So you want to look for a new car but can’t seem to make your finances stretch far enough? Or maybe you’ve already found the car of your dreams, but know there’s no way you’ll ever be able to afford it. You’re not alone – the car industry has been hit hardest of all by the recession and car sales have reached an all time low. It seems no one can afford to think about purchasing a new car right now.

But don’t let that discourage you – there is still another option. There is a way you could still get the car you want, without even having to pay upfront for it. Car contract hire or leasing agreements are a great way to choose the exact car you want and you only have to pay one manageable monthly fee.  

I know what you’re thinking, there has to be a catch, right? Well, in fact, no there really isn’t. Yes you have to sign a contract but you get to choose from any car on the market, including those that would normally be out of your price range. In fact, the more desirable the car, the better deals you can get. It’s not like buying a new car where the value decreases with time, most contract hire agreements are based on your projected usage so they take wear and tear into account and when the contract ends you can trade it in for a newer model.

Choosing contract hire will usually also help with the running cost of having a car – often the road tax and servicing costs are thrown in to the monthly instalments so you won’t find yourself suddenly landed with huge repair bills. And it’s less likely to break down as you can trade it in every couple of years, so you’ll always have the latest new model.

Basically, it’s a great way of getting a new car without any of the worries of buying outright – and it really does make sense, especially now when times are hard. And who knows, you might end up with that dream car after all!

Technorati Tags: car contract hire, cars, contract hire, credit crunch

Originally, it started as an engineering concept at the turn of the 21st century. Gas-Electric “hybrid” cars were the dream of the modern society and they were displayed at auto shows to gauge public reaction and market potential. Yet within a few years alone ( a small wink in the vehicle industry), hybrids have evolved into one of today’s most important automotive trends. Electronic components have really developed over the last ten years and are now more geared than ever to accommodate for the ‘greener solutions of our time. Every bit of a car from basic fuses to solenoids have been updated and modified to be friendlier for the environment. Numerous other components have come into play in the advancement of this technology, but one element in particular, copper, has been indispensable in helping to propel the growth of hybrid vehicles.
According to GM (General Motors) Chief Engineer, Time Grew, “Copper has two important roles in hybrids: It runs the electricity, so you have large amounts of copper in the motor and battery, and, more importantly, the copper technology is making hybrids viable commercially”. Fortunately enough, hybrids have come into the market in a big way. People are more than keen to get their first hybrid car and contribute to saving the world’s energy resources.
These days there are not many cars that are not hybrids. Car companies have a responsibility to now be far more conscious about polluting the planet. It is interesting to try and comprehend where technology will be this time in a couple of years. Will our vehicles be even more energy efficient? Only time will tell but I am sure that automotive technology will have a lot of surprises for us. It simply depends on what is going to be viable from a commercial and marketing point of view.

Technorati Tags: cars, fuses, hybrid cars, solenoids

Over the last couple of weeks the UK has been hit with some of the most extreme weather we’ve seen in a long time. The first week of February brought the heaviest snowfall we’ve seen for 18 years, causing hundreds of schools to close and leaving over 6 million people stranded unable to get to work. Most public transport was disrupted or cancelled and many roads were deemed unsafe due to the icy conditions and closed off.

The continuing bad weather is a real worry for drivers, with an increased risk of accidents on the icy roads as well as other problems caused by the extreme conditions. There have been a number of incidents of sudden heavy snowfall causing trapped drivers to have to be dug out, while in other parts of the country the melting snow has been replaced with heavy rains and severe flood warnings have been issued.

All this is bad news for car owners, not only because the personal risk of driving on the roads is higher, but also because a damaged car can be a costly business. With the recession, most people really couldn’t afford to splash out on a new car if something happened to theirs. And that is the real problem with owning a car. It’s brilliant until something goes wrong, but then it can just become really expensive. You might think it won’t apply to you, that you’re a careful, safe driver who won’t get into that sort of situation. But as the last few weeks have proved, you can’t predict what will happen on the roads, and there’s nothing you can do to prevent it.

