6 Steps To Sell Your Used Car Online

Selling a used car today is much easy, thanks mainly to the internet. Setting up an online ad for your car is probably the must cost effective and efficient way to sell your car. Online ads typically run much longer than print ads and some online classified sites offer free listings. But don’t think you can just throw an ad up and the job is done. There is actually a little bit more work involved on your part. The remainder of this article will discuss how to sell you car, from beginning to tend, in just 6 steps.

Step 1 – Determining An Asking Price
In order to sell your used car in a competitive market you need to know who your competition is. Namely what are other cars of the same make, model and year going for? You want to make sure the asking price stands out from the rest, while still leaving room for negotiation. You can always search other sites for similar cars and see what they are asking and set your price accordingly.

Step 2 – Preparing Your Car For Sale
This is probably the most crucial step. You want to a make sure both the inside and the outside are immaculate before you take the pictures and show it to potential buyers. It is definitely worth the added cost to get your car detailed just before the pictures are taken. Just make sure you keep the car in the same condition before potential buyers come by to view the car. Or in other words, make sure you keep your car clean.

Step 3 – Advertising Strategy
A mentioned at the beginning of this article one of the easiest and most cost effective places to advertise is on the Internet, however if you have a little money to spend it isn’t a bad idea to use other sources as well. By listing your car in multiple places you have a better chance of it selling quickly. Here are a few options: 

1) Online classifieds such as Auto Trader and MonsterAuto.ca
2) Free online classifieds such as CraigsList and Kijiji
3) Social Bookmarking classifieds such as Facebook’s Marketplace
4) Local newspaper classified ads
5) And even though I mocked it in the beginning a “For Sale” sign in the car’s window with your phone number can’t hurt

Step 4 – Setting Up The Ad
Once you have decided where your ads are going to be placed the next step is to design an ad that will grab the attention of potential buyers. It is best to start with the basics – make, model, year, colour, etc. But to really grab a potential buyer’s attention you need to include a list of the best attributes of your used car. Such as low mileage, highway driven, new parts such as tires, etc. making sure every statement is true. 

Step 5 – Showing Your Used Car
Once your ads have been placed your next step will be to show your used car to potential buyers. Here are a couple of tips to help this process go smoothly:

1) Make an appointment with each potential buyer – this way if they are late you don’t have to feel bad for not waiting for them
2) As mentioned earlier make sure your car is always clean
3) If you have all the service records make sure you have them available for the buyer along with any reports you have on your car
4) Pre-plan a test drive route that you can take potential buyers on. This way you can concentrate on answering questions than trying to make sure you don’t get lost.

Step 6 – Handling Negotiations
The majority of people are not very skilled when it comes to negotiating, many people actually feel really uncomfortable asking a seller to come down on their price. Just understand that everyone wants to pay less than the asking price, but some people don’t know how to do it. If you’ve built in room for negotiation you should have no problem handling any potential buyers negotiating skills. If their offer is too low you can always move on to the next potential buyer.

Car Insurance For Less Expense

Paying for your car insurance is an unavoidable necessity but reducing the cost could make the whole experience more enjoyable. The good news is that the price of car insurance can differ depending on several factors; including which insurance provider you use, what level of cover you opt for along with some more practical considerations.
When it comes to the administrative side of organising your car insurance, one easy way to save money is by not automatically renewing your existing policy without first checking that you cannot find a better deal elsewhere. Therefore, when your car insurance is up for renewal you could simply shop around and compare different quotes before making your final decision.
If you don’t already arrange your car insurance over the internet then it’s never too late to start, as this straightforward tactic could shave pounds off your premium. As such, it is possible to find reduced deals should you choose to purchase your car insurance via the World Wide Web.
Thinking carefully about what level of cover you need is important too. Comprehensive insurance will cover most eventualities including any damage to other motorist’s vehicles, as well as your own. Third party only is the most basic level of car insurance and does not cover the cost of any damage to your own vehicle; therefore it is often the cheapest option. The value of your car is one of the major determining factors in deciding what level of cover to opt for. For example, if your car is considered to be of very low value then you might consider third party only insurance.
What’s more, settling your annual premium amount upfront also saves some money. This is simply because you avoid paying the interest usually incurred if you choose to spread the amount over the year and pay by monthly instalments.
When it comes to the practical side of car insurance matters there are further money saving tips to be considered. Fitting you car with an alarm could reduce your premiums as can most improvements to overall security, such as using steering or handbrake locks. Where you park your car overnight can have an effect on your insurance premium, so if you keep it in a locked garage at night compared to on the street then you should see your insurance costs drop resultantly. If you don’t have a garage then it is often advisable to park on your driveway – if you have one – as this is considered to provide lower risk than street parking.
A final point to remember if you’re planning to compare cheap car insurance is to contrast like for like; therefore, if you investigate third party only insurance with one company then make sure you check the price for this type of insurance with all other companies too. This is often proves the best way to get a truly accurate idea of who offers the most competitive policy.

