For Sale by Owner

Reasonable expectations

First of all, be reasonable in what you expect to receive from your vehicle. Remember that your personal sentiments matter little in determining the real value of your car – which is defined as the amount someone else is willing to pay for it. The best way to give yourself a fair set of expectations is to thoroughly research the car before you sell it. This means looking at similar cars on websites devoted to used car sales to see what prices comparable vehicles are currently carrying. Just remember that there are thousands of buyers who are researching the same car, and if they see that your price is higher than other similar cars you will have an even tougher time getting them to purchase yours.

Condition matters

Evaluate your car to determine its overall condition. Is there body work that needs to be done to repair dents, scratches, or other imperfections? Has the interior suffered from neglect, resulting in seat cushions, floor mats, and other parts of the car that need to be replaced? Give the car a thorough detailing, cleaning every nook and cranny of the interior and exterior, then sit back and examine it with as unbiased an eye as you can muster. Beyond physical appearance, take into consideration the other attributes of the vehicle as well – namely, the mileage and overall condition of the engine. You have to adjust your price for these factors if you want to obtain a reasonable offer.

Aim high but settle lower

Don’t forget to add a set value to the price you expect, to allow yourself some room for negotiation. Most buyers will try to shave off at least some of your asking price, so add a few hundred dollars to the total price – more if the car is newer. This will give you some leeway during negotiations so that you can play to the buyer’s psychological need to obtain some measure of victory. You will be able to accept the original amount you wanted, while still allowing the buyer to feel like they bested you in the negotiation process!

Patience is a must

Once you have established your price, prepare to be patient. Selling a car to a private body is often a matter of waiting for the right person to see your ads and signs. If you are in a hurry to raise the money from the sale, you may want to consider lowering your price even more or adding a “Best Offer” clause to your ad and signs. If, however, you have priced your vehicle properly and done some level of advertisement, patience will reward you with an offer that is close to your needs.

Photo Credits: bdunnette

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Turbo Charged

Installing a turbo charger within your vehicle is not an exceptionally complicated task, although there are several time-consuming procedures involved that you will want to perform carefully and methodically. If you are not confident in your ability to install a turbo charger on your own, you can hire the services of an auto mechanic specialized in this area. This will smooth out the process considerably. If you do choose to do the job on your own, there are several steps you will want to follow closely to make sure that no mistakes are made during the installation process.

First, you will need to figure out exactly which kind of turbo charger will be suitable for your car's engine. This depends on a variety of factors that are related to the vehicle you own, including the size of your car and the space available to install the turbo charger. It would be useful to buy a turbo charger kit. This will give you all the necessary equipment, along with detailed instructions on how to go about constructing the system.

Because turbo chargers can cause your engine to heat rapidly, you will want to make sure that you are using a higher quality type of oil. You will also need to change the spark plugs on your car and equip your vehicle with new oil filters. You will want to make sure that your turbo charger is well-lubricated. You can do this by attaching the oil line to the turbo charger.

Because of the increased risk that your engine may burn out as a result of the increased heat flow to the engine after the installation of a turbo charger, you may need to adopt certain habits that will minimize these possibilities. It may be useful to warm up your vehicle in an idle position for several minutes before attempting to drive it. This will make sure that the engine is gradually warmed and is not hit with a sudden rush of heat. Before switching of the engine of your vehicle, you will also need to let it stand in idles for 1 to 2 minutes, allowing the turbo charger to cool down a little.

If you follow all the above-mentioned procedures, you will be well on your way to enjoying the full benefits of a turbo charged car.

Photo Credits: EmerandSam

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Keys locked in your car?

Burglarizing yourself

Yes, it is true that you may feel a wave of shame flooding over you as you engage in your first attempt to pick the lock on your own car. Get over it! In fact, even if you are doing this in public and find that every passerby is glaring at you in disapproval, ignore them. Think about it for a second: yes, you feel guilty, and yes your brain is telling you to explain your plight to everyone around you so that they don’t think the worst about you. Don’t bother – the worst that they can do is to call the police and report a burglary. If that happens, let the police come and help you open the car!

