Just when you think you are doing the right thing for the environment and your wallet! I would love to have and drive one of those small “smart cars” that seem to be getting more and more popular these days.

My wife could be able to park in a parking lot a little easier and faster it would save us lots of money on gasoline purchases and give us warm fuzzies about helping our environment by consuming less natural resources.

So what could be wrong with that scenario? Well let’s just remember that the vehicles here in the U.S. are MUCH larger than most other countries. These larger and heavier vehicles could really ruin your day if you happen to get a little nudge by one of them.

I live in Texas, and drive a big ole truck…..you gotta if you live in Texas. I don’t think I will be trading in my keys for a “small or smart” car anytime soon.

I checked with snopes.com and they say the person inside the car LIVED, wow! Although many people thought it was one of those very small European “Smart Cars” it was actually a Ford Escape, a smaller SUV.

Can you see what is left of that Ford Escape car? Look in front of the red hood of the dump truck behind the ambulance, and behind the black dump truck bed. Being built “Ford Tough” is no match for two dump trucks. I won’t be following behind any large trucks anymore.

Blessings,

Austin Davis

Reader question:

I’ve always bought my cars for the price offered, but I have a friend who recently got her car dealership to lower the price of the car she was buying after negotiating. I had no idea you can do this? How can I haggle for a good deal on my new car?

Tyler

Just gotta be confident, for one.

The main key to getting a good deal on anything is believing, or at least pretending to believe, that you are entitled to it and you know it. Confidence doesn’t cost a dime and it takes you a long way when it comes to getting bargains, or really getting anywhere. So, before you head out to that car lot, set yourself some goals and give yourself a boost in self esteem. Remember that they’re charging you more than necessary and they don’t have to. You can get those prices to go down and get a great deal on your new car. People do it all the time.

Secondly, prepare yourself. You can’t convince someone to give you what you want if you don’t have a very clear idea of what that is. You’ll just end up falling all over yourself in the negotiation process. Do some research online about your new car, and determine what the going price is and what you want the price to be. Also figure out the options that you want with your car, and how much they cost. It’ll only take you a couple of minutes to figure out how much is the lowest your new car is going for.

Start low and slow. Your salesperson thinks that you’ll accept the first price they offer you, so ward them off. By starting three hundred dollars below the price that you actually want, you can get lower prices out of the salesperson, because they will automatically offer you a price higher than you suggest.

Don’t forget, there’s more than one kind of great deal. Don’t get your heart set on that great price, because you might not be able to get it. But don’t forget that there’s more that you can do. If you can’t lower the price, you can get other kinds of deals, like an extended warranty. You might have to give up some of the expectations that you had, but that doesn’t ruin everything. The negotiation process is give and take.

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.

Reader question:

Where can I get the results of crash tests?

Caleb

It’s easy.

Car insurance companies use a lot of factors when deciding how high your premium rates will be, and one of the main factors is your car. A lot of the aspects of your car are taken into consideration, including how new and how expensive your car may be, as well as its make and model, its performance on certain tests, its history with the car insurance company, the rate a which it is usually stolen, even down to its color.

When shopping for a car, it’s a good idea to keep all of these aspects in mind so that when you buy your car, take it home, and then go to get it insured the next day, you don’t have to worry so much about getting charged crazy prices on your policy because you’ll have bought a car while thinking about the price.

One of the main aspects of your car the auto insurance company will look at when calculating your rates is how it does in certain crash performance tests. When a cr is released, it usually goes through a certain amount of impact tests. You know the commercials with the dummies who have a yellow plus sign on their heads, crashing into walls?

Like that. These tests usually look for how a vehicle stands up to impact from both the front and from the back. Cars that perform well on both ends of this test are more likely to get rated better when it comes to car insurance. Why is that? Because insurance companies prefer to insure cars that are a lower risk, and if a car is less like to sustain very much damage in the case of a crash, then the car insurance company doesn’t have all too much to worry about.

You can go here to see how your car performed in its crash performance test, and also find out how much repairs cost for various vehicles.

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.

Reader question:

Do my car insurance rates change if I buy a new car?

London

Usually.

One of the main reasons that car insurance rates go up is a pretty simple one. Financiers require you to have more coverage on a car you have a loan on, in order to cover their own backs, and as such with a new car you’ll probably have more coverage than is the norm for you.

This is the case if you are buying through a car lot or through another type of dealership that requires you to make monthly payments. If you just buy a cash car, though, you probably won’t see a rise in your rates, at least not for this reason.

There are other reasons having to do with new cars that you might see your rates rise. Insurance companies consider a lot of factors when trying to figure out what to charge you, and one of those factors is the newness and the worth of your vehicle. For this reason, you’ll get charged a lot more for a 2007 BMW than for a 1982 Ford.

The best thing to do when adding a new car to your coverage is to shop around and see if other companies might offer you better prices. Your rates may go up regardless of whom you choose to insure with, but some might not go up quite as much as the provider you’re with right now.

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.

Reader question:

What’s the difference between insurance for a new car and an old car?

Oliver

The difference isn’t a big one, but it can be important.

It’s like this. They’re both cars, they might even be the same kind of car, the only difference being the year, but your view of them is completely different, and so is an insurance company’s. You want to get more insurance on your new car than on your old one, because, hey, it’s new. Your insurance company wants to charge you more for insurance on your new car because it’s worth more and would cost more to replace, and at the same time people are statistically more likely to drive badly in newer vehicles.

The more you pay for your car, the more you’ll pay for your insurance. This isn’t always the case. Volvos, for example, tend to get cheaper insurance coverage because they have lower theft rates and collision rates. So, when you buy a new car, either be ready to face higher rates, or get a Volvo.

So how do you save on insurance for your new car?

• Get some safety add-ons that protect passengers, like interior padding and collapsible steering columns.
• Get some safety add-ons that keep you from crashing, like anti-lock brakes.
• Find a company that replaces total losses. Some companies now offer to replace a new car with another new car of the same make and model, without deducting for deprecation if that car is in its first year or first 15,000 miles.

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.