Comparing Payments: New vs. Old Cars

In a down economy, people are keeping their eyes open for ways to make their money last a little longer. Although spending for spendings sake is never a wise financial move, keeping a tighter lid on finances is a priority during recession. The good news is there is always room to get creative when it comes to saving money.

Its important to keep in mind that everyone’s budget is limited by their income, and no matter what kind of budgetary tricks you pull, you can’t make money appear that isn’t there. But proper budgeting can help turn money around and start to make it work for you instead of the other way round.

Two of the largest expenses in most budgets are the car and mortgage. Because reducing mortgage expenses is a science all on its own, here we will compare the real cost of ownership between new and used cars.

Why new cars

You need a reliable car to get to work and buying a new car is the best way to ensure your car is in good condition. Also, new cars frequently have better financing options which help make the payments more bearable. A new car will likely be better than a used car in terms of reliability and performance if you can afford it.

That’s not the case for a lot of families, unfortunately. Many opt to have smaller payments at a higher total interest cost to keep their monthly expenses down. This works great if your difficult financial situation is temporary. Nevertheless, over the long run, you’ll pay more money in interest. Good budgeting combines resolving today’s money problems in such a way that you don’t have them all over again. Continue reading “Comparing Payments: New vs. Old Cars” →

You Don’t Have to be a Mechanic to Make Your Vehicle Last Longer

Whether you use a car for business or for pleasure you need to take steps to help it stay in good condition. Its necessary to be a considerate and caring vehicle owner if you don’t want to find yourself faced with buying a replacement in the near future. Bad car owners will have problems that cost a lot of money to fix so become responsible and use these tips to ensure you get the most out of your financial commitment.

Learning to Look

Everyone who has a vehicle should spend time learning whats going on in the engine and discover what it looks like under the hood at the very least. As soon as you get on the driveway pop the hood and spend time examining the engine, look at all the hoses and take a walk around so you can examine the body. When you are familiar with the vehicle it is much easier to spot problems if and when they occur in the future.

Get to Know How to do the Simple Things

You don’t have to become a qualified mechanic but it is worth learning the basics in vehicle care. Learn how to change the oil and the oil filter as this is something you will need to do quite often. Check it once a month and always before you head off on a longer than usual journey. Another job to master is the changing of the air filter as they can become clogged and result in a poor performance from the engine. You will be paying more in fuel and the engine can become damaged so put this on the top of your things to learn priority list.

Cool as a Cucumber

Engines can get very hot, obviously, and therefore it needs cooling down. Engines are stopped from literally melting by coolant. You should make sure that there are suitable levels of coolant under the hood and check that the hoses and tubes are all in good condition. Adding coolant can save you thousands in repairs so buy a decent make and keep it topped up. Continue reading “You Don’t Have to be a Mechanic to Make Your Vehicle Last Longer” →

The Top Five Cars for Reliability and Value

Most recent survey of reliable cars throws up a few surprises to go alongside the predictable dominance of Japanese brands. The popular consumer choice magazine surveys thousands of car owners every year, to get a horses mouth style view of the best and the worst in each category. Customer satisfaction, repair costs and overall reliability are all rated. I’ve picked five of the most reliable of all, from a selection of categories.

The Vauxhall Agila – Supermini category

Vauxhall make a surprise entry at number one for reliable superminis, with the Agila. The box-shaped supermini hit the best reliability score in the entire survey, beating even the legendary Soda Fabia to top place in its class and in the overall investigation.

The Agila has an average repair cost of less than 50, and a failure rate of less than 10 percent. The Agila, which was first produced in the year 2000, is (according to Top Gear) a mini MPV that is, its got a lot more space inside than it looks like it should. Price range is between 8.5k and 13k.