Tools of the trade

While the tools necessary to pick your own car lock may sound like a burglar’s kit, they are necessary if you hope to retrieve your keys. The first is a Slim Jim, or a modified metal coat hanger, and will work on cars made prior to 1995. The Slim Jim is a long metal piece that is able to latch onto your car door’s handle lever by means of a serrated edge. For these older models, the hanger will work just as well. Simply slide the unit between the car window and rubber stripping until you feel the lever. Pull the lever and the lock should disengage, freeing you to enter the car door.

Newer cars

For newer cars, the Slim Jim and hanger won’t work, since the lever mechanism is protected from that kind of tampering. You can, however, keep a set of so-called jiggler keys on hand.  These key-like pieces of metal have teeth like real keys, but no definable key notches, providing them with the capability to open most car door locks if you have the patience to jiggle the metal until the lock pops.

The best advice

Of course, the best advice for dealing with this problem is to adequately prepare in advance. Try keeping an extra key to the car door in a slot within your wallet or purse, in a safe place within the home or garage, or even in your office at work. While you can certainly pick your car lock with a little practice, avoiding the problem altogether can save you valuable time.

Photo Credits: Sara. Nel

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Changing the oil.

Changing car oil is one of the many things taken for granted by car owners all across America. Car companies suggest that you change your car oil every 7,500 miles or at least once a year for gasoline engines, and 7,000 miles or at least every six months for diesel engines. This however is for the brand new vehicles and for cars that are not overused.

If your car has been around for over three years then that’s a different story, you now have to change your car oil every 3,000 miles or every three months to gain maximum protection on your car engine.

Changing your car oil is both easy and inexpensive if you decide to do it by yourself. Here are some things to consider: first never change your oil while your engine is still hot, cool it down for a while. Next gather all supplies and materials that you need, never forget the oil.

Directions

1. After gathering all supplies and materials, open oil filter cap on top of the engine and with your socket wrench in hand and oil pan, start to unscrew the oil drain plug under your car engine that contains all the oil. Let it drain in the oil pan till it runs out.

2. After draining the oil the next step would be to locate the oil filter. Oil filter may be located at the back, side or at the front of the engine depending on the car brand. You will need a filter socket or a filter wrench to remove the oil filter. There may still be oil in the filter so you can let it drip in the oil pan. It’s important to remember that the rubber gasket of the oil filter should come off as well.

3. When oil has been drained carefully put back the oil drain plug and when replacing the oil filter with a new one smear some oil over the lid of the new oil filter and the rubber gasket so that the rubber gasket won’t fall off. Clean the area where the oil filter will be placed back in and then carefully replace the oil filter not letting the rubber gasket move away from its place to avoid leaks.

4. Make sure that the oil drain plug and the oil filter is properly placed back to its proper place before pouring the new oil back in the engine. Once everything is back in its proper place it’s time to pour the new oil back in. Using a funnel carefully pour the oil. The amount of oil that you put back is in the owner's manual. After pouring the amount of oil that you need replace the fill cap. And before closing the hood check for tools to avoid accidents.

With the parking brake on start the engine and run it for a while just to check if there are any leaks. If there are no leaks then it’s a job well done.

Photo Credits: akeg

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Engine: oil dipstick and filler neck

Owning a car is a very good investment, but the responsibility of taking care of one is a bit time consuming for some. For most Americans, if you want some maintenance done to your car you bring it to a car repair center or service center. What most Americans don’t know however is that you can avoid expensive car repairs by checking up on your car yourself.

Oil is the most important fluid inside your car engine and oil is responsible for lubricating all the gears in your engine. If your engine runs out of oil your engine will break down causing you to have expensive repairs which none of us want considering the economy we have to date.

How do you check your car oil?

First remember that the best time to check your car oil is during the morning when your car has rested and oil has cooled down to avoid false reading.

Make sure that your car is parked on a level surface and turn the hand break on, then turn the hood release lever located under the dashboard to open the hood of your car. Lift the hood and place the support stand for the hood so it won’t fall on you.

Locate the dipstick which is usually found in the middle of the engine. The dipsticks handle is often times bright in color. When you’ve located the dipstick pull the dipstick all the way out and wipe it with a paper towel or rag. After cleaning the dipstick replace it and make sure that it goes all the way down and rest for a second, then pull it back up to check the amount of oil.

Your dipstick will indicate the amount of oil you have in your engine, at the very end of your dipstick is the indicator.

