1. Invest in a tire gauge.

If you don’t have one already, a tire gauge is perhaps the easiest way to save money with your used car in the New Year. While you can pay plenty of money for a fancy gauge, the truth is even the $2 examples from your local parts store or gas station work great. Taking the time to routinely check the tire pressure on your used car’s tires is an essential part of car care. Aside from making sure your tires wear evenly – and keeping you from buying a new set before you need to – it can also help your used car get better fuel economy.

2. Keep up with oil changes.

Oil changes are important to keep used cars running like a top. In general, most engines require fresh oil and a new filter every 3,000-4,500 miles. Remember, changing your used car’s oil early never hurt anything, but changing it late can lead to decreased mileage and early engine failure.

3. Consider synthetic oil.

Many manufacturers now stipulate synthetic oil for their high-performance models. In general, those oils withstand heat and abuse better than traditional lubricants. Even if you don’t plan on spending any time lapping your local race circuit, synthetic oil can help your engine last longer by helping to reduce engine sludge and deposits. It may be slightly more expensive than the oil you’re accustomed to, but the price is well worth it.

It looks like General Motors has a strategy for selling its remaining fleet of Pontiac and Saturn vehicles. As you may remember, both companies were discontinued earlier in 2009, leaving dealers and owners wondering about the future of their vehicles. According to a Reuters article, GM is offering dealerships $7,000 for every Saturn and Pontiac they put into rental or service vehicle duty. Why would General Motors want dealers to use their inventory for themselves instead of trying to find buyers? It turns out the answer is three fold.

For one, new car buyers across the country are very wary right now. That means manufacturers everywhere are offering some serious incentives on their models, and the newly orphaned brands from General Motors aren’t on the top of anyone’s wish list. Instead of cutting the cost of those cars to the point that neither GM nor the dealers would make a profit, GM hopes paying dealers to use Pontiacs and Saturns will pay dividends.

Since the dealer will become the first official owner of the Pontiacs and Saturns, GM’s sales reports will look significantly better for the end of 2009. That’s good news for everyone, but the real genius of the plan comes in later. Once the dealer is through using the fleet cars, they can then be sold as used vehicles or CPO vehicles at a much lower price.

Soon, buyers may have a shot at a near new Pontiac or Saturn at thousands off of the cost of a new vehicle. At the same time, dealers will be able to move stock that would have been difficult to sell otherwise, and GM’s sales look brighter and brighter.

Sounds like a win-win-win to us.

Source\\ Reuters

It’s holiday season, that means it’s great time get all your loved ones just what they want. That includes your used car. Don’t know what get four-wheeled your family? Don’t worry, we can help. Check out our list great goodies your used car or used truck.

1. A Tune Up

With all hustle bustle this time year, it’s easy forget your vehicle’s scheduled maintenance. Before you your family go dashing through snow this season, take time make sure your used vehicle up task. A quick simple tune up should take care all problem areas get your used car running like top no time.

2. Snow Tires

Going somewhere frosty this time year? A good set snow tires may worth their weight gold. Snow tires specifically designed handle cold temperatures cut through slippery snow ice give your car best traction possible. While there studded tires extreme situations, most used cars for sale can benefit non-studded version.

3. Windshield Wipers

No matter where you live, odds holiday season means foul weather. How long has it been since you changed your vehicle’s windshield wipers? If it’s been longer than six months, odds you need new ones. New windshield wipers make all difference when it comes seeing where you’re going. Just remember, better you can see, better chance getting where you’re going without getting an accident this season.

4. De-Icer Windshield Washer Fluid

Do you hate having scrape your windshield every morning? There’s simple solution – de-icer windshield washer fluid. Just spray your windshield frost, snow ice instantly melts away. While usually few dollars more than standard fluid, amount time you’ll save mornings will worth it.

