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Don’t Be Under These Situations When You...

drivemecrazy — Tue, 20 May 2008 07:27:14 +0200

I understand that when people are about to purchase a car, they get too excited. However, that excitement should be controlled so as to lead you to the right car you are looking for. This is because, more often than not, buyers commit these mistakes when about to buy a new car:

Falling in love with a model. Forget your emotions. Your emotions could just lead you into choosing the car that is not really suitable for you. Don’t close your options to the vehicle model you want. This would just limit your judgment of other vehicles. If you really want a particular model, your tendency is to ignore other models and embrace all the features it has no matter how good or bad it is.
Skipping the test drive. Don’t ever dare do this. You know that the vehicle you will be purchasing is to service you and not simply for decorative purposes. Sure, these vehicles appear as brilliant as they may seem in the glossy brochures of the dealers but you may never be sure that it performs as brilliantly as it appears. Doing a test drive is your only chance to test the vehicle you chose. This would be better than repenting forever why you bought such a ride.
Buying unnecessary extras. Don’t be fooled by dealers who sell you other features just to earn extra profit. They are just a waste of money, I tell you. You can refer to my previous post (Getting Away From Irritating Dealers) to view detailed information about this.
Negotiating down from the sticker price. Don’t look at the sticker price when you negotiate a deal with the dealer. A $500 discount is not that promising. Know its true cost and work on negotiating it up but lower than the sticker price.
Focusing only on the monthly payment when negotiating. Know the real cost of the vehicle you are buying. Though perhaps you would pay just a small amount monthly, you might end up paying for other fees aside from the vehicle’s price and, worse, more than the sticker price! So make sure that you agree on the price of the vehicle first before negotiating the monthly payments for other fees.
Buying the “deal” instead of the vehicle. Don’t just buy the vehicle just because you are getting a lot of discounts. Don’t take that bait. Make sure that you want what you’ll be purchasing because in the end you will be the one who will be using it.
Waiting until you’re in a dealership to think about financing. Be always prepared. Before you go to a dealer, make sure that you are armed with the knowledge about financing terms. If you are not, you will be more likely to be manipulated by the dealer.
Underestimating the value of modern safety features. Don’t just rely on the information the salesperson has to give you about the safety features of a vehicle. Research for the best safety features that will suit your needs and look for vehicles that are equipped with them.
Not researching the value of your current car. If you have an old one, know its value so that you can know where you will be getting a good deal on it—trading it or selling it—before buying a new one.
Not having a used car checked by an independent mechanic. When you buy a second-hand car, it is not only important that you spend less because in the end you could just find out that you wasted every dollar you spent on that. Have a professional mechanic to check it. Don’t be blinded by the exterior composition of the vehicle; be concerned of its overall condition.

So as much as possible, please avoid being in these situations. There would be no one else who would suffer when buying the wrong one but you. Therefore, make the right decisions. Have a good deal!

What To Do On A Test Drive (2)

drivemecrazy — Tue, 20 May 2008 06:26:43 +0200

The test drive continues here. Go check these things now. After learning all these things, you will be ready to decide whether you’ll purchase that particular vehicle or not. Here, check these:

Test the power. Are you satisfied with the power the vehicle has for you especially in times of sudden acceleration? Also, don’t forget to check the power when the air conditioning is turned on because this could cause a serious drain on small engines.

Evaluate the transmission. If the car has a manual transmission, check if the shifter and clutch are smooth to operate. Same as with an automatic transmission vehicle. Make sure that the upshifts and downshifts could be operated smoothly.

Check for better handling. Check how the car reacts to situations such as long turns, sudden swerves, and smooth transitions. Is it stable and controllable? Also, are you feeling that you could possibly avoid an accident if the need arises?

Try the brakes. Ensure that the brakes perform its function properly like slowing you down in a straight and controlled manner. Practice braking softly and then aggressively to know if it could serve you best in different situations.

Hear noises. Just be on the lookout for noises that you hear from the engine, interior, road, and wind both when the windows are open and when they are closed. Of course, you would not want to drive a car that gives you excessive noises! That would be irritating!

Have it parked. Park it and see how the car looks in the real world. See if it still appears as appealing as it was when it was still at the dealer’s lot.

So here are the things you should do when you are to test drive a car. If you think you can’t go checking all these things, have a knowledgeable friend come with you. If you see problems, then look for other cars that could give you the satisfaction that you want. Of course, you would not want to invest in a vehicle that is not as perfect as you want it to be.

What To Do On A Test Drive (1)

drivemecrazy — Tue, 20 May 2008 06:24:41 +0200

So you already have an idea about the things you should do before the actual test drive. After you did all those things, be ready because you are now set to hold the steering wheel and check the vehicle’s performance for yourself. Here are the things you should look out for:

Drive the exact model and trim of car you’re interested in buying. As much as possible, request to drive the actual vehicle you will be purchasing because the engine, transmission, suspension and tire packages, trim, and interior features of vehicles vary. When you drive the actual car, you won’t be getting surprises anymore about it when you purchase it already.

Ask the salesperson to stay quiet. It is necessary to ask him that favor so as to allow you to evaluate the car without any distractions. However, you can still talk to him when you have questions. Never hesitate to do that.

Choose your own road. It is better to do this because you are the one who knows what kind of road you regularly encounter.

Check the ride quality. To do this, it is best to drive the car through different road surfaces. Go for winding roads, city streets, hills, potholes, and the like to evaluate how the vehicle deals with those. Be observant of strange noises from the suspension when traveling on a rough road. Make sure that you experience a smooth ride that is free from vibrations.