Color of Oil

Your dipstick will also show you the color of oil that you have. The color of your oil is also a good indicator that it’s time to have your oil changed. Clean engine oil is often times golden color and clear while the dirty engine oil is black or brown and thick. Dirty engine oils can still run your car just fine but the quality of the oil is not the same as a new engine oil.

When the dipstick indicates that your oil is below the full mark it is time to pour some oil in your engine, try to look under the engine for some oil drops because you don’t usually lose oil not unless there’s a leak in your engine. But if your dipstick indicates full and the color of your oil is still clear, leave it alone there’s no need to worry.

Checking your car oil will take at least five minutes of your time, but compared to bringing it to service centers where they will do the same thing it's hardly any time at all. Check your oil at least once or twice a week to avoid expensive repairs on your engine.

Photo Credits: schwartz.mark

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Cleaning the Outside

All you need to clean the outside of your car is some soap, a sponge and a pressure washer. Start off by covering the car with suds using your soap and sponge – gently work out any particular spots, but you can afford to do this quite quickly. Next turn on your pressure washer and spray the car with water; this concentrated flow will take out all the dirt, mud and other grime in no time at all. Be sure to turn down the power of your pressure washer first: these tools can be quite powerful and you don’t want to risk stripping the paint.

Cleaning the Inside

To get the inside totally clean you will need to get rid of all the junk in the car’s compartments. Bring out a garbage bag and throw everything in – look under mats and search for small items that might have fallen through the cracks of the seats. Next bring out a cloth and quickly dab the surfaces to make sure they aren’t sticky. Finally, find an extension cord to hook up your vacuum cleaner and bring it outside, then use it to clean the floors, seats and any other parts of your car. This is the true time saver as a powerful vacuum will suck up all that dirt in mere moments.

These simple steps should take no more than 10 -20 minutes and will leave your car spotless. It is definitely worth doing this as you paid a lot of money to own a car and you won’t be able to enjoy it if it’s always messy.

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Car Tuneup: Oil Change

When it comes time to do the tune up, these are the basic things that you will need to keep in mind when you are preparing the car for its tune up. The first thing that you will need to do is to check and maybe even change the oil. This is the most important aspect of doing a tune up. It is recommended that the oil is changed every 3000 miles. This is the optimal time period for having the best performance out of your engine. Oil that is not changed this often, tends to collect gunk in it and this can hinder the performance of your car. While you are changing the oil be sure that you change the oil filter as well.

After you have changed the oil and filter, then it is time that you head to the top of the engine. This is where you will change the air filter. Changing the air filter is not that difficult, many times you will simply need to just pop off the air cleaner cover, and simply lift the old out of the cleaner and replace it with the new one. Replace the cover and that part of the tune up is finished.

Spark plugs is another part of the tune up that many people can easily do themselves. This is as easy as finding the right socket and simply taking the old out and placing a new one in the same spot. While you are replacing the spark plugs, make sure that you replace the spark plug wires as well.

One final aspect that you will need to consider is the replacement of the coolant. This is vitally important especially in the summer months and the winter months. Having proper coolant mix is a vital part of protecting your engine. If the mixture is off in the summer, then your engine may over heat, if you are off in the winter there is the risk of your engine freezing up and as a result this will lead to your engine block cracking. This will be an expensive repair, so making sure your coolant is correct is vital in the winter months.

If a car is not properly maintained, then there is a chance that the car will not run as properly as it really should, in addition this will cut down on the life of the car in the long run. This is why the tune up is so important.

Photo Credits: kozumel

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Car Insurance

Before you enter into any settlement with the insurance company of your choice, it is highly necessary that you begin by conducting a comparison between offers of different insurance companies. This step should go hand in hand with determining the credibility of the different insurance companies as well as the quality of the services that they offer. This information will certainly help you to save on car insurance.

When there is an opportunity to land a reputable insurance deal and save on car insurance, it is advisable to take the chance and save for tomorrow’s needs. The process of going to every insurance company in search of their price list might not be possible. However, there are other exceptionally easy ways which you can embrace and conduct reasonable comparison between a vast number of insurance companies.

