Why one should buy a used car!

Since past couple of years used cars have become more and more popular all over the world. They forced people to comprehend that a good used car can be bought at half or even a quarter price of a brand new car. Despite the fact that a used car may have a few thousand miles, this does not connote that the car is not in good condition bearing in mind the fact that cars are made to last unless the car is botched by the owner.

Used cars also allow you to get enhanced features and more options than you might have been able to afford if you were buying the car new. Used cars are a great option if you're looking for a new car that just might be a little out of your budget range. Next time you buy a car, mull over a used car as an alternative and see how much you'll save by looking for used cars in your area.
A dependable and consistent used car is hard to come by. A customer needs to carry out a lot of research while buying a used car. Many people now a day have a preference for used car as it proves to be more inexpensive and reasonable compared to a brand new car. Customers require exercising a great deal of carefulness in order to evade being sold a sub standard or defective car. They should bare in mind a number of factors that prove to be very significant and noteworthy while making a purchase.

New car dealers are generally the safest place to buy a used car, because they have a propensity to sell used cars that are in good condition. On the other hand, they may tend to be pretty expensive. Reputed dealers have enormous inventories of good cars, and usually have no barter pricing. Used cars usually tend to have a bad reputation. Taking a mechanic or a person experienced with cars along, people can check a used vehicle for damages or faults. People who wish to buy a car should do from a dealer who has been in the surrounding area for a long period of time; as such dealers generally are inclined to sell good quality, reliable cars.
Before buying a used car, buyers are counsel to carry out a satisfactory examination of the car using an inspection checklist. They are also counsel to test-drive the vehicle themselves on different or diverse road conditions to check for defects or faults. People needing advice, tips or any sort of suggestions can also visit a number of websites that offers information on the same.

Peugeot’s bush picnic

NOT content with unveiling a stunning new four-door hybrid luxury GT “coupe”,
currently known only as the “RC…”, Peugeot has revealed it will also use its
home-turf bi-annual motor show to debut what appears to be a production-ready
compact hybrid crossover. Dubbed the “Prologue…”, the second petrol-electric show car to appear from Peugeot in Paris on October 2 is claimed to offer 147kW and “unexpected levels of performance”, yet produces the same meagre 109g/km of CO2 emissions as the RC hybrid sportscar (which delivers a claimed 233kW). The compact five-door crossover concept features trademark swept-back Peugeot headlights and a sweeping roofline with full-length glass roof, but new jewellery items include fresh triangular-shaped tail-lights, a gaping new cross-hatched grille, and chunky SUV-style matt-black highlights in its wing mirrors, side rub strips and bumpers.
Further exaggerating the off-road theme are pronounced wheelarch blisters on
bodysides that seem unusually slabby for a Peugeot hatchback, and what looks like
a tailgate that drops down under the rear hatch, splitting the rear bumper.
The French maker has revealed few other details to accompany these images, other than
describing it as being “derived from the fusion of different worlds” – presumably in reference to its employment of petrol and electric power and, for the first time in a modern Peugeot, its on- and off-road capability. “Anticipating future trends, the
‘Prologue…’ is an innovative combination of ideas at a number of different levels: its architecture, its style, its interior ambience, its modularity, its original high-tech equipment and also its new-generation hybrid technology,” said Peugeot in a
statement released last week.

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Lamborghini’s “new world” breaks cover

LAMBORGHINI has now revealed two teaser detail shots of a model that it describes as "a new world", ahead of its official world debut at the Paris motor show next week.

“It’s not just a new Lamborghini, it’s a new world," said the official Lamborghini press release that accompanied a single image of the car's (carbon-fibre) rear diffuser and central exhaust outlet on September 16.

A second image issued three days later on Friday (September 19), shows a section of the bonnet in profile above the front left wheel, tyre (a 295/30-section 19-inch Pirelli P-Zero, no less) and guard, which features a carbon-fibre front splitter and front side vent garnished with Italian colours.

