Purchasing a scooter is a big decision. You will much appreciate when the process is completed so let’s learn a bit about buying a scooter for your parent.  

Here’s What To Look For In The Wheels:
The wheels of a scooter are important, because if they are not functioning, not working, one will not be able to use the scooter at all. Look for a solid wheel, so that flat tires are never an issue. Look for tires that balance the scooter. A scooter that feel safe, solid and secure is going to give the rider more confidence in driving anywhere.
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4 in 5 women in UK surveyed believed understanding the vehicle’s history was the most important thing when buying a used car.

Whilst female buyers are just as aware as their male counterparts of the pitfalls of buying in the used car market, they feel much more vulnerable about putting themselves through the buying experience.

Many of the female car buyers surveyed said they would rather place the onus on the car dealer, their husband or male friends to actively check out a vehicle and seek confirmation of its history. 
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Police arrested a man who they say robbed prospective car buyers at knifepoint after luring them with advertisements on Craigslist.

The arrest of David V. La, 35, came after a five-mile chase that ended when La lost control of his car and collided with a tree. La was booked into jail in connection with two robberies and two attempted robberies.

BE CAREFUL! Always bring another person with you, make sure someone knows your whereabouts, meet and stay in a public place, never allow a stranger to take you to an isolated area. Times are only getting tougher and people are getting desperate.

To Lease Or Not To Lease

The decision-making process on whether to lease or buy a car has been altered by automakers’ scaling back their leasing operations under pressure from high gas prices, making leases less available and much more expensive in many cases. Here are some points to consider about leasing:

PROS

New Car Frequently: You won’t have to drive the car for more than two to four years, depending on the length of the lease (36 months is typical).

No Money Down: Leases require little or no down payment, although you can make one in order to lower your monthly bill.
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The car industry faces further gloom as new research reveals that motorists are drastically changing their car buying plans in light of the deepening economic crisis. Only 18% of motorists say they feel confident enough not to change their future car buying plans

Three quarters (77%) of motorists say the current economic climate will impact the purchase of their next car.

15% are set to spend almost £3,000 ($3,900USD) less on their next car, as economic uncertainty grows.

Over a quarter (26%) of motorists say they won’t be able to afford a new car at all.
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The pace of new car registrations in France slowed abruptly in October as consumers postponed purchases of big-ticket items due to increasing gloom about the economic outlook. Latest data by the car manufacturers’ association showed a drop of 7.3% in registrations last month compared with the same period a year earlier.

Unlike most other automobile markets in western Europe, France held up well over the first nine months, underpinned by the introduction of a system of bonuses and penalties aimed at dissuading consumers from buying fuel-thirsty cars and encouraging them to buy more environmentally friendly models.
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Would you buy any of the cars listed below? The original list is titled “The top 10 cars that Americans hate”. Hate is such a strong word. Do people really hate cars? So, to generate this list of the cars Americans dislike, Forbes looked at sales data for the 10 major vehicle segments. The vehicles with the lowest sales in their class made this list.

Kia Rio (Subcompact Car)
Why Americans Hate It: Acording to J.D. Power’s 2008 dependability study, it ranked miserably making it a risky quality purchase for some buyers.
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Selling a car isn’t a 1-2-3 step method. You literally need to be prepared for anything. Here’s a pretty good article about how to prep for the sell.

1.) Do the research and check your car’s market. Like anything else, preparation is key to a sale or any other transaction.

2.) Appraise your car and determine your price. You can lurk around the car sites to get a feel, but it should also be pretty easy to find out how your car will be valued in the open market.
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High gas prices mean low demand for gas guzzlers, new or used.  You And the last thing a used-car dealer needs from you is another big SUV sitting unsold on his lot. So here’s a few tips on selling your SUV.

Sell to individuals, not dealers: It is harder to get the price you want with dealers, of course, since they need to resell the vehicle at a profit. ”

Leave on bells and whistles: While SUV owners are sometimes advised to take off the rooftop carrier to remove some weight–and be able to advertise better mileage–this could be counterproductive. Any extras that could attract a buyer should be left as they are. People want it as stocked as you can get it.
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It is quite common for people buying a new car to trade in their old car. Many times the happy customer drives away into the sunset and forgets all about this tiny detail only to get a very rude awakening a few weeks later. They suddenly find out that their new car dealer did not pay off their car loan in a couple of days as promised.

