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By admin, September 24, 2010 5:36 am

Save Thousands of Dollars at Trade-in Time by Considering The Trade-in Value When Buying a New Car

For identical monthly finance payments, some cars will depreciate less than others and at trade-in time save thousands of dollars for the far-sighted owner

Getting residual values
This will take a little homework and shoe leather.
1.Identify several cars having similar features that can be leased for similar monthly payments.
2.Note and write down the residual value of the cars.
3.If youre not married to a brand name (most cars today have similar high quality) then if features are similar, go with the car having the highest residual value

The Internet may not be the best place to try to get this information. Surveys show that 60% of people looking to buy or lease a car do some searching on the Internet. This has made the manufacturers less willing to disclose residual values. In fact, some of the Big Three (GM, Ford, Chrysler) will not print them in a quotation from the dealer.

Residual values risks

• These values are at best educated guesses
  Residual value amounts are made by companies (or the car’s manufacturer) as to what the car will be worth after a certain number of years. It is not a value you can take to the bank. The manufacturer might even inflate the value in order to increase the sale of leased cars, where by increasing the residual value the monthly lease payment is decreased a little bit and may be more completive vis–vis another make of car.
• Check popular publications
  If you sense from popular publications (newspapers, car magazines, etc) that the car is not selling very well and that there is a big push to get rid of inventory, then assume that the residual value might in fact be as much as 10% less than the actual value ought to be.
• Other risks in residual value accuracy
  This risk is present matter what two cars you select for comparison. Between now and, for example, three years from now, a competitive model might pop up that makes your current prospect a real dog by comparison, thereby decreasing its residual value. But that is true about any current model. So don’t worry about that, as you are only trying to compare two residual values knowing that both are in danger of being similarly different in the next three (or 4, or 5 or 6) years.
• Residual values from the Internet
  Although the Internet is jammed with card sites offering residual values, they are mostly approximations. The largest automotive database I know of ($50,000 annual license fee to use) offers residual values for each of four different geographical areas of the United States. In the Northeast U.S. it offers one set of values for the western half of a State and a different set for the eastern half.

Therefore the only reliable value is the one you get from a local dealer. All the rest are really an average. Manufacturers are uniform in not giving out residual values to third parties, so one has to wonder where the Internet sources get them.

Decide on term of ownership
Before asking for the residual value of the lease, decide on how long you plan on owning the car. Leases are offered for up to five years, or 60 months. Just be sure to get a residual value for the number of years you plan on owning the car.

By Federal law all pertinent financial data must be provided before signing a contract.
Ask any salesperson for a lease offer, and insist on the residual value. He may give it to you only verbally, since every effort is being made to hide this from you. Insist on it, and they will deliver the value. Say Thank You and move on

If you get a hard time from the dealer or his salesperson, here is the law you can quote

Note: For the sake of brevity, much of the material has been omitted as not relevant to residual values, but may be seen in whole om the Internet searching for Regulation M, then look for sub paragraphs as follows:

Regulation M Consumer Leasing Sec. 213.4 Content of disclosures
For any consumer lease subject to this part, the lessor shall disclose the following information, as applicable:
4) Residual value. The residual value, with a description such as the value of the vehicle at the end of the lease used in calculating your base [periodic] payment
This means you have legal right to the residual value, under Federal Regulation M

Financial gain
For any two vehicles, whether a Sedan, Van, SUV, or light truck, costing about $25,000, it is not unusual for the trade-in value after three years to differ by up to $3,000. This is money that stays in your pocket. So the effort to do this fact finding before buying the car is handsomely rewarded.

Financing terms
The interest rate that determines the monthly payment is immaterial. All that is to be compared are two cars for which the monthly payment is essentially identical, and then develop an estimate of what each might be worth in x number of years.

It’s essentially money-in vs. money-out. If you pay the same monthly payment for car A as for car B, will car A cost $3,000 more to trade it in for the new model A than if you had bought car B?

Copyright 2006 by Beacon Data LLC All rights reserved

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By admin, September 17, 2010 5:36 am

There is nothing worse than a car that has broken down in the midst of an important journey! You may miss an important appointment or business meeting which may cause not just significant loss in terms of money but your professional reputation as well. You may have to face an odd occasion when the car has broken down along the roadside when you are with your family on an exciting weekend getaway. The break down of the car can spoil your mood. Nowadays, when time is of essence you can’t afford to adopt a casual attitude and postpone your car servicing to the next week or may be another month.

When your car doesn’t start in the morning, you will be late to the office and it may spoil your mood and adversely affect your concentration level. By following your car servicing schedule strictly you may turn the odds in your favor and get the peace of mind you really deserve.

Having regular Peugeot service ensures that potential or underlying problems are dealt with before they blow out of proportion. Sometimes a simple and small mechanical problem, if left unfixed, can rear its ugly head when you need your car the most. A small problem that can be fixed in a couple of seconds may assume gigantic proportion and the expenses to fix it can run into hundreds of pounds. Sometimes you may feel that Peugeot Service is an unnecessary expense, especially with all of the other running costs associated with owning a car. But when you view the situation from a long term perspective you can save much trouble and expense and keep the vehicle in tune.

Peugeot service ensures that your car is maintained to the highest standard, and performs at its optimum level. By choosing the right servicing point your car will always run smoothly, safely, efficiently and reliably for several months and you will definitely enjoy driving and experience satisfaction to the hilt.