An entirely new front bumper shut line proves the “new Lamborghini” is not a lightweight “Superleggera” version of the Italian maker’s 2001-based flagship Murcielago LP640, nor another Reventon-style special-edition.

But the new bodyshell’s go-faster front quarter venting supports speculation the car will be an all-new concept that breaks tradition with years of mid-engined Lamborghini models by being a front-engined, four-seat (and perhaps even four-door) rival for cars like Aston Martin’s Rapide and Porsche’s upcoming Panamera.

Some reports have even suggested the all-new Raging Bull model could be based on the latter through the two sports car makers’ separate ties with the Volkswagen Group, which owns Lamborghini and is now a subsidiary of Porsche.

All will be known on October 1, when Lamborghini appears set to do what Ferrari would never dare.

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9-X Air previews small topless Saab sibling

SAAB has signalled its intention to develop an all-new compact model range, widely expected to go by the 9-1 name, when it presented the smooth Volvo C30-sized 9-X BioHybrid hatch concept at the Geneva motor show in March.

Now General Motors’ Scandinavian subsidiary has revealed it plans to evolve the 9-1 series into a complete entry-level model family by announcing the 9-X Air concept, which will preview the 9-1 Convertible when it makes its global debut at the Paris motor show on October 2.

With a redesigned 9-5 flagship sedan finally expected to emerge next year and both an all-new 9-3 and the 9-4X SUV expected to be released in 2010, it’s unlikely the 9-1 hatch will hit the road in production guise before 2011. Some reports suggest the 9-1 could appear before both the redesigned 9-5 and 9-3, but either way we don’t expect to see a road-ready convertible version of Saab’s C30 rival in dealerships until 2012.

And while the Saab 9-1 model family is expected to reside upon a small front-drive next-generation GM platform that’s shared with the Holden/Vauxhaul/Opel Astra, it’s unclear wether its most striking feature, its so-called Canopy Top, will ever see actual rain or sunshine.

Of course, officially, Saab has not acknowledged plans to produce a direct premium hatchback rival for the likes of BMW’s 1 Series, the same company’s Mini Cooper range or the Audi A3, let alone a convertible version there of.

It says the 9-X Air is “an innovative design study exploring what a future open-air Saab could look like”, which also underlines Saab’s history of producing landmark convertible designs – including its first topless model revealed at the Frankfurt motor show exactly 25 years ago.

The four-seater 9-X Air, like the 9-X BioHybrid, features a wraparound glasshouse but this time it also includes the rear screen. Prominent rear pillars define the distinctive silhouette and also mount the flat-folding Canopy Top roof system, as well as the separate recessed rear screen.

Saab claims the design presents a coupe-like look with the roof up and a turbulence-free interior with the top down. Developed from the Targa-top principle, the fabric Canopy Top is said to differ from both a folding metal roof and a folding soft-top by folding away fully automatically into three small sections stored within the boot.

Saab says the rear screen between the buttresses then retracts automatically into the underside of the raised tonneau cover to allow stowage of the Canopy Top, before the screen then moves back into position to provide a complete glass surround for the cabin in open-top mode.

This,along with an active wind deflector on top of the windshield header rail, is claimed to minimise buffeting, reduce back drafts and eliminate the need for a wind deflector, while separating the rear screen from the folding top allows the employment of a glass area that is larger than feasible when integrated into a soft-top.

Measuring just 4.43 metres in length, 1.39 metres wide and 1.83 metres high, the 9-X Air also dispenses with a conventional boot. Instead, a spring-loaded storage compartment - large enough to accommodate two golf bags - slides out from underneath the rear lights.

The 9-X Air shares its 1.4-litre turbocharged BioPower hybrid engine with the 9-X BioPower concept, which it says was designed in tandem. Running on E85, it is claimed to produce 147kW, 280Nm of torque, projected average CO2 tailpipe emissions of just 107g/km and fuel consumption of 6.4L/100km (4.9L/100km on straight petrol) – despite 0-100km/h acceleration in a respectable 8.1 seconds.

