September 1, 2005

Hybrid Cars

A hybrid vehicle or gas-electric hybrid powered vehicle uses a mixture of technologies such as internal combustion engines (ICEs), electric motors, gasoline, and batteries. Today's hybrid cars are driven by electric motors powered by both batteries and an ICE. Hybrids do not necessarily have to be plugged in to recharge their batteries though they do still require gasoline as it is their only source of fuel. They are slightly more environmentally-friendly than traditional internal combustion engine vehicles.(Definition on answers.com)
Hybrid car engines uses both internal combustion engine and electric motor for running the car intelligently. The electronic system decides when to run the car on electric motor alone, when to run it on both electric motor and engine, when to run it on gasoline alone and when to use motor as a generator and convert kinetic energy from the wheels into electricity to charge the battery. When the car is running at low speed electric motor could alone take the charge. When the car put brakes or goes downhill the battery is charged. As the engine starts and during its initial acceleration electric motor is used for the motion and engine comes in when car needs rapid acceleration. When the car is still engine is shut down and the car runs on electric motor thus saving fuel and reducing emission. During full-throttle acceleration or under heavy load, the motor gets a power boost from the battery.

August 26, 2005

Tips on Buying a Car

Buying a car can be trouble for some people. Dealing with salesmen and car dealerships can get a little tricky. When you are in the market for a new car there are some steps you can take ahead of time to prepare yourself for the shopping and buying process. Making a car purchase doesn’t have to be difficult, if you prepare and educate yourself before you make your purchase then you can eliminate some of the common problems that tend to arise. Here are some steps you can take to make the process easier.

Know Your Options and needs

Prepare yourself by researching car brands, models, prices and ratings. By doing the research ahead of time it will help to ensure that you are knowledgeable and prepared to discuss the car you want.

Shop Around

Never make impulse purchases. Most car salesmen are experienced and know how to make a sale. Don’t let a “smooth talking” salesperson persuade you to buy something before you are ready.

Maintain Control

Don’t let the salesman “bully” you. Arm yourself with information. Do research on the Internet or use other resources to educate yourself about the type of car you want and know facts and pricing ahead of time.

Visit Reputable Dealerships

Make sure you a buying a car from reputable dealership. There are many businesses that tend to be dishonest. If you are in the market for a used car you should be careful and know the reputation of the showroom you are purchasing the car from

August 24, 2005

Cars:Present and Future


Hybrid cars such as Prius, Escape and Honda Civic have petrol and battery power source which is computer integrated. With these configurations, hybrid cars are able to have a fuel mileage of 60-70 mpg as compared to 20-40 in conventional cars.

You could call them inventors or Hackers but these people are reprogramming computer and getting extra batteries that in turn guzzles less fuel and gives higher electric kick to the cars. One such person in San Francisco customized his hybrid car by fitting 18 electric bicycle batteries to store extra power. These batteries get charged from solar panels or domestic sockets at night. He successfully achieved 96 mpg for his hybrid car. Now that is quiet impressive.

The electronic tweaks he executed trick the hybrid arrangement into thinking that the battery is completely charged so it uses battery power at all speeds, rather than just through deceleration.

August 19, 2005

The Best way to Finance a New Car - Tips

With increasing competition between car dealers and car financial institutions, securing reasonable financing is easier than ever. But here, as elsewhere, fortune favors the prepared and gives a special bonus to shoppers who are willing to follow a few tried-and-tested rules.
The first rule is simple. Buy a car that fits your finances. If it's solely for business, leasing may be an option. Also, you have to be aware of the hidden car costs, like insurance, gas and parking. Make sure all of these are taken into consideration when buying a new car to avoid surprises. A good rule of thumb for car payments is that the monthly total should be no more than 20 percent of your net income.
The next rule is to pre-shop. Use the Internet, use the library, use your neighbors, use competing car salesmen--use every available medium to find out who is offering the lowest financing and the lowest interest rates. Compare rates at banks, credit unions, car dealers. Check the hidden costs. Does this plan penalize you for paying off the car loan early?

August 18, 2005

Old Car or Buy a New One?

by: Roger Charles

From the economic perspective it is better to keeping your old car. It could save you thousands of dollars. Taking better care of your current car may make much more sense in the long run. You're probably thinking - repair bills are really adding up. But the cost of repairs will never exceed the cost of a new car.
If you've paid off your car, it is still in great shape and needs only a few modest repairs, there's no need to throw it away. Enjoy your freedom from car payments. Enjoy lower annual taxes, insurance rates and license fees on your old car. Buying a new vehicle would mean several years more of monthly principle and interest payments on a loan.

