Car Donation: Donate A Car And Save On Taxes

by: Alex Baumm

Do you have a used car that you do not drive anymore? That old vehicle may be filling up and using up so much space in your garage. No matter how you assess it, you cannot think of any other good use you can have for the old car. Did you know that you can make them more useful? Why not consider car donation?

For quite some time, car donation has been a good and widely adopted practice. There have been numerous car owners who face the problem of disposing their old cars. Selling can be a good option but doing so may incur additional and costly charges in the form of taxes.

You do not want your old auto to fill the junk shops do you? Through auto donation, you are helping charities and institutions get on and raise further funding for the humanitarian initiatives.

There are still other reasons why owners of old cars would rather do car donation these days. The government is offering hefty and attractive tax breaks for every car donation.

While it is true that you would not generate any income or revenue from donating your car to a charitable institution, some people still are not aware that auto donation is rewarded by the government through the appealing tax incentives given to donors.

If you decide to take a car donation initiative, you surely would be able to save on taxes. As you know, every car donation has specific and appropriate procedures. The most usual is that you fill out forms and provide basic documentary information and details to the charitable institution, which would be your car donation's beneficiary.

Those documents would not only facilitate voluntary surrender of ownership. Such documents also act as information source for the procedure of tax incentives to be provided to the donor.

Think about it. You are entering into a win-win situation when you decide to go to a car donation procedure. You are filling up a noble role of helping out other people in dire need, while at the same time you are helping yourself generate huge savings through the tax break package provided with the car donation transaction.

If you are planning to donate an old car, it is time you start the procedure by calling up different charitable institutions of your choice. There are numerous charities to choose from. You may choose by sticking to an advocacy, say assistance for cancer patients or funding aged care centers.

By communicating with such charities you would be instructed on the right an appropriate procedure on how to get on with your car donation.

What's more? Car donation is now made more convenient. You may not need to drive the old car to the charity. Personnel would be sent by the institution to pick up or tow the car.

All you have to do is to wait for those people, surrender your key and accomplish the necessary documentary papers. After that, you are all set to voluntarily transfer the ownership of your old car to the chosen charity.

About The Author

Alex Baumm. Find more tips at our car forum http://www.CarClubTalk.com

Car Auctions: Savvy Guide To Buying Cars At Auctions

by: Alex Baumm

Gone are the days when you just look at the hood and assess the physical appearance of a repossessed car when you are aiming to buy at a car auction. You need to make further research into important factors about the used car you are eying.

If you want to eliminate this need, you should opt to buy a brand new car. A car auction is not the suitable place to buy such cars. Expect to find old, second hand and repossessed cars at any car auction event.

You need to be savvy enough if you are aiming to buy a good and reliable used car. It is not enough that the car you are eyeing looks good or its tag price is significantly higher compared to other used cars. You should be careful because some used cars put on sale at car auctions may be relatively expensive, but does that not mean the status and quality of the car is A-ok.

Here is a list of comprehensive and effective guidelines that you may observe to make your purchase really worthwhile.

1. Bring with you a mechanical expert so that you would have access to first-hand expert opinion. Check the car thoroughly. The engine and the overall condition should be in good status. Almost all car auction organizers make sure the used cars for sale at the their events are in reliable, if not superior, condition.

2. Before bidding, make sure you look at the given history of the car. Used cars that previously had been involved in any accident should be dubious and should not be priced too much because such cars may not function well and may be involved again at possible car incidences in the future.

3. Do not bid too much for any car. Bidding is necessary and is a common occurrence in every car auction. If a car is already priced too much because bidders are competing with each other, let the winning bidder have it. If it becomes expensive, it may not be a good deal.

4. Check the pedals. A simple tip for you: for used cars, pedals are not usually replaced or changed. Thus, you can determine and have a hint of the original condition of the car by looking at the pedals.

The paint and the exterior of the car may have been modified and repaired thoroughly to make the car look extravagant and almost new. But the pedals would give out the car's deepest, darkest secrets. Likewise, check the steering wheel. There should be no clunking noise if you try to jiggle back and forth the car's steering wheel.

5. Look closely at the frame. A frame-damaged used car indicates that the car has been involved in a major accident in the past.

6. When checking the paint on the exterior, run a finger into the edges. If there are rough spots, it may be an indication that there has been a major repair possibly from a major collision or crash. The roughness comes from residues from masking tape used during the repainting.

Most of all, rely on your intuition. Your overall feel and impression on a used car would certainly be the best reading. As you prepare to go to a car auction, remember to bear in mind: You are there to find and make the best deal.

