Shopping for a car is a challenging experience for nearly everyone, but can be even more so for seniors who may not be familiar with current models, features, and sales tactics. Finding the right car for your needs involves research, test drives, and patience if you want to find the one that is the best overall fit for you.

What Do You Want?

Car lots are notorious for salespeople who push you to make an immediate decision about buying a car. You can avoid this common issue by taking just a bit of time to think about what you want and doing a bit of research before ever setting foot on a car lot. Here are some things to consider:

• Interior space – How much interior space do you need? Do you regularly carry additional passengers or do you most often drive just yourself and/or your spouse? Do you have pets you’ll be taking in the car with you? Do you plan to travel with the car and so need more space for luggage and the like?

• Entry and exit – Do you have any limitations or difficulties getting into or out of a car? Looking into the future, what are you likely to need if or when your ability to easily get in or out starts to decline?

• Visibility – How easy (or hard) is it for you to turn your head and look in all directions when you are driving? Do you want larger outside mirrors to help you see better around the car?

• Cost – What is the price range you can afford? Do you plan to pay cash for the vehicle or finance it with a loan? How much do you feel comfortable spending on operating costs (fuel, tires, maintenance, repairs, etc.)?

• Size and shape – Do you feel more comfortable in a larger car? Or do you prefer a smaller car that is easier to maneuver and park? Do you want to sit up higher (such as in an SUV) or do you prefer to sit lower (such as in a sedan)?

Once you have this list of wants and needs put together you’re ready to start the process of research and comparison.

Research and Compare

There are many great tools available to help you research and compare vehicles based on all sorts of features and characteristics. A few of the very best sites that offer the most objective information include:

• www.Edmunds.com
• www.KBB.com
• www.NADAGuides.com
• www.ConsumerReports.org

A number of other web sites are more focused on selling cars, but they also contain some nice tools for identifying cars by features and making side by side comparisons. Some examples of these include:

• www.Cars.com
• www.CarsDirect.com
• www.AutoWeb.com
• www.AutoTrader.com

Take notes on the vehicles that seem to be good matches for your wants, especially paying attention to quality ratings, reliability ratings, and price range. Pick three or four models you think are most likely to meet your needs and get ready to go see them in person.

Try The Cars

With your research information in hand, go to local car lots and see each potential match for yourself. Make it clear to the salesperson you are not going to make a purchase at that time, but you are doing research to decide with vehicle to buy in the near future. Ask for the car to be unlocked so you can do the following:

• Open and close all of the doors
• Get in and out several times
• Check dashboard controls to see how easy they are to reach and adjust
• Check dials and gauges to be sure they are visible
• Adjust the seats and mirrors
• Practice looking around as if you’re driving to check visibility

Take notes for yourself on all of these things, and if you like the car well enough then ask to take it for a test drive. It’s a good idea to allow at least an hour for each vehicle you want to check out on this initial trip. After getting some hands on experience with each vehicle you’re ready to go home and think about it.

Do some more research about reliability and quality, and check pricing from various sources. This process may take several days, so don’t rush it. You may even go back to the dealer for some more hands on research. Once you have found the vehicle that best meets all of your needs you can move into the buying and negotiation phase with the knowledge that you have thoroughly researched the marketplace and have selected the right car for you.

If you have a car to sell, you may hear that you should turn to eBay.com. Ebay is a popular online auction website. Millions of internet users use the website to buy and sell goods, including cars. For most individuals, eBay is a great way to sell a car. For others, it is not.

If you are unsure if you should use eBay to sell your vehicle, continue reading on for a list of five signs you should not. These signs do not necessarily mean you should avoid eBay.com. They mean you should consider the pros and cons first. So, when is eBay not a good way to sell a car?

1.  If You Have Bad eBay Feedback

In the past year, eBay changed their feedback ratings. Now, not everyone is rated. Still, old ratings show up. If you regularly agreed to buy items and did not pay, you may have received negative ratings. If you sold items but misrepresented or waited to long to ship the merchandise, you may have poor eBay feedback.

When buying a product online, especially an expensive car, all interested buyers will look closely at your eBay feedback. If they see you are known for lying or misrepresenting yourself, they may run and fast. People want to do business with someone they trust, not someone who has a bad history of using the eBay.com website.

If you have a poor eBay feedback rating, try selling your car once or twice. If it does not work, focus on your local options.

