Car rental agencies, along with many other factors, have played a vital role in increasing the easiness of travelling by providing a service through which travelers can easily rent a car of their choice. One can rent a car of any color, shape and model at reasonable prices from these car rental agencies. A rented car, which has been rented from an office sited in one city, can be easily dropped at another office situated in a different city. Besides manual reservations, most car rental companies have developed interactive websites to assist in making online reservations and helping travelers.
Being able to rent a car is a service as the number of companies providing car rental services has greatly increased in the last few years. National car rental, Enterprise car rental, Budget car rental, Thrifty car rental, Alamo car rental, Cheap car rental and many others are all recognized for providing admirable amenities and services to their customers. Initially, many of these intended to capture the American market only, but now almost all have open sub-offices in many different countries of the world.
It really doesn

Every winter drivers should take active steps to protect their car from road salt.
Road salt is necessary for safe transportation when snow and ice accumulate on roads and highways and cause dangerous driving conditions.
Salt was first used in the 1930s in snow and ice control to make roads safe and passable by creating a lower freezing temperature of the water. It is the most available and cost-effective de-icer. It is easy to store, handle, and apply.
Some 15 million tons of de-icing salt is used each year in the U.S. and about 4-5 million in Canada.
Salt keeps snow and ice from bonding to the pavement and to allow snowplows to remove accumulations quickly and efficiently.
Studies show that salt use reduces accidents by 88%.
Washing your car during wintertime is one of the best things you can do to maintain the value of your car. Mud, salt, rain, sleet, and snow can damage your cars clear finish. Mud and salt caked on the undercarriage promote rust, especially in older vehicles, and can also affect how well your car drives.
To prevent winter damage, it is recommended that you wash your vehicle every 10 days. Wash your vehicle whenever the temperature is 40 degrees F. and above. Do it during the day so that it dries completely before freezing evening temperatures begin.
Immediately after washing the vehicle, open and close all doors, the trunk, and other parts of the car with locks several times before parking it to prevent locks from freezing.
Always wash your car right after a snow or rain shower. Rain and snow collect pollutants in the air and drop them as acid rain which can damage the cars protective finish. Snow and sleet also include the corrosive road salt.
Wash the underside of your car often during the winter months in car washes that do not use recycled water.
Avoid driving through large puddles of standing water which is saturated with road salt.
Any paint chips that are larger than the tip of a pen should be taken care of immediately.
Wax your car at least every six months. Put a good heavy coat of wax on your car before the winter storms hit. This heavy coat will protect your paint from the corrosive salt and cold temperatures.
More frequent waxes are needed if your car is red, black or white because these colors are more susceptible to acid rain and UV rays.
When spring time rolls around, treat your car to a good wax job again. Be sure to remove all road grime and salt off of the car before you begin waxing.
For more information:

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About The Author

Marilyn Pokorney
Freelance writer of science, nature, animals and the environment.
Also loves crafts, gardening, and reading.
Website: http://www.apluswriting.net
marilynp@nctc.net

Child Car Seat Safety
We know you love your children, but so many people do not follow these simple car seat safety principles. By following these easy steps you can ensure your child is completely safe in your car.
Just to get one thing straight, there is no one best child car safety seat. The best car safety seat is determined by various factors that you as the parent need to take into consideration. The seat needs to fit your child

Researching your new vehicle is a daunting task in todays world. Once you have narrowed your next vehicle down to 2 or 3 choices it is time to research. Take out a sheet of paper for each vehicle and write down pros and cons for each one. Also on each sheet of paper list the attributes which are most important to you. This list might include:

MPG - if you put a lot of miles on your car this factor could make a big dent in your wallet if you pick the wrong car.

Engine power - HP is a big factor for many people out there.

Price - nothing needs to be said about this one.

Interior space

Repair costs - consider the average costs to repair a fender-bender.

Insurance costs - this is often overlooked by buyers and can catch you by surprise.

Standard options.

Anything else, which is a factor to you. The idea is to custom tailor your list to meet your needs. If you dont care about engine power then leave it off your list.

Now how do you get the information which is on your list Here is a list of excellent resources to use in your search.

Offline:

Consumer Reports Magazine

Auto Week magazine

Your local newspapers auto section

Local dealers

Online:

Consumer Reports - requires a subscription just like the magazine.