August 12, 2005

Car Finance

Car financing has taken a new turn with regard to providing investment for buying a car. So, how do you finance a car? If this question leaves you baffled, then you have to go a long way in the process of buying a car. The term ‘financing’ in relation to buying a car connotes either rendering loan to buy the car or lease the car to you. You are probably concentrating on the former meaning. Many people are in favour of talking car finance from dealership for it seems like a convenient option. It seems easy; you select a car, fill out a credit application, and drive away with your car - all in a day’s work. Car finance through dealership will give you car finance on weekends and even at nights when other banks and credit unions are closed.

August 11, 2005

Advice For Securing A Loan

The tips below are sound advice when looking to secure a loan for, say, the purchase of a car.

Most of the loans that are taken out are for car purchases and you should always remember that it is your responsibility to pay off any existing loan when you embark on a new one. Some unscrupulous dealers will promise to pay off the loan and then fail to do so and you can find yourself in real trouble with your bank and the old loan company. Make sure that you have it in writing that the
dealer will pay off the loan within ten days if you leave it up to them.

August 9, 2005

Manufacturers Schemes - Car Loans

The Manufactures schemes are normally arranged by car dealers, Manufacturers Schemes or Hire Purchase (HP) is the traditional method of financing a car. The downside is that you do not own the vehicle until the end of the agreement term, meaning, if you fail to maintain the car finance payments, you could lose the vehicle. Advantages
1. Monthly repayments are lower because you can select the period over which to repay the car loan subject to affordability 2. If you arrange the finance independently it can put you in the position of a 'cash buyer' enabling you to negotiate a better price. 3. You can easily shop around amongst the independent finance companies to find the best terms. 4. The interest rate will usually remain fixed throughout the term, i.e. you will know exactly how much your repayments will be

Manufacturers Schemes - Car Loans

The Manufactures schemes are normally arranged by car dealers, Manufacturers Schemes or Hire Purchase (HP) is the traditional method of financing a car. The downside is that you do not own the vehicle until the end of the agreement term, meaning, if you fail to maintain the car finance payments, you could lose the vehicle. Advantages
1. Monthly repayments are lower because you can select the period over which to repay the car loan subject to affordability 2. If you arrange the finance independently it can put you in the position of a 'cash buyer' enabling you to negotiate a better price. 3. You can easily shop around amongst the independent finance companies to find the best terms. 4. The interest rate will usually remain fixed throughout the term, i.e. you will know exactly how much your repayments will be

Manufacturers Schemes - Car Loans

The Manufactures schemes are normally arranged by car dealers, Manufacturers Schemes or Hire Purchase (HP) is the traditional method of financing a car. The downside is that you do not own the vehicle until the end of the agreement term, meaning, if you fail to maintain the car finance payments, you could lose the vehicle. Advantages
1. Monthly repayments are lower because you can select the period over which to repay the car loan subject to affordability 2. If you arrange the finance independently it can put you in the position of a 'cash buyer' enabling you to negotiate a better price. 3. You can easily shop around amongst the independent finance companies to find the best terms. 4. The interest rate will usually remain fixed throughout the term, i.e. you will know exactly how much your repayments will be

August 8, 2005

Hire Purchase - Car loans

Hire Purchase is the most popular way of car loan privately because it is so simple. To buy your vehicle on Hire Purchase you pay an initial deposit, and then make equal monthly instalments over a period of 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 years.

Should you wish to change your vehicle before the agreement has ended, the finance company will provide you with a settlement figure, which once paid passes full ownership of the vehicle to you, freeing you to change your vehicle and enter into a new agreement.

Why not arrange your finance at the same you make your purchase? This not only simplifies the process, but saves you time and ensures that you get a package which is tailored to your specific requirements.

courtesy

August 4, 2005

Is Car Financing Right For You?

The biggest new car financing mistake buyers make is trying to buy a new car without checking online auto loan rates or knowing if their credit history can support that action. Car financing, unlike leasing, allows you to own your new/used car while putting few restrictions on your driving habits in the meantime. Following are the situation in which it is ideal to finance your car
1. You wish to keep your vehicle for several years. 2. You can afford a relatively high down payment or you have a vehicle with equity to trade-in. 3. Your annual driving mileage exceeds the typical mileage allowance of a lease. (Generally lease has a 10,000, 12,000 or 15,000 annual mileage allowance.) 4. You want the flexibility to own your vehicle and sell it at any time.

August 3, 2005

Car Refinancing

Refinancing the car loan is very easy and it can save you some serious money .How much? Say you bought a new car six months ago. And say the dealer told you that your auto loan would be 11 percent on a 5-year loan for a $23,000 car. Your monthly payments are $500.

Now let's say that you surf the Web until you find a company that offers car refinancing. You could refinance the balance of your car loan and lower your payments to about $400 a month. That's a savings of nearly $6,000 over the life of the loan.

Other examples could well be more dramatic. In some cases, a new car buyer could wind up with an auto loan based on an 18 percent interest rate. By refinancing at a competitive rate, the monthly payments would be slashed.

courtesy

August 1, 2005

Five Steps to Find the Right Car for You

The following five steps helps you in finding the car that is best for you.

