Posts Tagged ‘trucks’

Your Choice Of Used Car Should Match Your Lifestyle

September 17th, 2011

Your lifestyle at the moment would be the number one factor in shopping for a used car. For example, if you live in an area that is prone to harsh winters with a lot of snow, a 4-wheel-drive will likely be a good choice. But then again, a 4WD would use up more petrol than your average compact. This is why your best option, should you be concerned about the petrol used up by your automobile, would be to buy a compact car or any other similar vehicle.

The next thing you would want to figure in when buying a used car is how auto insurance can come into play. The insurance premiums for an SUV are definitely going to be higher, when compared to a compact automobile. The same is true of a sports car, which will likely garner an increased cost of insurance.

The next thing to consider is the style of the used car. Parents would be best advised to buy a station wagon, van or SUV, as these vehicles can fit a large amount of people inside while still leaving enough free storage. Single motorists can opt for smaller automobiles – they’re easy on the petrol consumption and do what is “asked of them”, which is serve as a simple mode of transport.

Mileage is another consideration – not to be confused with fuel economy, we are referring to the number of miles on the used car’s odometer. Then we have miscellaneous considerations, such as transmission – automatic or manual? Two-door or four-door? Would your vehicle serve you better with two or four doors? This is an option that most people don’t really think about right away, but it is an important one nonetheless. One of the advantages of a four-door used car would be the ease of exit and entry, and the ease of loading and unloading items in the boot, such as groceries or heavy equipment.

Cloth or leather – let us now discuss the used car options for the interior of the automobile. There are advantages and disadvantages to each, so which one piques your interest the most? Consider that a cloth interior is extremely prone to getting stained, and leather is a simple and convenient choice for cleaning up spills. But on the other hand, cloth interiors provide the utmost of comfort when the weather hits 32 degrees and up, while leather interior can make you go “OUCH!” when you touch it in the summer months. Read up on maintenance requirements as both cloth and leather have their own.

When searching for the perfect used car to fit your lifestyle, carefully consider the cost before deciding to purchase. Monthly payments can be high even on a used car, so think about the budget and what you can afford prior to signing on the dotted line.

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Research And You Just Might Get A Vehicle At The End Of Your Lease?

August 25th, 2011

You’ve come to the end of your lease and you like you car enough you want to keep it in the driveway. Yes, Virginia, there is such a thing as keeping your car once the lease is up, but don’t do anything without doing your homework first!

First, you need to know the cost of buying out your lease. Check for the purchase option price and go through every minute detail of your contract – you have to be very anal here. Simply add up the residual value of your car to the purchase-option fee dictated by the dealer (this usually costs a few hundred smackeroos) and you get the above price. Think back to the time you put your John Hancock to paper and started the lease – your monthly payments would have been the difference between a) the sticker price at the start of the lease and b) the vehicle’s estimated value at the lease’s expiration plus c) a monthly financing fee.

This estimated price of the car value at the end of the lease is what is termed in leasing jargon “residual value”. It is the expected depreciation – or loss in value – of the vehicle over the scheduled-lease period. For example, a car with a sticker price of $40,000 and a 50% residual percentage will have an estimated $20,000 value at lease end.

So all right, you now know how much it would cost to buy out your lease, so your next mission, should you decide to accept it, is to find out how much is the actual, or market value of the vehicle. So, how much does your car retail for in the market? Ah, it’s time to call on that good friend of ours, Professor Research, to help you with getting a ballpark figure. Crunch them numbers and size up your car, seeing how it stacks up against other vehicles that have similar stats in terms of mileage and similar condition. Go surf the ‘net and check out sites like Edmunds.com, Cars.com and Kelly Blue Book for the most reliable and detailed pricing statistics.

Culling information from as many sources as you could would certainly help you get a retail value that can be considered realistic. All you have to do now is compare the two amounts. If you get a low residual value as opposed to a high retail value, then you’re going great guns – give yourself a pat on the back! But in most cases, the chances of getting a high price for a car once the lease expires are quite formidable. Don’t despair though. Why so, because leasing firms are well-informed about the fact that residual values will be, in most, if not all cases, greater than the market value, and will always be looking for a good offer. It’s easy to bargain for a lower price on your leased car – be Mr. Suave, or Ms. Suave, and come up with a negotiation strategy that you know would work. Put forward a price that is below your actual target and negotiate hard until you wind up near that figure.