About The Author

Alex Baumm. Find more tips at our car forum http://www.CarClubTalk.com

Radar Detectors: How To Forget About Speeding Tickets

by: Alex Baumm

Every year, there are thousands of drivers who get to trouble because of numerous over speeding tickets they get when driving in the major roads and highways. For quite some time, people have been envisioning traffic police as law enforcers who are in hiding, waiting to possible speeding violators in the highway.

Through the years, some car owners have been heavily relying on the usefulness of devices called radar detectors. If you are a car owner and driver who is aiming to reduce or totally eliminate accumulation of over speeding ticket on the highways, there is definitely a need to invest in a radar detector.

What is a radar detector? To simplify the definition, a radar detector is radio transmission device that alarms a driver traffic police are around the area or are already chasing him. This way, the driver would always be tipped if there is a nearby officer, eliminating the incurrence of ticketing for over speeding.

The popularity of the radar detector has always been on the rise especially when several initial users testified for the advantages of using the devices.

There has been speculation that car insurance firms are working closely with the traffic police to gain favors. Though reports have not been compared, there are talks that insurance firms are providing the traffic police free radar guns, which are able to intercept and provide signals to radar detectors.

In case you have overlooked the situation and the possible gains insurers would have, be aware that when drivers accumulate more speed driving violations, they make auto insurance policies more expensive for them. Thus, in the end, the car insurance companies get to benefit the most from this setup.

There are inevitably doubts over the usefulness and advantages of the radar detector. However, analysts assure consumers and drivers that the car accessory and device is still very much useful in the general strategy to help improve driving discipline and possibly make the driver forget all about over speeding tickets.

However, here are several tips on how a radar detector is used as an advantageous tool to eliminate incurring of over speeding tickets.

1. There is a strategy to make radar detector be negligible to any of the police's radar gun or detector. That is to put the radar detector high on the car's windshield. Remember that the higher the radar detector is placed in your car, the more its ability becomes to escape or sniff out police signals.

2. A radar detector will always make corresponding sounds for different radar threats. It would be more advisable if you would learn and familiarize your self with those sounds so that the next time you encounter any detection from the traffic police, you would easily take heed and tip from the sound of the radar detector.

3. Always make sure to use your radar detector. Do not practice the idea to use the device only on long trips or on vacation travels.

4. Do not slow down when the detector alarms or indicates detection from a traffic police's radar gun. Slowing down would make the brake lights turn on and blink and would further catch the attention of the police. This will give them the perception and impression that you are admitting your guilt to over speeding. Drive as if nothing happened.

About The Author

Alex Baumm. Find more tips at our car forum http://www.CarClubTalk.com

Hybrid Cars: List Of Real Drawbacks To Owning A Hybrid Vehicle

by: Alex Baumm

As oil prices continue to increase amid depleting supplies and rapid growth in demand, all economies globally are feeling the setbacks of the need to curtail excessive consumption of fuel.

For quite some time, research and development has been actively finding ways on how problems regarding very high demand could finally be eliminated. With the advent of the hybrid car, car owners and users all over the world are now finding relief that indeed there is hope.

A hybrid car is a specially designed and manufactured vehicle that combines the power of the conventional gasoline engine and electricity. In the past, many have referred to hybrid vehicles as electric vehicles.

Technically, a hybrid car could not be classified as purely electric because only about 40% of the energy consumption of the vehicle is from electric sources, in the form of stored electricity in batteries.

Though the wide use of hybrid cars provide hope that in the future, when oil supplies finally and completely runs out, the transportation industry would not feel the drawback. Yes, for now, driving a hybrid auto could equate to a lot of savings on the part of the car owner.

At least, the overall consumption of oil could be significantly lowered. Research is still ongoing so that in the near future, further better versions of the modern hybrid auto could be developed and launched into the market.

However, just like many other predecessor technologies, there are actual setbacks to owning and using a hybrid car. Many people hope that in the coming months or years, people could finally realize a better and more effective hybrid car. Here are the most practical and obvious of those drawbacks.

1. Because the hybrid car technology is still a relatively new car technology, it is just logical that the vehicle is expensive. On the average, a hybrid car these days costs more than the regular and usual cars by around $2,000 to $5,000. That is just right and is expected with the high demand for the car as more consumers get excited about it and manufacturers continue to produce the vehicle models on a limited ability.

2. Any hybrid car needs to allot a significant amount of space for battery. Because the hybrid car needs batteries to keep it going and for the use of some if its functions, the overall weight of the car gets more and more.

3. There are several states in the United States and some other global governments globally that are charging more additional fees and other charges for acquisition and registration.

