What to Do Before Attending a Public Car Auction - March 31, 2008

There are a number of things you should do before going into a public auto auction. It is best to be quite prepared before participating in such an event. In fact, I recommend that you attend a few of these auctions just to see what happens in them and learn from what you have observed. But whether or not you decide to do that, you may be able to learn something more from my own observations on how to prepare for a public car auction.

It is important for you to have realistic expectations about the vehicles being sold in public auctions. Depending on the organization doing the auction, the cars on offer may be of decent quality or may be little more than junk. Government auctions, such as those held by the Government Services Administration (GSA), are said to have good-quality vehicles in their auction, especially when these are government surplus items. On the other hand, insurance company car auctions generally deal with vehicles that were involved with accidents, most of them of little interest to the regular type of car owner.

The quality of the cars being auctioned should be your foremost concern, as public auctions sell their vehicles “as is” with without no buybacks, warranties, or guarantees. You usually cannot return a car after getting it at an auction, and it is very difficult to get any reimbursements.

A public auto auction will generally have a preliminary inspection period. The timing of the inspection period may vary, so be sure to find out the schedule. It may be a day or two before the auction, or in some cases, only hours before. Whatever the case, you should make it a point to attend the inspection, getting there as early as possible. You will not be allowed to drive the vehicles, but you can sit in them and start the engine. You should take down the Vehicle Identification Number of any auto that you plan on bidding on.

You can use the Vehicle Identification Number on the Carfax website to find the vehicle history for a selected car. (There is a fee for using this service). This will allow you to see if the vehicle possesses a clean title. The report you get will include an ownership and service history, which can be very useful information.

You are advised to get yourself a copy of the Kelley Blue Book or some other auto price guide. This can tell you the trade-in values for most autos and will help you in figuring your bid.

If you liked this article, then find more deal-finders.com/car-auctions/ information about public car auctions at deal-finders.com/car-auctions deal-finders.com/car-auctions

Premium Exhaust Systems Rock -

Stock exhaust systems are designed to adequately convert unsafe emissions into minimally harmful exhaust. Unfortunately, these particular types of systems are prone to corrosion. It is not unusual for owners to have to replace their muffler, a tail pipe, or even a catalytic converter at some point during the time that they own their vehicle. If automobile manufacturers would only fit their vehicles with premium exhaust systems this problem would cease to exist. Unfortunately, it is the “bottom line” that determines that decision. Let’s take a look at premium exhaust systems as they are definitely something you many want to consider the next time your exhaust system has to be replaced.

When it comes to premium exhausts systems, a Borla exhaust system is the benchmark by which all others are designed. The reason? Aircraft quality material, specifically T-304 stainless steel the same steel that goes into building all those lovely Boeing aircraft you see in our skies, is what a Borla exhaust is made of.

There are a number of reasons why a premium [also known as performance] exhaust system makes sense:

Long Lasting — Quite frankly, it helps to make an exhaust system out of something that cannot easily corrode. The makers of Borla exhausts discovered that aircraft quality stainless steel was the most likely to endure changing temperatures and road conditions, therefore they build them with only the best materials and back them up with a one million mile warranty. Gee, just how many people do you think will even keep their cars that long? Not many; likely a performance exhaust system would be the last exhaust system for that car.

Economical — Say again?! Yes, your cash outlay will be much higher than a stock exhaust system, but your car’s resale value could get a boost and you won’t ever have to pay for another exhaust system again.

More Horsepower — Did you know that your stock exhaust system is not all that efficient? Sure, it does the job by keeping pollutants to a minimum but it also works against your engine by restricting power. Top quality performance exhaust systems, including those made by Borla, free up energy, thereby helping your engine to squeeze out more power.

Improved Fuel Economy — A side benefit of a more efficiently working engine is a bump up in fuel economy. Since your engine works smarter, it doesn’t need to burn as much fuel. The resultant spike in fuel economy is an attribute few take into consideration.

A Cool Sound — Performance exhaust systems are designed to emit a cool sounding note to let you and everyone else know that your vehicle has been transformed into a Formula 1 racer. Okay, we can pretend…however, the sound that a performance exhaust system makes is pleasing to all.

So, there you have it. I shared with you a brief overview of a performance exhaust system and the many benefits of owning one. If you install one yourself you can save money; order online through an established and respected wholesaler and you can save even more cash.

Copyright 2005 — Matt Keegan is a car fan and automotive writer for the
winningexhaust.com Winning Exhaust, an online automotive retailer,
winningexhaust.com/stinger.html Borla Stinger Exhaust and
winningexhaust.com/proxs.html Borla Pro XS Mufflers.

Use The Internet To Get More Out Of Your Hummer Ownership Experience -

Hummer owners are unique individuals who enjoy the aspect of owning a vehicle that doesn’t look like everything else on the street. Driving a Hummer around is fun just from all the looks it gets you but there is another setting where you can find a great deal of enjoyment in Hummer ownership, it’s not at a car show, but instead is at your computer keyboard. The internet can open up a lot of awesome opportunities to maximize the enjoyment of your Hummer.

You can learn more about your vehicle and accessories that are available for it online and also chat with other owners on message boards, forums, and chat rooms. Without the internet you would have a hard time finding as much information about Hummers. Sure you can get a lot of information from a Club or even a dealer but you have a world of information at your fingertips with the internet.

If you are having a particular problem that you can’t figure out, like maybe some irritating noise you can post it on a forum and see if others have the same issue. You may end up getting a reply from someone in Australia or even South America! I love the way the internet helps make the world a smaller place.

You can find schematics and instruction manuals that are far better than any print manual or owner’s guide. You can even find out how many models were made in a given year. If you need a particular part you can find it by part number and order it all online.

With the infinite resources available to you online you can educate yourself and become an expert in everything there is to know about a Hummer. You can even study the history of how they were developed all the way from the conception to the actual production. You will be able to find information on the internet that before would have only been able to be viewed by the original designers of the vehicles. The information-sharing network that exists insures any Hummer driver can learn more about their vehicle than they may have believed possible.

Even if learning and research doesn’t get the blood pumping or excite you quite like an afternoon drive or give you the sense of satisfaction you get from a do-it-yourself repair job, it can help to considerably increase the quality of your Hummer ownership experience and make you the most knowledgeable Hummer owner around.

Gregg Hall is an author and internet marketing consultant living in Navarre Florida. Find more articles about cars and 5starshine.com car care products at 5starshine.com 5starshine.com