11d0

A car in Houston, as well as most cities in the nation, is not strictly a mean of transportation; it is a purchase of an investment. Just like any other investment, the right planning will result in earning a high return on investment. A purchase that is only done every couple of years requires a certain amount of extra research. This obviously applies to car acquisitions. A car requires an initial lump sum, annual expenses, hidden and known obvious expenses.

Smart Houstonian car shoppers have recognized that Houston is the 6th largest metropolitan area in the nation, and the 3rd with most fortune 500 headquarters. This is resulting in a high supply of second-hand cars. The supply allows for a higher saving potential when buying used cars in Houston. With simple focused research, youll know the perfect make, model and its fair market value. Kelly Blue Book is an ideal place to determine the fair market value of a car. Needless to mention, when making the final choice, the least expensive is not always the best fit, nor does it put you in the ultimate economical state.

The first step should be coming up with a buying budget, and an annual expense to allocate to the privilege of owning a vehicle. Make a list of the cars that you see yourself driving, and then call your car insurance company to check the rates on different cars, keep them for the record to use when making the final decision. Keep in mind that asking price does not equal the final out of pocket value. After buying the car, you would have to pay tax license registration and most importantly initial preventive maintenance (oil changes, fluid flushes etc.). Each of the factors will be discussed in details in articles that are dedicated to it.

Take into your consideration the hidden costs that arise with car ownership. Factors that I consider to be most significant are; time depreciation, miles depreciation, preventive and emergency maintenance. There is other costs that a lot of shoppers dont take into consideration; Interest (paid on loan, interest could have earned). Last but not least, please remember that in 2007, the average price the American consumer is paying at the pump is 3 dollars.

Throughout the years, I kept records of the required routine and maintenance on my cars. On average, a compact car is costing me 4 cents per mile in maintenance. Therefore, depending on the number of miles your car drives on a gallon, the ratio differs, but as illustrated in the table below, that at 25mies per gallon, you should plan to spend a dollar in maintenance for every gallon of gas.

Below is a the formula used to compute the numbers in the table, which assuming that the one way distance to work is 5 miles, remember the table is strictly based on my assumption, and experience. For those that are numbers oriented, I provided the following formula, for those that are not; you can skip the formula and jump to the table.

(((distance to work one way *520)/gas mileage)*3.00) + (distance to work one way*20.8)

Miles/Gallon 10 15 20 25 30
Annual Gas Cost 780 520 390 312 260
Annual Maintenance Cost 104 104 104 104 104

In summary, buying a used car can save you a lot if the right research is done, and the hidden expenses and factors are seriously taken into consideration before deciding on an exact Make and Model.

Khalid R. Mustaffa is the owner of http://www.cars-in-houston.com The website is dedicated to linking used cars buyers and sellers in Houston, and educating the public on cars, and how to avoid mistakes, and achieve success when purchasing cars. The Website dedicates a section to support the article cheap used cars for sale online blue book.

Dating Services Dothan Alabama
Dating Services Allentown Pennsylvania
Dating Services Cleveland Tennessee
Dating Services Burlington Vermont
Dating Services Downers Grove Illinois
Dating Services Concord Massachusetts
Dating Services Bellevue Washington
Dating Services Carlsbad California
Dating Services Carrollton Texas
Fanter

Up Your Used Car Value By Stopping Rust Part 1

fb0

Rust is rust. It's unsightly, it speaks of neglect and inevitable decay. And no one likes it. Certainly not on cars, whether used cars or new. After all, we want our cars looking shiny and brand-new, just as it was when it left the car dealer lot.

When it comes to buying used cars, no one wants to buy a rust bucket. Rust radically depreciates your used car's resale value. So, whether want to buy used car or a new one, the trick is keeping rust from taking root in your car.

Three basic steps are:

FIND RUST
KEEP IT FROM STARTING
ATTEND TO IT ONCE IT HAS STARTED

Most people shopping around at the used car dealer lot fail to detect rust simply because they don't know where to spot it. Of course, you can't expect the dealer to be upfront about rust in their used cars for sale. One needs to understand then how rust usually starts and where it is most likely to emerge.

How Rust Starts
Rust usually begins through the chips and nicks your car receives from the pebbles and stones that hit it during daily driving. With a small nick exposing bare metal in an unnoticeable location, it is just a matter of time until rust forms.

Left unchecked long enough, this tiny nick will eat its way through to the other side. When this happens you have problems because once a rust hole starts, it cannot be stopped. It can only be slowed down.

Where to Look For Rust
The most likely areas to check for rust are in and around the wheel wells, and on the fenders immediately behind the tyres. These are the war zones where your tyres will kick up stones and chip the paint. The front of your car can also catch flying stones from other cars, making this a problem area as well.

The next time you're looking at used cars for sale, use a torch to look underneath the car, and behind the front and rear tyres on both sides. Of course, before you do this make sure the car is parked on a level surface in park/gear and the emergency brake on. If it is on a slope, put blocks under the wheels for added safety. Shine your light on the inside of the fenders and wheel wells.

Another word to the wise for those who buy used car
Avoid cars with fresh paint. Think about it: no one paints a car just because the colour has faded a little. It was painted because either it was in an accident or it had a rust problem or worse yet - both! A crash repairer can hide a lot of sin with paint and body filler

Other rust-prone places to check when buying a used car are the exterior flooring under the driver's and passenger's seats, the interior flooring underneath the carpeting/matting, under the carpeting/matting in the boot, and around the engine compartment. Use your torch, your eyes, and your fingers!

___________________________________________

Want Great Shiny Used Cars for Sale in Australia?
Drop by at http://cars.OzFreeOnline.com, Australia's free car classifieds with the widest selection of great deals in used cars for sale. It's free to sign up, post your ad, and look around!

At OzFree, it's never just a ride; it's a great one!

Barbara Thorp is an article contributor for http://cars.ozfreeonline.com.

Dating Services Des Plaines Illinois
Dating Services Desoto Texas
Dating Services Alexandria Virginia
Dating Services Chattanooga Tennessee
Dating Services Dayton Ohio
Dating Services Bakersfield California
Dating Services Coral Springs Florida
Dating Services Brownsville Texas
Dating Services Danville Virginia
Dating Services Bellflower California