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By Jarrod Watson
When shopping for a pre-owned vehicle, peace of mind means a lot. You, as the consumer, want to make sure you are purchasing a safe and reliable vehicle from a reputable dealer. Some things you should ask from your dealer about the vehicle you are looking are include:
1) How or where did they come up with the price of the vehicle? Did they pull the price out of thin air or are they actually using a third-party recommended value, such as NADA or Kelly Blue Book?
2) Make sure you see a copy of the actual CARFAX report. This will let you know the history of the vehicle, including:
a. Number of owners
b. Any reported accidents
c. Any flood damage
d. Any odometer discrepancies
e. Is the title clean or is it a salvage title
f. Have the airbags ever been deployed
3) Ask for a copy of the AutoCheck report by Experian. This is very similar to the CARFAX report, and they even score the vehicle on a 100 point scale, with 100 rating the best compared to similar vehicles. This report is good because, just like your credit, agencies report to multiple companies. This helps support and cover any gaps that might be on the CARFAX report.
4) Have the dealer show you if the vehicle passed an Autoscan laser frame inspection, or was the frame just “eye-balled” for damage? The Autoscan actually uses a laser measuring down to the millimeter to check the integrity of the frame. In some cases, a vehicle may have been in an accident and never reported to CARFAX or AutoCheck, but the laser frame inspection is going to show any flaws in the frame.
5) Have the dealer go to www.fueleconomy.gov and show you the estimated gas mileage for the vehicle you’re interested in. Dealers have it posted on new vehicles so you know the gas mileage you’ll be getting, why not on a pre-owned vehicle?
6) Ask what kind, if any, safety and maintenance inspection was done on the vehicle. Have the dealer show you the inspection and any repairs that might have been done. Make sure all work was done by an ASE Certified Service Technician.
7) Find out what guarantee the dealer offers on the vehicle, their Service hours, and ask if they offer free towing and whether or not they provide a free loaner when your vehicle is in for service. It’s always nice to know if you’ll have to rent a vehicle if yours is ever in the shop.
8) Do your research on the dealer. Ask others who have dealt with the dealer about their experiences. Find out about the dealer’s reputation and customer satisfaction.
A vehicle is the second largest purchase you’ll ever make next to buying a home. You should make sure you are getting a safe and reliable vehicle along with a great value. Make sure the dealer will take care of you at the time of purchase and beyond.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Monday, June 1, 2009
Could you double your fuel mileage today?
By Willby Evans
Last year’s wild ride with fuel prices put fuel mileage back in most peoples’ mind. Here at Don Chalmers Ford, we had a surge in renewed interest in smaller, more fuel efficient cars and trucks. Customer after customer came in trying to trade in larger, less fuel efficient vehicles for gas sipping models. However, despite the pinch on all of our wallets, many people really had a need for a larger vehicle. Here in New Mexico, we have many customers who live in rural areas and need the hauling and working capacity of a large truck. Plumbers, electricians, and other businesses also needed larger vehicles even though gas prices were playing havoc with their budgets.
Now, after going through an equally sharp decline in gas prices over the winter, miles per gallon are still an important consideration for many Americans. I think most of us know that fuel prices will go up again in the future. For me, environmental concerns are of even greater importance for using less fuel. National security worries that arise from being exposed to the international demand and in dealing with foreign suppliers are of genuine concern, as well. Rather than debating the merits of any of these reasons (we can let the radio, internet, and TV commentators argue about that all they want), I think most of us can agree that using less fuel is a good thing, regardless of your specific reasons for doing so.
So, what do you do if you own a larger vehicle? Maybe you have a large family or need towing capacity. Maybe you just aren’t ready to buy one yet. That doesn’t mean you can’t do something about dramatically increasing your MPGs today.
Last month (April ’09), Ford Motor Company claimed the world record for the most miles on a single tank for a gasoline-electric powered mid-sized sedan by driving 1,445.7 miles on a single tank of gas in a 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid. The official estimated range for a single tank for this vehicle is around 700 miles, so they basically were able to double their mileage. So what was their secret? It was the drivers. Specifically, the drivers were trained in a driving technique called hypermiling. My next blog will go into details about this tremendous fuel saving technique.
I was very curious about this and what kind of difference it could make in other vehicles so I have decided to run a little experiment of my own. I have access to an E-350 van with a 5.4 liter V8 engine. Of course, this vehicle does not get anything near what I would call good mileage. I’m going to fill the tank and then drive it daily in city traffic (just my normal commute and errands, etc) in the aggressive way that many of drive everyday on our city streets. After that, I plan to drive the same vehicle on a second tank of gas using the same hypermiling techniques that were used to gain a world record for the Fusion hybrid. I’m wondering, can I also double the MPGs in a larger vehicle. I will report on what I find out next month along with a closer look at the mileage maximizing driving techniques.
Last year’s wild ride with fuel prices put fuel mileage back in most peoples’ mind. Here at Don Chalmers Ford, we had a surge in renewed interest in smaller, more fuel efficient cars and trucks. Customer after customer came in trying to trade in larger, less fuel efficient vehicles for gas sipping models. However, despite the pinch on all of our wallets, many people really had a need for a larger vehicle. Here in New Mexico, we have many customers who live in rural areas and need the hauling and working capacity of a large truck. Plumbers, electricians, and other businesses also needed larger vehicles even though gas prices were playing havoc with their budgets.
Now, after going through an equally sharp decline in gas prices over the winter, miles per gallon are still an important consideration for many Americans. I think most of us know that fuel prices will go up again in the future. For me, environmental concerns are of even greater importance for using less fuel. National security worries that arise from being exposed to the international demand and in dealing with foreign suppliers are of genuine concern, as well. Rather than debating the merits of any of these reasons (we can let the radio, internet, and TV commentators argue about that all they want), I think most of us can agree that using less fuel is a good thing, regardless of your specific reasons for doing so.
So, what do you do if you own a larger vehicle? Maybe you have a large family or need towing capacity. Maybe you just aren’t ready to buy one yet. That doesn’t mean you can’t do something about dramatically increasing your MPGs today.
Last month (April ’09), Ford Motor Company claimed the world record for the most miles on a single tank for a gasoline-electric powered mid-sized sedan by driving 1,445.7 miles on a single tank of gas in a 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid. The official estimated range for a single tank for this vehicle is around 700 miles, so they basically were able to double their mileage. So what was their secret? It was the drivers. Specifically, the drivers were trained in a driving technique called hypermiling. My next blog will go into details about this tremendous fuel saving technique.
I was very curious about this and what kind of difference it could make in other vehicles so I have decided to run a little experiment of my own. I have access to an E-350 van with a 5.4 liter V8 engine. Of course, this vehicle does not get anything near what I would call good mileage. I’m going to fill the tank and then drive it daily in city traffic (just my normal commute and errands, etc) in the aggressive way that many of drive everyday on our city streets. After that, I plan to drive the same vehicle on a second tank of gas using the same hypermiling techniques that were used to gain a world record for the Fusion hybrid. I’m wondering, can I also double the MPGs in a larger vehicle. I will report on what I find out next month along with a closer look at the mileage maximizing driving techniques.
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