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S-class spawns hybrid

Benz unveils its first hybrid passenger car, but it is not coming here

MERCEDES-BENZ will launch its first hybrid passenger car in overseas markets during 2009, but the Australian branch of the German manufacturer has told GoAuto this week that it was not engineered for right-hand drive. The S400 BlueHybrid will premiere at the Paris motor show next week – in the same hall as BMW’s first 7-Series hybrid, which uses the same “mild” hybrid technology with a different engine and transmission combination. A Mercedes-Benz Australia/Pacific spokesman said that although the S400 would not be sold Down Under, hybrid power should be available on select sub-S-class Mercedes-Benz cars by 2010. Dubbed the “world’s most economical luxury saloon with a spark-ignition engine”, the S400 BlueHybrid combines a
“thoroughly re-engineered and improved” version of the German marque’s 3.5-litre V6
petrol engine – now producing 205kW (up 5kW) – with a 120V three-phase AC electric
motor that generates 15kW and a “starting torque” of 160Nm. The combined output is
220kW and 385Nm. In another first for a series-production model, the S400 hybrid also uses a high-voltage lithium-ion battery pack, rather than nickel-metal hydride as seen on its most obvious rival, the Lexus LS600hL. Mercedes claims lithium-ion offers a number of advantages, including a higher energy density and better electrical efficiency, together with more compact dimensions and a lower weight.
Driving through a reconfigured version of the 7G-Tronic seven-speed automatic
transmission, the green S400 Blue returns a 7.9L/100km fuel consumption average
– a saving of 2.2L/100km over the S350 upon which the hybrid car is based – and
190g/km of CO2, which represents a 21 per cent reduction. Indeed, the CO2 figure
is claimed to be the world’s lowest in this vehicle and performance class. Acceleration from 0-100km/h is achieved in 7.2 seconds, with top speed reached at an electronically governed 250km/h. Additional weight of the overall system is just 75kg.

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GM celebrates 100 years by revealing the production Chev Volt and its vital stats

GENERAL Motors marked its 100th anniversary this week by officially unveiling the production version of Chevrolet’s Volt plug-in hybrid sedan, which it says will lead the company into its next century of car-making.

Bearing only a vague resemblance to the low-slung concept that emerged under the same name at the 2007 Detroit motor show, the production Volt and its preliminary specifications were presented in Detroit on September 16 by GM chairman and CEO, Rick Wagoner.

The road-going Volt surfaced more than a week ago when pictures of the vehicle, in each case partially obscured by senior GM officials, were made available for 12 minutes on GM’s media website in what appeared to be either a poorly handled media release or a deliberate pre-publicity “leak” ahead of this week’s official unveiling. The result of an official investigation into the matter by GM is yet to be announced.

“Revealing the production version of the Chevy Volt is a great way to open our second century,” said Mr Wagoner this week. “The Volt is symbolic of GM’s strong commitment to the future – just the kind of technology innovation that our industry needs to respond to today’s and tomorrow’s energy and environmental challenges.”

GM’s belated answer to Toyota’s super-successful Prius hybrid, the third generation of which will emerge at the 2009 Detroit show next January and should also eventually feature a “plug-in” recharge function, will enter production at the company’s Detroit-Hamtramck manufacturing facility – “subject to GM successfully negotiating satisfactory government incentives”.

The 2011 Volt is due for release in the US in late 2010 and has been earmarked as a model for global consumption - priced around the same as the current Prius, which costs $37,400 in Australia.

Like the Prius hatch, the Volt sedan is a relatively conventional small family car that, in this case, rides on the same next-generation front-drive Delta platform that will underpin GM’s new Astra, which is reported to have been developed to accommodate fuel cell technology.

It measures 4404mm long (40mm shorter than the current Prius), 1798mm wide (73mm wider), 1430mm high (60mm lower) and rides on a 2685mm wheelbase (15mm shorter). The four-seater Volt, however, offers a boot capacity of just 301 litres, compared to 456 litres for the five-seater Prius.