2. If You Live in a Very Small Town

It isn’t a bad thing if you live in a small town, as all small towns are different. Your town may have a population of just 5,000 people but ten minutes away, there can be a large city. What you want to consider is the distance to the nearest populated area. If your average car buyer must travel two or three hours to buy your car, you may have few takers. With that said, some buyers are willing to travel far or pay to have the car shipped if it is a good deal, if the car is rare, or something they really want to have.

If you live in a small town, you can try selling your car on eBay first. The first four times, you are only charged when the car sells. On the fifth time, you are now charged an insertion fee too.

3. If You Want to Get the Most Money

Ebay is nice in that you can set your own price. That doesn’t however mean that people will buy your car. With that said, if they do, you still get less money. On average, it costs less than $10 to put an advertisement in a local newspaper and ‘for sale’ signs that go in car windows are cheap at the dollar store.

4. If You Aren’t a Savvy Internet User

Luckily, eBay.com makes it easy for people to buy and sell. After creating a free eBay account, you follow their step-by-step guide to create a listing. You must know how to take digital photographs and upload them to your computer. You must familiarize yourself with common eBay scams. For example, scammers will send you an email that looks like it is from eBay, but it is a fake duplicate website. You click on the link and log into the account and you gave away your personal information. For those unfamiliar with the internet, selling a car on eBay can be too risky.

5. If You Must Pay Someone to Help You

When people want to sell products on eBay, but don’t know how, they turn to a consignment shop. These are experienced internet and eBay users. They list an eBay auction under their name. They help you sell the item, but take a percentage of the sale. With a large item, such as a car or truck, the commission is high. Your helper may get $2,000 or more! That is too much money out of your own pocket.

So what exactly are public auto auctions? Public car auctions are events where you and dealers alike can purchase cars by bidding on them. You can have a ton of fun doing it, and you can get just what you want and pay just what you want.

Price getting too high? Just stop. You would pay a lot more for that cherry red convertible but no one else is bidding? Fantastic! That’s what common automobile auctions can do for you; you don’t have to be a slave to the demands of the dealer; you can buy the same way he does and avoid the markup.

There are a couple of ways to get a car or truck from public auto auctions. You can be traditional and attend the auction in person. In that case, you would join the others who are interested in getting a vehicle also, and you would raise your bid paddle when you have found the perfect vehicle for you.

Another way to buy from vehicle auctions is live via the Internet. Several auction houses now have real-time online bidding; if the auction is not located close to where you live, you can still bid on what you want right from your home PC, while others are bidding also. This is actual bidding just as if you were sitting there in the bidding gallery; you simply enter your bids via the computer instead of sitting there and holding your bid number up for the auctioneer assistant to see.

Sometimes, you can find a real bargain basement price for a car at truck/auto auctions. Several sites have cars that have been donated and offer those vehicles with no minimum bid. That means if you bid fifty bucks and no one else wants that particular vehicle, you can have your car for fifty bucks. How cool is that? Most of the time there is a reason that cars are donated, of course. They probably need work – maybe even a lot of work – but if you are mechanically inclined, why not?

If you want to add to your collection of vehicles, want to buy cheap and fix it up, need a reliable second car, or want to get a vehicle for any reason, there is no need to be limited any longer. You can buy your car the same way the dealers do – at auction. Public auto auctions are the way to go.

It’s the classic dilemma that faces every auto-consumer. Pay cash upfront or forgo the ownership and pay monthly settlements instead? Buy or lease for a new set of wheels? As is the case with every other common dilemma, there is right answer. Each option has its own benefits and drawbacks, and it all depends on a set of financial and personal considerations.

First, your finances. Affordability is clearly key, and you need to ask the question of how stable is your job and how healthy is your general financial situation. The short-term monthly cost of leasing is significantly lower than the monthly payments when buying: you only pay for the portion of the vehicle’s cost that you use up during the time you drive it.

If you have a lot of cash upfront, then you can opt to pay the down payment, sales taxes – in cash or rolled into a loan – and the interest rate determined by your loan company. Buying effectively gives you ownership of the car and that feeling of “free driving” that goes on providing transportation. If you want to get into luxury models but can’t afford the upfront cash of purchasing the vehicle than you’re a good candidate for leasing. Unlike buying, it gives you the option of not having to fork out the down payment upfront, leaving you to pay a lower money factor that is generally similar to the interest rate on a financing loan. However, these benefits have a price: terminating a lease early or defaulting on your monthly lease payments will result in stiff financial penalties and can ruin your credit. You need to make sure you carve out the monthly lease payment in your budget for the foreseeable future, at least for the duration of the lease.