Edmunds.com

Kelly Blue Book

NADA guide book

Car.com

After your research is done you should have a clear picture of which car is right for you. What do you say Clear as mud Well take a step back and if you have 2 vehicles which are comparable you will then have to resort to one of the following.

Go with your gut feeling. You know the one which says get the Porsche not the Yugo. Ask your wife, husband or SO. you might want to let them in on the decision a little earlier than this if they will be driving the car too. Flip a coin. Ask your god for some divine intervention

Good luck!

About The Author

Kevin Schappell maintains http://www.carbuyersclub.com where he gives advice on car maintenance, buying, selling, insurance, and financing. A mechanical engineer and car guy, Kevin has decided to spend his online time helping others learn about automobiles.

kevin@schappell.com

ARA - Every time you park your car, youre taking a risk.
Just ask David J. of Stanford, Conn., whose 1998 high-performance Acura Integra Type R was stolen right under his nose just one month after he installed a top-of-the-line security system for $1,500.
Mothers Day is a long-held tradition of revering the woman who gives the gift of life.
"Mothering Sunday" is another early Mothers Day tradition that has shaped the way we celebrate our mothers today. This English holiday dates back to the 1600s, and involved young servants who pampered their mothers with fine delicacies. While we continue to celebrate the mother figure in modern America, it is most often with traditional gifts of flowers and cards. But if Mothers Day is indeed about the most personal sentiment and respect for a mother, a gift of gratitude should warm their hearts forever.
car was tire tracks in the newly fallen snow.
"They found it three weeks later, stripped clean," he added.
Davids experience is not unusual, says James Cooper, CEO of Ultimate Security Systems Corporation of Irvine, Calif. Despite manufacturers claims to the contrary, most security systems are easy to overpower and hardly even slow down a professional thief, said Cooper, whose firm created and markets the PowerLock anti-theft system.
Every 25 seconds
The National Insurance Crime Bureau www.nicb.org reports that 1.1 million vehicles are stolen nationwide each year. Thats one vehicle every 25 seconds in what has become a $7.5 billion-a-year-industry, according to the Insurance Information Institute www.iii.org, a trade organization. Its an industry, moreover, dominated by organized auto-theft rings that steal cars to fill contract orders. And no wonder: A $20,000 stolen vehicle can be stripped and sold into $30,000 worth of parts, insurers say.
Your car doesnt have to be a high-performance vehicle like David Js to be an attractive target for a thief with a list of parts, or with orders for a particular make and model of a car. Different models of the popular Toyota Camry and Honda Accord swept eight of the top 10 list of cars reported stolen in 2000, according to an annual study conducted by CCC Information Services Inc., a Chicago-based supplier of software and communications systems to auto insurers. Chevrolet and Ford pickups captured the

Some time in your life you will need a new car. You may not want to have the burden of a new car debt, but you may find there are very few alternatives. There are some simple things you can look for that will help reduce the amount of money every month. Depending on your credit situation, a car loan can be very easy or rather difficult. Even though there are dealerships that specialize in selling people cars with bad credit, the purchaser must realize what they are getting themselves into.
Get the loan first
One of the greatest advantages you can have over the dealership is to get the loan before you buy the car. You can shop dealerships on weekends and at night and look at the prices and figure roughly that the car will be about 15-25% less than what the sticker says. Go to a bank or lending institution and fill out the appropriate paperwork. Once they give you the loan, you can figure out approximately how much the car will cost you in advance and apply for a blanket price. You can also sign a contract to purchase depending on financing. This means you can haggle your best price and then tell your bank or financial institution how much the car loan should be for exactly.
Dealerships do not want you to bring your own financing. This takes the deal out of their hands. Most dealerships provide finance departments who are more than willing to lend you the money should you meet their credit requirements. An average car loan can cost the consumer between 7

Well, another election has come and gone in the US and no matter which way you voted there are some important marketing lessons to learn.

First, you need to put aside the campaign rhetoric and focus on the strategy and tactics and there are a number of clear winners for both sides.

The Dems and the GOP

On the Republican side. The tactic to put the question of Gay Marriage as a referendum in 11 battleground states was a master stroke. Get people to vote on the small issue and they will follow suit on the larger issues.