One strategy that you can use to reach your objective of how to save on car insurance is by comparing websites. These online sites help a great deal in providing the necessary information to make appropriate decisions. They collect and gather information pertaining to the services of the different insurance companies and use that information to analyze the companies. This analysis is based on the prices charged for different services by the insurance companies. However, there is another challenge involved in this method. You must get a comparison website which is often updated to avoid incorrect conclusions. From the information that you get, you can know which insurer offers the cheapest deal, additional benefits, premiums and rates. This way, you are well aware of how to save on car insurance. (From the information that you get, you can know which insurer offers the cheapest deal, additional benefits, premiums and rates. I've heard that one place to get a good deal is MoneySupermarket.)

Photo Credits: dlisbona

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Donate your car.

First of all, you should donate directly to the organization and not used an intermediary. There are several for-profit organizations that offer to help in your car donation to charity. Do not be fooled into using one of these organizations. These companies typically pocket over 50 percent of the value of the vehicle for themselves. The charities lose out on half of the donation before they even see the car. Most major charities already have a built-in system for accepting the donation of vehicles. If the charity you wish to donate does not accept car donations, then check around and find another charity that does. You should look for a reputable charity before you donate. You can contact the local Better Business Bureau office and find out what the charities’ track records are online.

If you still decide to donate via an intermediary, find out beforehand how much of your donation is actually going to go to the charity. Some organizations give charities a flat fee or monthly donation from each donated car.  If you are looking for a tax deduction at the end of year from your donated car, make sure you understand exactly what the intermediary is giving to the charity. You don’t want to later find out that your donation is not eligible for a tax deduction. Remember that to qualify for a tax deduction from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the receiving organization must be designated as a non-profit 501 (c) (3) organization.  The IRS website has a list of non-profit organizations that qualify for having your car donation to be accepted as a tax-deductible expense.

Avoid having to pay a tow truck or another person for delivering the donated car to the charity by doing it yourself. This maximizes the amount of donation you give and that the charity receives. It is very important to transfer the title of the vehicle as soon as you donate the car. You do not want to be responsible for any citations or tickets the car gets when it’s no longer your responsibility. Go to the department of motor vehicles in your state and re-title the vehicle under the charities name. Never hand a charity a transfer of title document with the new owner’s space blank.

They are times when you can report the fair market value of the donated car. If you want to claim more than a $500 donation for your car, then the IRS will likely require further evidence that the vehicle was worth as much. Make sure to get a receipt from the charity stating the amount of money they made from your donated car. If your car is worth less than $500, or if the charity uses the vehicle in their charitable work, then further evidence of the donation is not needed by the IRS.

Photo Credits: The Consumerist

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By researching second-hand cars via online classified websites, magazines and newspapers, auto enthusiasts can find models that are no longer produced new. Buying privately also circumvents going through dealerships, which saves time and cuts out the showroom tax.

The pre-owned vehicle market is much more diverse than the new market, meaning buyers can find cars that are reliable, despite their higher mileages. Entry level cars such as the Skoda, Kia or Micra are budget friendly and robust, making them popular in the pre-owned vehicle market. They also have affordable running costs in terms of fuel consumption and replacement parts, making them popular among students and young professionals.

Although it’s convenient to buy a car privately and informally, these cars don’t come with warranties, meaning the car is purchased as-is. A cheap used car may not seem so cheap once a buyer has spent money on maintenance and running costs. In other words, it’s always wise to thoroughly inspect a car and request a full breakdown of its history or service records. Two ways to protect against investing in a lemon is to take the car to a trusted mechanic or to bring a friend who knows what to look for.

Another advantage of buying a used car is the cheap insurance offers that are available. It’s important to find out how much the model in question will cost to insure; this is as easy as comparing a few quotes online. Although insurance is a necessary expense of owning a car, there are affordable options available.

Another option is to purchase an extended warranty on a used car. This is another way of protecting an investment if the original warranty has expired on the car, which in most cases is a likely scenario. Warranties can be arranged through vehicle dealerships and can also be included in finance plans.

Browse the classifieds online to find affordable pre-owned cars. There is a wide variety of vehicles from which it’s possible to select those that are known to be reliable and affordable to run. While it’s important to thoroughly inspect a used car before purchasing it, buyers can also invest in extended warranties and insurance as part of their financing plans.

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