Besides the financial aspect, making a buy or lease decision depends on your own particular lifestyle choices and preferences. Think about what the car means to you: are you the sort of person to bond with the car or would you rather have the excitement of something new? If you want to drive a car for more than fives years, negotiate carefully and buy the car you like. If, on the other hand, you don’t like the idea of ownership and prefer to drive a new car every two to three years then you should lease.

Next, factor your transportation needs: How many miles do you drive a year? How properly do you maintain your cars? If your answer is: “I drive 40,000 miles a year and I don’t really care much about my cars as I don’t mind dealing with repair bills”, then you’re probably better off buying. Leasing is based on the assumption of limited-mileage, usually no more than 12,000 to 15,000 miles a year, and wear-and-tear considerations. Unless you can keep within the prescribed mileage limits and keep the car in a good condition at the end of your lease, you might incur hefty end-of-lease costs.

If you have a car for sale, you might turn to eBay Motors to list it. Ebay is a popular online auction website. Internet users have been using the website to buy and sell goods for years. In recent years, the popularity of eBay Motors has rapidly increased. This is the part of eBay.com where cars are sold.

Although most car sellers are able to see success with eBay Motors, others do not. A number of factors go into making a sale. For starters, you must provide detailed information about your car and have good pictures. Next, you must list your car at a reasonable price. Finally, you need to think about the time. Is now the best time to list your car for sale on eBay? It all depends on the economy, gas prices, the competition, and the type of car you have.

Right now, gas prices are fluctuating. In 2008, they reached all-time highs. Towards the end of 2008, they started to lower. Now, they are starting to increase again. For that reason, people are afraid to buy large trucks and SUVs. Many car buyers wonder if they can afford the cost of gas. If you have a large car or SUV, don’t be afraid to list your vehicle for sale. With that said, you may want to sneak in a listing when the gas prices are at a reasonable rate.

Although large trucks are often seen as gas-guzzlers, many people use them for more than just daily transportation. In fact, you can work this into your eBay Motors listing to give buyers ideas. For example, state your for sale truck is good for towing a motor home, ATV, or snowmobile. If your truck is an extended cab truck, state it makes a great truck for those working in construction or landscaping.

Speaking of work vehicles, they are and will always be in demand. They are needed around the year. Businesses, especially those who deal in deliveries, rely on trucks and vans the most. If you have one to sell, do not hesitate to list your vehicle for sale on eBay. Chances are someone will buy it the first time around.

Family cars, like sedans, station wagons, and mini-vans are always in demand. Plus, most are cheap to drive, as these vehicles get good mileage. For that reason, you can list this type of vehicle anytime of the year and expect to make a sale. Increase your chances by listing the vehicle for a fair and reasonable rate.

Seasonal vehicles do well on eBay Motors, but you should time it so that they are in season for most buyers. For example, a truck with a plow will sell better and with a higher price if listed in November, December, or January. On the other hand, a convertible is best listed in April, May, and June. A buyer in the Northeast does not want to pay full value for a convertible they must wait four months to drive.

Antique cars can be sold on eBay, but you are taking a huge risk. Most consumers turn to eBay to get a good deal. You may find a good buyer, but it is unlikely. If you have an antique car and want to sell it on eBay, set a high listing price or opt for a reserve price. This ensures you do not lose money. Honestly, your best option is to sell the car locally, especially at an antique car show.

In short, before listing your car for sale on eBay, first think about the time. Is now the best time to sell a car? If you have a quality used vehicle that has a fair selling price, yes it is. If you are trying to sell a brand new car at market value, you may run into some complications. Right now, most consumers do not have the money to spend.

Whether you lease a car to get into the latest models or have better purchasing flexibility, getting a good deal is always bound to give you a lift. Use these guidelines to help you spot one:

Check Incentives:

Be on the look-out for factory –subsidized lease deals. Car manufacturers realize that consumers who lease vehicles from them are more likely to be repeat customers than those who simply purchase vehicles.
Through their leasing companies, they adjust the residual value and offer low financing charge. Other auto-manufacturers are also starting to give incentives on leasing, called leasing subventions. They offer these subsidies to put slow-selling models on the street, saving you even more money.