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Calculating Your Lease Payment

August 13th, 2011

Understanding how to calculate your monthly lease payment makes it easier for you to make an informed decision. Yet, most of us shy away from the “complicated” math on our lease contract, leaving it up to the dealer to do the payment formula.

The truth is, it’s not that difficult. Once you understand all the figures involved in calculating your monthly payments, everything else falls into place. Here are the key figures:

MSRP or the Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price: This refers to the list price of the vehicle or the window sticker price.

What is the Money Factor? This is the factor that determines the interest rate on your list. Before you enter into a lease, you need to insist that your dealer discloses this rate.

What is a Lease Term? The number of months the dealer rents the vehicle.

The Residual Value: At the end of the lease, the value of the vehicle is called the residual value. Again, you can get this figure from the dealer.

Now we have to calculate a sample lease payment that is based on a vehicle that has a money factor of 0.0034 (this is usually quoted as 3.4%) and an MSRP or sticker price value of $25,000. The scheduled lease is over 3 years and the estimated residual percentage is 55%.

First, you would need to calculate the residual value of the car. What you do is multiply the MSRP by the residual percentage:

For example: $25,000 X .55 = $13 750.

The car will be worth $13,750 at the end of the lease, so you’ll be using:

Formula: $20,000 – $13,750 = $11,250

The amount of $11,250 will be used over a 36 month lease period so you will have a monthly payment of:

Your monthly payment: $11,250 / 36 = $312.50.

The monthly depreciation payment is what the first part of the monthly payment is called.

Factoring the interest charge is the second part of the monthly payment and it’s called the money factor payment. By adding the MSRP figure to the residual value and multiplying this by the money factor, you will be able to calculate this:

For instance: ($25,000 + $13,750) * 0.0034 = $131.75

We finally get the approximate monthly payment when we add the two figures together:

For instance: $312.50 + $131.75 = $444.25

Your monthly payments for the 36 months of the lease will be around $444.25

Keep in mind that this is a simplified calculation that does not take into account taxes, fees, rebates or any other incentives. The calculation gives you a ballpark figure or a rough idea of what your lease payments for the vehicle in question should be.

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The way to spot an excellent automotive lease

January 2nd, 2011

Leasing continues to be lauded as your cheapest ticket to maintain the industry’s hottest vehicles and trends. The jury, however, continues to be out on leasing: using the industry long on hype and short on detail, it is not easy to distinguish from a genuinely great deal and a downright up-selling exercise.

What exactly is spot much?

First, you should find out if you can find any down payments around the lease. An advance payment refers to the one time amount which you pay upfront, either in cash, non-cash credit or trading allowance, to cut back your payment per month.

You should think before putting money upon a lease: not merely are you finding a rough deal, as you’re essentially forfeiting the typical rule of leasing: not putting any cash upfront, nevertheless the money is not recoup able by the end of your lease. There is certainly another big disadvantage: in the eventuality of your car getting damaged or stolen, you insurance as well as the gap cost is not going to cover the loss.

Mileage Limit

Most leasing companies allow you a limit of 45,000 free miles over the length of a 3-year lease. This may seem like a good deal at first sight,but when you consider it only comes to 15,000 miles over a 12 month period it’s not difficult to foresee why it might be difficult to stay within this limit. Even people working from home have little trouble putting 15,000 miles on their cars.

If you exceed the mileage limit, the penalty for each excess mile can be as high as 20 cents. This can add up quickly over the length of your lease: an additional 4,000 miles a year over the length of a 3-years lease contract,will end up costing you an extra $2,400 in excess mileage charges! Be realistic about your mileage needs, especially if you have to regularly commute over long-distances, before you sign the contract. Consider padding the miles that you expect to use since it is less expensive to contract for the extra before you sign than it is to pay the extra charges at end of your lease.

Sales Tax

Sales tax is generally capitalized and put into the monthly obligations. However, some dealers not include it within their calculations they are driving the advertised lease payments even lower. The things they’re doing instead is state within the small print how the monthly payment excludes sales tax. Be sure you carefully browse the fine print for just about any extra, hidden costs not contained in the advertised payment. Unscrupulous fees that typically slip with the cracks include Florida sales tax, registration and title fees.

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Leasing used cars explained

December 30th, 2010

Leasing a used vehicle can be an attractive deal in many ways, no least getting you into that luxury model or SUV, for lower monthly payments than a brand new one. Be prepared, however, to do some more homework to dissect a good deal.

