Vehicles

There are several options to buy used cars. Although choosing between these options would depend on your priority and preference, you have the benefit of sorting all the listings in classified ads.

The majority of the used-car dealers provide their list of sales in classifieds. With so many options, how would you determine whose terms could provide you with the appropriate used car of your choice?

Here is a list of second-hand car buying and selling options, and each of its pros and cons.

1) Dealers:

They provide you with a guarantee of title and the best legal protection. They offer a broad selection of cars and most offer less expensive and older model cars.

On the other hand, trade-ins could not provide the best price for your old car and purchasing of used-cars could be risky since most dealers buy from taxi companies, police departments and lease fleets.

To ensure the quality of a second-hand car, visit a dealership that specializes in the makes and models you prefer.

2) Private Owners:

There are two different sides of buying from a private owner they maintain their car regularly or they are trying to sell the car to dispose of junk. Although most privately owned used cars come cheap, you would be taking a car-investment risk with no warranty, security title and no legal recourse if you purchased a lemon.

You should ask for repair and maintenance receipts to ensure the upholding of the vehicle.

3) Car auctions:

Here you could get a good deal and save a lot of money if you really know cars and are an avid fixer-upper. Auctions also guarantee the car title.

However, you should first do your homework. Some auctions do not provide warranties, cannot let you run a test drive, and you will not be able to check the vehicles history record.

4) Rental car companies:

Rental cars are a good deal since they are rented by vacationers, businesspersons for short trips, and are guaranteed wearing road trips. Their cars are regularly serviced and they could provide the records of maintenance history.

However, even with a maintenance record, buyers would not have any idea who has driven the car before buying it. Rental cars could also cost slightly more than used-cars bought from private sellers.

Research is important to guarantee a best deal in your car investment. Avoid being scammed in the classifieds by trying the best option that would suit your needs.

When you think of exceptional cars that are built in Europe, does your mind run strictly to cars made by Rolls Royce, BMW, or Mercedes? Perhaps Jaguar and Lamborghini come to mind as well. Each of these makes deserve all the accolades given to them. Still, there are three makes that are, for various reasons, exceptional. Lets take a look at Volvo, Volkswagen, and Audi, the three makes featured in this article.

For a country of just nine million to produce one automaker would be amazing enough. To lay claim to two automakers is simply phenomenal. Both Volvo and Saab are from this particular country which is Sweden. Now a part of Ford Motor Company, Volvo has greatly influenced the automobile industry over the years. Safety standards that had been universally low elsewhere are much more appreciated with Volvo. Front end crumple zones, reinforced roofs and specially designed interiors have all had their origin with Volvo. Out of these high safety standards have come a line of cars that are, indeed, some of the best built and safest cars on the road. Fortunately, through Volvos leadership, many automakers around the world have incorporated Volvos high safety standard. This is what makes Volvo exceptional in my eyes.

The company that brought to the world the first peoples car, the Beetle, is also exceptional. First designed in Germany during the 1930s, the Beetle survived World War II and was one of the most mass produced and loved cars in the world. From the 1950s forward the Beetle managed to make motorized transportation available to people who otherwise could not afford a car. From college students in the US to migrant workers in Mexico and from the gritty cities of Holland to the Irish farmlands, the Beetle made owning a car affordable the majority of the masses. Even after importation to the US ceased during the 1970s, the Beetle was produced for another generation and sold in Mexico.

Without drawing out the point too far, the term that best describes Audis quattro technology is superior handling. Perhaps that is an understatement but when Audi introduced quattro all wheel drive the company threw the gauntlet down and told the rest of the auto making world that quattro was the standard by which all luxury sedans would be judged. Audi’s quattro technology has given the company such a huge advantage over competitors that over the years it has been banned from certain types of racing. Indeed, Audis quattro technology provides continuous traction long past when other road handling schematics have reached their threshold.

So, there you have it. Three truly exceptional automobiles from the European continent, exceptional in ways, perhaps, that should be labeled as extraordinary.

So, you think you know your cars now, do you? Well, consider this to be a test of your knowledge of Pontiac history. 21 Pontiacs are featured here: some are current models while others are truly classic in every sense of the word, dating back to the early 1960s.

6000 Full sized [or almost] front wheel drive sedan of the 1980s.

Aztec Ugly is as ugly does. This crossover vehicle ashamed the Pontiac fleet for two years during the early 00s.

Bonneville Full sized Pontiac sedan excitement retired in 2005 after more than 40 years of service. Part of GMs massive restructuring and retiring of top model names.

Catalina This model hearkens back to the mid 60s when two door hard tops ruled the day. Discontinued during the late 70s during GMs down sizing shell game days.

Fiero Mid-engine sport two-seater built for Pontiac during the go-go 80s. GM reached into their parts bin and took out Chevette and other components to create this little roadster.

Firebird It goes without saying that this pony car is sorely missed. The good news is that it may be back by the time the 2009 model year rolls around.

Firefly Twin to the Geo Metro, the Firefly was Pontiacs 3 cylinder captive import of the late eighties to mid nineties.

G6 Current compact model in Pontiacs arsenal available in rakish coupe or sporty sedan.

Grand Am — With its 1973 debut, the Grand Am quickly became the divisions mid-range performance car. Retired in 2005 with a host of other Pontiac model names.

Grand Prix Hidden tail lights and a concave rear window marked the Grand Prixs 1963 debut. The car has survived GMs model name shake out and todays car is a mid-sized, front wheel drive sports sedan.

GTO Introduced in 1967, the GTO was a true coupe turned sports car. Eliminated in the 1970s, the GTO is back thanks to GMs Australian division, Holden. Rear wheel drive and a big V8 too.

LeMans Originally a Tempest model, the LeMans became its own model once the Tempest name was retired in the 1970s. Retired in the mid 1990s after a cheap Korean car was allowed to carry its name. Sheesh!

Montana — A minivan for Pontiac, if not for the ages.

Parisienne During the 1980s Pontiac needed a version of the Chevrolet Caprice. This full sized, rear wheel drive sedan filled the bill.

Phoenix Part of GMs X cars of compact import fighting vehicles introduced during 1979 as a 1980 model.

Sunbird Nothing but a rebadged Chevy Cavalier.

Sunfire Compact coupe retired in 2005 as part of, you guessed, GMs model restructuring.

Sunrunner Nothing but a rebadged Geo/Chevy Tracker.

Tempest From the early sixties until the early seventies, the term muscle car befit this hot coupe. Especially nice as a convertible!

Trans Sport Hideous looking minivan that debuted in the early 1990s. Mercifully replaced years later by the Montana.

Vibe A currently produced compact five door sport wagon; cousin to the Toyota Matrix.

So, there you have it. At least another half dozen models were left out from this time period plus many models that dated back to the divisions founding as part of the Oakland Automobile Company in 1926. Pontiac excitementhave you caught it yet?