Set up Some Competition:

If you already have an idea in mind of the make, model and trim level of your desired car, attempt to calculate your own lease payment before you go shopping to avoid paying through the roof. Check online comparison tools or use a lease calculator to check your lease payment based on purchase price. This gives you greater negotiation leverage as you solicit quotes from various leasing companies.

Make sure you know all the fees involved at the beginning of your lease:

You may have to pay fees for licenses, registration and title. Other fees include acquisition fees, freight fees and local or state taxes. At lease-end, you may have to pay a disposition fee and charges for extra
mileage and any excess wear. Be aware that some of these fees – like acquisition and disposition fees – are negotiable.

Know your mileage needs:

Almost all leases limit the number of miles per year by imposing typically 10 to 20 cents per excess mile over 15,000 miles a year. If you are the kind of high-commuter who puts 40,000 miles a year on his car, then you might end up running thousands of dollars in hefty penalties at the end of your lease. Be smart and negotiate a higher-mileage limit or pad you excess miles at the beginning of your lease to avoid robber tax rates for excess miles. Almost all leases limit the number of miles per year by imposing fees typically 10 to 20 cents per mile over 15,000 miles per year. If you are the kind of high-commuter who puts a lot miles on his car, then these costscan add up quickly. Negotiate

Include GAP coverage:

Make sure your lease includes GAP coverage. This covers you in the event of the vehicle getting wrecked, stolen or totaled. Without GAP insurance, you leave yourself wide open to thousands of dollars in leased obligations. Check if the GAP coverage is included so you don’t pay it twice.

For the automobile enthusiast, there is nothing quite like the excitement of attending classic car auctions. Whether going to buy or just look on in wonder with dropped jaws, everyone always has a fantastic time at the various classic car auctions that happen throughout the year.

Are you a collector of fine automobiles? Does that one certain type of car just make your mouth water? Instead of hunting for that Chevelle or Corvette at car lots all over town, you should make a weekend of it and attend one of the classic car auctions that occur in cities all over the nation. The Palm Springs Exotic Car Auction, coordinated and begun by Keith McCormick offers buyers, sellers, and observers alike a peek at the supreme beauty that is a classic car. Kruse, too, is a well-known classic car auction, as is Barrett-Jackson.

Whether you are interested in buying a gorgeous piece of the American Dream, selling a classic out of your collection, or just interested in seeing all the awesome vehicles with smooth lines and superb quality, the classic car auctions in the US are a great place to be pampered, and they are definitely places where outstanding customer service still exists. Many first-time sellers are expectantly nervous about the whole process of parting with one of their four-wheeled family members, but just about everyone who decides to part company with one of their classics is delighted with their decision to sell via auction; the classic car auctions are full of experts who truly bend over backwards and do whatever it takes to ensure that sellers are comfortable and get the asking price (or more) that they anticipate.

Buyers, of course, can look forward to top-notch attention as well. Classic car auctions are a pleasure to be involved with; with all necessary paperwork at the ready and a knowledgeable staff ready and willing to help, buyers can rest assured that they will be fairly treated and well cared for. Even if you intend to ship your car overseas, you can feel confident that the auction employees will do everything to make your transaction as smooth as possible so that annoying red tape does not destroy all the fun you had finding your special gem of a car.

There are some people who even plan their annual family vacation around a classic car auction. There is no denying the love affair people have with their automobiles, and that is especially so with gorgeous classic cars of yesteryear. If you have never attended any of the classic car auctions, you have been missing out on an opportunity to see the most awe-inspiring vehicles all in one giant spot and on all the excitement in the air as buyers make their bids and sellers hope for a great return on their vintage car or truck sale.

For the thrill and joy that you can get from the synergy in the air, you should take the car-lover in your life to a classic car auction. It is an experience he will never forget – especially when he zips out of the driveway for a Sunday drive and every head turns as he drives by in his primo auto that he got for a steal at the classic car auction.

Finding antique cars and trucks for sale is not that difficult. You can go online and do a quick search, or you can even just look in your local classifieds to see what you can find. But when you are looking for antique classic cars for sale, it can be a little harder. Classic cars are not something that many people want to part with, so there are a few things you need to realize when finding antique classic cars for sale and purchasing them.

