If you’re looking for a great deal on a used car, you might be considering heading down to a dealer such as Evans Halshaw who have a wide range of cheap cars for sale, both new and used. With the recent economic difficulties, many car-owners have traded in their cars for a cheaper model or have downgraded from a two car household. As such there are many excellent used cars available at great prices. Bear in mind though, that even these good deals can be made better if you put these tips into practice.

Do Your Research
Before you head down to the dealers make sure to spend some time online checking out reviews of the models that you are interested in. Don’t forget to factor in tax, insurance and running costs. Research the current prices of the models that you are interested in so that you know when you have been offered a good deal.

Don’t be Afraid to Haggle

A bit of negotiation is expected when you’re buying a new car. Use your knowledge of current prices to demonstrate that you won’t be taken advantage of, and mention the added costs of tax and insurance to show that you know every penny counts. Once you hit the lowest price that the salesperson is prepared to offer, start asking for free extras such as CD players, warranties and so on.

Find out The Hidden Story Behind the Car

Don’t be afraid to ask the dealer for the car’s background. Make sure you know its history of use, repair history and whether they have done any work on the car themselves. The more information you have on the car, the better equipped you are to assess its value or choose to walk away.

Be Flexible

Always have a few options in terms of the make and model that you are interested in. You may find that your first choice is not available or is too expensive for your budget, but that does not mean you cannot get the same features in a different car for a lower price.

Be Wary of Deals That Seem Too Good To Be True

Scammers are using the internet to sell stolen and dud cars unseen. Be very careful if you are considering buying a car that you have seen advertised online. You may find that you are left with a broken, faulty or even stolen car, with no recourse available to you once the seller has disappeared with your money.

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In fact, with those who have excellent credit the chance to get the new Spark sedan with just a £169 deposit is not too bad at all. In fact, it’s almost a spark of genius given the fact that the next sixty months are set at monthly payments of a lowly £168 as well, which is very affordable for a new vehicle.

Of course, the Spark is not just any vehicle, as the stylish and sleek five door car is small and squat making it easy to slide into any home garage or drive.  With 1.2LS+ and a five year warranty attached to the new deal that is underwritten by GMAC UK PLC the deal starts to look better by the minute.  The vehicle is also available in a number of colours with chrome fittings for each selection, but right now the lime green that it’s advertised with is looking like a pretty sharp choice.

Outside of the appearance of the car, the best aspect of the Chevy car deals is the fact that they come with the five year warranty that pretty much covers everything for the first three years.  If anything should go wrong with the vehicle at all buyers can visit any of the 100 dealers across the UK to sort out the problem without any questions asked.  The three year full warranty entails the first three years of use or up to 60,000 miles whichever event should occur first depending on your driving habits.

After this point Chevrolet supplements the deal by offering a 4^th and 5^th year of extended warranty that offers another two years of coverage until the car reaches five years of age or until the mileage gets up to 100,000.

Plus, if this is not enough to draw your interest along with the low monthly premiums and great warranty package Chevy is also tossing in another six year anti-perforation corrosion warranty to protect against wear and tear that does not come with any mileage restriction, which means that your car is guaranteed to look great for the fat least the first half of its life

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The number one comparison sight in Britain found that drivers now face difficult decisions with their finances with a great deal of them thinking about changing what car they purchase as a way to lower their costs.

More than 55% said they will purchase a vehicle that is more efficient the next time and 38% said they will try and purchase one that is less expensive to cover for insurance or has a road tax that is less. Close to one million said they would sell their vehicle.

Ways to save money on insurance your car includes paying the year premium all at one time. Even though it is quite an outlay to start the majority of cover is less expensive paid all up front than making monthly payments.

The majority of insurance companies will charge interest on the unpaid balance if you pay monthly which will make your payments even higher. If it is not possible to pay the entire money up front them consider a 0% credit card and finance the insurance premium that way.

Drive less in the span of the year because the more you drive the more time is spent on the road and the possibility increases of getting in an accident. And the less you drive annually the less you pay for insurance premiums.

Vehicle security is a way of reducing your annual insurance premiums. The securer the vehicle the less likely it may be stolen and the less likely you may have to process a claim. Insurance companies will help with lower premiums if you have an immobilizer or an alarm and if you do not, then it is worth the expense.