Step 1: What kind of car do you need?
If you know your needs rather than wants, you will quickly discover what the right car is for you. Take a moment to think about what you use your car for. How many people do you need to transport? What kind of driving do you most often do? How long is your commute? Is it important that your next vehicle get good gas mileage?

Step 2: What is your Budget?
Regardless of whether you decide to buy or lease your next car, establishing a realistic monthly payment that will fit into your budget is a crucial first step. How much should this be?

Step 3: Should you lease or buy your car?
A lease requires little or no money up front and offers lower monthly payments. But when the lease ends you are left without a car and a need to replace it.

Buying a car is more expensive initially and the monthly payments are higher. But at the end of the loan, you will own a car you can still drive or sell.

Step 4: Have you considered all vehicles in that class?
Today's new car (and truck) market is filled with great products. Most shoppers have difficulty keeping up with all of the vehicles manufacturers introduce and the changes they are making to their older vehicles, so it's important to do your research.

Step 5: Have you considered all of the costs of ownership?
Here is an often overlooked fact of car ownership: one car might be cheaper to buy, but more expensive to own. Why? Even if two cars cost about the same to buy, one can depreciate at a different rate or cost significantly more to insure or maintain. Before you commit to one car, you should estimate the long-term ownership costs of the vehicle you are considering. These include depreciation, insurance, maintenance and fuel costs.

courtsey

July 28, 2005

Buy or lease big question ?

Advantages of lease are that you're only paying for the part of the car that you "use up." In other words, if you drive a new car for three years, you'll only pay for three years worth of depreciation on the car. If you had purchased it, you'd be paying for the entire car. To a certain extent, that is an advantage. Instead of trying to pay off a $20,000 car loan in three years (with monthly payments of nearly $700), you'd be making lease payments of less than $400 per month, sometimes less if you make a large initial payment.
Disadvantage of the leasing is that you're only paying for the portion of the vehicle that you "use up." That means you don't have any ownership at the end of the three years. You literally walk away from the deal.
Consider how the value of a car changes. As an example we chose a 4-door Honda Accord. It's popular and has remained relatively unchanged in the last 10 years.
A new one will cost you about $21,000 before taxes and add-ons. A 1996 model is currently worth $13,670. That's a loss of about $7,300 in the first three years (or $202 per month). Now compare the '96 to a 1993 model. The '93 is worth $8,525, or about $5,100 less than the '96 (or $141 per month).Finally, look at a 1990 Accord. It's still worth $5,260. That's a decrease of $3,265 over the three-year period (or $90 per month). This tells us that a car loses more value in the early years. So the most expensive way to own a car is to buy (or lease) a new one every three years. Simply put, you'll save money if you're willing to keep your cars more than three years or buy used cars.
Try looking at it another way. A lease on that Accord will cost about $400 per month. Over the three-year period you'll write checks totaling $14,400 or $4,800 per year, and have nothing to show for it at the end. If you bought the same car on a 60-month car loan you'd pay $438 per month, not much more than the lease.

July 26, 2005

What is automobile leasing ?

Leasing concept is fairly simple, yet many automotive consumers don't completely understand it and are often skeptical, even afraid of it. It is frequently misunderstood as a kind of cheap "rent-to-own" scheme hatched up by clever dealers to separate good people from their money. In fact, leasing is a well respected financial concept that has long been used in the business world as a method of financing buildings, equipment, and vehicles — although it is still relatively new to consumers. Because consumers are still learning about, there have certainly been cases in which their lack of knowledge has been taken advantage of, sometimes fraudulently.

July 25, 2005

Smart Car Leasing for Beginners

Car leasing is extremely popular because it provides an attractive method of driving an automobile that you might not otherwise afford.

Lease or Buy? That is Always the Question with Car Financing.

Leasing is a perfectly viable and legitimate way to finance a new car.

July 21, 2005

Used Car Buyer Guides

Under the Federal Trade Commission's Used Car Rule, all sellers of used cars (except private owners), are required to place a sticker called a "Buyers Guide" in the window of their used cars.

July 20, 2005

How To Buy A New Car When Ordering From the Factory

Some dealers will try to fool you into thinking if you order your car from the factory (instead of buying a new car that is stocked at the dealership) that you will have to pay more. Actually, you should pay less when you buy a new car you order from the factory, because the dealer does not have to pay floor interest on the car.

Does it make sense for you to donate your car instead of selling it yourself?

Should you donate your car to charity, rather than sell it?

July 19, 2005

What Is Bankruptcy?

Considering bankruptcy?

Debt Consolidation
Credit Counseling and Debt Consolidation Solutions

Vietnamese American Magazine
Tieng Magazine - A Magazine for Vietnamese Americans.

Bank Charges
Reclaim your bank charges legally! No win no fee.

Loans
Loans information and advice from money expert.

Personal Finance dot TV
Learn about the ins and outs of the financial world.