As with new car-leasing, your price research should pinpoint the key figures which are the initial market price and the estimated residual worth of the car or truck. This is harder to calculate since there is no factory-set car or truck on used cars, and also the residual percentage is extremely much pegged to some subjective current retail value. Use different sources to obtain a rough concept of the value from the used car: the local dealerships, internet car-evaluating tools, for example edmunds.com and Cars.com, to mention but a few.

A way to pin down an excellent estimate is always to compare the lease on your own given car with a lease over a new-car with the same model and make. This should offer you a better picture with the difference between leasing new all night for used. Exactly like leasing a fresh car, used motor car leasing is a lot more attractive when residual values depreciate the smallest amount of. You stand an improved chance of locating a bargain inside the high-end, luxury vehicles that keep their values better as used cars.

Next, you have to check the initial mileage and also the overall vehicle condition. The most mileage on the used car should not be a more than 12,000 miles annually. A 3-years old car with 50,000 miles about the clock is extremely unlikely to create a good used-vehicle lease.

Check for signs of excessive use, like worn seat fabric, worn pedal pads and dirty engine, which might indicate that the odometer has been rolled back. If the car is not certified, you need to get it thoroughly inspected. Ask your dealer for a manufacturer-sponsored certification program or have your car certified by a qualified mechanic or inspection service.

Most used-car deals don’t include gap coverage. This can be a special kind of coverage, normally offered on the new auto-lease, to pay for the consumer when the leased vehicle is lost, stolen or damaged. Typically, auto-insurance policies only cover what your vehicle is worth during the time of loss, not that which you still owe about the lease. The main difference could encounter thousands of dollars. For satisfaction, do not enter any used-car lease without gap-coverage. Arrange it separately with either the lease dealer or your auto-insurance company.

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Plug-In Hybrid Cars VS Hybrid Cars

December 29th, 2010

Hybrid cars are on everyone’s lips. Twenty, forty, or fifty dollars for a full tank of fuel? Who in their right mind wants to pay that sort of money? However, frustrated, the fuel customer sighs, but pays up. However, hybrid vehicles are applauded for the small amount of gas they need to operate, and they are flying off the lots of car dealerships each and everyday in increasing numbers.

But what about a plug-in hybrid? Most consumers have heard that these cars are great as well. So, someone might be asking him or herself, what exactly a plug-in hybrid is? How do they work, and what the difference between a plug-in hybrid and a regular hybrid is?

Plug-in hybrid cars are capable of running just on batteries, but they can also run on fuel also. These kinds of hybrid cars share some of the characteristics of hybrid vehicles. They are also very similar to all-electric vehicles.

Plug-in hybrid cars need to be recharged externally by connecting a plug to an electrical power source. The combustion engine in plug-in hybrid vehicles is engaged only as a back up. These cars can run only on batteries if desired, but it is expected that these kinds of hybrid cars are recharged daily.

Hybrid cars can go just as many miles as a conventional car. Designed to go the extra mile where gas-mileage is concerned, hybrids can be driven on the motorway, in cities, or wherever else anybody wants to go.

On the other hand, plug-in hybrids are designed to handle commuter-length distances, meaning between twenty and sixty miles between destinations. This way, the plug-in hybrid does not have to use its back up combustion engine, but plug-in hybrids can go further using fuel too.

Hybrids help to minimize pollution, but they still pollute the air. Compared with plug-in hybrids, hybrid cars still have a long way to go as far as pollution is concerned. Since plug-in hybrid cars can run solely on their battery power, they don’t have to emit waste fuel emissions at all.

Plug-in hybrids really do reduce total greenhouse gas emissions and plug-in hybrids use practically no oil at all, imported or not. Studies have revealed that electric hybrids emit at least 67% less greenhouse gases than gasoline cars. Since the product used to power plug-in hybrids is completely renewable, the difference in greenhouse gas emissions may be even greater than the study showed.

And so there you have it. Those are the main differences between plug-in hybrids and regular hybrid cars. It makes a big difference, but you would be surprised how little that matters at the current moment. And that’s only because plug-in hybrids are not being marketed to consumers at this present time. But this article should get you excited about the wonderful plug-in hybrid car, coming soon to a forecourt near you.

