Category: Auto

Cars come in all different shapes and sizes, and the car you drive is often based on your needs. Whether it is a family car with plenty of seats or a sports car with room for just you and your partner, there are plenty of different vehicles to choose from when it comes time to buying a new model. Whilst we tend to make a lot of considerations when buying a new car one of the ones that rarely enter the mind is the drive train of the car.

The drive train is often referred to as being either front wheel, rear wheel or four wheel drive. Most cars will come with either of the first two options with larger vehicles like sports utility vehicles being four wheel drives. Each variety has certain characteristics and can vastly affect the handling of your car not only in general but especially in poor weather conditions.

Front Wheel Drive (FWD)
Front Wheel Drive means that your car is steered and powered forward by your front wheels. This means that your car is not going to hold a turn as well as other drive train types as your rear wheels are essentially doing nothing, they are along for the ride as the saying goes. It does have its advantages though as it is much harder to induce a spin making FWD cars much more stable to drive.

Rear Wheel Drive (RWD)
RWD cars can hold a harder turn much better than the FWD cars as, the throttle can also be used to boost steering, the underground motorsport of “drifting” is famed for using high powered RWD cars as they are able to maintain power in a skid. Obviously you won’t be doing this during safe, regular driving but rear wheel drive can be prone to skidding so you should be careful in adverse conditions as the back end can try to take the lead.

Four Wheel Drive (4WD)
Four Wheel Drive is famously used in 4x4s, larger Sports Utility Vehicles like Land Rovers and cars which will be dealing with varied terrain and their large weight would need torque delivered to all four wheels. This means that snow, ice and mud can be handled (at controlled speeds) easier than the other two drive train types but can be risky as 4WD drivers can have a false sense of security and confidence which may mean they drive more recklessly.

As with every other car type you should make sure that in poor weather that you take care, drive slower than usual and avoid worst hit areas. Snow in particular in the past few months has caught drivers of all types: Front, Rear and four wheel drive out so make sure you drive conservatively when the weather sours.

No car lasts forever, but when they do finally break down for the last time it always seems to happen at the worst possible moment. If you are used to relying on your car to get around, suddenly finding yourself without one can cause major problems. It’s harder to get to work, it takes longer, and trying to do the weekly shopping without relying on the car is almost impossible.

The problem is, it’s not always as simple as popping out to buy a new one. Quite apart from the paperwork side of things, there’s the question of money to consider. How can you get a new car if you can’t afford to buy one? Your first thought will probably be to get a car loan to help you buy your next vehicle, but if you have a bad credit rating your bank is unlikely to look favourably on lending you money.

Of course the amount of money you need will depend largely on what kind of car you want to buy. If you are finding it hard to get the money together then you will no doubt be looking at the cheapest cars you can find. This can be a temptation you might be better off avoiding however. Buying a cheap car can leave you open to the possibility of further break downs and repairs in the near future, as the car is already several years old.

Happily there is another solution. Even car hunters with poor credit ratings can apply and be accepted for personal car finance through specialist lenders and brokers, which has two main benefits over other solutions.

Firstly you’ll often find that the loan is secured on the car itself, which means you won’t need to put up any security to make the loan possible. Secondly you will also be able to afford a much better car than you would be able to otherwise, meaning it will last far longer and be much more reliable as a result.

One of the main problems of having a bad credit history is the task of improving it again. It can be done of course, but it generally takes time and it can hamper your chances of getting credit anywhere else until your rating improves. This is where car finance can come in very useful, because as long as you meet your monthly payments you will be improving your credit rating with every month that goes by. This can have an enormous effect on your future status.

Buying a new car is exciting. I remember the feeling of going with my father to the car dealership for the first time. I had this weird thing for a while where I didn’t want anything to do with a car that someone had already owned and had driven around in. Instead, I wanted a brand new car, something that hadn’t yet absorbed anyone else’s smells or bad driving habits such as smoking or owning a pet.

I am not the only person who has felt like this however. There are plenty of people who go out and purchase a brand new car for the very reasons that I already stated. However, does this mean that they’ve made the right decision? Probably not. In fact, you should never base your decision to purchase a new car or a used car on the fact that someone may or may not have owned it prior to you. The fact of the matter is that while someone may not have ‘owned’ your car outright, someone still had to drive it at some point. There is no way around that.

Instead, when you are looking to buy a new car, the sorts of things that you should be focused on initially is how much money you have set aside for a new car in your life. Often times, those of us who opt to purchase a new or used car do so based on our current income or financial situation. There are some new cars that you can purchase for relatively cheap. However, often, these cars do not come with quite as many features as a slightly older used car. For example, I recently came across a used 2007 Honda Accord that had leather interior, power seating, a sunroof and premium sound with only 30,000 miles on it. Compare this to 2010 Honda Civic Coupe at the lowest end which may be comparable in price but contain less features.

Purchasing a car can be (and often is) a relatively seamless process. However, you want to make sure that you have all of your cards in order before you head out to the dealership. The worst thing that you could do is go to the dealership alone and let the salesman or saleswoman convince you to buy a car that, in the end, you really cannot afford. Granted, while not all salespeople are like this, there are a large amount of salespeople out there who won’t think twice about trying to get you into a more expensive vehicle because doing so will mean an increase in the commission that they make.

If you have figured out that you are going to be purchasing a new car, then you will no doubt want to bring someone with you who has been through the process of purchasing a car from a dealership and who can act as a sort of buffer between you and the salesperson. Don’t walk out of a dealership with a car that you don’t feel comfortable with all because the salesperson managed to convince you that it was the ‘car for you’. Instead, use your discretion and make sure that you do your homework ahead of time before you walk out the door.

If you are in the market for buying a new car, and by new, we mean new to you, which in most cases means a new used car, you now have so many options these days. You can go on TradeMe, you can go online where there are many great-looking deals, but where you have no guarantee if something goes wrong with the car, and you can also go to the big auctions either online or on site. However, there are many reasons why not to do any of the above, and to go through a ‘tried and true’ car dealership when looking to buy your new car.

One of the main reasons to choose a respected and well-known car dealership is for exactly those reasons, that they are recognised in their field by setting standards and services which others seek to follow. This means that when you visit their car dealership, you will benefit from the collective experience of their management team. This type of experience is invaluable and can’t be ‘bought’ as it has usually been hard-earned.

When you are in the market for a new used car, take the time to go down to your chosen car dealership and get to know the really great people who are there to give you friendly service and a welcoming approach. Keep in mind that a reputable car dealer will, at any time, have over 600 vehicles in stock and have quick access to freshly imported cars.

Another big advantage of dealing with your chosen car dealership is that all their vehicles will be checked, complied and odometer certified and all their cars will have a brand-new warrant of fitness and will be registered. They will also offer competitive car finance and insurance all under one roof and will have a full range of financial options available. When you are buying a car or borrowing money, it is always important to ensure you are as protected as you can be against the worst happening, and a reputable car dealership will recommend a full protection package which would include a four-year warranty, a Guaranteed Asset Protection and a Payment Protection Insurance.

There are yet more advantages of dealing with a local firm who will offer great customer service with timely reminders for warrants of fitness, insurance and warranty renewals with car servicing and much more. So, before you commit yourself to buying your new used car, do the research and choose a trusted car dealership.