Buying a used car is often a minefield, but selling one for a decent price can be just as complicated. Even an older vehicle is a valuable asset, and there’s no reason to let it go for less than it’s worth, no matter how keen you are to secure a sale. What can you do to maximize the price you’ll get when selling your car?

Research the Value of the Car

So long as your car is in reasonable condition and doesn’t have unusually high or low mileage, its value is mainly down to its make, model, and age. The web makes it easy to research the market value for your type of auto, thanks to the many classifieds sites and online dealerships. Although several other factors will influence the final price you get, a little digging will give you a good starting point for what to expect.

Demand and Availability

However, local availability might push this starting price upward or downward. If there are plenty of cars similar to yours on sale within your locality, this will tend to drive down the value, and so you may need to advertise at a price below the average. On the other hand, if your area has a shortage of your auto type, then you may be able to set a higher-than-average price and still attract plenty of interest.

Compile a Vehicle History

Before you advertise your car or start negotiating a trade-in, take the time to put together a detailed history of it, including information on previous owners, services, repairs, and anything else that may impact the price. A solid history will boost the figure you can expect to achieve, as you can show that your vehicle has been looked after properly and there’ll are no nasty surprises awaiting the new owners.

Attend to the Details

Attention to details can have a large impact on the final price. Minor niggles which only cost a few dollars each to fix will all add up to an off-putting picture of neglect if they’re not dealt with. The same goes for tire pressures, oil levels, and other minor maintenance matters – many potential buyers will check these details before going ahead, and if they don’t like what they find, they’ll either try to negotiate the price down or back off entirely. Spending a little cash to get the small things in shape is always a worthwhile investment.

Wash Your Car

Before trying to sell, pay to have your car professionally cleaned inside and out to return it to showroom condition. This small expense will more than pay for itself by giving an immediate good impression to an interested buyer. Also, while your vehicle is looking great, take plenty of photographs from different angles – these will come in very useful for posting on classified listings sites, or for replying to email queries for more information.

Don’t Play the Salesperson

Lastly, if someone arranges a visit to view your vehicle, don’t try and pressure them into buying. Used auto dealers are highly experienced in how far to go with their sales pitch, and if you try and ape their techniques you’ll just turn potential buyers off. Get your car in the best condition possible, do what you can to make a sale easy, then let the viewer decide. On the other hand, always be on your guard against a dealer posing as a private buyer. If you feel someone is trying to drive an unreasonably hard bargain, don’t be afraid call negotiations off.

No matter why you’re selling your car, it’s well worth taking a little time to maximize the price you receive. Paying attention to these details will add up to a good deal for everyone, leaving you as satisfied as the buyer.

Modern autos are highly energy-efficient, whether they run on electric, hybrid, or gas-fueled engines. This is great for both your wallet and the planet, but you don’t need to upgrade your car to drive greener. There’s plenty you can do to make the model you have as efficient as possible.

Tire Pressure

Get yourself into the habit of checking your tire pressure every month or so. Under-inflated tires need more energy to drive the car along the pavement and therefore increase your gas usage.

What’s more, they also wear out more quickly and need replacing more often, wasting resources in both production and disposal.

Travel Lightly

Check through your trunk and passenger cabin, and remove any items you don’t need to carry with you all the time. Every extra pound of weight burns a little more gas, and over a year this can all add up to a significant waste of fuel.

Invest in Window Tinting

Keeping your car cool in summer is made easy by turning up the air conditioning. Unfortunately, this is incredibly wasteful and makes your engine work harder to supply the energy needed.

Adding a tinted film to your windows will stop the heat building up so high in the first place, reducing the energy required for cooling and lessening the wear and tear on your air con system.

Don’t Overfill Your Tank

Driving everywhere with a full gas tank means you’re dragging unneeded weight along on every journey. Unless you’re driving a long distance, there’s no need to have your tank more than half full. This amount leaves you some gas in reserve for emergencies, without burning fuel just to carry a full tank around.

What’s more, modern vehicles have a safety feature on their gas tanks which stops dangerous vapors from escaping. If you always fill your tank to the top, you’ll be putting unnecessary pressure on this device, and it will eventually fail.

You’ll need to pay for a replacement at your next service, which is a waste of resources. Just as bad, in the meantime, you risk the contents of your gas tank slowly evaporating even when your car is sitting in the garage.

Turn Off the Engine

In the old days, it was more fuel-efficient to leave your car running if you had to park up for a few minutes. This was because a lot of gas was used to kick the engine into life.

Modern ignition systems are much more efficient, and you’ll save more fuel by turning off the engine whenever you’re stationary for more than ten to twenty seconds. There’s no need to switch off at every stop light, but try to keep the engine running as little as possible when you’re not on the move.