Other vital statistics include the fitment of MacPherson struts front suspension, a “compound crank twist” solid rear axle, four-wheel disc brakes with full regenerative function, electric power steering and 17-inch forged alloy wheels with special low rolling resistance tyres.

Toyota announced last week that it has begun UK public-road testing of a plug-in system for the Prius and expects to bring forward delivery of its plug-in system from 2010 to late 2009, but GM product chief Bob Lutz has been vocal in his claims that GM and Toyota are not in a race to produce the world’s first rechargeable car because the two designs are so fundamentally different.

Toyota’s plug-in Prius is expected to debut globally in small numbers in late 2009 - around the same time large test fleets of the production Volt will hit the road.

“A plug-in hybrid with a limited range is a very nice thing to have. It’s wonderful that Toyota is working on this. If they have some test fleets out next year that's great. But it’s not the same thing as a Chevy Volt, which is not a plug-in hybrid,” said Mr Lutz on August 28.

“After eight or 11 miles (13 or 18km) it (the Prius) reverts to being a completely normal gasoline-electric hybrid, which means you get about a 25-30 per cent fuel saving, but the point is they do burn fuel.”

Toyota has not revealed its electric-only traveling distance target for the plug-in Prius, which currently employs a 1.5-litre petrol engine that both drives its front wheels and recharges its nickel-metal-hydride battery pack for a limited electric-only range of up to about 18km. The next Prius will improve dramatically on that.

The Volt, meantime, will employ a new 16kWh lithium-ion battery pack that will enable the Volt to travel at least 65km when fully charged.

After that, a small E85-compatible petrol engine turns itself on and charges the electric motor enough to extend its range - but not to charge its battery, as in the Prius, returning fuel consumption of as little as 1.5 litres per 100km. The current Prius officially averages 4.4L/1]00km.

The Volt's battery pack contains 220 lithium-ion cells and delivers the equivalent of about 111kW and 370Nm of instant torque, for a claimed top speed of 160km/h.

GM says that, unlike the Prius, the Volt uses electricity to move the wheels at all times and speeds and, if driven less than 65km a day and recharged nightly, the Volt promises electric-only, emissions-free operation indefinitely.

Once depleted, however, the Volt’s battery needs to be charged via a main outlet, which GM says takes less than three hours with a 240-volt outlet or about eight hours with a 120-volt outlet – less if the battery has not been fully depleted.

According to GM, at US electricity prices (about 10 US cents per kWh), the Volt costs about 80 cents per day to fully charge at peak rates – about one-sixth that of a conventional petrol-powered vehicle.

“When the battery’s energy is depleted, a gasoline/E85-powered engine generator seamlessly provides electricity to power the Volt’s electric drive unit while simultaneously sustaining the charge of the battery,” says GM.

“This mode of operation extends the range of the Volt for several hundred additional miles, until the vehicle’s battery can be charged.”

GM says the finished Volt, which is claimed to herald “a new era of electrification of the automobile by creating a new class of vehicle known as the Extended-Range Electric Vehicle (E-REV)”, is one of the most aerodynamic designs it has ever produced following hundreds of hours of wind tunnel testing.

It claims it will offer the space, comfort, safety and amenity expected of a small four-passenger sedan, with a variety of interior colour, trim and lighting options never before offered in a Chevrolet sedan.

Features include a standard seven-inch touch-sensitive “infotainment center” with integrated gear-shifter, a driver-configurable liquid crystal instrument display, Bluetooth connectivity for phone and music functions, and an optional navigation system with onboard hard drive for map and music storage.

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Court finds Saab Grrrrrreen claims misled

GM HOLDEN has been ordered to train the marketing staff of its subsidiary, Saab Australia, in relation to misleading and deceptive ‘green’ marketing claims after the Federal Court declared that its “Grrrrrrreen” advertising campaign was misleading.

The Federal Court ruling, announced on Thursday (September 18), relates to newspaper and magazine advertisements published between July 27 and September 1 last year, which claimed “Every Saab is green” and “With carbon emissions neutral across the entire Saab range”.

