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Posts Tagged ‘Banger’

Lease Hire: My Story.

February 23rd, 2010

After having the best two years of my life in Australia, it was time for the party to end and come home. I loved it over there and made great mates, but now it was time to get my act together and start being grown up. I’d me my man over there and a sluck would have it, he was from the same city as me. Lots of things needed to be sorted. I had to find somewhere to live, a job and a set of wheels to become mobile.

The only things I bought home with me was a tan and some sarongs. I stayed with my parents while I found a flat and I got a job pretty much straightaway which was a massive relief.

I really needed a car, but didn’t have the funds to put a deposit down to get the car I wanted. The last thing I wanted to do was buy an old banger – it would be a terrific waste of money. I wanted a new car, so I didn’t have to constantly sort out repairs and stuff. Then my dad suggested lease hire. It was a contract that you enter with a lease hire company. They would lease a new car to you, for a minimum of two years, say and you would pay a standard bill each month. Total mileage should not exceed the mileage cap set by the lease. But the mileage cap is normally pretty generous, so as long as you’re not a long distance lorry driver, then you’ll be fine. Plus, I only needed it for work, seeing mates and shopping – so my mileage would be relatively small. I decided to take a mini cooper lease hire from a friend of my Dad’s, Mark Attwood -  always wanted a mini, I loved them! I’m really happy with it, and I get a brand new mini for a great monthly price. It really helps me as I start building my life up again after my time in Australia. I’d well recommend car leasing for anyone who is seriously looking for a cool car, but might not necessarily have the initial capital to buy one.

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Which Retro SUV Should You Be Driving?

January 5th, 2010

The market is over flowing with used discontinued sport utility vehicles. Due to the economic hard times people need the money and are having problems keeping up with the day to day driving maintenance of a used sport utility vehicle. The Ford Bronco II, Chevrolet Blazer, and the Jeep Cherokee can be picked up for a fraction of the original sticker price. They offer good towing if you have a boat or trailer, good extreme weather condition driving, and a great fixer upper for the guy who wants to convert something into a 4×4.

In 1983 the Ford Bronco II Chiltons Repair Manual was first unveiled and ran through 1999 until it was replaced by the Ford Explorer. 1983 was a hard time for Ford the Pinto created a bad safety reputation for Ford because of the rear end fires it was experiencing. The Ford Bronco II was worried to have the same problem when first introduced; fortunately it did not have the same rear end defects however it performed poorly in the roll over test and still did all the way through its production life. When it debuted in 1983 it had a 2.0L four cylinder hardly enough for even getting through your seasonal snow. Today you can pick any year up for under fifteen hundred dollars that is if you can find one that has not rusted out. The gas mileage was reasonable due to the little fore banger underneath the hood getting 17 mpg city and 21 mpg highway.

The Chiltons Chevrolet Blazer Manual has been around for a long time first released in the sixties to the world as full size sport utility vehicle. It now is a midsized sport utility vehicle built on the S10 frame that comes in a two door and fore door option. It is hailed as being an excellent fore wheel drive vehicle by magazines and drivers alike. The most liked features are the engine reliability, styling and affordability. The Blazer has come with many engine variations over the years but for the last ten years it has come with 4.3L 190hp V6 engine. This engine is very easy to self maintain and the replacement parts are easy to come buy new or used. Today you can pick the end year model 2005 for seven to nine thousand dollars, not bad considering it sold new for upwards of twenty five thousand dollars new. The Blazer gets fair marks for gas mileage getting a respectable 16 mpg city and 21 highway.

The Jeep Cherokee first introduced in 1984 quickly started to turn other manufactures heads for its popularity. The Jeep Cherokee Chiltons Shop Manual has been a long home time favorite in the United States for its styling but not so much for its maintenance history. The Jeep has suffered with power train design problems, transmission problems, and just over all headaches. It’s not really one of your heftier midsized sport utility vehicles and has a limited towing capacity. One good thing is parts new and used are easy to buy and maintenance is a breeze even if you’re just using a manual and have no maintenance experience. Because of its popularity the model ending year 2001 sells for eight thousand dollars compared to its original twenty one thousand dollar sticker price. It gets reasonably good gas mileage with 16 mpg city and 21 mpg highway.

When you answer the add in your local paper to meet someone and take a look at theirs. Make sure to bring along a trusted friend or mechanic with a detailed service manual. From the outside it may look fine but unless you are a trained professional or have some knowledge of vehicles a nightmare is more likely than not to happen after you take ownership of anyone of these vehicles.

