Its a sure guarantee that when buying used cars, buying repossessed vehicles from government auctions is gonna get you a much better deal. The reason is because vehicles at these auctions are put up for sale at 40 to 70% off their original asking price!

The trucks, SUVs, etc that are now under the control of the government are there because their previous owners were either involved in criminal events or their money was illegally owned. When the cars are first repossessed a public garage houses them until the cases have been settled. Should the case go against the favor of the previous owner the vehicle in question goes to auction.

Mostly it is the private auction houses that the government asks to sell the cars for them. Members of the public then have the right to purchase these cars at very discounted prices.

Unfortunately trying to find these auctions on the web can prove hard. The police will not simply give you a list of all the places of the seized cars. When trying to locate these seized cars yourself and not use an online searching guide, whats required is visits to the auction houses and research.

As these auction houses dont tend to advertise seized vehicles you could try calling any numbers you find in your local yellow pages directory. To find out which ones handle seized vehicles check with them when you are speaking with them on the phone.

Visit their office after you find out the ones that do.

At their office look through the listings of government auctions of the repossessed cars. That way you can shorten the list to the vehicles that you are wanting to take a look at. Try to get as much information as you can on your initial visit.

This will include asking what documents you will need to present. Also, how much cash you will need if you do win a bid plus any specifics like the dates and times of auctions. Before attending an auction to actually bid on a car its a good idea to go as an observer first if you can.

Being a spectator before trying the bidding process gives you a good start to how everything works.

Last of all, practice restraint. Auctions especially can have a highly competitive mood, creating a lot of adrenaline within participants. Therefore, if the bidding price gets higher than you would like to pay, back off as there will always be more!

If you take a look at our site you can see a link to a guide with all US auctions available of seized cars including all auction times and dates.

The guide will tell you about offline and online auctions.

Posted under Cars

Many factors determine rates for quotes. One myth is that rates are only set by law, unable to be changed. Although methods used by insurance companies to set rates are regulated, the actual quotes or rates you receive are not. You will see different rates for different companies. Comparing rates of different companies can save you a lot of money annually.

How they set your insurance rate:

Let's look at what happens when you submit an application for car insurance. First, you are sorted into an individualized group based on each piece of information in your application, as well as other sources. Once your customized group has been determined, the insurance company calls up the pricing information for that group. Finally, any discounts you qualify for are subtracted from the price, and your quote is returned. The entire process is completed by sophisticated software behind the scenes, based on information you enter online or an agent types into a computer.

Where do all these premiums go?

-70% goes to claims.

-four percent makes up their profit.

-The other 26 percent is for other expenses.

Why do they have different rates?

Each insurance company will have different groups with different prices for each, so the rate you pay can vary from group to group. Insurance companies each have their own claim payments and expenses. They use all this information that you provide to set their rate.

What type of information affects your premiums?

1.Who you are:

-How old are you?

-Your Gender

-Marital Status

-Your Area Code

-Where you work

-Credit History

-How long have you been driving?

2.What type of vehicle do you drive?

-The year

-The make

-What model is it?

-Annual mileage

-What are the safety features?

-How much does the car cost?

3.What you've done:

-Any traffic tickers?

-3.0 average in school

-Let policy lapse

-How many claims you have filed

-Have you ever filed bankruptcy?

-Taken a defensive driving course

-Have you ever had an accident?

4.Coverage

-Medical payments

-Rental reimbursement

-Any roadside assistance?

-Property damage or bodily injury?

-What about property damage or bodily harm?

Posted under Cars

My wife and I have decided to erect a metal building at the back of our house. We hope it will become something of an all-purpose building. We have discussed this idea for a few years and I think we have finally made the decision to proceed with construction.

I have a few toys (ie. a 4-wheeler and a Seadoo) that I would like to store inside. I have stored them outside for a few winters but I know that is a bad idea. My wife wants a large sheltered work space where she can set out her quilting frames, undisturbed, for months on end. The idea is that I would use the building for storage in the winter and she would be able to use it all summer.

Now that we have decided to actually build we have a number of decisions to make. The first significant decision relates to size. My wife often works on 2 quilts at a time. Each frame can extend to a size of 10 feet by 6 feet although she would rarely have both frames extended at the same time. She sometimes has other women from her quilting circle working with her so there would need to be a few feet of clearance on all sides. I think 16 feet by 12 feet would be the minimum. It's likely safer to go with the larger model which claims to be 20 feet by 16 feet.

We've already decided on a nice looking model, and now that we've picked the size, we now have to decide about where the building will sit. Personally I would like the building to be at the far side of the lawn - it is easy to get to once a year to put the vehicles in storage, but it is far enough away so it doesn't crowd the side yard. My wife however wants the building a bit closer, since she'll be using it most evenings and wants it a bit closer. We are still discussing this issue.

We also have talked about whether or not we should wire the building or not. I didn't think it was required, but it only took a few minutes to decide that regardless of how close it was to the house, lighting and outlets are pretty much a necessity. It also gives us the option to add a space heater if it gets cold in the late summer evenings.

That is pretty much it for our metal building plans to date. Since we've already chosen the model, we just have to finalize the price (our model is available from a few different vendors), and then get the site ready. Once that is done, we'll arrange delivery and installation. We are both looking forward to our new storage building, but it's funny how it's for different reasons each.

Posted under Cars