And it’s going to be a spectacular debut too. People already really like regular hybrid cars, but they haven’t seen anything until they see the new plug-in hybrid cars. However, for now, maybe they should just be satisfied with what they have, because who knows? Before plug-in hybrid cars come out, something even better might be introduced onto the market.

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The remainder price of leasing

December 28th, 2010

If you are in the market to lease a vehicle, you will hear the term residual value recur like a leitmotif. A residual value does not only affect your monthly payments, but is equally used by leasing companies to determine any penalties should you break your lease early and how much to pay if you decided to buy the vehicle at the end of your lease.

Let’s first start by exploring the meaning of residual value. The word residual value, refers to the worth of something once it has been used for a while. In leasing lingo, it refers back to the depreciation from the vehicle’s value within the life of its lease. Just how does it exactly affect your monthly obligations? When you lease an automobile, you pay for that car’s value that you employ over the lease length.

Suppose you leased an $18,000 car for 2 years: the leasing company needs to estimate the value of this car in two years time in order to know how much of the car you will be using during your lease term. That’s where the residual value comes into the equation. If the residual value is estimated to be $13,000 at the end of your lease, then your monthly payments will be calculated on the $5,000 you will use over 24 months, giving an average monthly payment of $208.3 (plus interest, tax and fees).

How about in the event the car is predicted to lose half its value on the same period? Within this scenario, you will end up using $9,000 on the same period, bringing you a higher payment per month of $375 (plus interest, tax and charges).

As you can see, residual values really are a key factor in determining how much cash to pay in your lease and also the higher the rest of the value, the low your fees each month. This works backwards if you develop a bond together with your car and choose to purchase it at the conclusion of your lease. If we stay with the same example above, the low monthly payments within the second scenario come at the expense of paying substantially more to purchase your car at the conclusion of the lease.

So, since the residual value is so important, how do I know which one is best for me? Well, it all depends whether you want to purchase the car at the end of your lease. If you don’t want to make a large down payment and you want low monthly payments, then a car that holds with a higher residual value is a good deal. If you are thinking of purchasing the car at lease-end, then you need to balance low-monthly payments with a moderate residual value.

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Dealer Leasing Tricks

December 27th, 2010

All too often when it comes to auto-leasing, people get so dazzled through the myriad terms and also the jargon thrown their method in which they end-up paying with the nose, counting on a dealer’s help than their very own informed decision. This is a look at a few of the tricks dealers use to pad their profits by leaving the customers shelling 100′s of dollars more than the offer should be worth.

Trick 1: Leasing always an improved deal than buying

Dealers use the lure of lower-monthly payments to entice customers to sign for long-term loans, with terms stretching for five years or more, making the payments even lower. There are two catches with such lengthy contracts:

higher mileage, exceeding the prescribed limit, and hefty repair costs. With leases charging normally 10 to 20 cents miles for any one step further over the agreed amount within the contract, and warranties only covering 3 years, you leave yourself available for hefty charges for excessive mileage and deterioration.

Trick 2: Cheap 2-3% APR rate in your lease

The dealership is not quoting the eye rate you’d be paying in your lease; he’s rather providing you with the lease money factor. Whilst much like an interest rate and essential in determining your payment, a more accurate minute rates are calculated by multiplying the cash factor by 24. For instance a cheap 3% money factor is 24 X 0.003 = 7.2%. Thus giving you a better sense of what your annual rate of interest on your lease contract is.

Trick 3: Stress-free early lease termination

Dealers know consumer driving needs change and so they would like to have the choice of getting away from a lease commitment sometime later on, before their lease ends. Truth with the matter is, once you sign to get a lease, you are effectively saddled with monthly premiums for the remainder with the lease term then there is little-choice of getting out early. Lease contracts carry hefty financial penalties for either defaulting on monthly premiums or terminating the lease prior to when the scheduled term.

To avert being on the receiving end of such tried-and-true tricks, become knowledgeable about leasing. Get right down to the nitty-gritty and know very well what the leasing terms utilized by dealers mean. Crunch the numbers together with him and know how they reached the payment figure. Don’t sign anything until you’ve understood all of the terms as well as your numbers much the ones from the dealer. Don’t let the dealer pressure you into signing; you’re the one to see whether the agreement fits your needs.

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How to avoid extra costs at the end of your lease

December 26th, 2010

$250 to dump your vehicle, $1000 for additional miles you apply to the clock and $200 to exchange the light bulb as well as the worn tyres-lease agents constantly nickel-and-dime consumers when their lease runs out.