Don’t Warm the Engine

In the same way, there’s no need to warm your engine on a cold morning if your car was made any time within the last decade. Unless your area has been hit by an unusual arctic blast, your auto will be ready to roll within seconds of starting the engine. Anything else is a waste of gas.

Regular Maintenance

Lastly, keeping your car properly serviced and maintained is essential. It cuts down on the long-term costs of repairs, but also keeps it running smoothly in between. A smoother-running car uses less fuel, and over time this will more than offset the cost of regular servicing.

The days of gas-guzzling cars are fast coming to an end, but the age of the fully electric auto is still some time away. However, you don’t need to wait to reduce the impact your driving has on the environment. These simple tips will reduce your carbon footprint as well as saving you money at the filling station.

Buying insurance for a normal car is a pretty straightforward procedure. You simply call the agent or go online, enter some basic information about the type of vehicle you own, how many miles you drive it and what kind of coverage you want. In a matter of minutes, you will have an insurance quote, and you can make your buying decision based on those criteria.

That may be fine for your daily driver, but what about the classic in your garage? How can you ensure your classic car is protected, and that you can afford to fix it should the vehicle you love be damaged in an accident?

Buying insurance for a classic car is not the same as purchasing coverage for a normal sedan or SUV, and a single mistake could leave you with some serious out of pocket costs. Here are some tips for covering your classic.

Start With a Quality Car Appraisal

If you want to know what a normal car, truck or SUV is worth, you can simply look up its value online. With a single trip to the Blue Book website or a similar site, you can see an updated value for the vehicle you are insuring.

Valuations are more difficult, however, for vehicles deemed classics and antiques. The value of a classic automobile or antique pickup truck will be influenced by a number of factors, from whether or not all the parts are original to the quality of the paint job to the overall condition of the vehicle. If you want to make sure you have the coverage you need, get a quality appraisal before you start shopping for insurance.

Seek Out a Classic Car Specialist

Ordinary insurance companies are fine for daily drivers and brand new automobiles, but insuring a classic or antique vehicle is another thing altogether. If you want insurance that values your classic as much as you do, you need to seek out a specialty insurer.

If you are part of a classic car club or similar organization, ask your fellow members for recommendations and the names of companies that can insure your special vehicle. The personal recommendations of fellow classic car enthusiasts counts for a lot, and this insular world is filled with men and women who are anxious to share their experiences, both good and bad, with various insurance providers.

Think About Your Insurance Deductible

Buying insurance for a classic car may be a specialized undertaking, but the inverse relationship between deductible and premium is still in place. Whether you are insuring a 1950 Ford or a 2010 Chevy, accepting a higher deductible is the surest and fastest way to lower your monthly premium.

You will want to think carefully about the deductible when choosing coverage for your classic. When you talk to the agent or go online, ask for several different quotes at various deductible levels, so you can compare your options more easily and make a smart decision.

If you own a classic or antique car, you have an important decision to make, and a substantial investment to protect. Insurance coverage is an absolute must for owners of these special vehicles, and the more you know the easier it will be to find the best option at the lowest possible price.

An unfamiliar smell coming from your car is certainly a cause for concern. If you ever smell the odor of maple syrup, burnt carpet, or gasoline coming from your vehicle, then you would be wise to investigate where the smell started. Here are some of the most common odors and what they mean for your safety on the road.

Does your car smell like gasoline? If your car smells like a gas station, it could be a sign that there is a gas leak. The leak could be coming from a fuel tank vent hose, the injector line,  or another area of your vehicle. If the weather is warm or your car is parked in closed quarters, the smell could also be coming from raw gasoline. Vehicles manufactured before 1980 may emit the odor of gasoline after a hot shutoff.

If your car smells like rotten eggs while the engine is running, sulfur in the gas could be the culprit. Trace amounts of sulfur in your car’s gasoline can create hydrogen sulfide in the exhaust. The catalytic converter is supposed to convert hydrogen sulfide into sulfur dioxide in the exhaust. If the hydrogen sulfide is not converting properly, then there’s usually a problem with the catalytic converter. A mechanic can tell you if there’s a defect in the catalytic converter, a fuel injector issue, or another problem entirely.

A maple syrup smell in your car likely means that engine coolant is dripping from your vehicle. Specifically, the coolant is probably dripping from a leaky part related to your car’s coolant system. When there’s a problem with the coolant system, the odor typically presents itself after you shut off the car for a bit, or soon after you start the engine.