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New Drivers Can Save Money On Car Gearbox Repairs

December 26th, 2009

If there are any new drivers reading this, chances are that you are excited about being able to get your own car, but there might also be some apprehension about it all. Think about it – driving without the instructor sat next to you might make you a little nervous. Having said that, there are plenty of new drivers that just revel in the fact they have finally got some independence.

Learn More About How Your Car Works

It can be really easy to overlook the important aspects of car ownership, and gearbox problems might be something you find yourself dealing with. It could be that your parents have bought you a vehicle and it is verging on being an old banger. With the recession still biting at the heels of drivers, not everyone can pay for a new car and an older car is the only option, but then you have to take into consideration all the extra problems you may encounter. For example, gearbox problems are a dangerous reality of old cars and some new drivers simply aren’t away of what to look for or how to go about fixing it.

Do Some Research

Any understanding parent should point a new driver in the direction of where they need to be for getting their gearbox problems sorted. Actually, you don’t have to do a lot of digging, because there are some specialist gearbox repair centres in the UK that are capable of dealing with a whole host of nasty gearbox problems. Reputable companies will get your car as good as new.

The next thing you’re probably going to be concerned about is the cost. The best advice is not to head to a main dealer, as they will charge a fortune for just looking at gearbox problems. New drivers will be delighted to learn that they can save money by opting for a reconditioned gearbox.

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Are You Addicted to New Cars

October 24th, 2009

We are in the middle of a full blown recession, yet people are still keen to own the latest new cars. No matter how much people are struggling they still love to go out and splash out on the latest top of the range car.

Lets consider just a few of the reasong why people love to own new cars and why they are often willing to put themselves in considerable debt to drive the latest models.

Peer Pressure
This is most probably the reason many people are buying new, prestigious vehicles. What is worse than going out in an old banger and then watching your closest friends driving fancy, flash top of the range cars. People do not want other people to see that they are struggling, so they go out and buy a new automobile even though they cannot afford it, just to show people they have made it in there lives.

Showing Off
A lot of people want to buy a new vehicle to show off, they love all the attention they get from having people look at them when they stop next to traffic lights or pull up in a crowded area.

Speed
Some people love cars that go fast and they know that by buying a new car it will ultimately fulfill there thirst for driving at high speeds. New vehicles have a lot more pull and can go from 0mph to 60mph in much quicker times. Even diesels are quite quick off the mark.

Relaxation
A lot of people just buy a new vehicle simply for the relaxation factor. This is especially true if people are travelling long distances on a daily basis. They want to unwind and have all of the latest technologies that are available.

Collectors
There are still people around who are lucky enough to be very well off. Some of these lucky people are in the habit of buying new cars just to collect them. Their newly purchased cars can end up unused, sitting on the drive and ultimately sold off after a few short months. But to the buyer it does not really matter as they have the money to effectively feed their collection habit.

There is nothing wrong with buying a new car; I myself tend always look at new vehicles. But make sure that you have the correct finances in place to actually pay for the vehicle as if not you will probably end up getting yourself into a lot of debt and the debt company may well take back the car from you, leaving you with nothing.

I recommend car leasing as a sensible way to finance the acquisition of all new vehicles. I have my 5 series BMW on a very affordable BMW lease deal and all of my companies commercial vehicles are on very cheap van lease contracts.

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Five Tips to Know When Your Car Has Had It

September 12th, 2009

Cars are getting cheaper and cheaper, yet I am still seeing a lot of people driving cars that are literally over a decade old. It seems as though some people just do not know when their car has had it. So I am basically compiling a top five list so you know exactly when to change your vehicle.

 

Startup Times

If your car fails to start every single day and it is over a decade old then it could potentially be time to call it a day. Go out and seize yourself a brand new vehicle or one which is not older than five years. At least you will get a regular start up.

 

Exhaust

If your exhaust is starting to get louder and louder then you know that your car has had it. Is it genuinely worth paying to get a brand new exhaust system when you could spend the money to buy a new automobile instead? Also remember that if you acknowledge black smoke coming out of the exhaust system then it could signal that the head gasket is going.

 

Oil Leak

Oil leaks may be an indication that something is seriously wrong with the vehicle, check the colour of the oil and if it is black then this could again indicate that you really need to scrap the car.

 

Clutch

Is the clutch beginning to get heavier and heavier. If so then I would emphatically look at changing the automobile, merely because a clutch will in all likelihood cost more than the car is actually worth in its entirety.

 

Bodywork

Ultimately I would check to see the body work, if you have major rust on the car, not only can it be life-threatening to the driver and passenger. But it will also in all likelihood fail its next MOT test leaving it off the road and leaving you carless.

 

Superb used cars, Looking for a great Volkswagen or Renault

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