Legally when the bank calls, the loan is still in your name and you are therefore still liable and responsible.
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Gaywheels.com, a source of information specifically targeted to and about lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) car-shoppers, rounded up their 2008 Q3 most researched cars and here’s there top ten (more like 14)…

1 VW Rabbit
2 VW Eos
3 Mazda MX-5 Miata and Audi A3 – tie
4 Mazda MAZDA3 and VW Jetta – tie
5 Toyota Yaris
6 Saab 9-3 and Dodge Caliber -tie
7 Volvo C30
8 smart fortwo
9 Toyota Matrix and MINI Cooper – tie
10 Maserati Grand Turismo

New cars have a distinct smell that some people like, mainly because it confirms that they are indeed driving their own brand new car. However, that new car smell is caused by something: leftover chemicals used in making the car. Yep, that new car smell really isn’t good for you, and in some cars it can be quite a concern. These chemicals are unhealthy for us to breathe and even unhealthy for us to get on our skin. They include: PBDEs, decanol, formaldehyde, naphthalene, acettonitrile and others. Some of these chemicals are linked to serious health problems.
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People readily see faces and traits in cars, and a new study suggests that they prefer cars to appear dominant, masculine and angry.

The finding rests on the propensity we have to actually see faces or human characteristics in everything from cars to clouds, a phenomenon called pareidolia. But now researchers hope to better understand what goes on in the brain when people see faces in objects versus humans faces, as well as help automakers design more appealing cars.
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The few consumers who are buying new cars are being forced into bigger down payments or all-cash deals in the latest sign of how the credit crisis is battering an already weak auto market.

The average down payment on financed car purchases has jumped nearly $1,000, about 20%, since July, and all-cash transactions are at their highest point in three years. Consumers are increasingly being frozen out of the credit market, as banks and other financial institutions continue to tighten their lending practices.
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What To Consistently Check Up On

1. ENGINE COOLANT AND ANTIFREEZE
How Often: Check twice yearly, once before summer and again before winter; change if coolant has brown tint or rust bits.
Pay Now: Free to check; up to $5 to top off with correct mix of water and coolant or antifreeze. If you don’t use the right coolant for your car, you could damage your engine.
Or Pay Later: Without coolant, you can damage the water pump ($50 to $100) and possibly your engine.
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Before you commit your business to a shop, check the local Better Business Bureau and government consumer-affairs offices for complaints against it. Better safe than sorry!

1. That minor fender bender will be a major expense.
A survey of repair shops in the Washington, D.C., area by Consumers’ Checkbook, a consumer-information group, shows that replacing a fender on a 1998 Buick LeSabre can cost as much as $982. A new front bumper on a 2006 Mercedes-Benz E-Class can go as high as $1,350.
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The word “lemon” probably will cross your lips long before the vehicle is actually a candidate for a manufacturer buyback

Strange rattles, a faulty interior light, a malfunctioning compact-disc player or a balky heater don’t add up to a lemon. If the brakes don’t work as they should, the car won’t start when the temperature dips, the accelerator pedal repeatedly sticks, the reverse gear malfunctions or the car has no power to reach highway speeds, you may have a case if the problem can’t be fixed.

What’s a Lemon?
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Men are just as vulnerable if they are more inclined to base their decisions on what the car means to them.

According to a survey, men are more motivated by emotion when it comes to buying a car while women watch their purse strings. Such things as the make and model of a car and the brand reputation are far more important for male purchasers than female ones.
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American-sized cars seem to be preferred in China

Buying an automobile is no longer the domain of the wealthy and Communist Party officials. As China’s middle class broadens, a car culture is burgeoning. But in some key ways, the car-buying experience is decidedly different than in the United States. Total sales of all vehicles are rising 20% per year, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers. General Motors Corp. sold 1.03 million cars in China in 2007.
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Always visit dmv.org before going to the DMV.

1.  Why does everything take four visits and roughly three hours of standing in line to a DMV prolem fixed. The problem? Everything from not bringing enough or the right forms of ID to having his records confused with those of another driver of the same name. Making sense of the DMV is an $11.5 million business for DMV.org, an unofficial guide to state rules and peccadilloes.
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