How plausible is it that car manufacturers have gone green too? It all started with the influx of hybrid cars although others keep saying that there's no accuracy that the car is cutting back on fuel usage. Whether consumers are getting hypercritical or not, it is quite clear to me that car manufacturers have been eyeing a greener world vis-à-vis advancing their technology.
There is enough proof. At the World Car of the Year Ceremony, which took place at the New York International Auto Show earlier this month, BMW bagged the best green car award. This has been another award to BMW, among other UK and European awards, for its EfficientDynamics programme. BMW is also an awardee of the Auto 1 Innovation award at the Geneva Motor Show.
It's even more inspiring when lately people have been cautious of how much fumes they are emitting to the environment with their cars. But this is solely true when they do this not just for cutting back on the expenses for fuel consumption. Same thing for not buying a brand-new SUV.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Is It for Real That You’re Turning Green?
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Wear and Tear: What's on It in a Car Lease?
When a leased car is returned to the car leasing company, it should be in a considerable state of wear and tear. It would be examined by the company, and any excessive wear and tear has a corresponding penalty.
So what are the bases for the car’s wear and tear status? All these are found on the fair wear and tear section in the guidelines of the British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (BVRLA).
According to the book, "The aim of the BVRLA's Fair Wear & Tear Guide is to provide an industry-wide, accepted standard as to what constitutes fair wear and tear for contract hired and leased vehicles on their return to BVRLA Members at the end of contract."
BVRLA’s guidelines would serve as a Bible whenever you have an accident or are injured but most especially when you are in limbo regarding your mileage or when you are about to return your leased car.
You should also know that in a car leasing agreement, most of the penalties that you will be getting are for car damages and not for excessive mileage. Hence, the best way for you to avoid these super charges is to read your contract well before you sign it. As for the rest of the concerns with regards returning your leased car, you can rely on BVRLA's Fair Wear & Tear Guide.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Get to Know More of the World’s Car Makers
What do car makers do exactly? You may ask. Technically speaking, they are involved in the manufacture, development, design (and redesign), marketing, and even sale of cars and motor vehicles in general.
So who are the world’s largest car makers? They are Chrysler, General Motors, and Ford. The names of these companies are still producing company-name-bearing cars. Chrysler Corporation produces Plymouth, Dodge, Chrysler while Ford has Mercury and Lincoln. General Motors, on the other hand, produces Oldsmobile, Pontiac, Cadillac, and Chevrolet.
To say that there are a few car makers around the world is not quite right. In fact, there are hundreds of them but only a few make a large number of cars around the world. We have to bear in mind that car makers are both producers and merchandisers of cars. They are also buyers of raw materials, i.e., rubber, iron, copper.
One out of seven jobs in the United States is directly related to car making and use of motor vehicles. Some of them are tuning cars, producing replicas of famous cars, and other car-making-related industry.
No matter how big a car-making industry is, it is necessary to know which type of car suits your preferences as well as you needs.
Source:
http://www.anythingaboutcars.com
Monday, September 1, 2008
Credit History Is All That Matters
How is leasing affected by your credit score? Your credit is tantamount to the spokesperson for the president during a political crisis. Your public image and trustworthiness will be defined by your credit history. Here are a couple of information on how to calculate your credit score and top the ranks in car leasing companies.
First of all you have to know that your credit score is a gauge of your credit worthiness for car leasing companies to grant you a lease. This is based on your present and past credit history, and it can range from 350 to 850.
When you have a credit score higher than 720, then you have a prime score and can land on the best rates of the house; on the other hand, if you are below 640, then you are subprime and considered as bad apple among the group of car leasing dealers.
If you get into this trouble, it would be better to grab the FICO Credit Score from the Fair Isaac Corporation (FICO). This is a detailed documentation of your credit score from three major credit agencies. You can compare and check if there are discrepancies in the tabulation of your credit reports; if ever you’ll find one, you can call this agency and ask for a correction.
If you find no mistakes on it, you can work on paying your debts and make it a point to go over the threshold of 640 in your credit report. It’s not a wise decision to open a new credit account since it might cause further bad credits on your account.