Its like selling real estate. Top real estate sales people dont sell houses. They sell a room and the rest of the house goes with it. They look for potential client reactions to a room they see and zoom in on that. If they sell that room to the prospect, then question of getting them to sign a contract on the house becomes as simple as, "Your pen or mine"

How can we apply this to selling a product or service on the internet

Look for the most important benefit you offer and build your heading and sales letter around that. Sure there maybe other benefits and you need to highlight those further down the page, via bullets, but focus your sales message on the primary unique selling point.

As a famous direct Marketer, Seth Godin, once said, "One monkey, One banana." Most people have the attention span of an African gnat. Try to get them to focus on more than one thing at a time and you will lose them and the sale.

On the Democrat side, the decision to make the war on a Iraq a central issue was an equally powerful strategy which may explain why 55 million people voted for the Democrats.

It was thought by the pundits that this was playing to the Republicans strength, but this was true only as long as they could make it central to the war on terror.

The moment the Democrats were able to separate the two and make it a referendum on Iraq alone, it became a winner for them, especially in light of the 911 Commission report, which showed clearly, no wmd and no direct ties to Al Queda.

What can we learn from this

Know your competition, know their strengths and weakness and clearly explain how their weakness are your strengths.

The way you do this is to create a powerful USP unique selling point. Something about your product or service, or what you do that makes you stand out in the crowd. Something that sets you apart from your competition. Something you do much better than them.

Focus on this single issue and drive it home repeatedly to your website visitors, ezine readers and existing customers.

The other lesson to be learned here. Dont believe everything you read, hear and see. Both elections and the internet are full of peoples opinions. Do your homework, look at both sides and above all use your mind and think.

Try to analyze your ideal customer. Picture in your mind who they are, what they are like, what their financial status is, have they bought similar products before. If you dont know who your target market is, how can you target them

In the late 1990s the principle of the Harvard Business College outlined his belief as to the reason business exists.

The purpose of business is to: KEEP & GROW customers.

We looked at this and thought this definition was too narrow. We felt that in order to keep and grow customers, you first had to find them so we added the word find to the above formula....

The purpose of business is to: FIND, KEEP & GROW customers.

But this still wasn

This is Part 1 of a 4 part series on how to buy a car at an auction

So you are looking for a car or truck, but youre tired of running around town and finding other people selling their "headaches" through the local classifieds, or dealers offering "cream-puffs" for inflated retail prices. All you want is a good vehicle for a good price. Period. Does such a deal exist Yes, indeed! Repossession auctions are becoming more and more popular across the country. I have been attending them for over 20 years, and have purchased many cars and trucks at bargain prices - everything from a brand new car still with the window sticker on it and 3 miles on the odometer for $1,100 below the sticker price, to a conversion van with 99,000 miles on it. Both of these vehicles are still in the family and running strong.

1. What Id like to do here is share my experiences with you, and give you some tips on how you, too, can find these bargains.

First of all, how do you find the auctions Your local paper is a good place to start. Many banks and other financial institutions such as GMAC list the times and places of their auctions in Sunday papers under "Auctions" or "Cars for Sale". Also, if there is a "legal publication" in your area, that publishes court proceedings, bankruptcy notices, etc., this is another source for repossession auto auction notifications. One other way to find them is to call your local banks and ask for the Installment Loan Department. They should be able to provide you with details on their particular auctions. Many even have regular mailing lists, where they will automatically send you a notification of their auction and even a listing of what vehicles will be included. While some institutions restrict their auctions to dealers only, most will allow the public to attend and bid. Once you have found an auction, be sure to get all the details BEFORE you go. Youll need to know if there are any minimum bid requirements, what type of payment they need, and what type of paperwork they provide to the purchasers. Many auctions will sell everything to the highest bidder, no matter how low the bid is. Still others may have a minimum bid they must get, or they "buy back" the car and save it for the next auction. Most institutions retain the right to bid, so be aware that you may be not only be bidding against other people interested in the vehicle, but also against the auctioneer!

