There are many accessories you can purchase to protect your car.  Those mentioned here are just some of the most often chosen.  Whether you are looking to protect the interior or exterior, measures taken to keep your car looking its best and at the same time insuring retention of the car’s top value will be highly beneficial when it comes time to trade it in or sell. Even if you are not looking at future values for sale, using accessories like new seat covers, floor mats or a car bra will make you proud to be seen in your car as well as the protection these accessories will provide.

The front-end car bra is an accessory that will provide protection for your car’s front end. Specially ordered for your car, the car bra is made to fit snugly and perfectly for maximum protection.  Its value is in its ability to act as a guard from road hazards such as bugs, chemicals such as tar and gravel on roadways and from pitting damage on your automobile’s grill and paint surfaces. The bra, while having an important protective feature, also gives your car a classier appearance. Usually constructed of heavy vinyl and a firm padding underneath, the car bra will stand the test of time. Most car bras are easy to install and remove. The benefits in adding value, protection and a sleek look to your car are well worth the small investment of a car front-end bra.

Bug shields are yet another valuable protective piece you can add to your car. Modern bug shields are designed aerodynamically to not only compliment the look of your car’s front end, but they also maximize fuel usage. By not allowing a pushing type of air force against the car, aerodynamically made shields create an ease in air flow so that your car doesn’t have to use extra fuel to compensate for the additional pressure or work. Bug shields are great for protecting your car from road debris, excessive bug collection and chipping from stones or other road hazards.

A car cover is an essential accessory if you must leave your car outside in the harsh elements of the sun, rain or snow. It will protect your car from wear and tear and the hazards of extreme weather conditions when garaging or cover protection is not available.  It should fit snugly around the normally exposed portions of the car. Car covers are usually made of heavy duty protecting materials that will keep the damaging weather elements away from the automobile’s painted surfaces and will protect from the above mentioned weather hazards. Car covers are especially valuable if you use them while shopping or when the car is parked anywhere someone or something can bump into the car and create paint or body damage.

Floor Mats are the perfect accessory to not only give your interior a new or more finished look, they are indispensable in the protection they provide against wear and tear on the floor carpet.  You can purchase floor mats in most any variety of colors, styles, and designs. They are available in materials such as rubber and clear plastic to name a few. Floor mats can be made specific to your car or purchased at auto parts stores. The benefits to having floor mats cannot be overstated.  They can aid in comfort when driving on long road trips, they protect from shoe damage in the acceleration area of the floor and they keep everyday dirt and grime from attaching to your car’s original carpet.  A purchase of floor mats at nominal prices can give your car protection from years of floor or carpet damage in the car.

No matter what part of the world you live in, tinting your car’s windows can offer protection in many ways. Window tinting has long been known to reduce the heat coming into your car.  Anyone that owns an automobile in the southwest will tell you that the sun’s heat (and damaging ultraviolet rays) is not only destructive, it is downright uncomfortable.  So in these two ways, tinting can increase your comfort while driving and decrease fading or discoloration of the interior’s vinyl or fabric work. If you choose a safety film, you will get even more protection.

A safety film on your car’s windows has been known to reduce injuries to occupants from flying shattered glass in auto accidents. If you have a large object hit your windshield, safety film may deter the object from coming directly into your car and hitting any passengers.  If you live in tornado or earthquake zones, this type of film can prevent injury as well by acting as a buffer between you and the shattered glass.

Lastly, but certainly not less important, seat covers have numerous benefits. Seat covers protect the material that covers the original fabric of your car’s seats.  This is very important for owners that live in sun drenched areas of the world, work in conditions where your clothing is contaminated with dirt, grease, or other destructive materials and for those owners that participate in activities such as biking, hiking, or swimming (the chlorine alone is severely damaging if you are not fully dried off).  Seat covers are not just about protecting, they can also provide a tailored and clean look to your car’s interior.

Your car will look well kept and well taken care of if you purchase seat covers before damage occurs.  You can pull them off before selling or trading in your car for that eye-appealing look that says you the owner took very good care of the car. Sometimes a nice and fresh looking interior will sell a car even if the exterior is a bit worn.

While there are many other accessories out there for your car, the ones mentioned here will go a long way in giving you peace of mind.  You will know that you have done what you can to insure that your car will look close to new even when it is ten years old.  If you want to sell your car someday, you have applied accessories that will most likely bring you maximum dollar at selling or trade-in time.  You can never lose by adding protective accessories to you car.

Cobra is considered as one of the top producers of radar detectors. One of their most popular products is the ESD 6060. This model is undetectable to police radar and will give you enough warning to get your foot off the accelerator, even at speeds of over 100 miles per hour. And this model is identified as the least sensitive in the market.

The Cobra ESD 6060 radar detector is cheaper than all other radar detectors. This can be bought for around 50 dollars in some stores.

The following are the features of Cobra ESD 6060:

• It has a small size
• Its price is low (25-50 dollars)
• It is easy to use
• It cannot distinguish K from Ka
• It has an adequate performance, which may not be acceptable for ‘power’ users.

Many would say that if you have budget restrictions the Cobra ESD 6060 is an adequate radar detector.