How To Replace Shocks

One of the most overlooked maintenance items on your automobile is the replacement of shock absorbers. Special attention should be paid to your shocks as they provide the vehicle with stability and control.  Here are the basic steps on how to replace shocks on the rear axle of most front wheel drive cars.

First of all, determine whether or not you really need to replace them. On most cars, if you have more than 20,000 miles on your original shock absorbers, you probably need them replaced. There is a quick test for this.  You can bounce your car by pushing down on the rear bumper and letting it rebound up. Watch the motion of the car and how much it bounces.

If it continues to bounce more than once, you may need shocks. The purpose of the shocks is to keep the tires in contact with the road. If the car continues to bounce, that will allow the tires to lose some of their contact with the road. If your car is not in contact with the road at all times, it can result in an accident.

The shocks can be replaced without raising the car or removing the wheel but in most cases, either can give you extra space to replace the shocks. This will also allow for easier access to the mounting bolts and/or studs. Be sure to observe the orientation of the rubber bushings as you remove the shock from its position. Some cars require a shock that has built in bushings with a mounting eye on both ends. The mounting eye helps the shock to slide onto a mounting bolt. Some have a stud on the shock that require a bushing both below and above a mounting bracket.

Mount the new shock using the same orientation as the old one. Be sure to add new bushings where they are required. The new shock will have directions to help you differentiate between the upper and lower ends. Also, included with the new shock will be directions for the amount of torque required on mounting bolts and nuts.

So, there you have replaced your shocks and you will notice better ride and handling while driving your car.

Five Simple Tips To Help You With Car Donations

The concept of car donations may sound simple, but they are not necessarily so. This concept is quickly picking up momentum in the society, especially since people who donate cars get exemption from paying taxes up to a certain limit. Innumerable people who intend to buy new cars find car donations an appealing option to consider.
If you are keen on helping a charitable organization in addition to getting tax relief, then, you will have to keep a few tips handy.
Tip #1: Avoid agents
The minute you say you want to donate a car, there will be a number of agents, commonly referred to as middlemen, who would be more than willing to offer their services to you. Do not fall for billboard advertisements from many organizations that offer to help you donate your car.
Most often than not, these organizations have an ulterior motive. Close to 75% of the total market value of the vehicle will go to the middlemen rather than the charitable organizations that need it the most. Hence, in order to overcome this problem it is recommended that you give away the car to the charity directly.
Tip #2: Find the charity of your choice
Before you just give away your car, have clarity of the charitable organization that you would like to help. You can choose from orphanages, old age homes and homes for the disabled and sick people. You can look on the internet or ask friends and family members about charities that are looking for help.
Another important point in mind that you will have to keep in mind while choosing a charity is the eligibility for tax relief. Though you can get this relief by donating to most organizations that run on charity, it is always better to look up the IRS website and confirm this.
Tip #3: Deliver the car yourself
If you want to ensure that your charity gets the complete benefit of car donations, then, do not engage the services of a third person to have your car delivered to the charity. Instead take the car yourself and drop it off. This will also give you a chance to interact with the people who run the charity and understand how they work.
Tip #4: Ensure complete transfer of the car
Once you hand over your old car to the charity of your choice, ensure you complete the entire transfer procedure. If you are keen on eliminating problems like traffic violations and parking tickets sometime in the future, then ensure you transfer the ownership completely to the charity. Ensure you keep the local Department of Motor Vehicles updated about the transfer of ownership.
Tip #5: Make sure to keep all important papers handy
It is important to keep all the papers related to the transfer handy since you will have to file relevant documents along with the IRS form to obtain tax relief. If the value of your donation is over $500, then, Form 8283 has to be shown as evidence and if the value is over $5000, you will need to obtain the charity’s receipt and title change copy, in addition to outside appraisal details.