Information about Cheap Cars, Car Parts, Car Loans and Others

Tired of your old car and want to move on to a new one? Or maybe you just don\’t have any use for the car anymore while it\’s still racking up expenses? Why not sell it to someone who wants it and will take good care of it. You\’ll get some profit in return, and you won\’t have to be burdened with a car that will be more useful to others.

The first step to selling your used car would be to prepare the car for the sale. Make sure that it is in a useful condition. What use is there for the buyer if the car doesn\’t even work? You\’ll never get buyers if the car is in such a deteriorated state. So it\’s best to make your car presentable and competent. Take good pictures of your car, and make a list of its features that you think would appeal to potential buyers.

The next course to take would be to get the word out that you\’re selling your car. You can do it by making an ad in the newspapers or magazines, or you can use the Web and advertise through an Internet auction. If you\’re not sure on how to make an ad, browse through automotive magazines and issues and take a look at how the other sellers do it. Make sure that in your ad, you write down the car\’s features and condition as honestly as you can.

If your car is one of the new models in the automobile industry, you might be able to attract a lot of buyers. It would be best to make some improvements to your car, at least on its appearance. Make it obvious that it is a new model. If you\’re selling an old car, though, it might take more work to improve the car\’s appearance. You will also have to make sure the car still functions as good as new. There may be instances where you will have to change some things to the car to make it more attractive to buyers (exterior paint finish, carpeting and upholstery, new tires, etc.). Be careful with the electrical and electronic parts of the car when cleaning it. Check the engine, too, and make sure you have it fully charged and the oil and filter have been changed.

When the first buyer contacts you about your car, meet up with him or her in safe and public places. You don\’t have to show where you live, and the buyer would feel safer when in doing a sale in public. Be prepared to host more than one person. Your buyer might bring in family or friends, or even a mechanic or expert, to take a look at your car. Make sure to give them time to talk among themselves to discuss the pros and cons of buying your car. It will ease up the awkwardness and give them room of comfort.

There\’s also the paperwork to take car of when selling your car. Consult with the nearest state motor vehicle office and ask about the legal requirements needed to make a vehicle sale in your area. You\’ll have to take care of your car\’s title, registration, license plates and insurance policy. Inquire about the steps to be undergone, and the expenses and payments. You will need to notify your insurance agent about the sale and have your insurance canceled when you\’ve made the deal.

Remember that selling a car may be tiresome, and that there will be some haggling and frustrations at times. Have some patience and try not to pressure your buyer too much. Negotiations to make the sale successful can be a little frustrating but just put in some patience and consider your buyer\’s position in wanting to make a reasonable purchase.

When doing the financial transaction for the sale, insist on a cash payment, or a certified or cashier\’s check. A wire transfer of funds into your account is also all right. Just make sure that the money already arrived in your account before signing over the title to your buyer. Never accept a personal check, though. It is not advisable, especially with such an amount. Once you\’ve settled these things with your buyer, you can hand over the signed title and the key to the car, and move on with your own purchase of a new car.

HISTORY

In car development, as in evolution, there are winners and losers. Those who saw Italdesign’s Cala prototype were certain that this was going to be the baby Lamborghini, the spiritual successor to the Urracco, the SIilhouette and the Jalpa. Back in 1994, it looked exactly right. Put it next to the car which did become the inheritor of that bloodline, the Luc Donckerwolke designed Gallardo, and it looks baggy and overblown, unsubtle in its detailing and determinedly last century. The Gallardo, all crisp lines and geometric precision, still looks fresh and challenging.

It certainly drew some plaudits when it was first shown at the 2003 Geneva Auto Salon, offering a squatter, sharper take on big brother Murcielago. Both six-speed manual and e-gear coupe models were available, both powered by the same 492bhp V10 engine. 2005 saw the release of the Gallardo SE with its Calisto rims, black roof and tweaks to the steering and gear ratios, with engine power rising to 520bhp. A Nera special edition model, of which 184 units were produced, was introduced in early 2006.

