Right off the bat, let’s clear one thing up. You will not profit from buying a car unless you intend to, or are already in the business of buying and selling cars. Depreciation will decrease the value of your car the longer you use it, no matter what. It isn’t an investment, so no matter how you carefully treat it, you can never make the money you bought your car with back, much more make a profit off it.

Now with that out of the way, here are some tips to guide you in your car buying expedition, particularly if you do not intend to keep the car for life. These are tips to maintain the substantial resale value of your new car. Think of it as accepting the fate that your first car buying experience will have to end in a break-up.

- Stick with classic colors and options. A neon green car may strike your fancy, even if no one really understands why, but buying a car fit for resale entails sticking to the basics.

- Remember that setting up the car’s engines, audio and detail accessories will not necessarily boost the resale value of your car. Why juice it up anyway if you know you want a more expensive car for keeps down the financially stable road?

- There are some detailing jobs that will remain classic resale boosts: a nice stereo, sun roofs and leather seats.

- Buying a car that is easily maintained helps, too. Readily available parts and a familiar engine will keep maintenance hassles to a minimum. Polish it, have regular check ups and get multi-point inspections done.

- Think about safety when buying a car. Check if the latest technologies in car safety are present in the car. A safe car is a more resalable car than muscle-packed, speed mobiles. Check for airbags, anti-lock breaks, traction control, electronic stability and side airbags.

- Look for technological adaptability when buying cars. Take heed from future-minded car manufacturers that make simple cars that can house future technological advances.

- Take a look at the prospect ten years later when buying cars. Think if it fits the baseline profile of its type: compact, sports, luxury, SUV etc. In short, know what buyers expect from these types of cars.

- Don’t go wild with it. A souped up vinyl tattered car is a hard sell. Think about this before buying a car that costs more and you plan to turn into a customized bullet.

- Keep your region in mind. Certain features and styles are expected in certain regions dependent on the terrain and lifestyle. Why settle for buying a compact car in a mountain filled county?

- Despite the rising costs of fuel world wide, it is still a safe bet to decide on buying a car that has a bigger engine. The logic of which still escapes some.

- Beware of monthly payments for navigation systems and in car communications systems when buying cars.

Finally, learn to buy a car that you’ll enjoy. Financial advice is wise, but worthless if you ride a vehicle you didn’t want to be caught dead in when you were still fantasizing about buying your car.

About the Author

John G. Nuble 2005. For up to date links and information about car buying, please go to: auto repair, Transmission Repair, Lee Myles Transmissions AutoCare, Lee Myles Auto Repair, Lee Myles Transmission Repair, Auto Care, Car Care, Auto Repair Shops, Automotive Services, Tranmission Services, Lee Myles, Transmissions

(ARA) - Parents and students will do well to get their vehicles in shape before winter arrives, according to the pros and the nonprofit National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE). Many breakdowns can be avoided entirely by routine maintenance. The following tips from ASE should give parent and student alike a road map to fall car care.

First things first — Read your owner s manual and follow the manufacturer s recommended service schedules.

Engine Performance — Get engine driveability problems (hard starts, rough idling, stalling, diminished power, etc.) corrected at a good repair shop. Cold weather will make existing problems worse. Replace dirty filters air, fuel, PCV, etc.

Fuel — Put a bottle of fuel de-icer in your tank once a month to help keep moisture from freezing in the fuel line. Note, too, that a gas tank that s kept filled helps prevent moisture from forming.

Oil — Change your oil and oil filter as specified in your manual — more often (every 3,000 miles or so) if your driving is mostly stop-and-go or consists of frequent short trips.

Cooling System — The cooling system should be flushed and refilled as recommended. The level, condition, and concentration of the coolant should be checked periodically. (A 50/50 mix of anti-freeze and water is usually recommended.) If you re doing your own work, never remove the radiator cap until the engine has thoroughly cooled! The tightness and condition of drive belts, clamps, and hoses should be checked by a certified auto technician.

Heater/Defroster — The heater and defroster must be in good working condition for passenger comfort and driver visibility.

Windshield Wipers — Replace old blades. If your climate is harsh, purchase rubber-clad (winter) blades to fight ice build-up. Stock up on windshield washer solvent; you ll be surprised how much you use. Carry an ice-scraper.

Battery — The only accurate way to detect a weak battery is with professional equipment. Routine care: Scrape away corrosion from posts and cable connections; clean all surfaces; re-tighten all connections. If battery caps are removable, check fluid level monthly.

A word of caution: Removal of cables can cause damage or loss of data/codes on some newer vehicles. Check your manual. Be sure to avoid contact with corrosive deposits and battery acid. Wear eye protection and rubber gloves.

Lights — Inspect all lights and bulbs; replace burned out bulbs; periodically clean road grime from all lenses. To prevent scratching, never use a dry rag.

Exhaust System — Your vehicle should be placed on a lift and the exhaust system examined for leaks. The trunk and floorboards should be inspected for small holes. Exhaust fumes can be deadly.