Exert more effort in hitting your above threshold goal, and you’re good to go!
Source: http://www.car-leasing-help.com
Monday, August 25, 2008
Having Bad Credits? Here’s a Car Lease Deal!
For those individuals who have bad credit histories, we introduce to you the greatest resolution to your dilemma: the sub-prime car leasing.
This type of leasing would surely help you by giving you a competitive pricing plan but is reflective of your credit issues.
Sub-prime leasing would allow you to still choose a brand-new car but only that you have fewer choices and that you have to pay higher compared to the ordinary car for the risk taken.
The first thing you need to do in this type of car leasing is to choose the car and the deal you want to avail of, contact the sub-prime leasing company, and submit the following documents for review: pay slip for three months, last three months bank statements, copy of driver’s license, and utility bill dated for ninety days.
All vehicles are from franchise dealers. The balance of the car’s former owner is provided for you to utilize. There are instances though when the financial institution would let you pay a higher initial payment or down payment.
Usually these companies would ask you to give an amount for the processing which is refundable if in case the deal won’t be granted but nonrefundable if the lease is approved.
You are also liable for insuring your car. Insurance is not covered by this type of lease. Mileage is another thing. You need to monitor your mileage. The lower your mileage is, the lower your rental payment. You have a corresponding charge for every mile in excess of the required mileage.
Source: http://www.subprimecarleasing.com/
Thursday, August 21, 2008
iDrive System: Friendly Car Control Support
BMW, being one of the world's top car makers, has one secret feature that it can boast of for efficiency and reliability. I'm talking about the iDrive system.
This incredible feature has the sole purpose of assisting the driver by aiding in driving orientation and car control. Mighty iDrive arranges all the instruments for navigating in a more user-friendly manner that the driver maneuvers the car with maximum comfort.
Sorting out the panel buttons and grouping them to make them more compact and highly navigable, the usual plethora of buttons has become one sensible system, which gives the driver total control of the car in its fingertips.
With this system, those functions that are frequently used are placed near the steering wheel; and the indicators; headlight, wipers, sound system, and steering wheel controls. It also features the Info Display or Head-up Display to show significant driving info such as directions and speed.
The car's air-conditioning and navigational buttons as well as the suspension settings are activated by a controller, a single dial in the center of the console. The controller can be used with one hand and gives feedback. The upper middle section of the instrument panel houses the Control Display, which serves as the dialogue display of important info for navigation.
Another controller at the cabin's rear allows the passengers to enjoy entertainment, multimedia, comfort and navigation systems.
Source: http://www.contracthireandleasing.com
Monday, August 11, 2008
Getting the Most Out of a Car Auction
Make sure that you won't be giving out bouncing checks. To do this make sure that you have sufficient money in your bank to cover check payment. Other auctions might require bank drafts.
You can try checking online for some car pricing sites to check on the vehicle history report.
Make sure of the right title indication light of your contract. It may be red, green, or yellow.
You have to be at the auction site earlier than everybody. Be focused on the cars you want and avoid any distraction from the crowd. Bring important guidebooks whether it is a public auction or one that's wholesale. It may be helpful to bring your notebook or pocketPC and browse on some car pricing web sites from the auction.
Before you buy that car, try to verify first its vehicle history report. You can do that by yourself instantly when you the Palm Pilot or Pocket PC to aid you with the information. Another strategy would be to ask somebody to sit in front of a computer at home and call that person to check the history report of your desired car. Whatever is the cost given, try to remember that the primary concern of the auction is to sell the car. Don't trust the title checks given by the auction.
Read the contract and make sure that it is indicated there the number of days for you to get the contract. If they haven't furnished you the copy after the indicated date, take back your money; that is considered breach of contract. If possible, make it a point that the auctioned car has a title before you pay.
Bear in mind that you still have the buyer's premium to pay; calculate first if the auctioned car price will not go over its market value.
If you can't get the car at an affordable price below its published value, walk away and don't be entangled in a pricing war.
Source:
http://www.carbuyingtips.com