4. If the hybrid car gets into possible crashes and collisions in the future, there is a risk that the incident would be more tragic. A hybrid car typically and normally has high voltage wires within it.

5. A regular and even simple hybrid car is made of a very complicated car system. Thus, ordinary mechanics would not have the needed and required skills and knowledge to attend to any technical need for maintenance of any hybrid car.

6. Because hybrid cars are still not too rampant and ordinary, buying spare parts may be very hard, if not impossible. Further, costs of spare parts can be very expensive.

7. It is a common knowledge that hybrid cars run slower than regular car models.

About The Author

Alex Baumm. Find more tips at our car forum http://www.CarClubTalk.com

Auto Detailing: Making A Used Car Look Like New

by: Alex Baumm

Auto detailing is a strategy and activity to make any used car look like new. Throughout the years, the practice has transformed into an art itself. Through auto detailing, an old and used car is transformed to look as if it is a brand new car in an effort to win the admiration of car onlookers.

Auto detailing is important to car grooming. In turn, this is very significant especially if the car owner is intending to divest or put up the car for sale. The old or used car definitely would not be attractive to potential buyers no matter what model it is if the overall physical and exterior appearance is not very appealing.

Prior to any auto detailing activity, there is a need to fully evaluate the car. When taking the usual and effective procedures to auto detailing, you surely would be asked to take three auto detailing primers. First and foremost would be the paint evaluation.

The exterior of the used car is the first recognizable and seen part of the vehicle. Impressions are made and unmade just by mere looking at and evaluating the car's exterior. Thus, for auto detailing, the initial aim is always to groom the car through good spray painting.

The second auto detailing procedure would be wheel and tire evaluation. Wheels of old cars usually suffer from black stains caused by the accumulation of tar from brake dust. If the wheels do not receive usual and regular washing and the necessary waxing, chances are greater that you need to spend more effort to groom the car parts.

Third consideration would be the car interior. After you have taken care of the exterior concerns, auto detailing would lastly require you to take care of the insides.

Remember that the car interior is the general indication of how the car has been used and taken care of the user. That is why as much as possible auto detailing would always set it as a goal to make the interior look very superior and in good shape, just like the exterior.

Here are additional simple tips that would surely help make auto detailing a worthwhile and more effective practice.

1. During the auto detailing procedure, make sure the car is in a share, probably a cool garage or a roofed space. This is because majority of usual and effective auto detailing products like paint and wax do not work well when applied to hot surfaces. Thus, washing the car exterior under the sun is not as advisable as well.

2. When washing the car clean from the top first down to the bottom. The law of gravity would be self explanatory.

3. Do not wash or auto detail a car that has just been from the road. When using cold water when washing, remember that cold water can very much damage the car's hot parts, like the exhaust components, the brake rotors and the engine itself. Before auto detailing, let the hot car cool for about 20 minutes to half an hour.

4. Use detailing towel, brush or spray to wipe away excess wax on the car's exterior. It is inevitable that the wax would eventually form residue around the trim. Now you know how to remedy the situation.

As you carry on an auto detailing activity to make your car look new again, remember that through patience and determination, you can really make your car looking elegant and extravagant once again.

About The Author

Alex Baumm. Find more tips at our car forum http://www.CarClubTalk.com

Car Purchase: Top 5 Tips Or What You Need To Know Before To Buy A Car

by: Alex Baumm

For the purpose of mobility, there is a need to own a vehicle. Through the years and in almost all societies, owning and driving a car has somehow become a status symbol because it is quite logical that owning up such a vehicle is not always affordable.

These days, however, people have greater chances of buying a car because there are practically more options in transactions.

If you are aiming to purchase a car, it would be wise if you would take into consideration several factors. Initially, you need to decide whether you want to buy a new or a used car. If you have enough money to spend, of course, buying a new car is the most advisable and logical thing to do.

New cars are always on top quality and are guaranteed to deliver good and reliable performances. On the other hand, if your budget is quite limited, you can opt to purchase a second-hand car, which are available at car auctions or through used car dealers and brokers.

When buying such refurbished and reconditioned cars, it is imperative that you look at several considerations, particularly, the number of the car's previous owners, accident and mechanical history and maintenance requirements.

When purchasing a new car, it would surely be helpful if you would take note of the following advices and recommendations. These are considered the basic and important things and activities you should do before car purchase.

1. If you are aiming to find and secure the best and most reasonable deals when purchasing a car, it would be advisable if you would make the acquisition on the period from July to October and on the second half of December.

