In addition to this savings, companies and dealerships are throwing in discounts of $2000 and $3000 as well as cutting the cost of the vehicles they still have on their lots.

There are many incentives offered by individual dealerships in order to speed up their 2008 car clearance. It is important to negotiate with the salesperson about the trade in amount you receive for your vehicle, which will reduce the overall purchase price. You will get a better deal, though, if you go in to look for a 2008 car without a trade. You also have to look at a car that has low fuel costs and low maintenance.

The 2008 new car clearance (http://cheap-insurance-rates.com/auto) actually started in July, as it does every year. With so many people losing their jobs, though, car sales did not reach the anticipated levels. Thus, by September, most dealerships were in panic mode with not having enough room for the 2009 cars they had on order. This is when the offers for incentive really went into high gear. Most car dealerships do not have many vehicles of the previous year in stock in January, but this is not the case in 2009. Ads are still running on TV for very expensive 2008 vehicles on which the prices have really been reduced.

Leasing a new 2009 car used to be an option. Due to the credit crunch, many companies have now eliminated this manner of obtaining a new car and this too has impacted the 2008 car clearance. Consumers like the option of being able to lease a vehicle for three or four years and then return it without having to bother with haggling over the price of a trade. The financial state of the “Big Three” is such that a few of them have cut out leasing, although you are still able to lease a car from Ford.

It is not just the car companies of the United States that are having difficulty moving their inventory through a 2008 car clearance. The foreign made cars that are often cheaper in price are also in the same situation. Anyone who can afford the payments on a new car is tending to hang on to their old car just in case there may be changes in their individual financial situation.

Reducing Your Fleet Costs (1)

It is important for anyone responsible for running a fleet to be aware of all associated costs, of which there are many. Below we give you guidance on what points to consider.

Funding

• Are you funding your vehicles in the most effective way? You should compare funding over the contract period on a net present value (NPV) basis

• Are you running vehicles over an optimum period of months given vehicle type, usage and anticipated mileage?

• How important is predictability of costs to your business (used vehicle prices and running costs move with market forces, contract hire passes the risk to the leasing company)

Vehicle Choice

• What is the total cost of the chosen vehicle? Consider resale values, maintenance, insurance, fuel and NI costs when selecting vehicles

• Is it cheaper to run diesel or petrol models for your fleet? Purchase price will vary as will maintenance costs, mpg performance and pump prices for fuel

• What discounts are available? Large leasing companies reflect volume-related discounts from

manufacturers in pricing to their customers. Depending on fleet size you may be able to

negotiate discount with manufacturers or dealers, particularly if you restrict vehicle choice to a small number of makes and models rather than an open “user chooser” policy

• Consider carefully which optional extras your policy will allow drivers to add to their vehicle. Some help vehicles retain value at resale (e.g. metallic paint, alloy wheels, leather seats, sat nav) others may detract buyers (unusual colours, body kits, sun roofs, manual transmission on prestige makes). LCV’s benefit from ply lining, full bulkheads, manufacturer white colour and correct wheel base to weight ratio

• Many fleets choose benchmark vehicles to align vehicle choice with driver entitlements and ensure a competitive offer compared to other similar employers. Choose models that reflect your fleet policy objectives

End of Life

• Damage to vehicles costs you money at disposal either through reduced sale values or recharges if leased. Ensure all damage is reported – SMART or bodyshop repair may save further damage and prove a more cost-effective solution. Some companies oblige drivers to contribute towards the cost of repairs they have caused

• Keep track of vehicle mileages. Vehicles with higher than anticipated mileage will achieve less at sale and if contract hired attract excess mileage costs

• Re-contracting leased vehicles to adjust expected end mileage is a good way of spreading these costs over the course of the remaining contract. If mileage is likely to be lower than anticipated you could pay less each month till the end of the contract

• If a driver leaves and you need to return a leased vehicle earlier than expected, avoid early termination charges by relocating vehicles to new drivers for the remainder of the lease or offering up to existing drivers due a replacement

Maintenance

• Maintenance can be paid for on an actual cost basis or more predictably on a budgeted basis e.g. as part of a contract hire monthly payment

• Buying maintenance through leasing companies can save you money through:

– Taking advantage of combined buying power

– Controlled quality and cost of work through a managed network with pre-authorisation by trained

technicians

– Consolidating invoices for all work carried out

– Ensuring warranty work is not charged

– Identifying problem vehicles and making representation to the manufacturer

• Make clear to drivers their responsibilities, e.g. for tyre pressures and tread; oil, fuel, water, antifreeze levels; wiper blades; vehicle cleanliness; lighting checks

• Proactive maintenance can prevent additional costs, improve safety and reduce fuel consumption

• Identify “rogue” drivers with above average maintenance, tyre, damage, accident and fuel costs.

Discuss their driving performance with them, consider driver training or recharging of some items.

If this is a common problem consider linking level of vehicle entitlement to driving record

Something Everyone Should Know About Car Wheels

Have you ever wondered if car wheels have an expiry date? If you have, chances are that you concluded that car wheels don’t have an expiry date, since nobody ever seems to mention any such thing. The truth, however, is that they do. There does come a point when you should replace your car wheels even if they do not look worn out, simply because they have been around for too long.

The governments of various countries around the world have, in fact, begun inquiries into how long after the date of manufacture car wheels remain safe for use. This is following a number of serious and fatal accidents that involved car wheels simply disintegrating and falling apart while a driver was on the road. In many of these cases, these were not well-worn wheels, but they had been manufactured long before, and were presumably in storage for a long time before being used.