2006 was a key year in the Gallardo’s development. Few thought that the engine, gearing and steering changes lavished upon the SE would not filter down to the ‘stock’ Gallardo model and so the MY2006 car proved. Despite looking very similar to the previous year’s car, this model was transformed into an angrier, more effective sports car. Equipment levels were improved and a Spider convertible model was released. The following year saw the release of the hardcore Superleggera coupe, a lower volume model that was 100kg lighter than the Gallardo coupe and was targeted at the well-heeled track day customer.

WHAT YOU GET

The Gallardo’s shape works wonderfully well. Although it shares many styling cues with its bigger brother, the Murcielago, the Gallardo is surprisingly small and slightly more aggressive with its chopped-off angles. Luc Donkerwolke, the man responsible for penning both cars, has once again excelled himself. Obviously a Lamborghini, the Gallardo’s detailing does enough to distance it from the Murcielago. Park the two side by side and you’ll appreciate the differences but such is the success of the Gallardo’s lines that the latest Murcielago has adopted a sharper, Gallardo-looking front end.

The Spyder is an interesting piece of kit. The Gallardo chassis was designed from the outset with an open-topped car in mind and hence has an incredible resistance to twisting. Even with the metal roof lopped off, the Gallardo is still a good deal stiffer than many supercar coupes. Only a very small amount of strengthening work was required, with some reinforcements added to the sills.

Unlike the Murcielago Roadster, which has a fiendishly complicated ragtop, the erection of which would make a fitting Krypton Factor finale, the Gallardo shows significant progress with an electrically folding hood mechanism operated by a pair of buttons on the centre of the dashboard. Twenty seconds later, you’re good to go, the roof either neatly cinched into place or secreted beneath the engine cover well out of harm’s way. The rear screen moves automatically while the hood is being raised or lowered and defaults to a raised position. Unlike its great rival, the Ferrari F430 Spider, the Lamborghini actually looks pretty smart with the roof up, the angular styling giving it a far better resolved profile than the slightly awkward-looking Ferrari.

If ultimate performance is your goal, look no further than the Gallardo Superleggera. Pirelli P-Zero Corsa tyres, optional four-point seat belts and carbon ceramic brakes signal its intent. The key change was excising just over 100kg from the car’s dry weight which dropped to 1,330kg largely through extensive use of carbon fibre. The biggest change to the styling, aside from the CF splitter and diffuser, was the fitment of 19-inch forged alloy wheels with titanium wheel nuts to shave an additional few grammes off. There’s also a Superleggera side decal.

WHAT YOU PAY

Early Gallardos can be found from around £75,000 although you’ll need to add £2,500 for the e-gear sequential manual gearbox, should you so desire it. You’ll still need £94,000 for a manual model year 06 car. Gallardo Spyders and Superleggeras are still trading for serious money and the canny buyers will wait a while until this market cools down.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR

The big ticket item to watch out for with a Gallardo is the clutch. Early cars came with a clutch plate made of a material not entirely dissimilar to Swiss cheese and there were reports of some cars with as little as 1,500 miles on the clock on their third clutch. Naturally, this would be dependent on the driver’s skill or lack thereof, and in 2005 the clutch was upgraded to a beefier item. Residual values tend to take a sharp dip after two years due to the fact that the 24 month Lamborghini warranty was not originally extendable and many owners took this as an opportunity to offload and move on. Look for scrapes to the front valance caused by car park ramps and also kerb damage to the alloy wheels. The interiors tend to be strong and the Audi-derived major mechanicals are also tough. Some have complained about paint resilience at the front of their cars and the Gallardo does seem very prone to stone chipping. Meticulous owners will apply 3M or similar protective films.

REPLACEMENT PARTS

(approx based on a 2005 Gallardo coupe) Spares are predictably expensive. The Pirelli P-Zero tyres retail at around £180 a pair for the front boots and £280 for the rears (fitted and balanced), which means that a new set of rubber isn’t going to leave much change from £1,000. Servicing comes every 7,500 miles and a normal server is around £1100 with bigger ones £2200. Lamborghini dealers have really got their act together in recent years and unlike in days of yore, won’t sting you with hidden costs.