Tires — Worn tires will be of little use in winter weather. Examine tires for remaining tread life, uneven wearing, and cupping; check the sidewalls for cuts and nicks. Check tire pressure once a month. Let the tires cool down before checking the pressure. Rotate as recommended. Don t forget your spare, and be sure the jack is in good condition.

Emergencies — Carry gloves, boots, blankets, flares, a small shovel, sand or kitty litter, tire chains, a flashlight, and a cell phone. Put a few high-energy snacks in your glove box.

For more car care tips, visit www.ase.com.

Courtesy of ARA Content

About the author:

Courtesy of ARA Content

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Have you ever asked yourself the question? Is this a good time to sell my business? That is a question every business owner asks himself, every time he has a bad day. I once received e-mail from the editor of the Auto Body News, asking me that key question. What is happening in the market today? Is this a good time to sell? My quick answer was These are very interesting times.

Of course that answer doesn t tell you anything that you can get your teeth into. So! Let me clarify my answer. Since I have been selling body shops for 10 years, I have seen many changes in the body shop industry. One thing that hasn t changed is that there have always been an abundance of both sellers and buyers. The buyers have always been, and still are picky about what they were looking for.

The perfect shop in the eyes to the buyers is (A) one that has a customer base and a revenue stream that is reliable and isn t dependent on the owner being there to retain each individual customer, and. (B) doing a volume of at least $100,000 per month, but really much more. Large volume sellers think that if they have a DRP (Direct Repair Program,) they have what body shop buyers want. A DRP is where the insurance companies set up a relationship with the body shop to do all insured s body shop business, much like an HMO in the health insurance field.

This may be what buyers want, but the DRP contracts are not automatically transferable, and a buyer will be very unhappy if the DRP leaves, the buyer, after they have paid a lot money for this reliable revenue stream. Smaller volume sellers, on the other-hand, not having corporate accounts, dealerships or other contracts still have hope for getting lots of money for their shops. The average shop I run across is only doing about $300,000-$500,000 annual gross income. So what we have is a situation where a lot of buyers are looking to buy a shop, but there are not a lot of shops available, which fit what they are, interested in-$1,500,000 annual gross income or more.

This year, one change has occurred. There are fewer shops available than at any time in my career. Not fewer of the large volume shops for sale, that is fairly stable, but fewer of the small mom and pop repair shops that have not been in heavy demand. The reason, I believe this has happened is because of the booming economy. Low volume shops are doing better than they have in years. They are making money, and do not feel as much pressure to close down. They still would like to get out, but when they find out that their 5,000 sq. foot shop which is making them a $100,000 net profit, is only worth $100,000 on the open market they decide to keep on working.

As always, the shops doing $1 Million to $3 Million per year gross income is still in demand. The price alone still is the main factor, in determining if these shops will sell. A good example of this is what is happening in lower Orange County. There are currently a couple of shops in Lower Orange County that are for sale, by the owners. They appear to be very profitable but the asking price is too high and the buyers all know it. Even the fact that these are the only shops available for sale in this prime area has not changed the fact that buyers just refuse to over pay.

Last year I was marketing a high volume shop, in Ventura County. The buyers refused to pay the asking price, even though the volume was there. Why? The profit wasn t. In this situation, the buyers would not pay for the volume and stability of income unless the net profits were there. They didn t assume that they would make a profit where the current owner was not. It appears that the buyers of today are very careful. I believe they do not trust their own ability to get new business and therefore are too careful.

To clear up any confusion about what kind of buyers we are talking about, lets break the buyers up into categories. The first category is the consolidators. There are two large ones in Southern California but they are not the whole market. I have talked to out of state consolidators that have inquired about moving in to the So California market. Consolidators want shops that fit their model. That model sometimes changes but basically they will buy a shop if it fits their model.

If it doesn t, they will not touch it. The price by itself doesn t turn their interest on or off. We do not have enough space to discuss what this group will buy, in this article. It is enough to say, If your shop fits their criteria they would have contacted you and expressed interest. If they haven t contacted you, they are not interested. Period! They know their market place and who is in it.

By the way, if I owned a shop that a consolidator wanted, I would never sell to them. Being a professional negotiator for 20 years, I find the requested seller financing terms totally unacceptable. When I have discovered what the terms of the sale are, after the fact, amazed me. I had buyers for the same money, or more, without the seller being at risk, but no one asked me.

The second category is the multiple location shop owners. Usually with one or more DRP contracts shop that wants to expand into more areas. They are very interested in the sq. footage of the shop, and its ability to handle over $2 Million Gross Income per year. This buyer only looks in limited areas. The areas being where they have been offered a DRP contract. When they are looking, they need it now, while the window of opportunity is open to them. If they can t find it quick, they will not need it at all. Recently I had a multiple shop buyer who had made an offer and was negotiating on a shop in West Los Angeles. By the time we finished the negotiations, the DRP contract was gone and consequentially, so was the buyer.