You just need to search a highly reliable Peugeot service point that possesses qualified and trained technicians with complete knowledge of cars, accessories and parts. There are several Peugeot service websites in UK and you can schedule your car’s appointment with the technicians either online or on phone. They will collect your car either from home or the workplace, whichever is convenient to you. By simply allowing the technicians to inspect your car, you know that everything will be checked carefully, which includes tyres, brakes, battery and the engine.

Choose the Peugeot service that provide extensive network of garages all over UK. This will ensure that you will find the right one in your vicinity. You can save a lot at these garages as they charge nearly half the amount in comparison to a main dealer. There is no hidden cost as the technicians do not carry any additional work without your prior approval. All the spare parts and accessories are approved and of highly quality. Some of the Peugeot service points even offer warranty on their parts and labour. You have the option of paying through either debit or credit card. When the work is over the car will be delivered right at your door step and in this way you can ensure that you never have any problem with your car when you are in the long drive, traveling, or any other occasion or works.

Sienna A. Holmes is the author of this article on Peugeot Service. Find more information about Peugeot Service here

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By admin, September 10, 2010 5:36 am

The mobility of big cities is more and more confusing, such as traffic, pollution, and the cars are getting difficult to find a place for parking. This forces the engineers and designers offer a concept car that becomes smaller (practical and versatile) as well as environmentally friendly. If necessary, the concept combines the elements of city car and scooter.

Peugeot presents a new city car concept called Peugeot BB1. It looks weird, especially in the forefront. However, that’s the concept that offered in order to this car can be made with the dimension of long 2.5 m, wide 1.6 meters and height 1.5 m; as well as able to carry four adult passengers.

With the dimension, Peugeot BB1 is a nimble car. Peugeot claims, that the diameter of this car is only 3.5 meters. It is easy to be parked and does not require a lot of space. Another unique feature of this car is the both side doors are open backwards.

Flexible interior

Although the appearance of this car looks small, but the interior is flexible to accommodate person and goods. The volume of space for goods is only 160 liters when BB1 filled with four people. However, the trunk spaces become 855 liters if BB1 is only filled by one adult person.

The driving position concept of Peugeot BB1 was inspired by a scooter. With the upright position, the pedals do not need the space or the floor like a conventional car. Moreover, the passengers positioned tandem behind the driver. So did the other side, the front and rear passengers.

Technology

The technology that used for all the headlights are LED. There is also a camera to see the situation and condition of the back.

Other interesting features are various interactive technology applications, such as color screen with car audio systems that ideal for the functions of smart-phone, telephone, navigation, internet access, radio, and MP3. To operate this feature is only with plugging in the USB cable to the audio unit or using 12 volt socket if it is necessary.

There is also a clock that makes the atmosphere in the interior looks so colorful. The interior color changed in every period, and time is running accordant to the rhythm of light. This feature is designed to eliminate boredom and gives passion of life. There are also animated graphics for the speedometer.

Various bodies

The energy source of this car is an electric motor that installed directly on the two rear wheels. This is the result of cooperation between Peugeot with Michelin. With this technology, the interior space can be maximized.

The energy source was inspired by the quad bike (ATV). The maximum power can reach 15 kW (20 HP) or 7.5 kW for each motor. The result is to sprint from 0 to 30 kpj, Peugeot BB1 takes 2.8 seconds. While for accelerating 30-60 km / hour, Peugeot BB1 only takes 4 seconds.

Lithium-ion batteries can be used to go through 120 km if the battery is full. The battery consists of two unit packages that placed under the back seat right and left. With this way, the weight is centralized in the middle and helps the stability of Peugeot BB1 when braking.

Chassis used is the pipe model (tubular) which is the result of Peugeot Motorcycle design. Then, the use of an electric power steering, double wishbone suspension, and a series of damping friction makes the vehicle stable on the road and in accordance with the performance.

The body of Peugeot BB1 made from the carbon structure which is very light that can protect all the passenger space. Remarkably, the body shape can be changed in accordance with the desire of the owner.

To get a quality car, you do not have to pay a lot because there are lots of cheap used cars available and they are still in very good condition.

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By admin, September 3, 2010 5:36 am

The Peugeot 404 was a D-segment (large family car classification) produced between nineteen sixty and nineteen seventy five. Manufactured by the French based car makers Peugeot, the 404 was designed by the Italian automobile designers Pininfarina. The car was produced in Europe until nineteen seventy eight, with the 404 still produced in Kaduna (Nigeria) until nineteen eighty nine under license. One point eight million 404s were produced in France, whilst a further two point eight cars were manufactured under license for the developing markets where the car proved very successful.

The initial 404 line up included the five door estate, four door sedan and two door pickup body styles, with two door convertible and coupe variations added to the line up within two years of production. Available with both petrol and diesel engines, the petrol engine had a capacity of one point six litre, and the diesel one point nine. Fitted with a four speed manual transmission, the 404 also offered a three speed automatic transmission as an additional option. The car proved very popular as taxis due to its value, reliability and looks.

The extremely popular car magazine “Autocar” ran road tests for the Diesel Peugeot 404 in nineteen sixty five. The parameters measured included top speed, acceleration and fuel consumption. The diesel car reached eighty one miles per hour, and could accelerate to sixty miles per hour in twenty five seconds. It could travel just over thirty two miles per gallon of fuel. The petrol fuelled car was also tested, and was notably faster than the diesel, and shared the same fuel consumption.