You can still look online for antique classic cars for sale. However, you are going to have to be very discriminatory about what you are looking for. Some people will post information about the car that they think will lure in potential buyers. It may look like someone has listed an antique classic car for sale, but it might not be a classic at all. So make sure that you look very closely to see what exactly the seller is listing.

You can also look in a few other places. You could go to an antique dealer and see if he or she has any antique classic cars for sale. Even if the antique dealer does not have any antique classic cars for sale, he might know someone who does. Going through an antique dealer can be a reassuring process. You know that the dealer knows what he or she is talking about and you can usually trust that the dealer is going to get you a real classic antique car. However, if you want to find someone who will really be on your side, go ahead and talk to a different antique dealer and hire him or her to help you look through the antique classic cars for sale to find the best deal.

Authenticating Your Find

Any time you find an antique classic car for sale you need to be careful. You can never be too terribly careful when you are looking at these cars that are for sale, especially if it is being sold on the internet or through the classifieds. People lie every day and do anything that they can do to make a quick buck. It is important that you authenticate your classic antique car before you give the seller any money. You can talk to any antique dealer to see if he or she can help to authenticate your purchase.

From April 2009 it has been announced that there are new rules regarding tax relief on business cars. This could make a difference to the capital allowances so it may be more practical to change your car sooner than you had anticipated.

This Pre-Budget report shows allowances for cars are based on the vehicles carbon dioxide emissions. The ones mainly affected will be those that were acquired after the 31st March 2009 for companies and for sole traders and partnerships this will apply after 5th April 09.

After April it will only be cars with co2 emissions that are up to 160g/km that will attract allowances at just 10%. Therefore buy a vehicle before April and keep the higher rate of relief.

It is thought that perhaps even the more upmarket cars with emissions up to 160 g/km may be a better proposition to buy now. At the present time if you are contemplating buying a car which costs more than £12,000 writing down allowances will be compressed to £3,000 a year. You are entitled to a balancing allowance when you get rid of it. Ultimately the entire capital cost of the vehicle is allowed for tax in its lifetime.

These new rules will remove the £3,000 limit plus the allowance. In the case of the expensive car which usually loses its value much quicker than the rate of capital allowances, this will mean that there could well be a shortfall in allowances as in comparison to the cost of the car in its lifetime.

Under these new rules it appears that businesses that lease cars that are expensive should indeed benefit. The restriction on tax relief on lease rentals for cars exceeding £12,000 will be replaced by 15% disallowance of lease rental payments on cars with co2 emissions that are above 160g/km. This will be regardless of their cost.

I was reading an article today about women drivers and the top ten cars that they like to drive and was interested to read that women tend to be much better ‘car buyers’ than men. I was intrigued to discover what this meant and apparently men are said to buy the type of car that they want whereas a women will buy a car that they need!

On the whole they tend to choose a car that is affordable, practical and economical. It has to be extremely flexible with plenty of storage space for family use.  Here is a list of suggestions that they came up with;

Volkswagen Jetta

This compact individual car is ideal for the independent woman. It is large enough for a growing family and has the engine capacity of a VW GTI. There is also the diesel Jetta which has outstanding petrol economy. It is clean and very quiet. It can easily accommodate two adults and three children.

Mercedes Benz E class

This is a prestige car. It is large enough for the family to fit in comfortably but also compact enough to for easy parking. It has that touch of luxury. The inside has a plush dashboard and steering wheel which features soft touch buttons. It has a fantastic engine which runs smoothly and is very powerful. All in all well worth the price.

Mazda MX 5 Miata

This would be a great car for a woman with no family or an excellent second car. It is really a fun car and very economical too. The space in the boot is limited but enough for the single woman. The integrated roll bars behind the seats add practical safety benefits. The only downside with this car is don’t even think about it if you are over 6ft which I suppose is another good reason its more of a ladies car.

Another Mazda but this time a four or five door version. The five door is recommended for its practicality and there is more space for a growing family. The body shell is really rigid and the suspension has been adapted for improved steering and sharper handling. One change is the addition of electronic stability control which can help the driver from losing sudden panic maneuver or over aggressive driving. This little car is a reliable all rounder.

Subaru Forester

This is a real family car. For the woman that likes the outdoors and needs that extra bit of space.
Once again safety features are a strong point with antilock brakes and front seat mounted airbags come as standard. One other feature is the all wheel drive system which gives great handling conditions in all the weather conditions.