Another Cobra product is the Cobra PRO 9/80 radar detector. This is the most featured-packed Cobra radar detector unit – it includes an aluminum carrying case, hardwire and a cigarette lighter splitter.

The Cobra PRO 9/80 provides voice alerts and 8 point digital compass – extras which make this model an improvement on previous Cobra models. This unit is set up with an alpha numeric display that allows for far more detailed detection and more complex signal strength indicators. This will also automatically mute the detector based on your speed.

A piece of advice: if you are planning to buy yourself a radar detector, choose the most expensive one that you can afford This will give you greater quality and higher performance. Do not mind the price; just think of the satisfaction and peace of mind it will give you.

How to buy a new Car

Buying a car is usually our second biggest investment after our home purchase and most of us will do it more than once in our life.

There is something emotional about cars, it represents our taste and style, our economic status and our character. Some women even claim that a car is a man’s extension of his reproductive organ. One the other hand (the good hand) there are women out there that might express their exhibitionism and extravagance by choosing to drive a red flashy car for the whole world to notice them. Both sexes would agree they sometimes feel they ”fall in love” with a certain car model.

There are people who get very existed from a small scratch on the cars lower side, as if it were their own skin. The beauty of the car, its aerodynamics shape, the gadgets inside, the seats the feel of it all play a major part in our decision making.

In our modern life it’s almost impossible to function without one and it’s expensive to acquire, to finance and to maintain.

Buying a new car is a lot of fun, the new car has its unique smell no doubt about it, the very fact you can afford to own a brand new car is a great feeling.

When is the best time to buy a new car?

There are two “best times” to buy a car. The end of December is a good time for car buyers to buy a new car. Everyone is out buying Christmas gifts, leaving new car dealer lots void of customers, motivating dealers to cut costs, and break year end sales records. Another good time to buy a car is July to October as new car dealers sell off cars at low prices to clear space for new car models. Secret factory to dealer incentives can be $1000-$6000 in addition to new car consumer rebates!

How and where to search for prices:

Invoice price – what the dealer pays the manufacturer – has become the real negotiating point. Allowing for the dealer’s need to make a profit, the price you pay should be somewhere between sticker and invoice.

Virtually all car buying sites on the Internet show invoice and in most cases their buying tools automatically add option/package invoice amounts as you work your way through the process.

Any car buyer, with very little effort, can get an accurate summation of a car’s value, which immediately puts him or her in a stronger negotiating position.

Happily for the consumer, the Internet now allows a prospective buyer to uncover market conditions at any moment in various parts of the country. Search for Edmunds.com on the web.

for example, reveals the True Market Value: CarsDirect.com, which sells cars online, has its own version called Guaranteed CarsDirect price Intellichoice.com sorts out the Best Deals of the Month.

The negotiation phase and the dirty tricks:

After you made your research via the Internet, it’s important you make some phone calls to car dealers and ask for some written offers to be sent to you via the fax or email for the car of your dreams. That way, you can compare prices between several dealers without being pressured by a salesperson.

You would be much better off selling your old car yourself rather than to trade it in through the dealer because the dealer will have to earn some money on it as well.

Remember, everything is a negotiable, car too. Buying a new car is tricky from the moment you step into the car dealership arena, you might be manipulated by scam artists, well trained sales persons that will use every trick in their fat book of tricks to extort every last Dollar out of your bank account.

There is one well known trick they teach in car dealers sales courses, it’s called “throwing a lowball”, in this tactic a customer is offered a very good price on a car, Perhaps as much as $500 below competitors prices. The good deal, however, is not genuine, its only purpose is to cause a prospect to decide to buy at this dealership and not from the other dealers. Once the decision is made a raft of purchase forms are filled out, extensive financial terms are arranged. The dealer knows, customers develop a range of new reasons to support the choice they have now made.

Then something happens. All of a sudden an “error” in the calculations is discovered, It might be the salesman forgot to add in the cost of the air conditioner and if the customer insists on having it, then $500 must be added to the price…

The cover up operation is played sophistically, some times they let the bank handling the financing find the “mistake”, other times the boss is not approving the deal because “we’d be losing money”. They make it look as if it’s not that big mistake as it’s a relatively small percentage of the price of the car and as they stress out it only brings it to be equal to competitors.

The impressive thing about the lowball tactic is its ability to make a person feel pleased with a poor choice. If anyone tries to change the originally-quoted terms or talk you into buying a different vehicle, just say “no” and go somewhere else.

If you are interested to learn about many others car dealers scams and how to avoid them go to: carbuyingtips.com/scams

Until all the papers have been signed there are still ways in which a shrewd dealer may add to his profit by talking you into extras you don’t want and probably don’t need. These can include added and overpriced insurance, extended warranties, rust proofing (absolutely unnecessary), paint or fabric protection, anti-theft plans, and more. Smile and firmly turn them all down.

Finally, before you drive away, do a careful inspection of the car, looking for scratches or dents; anything that mars the perfect finish. If you’re not happy, get a written agreement (known as a Due Bill). It means you have the right to later return the vehicle in order that flaws can be corrected.