It upheld claims by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), dating back to January 18, that the advertisements represented to consumers that by planting 17 native trees the company would offset the amount of CO2 produced by any Saab vehicle over the life of that vehicle, when in fact its CO2 output would be offset for only one year.

As part of the settlement of the ACCC’s legal action against GM Holden, trading as Saab Australia, Saab agreed not to republish the original advertisement and to have its marketing staff training reviewed as part of a scheduled review of its trade practices compliance program later this year.

GM Holden has also voluntarily undertaken to initiate the planting of an additional 12,500 native trees through government-approved abatement provider Greenfleet, which Saab estimates will offset the CO2 emissions from all Saabs purchased during the two-week perdiod from when the advertisement was first published until it was replaced by a revised version - for ten years, which is the official average lifespan of a new vehicle in Australia.

The ACCC warned it would take similar action against other companies it deemed to be “greenwashing”.

“Companies risk breaching the Trade Practices Act if they give an overall impression to consumers that their product is environmentally friendly when it isn’t,” said ACCC chairman Graeme Samuel in a statement.

“The ACCC will continue to be vigilant on ‘greenwashing’ and will not hesitate to take enforcement action, including Federal Court action, against traders who make false or misleading representations to consumers, as has been demonstrated by this case.”

Saab Australia umbrella group GM Premium Brands issued a statement the same day saying it had agreed to settle the ACCC’s legal proceedings, but pointed out that ACCC’s settlement documents acknowledged Saab did not intend to mislead customers.

“We take our responsibilities as an advertiser very seriously and we welcome the ACCC’s acknowledgement in the settlement documents that we did not intend to mislead consumers about the carbon dioxide offset program,” said the director of GM Premium Brands, Parveen Batish, who in February described the matter as “rather like taking a sledgehammer to crack a small egg”.

According to Saab, the advertisement intended to advise readers that 17 trees would offset one year of CO2 emissions for each car, however “some readers could have interpreted the advertisement to mean that Saab vehicles were carbon dioxide neutral over their life. The revised advertisement described more clearly that the 17 trees would offset carbon dioxide emissions for one year only”.

Saab commenced this carbon dioxide offset program in January 2007 and said that in August 2007 it identified that one advertisement was “not as clear as it could be”.

It said that it amended the advertisement and issued a revised version for publication of its own accord, before the ACCC had issued any guidelines regarding ‘green’ marketing.

“The advertisement was one of a number of promotional materials around the program and was only published for a very short time before we identified it was not as clear as it could be and replaced it," said Mr Batish.

“It is important to reiterate that we had no intention to mislead consumers and we welcome the ACCC’s leadership in recently releasing publications concerning ‘green’ marketing, carbon claims and environmental issues.

“As well as this, Saab has also initiated the planting of an additional 12,500 native trees through Greenfleet. Saab estimates these trees will offset 10 years of CO2 emissions from Saabs purchased during the period the advertisement was first published until it was replaced by the revised version on 12 August 2007.

“We took these steps because we feel it is important to demonstrate how committed we are to building and maintaining a relationship of trust and honesty with our customers,” said Mr Batish.

“When combined with the trees which Saab has already arranged to be planted pursuant to the program, it means that over 47,500 trees have been planted or are scheduled to be planted on Saab’s behalf.”

Mr Batish said that Saab is yet to receive any complaints from any Saab purchasers about the original advertisement, and that he believed environmentally conscious drivers would continue to support Saab, which would continue to drive environmental initiatives for General Motors in Australia.

“Being an environmental leader is extremely important to Saab,” he said. “Saab launched its BioPower range of vehicles last year and is proud to be the first and only car company in Australia to offer drivers a renewable driving alternative.”

Saab’s 9-3 and 9-5 BioPower “flex-fuel” models remain the only production cars available in Australia that can run on E85, despite the fact the 85 per cent ethanol fuel blend remains available only at three filling stations nationally – Rozelle in Sydney and Mawson Lakes and Parkholme in South Australia.

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