Best Websites to Find a Used Car

Have you ever been disappointed while searching a used car online? For example, never finding the car that you are interested in, hard to obtain the contact information about the seller, not getting satisfactory information relating to the car that you have found, that leads to total disappointments. After performing some researches for a week and based on my personal experienced, I found out two best websites to find a used car. They are http://www.cars.com/ and http://www.autotrader.com/. At first, these two websites seem to be alike, but if you go through the detail, you can see the strength and the weakness of both websites. These are what I am going to explain further in this paper.

Cars.com [2] and Autotrader.com [1] are comprehensive online resources for buying and selling a car. Both of these websites list all potential cars from dealers and private sellers. Cars.com [2], which is created in June 1998, is a division of Classified Ventures, LLC, which is owned by six leading media companies. Autotrader.com [1], which is created earlier in 1997 and headquartered in Atlanta, Ga., is a division of AutoTrader.com, LLC. Autotrader.com [1] is the world’s leading automotive marketplace online, more than 2.5 million cars for sale by dealers, private sellers, and manufacturers.

Both Cars.com [2] and Autotrader.com [1] are public websites; this means that these websites are opened to automotive dealers and private sellers throughout the United States. The buyers can search for a car all around the United States by entering their ZIP code. The individual sellers also can post their car on the website despite where ever location they are. Both of these websites provide free information on all aspects of the car shopping and processing procedure. You do not have to be a member to access the website. The website is free for car buyers. However, the sellers have to pay to advertise their cars on the website. Another income for these websites is from the advertisement that was posted in the websites from other car companies. Advertising on these websites helps both the dealers and manufacturers to promote their company as well, because more than 8 millions people averagely visit these websites monthly.

The outline of both of these websites seems so simple. At the top headline, both of them have lots of menus, but if we compare between these two, Autotrader.com [1] has more menus. Both of them have the menus of buy, sell, research, news and advice, but Autotrader.com [1] exceeds Cars.com [2] in many aspect such as providing car loans, insurance, and collector cars. The superior of Autotrader.com [1] comparing to Cars.com [2] would be relating to the menus upon clicking the used car button. This website is not only asking what car you are interested with, but it deals with the detail of the car, such as, what company that makes the car, model, body style, color, mileage, how many doors of the car, what year is the car, the range of the prize, even, the most detail of the car, such as, the engine, fuel, and drive type of the car.

Anyway, the best part of Cars.com [2] is shown after entering the detail of the car that you interested on, you can see that Cars.com [2] show the details of the car in one display. The year of the vehicle, the company that makes the car and the model of the car, the price, the mileage, the icon that shows that the thread has a picture, the seller of the car, the style of the car, the color, and the distance of the seller from your place are shown in one display. Compare with the Autotrader.com [1], it also shows the details of the car, but they are displayed in a small box that are hardly to read. For experiment, I try to search the Toyota Supra 93-94. From Cars.com [2], it sorts the car by the price, but I can see all the details in one display. It also stated in the title of the car, whether that supra has turbo or not. Anyway, Autotrader.com [1] displays all the detail in one box, so we can see the seller explanation without clicking the link of the car.

Cars.com [2] provides the best full detail with regard to car upon clicking the link of the car that you have found. In the full detail of Cars.com [2], you can find a link to the Kelly Blue Book value of the car. The best part is when one clicks the link to the CARFAX history report, CARFAX is another website that you can find the full report of the car. We cannot just trust the individual seller at times, if he stated the car is clean title. We cannot confirm for sure whether the car ever had an accident before or not. Unclean title would mean that the specific car has had an accident before, for it has been reported by police. So, how about if that car has ever had an accident but the accident had not been reported to police? The title is still proclaimed as clean. In CARFAX report, you will know that how many times the car has been repaired and what is the accident. I have an experienced when one of friends buying a used Nissan Integra 95. In the title paper, I saw directly that it stated clean title, but I found a huge dent from an accident on the left body of the car. So, I counter checked it later using CARFAX, truly as it stated that the car had ever had an accident in highway a year ago from year 2003.

The weakness of both these sites is not efficient with updating information. I personally have ever tried to call several sellers of the Toyota Supra 93-94 on both websites. I realized from four potential sellers of the car, at least one of them has sold their car. This is the information that frustrates a buyer most. It would be a major disappointing to realize the car that you like, together with the entire specifications match with your interest, but when you call the seller, that car has been sold. It frustrates me at times to know the updating process not as immediate as 24 hours.

