Adulting

Get the Best Price for your Second Hand Car

Get the Best Price for your Second Hand Car
Image by andreas160578 from Pixabay

Husband and I have been in the market for a new (used) car since before the start of the pandemic, after ours went to car heaven for good. We’ve been lucky enough to have been loaned a car by my parents, which is something that has genuinely saved our bacon for the last two years, but we’ve managed to replenish our savings a bit and have started to look around for cars again. We’ve got a fairly set idea of the type of vehicle we want, but we’ve also seen a fair few things along the way that have been very off-putting, too. That’s why I’ve put together a little guide for anyone selling a new car of things that you can do which will ensure you get a good price:

Continue reading “Get the Best Price for your Second Hand Car”
Driving · Money

The Benefits of Car Leasing

The Benefits of Car LeasingWhen it comes to being a motorist, there are a lot of expenses to consider. Aside from the initial purchase price of a car, there’s the tax, insurance, MOT costs, maintenance, fuel…it all adds up. There are, however, cheaper ways of running a car, such a leasing, so we’ve teamed up with Car Lease Supermarket to talk to you about all of the benefits of leasing a car instead of buying outright. Here are a few of them:

You’ll Get More for Your Money

When you lease a car, you usually find you’re driving a better vehicle than you would if you had bought one. This is because, with a car lease you only pay the car’s depreciation for the lease period, not the value of the car (because you don’t own it). As a result, your monthly payments are usually lower compared with other forms of finance, so you can lease a better make, trim or option.

You’ll Always Have a Newer Model

After the initial lease period ends, you will be able to exchange the car for a brand new vehicle. This means that you will be able to reap the advantages of having a new car on a regular basis, allowing you to get the maximum benefits of fuel economy, performance and safety. It also means that you will be able to avoid massive depreciation costs, as you do not own a vehicle that is likely to be rapidly losing value.

You’ll Reduce Your Monthly Outgoings

Apart from fuel and insurance, when you lease a car you know exactly what motoring is going to cost you because your expenses are rolled into one – monthly payments, Road Tax and breakdown cover. And if you include a maintenance package, your ability to budget becomes even stronger because you’ll know what’s going out of your account all in one go.

Cheaper Maintenence

Leasing provides much lower maintenance costs than other forms of buying. This is because the person leasing the car does not retain ownership, so general maintenance costs are covered by the manufacturer’s warranty period. If the car being leased requires servicing or repair, the costs will be covered; this usually includes tyre and exhaust replacement.

No MOTs to Remember

Generally speaking, lease car are less than a year or two old, and cars don’t need to be MOT’d until they’re three years old. This means that it’s unlikely that you’ll ever have to worry about MOTs with a lease car because you’ll have upgraded to a newer model before it’s even due.

Bonus Tip

If you really don’t use a car that much but still need one to get around occasionally, why not think about using All Transportation Network to book reservations for chauffeured transportation? You’ll be travelling in serious style and saving yourself a whole lot of hassle.

Family

Top Features to Consider for Your Family Car

Buying a Family Car

Photo by Gustavo Fring from Pexels

When you’re young and buying a car, you want it to have features like a great sound system and maybe even a soft-top for cruising with your mates when the sun is shining.However, once you get older and you have a family, your car-related priorities are definitely very different as you have to start using things like car covers and floor mats to keep it clean!  Today, we’re looking at five features that make a good family car GREAT, whether you’re buying or leasing.

Extra Power Sockets

I don’t know about you, but my kids rarely go anywhere without their devices, especially if we’re driving for any length of time. Now, let me ask you this; have you ever been stuck in a traffic jam with a toddler whose tablet battery has just died?! Believe me, it’s about as close to torture as you can get without having your fingernails pulled out! Lots of cars now offer powerpoints which are accessible by the rear passengers, and believe me, being able to charge from the back of the car can be a godsend! Take a look at Lease Deals on the BMW M5 for cars with some amazing features.

ISOFIX Points

I’ve been a parent for almost 13 years and in all that time, I’ve used various different types of car seats. There have been some which are easy to put in and some which are an absolute pain in the rear end! I have to say that the current ISOFIX car seat that we have for Burrito Baby has been the easiest one to use. If you can find a car with ISOFIX points, it will definitely make your life easier and those saved minutes when trying to get out of the house can make all the difference.

Cup Holders

As well as needing their devices when we go anywhere, my kids are a big fan of snacks and drinks in the car too. And if you’ve ever taken snacks in the car for kids, you’ll know that there’s a HIGH possibility of spillages. Our last car had some really well placed cup holders which meant that both kids had a place to put their drinks and nothing ever got spilled on the upholstery. WIN!

Bluetooth

Using your cell while driving is downright dangerous. One tactic is to pull over when you have to talk. Another is to opt for a car with a built-in Bluetooth. That way, you sync your mobile phone with the car so you can make and take calls with a touch of a button (often on the steering wheel), or even by simply saying the person’s name. After all, the best family car is a safe family car.