While most auctions will publish their requirements for payment along with the auction notification, DONT assume that thats all there is to it. Find out if they expect cash only, certified checks or personal checks. Also, many require full payment immediately after the sale, while others may require a non-refundable deposit with the balance due in a few days. All too often I have seen people make costly errors at auctions because they didnt understand these payment rules.

In this day and age of red tape, titles, liens, etc., the paperwork an institution provides is as important as anything else. In New York State, for example, if the institution sells the vehicle with "as-is" marked on the bill of sale, you may encounter a legal nightmare that involves a major full-vehicle inspection and an 8 to 10 week wait for a title search and registration procedure that will prevent you from putting the vehicle on the road for months. It is imperative, therefore, that you find out specifically what paperwork the institution will give you when you purchase a vehicle through their auction. If you plan on registering the car right away, tell them that and make sure you are satisfied that they will give you what you need. If in doubt, contact your local Motor Vehicle office ahead of time to insure that youll be able to proceed with what the institution will be giving you. Laws vary dramatically from state to state. Above all, make sure that all liens have been satisfied before you purchase a repossessed vehicle. Most banks and financial institutions will give you some type of form to verify this.

OK... now youve found the auction and understand the rules and requirements. The next step is finding the vehicle that fits your needs. In order to know what the vehicles value is before you bid on it, youll need a good resource of wholesale and retail pricing. One good source is the NADA "Blue Book". This book lists cars and light trucks by manufacturer and body style, giving you the current average wholesale and retail for each. I have used a book called "Edmunds Used Car Prices" for the past 15 years or so, and found them to be a very reliable source. Like the NADA book, it lists the cars and light trucks by manufacturer and year usually the past 7 model years, and provides the vehicles original list price, current average wholesale and retail. It also provides you with a list of popular options, and what they add to the value of the car or truck. Theres plenty of details in the book which I wont go into here. Just make sure you read the "How to Use This Book" section thoroughly before you start using it. Options such as air conditioning, power steering and brakes and type of transmission may dramatically affect the value of the vehicle. Also, excessive mileage for that particular year car or truck will affect the value. So, read the book and know how to use it BEFORE you get to the auction.

Visit my site at www.helpmebuyacar.bravehost.com

About The Author

My name is Thomas Miller, Im student here in Detroit, MI. I love to do research, I love to write and most of all I cars.

thomasmiller2005@aol.com

No Claims Bonus is a term used to describe the number of years you have had Car Insurance without making a claim. Put simply, if you have had Car Insurance for 4 years and you have not made a claim in that time, then you have 4 years No Claims Bonus. No Claim Bonus is probably the single biggest factor affecting the cost of your Car Insurance premium. Every year that goes by without you making a claim is another year of No Claims Bonus. Generally speaking, the more No Claims Bonus years you have, the cheaper your premium will be for the car you need to insure. This is because Car Insurance companies can see that your history regarding making any claims is a good one. When changing provider, Car Insurance companies will usually ask you to prove your No Claims Bonus in the form of a renewal notice or a letter from your current Car Insurance company. If you have several years of No Claims Bonus but then make a claim, the Car Insurance company will usually apply its rules of how much to knock back your No Claims Bonus Years. Some companies such as Accept Direct http://www.acceptdirect.co.uk offer to protect your No Claims Bonus for an extra fee during the quotation process. Having full no claims bonus can also entitle you up to 75% discount on your car insurance premium.
Copyright c 2004 Accept Direct Limited http://www.acceptdirect.co.uk

About The Author

Andrew Bowen is the CEO of Accept Direct Limited. Accept Direct offer car insurance to UK customers through their website http://www.acceptdirect.co.uk

There is a growing car shipping scam on the internet which has been targeting sellers of cars, boats, motorbikes and other single high value items, even horses !
We first came across this in January when we were approached by a car dealer in Australia who had been directed to a website purporting to be 1st Move Internationals car shipping site.
Car Shipping Scam: The hook
Fraudsters had copied aspects of our site and were advising potential victims that they would buy their vehicle and ship it via their approved shippers, pointing the victim to this so called shipping site which they had published themselves.
Once the seller had been "hooked" the fraudster then sends a cheque to the seller for the cost of the vehicle and, very kindly, includes in this payment the costs for shipping the vehicle overseas.
Car Shipping Scam: The Con.
Say the car is being sold for