As some of the security fittings may be expensive you should check beforehand with your insurer to see how much the premiums will be discounted before going to the expense of having them all installed.

Driving safely and not speeding is very helpful in lowering your premiums since traffic offenses like speeding will increase the annual premium and could put you at risk of not even getting cover. If you modify your care you need to let the insurance company know since most modifications increase the premium you may want to keep them to a minimum.

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Steve Whitmarsh, Managing Director of Run Your Cars, said “Many businesses don’t like to outsource control of their fleets to a third party fleet management business because they believe that fleet management companies will be looking after their own interests rather than those of their customers. This is particularly the case with smaller businesses that don’t think they have the share of voice or scale/stature needed to be an important consideration to traditional fleet management operations. With our service the customer retains full control of their vehicles and all of the decisions associated with them. However, we make it easier and quicker to manage their fleet and drivers with our intuitive online systems. Our customers are able to benefit from our purchasing power, manage vehicle and driver allocations and look after their duty of care responsibilities online 24hrs a day, 7 days a week. “

Run Your Cars customers pay a low cost monthly membership fee per vehicle which gives them access to the following:

• An online fleet management system
• Free RAC breakdown
• Free Accident Management
• Online risk management solution
• Specially negotiated rates on hire cars
• Massive discounts on servicing at over 6000 main dealer and independent outlets
• Vehicle contract hire and leasing

For further information on these and other services from Run Your Cars go to their website at http://www.runyourcars.com.

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An AA spokesman said that in our pressured lives that many feel it can be a great pleasure to look forward to driving home with good weather after work. However the survey said owners lower their roof only about 10 hours per month with it dropping to three days during the dead of winter. They are also vandalized more than any other car with almost 25% saying their car had been vandalized or stolen or keyed by scratching a key down the side of the car.

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The Aygo is one of Toyotas most fascinating cars and looks well placed to capitalize in a market that is intrigued with economical, cheap motoring. The changes in styling have made the new models more impressive and more of a value for money than ever before The Toyota Yaris 1.0 VVT-I petrol model has a 55.4 mpg range meaning the fuel offered will more than reach the 5,000 mile limit.

The Toyota Verson is versatile and spacious with attention having been paid to its comfort and ease of driving dynamics. The seats are all easier to fold and the luggage space has said to have increased and under the floor storage bins are useful for hiding valuables. The Toyota Verso was awarded a full five star rating in the safety performance test programme by Euro NCAP.

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Many of those who can’t afford to run a car are opting instead for a motorbike, and the number of people who are taking the compulsory basic training courses had risen by 17% in the past year. This figure comes courtesy of Get On.

The campaign director, Mike Taylor, says that more people are comparing the price of running a car for 12 months with a motorbike, and realising that they can literally save thousands. These savings can be even more if they ride a smaller motorbike, like a 125 cc. The sales of this size of motorbike are up by 25% on last year, and the sale of scooters has risen by 30%.
Taylor said that opting for a motorcycle should be a no-brainer for many who wanted to maintain their transport independence, particularly youngsters at university facing increased tuition fees and rental costs.

Get On provides free riding sessions to give potential motorcyclists a taste of life on two wheels, and Taylor said: “There is a strong interest in bookings from young people and we would encourage them to look at motorcycling as an affordable form of personal transport.”
In the past year, drivers have been hit by an average 40 per cent increase in car insurance premiums combined with record fuel costs, up an average of 15.43p a litre compared to a year ago.

Newly-qualified drivers can face premiums of up to £6000 a year.

Against this background, the number of 17-year-olds taking a driving test has fallen nearly 15 per cent from 384,571 in 2007/8 to 329,307 in the year ending March 2011, the steepest falls coming in the past two years.

In contrast, the number of people taking motorcycle tests increased from 68,792 to 105,362 in the decade up to March 2009.
Robert Balls, of specialist motorcycle broker Bikesure, said the days when youngsters could put themselves on mum and dad’s policy as an “occasional” driver were over, with insurers wising up to a practice known as fronting.
“People keen on getting their independence often used to ride a motorcycle for a few months before they passed their driving test and got their own car at the age of 17 or 18,” he added.

“But we are seeing more people sticking with their motorcycles, or even selling their cars and coming back to bikes.

