Tag Archives: money

The How to Buy A Car On eBay Guide

buy a car on eBay

From rare 50p pieces through to imitation Rod Stewart tartan trousers, you can buy almost anything on eBay. And unsurprisingly more people are turning to this popular e-Commerce platform to find a good motoring bargain.

Believe it or not eBay is actually growing in popularity as a second-hand car sales outlet and it’s also the place to go for rare motors and the so-called barn finds. With over 20 years of history, it’s a real veteran of the internet, giving it a high level of trust with all its buyers.

Like all sales outlets there are deals to be had and pitfalls to avoid – which are a whole lot easier to navigate with the aid of our handy guide.

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How to Save On Your Car Insurance

saving money on car insurance

It is all too easy to let your car insurance simply roll over. But did you know these auto-renewal rates can be much higher than you expected? Cash hungry companies can often prey on people’s laziness to slip through higher premiums than you’ll find elsewhere in the market. Fortunately, it’s very easy to shop around and make a saving.

Many people are feeling the pinch with the current economic climate in the UK, so reviewing your options is becoming more important than ever. At the very least you could be equipped with the necessary leverage to negotiate with your current supplier. If you can give them a comparative rate from one of their competitors, this could see you getting a drop in price.

How should you be going about searching out new rates? What’s the best and most efficient way to find a great price for your car insurance?

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What is an HPI Check?

Vehicle HPI CheckNo one wants to purchase a dodgy motor. The trouble you could get into with repairs and breakdowns will soon have you tearing out your hair. There could even be other less obvious complications such unpaid fines on the vehicle or an incomplete finance scheme in the background. Fortunately, you can look back in time at any car’s legacy with the help of an HPI check. This simple information request will prevent you from falling foul of the fraudsters trying to pass off a bad car as good, and could save you a huge amount of time and stress. Continue reading

Dodgy Car Dealer and Seller Tricks

Car sale handshake

The used car salesman is a social stereotype that simply won’t die. Because some people will always try to sell you dodgy motors. Even though the used car lot is now a place where you’re more likely to find a good car due to online reviews and testimonials curtailing some of the more outrageous behaviour, many of the dodgy selling practices have migrated into private sales.

What are some of the more common nefarious practices? What should you avoid and what’s a big no-no sign? In this article we go through all the danger signs that come coupled with a whole load of distraction and mistruth.

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Test Driving a Used Car

Car and key in a dealership

You’ve saved up the money. You know what you want. You might have even done a little research into the makes and models that most appeal to your needs and inner motorist. Let’s face it – buying a used car is a little bit exciting. But it can be stressful too.

Last thing you want to do is waste any hard-earned cash on a good-looking jalopy that turns out to be a right old pile of rust and bolts beneath the bonnet. So, you’ve scoured the papers and have visited a couple of dealer’s yards. Now for that moment of truth. It’s the test drive – and what should you be looking out for?

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Learn These 16 Ways You Can Avoid Getting Ripped Off by a Car Mechanic

Car mechanic holding spannersBelieve it or not garages are now overcharging men, blondes and older people according to a recent survey. With cars getting increasingly technical thanks to computer control systems and non-serviceable parts, it can be tough to understand what’s going on under the bonnet, giving your mechanic a knowledge advantage if they are looking to overcharge on parts or labour.

So what can be done about it? Obviously changing your gender, hair colour or dress style is out of the question, but there are certain ways of approaching a car mechanic that greatly reduces the chance of you paying over the odds. In this article we explore some of the easiest action points you can employ to avoid unscrupulous mechanics. Continue reading

How Social Media Networks Could End Crash for Cash Fraud

Driver suffering after traffic collisionWe’ve all heard the stories about so-called Crash for Cash scams. One of the most common is when cars brake suddenly in heavy traffic in order to deliberately get rear-ended. The occupants of the damaged vehicle then claim for hard-to-prove muscle injuries like whiplash.

Not only is this practice a little distasteful ethically, it’s downright dangerous. And apparently it’s having a real impact on the auto insurance industry. On average your premium is £50 per year higher due to highly organised criminal gangs who’re working these cons to acquire huge amounts of cash in false claims. Continue reading

Mini Tops BreakerLink’s 2015 Used Car Reliability UK Study

mini

British car manufacturer Mini heads up the list of BreakerLink’s study into the reliable used cars on UK roads. Amongst the close finishers were popular makes like Toyota, Ford and Volkswagen in the top ten.

Mini has finished top of BreakerLink’s first ever Used Car Reliability Study, which examines and compares thirty of the leading car manufacturers producing vehicles on the UK roads. This new survey has been designed to use the amount of spare parts requested for each manufacturer as a measure of its reliability. Only 1 in every 1428 cars required a spare part during the 12 month study period over 2014.
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Personalised Number Plates – “A nice little earner”

Personalised Reg Plate

Last week I was driving on the M6, when a black Bentley swept by majestically and I noticed its rear number plate, T123.  I said to myself “nice car, but those number plates must have cost a packet.”.

As I drove along, I started thinking about personalised number plates and the first time I’d ever seen one of these unique vehicle registrations.  My mind was cast back to the time when I was a student in the 1970s, visiting my wife’s uncle.  Parking my Continue reading