Another thing that is troubling about car wheels is that their date of manufacture is not clearly or prominently displayed. Instead, it requires that you know exactly where to look and how to translate the relevant digits from a string of them printed on the side of the car wheel. This is the only way to determine exactly when a car wheel was manufactured.

Authorities are only beginning to discover just how major a problem this is, as more and more drivers turn to discount car wheels in order to save money in these bad economic times. Many large department stores that have sections for automobile products also include a discount car wheel section. Most of the time, the car wheels offered for sale in this section are being offered at lower prices because the store has been unable to sell them for a long time. Store owners have no choice but to sell these car wheels, which are often older and more obsolete models as well, at discounted prices.

The problem is that car wheels that have been kept in storage for such long periods of time should not be sold at all. Since wheel manufacturers have not informed stores that car wheels have best by dates, however, stores continue to offer these car wheels that could potentially endanger the lives of drivers and their passengers.

So if you are thinking of purchasing new car wheels, no matter where they may be from, you should always make it a point to find out exactly when the wheel was manufactured. You can do this by locating the number that is printed on the side of the wheel, consisting of a series of digits and alphabets. You need only concern yourself with the last four digits of that number. The first two of those digits represent the week of manufacture and the last two of those digits represent the year of manufacture.

5107, for example, would then mean that a wheel had been manufactured in the 51st week of 2007. Experts have recommended that you not purchase any car wheel that was manufactured more than 6 years before the date of purchase. This will help to ensure the safety of yourself and your loved ones when traveling in your car.

6 ways to save money on your Auto Insurance Quote

It is possible to save good amount of money on your car insurance. May be right now you are paying more money then you have to pay for an auto insurance. Auto insurance quote is different and can vary from company to company. So be sure to shop around and save maximum for your auto insurance.

Here are some suggestions:

1. Review your policy:
   Keep updating your personal information and your car information to your agent. If you are relocating somewhere else or you changing your car then give respective information to your agent. Car insurance rates are depends on information you provide, so keep checking that you are providing true facts to your agent.

2. Comparison shop:
   Your state insurance department provides you latest consumer news so check your consumer information. You can find valuable resources from that news. This news is published on internet and you can access it from your computer. They provide you auto guides and you can compare rates and coverage.

3. Combined insurance:
   If you want to save big then go for the combined insurance policy that means insure your car and house and your other general property from same insurance company. This overall minimizes your cost for both home insurance and auto insurance. Many auto insurance companies provide renewal discounts; take advantage from this renewal discount.

4. Avoid the insurance gap.
   If you keep gaps in between your auto insurance coverage then it will cost higher then usual. So avoid lapses and gaps in your auto insurance. Many car insurance company charge higher rates for each lapse in coverage.

5. Vary Prices:
   Car insurance companies calculate their overall business cost and according to that cost they decide premiums. When you want to choose an insurance company, compare their business cost. You can contact to agents or brokers of different company and counsel with them.

6. Buy online and save.
   When you apply car insurance online, it cut down the various charges and cost for the middleman. Buying auto insurance online saves lot of your money. You will get lower rates if you order car insurance from Auto Insurance Quote website. Here on this website you can also apply for the general insurance along with auto insurance. It not only save your money but also save your valuable time.

Visit our website http://www.1-auto-insurance.info for further information

The best quality Used truck part and Used Automotive Parts

It is important to understand that used automotive parts can serve your vehicle in a similar manner like the brand new automotive parts. The only difference between the two types is the cost associated with the parts. While the used automotive parts are cheap and come with discounts, the new parts are extremely costly and may not fit your budget when you think of purchasing them for the maintenance of your vehicle. There is a similar confusion while trying to purchase truck parts. There is high quality used truck part available in the market that can provide close competition to the new truck parts. This is because these used truck part is repaired, quality checked, and inspected before being sold in the market as used parts.

These used automotive parts can be a great option but it is important to be careful while shopping for these parts. Any used automotive parts that would fail to last for a longer duration of time after purchase will not be cost effective. Similarly, while purchasing used truck part remember that in order to be effective these used parts have to be of good quality and provide durability. That is extremely essential for heavy vehicles like trucks that carry huge amount of load in the truckload bed. Therefore, before starting out on your journey to buy used automotive parts try to be clear about certain things before taking the plunge.

It is essential to have a concrete idea regarding the kind of used automotive parts that you want to purchase. If possible, keep the damaged or worn out automobile part with you to have a quick comparison with the type of used automotive parts you are buying. For bigger and heavier parts like the ones used in trucks, it is better to take a picture of the component to the local auto parts dealer and request them for an exact match. This will help you get the right kind of used truck part for your truck. The used truck part has to suffice two main requirements of the truck such as load capacity and durability. The used truck part should not compromise on the load capacity and prevent any unwanted incidents of breakdown in the middle of the journey.

The best way to get rid of all your doubts is to ask questions. The online auto parts stores have excellent customer support facilities to take care of your queries whereas the same may not be available with the local dealers. Therefore, it is also necessary to have sufficient knowledge about the products that needs to be replaced or maintained. Another important thing is warranty period and money back guarantee if the product is not found according to the quality standards discussed or mentioned.

It is also vital to get an assessment for the kind of repair that your vehicle requires. If there are some minor mechanical issues then the same can be repaired by the mechanic and no need to get the parts repaired. However, there are certain parts like alternators, brake rotors, and starters that are worn out over a period. It is extremely important to purchase parts only after consultation with your mechanic. The parts like starter and brake rotors will help the vehicle in a big way if they are purchased new. However, in spite of all these, it is important to check your budget and all essential features that the dealer provides you including the duration of the warranty period before making any purchase decision.