Thomas MacIntosh asked:


A car auction is a like any other where a commodity is sold to the highest bidder. Most potential customers attend an auction believing that the price of a used car would be substantially lower than the market value. However, this is often not the case. In addition, car auctions are infamous for marketing flooded and stolen vehicles, which are bought by unsuspecting customers.

In general, there are six types of car auctions. They are as follows: - Wholesale car auctions: These are held by car dealers for other car dealers. - Public car auctions: These are open to all. - Company car auctions: These are open to employees of the company. - Police & Government car auctions: These are usually open to all customers. - Bank, Insurance, and Salvage car auctions: These are open only to car dealers. - Online auctions: The most recent addition to car auctions, they are open to all.

Although all auction types involve a risk component, online auction is possibly the most risky. This is because, you bid only by seeing the car’s features and photo on a website. If you become the highest bidder, you are bound by contract to pay even if you have not seen the car in person. Sellers often give incorrect or false information about their car. Therefore, run a used car title check on the VIN# to verify the seller’s claims. The seller may not list the VIN# and may provide wrong information about the model, year, tax payments, and insurance cover of the car. A Vehicle History Report will enable you to verify these factors. Another problem associated with online auctions is that the seller may ask friends to make false bids just to hike the price of the vehicle. In addition, you may have to travel long distances to pick up the purchased vehicle.

In the other types of auctions, you can inspect cars before bidding. Therefore, arrive at the auction site well in advance. Check whether all the VIN# stickers in a car match. Otherwise, it was either stolen or repaired with the parts of another car. Ensure that the car comes with the title. If you are in a hurry to buy and no title is available, at least ensure that the contract states exactly when the title will be provided to you. Otherwise you will have to run around for it. Before you bid, remember that you will have to pay a buyer’s premium in addition to the price of the car. This could be 5 to 10% or lesser; find that out earlier. Furthermore, check out the traffic light behind the auctioneer to find out whether the status of the car title is red, yellow, or green. Everything about the title is fine if the light is green. Ensure that title status is mentioned in the contract. A Vehicle History Report is important in these types of auctions too.

The main intention to purchase from an auction is to obtain a used car at a rate much lower than the market value. Therefore, decide on the model of the car, check your bank balance, and decide on the price you can go up to before bidding. Don’t get carried away by all the bidding activity around you.

Thomas MacIntosh asked:


The armored vehicles are especially considered to be associated with the military. However, there can be civilian armored vehicles too. In fact, today, a large number of highly acclaimed armored vehicles- cars, vans, trucks and the like are actually produced for civilian use. These are hardy vehicles and promise high levels of security.

The civilian armored cars commonly seen are either produced in the factory or are retrofitted versions of Series cars. The process of converting an ordinary car to an armored one takes a few weeks. There is a labor intensive process involved in which the windows of the car are replaced with bulletproof glass and layers of armor are inserted under the outer skin of the car. Often the external appearance of the car is left as it is so as to make the changes inconspicuous.

The armored cars are generally used by people who feel themselves at constant risk or threat like news reporters and officials and other people moving through or residing in war or conflict zones. Politicians, entrepreneurs and other very important people who can afford armored cars usually opt for them. Often civilian vehicles which are modified and converted into armored cars are improvised and adapted by many militias and irregular forces. Money and valuables are also often carried from one place to another using armored vehicle as a safeguard against highway robbery or cargo and good high jacking.

Civilian vehicles are armored for similar purpose for which military vehicles are armored, that is, for withstanding the attack of shrapnel, bullets, missiles, shells etc. However, armored vehicles and light armored vehicles also serve to fulfill ad hoc fashion interests. Nowadays there has also evolved the trend of using transparent armor for vehicles. This is set up using special type of glass armor. Apart from the armor various other protective measures are adopted too in the armored vehicles like keeping of fire extinguishers, run-flat tires, remote starting of car, pressure control and temperature regulation of the car, use of an explosion resistant fuel tank, siren or alarm system and intercom (between exterior and interior of car) incorporation. All these are done as means to provide enhanced safeguard.

Thus, it can be seen that armored vehicles serve much civilian interest too. In such times of strife and terrorism especially designed armored vehicles do assure a high security level. However, everything said and done, it is also true that excessive use of armor restricts mobility. So, it is better that vehicles are armored only to the extent necessary. This will make them more aesthetically appealing too.

Thomas MacIntosh asked:


Driving is fun. Driving is at the same time great responsibility. If you are in the driver’s seat, you owe responsibility towards the co-passengers. Of course you remain responsible for yourself. And above all the biggest responsibility is towards the environment. This is not just in the hand of the driver but in the broader perspective, the car manufacturing company holds the bigger liability.

New innovations and modern technology have thus brought forward the hybrid cars. Taking care of all the above-mentioned responsibilities, the hybrid car seems to fulfill all those criteria in a single drive. Whenever you ride a hybrid car you know you are safe and causing no harm to the surroundings.

The car configuration

Hybrid cars run on gas engine and do not use petrol or diesel. The fuel efficiency is optimum but requires a support of the electric motor. The acceleration gained by the car is due to the electric motor which is a rechargeable one and that too automatic. Hence in every sense the hybrid car is economical in use.

The hybrid car engine

You may laugh at the size but will say hats off when you count on the efficiency. There is no scope of fuel loss. Say for instance your hybrid car has got struck in the red signal. You won’t have to give a little effort to turn off the engine. Things will be regulated automatically after a stipulated time. Such modifications have been innovated and implemented in the designing of hybrid cars.

Better braking facility

Driving is a game of clutch and brakes. Then it is the control over the steering wheel and gear. Now the braking system of the hybrid car is automated by the electric motor. On one hand this electric motor is responsible for the acceleration of the car and on the other it operates the brakes. It can control the car’s speed and is regenerative in nature. Actually when the car loses its speed the battery automatically starts regeneration of power and the hybrid car is back to the smooth run.

Weight of the car

Hybrid car is not bulky. It is basically a light weighted car. The tires used are narrow and very mush durable. It can resist wear and tear to a great extent. As the weight is light and the tires are stiff, the hybrid car can run on any type of road without any damage as such. Generally light weighted cars are not fit for uneven roads but in case of hybrid cars such conclusions prove wrong.

If you are recently planning to buy a car, you can invest on the hybrid car without any hesitation. Try it out, you won’t run in a loss.