The problem is that once your car is paid for, it then becomes entirely your responsibility. Then the older the car gets the more likely it is to go wrong, especially in extreme weather conditions, and the more money you’ll have to shell out when it does. And even when you get it fixed, it still won’t be worth half what you paid for it in the first place as a car only ever decreases its value over time.

The people who manage to avoid these worries are those who opt for a car contract hire deal instead of buying a car outright. It doesn’t mean the car’s not yours, it just means that you pay for it in regular monthly instalments and often you get extra benefits thrown in as well like road tax and servicing costs. So if something was to happen, you wouldn’t have to foot the whole bill yourself. And the best thing is that when the contract hire expires after a couple of years you can trade the car in for a new one, meaning you’ve always got the latest updated model. And as you’ll always have a new car, it won’t have had time to wear out and is less likely to break down in the first place!

Technorati Tags: car contract hire, cars, contract hire, driving

http://www.SafeCarParts.com Is your GMC desperate for a replacement part? Look for free shipping and savings of up to 50% when you look for GMC car parts online.

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Technorati Tags: auto, envoy, gmc, jimmy, part, sonoma, Suburban, typhoon

General Motors’ turnaround program in North America according to Kempston Drakes, is ahead of schedule saying that “A new GM is beginning to take shape; a company that is leaner and faster; one that has a passion to create the finest cars in the world.”

Kuwait is one of the outstanding markets for General Motors since it continues to provide the automaker with a strong sales growth and market share. As a matter of fact, for 2006 alone General Motors was able to record an annual sale of 18,289 in Kuwait which is an approximately 5% increase over its 2005 record. This growth was said to be the result of the introduction of new cars and SUVs throughout 2006.

According to Kempston Darkes, “Kuwait remains a very important market for General Motors. We are committed to doing everything we can to grow our business here. Together with our dealer partners around the region, we stand firmly behind our cars and SUVs, offering our customers outstanding ownership experience. We have made, and will continue to make, significant investments in all aspects of the business to ensure customer satisfaction throughout the ownership cycle.”

General Motors’ Kuwait dealership Yusuf A. Alghanim & Sons’ sales have increased almost three-folds from 4,092 units in 2001 to 11,581 in 2006. The company is currently at its third generation of family ownership and management with at least 1,000 employees working on various GM brands such as Hummer, Opel, Cadillac, and Saab.

“Today, we formally began work on a major new project in Shuwaikh, where Mrs. Kempston Drakes commemorated a ground-breaking ceremony on the site of the new building,” said Samir Kasem, Vice President, Yusuf A. Algahnim & Sons. He further added, “The showroom, a USD 10 million investment, will be completed in 2008 and will extend to 6000 square meters. This will be supported by a USD 69 million advanced service and workshop facility extending over 70,000 square meters. Our aim remains to be at the forefront of General Motors dealers- not just in Kuwait and the Middle East, but in the context of GM’s entire global operations.”

Similarly another GM dealership in Kuwait the Mohammed Saleh & Reza Yousuf Behbehani Company has also experienced an increased in sales by about 150% in the past four years, from 2,722 units in 2002 to 6,757 in 2006. A large percentage of the total units comprised of GMC Envoy SUVs which are more than what any other GM dealer in the world has sold.

“Naturally we are delighted that we both hold such a distinctive status in our global achievements with General Motors. We are on the verge of the most exciting expansion phase in our history. No less than $24 million have been budgeted for a four level new service centre that will extend to around 32,000 square meters, a GM Certified Pre-Owned Cars showroom that will measure 700 square meters and a new 8,000 square meters of parts storage and distribution facility,” explained Adel Behbehani, Director of Sales, Mohammad Saleh & Reza Yousuf Behbehani Company.

It should be noted that in the year 2006, General Motors world’s largest automaker and maker of popular auto parts brand like GM brake dust shields, has launched 17 new models or new generations of existing favorites in the Middle East with brands like the GMC Yukon, Yukon XL and the Chevrolet Lumina and Caprice. GM sales across the region has totaled to 140,509 units which is a 24% increase from its 2005 sales.