Driving

Five Reasons to Lease a Car Instead of Buying

Leasing a New CarFor many of us, when we think about having a car, we immediately think of buying a vehicle. But there is a different way – leasing! It was estimated in 2018 that 1.6 million Brits lease their car and we don’t doubt that that figure is even higher three years on. With this in mind, I thought I’d talk to you today about the reasons for leasing a car, rather than buying:

The Cost

Believe it or not, the monthly cost of leasing a car is often cheaper than monthly finance payments. In fact, many people find that they’re able to afford a much nicer vehicle for their budget when leasing than spending the same money on finance. And don’t forget, most Leap vehicle leasing  will allow you to buy the vehicle outright at the end, if you want to.

Value

There’s that old adage about new cars losing a huge amount of value as soon as you drive them off of the forecourt for the first time, and that’s something that is definitely true. However, when you lease a car instea dof buying, the value of the vehicle is someone elses problem. Because you’ll be returning the car to the dealer instead of selling it, you don’t need to worry about losing anything when you’re ready to get a new vehicle.

Maintenance

Many new cars offer a warranty that lasts at least three years. So when you take out a three-year lease, most of the repairs should be covered. Leasing arrangements mean that you won’t have to worry about the expense of repairs, should something go wrong with your car. Also, new cars don’t require MOTs for the first three years either, so you won;t have to factor this into your budget.

That New Car Smell

There’s nothing quite like the feeling of driving around in abrand new vehicle, and that’s a feeling you get to keep when you lease a car – when the lease is up in a few years, you can return it and get your next new car. This means that you’ll always have a new car which is maintenance and MOT free, too!

No Need to Sell

Are you the type of person who hates to haggle? If so, you probably hate the idea of selling your used car to a dealership or a private buyer. With a lease, you simply return the car. The only thing you have to worry about is paying any end-of-lease fees, including those for abnormal wear or additional mileage on the vehicle, but this is something you can keep an eye on yourself throughout the lease, so you should have a rough idea of what these charges might be.

Driving

Simple Steps to Keep Your Car & Tyres Roadworthy During Lockdown

Taking car of your car and tyres
Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels

After impatiently waiting for lock down to get over , the UK government has prolonged the lockdown again. We know it’s a hard time to wait and is making many of us lose our patience. This is not a punishment but the government only wants our lives to be safe and that we do not get attacked by the virus.

Living in Yorkshire you might have realised that it is not doable sitting home for months. Many of us need to get out of our houses to do essential grocery or even getting medicines. To go out for such chores during this time is very risky but we can still do it with less risk by taking all precautionary and safety measures like wearing proper masks and keeping our distance.

We just not only have to make sure that we are safe but also the cars we sit in to reach our destinations are also safe and secure during this time.

No one wants to go through the hassle of car breakdown if he/she is on the street to get grocery or important medicine right now. There  are few things listed below to keep your car fit to drive in this lockdown.

Take proper care of battery

Pandemic has made all of us use our vehicles as little as possible. This eventually causes few components that give power to the car , getting corrosive or losing their power. One such component installed in the car is its battery.

At times when you are trying to start your car it shows glitches while starting. This can be due to your battery getting flat. If you are less frequently using your vehicle there is a high probability that proper electric current is not reaching the battery hence causing it to lose its power overall. To overcome such a situation you need to give your car a start twice every week for as less as 10 minutes. In this way your car battery will be getting enough charging to avoid it getting flat.

Take tyre pressures levels into account

Letting your vehicle stand for a longer period of time in the garage can cause the balanced amount of air pressure in tyres to go loose and resultantly showing signs of tyre puncture. To avoid such a situation at this point in time , you should regularly check the pressure in your tyres with proper measuring gauges.  In case you feel it has under inflated, you can use tyre pressure gauges to insert ample air pressure in them to make them roadworthy or if you think that your tyres have completely deteriorated you can replace it with quality tyre by contacting tyre garages near your location. If you are looking for a tyre replacement you can buy tyres at Ossett Tyre House website & avail branch fitting or mobile fitting on friendly prices. You can call them here too  (01924271081)

Cleaning your car inside out

At this time many of you have nothing to do and want to kill this time by doing something productive, well we have a solution for that too! You can use your free time in making sure that your vehicle is clean from any unnecessary dirt or dust particles by washing it using clean water and antibacterial detergents. This will not only make your vehicle look visually clean and spotless but also will keep it safe from entering of unwanted viruses. Check out Good Car Keeping on the step by step to deep cleaning your car

We hope that you utilise your time in making sure you follow the above precautionary steps to keep your vehicle safe. The next time you go out to get groceries you won’t be facing any car breakdowns after following the above steps.