ON THE ROAD

Against the clock, the latest Gallardo will register a sprint to 60mph in 3.8 seconds and keep going to 196mph. The four-wheel drive electronics aren’t quite as clever as those in a 911 Turbo when it comes to stepping cleanly off the line but get up to higher velocities and you won’t begrudge that, the Gallardo behaving for the most part like a traditional rear driver. Only when you’re really pushing it over scabby tarmac can you feel the front tyres biting for grip. What impresses most is the body control. Drive the same section of road in a Porsche 911 or even a Ferrari F430 and there would be a lot more roll, squat and dive. The Lamborghini planes flat, almost sucked to the ground, its hefty 19-inch tyres and foursquare stance giving the driver almost unassailable confidence levels.

The Superleggera takes things to another level. The car is definitely louder than a standard Gallardo but the performance differences don’t look much on paper: an identical top speed and torque figure, 0.2s knocked off the sprint to 100kmh (now 3.8s) and 10bhp added to the power output. On track, a different picture emerges with the Superleggera offering superior grip and body control, largely down to the tyre choice. Snappy at the limit, it demands respect but is massively capable, on well-surfaced, dry tarmac at least. Needless to say, it delivers savage punch out of corners.

OVERALL

Before the advent of the Gallardo, the dream ticket was always an Italian supercar with German build quality. Now that such a thing exists, it seems strange that some see fit to complain about an erosion of Lamborghini brand values. The top brass at Sant’Agata hold the belief that the naysayers can complain all they like as the order books demonstrate this to be clearly a winning formula. Used Gallardos are generally sturdy. Look for the uprated clutch and servicing done on the button with no corners cut and you shouldn’t go far wrong.

Millions of people are fooled into believing those myths by savvy marketing and less-than-scrupulous mechanics. For example, the idea that your vehicle must have regular oil changes every 3,000 miles is an absolute falsehood. Similarly, your technician’s advice to have your radiator flushed once a year is more for his bottom line than for preserving your cooling system. Despite this, a lot of drivers spend unnecessary time and money following such advice.

In this brief article, I’m going to describe two common fallacies about car maintenance. These are myths that are perpetuated not only by your local mechanic, but by your dealership’s service technicians. Learn them and save your money. You will be glad you did.

#1 – Frequent Tune-Ups

Unless you’re driving a vehicle that was built when disco was still the rage, your car’s engine probably doesn’t need a tune-up. The service was performed in order to adjust the engine and moving parts during a time when carburetors were installed in every model. Today, the only car parts that need “tuning up” are the spark plugs. And those just need to be replaced every 50,000 miles. Everything else – the ignition, fuel injection, and idling of the engine – is controlled by computers.

Unfortunately, dealerships continue to tell their customers that they need to bring their vehicles in for a tune-up after 60,000 miles. That’s not surprising. After all, it increases their revenue.

#2 – New Air Filters

Think back to the last time you took your vehicle in for an oil change. Did the mechanic suggest a new air filter? Did he subtly imply that your car might sustain damage if you neglected to replace it? This is a common misconception. First, the air filter catches debris before it can enter the engine. Over time, the filter can accumulate so much dust and dirt that very little air can flow through. At that point, it’s a good idea to replace it. But, it takes a long time for the air filter to reach that stage.

Of course, that doesn’t stop auto technicians from recommending the replacement every time you visit. From their perspective, you come to their shop ready to spend $20 on an oil change and end up spending $40. What’s not to like?

Auto Maintenance Education Saves Money

Your vehicle requires ongoing preventative maintenance. That’s what helps ensure that it will last. But, it’s too easy to waste valuable time and money following bad advice from mechanics and dealership technicians. Remember, their goal is to increase their sales; many of them are willing to do it at your expense.

Chances are, your vehicle doesn’t need regular tune-ups. Nor do you need to replace the air filter as often as your mechanic might suggest. As always, follow your owners manual. It’s the best way to keep your car in great condition. If you find a mechanic you trust and believe is treating you fairly, then he will be your mechanic for the life of your car and all other vehicles you own.