A startling new trend is popping up across the country – illegal car dealers selling used cars and used trucks in unlicensed areas. According to the Chicago Sun Times, dealers from out of state set up a number of used cars at low prices on just about any street and move their entire inventory within a matter of hours. After that, they’re never seen or heard from again. Buyers may believe they’re getting an excellent deal on a low-priced vehicle, but in reality, they may be setting themselves up serious repairs or worse.

Since the sellers know buyers will have no way of tracking them down once the travelling sales lot leaves town, they have no motivation to sell quality vehicles or be honest with their customers. Several reports have even included stolen or totaled vehicles being sold to otherwise unsuspecting consumers – leaving the buyers without their money or a good vehicle. The Chicago Sun Times says that often, these roaming car lots target low income families who just need a ride to work. The good news is, many Chicago communities are cracking down on every rogue used car dealer to protect consumers from the worst.

Respectable dealers must go through an extensive licensing process that makes them accountable should they sell a faulty product. It’s best to purchase your next used car or used truck through channels you know and trust – channels like your established local car dealer or a reputable Web site that can put you in contact with a dealer in your area. As the old adage says, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. [Source: CST]

If you’ve been noticing a lack of local used cars in your area, odds are you’re not alone. It turns out dealers are facing pressures from multiple fronts when it comes to keeping their lots stocked, and as  a result it may be harder than ever to find a good used car in your neighborhood. So what are dealers facing? With unemployment the highest it’s been in years, more people than ever are holding onto their used cars, and stock still hasn’t quite recovered from the very popular Cash for Clunkers program. Demand for used cars continues to soar, too, putting even more stress on tight inventory. That usually means you can expect prices to inch upward, but the good news is there are more places than ever to find a quality used car or truck in your area.

There are plenty of sites on the Web dedicated to helping you find the perfect used car, used truck or used crossover for you and your family, just make sure you’re careful when it comes down to who you deal with. Make sure you’re comfortable with the site’s privacy policy before entering any sensitive information and you’ll be on the road to slipping behind the driver’s seat in no time. It also pays to remember that not every used vehicle site is created equal, and some may be more cumbersome to use than others. UsedCars.com is dedicated to user privacy and has a host of tools designed to make your used car buying process as easy as can be. We can help you locate, research, insure and secure financing all from one location, so why not let us give you a hand?

If you can’t find the perfect used car or used truck in your area, the internet is a great resource – allowing you to choose from thousands of used vehicles from just a few miles away or across the country!

Photo courtesy of Subaru.

The Smell

One of the easiest ways to tell if a car has been flooded is if the interior has a musty, damp smell. No matter how hard you try, that smell is almost impossible to get rid of.

Odd Colors

Be sure to check out the interior thoroughly. Is the carpet discolored? Do the seats match the rest of the interior? It’s easy to swap large pieces of interior like seats, but carpet and door panels may be more difficult to replace in good condition. Keep an eye out for dark stains toward the lower portion of the used car or truck, too.

Debris

When a vehicle is an a flood, water carries all sorts of debris everywhere. That includes lots and lots of soil. When the water recedes, all that dirt is left behind all over the used vehicle. No matter how thoroughly a car has been cleaned, caked on mud will remain. Give the car a good once over and look for any odd build up.

History Report

If the vehicle has been reported as being in a flood, that information will show up on the history report.

We don’t need to tell you just how tight the economy is right now. Everyone’s tightening their belts, making the most of every penny and trimming the budget where they can. For some organizations, that means selling off portions of their vehicle fleet for a great price. But does a slim dollar sign mean a great deal? Not always. In general, there are two lines of thought when it comes to buying a used fleet vehicle. On the one hand, a fleet vehicle is almost certain to have had all of its maintenances performed on time or before it was needed. What’s more, most cars or trucks that have spent time in motor pools have more highway miles than privately owned vehicles.

Of course, the flip side to that coin is that fleet vehicles tend to suffer quite a bit of abuse at the hands of their drivers. Since the people behind the wheel generally aren’t responsible for maintenance or repairs, they don’t tend to care how hard the car is driven or how brutal they’re being to the car’s brakes and suspension – imagine the rental car race scene in Top Gun and you’ll get the picture.