“The premium for a 125cc motorcycle is often less than a quarter of that for a car, and when you add in lower fuel costs and cheaper road tax you can see the temptation of sticking with two wheels.

“For example, a 17-year-old can insure a 125cc bike for about £400, whereas a car might cost 10 times that, and for some teenagers that’s the only way they can afford their own transport, even if they have passed their driving test.”

Research by Get On shows a saving of over £4000 in the first year, and £3700 a year thereafter, for a new Honda CBR125R compared with a used Peugeot 306, based on a 19-year-old living in Birmingham.

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To help make sure you choose a car that is safe for the road it is worth understanding what an MOT check entails This way you can easily see for yourself before putting pen to paper whether a car is in good condition or not. The following therefore is a very simple list of checks that are made.

Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) & Number Plates

Introduced in 1954, the VIN is a unique number that belongs to a vehicle to help identify its legitimacy. Your cars VIN should be consistent and visible in all the intended places as well as match with the car database system.

Both your front and rear number plates should be visible and secure. Lettering and spacing should follow the law and so if in doubt you should check with the DVLA.

Car Horn

Although this may seem trivial the car horn is checked to see if it works and if it is of the correct volume.

Bonnet, Boot & Doors

Simple checks are made on the bonnet, boot, and car doors to ensure that they can be opened and closed easily and above all securely. Car doors must be able to be opened from the inside as well as the outside.

Seats & Seat Belts

Checks are made to ensure that seats are secure and are able to be moved easily through sliding them on the seat runners. Seat belts are checked to see if they are all in place and that the mechanisms are fitted correctly. The locking mechanism of the seat belt is also checked to ensure they are still in working order.

Steering Wheel

The steering of your car is checked to make sure that the wheel is in good condition and attached securely to the shaft. The locking nuts and split pins are checked to ensure they are tight and also checked for any wear and tear. Sometimes checks will be made under the bonnet and car to ensure that swivel joints are in good working order and that steering racks are securely attached.

Lights

All the lights on the car are checked to see if they work as they should. Dip and aim functions on side and front, and fog headlights are checked as well as the appropriate colour and positioning for brake lights, hazard and indicators.  Number plate lights are also checked to see if they are working.

Body Condition

The overall condition of the car body work is assessed and checked against any corrosion especially around the brakes and steering which can be dangerous. Checks are also made to ensure there are no sharp protrusions which can be a danger to others.

Brakes

Checks are made on the inside and outside of the car to determine that brakes are in good order. The brake pedal and handbrake are checked inside the car to ensure they work as they should and the servo unit and master cylinder are checked under the bonnet to ensure there are no leaks. All pipes leading to and from the brakes both under the bonnet and the car as a whole are also checked against any corrosion. Lastly the discs and drums are checked against any wear and tear that could be dangerous.

Windscreen & Mirrors

This is an area where many people can fail as even the smallest obstruction can deem your car unsuitable. Windscreens are checked for any cracks and anything over 10mm that is near the driver’s line of site is treading on dangerous ground.

Mirrors are checked to ensure they are secure and that they are visible from the driver seat. The quality of the mirrors is also checked to ensure that you get a clear view of the road.

Suspension & Tyres

Suspension joints are checked for any wear and tear and that they are secure. The springs are also inspected to see if they are in good condition and that the check absorbers are working as they should.

The condition of your tyres is checked to make sure there is no damage to them and that they are fitted to your car securely.  The tread of the tyre is also inspected which needs to be 1.6mm all the way around the tyre.

Exhaust, Fuel & Emissions

The exhaust is checked to see if it is still fitted securely and whether there are any leaks. Also noise levels are checked and if it is deemed excessively noisy then it can result in a fail.

The cars fuel cap and pipes are checked to ensure they are secure and that there are no leaks. To check that there is an appropriate output of carbon dioxide your car will also be analysed via a specialised piece of equipment.

Remember that this is a very simple list just to give you that added bit of confidence when buying used cars. It is also worthy stressing that you should always buy from proven car dealerships as they perform rigorous car servicing checks before they can be sold.

Bristol Street Motors are a UK wide dealership specialising in new and used cars in a multitude of different makes and models. For more information visit www.bristolstreet.co.uk

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