Be honest about your handiness with tools. Can you change a tyre? Of course you can. But can you change more complex components of a car? Can you clean out the cylinders? Can you recognise what’s wrong with a car before a massive disaster occurs? If you’re a mechanical novice, sometimes it’s best to avoid auctions as you don’t have the safety blanket of an RACQ inspection or statutory cooling off period. You will own any pre-existing faults with the car you buy. This isn’t such a big deal with ex government cars such as Q Fleet but still, consider this aspect.

You aren’t guaranteed to get a bargain, but it is likely. Competition these days for second hand cars is fierce, with car rental companies and taxi companies all competing for great deals on cars, particularly ex government vehicles, so it is possible the end result of the car auction will be somebody paying a price above retail. It’s funny what happens when you get fifty or so testosterone pumped car buying males in a room who start competing with each other!

Don’t judge a book by its cover. And don’t judge a car by its polish! Some of the worst cars I’ve ever seen have been spectacular to look at and have the best labels in history (Mercedes, Jaguar etc). Since you can’t test drive the car, you’re going to have to have some background knowledge of what mileage tends to do to certain brands. For example, don’t buy a highly electronic Honda if it has 400,000km on the clock, as electrical components tend to deteriorate quite swiftly.

Critique your mechanical skills. Since you don’t know what you’re buying in as great detail as you may with a private or dealership sale, you don’t know if you’re buying a lemon or a top of the line mango. If you get the car home and find that it, well, doesn’t have oil in it and has permanent engine damage, there’s not much you can do about it. So you better be handy with a hoist and spanners or you’ll be up for some hefty mechanic’s bills. It’s all about risk, but more often than not with auctions the risk pays off.

Listen, listen, listen to the auctioneer! If you miss the auctioneer’s warning that the car is hail damaged or flood damaged and you buy it anyway, guess what? The car is yours. If you don’t hear that the car has 1 million miles on the clock and you buy it, you can’t take it back to the owner or auctioneer and demand a refund. Keep your ears open for the duration of the auction and do your research.

There are other things you can do to make your vehicle experience more pleasurable and to find out what they are, simply repeat over and over again that the reason you’re likely to get a good deal is because risk is being passed from the seller to you (remember, no cooling off period or other protections you may get from a dealership… and on test drive!). Nothing in life comes free, but sometimes the extra risk amounts to naught and in those cases you will win at the auction game.

The reason you are likely to get a reduced price at a vehicle auction is because much of the risk has been shifted from the seller / auctioneer to you, the buyer. As mentioned above you don’t get the protections that private and dealership buyers get, but you do get lower prices. Make sure you recognise the situation you are in, play by the rules and keep your eyes open.

Learn more about Brisbane car auctions. Stop by Jack Smith’s site where you can find out all about car auctions and ex government cars and their pro’s and con’s.

Technorati Tags: Auctions, Brisbane, buying cars, buying vehicles, car auctions, car collectors, car sales, Cars, motor sports, Motoring, motorsports, purchasing cars, selling cars, vehicle auctions, vehicles

To understand roughly what the amount your claim may be worth is you must know what damages you may be entitled to claim for. Generally speaking you may be eligible for the following; medical expenses and treatment costs, loss of earnings due to being unable t work or having to attend appointments, loss of ability to participate in family, educational or social activities, emotional upset and any psychological impact the accident may have had on you, any permanent disability or disfigurement as a result of the accident.

When calculating compensation it is usually easy to add up the amount of money lost through damage to property or loss of earnings but it can be harder to determine the value of missed experiences and stress caused. At the very start of negotiations the solicitor will add up the total medical/ loss of earnings costs and these are known as ‘general damages.’

If your injuries are minor then the solicitor will decide how much to award you in relation to the, ‘general damages,’ already considered. When your injuries are particularly severe or long lasting then the amount of damages rewarded will be much greater. Loss of future earnings may also be added on at this point.

Something else to consider in a personal injury claim is the degree of fault of the other party. The amount of fault will be considered when adding up the total claim amount. The process of the claim procedure means that it is never possible to guess how long it will take for a claim to come through.

If you have recieved a driving ban and/or penalty points on your driving license then Widdoes Mason, car accident claims lawyers can help. Widdows specialise in road traffic accident claims an can offer help and expert legal advice.

Technorati Tags: autos, Driving, law, legal, Motoring

In Europe there are many different speed regulations in place. The speed limit depends on the country you are in and the type of road you are driving on. Some European countries also have different rules for learner drivers and newly qualified drivers.