Both websites provide the contact information of the car’s seller. Some of them stated their phone number and their address where the car located. They are also some people stated the term of payment. I have my own experience while I was looking for Audi TT 2000. I found in Autotrader.com [1] that there was an Audi TT 2000 with white color, and superb specifications, such as, full body modified, turbo stage III, all engines have been modified and off course, low mileages. The seller asked for only 18,000 US Dollars. As I know, the Audi TT 2000 price ranges from 18,000 to 20,000 US Dollars. The seller asked the payment with money order or paycheck. This sounds weird to me. So, I tried to call the seller via email that was stated in the web. He convinced me that the car was in superb condition and so on. He said that he did not have phone number and he could not accept payment from pay pal or other money transfer. I suspected that there must something wrong with his advertisement. Finally, I found the exactly same car in other website, and that car was in Leichesten, a small country in the Central of Europe. Finally, couple of days later, the webmaster of the website stated that the seller was a conman. There reason why I share this experience is to show that it is not easy to buy a car online. We should find the website that is fast and updated. The Autotrader.com [1] shows its capability by banning the conman.

The other thing is there are no stated rules in the terms and conditions of the website for the sellers to describe the car in a full detail. The sellers should be asked to provide more photos and describe the full detail of the car, even a small scratch on the car. From my experienced, I have ever seen a car that has lots of scratches and dings, but the seller did not mention it in the detail of the car. The seller only said that the car in good condition. Actually, this is not the fault of the website, but it should be totally the fault of the seller who does not mention all details of the car. Anyway, a good website should have its own way to prevent this matter.

My goal in writing this paper is to help the reader to find a used car using these websites. People always think that buying a used car online is easy to do. There are many of websites to find a used car. Each website has its own strength and weakness. In this paper, I have explained the strength and the weakness of Cars.com [2] and Autotrader.com [1]. Both of these websites are very easy to use and helpful. I myself bought my car using Autotrader.com [1]. Using this website, I can contact the seller easier and I do not need to pay the website for any fees. The detail of the car that provided in the website was fit with my expectation. Then, I also used Cars.com [2] to compare the price and to find the shortest distance of the car with my place. So, if you are searching for a used car, I am highly recommending these two websites.

References
----------------------------------
[1] www.autotrader.com

[2] www.cars.com

MLA Citation:
"The Two Best Websites to Find a Used Car." 123HelpMe.com. 08 Dec 2011
    <http://www.123HelpMe.com/view.asp?id=31159>.

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sports Cars for Girls

Looking at different kinds of cars, one can't help but notice that each car has a special trait, a characteristic that makes it what it is. And we cannot help but categorize a car by its looks and features. On sports cars for girls, one usually arrives at an image of a convertible roadster that is small and compact. To give you a better idea, here are some cars that can be classified as a ‘chick car’.


Volkswagen Beetle

The Volkswagen Beetle is a compact family car that is made in Germany. It is one of the most easily recognized cars in the whole world. Due to its popularity, it has even moved up to a cult status with many loyal followers. It is known as the beetle, bug, or kafer (German) because of its distinctive shape.

Mini Cooper

This car is an affordable, stylish, fun, and compact piece of machinery. It was first designed in 1959 as a car that combines a big interior space with a small car body. It is very appealing to the eye and popular to a wide range of people due to its affordability. With regards to safety issues, the mini cooper employs an anti-lock braking system for more stability and control especially during turns and cornering. The interior of this car is stylish and compact. One drawback is its small storage capacity but that is expected from this type of car. It is not a ‘hot rod’ but it is a fun to drive around the city.

BMW Z4 Roadster

The Z4 is the follow-up to the Z3 series which was first introduced in 1996. It is very popular to both young and old car aficionados because of its aggressive design. It is a bit bigger then the Z3 and its body is much stiffer even when measures were taken to reduce its overall body weight without compromising rigidity. It has a stiff chassis, a variety of transmission options, and large disk brakes that enable this car to provide great comfort and pleasure while driving.


These are some of the best sports cars that can be considered as ‘girl’ cars. If you are still thinking of what kind of car you want to get, consider the following: The prices of convertibles start around $20,000 and go up to the hundred thousand range. Engines used usually are four or six cylinder types while the pricier ones employ V6 or V8 engines. Maintenance costs for convertibles are roughly the same as those of sedans and technology has made soft tops stronger and more durable to withstand years of abuse.

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Is it Safe to Sell Coins to a Dealer?

Coin collecting can be a lot of fun. This hobby which dates back to 2500 BC is much larger now since people are now able to collect currencies from other countries.

If a person decides to dispose of some of the coins in the collection, it is necessary to know its value by looking at a coin catalog or price guide. There are many ways to do this and one is looking for a coin dealer to do business with.

There are a lot of coin dealers around. Some can be found by asking the local coin club or a numismatist who can give a good referral while others can be found at an auction or in a coin exhibit. These people frequent such events looking for a good buy to add to an existing collection. A lot of these individuals can also be found on the web.

To be sure that the person is getting a good price from a coin dealer, it is an excellent idea to visit more than one place to find out who is willing to buy it at the highest price. If the person feels that the price is too low, then perhaps it is better to wait until another time since the value of coins depends on scarcity, condition and demand.