The odor of burnt carpet is a hint that something is wrong with your brakes. The brake pads become overheated after you have used the brakes hard or often. If you have recently driven down a steep mountain, for example, then you may smell the burnt carpet odor. If you haven’t traveled down a mountain recently, then your brake is likely dragging. Your brake could have a seized-up caliper piston.

When your vehicle has an earthy smell of hot oil, oil is leaking onto your car’s hot exhaust manifold. Your vehicle could have a leaky crankshaft seal. To determine whether or not your car is leaking oil onto the exhaust system, inspect the undercarriage pan underneath the engine. If you have an oil leak, then you will not necessarily see oil on the ground, so it is important to confirm whether or not the undercarriage pan is dry.

You may smell the odor of burnt paper if the clutch facing is burning off at the same time that the clutch is slipping. The smell will remind you of burning a newspaper in the fireplace. If the clutch is slipping, then you’re probably riding the clutch pedal too much.

If you turn on the air conditioner or heater and smell the odor of dirty socks, then your car has mildew growing inside of the air conditioning system’s evaporator. The easiest way to make this smell go away is to shut off the air conditioner about a mile from your destination. Then, turn the fan on the high setting to dry out the system.

If you smell burnt rubber, drive belts could be slipping. Alternatively, hoses may be loose and rubbing against your car’s drive pulleys.

The most important factor for your driving safety is to always be aware of your surroundings. Know what the smell is, find out where it’s coming from, and then decide whether or not you need to have a trained professional resolve the problem. These car smells are warning signs, so never ignore them. Always bring your vehicle to your mechanic if you are unsure of what an unfamiliar smell means. 

Buying a Car on Credit?

Not many people are in a position to pay cash when buying a car. Even if you’ve negotiated an excellent trade-in deal, there’s usually a hefty financial gap which needs bridging. This, of course, means taking out credit.

It can be tempting to use a finance package arranged by the dealership where you buy your vehicle. It’s convenient, quick, and if you have poor credit your application is more likely to be approved than at a mainstream bank. However, there are many reasons why you should think twice before taking out car dealer finance.

Limited Range of Packages

You’re unlikely to find a truly competitive finance package at an auto dealer. Most of the options are aimed at customers with poor or bad credit ratings, and who have limited choices to go elsewhere. If your history allows you to shop around, you’ll almost always get a better interest rate elsewhere. If you have poor credit, a specialist online lender may offer a cheaper alternative. Either way, shopping around is usually a smart move.

Exploiting Your Enthusiasm for a New Car

If you’ve reached the point of discussing finance, it’s clear to the dealer that you’re sold on the car and that the deal is nearly done. This means they can safely exploit your enthusiasm and offer you a less-than-attractive deal. They may even go so far as warning that any delay in arranging finance could mean losing the car altogether, as they have other interested buyers due to visit, and so you need to act quickly and take the package they’re offering.

Unreliable Verbal Offers

The car dealer may insist that finance will be no problem, you’re sure to be approved, and so you might as well sign up to buy the vehicle you’re looking at. However, always, always get a loan offer in writing before going any further. As soon as you drive the car from the lot, you have a legal obligation to go through with the purchase agreement you’ve signed.

If you only have a verbal offer of finance, there’s still a chance it could fall through, and this will leave you in a predicament. You could be forced into accepting a different, extremely expensive finance deal, simply to fulfill your agreement. What’s more, some of the more shady dealers use verbal agreements as a hurrying tactic, seeing the wait for formal finance as a possible way of losing the deal.

Monthly Car Payments Can Be Deceptive

When you take both vehicle and finance from the same source, it’s easy for an unscrupulous dealer to massage the figures in their favor. Always check carefully that the total cost of your finance is within the range you’re willing to pay for the car, and that you’re not just focusing on your monthly repayments. Also, ensure that no “optional” extras have been added on to the loan amount. Once you take interest charges into account, these extras can work out to be far more expensive than you think.

The Car Salesperson Commission

Lastly, auto dealers can make a nice profit out of selling finance, often as much as they make on the car sale itself. Because of this, they have no incentive to offer you an excellent deal if they think the sale is already in the bag. Considering that they can add up to two and a half percentage points to the lender’s standard interest rate, these packages are often far better for the dealer’s bank account than for yours.

Auto dealer finance packages can offer a lot of convenience, but if you have a good credit rating, they’re not likely to offer you the most competitive rate. Even if your credit history means you probably need to explore dealer finance, be wise to the drawbacks and pitfalls, and still fight to get the best deal you can.

Many people fear mechanics because they worry that will get ripped off easily. Some mechanics try to get away with charging you too much (or even doing unnecessary repairs), though this is not as common as it used to be. As long as you are careful, you shouldn’t have any problems.

Here are some tips to ensure that you don’t get ripped off by your mechanic.