The third category is the buyers who have worked in the industry before, but do not currently own a shop. Also in this group are the buyers who have family in the industry; money is no problem. This buyer believes If it doesn t have a DRP, forget it. If it has a DRP and isn t making much money, also forget it . If it has a DRP, and it is making money, they are interested but only at what they consider is a fair price (In their eyes). This group I have successfully changed their mind as to how they analyze what a good shop looks like and on occasion they have bought shops with a steady reliable income , instead of trying to find a shop with only a DRP insurance contract.

The fourth category is the person that just wants a shop. They will do what they have to, to afford a shop-that will work for them. This group is the working body man or auto repair shop mechanic. Because of their limited funds, this buyer will only pay what he or she feels the equipment is worth. They will pay nothing for goodwill because they believe that the seller s customers are not stable and will leave when the ownership changes. Are they wrong?

In Conclusion: There are a lot of buyers out there. My database has over 250 current names of body shop buyers. There is currently a shortage of shops for sale but mostly in the properly priced category. Most days I feel like a marriage broker with a lot of plain brides and a few beauties. The dowry for the beauties is more than most good-looking boys will pay. The balance of the girls may not be pretty, but some of them can sure cook. Anyone want to get married? Have I got a girl for you

About the author:

Willard Michlin is a Business Broker, California Real Estate Broker, Accountant, Well known Public speaker and Administrative/Business Consultant. He can be contacted at his Ventura, California office by calling 805-529-9854 or by e-mail at kismetrei@earthlink.net See other articles by Willard at http://www.kismetbusinessbrokers.com

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When you are in search of excellent advice about car repair, it will be intricate separating superior information from foolish car repair submissions and support so it’s astute to know how to qualify the information you are given.

Now we’d like to give you some tipswhich we advise you to use when you’re searching for information about car repair. Understand that the advice we give is only appropriate to internet information concerning car repair.Unfortunately we are unable to provide any guidance or advice for researching in ‘real world’ situations.

A great tip to follow when you are presented with help or advice about a car repair web is to ascertain who owns the site. This may reveal the operators car repair authority The quickest way to work out who owns the car repair website is to look on the ‘contact’ page or ‘about this site’ information.

All decent sites providing information on car repair, will almost certainly provide an ‘about’ webpage which will list the owner’s details. The info should make known major points about the owner’s skill and understanding. You can then decide for yourself about the webmaster’s training and understanding, to advise people on the subject of car repair.

About the author:

Tom Brown is the webmaster at factoidspecialnews.info

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(NC) You can never take winter driving conditions for granted. Take for example the Minnesota man who, in January 2001, drove a few kilometres to the grocery store and ended up getting stranded in a winter storm for 36 hours!

While you should always try to avoid driving in winter storm conditions, it is sometimes unavoidable. Since the weather is often unpredictable, Michelin advises drivers to be prepared for the unexpected.

“Installing four winter tires on your vehicle will help keep you on the road and can prevent drivers from becoming stranded in severe weather conditions,” advises Tony Mougios, Brand Manager for Michelin in Canada. “Michelin has incorporated new technologies and rubber compounds into our winter tire lines to give drivers extra control and performance in winter conditions.”

In the event you find yourself stranded on the highway or a secondary road this winter, Michelin offers the following tips:

• Move your vehicle as far off the road as possible to avoid being hit

• Turn on your hazard lights to attract help

• Keep additional clothing in your vehicle and put it on to keep warm

• Use a cellular phone to call for help

• Do not drift away from the car and run the engine periodically, but not continuously

• Move your arms and legs to improve your circulation and to keep warm

• Consider the outside temperature and wind chill before leaving your vehicle

The most important tip to remember is not to run your engine continuously, especially if snow is accumulating rapidly. Internal combustion engines produce exhaust fumes known as carbon monoxide a colourless, odourless gas that, if inhaled in sufficient quantities, can cause drowsiness, unconsciousness, coma and even death. If snow accumulates and blocks your exhaust pipe, you are at risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.

Take the time to have your vehicle checked before venturing out on the roads this winter because a little preparation and prevention can go a long way. Just as you never expect to get stranded, you can never tell what old man winter will have in store.

- News Canada

News Canada provides a wide selection of current, ready-to-use copyright free news stories and ideas for Television, Print, Radio, and the Web.

News Canada is a niche service in public relations, offering access to print, radio, television, and now the Internet media, with ready-to-use, editorial “fill” items. Monitoring and analysis are two more of our primary services. The service supplies access to the national media for marketers in the private, the public, and the not-for-profit sectors. Your corporate and product news, consumer tips and information are packaged in a variety of ready-to-use formats and are made available to every Canadian media organization including weekly and daily newspapers, cable and commercial television stations, radio stations, as well as the Web sites Canadians visit most often. Visit News Canada and learn more about the NC services.

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