Some people think that doing business with a coin dealer isn’t a good idea since this person will offer to buy the coins at a lower price. This notion however is wrong since there are ways to ensure that this person will be honest.

To avoid by being conned by someone who claims to be a dealer, it is necessary to determine that this person is a member of the Professional Numismatist’s Guild. This organization is composed of the world’s renowned collectors of antique coins and paper money. Since there are strict rules that members abide by, one can be sure that the transaction is safe.

Coin dealers are not just there to buy something, these people may also offer for sale a coin that is valuable to the other person. By getting to know the dealer, an agreement can be reached that will benefit both parties, which does not always end mean buying, but also trading or bartering.

Everyone has the potential of making money even if this starts out with only a few coins. By knowing where to find these rare collectibles and doing business with a reputable dealer, one can be sure of making a profit – if not a small fortune.

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why Diamond Certificates ?

A diamond certificate is also known as a Diamond Grading Report. This report comes from the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), and you should require this report when you are purchasing a diamond.

With a diamond certificate, you can verify the color, cut, carat, weight, and clarity of the diamond. You don’t have to worry about a diamond dealer telling you anything less than the truth, because the certificate comes from the GIA – not the dealer. You may be required to pay for the certificate, but the cost is usually low, and in many cases, it will help you negotiate a better price on the diamond – or keep you from purchasing a lower quality diamond altogether.

If you buy a high quality diamond, and then later decide to sell the diamond, you will need to have the certificate, or you will have a hard time selling it to someone else. Furthermore, you can use the Diamond Grading Report to look up the wholesale value of the diamond in question. Use the guide that is used by the diamond cutting industry.

With the Certificate, or Diamond Grading Report, there won’t be any doubts when you are trying to purchase a diamond. You can easily find out what the diamond is worth. This will prevent you from overpaying, and it can prevent a seller from under-charging as well.

A copy of the Diamond Grading Report should be given to your insurance company as well, when you insure the diamond. This provides absolute, unquestionable proof of the value of the diamond should it be stolen in the future. Insurance companies cannot argue with the report.

Avoid diamond dealers who seem reluctantto provide a certificate! Also avoid sellers who tell you that a certificate diamond will cost you more – the only additional cost should be the cost of the certificate, which is low. If the dealer doesn’t want to provide a certificate, then you don’t want to do business with that dealer.

Don’t accept certificates from Gemological Laboratories other than GIA. There are many fly-by-night Gemological labs these days, but in the end, GIA has been established as the most respectable and trustworthy – not to mention oldest – of the lot. So avoid dealers who don’t want to use GIA for certification purposes as well.

Don’t buy an expensive diamond without paying the extra cost of the certificate. If a dealer tries to convince you to make the purchase without the certificate, or if they want to use a company other than GIA, you can be sure that the dealer has probably greatly inflated the price of the diamond – they have something that they are hiding from you.

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How to Sell A Diamond

There are many reasons why you may want to sell a diamond that you own. Perhaps you’ve gotten divorced, or you are strapped for cash. The reasons why don’t really matter – getting the best possible price is what counts! The way to obtain the best price for the diamond is to not be in a rush. Slow down, and carefully consider all of your options – there are many.

First, have the diamond appraised. In fact, have it appraised by two or three jewelers to get an accurate idea of the diamonds value. Tell the appraiser that you want the Rapaport Value. This is the wholesale value of the diamond, and it basically tells you the highest price that you can sell your diamond for. If your diamond has no certificate, you should consider getting a certificate from GIA. This may help you get a better price for the diamond as well.

sell the diamond yourself

First, try to sell the diamond yourself, to people you know. Friends and family members may be interested. If you don’t have any luck with friends or family members, you should turn to outside sources. Absolutely avoid pawn shops! A pawn shop will only offer you about 10% of what the diamond is worth! Also avoid offers of selling the ring on consignment. There are many things that can go wrong, and there is no shortage of diamond scams – even in well known jewelry stores.

If the diamond is important, you should strongly consider auctioning it off through one of the famous auction houses, such as Christie’s or Sotheby’s. If it isn’t what is considered an ‘important’ diamond or a high-end diamond, you should try to sell it to an individual using classified ads, or even eBay. However, selling to an individual that you do not know could put you in danger – especially if the diamond is worth a lot of money.

jewelry store

Your final option should be a jewelry store. It is vital that you not let your diamond out of your sight while in the jewelry store – you might find that the diamond you walked in with is not the same diamond that you walk out with! The jeweler will try to tell you that your diamond is of poor quality or low weight. Inevitably, there will be some problem with the diamond. This is where your appraisal and/or certificate will come in handy.

If the jeweler is fair, they will offer you between 60% and 80% of the value of the Rapaport Value. Do not accept anything less than this. Again, do not let the diamond out of your sight until you have been paid for it.

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