Volvo S40 – Small family cars category

The small family cars category was almost entirely dominated by Japanese models so its something of a surprise that the vehicle of choice for vampires (in the Twilight movies, Edward Cullen drives a Volvo) makes the top spot. In the main, this was due to the average repair bill which was the lowest in its class. The 1996-2004 S40 scored very well on overall reliability, and its got a bit of space and power too.

Subaru Legacy – Full size family cars

Good news for power-mad parents everywhere: the Scoobys still going strong. Having shed most of its aggressive rep, thanks to a series of sleek body updates and a few respectable looking country models, Subarus moved away from the dad racer into the category of all-round good buy. Excellent reliability scores for the Legacy were mostly due to its average repair bills, which for the size and purchase price of the car were not bad at all. The Legacy models in question (bear in mind this is an owners survey, not a review of new cars) were the 2004-2009 bracket. Continue reading “The Top Five Cars for Reliability and Value” →

Monroe shock absorbers

A shock absorber is a device for damping and absorbing shock impulses caused by the contact between the car’s wheels and the road. This is achieved by converting the kinetic energy of the impact into heat. Shock absorbers are used mainly for safety reasons, but also provide comfort for the passengers.

Shock absorbers allow to keep the vehicle’s tires on the road most of the time, which is crucial for handling. Changing lanes at high speed would be extremely dangerous without them. They also help the car to maintain a stable position when accelerating or braking. When you suddenly accelerate, the majority of the weight of the car goes to the back wheels, thus reducing the adhesion of the front wheels to the roadway. The same thing happens with the back wheels when you brake. If there were no shock absorbers your car would probably flip over in either case.

There are three main types of shock absorbers differentiated by its filling: hydraulic (oil-filled), gas and mixed (combining the two substances). The hydraulic type provides better comfort for passengers, but it is not recommended for bad roads nor high speed riding, because there is a high risk of oil overheating in both cases.

The mixed shock absorber is rougher then the hydraulic one, but its upside is the impossibility of oil overheating, because it also has liquid nitrogen inside. It is the ideal shock absorber for roads that are not in the best condition. Although they are expensive, mixed shock absorbers’ lifetime is also longer. Gas shock absorbers are considered to be the roughest type; however, they also provide the biggest stability for the car on any road. Their downside is a bigger pressure endured by the car’s body.

The type of shock absorber is a personal preference and Monroe provides all three of them. The solid construction of Monroe shock absorbers, using the most recent technologies, ensures comfortable and safe riding on any type of roadway.

Information from www.Sparepartstore24.Co.Uk

Schlieckmann bumpers

A bumper is a bar attached to the front and rear parts of a car that absorbs impact if the vehicle collides with an obstacle. It is a specific type of a buffer (used on railway systems). Most modern bumpers are made of metal (such as steel or aluminum), fiberglass or plastic. In any case, the bumper is usually covered with a layer of plastic for decorative purposes.

Bumpers are usually designed to protect the body and other components of car on low speed (for example, when parking). The impact absorption is not enough to guarantee the safety of the passengers when riding at high speed. However, the use of flexible materials has allowed reduction of the risk of injury of pedestrians and bikers involved in a collision with a car.

An important factor regarding bumpers is its height from the road surface. A mismatch between the bumper heights of two vehicles can result in severe consequences if there is a collision. First of all, if a smaller vehicle slides under a larger one, the safety of the passengers is at risk. Even at low speeds serious injuries might occur, such as head trauma. Also, a height mismatch will probably lead to damage of the bodies of both vehicles; while the bumpers remain intact (the whole purpose of a bumper is lost in that case). Finally the bumper impact usually activates the airbags and other protection systems.

There are safety regulations that determine the maximum impact a bumper must take, without endangering the car’s safety systems. Usually, after low-speed collisions, the bumper can be repaired. However, if you had a serious accident and you have to replace the bumper, make sure that the new one complies with the safety regulations, like the Schlieckmann bumpers do. Schlieckmann bumpers are made of the best materials available that maximize your security and protect your car.

Info provided by www.OnlinecarParts.co.UK