Until recently, used car prices had been going through the roof. They started getting cheaper when gas headed toward $4 a gallon, and then when the credit crisis hit, and there were a lot of repos on the market, they got even cheaper. Now that gas is back down under $2, they’ve gone back up somewhat, but they’re still cheaper than a while back. Of course, “cheap” is a relative term, and one man’s bargain is another man’s extravagance. What if you need a car fast, and you only have five hundred bucks? I’d head for government auto auctions. Cars under 500 dollars are available there.
Now, don’t get me wrong. At government auto auctions, cars under 500 dollars aren’t a dime a dozen. They really aren’t even plentiful. But you stand a very good chance of finding one or two such bargains at any given government auction you attend. And, yes, I’m talking about cars that actually run and are street legal. Now, it’s probably going to be quite a it older than most cars on the street, but that’s no problem. If you’re really looking for a cheap car, you can forget about a late model one, anyway. Those will be snapped up by the dealers, and they’ll go for a lot more than 500 dollars.
That’s because they’re looking for cars that can be resold fast, which is late model cars in great condition. That’s why dealers attend government auto auctions. Cars under 500 dollars don’t interest them, because they’re going to be too old to have much of a market. But that doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with a 500 dollar car you pick up at one of these. It will just be older than average, and probably not in tip top shape. But you can certainly find yourself a 500 dollar car that runs if you attend a few auctions.
By: Patrick Mole
Posts Tagged ‘Car Prices’
Environmentally Friendly Hybrid Cars – The Conventional Vs Hybrid
March 11th, 2010
Since a few years ago, Hybrid cars have slowly but surely solidified their foothold in its market share of total conventional car sales. Hybrid cars have reached 4 percent share and growing. The Hybrid Car must possess many features which conventional cars do not, hence making it desirable. Whether these features are key to potential hybrid car owners to switch from their conventional gasoline guzzlers depends on they attitudes, beliefs and whether they are willing to confront and correct them.
Conventional Cars are Cheaper than Hybrid Cars.
As it is a complex design requirement for the Hybrid Car to be aerodynamic to ensure that the wind factor is optimized, the hybrid car is naturally priced more expensive. But what you might not have noticed of late is that hybrid car prices have become much more reasonable. In fact, the prices have stabilized to match that of conventional cars. Take the very popular Toyota Prius, at the time of writing at end of 2008, it is going at the range of USD19000 to USD23000. The Toyota Prius when compared to the all time favorite of American gasoline guzzling Ford Taurus is at least USD5000 lower in price. Also, tax incentives and rebates will be awarded to hybrid cars owners which pays over a period of a few years, hence closing the gap between the net cost of the price of a Hybrid car vs that of a conventional one.
Spare Parts Are Not Easily Available for Hybrid Cars.
Hybrid Cars only became commercially viable about 5 years ago, with mass production climbing steeply only since 2 years ago. Hence, by virtue that there is simply not enough old or scraped Hybrid Cars out there yet to provide for a commercially viable hybrid spare parts market is indeed a fact. And the lack of supply for Hybrid Car spare parts drives up prices. One consolation is that car manufacturers are confidently giving 8 year warranties of their hybrid car batteries hence backing the confidence of the quality. A hybrid and a conventional car can both use lead acid batteries that hold enough energy to power a small motor that’s electric. Such batteries are gear reduced, meaning that you could turn over an engine at approximately 300 rpms, with torque generated to turn over the engine. With both types of car using similar batteries, used parts are easily available. With the 8 year guarantee for the hybrid car batteries, good amount of hybrid car tax incentives and plus the fact that you contribute to the green revolution too, it is not a difficult decision to make. But, eventually, it is still your decision to break out of that gasoline guzzling mold and embrace green.
By: Joey Lee