Do your research before you visit your mechanic.

There are many places that offer auto repair estimators. After you enter the information about your vehicle, it should give you an estimate of what your bill should be after the repairs are made. This gives you something to compare to when the mechanic gives you an estimate.  

Ask the mechanic to show you what is wrong with your car.

This can really help you see what is wrong with the car. You will be able to see (with your own eyes), exactly what is broken or not working. Many people like to be able to visualize and understand exactly what is wrong with the vehicle.

Learn as much as you can.

By knowing enough about cars (and doing your research), you can find out which mechanics you can trust and which ones you can’t. You might even be able to walk into the shop with some ideas about what the problem is so you don’t get talked into unnecessary repairs. This could be as simple as reading your owner’s manual before you walk into the shop.

Find another mechanic.

If at any point you are uncomfortable with your mechanic, leave and find someone else.

If you just don’t trust your mechanic, it may be time to look around for another mechanic. You may also decide to find someone else if you are worried about the number of repairs that the mechanic is recommending.

Don’t be afraid to get a second opinion.

If you feel like the mechanic is telling you that multiple things are wrong or you feel like the estimate is too high, don’t be afraid to go somewhere else. A second opinion may help you see that the first mechanic was going to charge you too much. It can also show you that you should trust the first one!

Find a good mechanic that you can trust.

If you trust your mechanic, you are not going to have to worry about getting ripped off. You will already know that he is doing the best that he can, for the best price. You don’t have to wonder if he is doing something unnecessary just to make more money.

The best way to avoid getting ripped off is finding someone that you can trust. If you are uncomfortable with the mechanic (or the number of repairs), feel free to leave. If you are not sure, you can always get a second opinion.

As you look for a mechanic that you can trust, you should do your research so you seem more knowledgeable to the mechanic. Visit an estimator so you can have an idea of what your repairs should cost. Many people also like to see what is broken before they approve of the repairs. If you are uncomfortable at any time, don’t hesitate to go somewhere else.

While the warm summer months provide ideal driving conditions, if you live in an area where you can expect ice and snow in the winter, this can change drastically. It’s crucial to stay safe on the roads, both for yourself and for other road users, and snow and ice can make this a challenge. So, how do you prepare to drive in icy conditions?

Plan Your Route Carefully

Before you set off, make sure you know the route you intend to take along with three or four alternatives in case of road closures. When picking your path, try to stick to the main highways. These roads will be well maintained and are much more likely to be gritted to prevent ice. If you do find yourself on smaller roads, take extra care as you drive, and try to get back on the main highway if you can.

Carry a Map or GPS

Most people rely on satellite navigation to guide them on their route. However, when driving in icy conditions, it is useful to have a paper map of the area with you in the car. The last thing you want is to get stuck in traffic or break down somewhere, and for the battery to die on your phone. A paper map means that no matter what happens, you will always be able to navigate your way to where you want to be.

Pack the Essentials

It is worth keeping a few essentials like food and water, a first aid kit, and some warm clothes in your car, just in case you end up stuck. It’s also worth having a few tools and a high viz jacket in case you break down. Even if you can’t use them yourself, a helpful passer-by may be able to give you a hand if you have all the equipment.

Pull Off In a High Gear

As well as preparing for your journey, you should also make changes to the way you drive. If you are driving a manual transmission, you should avoid using the lowest gears to prevent skidding on the ice. Try to pull off in 3rd gear, and if you are struggling shift back down to 2nd. Some automatic cars also have a manual setting, and some even have a winter mode that uses higher gears and a smoother transition.

Brake Gently

It won’t come as a surprise that your car tires do not grip well on snow and ice. Your chances of skidding are much higher, so always gently apply the brakes, and if you feel the car skid, release and try again. Because you are braking softly, you have to keep a long way behind the car in front, so always err on the safe side. If you feel like you may not be able to stop in time, drop back a little further.

Expect the Unexpected

Even if you prepare correctly, accidents can still happen. Bear in mind, that there will be plenty of other road users who are not taking the correct precautions, so you need to anticipate as much as you can. Look out for anything you think is dangerous, and try to leave as much distance between you and other vehicles as you can.

Take Your Time

Lastly, remain patient. No matter how far the drive, it is not worth the risk of rushing and getting involved in an accident. Take your time, and stop for coffee if you can to keep yourself alert. Safety is paramount, so don’t worry about how long your journey will take, just that you will get there safely.

Driving in icy conditions can be dangerous, so if you can avoid making a trip, then you probably should. However, taking the car is sometimes unavoidable, so take every precaution you can to stay safe. Prepare well, and pay extra attention to the roads, and you should have no need to worry.