Here’s a rundown of so what can trigger those fees, plus some steps to take self-defense.Disposition fee: leasing companies ask you for if you not buy the vehicle at the conclusion of your lease. This fee is placed as compensation for that expenses of promoting, or otherwise getting rid of the vehicle.

It typically includes administrative charges; the dealer’s cost to organize the car for resale and every other penalties. Make certain this fee is stated clearly within the contract and it is agreeable by you prior to signing on the dotted line. At lease-end, you’re left in no position to barter as the dealer can use your refundable security deposit towards this fee.

Excess mileage charges: Just about all leasing companies charges you a premium for every mile within the agreed upon mileage stated inside your contract. This penalty is often as high as 25 cents per mile and may add up quickly. To prevent the risk of running 1000s of dollars in excess mileage penalties at the conclusion of your lease, check the per mile charges inside your contract and become realistic about your mileage prior to signing any contract.If you feel the limit is unrealistic given your commutation needs, then negotiate using the dealer to obtain a higher mileage or seek additional miles.

Excess tear-and-wear charges: Another potential cost at the conclusion of the lease is any incidental damage completed to the car throughout the lease. This really is deemed any excessive damage completed to the normal tear and wear from the vehicle. Spot the use of the terms deemed, excessive and normal.

There isn’t any standard formula to define what’s excessive and normal and it’s as much as the leasing company to evaluate – or deem – the harm and determine what they will charge. This leaves you subject to unscrupulous leasing agents who set stringent tear-and-wear standards. Be sure you read the description of those standards, understand them and accept them.

If your leased vehicle is damaged prior to the end of the lease, you may find it cheaper to repair the damage yourself than pay the excessive charges of the leasing agent. In the event of a dispute over the charges at the end of your lease, get an independent third party to do a professional appraisal detailing the amount required to repair any damaged parts or the amount by which tear-and-wear reduces the value of the vehicle.

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How to calculate your lease payment

December 25th, 2010

Learning how to calculate your monthly lease payment makes it much simpler for you to make the best decision. Yet, the majority of us shy away from the complicated math on our lease contract, leaving up to the dealer to do the payment formula.

Actually, it’s not that difficult! As soon as you understand every one of the figures associated with calculating your monthly premiums, everything else falls into place. These key figures are:MSRP (short for Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price): Here is the list expense of the vehicle or perhaps the window automobile. Money Factor: This determines a person’s eye rate on your own lease. Require your dealer to disclose this rate before stepping into a lease.

Lease Term: The quantity of months the casino dealer rents the car. Residual Value: The worth of the vehicle by the end of the lease. Again, you may get this figure from your dealer.

Now, let’s calculate an example lease payment with different vehicle by having an MSRP (sticker price) worth of $25,000 along with a money factor of 0.0034 (normally , this is quoted as 3.4%). The scheduled-lease has ended 3 years and also the estimated residual percentage is 55%.

The first step is to calculate the residual value of the car. You multiply the MSRP by the residual percentage:

$20,000 X .55 = $11,000.

The vehicle will be worth $13,750 at the conclusion of the lease, so you will be using:

$20,000 – $11,000 = $9,000

This level of $9,000 will probably be used more than a 36 month lease period giving us a payment per month of:

$9,000 / 36 = $250.

Here is the first area of the monthly payment, the monthly depreciation charge. The next part of the payment per month, called the money factor payment, factors a person’s eye charge. It really is calculated with the help of the MSRP figure for the residual value and multiplying this from the money factor:

($20,000 $11,000) * 0.0034 = $105.4

Finally, we have the approximate payment per month by adding the 2 figures together:

$250 $105.4 = $355.4

To recapitulate, the sample formula appears like this:

1- Monthly Depreciation Charge:

MSRP X Depreciation Percentage = Residual Value

MSRP – Residual Value = Depreciation over lease term

Depreciation over lease term / lease term (quantity of months within the lease) = monthly depreciation charge

2- Monthly factor money charge

(MSRP Residual value) X Money factor = money factor payment

3- Sample Monthly Payment:

depreciation charge money factor payment = payment

Keep in mind that it is a simplified calculation that will not take into account taxes, fees, rebates or other incentives. The calculation offers you a ballpark figure or even a rough notion of what your lease payments for your vehicle involved should be.

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