Cars New and Used

Whether you trade in your old banger under the Government scrappage scheme - while it still exists or whether you are wanting to buy a new car – help is at hand.

The Internet is a fertile hunting ground for all types of cars new and used and you can search to your heart’s content.

Electric cars are making an appearance, but this just seems to change one type of energy burning for another. Hybrid cars are now toe-testing the market.

Somewhere on the subject of buying cars and the need to save fuel - Climate Change - must feature.

In The Daily Telegraph Simon Heffer writes:

Amongst the many ways of buying a car are via the local paper, a 'friend', a local main dealer, or an independent dealer. So really the onus is on the buyer - again caveat emptor - buyer beware - comes to mind. Amongst all these pressures you need to remember the need to save fuel and cut down on expenses.

There are so many cautions here - doctored mileage, cut and shunt where a vehicle could have been written off in an accident and been 'revamped’, legal claims on the vehicle dating back to a previous owner and cloned vehicles to name but a few.

A good place to start your checking is at Honest John and Cars

1. If you are searching for a specific site for a special type of vehicle - Google it. You can bring up all marques to do your homework before you even leave home.

2. Another point to be considered when buying a used car is flood damaged cars These damaged cars have started appearing in areas that have not been the subject of flooding, so do be careful.

3. If you have an expensive motor you will probably be paying heavily in tax and insurance and other running costs. If you have only short journeys to cover it may be better to sell the expensive model and buy a smaller but cheaper more economical vehicle. Hard to contemplate, but a snazzy, smaller number might well be kinder on the environment as well as on your budget.

4. It will also be interesting to look at vehicle reliability figures. e.g. in 'Which' magazine or in 'What Car' once every year. These sites also can be found on the Internet. Your repair bills are likely to be a lot lower with some makes than other. Thanks to Brian Thomas in Suffolk for this interesting piece of information.

This has been further reinforced by recent press articles on the fact that Renault Meganes are more likely to fail their first MoT. This is according to the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency. Its figures showed that 28.1% of three-year-old Meganes failed to satisfy MoT examiners that they were roadworthy in 2007. A number of other best-selling cars were also poor performers, including Ford Mondeo, Vauxhall Corsa, Peugeot 307 and Renault Scenic. More than one in five of these cars failed their first MoT test.

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5. Another interesting source of motoring information is Honest John, who has a very entertaining and informative column in the Motoring Section of the Saturday edition of the Daily Telegraph. This page gives good information on both cars new and used. Alternatively just Google - Honest John and read it there. Thanks to Guy also in Suffolk for bringing this excellent series to our attention.

6. Honest John recommends looking at www.cargiant.co.uk as a starting point for checking the prices of used cars.

Cars Uk Autoleague. Co. Uk is the right place for you to find used vehicles or dealers that sell used cars anywhere in the UK. Advertise your car for free.

7. Perhaps the vision of the ultimate in vehicle transport is lurking at http://environment.about.com/b/2008/02/14/new-car-runs-on-compressed-air.htm This is an idea from a Frenchman who has designed a motor that runs on compressed air, produces no emissions on short trips, and can be refueled in three minutes flat. An interesting read which begs the thought - would the oil cartels 'allow' such an idea to flourish? Would it suffer the same fate as the 'everlasting match' idea that was bought out by the match companies early last century?

8. The site for people who like cars - and the planet - visit www.green-car-guide.com/ There is even talk about hybrid motors here. On to the future!

9. 4 x 4 cars have been much vilified in the press recently and also suffer punitive Road Fund Tax charges. These sturdy vehicles have recently been proved indispensible in the recent heavy snowfalls experienced in the UK. So high is the demand from the Police for these vehicles that owners have formed charitable organisations whereby they will help people whenever possible. Even remote Dartmoor is covered. These organisations are spread around the country and can be found on Google under 4 x 4 response. The owners of these 4 x 4 vehicles will probably be prepared if they start to be the 'bad boys' once again when the snow has disappeared. That's life and people's opinions.

10. For UK readers - If you renew your tax disc on-line as the Government is now urging us to do - think twice. If you use your credit card as the method of payment, you will be charged an extra £2.50. Renew your car tax annually instead of every six months. This will save £40.00 per year.

11. Have a look at this superb site - Lift Share It may be just what is needed to counteract the horrendous price of petrol/diesel fuel. You could find a driving or even a walking or cycling companion on this site. Typical lift-share members who are drivers can save themselves up to £1,000 per year by sharing their daily driving journey costs. The 'lift-sharer' will obviously save fuel.

12. On the subject of speed, one sure way to save money is to avoid collecting speeding tickets. We don't wish to preach, but this is a fools game that could end up with tragic results.

13. Another one for UK drivers. If you have one of the 'new' photo card driving licences and you fail to renew it, you are likely to be fined £1,000. When these licences were first introduced most people assumed they were for life. Not so. They need to be renewed every ten years. The renewal date is stated on the card, but it is in quite small print. Take a look to be on the safe side. The licences cost £17.50 each to renew.If you receive a demand for a new photograph and you hold a passport, the DVLA website says it can now copy your latest image held by the Passport Agency.