The very first UK motorways did not have set speed limits but after the amount of crashes began to get ridiculous a speed limit of seventy miles per hour was introduced. There has been much debate as to whether to raise the limit to reach eighty miles per hour but as it stands the seventy miles per hour limit is the law.

French motorway systems have a slightly different system. Variable speed limits are put into play and they depend on the weather. In dry conditions the limit is usually eighty miles per hour but in wet conditions this is reduced to seventy. In 2002 the French government took steps to introduce some speed calming measures and the use of radar guns was implemented.

The Autobahns in Germany are famous for not having speed limits. There are speed limits enforced for buses, cars with trailers attached and trucks still. Traffic on the autobahns reaches speeds of 125 mph at times, although there is a recommended speed of eighty miles per hour in place. Under German law insurance payments can be decreased if the recommended limit of 80 is ignored. Not all autobahn areas are speed limit free, some built up or residential areas are under limits in order to reduce the sound of the traffic.

Italian highways are set at an upper speed limit of eighty miles per hour and a seventy miles per hour limit is imposed on windy roads and in bad weather. On new and clear, straight roads a limit of 95 miles per hour is imposed.

The Swiss Autobahns have an upper speed limit of seventy five miles per hour and the dual carriage way type roads (Autostrasse) generally have a lower speed limit of 65 miles per hour.

speeding offences are extremely serious whether you are a newly qualified driver or an experienced driver. A speeding solicitor will be able to help with any advice surrounding motoring offences.

Technorati Tags: Motoring, speed limits, speeding, speeding offences, speeding solicitor

The aim of the company was to develop a car that ran on sustainable energy and was practical enough to use every day. The difficulty was developing the technology and putting it in a car everybody could afford. Eberhand decided that their first venture would have to start out like the high tech gadgets he had worked with, hyped-up, over priced and rare, becoming cheaper with time and volume. This would mean that the first line of consumers would subsidise the development of the company.

The first concept was born, a supercar to prove that green cars can be sexy, sporty and practical. Tesla went about designing the battery and engine system whist outsourcing the design and manufacture of the car itself to British legends Lotus.

The empty cars were shipped to California where the engines were installed and charged bringing the final cost of the car to around 80,000. It’s a modest price for a supercar but a steal of an investment into a company that could hold the future for the motoring industry.

After a brief meeting, the company received backing from South African billionaire Elon Musk, who sold PayPal to eBay, he was currently investing in commercial rocket science with an aim to put men on mars. Musk used his strong ties with Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin to convince them to also invest in the company, their links to a film company gave Tesla a chance to market the car to George Clooney, who in turn convinced Matt Damon, Leonardo DiCaprio, the Red Hot Chilli Peppers and a list of celebrities to rival the Academy Awards. With celebrity endorsement came publicity and the company was the darling of the ‘cleantech’ industry.

The car went into production last year and currently has a waiting list of over 1000 including all of the investors along with a’ who’s-who’ of the rich and famous as jumping on the eco-wagon becomes increasingly fashionable.

Official stats claim the Roadster can achieve 0-60 in 3.7 seconds with a limited top speed of 125mph, this means it can out-drag a Ferrari while silently keeping you pinned in your seat from the instance you touch the pedal.

Tesla plan on selling the designs for their engines to some of the big European car giants which will see a huge rise in electric car technology, meaning even if your next car isn’t electric, the one after probably will be.

Although the Tesla is capable of speeding, it’s electronic speed limiter complies with motoring law.

Technorati Tags: Cars, Driving, electric, hybrid, motor industry, Motoring, speeding, sustainable

Many of us that decide to take out that cheap car insurance option will, in the event of making a claim, feel let down by the insurance company somewhat. If you have you ever had to make a claim against your insurance then you may agree with what I’m saying – I bet some of you will have had to chase the insurance company to get things sorted out, alot of you will maybe have had a game of tug-of-war with the insurer about the costs of the claim, and I would risk a fair stack of chips (we are in Las Vegas after all!) on most having found it stressful.

In its annual report of 2008, The National Association of Insurance Commissioners report revealed that the average premium per vehicle in Nevada state was $1,137 annually, whilst passenger car insurance for the remaining states was significantly less at only $937 per vehicle.

Since car insurance is more expensive for those of us who happen to live in Las Vegas or somewhere else in Nevada, we need to make sure we get a good deal for our money.

To secure both a good policy and also to get a good deal for their money, consumers must take care and purchase an auto insurance policy that makes sense and value for them. A good policy can be considered one that meets your minimum liability as a road user and also provides other levels of cover that you require without quibbles or problems from the insurance company should you need to make a claim.