It is a know fact that cars are basically less costly on these periods. Annually, the periods also coincide with the usual periods car dealers usually launch and implement significant car purchase discounts. Discounts of a few percent surely would mean a lot of savings.

2. Do a comparison shop first. There are numerous used car dealers in the community and all of them are aiming to cut the throat of each other.

That is why you can be sure there is intense competition, which usually comes in the form of contests to lure more customers by lowering prices. Of course, dealers offering the best and most competitive prices win, and you should do business with them.

3. Always remember that cars that would be ordered from a car plant or facility must not cost more when compared to the prices of cars on the lot or the showroom. Many car buyers are fooled when dealers charge extra costs for cars that need to be ordered from plants.

Likewise, you should be wary about cars that need to be sourced or located by the dealer from another dealership. Usually, used car dealers implement additional, yet, unnecessary fees for such service.

4. It is illegal for car dealers to sell cars that lack price invoice sticker or MSRP. The price tags in the showroom should always be the actual price you would need to pay if you are making the purchase. No more, no less.

5. Lastly, it would be wise if you would do your own research of the car model or brand you are purchasing. Carmakers and marketers hire the best advertisers. So at times, do not fully believe ads for they have been developed and produced to awe and lure buyers.

About The Author

Alex Baumm. Find more tips at our car forum http://www.carclubtalk.com

Best Small Cars for 2008

by: Emeka Madusha

Small cars come in all shapes but limited sizes - how much variation can you get on a theme you might ask so here is our guide to the best that 2008 has to offer.

One of the most keenly received small cars has been the Vauxhall Corsa 1.4 Club. This was one of the leading cars of any class in 2007 and it continues to hold its own in the super-mini category. It is keenly priced but mixes this with a big-car feel that has enticed critics for many months.

Though classed as a super-mini this car comfortably sits four people and has so much space that it feels like a small family car - even the boot has plenty of space - but you wouldn't use it to take a family of four on holiday for two weeks. A nice little quirk is the removable floor that gives that little extra room.

A lot of thought has gone into this vehicle so that it hits all the right spots. The design is solid without being clunky and smart without being showy. It is also a joy to have well weighted controls surrounding the driver. The entire impression is one of a car whose designers have put real thought into its construction. A nice touch is the ease and room of adjustment in the driver's seating position, which is only added to by the placing of the controls around the steering column.

It has a keen suspension without being over savage and excellent fuel economy to accompany it, with the extras and standards being of exceptional quality for a small car.

At the bargain end of the market comes the Fiat 500 - it is far removed from its predecessors with the same name and carries all the qualities you would expect of a rejuvenated Fiat motor company.

At first impression you need to double-take that you are not looking at the original 50 year old styled automobile. This is no bad thing though - a company that is proud of its past and prepared to make use of its heritage in such a model is something to be welcomed. Unlike the Corsa this really is a super-mini - but perfect for what it has been designed for. Boot space is cramped but adequate for such a small car and you can't complain at the price.

The car is very short at just over 3.5 metres but handles better than you would expect due to the wheel placement as close to the corners as possible. The engine is responsive but you will not be buying this car for its power performance. With a 0-60 of just under 13 seconds and a top speed of 100mph it is certainly at the lower end of the market but its real strength lies in it fuel consumption - the Lounge version supplies up to 90 mpg on the open road.

This car would be ideal for urban use - it is small but still demonstrably a car rather than a Smart car and its superb fuel efficiency makes it a no-brainer for commuting and popping off down the shops. It also has the classic Italian styling of the early Fiat 500 but none of the obvious drawbacks associated with those fiats.

Generally, competition has never been tighter in the Super-mini market. Car manufacturers stopped treating this market with disdain a long time ago as it became apparent how demographics were changing society. So many people now live in or around cities and do not settle down to start families, that the small car market has really boomed over the past decade. Furthermore, concern for the environment and increasing fuel costs have concentrated buyers' minds on the economy of the vehicle they are buying whilst they are not keen on compromising on quality.

The two cars above are examples of this development. The Corsa is an outstanding car that has improved over the years and been embraced by the government as an equal brand leader. The Fiat 500 on the other hand has risen Phoenix-like from the ashes of the disaster that was Fiat in the 70s and 80s. A good sign is that they have embraced their old traditions whilst melding it with their current confidence. Two cars from completely different backgrounds - in much the same way as the eye of the Octopus and Human have come from two completely different evolutions but appear so similar, so these two cars symbolise the end product of differing evolution strands.

Both are good cars and demonstrate the health of the small car market admirably.

About The Author

Madusha Emeka is a Freelance Writer. He owns and manages http://www.six-bucks.net/reviews/