Hold on! That are not all the things you need to know when you are on the road for a test drive. Check my next post so you could catch up. Watch out for it.

Items You Should Have When Traveling For...

drivemecrazy — Tue, 13 May 2008 06:30:40 +0200

When you go out for a longer drive, the things that I mentioned in my earlier entries are not enough to ensure that everything can be handled with just your mind as tool. With the extra miles that you will be taking, more circumstances could happen. With that, it is necessary that your road driving kit is loaded with more items than what you have during ordinary travels. They are as follows:

Basic tools. Included here are a set of socket and open-end wrenches, screw driver, pliers, and any other tools that would be enough to do certain jobs like changing a light bulb, tightening battery cables, and other simple jobs. If you don’t know how to do these things, at least have them with you so that any person who might help you has something to use.

Coolant hose repair kit and tape. An overheating engine is really not a good idea when you are on the road. The common cause of this is a leaking coolant hose. Therefore, when you have this part with you, at least you can solve the problem of overheating easily.

Extra clothes and small tarpaulin. Of course, when you are on a drive, it’s not only your vehicle that you should be concerned of. Have extra clothes with you and a tarpaulin where you can lie down on when changing tires.

Water and non-perishable emergency food. It is good that you have food with you which would be enough for you and your passengers to nourish you when the need arises.

CB radio. This is more important when you will be traveling on roads where you would have difficulty finding cellular services.

So, when you are planning to be out for a long-distance travel, I advise you to have these things with you in your vehicle. You know, no one will ever know what would happen to you on the road so it is better to be prepared to face every situation. Have a great ride ahead!

Things You Should Have When On A Drive (...

drivemecrazy — Tue, 13 May 2008 06:29:27 +0200

As promised, here is the continuation of the list of things that you should have in your vehicle whenever you go driving. If you don’t have these things yet, it is a wise idea to start making sure that you have them.

Gloves, hand cleaner, and rags. Of course, when you do things certain things in your car especially when it has something to do with the maintenance of your car, your hands would easily get dirty. Having a dirty hand is not a good idea since the dirt could easily transfer to your clothes or to your vehicle’s interior. Therefore, having these things inside your vehicle could be a great help.

Roadside assistance number. If you belong to an assistance program, it is necessary that you have its number somewhere where it is easily seen in your car so that you can easily contact them in cases of emergency.

Disposable flash camera. Though not really necessary, it is still wise to have a camera with you so that you could record the condition of your vehicle after an accident for insurance purposes.

$20 in small bills and change. It is necessary to have this so that it could be used for miscellaneous purposes.

Pen and pad of paper. This could help you in many other things. Take for example when you have to leave a note in your car windshield in times that you need to leave the vehicle to ask for assistance.

These items and the rest of the things I already stated in my previous post should be present in your vehicle. All these things are guaranteed to be very useful to you while on the road. However, there are still things that should be added to it when you will be out for a long-distance travel. Please see my next post.

Be A Responsible Driver

drivemecrazy — Wed, 07 May 2008 08:01:34 +0200

Indeed, driving is a right. Everyone who wants to do it can do so. However, it does not just end there. It does not mean that when you want to drive, you would not just drive simply because you know that it is your right. To tell you, driving is not a mere right. It is more of a responsibility.

Please take note that when you suddenly bump into another car due to carelessness, the concept of you being “right” would not be there to save you. If you have just been responsible enough to perform your responsibility of driving, then there would be no problem at all. Therefore, be a responsible driver. How would you know that you are responsible in performing your right?

Well, it is when you are following all the rules of the road. Also, you tend to be so respectful of all the people on the road - be it fellow drivers or traffic policemen. You are very careful not to commit any mistake. However, even with all the cautions you observe while on the road, you cannot avoid to be involved in an accident. But this incident occurs a lot lesser. You are only human. You tend to commit mistakes even when you try so hard not to. However, most of the time, when responsible drivers are involved in road mishaps, the cause is usually not made by them. It could be the fault of other people on the road and irresponsible drivers are an example. If you are not this kind, perhaps you are an irresponsible driver still.

An irresponsible driver drives recklessly. With all due respect, this is the one person who thinks that he is the owner of the road. When he is on the road, he will make you feel that you don’t have any right to drive there. Drivers like him are the most common cause of accidents on the road. More often than not, when this kind of driver meets an accident, that is the only time that they wake up and realize that they have been irresponsible. However, accidents are not a good way to make drivers become responsible. It will always be better to be responsible from the start. Being responsible would give you the best experience on the road. Believe me! It’s not too late for you.

Be A Teacher To Older People

drivemecrazy — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 06:34:24 +0200

You think that teaching adults how to drive is easy? Then, think again. You might have trouble teaching your teens, but you could find more trouble with adults. This is because they don’t want to feel inferior and would not listen to everything you say. They mostly want to go on with their own lives practicing what they believe is right. Therefore, their beliefs in something are hard to change or even influence.

For people who want to teach adults, they better have some respect. Of course, they are older than you. Understand also that they are ashamed still of not knowing how to drive at that age. Make them feel relaxed and comfortable with the situation. Older people are more afraid to try new things and are more nervous when faced with a steering wheel for the first time. Furthermore, you should give them instructions one at a time. They have the ability to want to do all things at the same time. So better not confuse them with giving all the directions because they would want to do those all at once and that would not be an effective approach.

Other than that, you should still follow the steps when you are teaching other people to drive like making the process of teaching slowly and carefully, having fun, and practicing in remote areas. You all know why these things are important.

So fasten your seatbelts now and be ready to be a passenger of the adult you just taught how to drive. Trust them - you are the one who taught them unless you don’t trust yourself. Be safe!