Now, both bodily injury and property damage coverage (liability coverage) can be bought as split-limit coverage or combined single-limit cover. If you choose to purchase liability cover as a combined single limit, then the figures for bodily injury and property damage are combined ie. $40,000 is the combined single limit for all bodily injury and/or property damage, and this figure is the minimum combined single-limit cover allowable by the law of Nevada.

Comprehensive and collision cover are not strictly required by law in Las Vegas, under Nevada law but you may find that it is offered to you by your insurer. It is also not available in some cases where the condition of the vehicle or the age of the driver would prohibit the costs required ie. the person is of minimum age or the vehicle is almost worthless

You are generally not required to carry medical payments but all insurance companies are required by law to offer you a medical payments liability cover of at least $1000 and uninsured/under-insured motorist cover at an amount equal to the bodily injury cover that you decide to purchase.

If you are planning to lease a car you are advised to check the lease agreement since they generally require that you have a liability cover of $100,000 per person, $300,000 per accident and possibly a damage cover over the lower limit of $10,000 that is required by the law in Nevada.

Teri is an insurance actuary and lives in Las Vegas. She writes for the las vegas and Nevada car insurance center where you can find more tips for finding car insurance in las vegas.

Technorati Tags: auto insurance, car insurance, car lease, care hire, casinos, Finance, gambling, las vegas, las vegas auto insurance, las vegas car insurance, Motoring, nevada

As the sudden rise in gasoline prices have made people become more concerned, it would also be very important to know about the different factors that give rise to such increases in the first place. There are four main elements that affect the pricing of gasoline in the retail market, primary of which is the price of crude oil in the world market.

Other things that might affect retail prices of gasoline include its availability and distance from supply. In areas where gasoline supply has to travel very long distances, there is a likelihood that prices for it may be higher than in areas in close proximity to the gasoline supply. From the refineries, gasoline has to go through a series of transport hubs before it finds its way into the retail stations.

Performance-wise, electric cars offer smoother and noiseless operation that cars relying on gasoline. Electric cars provide stronger acceleration and the electric motor requires lesser maintenance than the internal combustion engines of cars using gasoline and other fossil fuels. By using electricity through batteries, energy conversion is more efficient. Electric motors makes use of 75 percent of the chemical energy converted into electricity to run the car. Internal combustion engines or ICE’s only are able to make use about 20 percent of the energy stored in gasoline to power the vehicle.

Aside from the price of crude oil and refining costs, distribution costs also account for a great deal of the retail price of gasoline in the market. Aside from shipping and overseas transport costs, distributing gasoline to the different gasoline stations in the area may also account for the retail price of the gasoline. Some areas may have some difficulties obtaining their gasoline supply due to distance as well as accessibility while some have it easy because of being in close proximity to major gas depots. It is through this that gas prices may also differ from one area to another. Distribution also affects the gasoline retail price.

In an area having just a few gas retail stations available, the gasoline prices would tend to be higher. The reason for this is that the demand would still be a bit greater with only a few retail stations able to provide the supply. In some cases, the consumer may be made to choose- whether to buy cheaper gasoline to a retail station location many miles away or buy gas from a nearer station offering more expensive gasoline prices.And will this rising casoline prices effect cars quotes in the future?

Thank you for reading my articles please read more of my other articles about car breakdown insuranceand cars quotes

Technorati Tags: Cars, fuel, Motoring, petrol, trucks, vehicles

Due to the potential legal implications if you were to crash while driving an uninsured vehicle, this offence is taken very seriously by the Magistrates Court.

For you to be found guilty of driving without insurance, the Prosecution only has to prove that you were indeed using the car on a public road at the time in question and it is down to you to prove that you had insurance, its not down to them to prove that you didn’t. This is because it would be nearly impossible fort the prosecutors to go to every insurance company in the country and check that you weren’t insured, and so you must provide valid documentation that proves you were insured, or you will be found guilty.

One of the most common ways in which people get caught out with the no insurance law is that they may not actually drive the car, but the law states that you only have to have use of the vehicle in order to be liable for punishment under the no insurance law. Having use of the vehicle can simply mean having the vehicle parked on a public road outside your house and if it is not insured, then you can be prosecuted.

Another way in which many people get caught out with the no insurance law is when they believe that their fully comprehensive insurance policy covers them to drive other peoples cars with their permission. A lot of the time, fully comprehensive cover does not actually include this in the policy.

It is extremely important to make sure that you fully understand the terms of your insurance policy and that whenever you drive either your own car or someone else’s, that you are actually insured.

For more information about motoring law advice please click no insurance.

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