So does that mean you should pass by all fleet service vehicles entirely? Absolutely not. Fleet vehicles offer a great deal compared to their standard civilian counterparts, but you do need to be careful when it comes time to look the vehicle over. Take the time to have the car examined by a mechanic you trust, and if he or she says it’s best to keep looking, take their advice. If the car you have your eye on gets the ok from the shop, just be aware that replacement prone parts like starters and alternators may need attention soon, and factor those costs into your budget.

As you may have heard, Toyota recently issued a massive recall involving several makes of automobile from across the company’s marks. Everything from the Prius and Camry to Lexus models like the ES 350 and IS350 are under order to return to the dealer to take care of a faulty floor matt issue which may cause the vehicle to accelerate uncontrollably. The move to recall the 3.8 million cars and trucks came after a recent fatal accident. While the floor mats were technically optional dealer equipment, the crash and recall highlights an important issue when it comes to purchasing a used vehicle: aftermarket equipment.

The aftermarket is a great option when it comes to making your vehicle custom and comfortable, and there are hundreds of excellent companies out there geared toward providing you the absolute best product for your money. That doesn’t mean there aren’t just as many selling low-quality items that may be dangerous or illegal to use. If you have your eyes on a used car with a long list of aftermarket equipment, make sure the parts come from companies you recognize. If they don’t, do a little research to make sure there are no consumer complaints against the manufacturer. If the parts look like cheap Chinese knock offs, you may end up having to replace those bits shortly after purchasing the vehicle.

You should also be mindful of how the products were installed. Did the used car dealer install them? Are they capable of properly installing the aftermarket equipment on the used vehicle? It’s easy to cross a wire when bolting up a new stereo, resulting in popped fuses or even vehicle fires, and larger mechanical parts like intakes, suspension components and brakes should be handled by a qualified professional. If the seller doesn’t know who swapped your parts, you might be better off with a used car or truck a little closer to stock.

We have a new Certified Pre-Owned center over at UsedCars.com! You can get the skinny on all the different manufacturers’ CPO programs, and what exactly a car needs to be the cream of the crop. Usually, CPO cars are off-lease, which means they have really low miles and have been maintained by the dealership. That means you’re getting an essentially brand-new vehicle without having to shoulder all the depreciation. Now that UsedCars.com has a special CPO center, you can easily tell which vehicles on the site are certified – identifiable by special badges – and which aren’t.

There is a big difference in the type of certification used cars carry. While manufacturers maintain strict standards with long lists of check points, mileage stipulations and repair history parameters, local used car dealers can have their own CPO programs. Many times, local programs are less strict when it comes to what vehicles make it into the pool and as a result, you may end up with a car that could be more of a headache than a help. Fortunately, UsedCars.com’s newest CPO center only picks manufacturer-backed vehicles to help you find the perfect CPO car or truck in a hurry.

Aside from knowing your CPO vehicle has been given an extensive once-over by the manufacturer, there’s another reason to go certified. Most CPO cars and trucks carry a factory warranty, which is better than most used vehicles out there. That means if you encounter a mechanical problem, just take it back to the dealer and everything should be squared away at a fraction of the cost of a normal repair. So, if you’re looking to get into a great used car sometime soon, check out UsedCars.com’s CPO center to get started.

Similarly, big-ticket maintenance items may help you negotiate a price you’re comfortable with. Does the vehicle need tires? Tires are incredibly important to how safe your used vehicle is to drive, and a good set may cost upwards of $500. If the used car or truck you’re searching for needs new rubber, don’t hesitate to bring it to the seller’s attention. They’ll likely be willing to come down to a price you’re more comfortable with.

How long has it been since the used vehicle you want to purchase has been serviced? Maintenance like brakes, timing belts, water pumps and fluid changes will all require money out of your pocket if they haven’t been tended to recently. Get a good picture of what your used car or truck will require and ask a local shop for a quote. Doing so will give you a good idea of what you can barter with and how much money you’ll have to sink into the car post purchase.