The first cars that began to appear in the streets of the United Kingdom were in the early part of the twentieth century, and they were few and far between. Yet it is interesting to note that the RAC (Royal Automobile Club) today one of the Britain’s leading recovery companies was formed way back in 1897.

It was more than likely that in these times, the RAC was a club in all meanings of the word, and they sent our volunteers who knew something of how the internal combustion engine operated to help one of the few people who owned one of these new fangled “horseless carriages” who had gotten into some form of distress.

When car breakdown insurance became popular to the mainstream of the UK public is pretty vague. Certainly the Automobile Association followed suit a few years later and for more than seventy years, they held the monopoly on breakdown services around the country. As the family car became more commonplace the AA and the RAC enjoyed a friendly but low paced rivalry, with innovations being added every few years to keep the customer’s interest. However what these associations did they do well, with friendly service being a key word?

They began to build a fleet of pick -up trucks to tow away cars that could not be repaired by the roadside, as well as a network of approved garages who had met the standards or service and honesty that either or sometimes both of these organisations demanded.

In smaller towns and villages, it was not uncommon to find a garage that had both the AA and the RAC seal of approval. Every year, these organisations would issue a year book with details of all their local service centres, approved garages and various other contact numbers. Eventually the year book expanded to provide details of hotels and restaurants all over the British Isles, with the next stage being that these organisations began to eventually grade the hotels and restaurants according to stars. This guide became a major source of revenue for both the AA and the RAC, yet never did it deter them from focusing from their core business: coming to the aid of the driver in distress.

In the early seventies, the RAC and The AA were joined on the roads of the UK by the National Breakdown Service who later changed their name to Green Flag. What set Green Flag apart from their more seasoned rivals was that they rarely employed their own service operatives, and instead they farmed out their work to local independent representatives, trained by the company and operating only by their predetermined service standards.

Other smaller and privately owned companies followed suit, and as the number of cars on UK roads continued to increase, and to keep pace with the standards demanded, both the AA and RAC were acquired by private concerns.

Recovery vehicles of today are equivalent to mobile workshops, with every facility that can make the repairman’s job easier in place, in order to expedite rapid diagnosis and repair and get the car and the driver back on the road as rapidly as possible.

---

For More information on specific Recovery Agents use these links

• The AA
• Green Flag
• The RAC
• More Than
• GEM Motoring Assist

For more detailed information and all the best deals from the AA visit www.aa-cover.com/

Tags: AA, Car Breakdowns, Car Maintenance, Cars, Green Flag, RAC

What is a car breakdown? There are many reasons why a car stops moving forward which is generally interpreted as a breakdown and they can range from the most banal to the incredibly technical. Whatever the reasons for the breakdown, they can in ninety nine percent of the cases they can be solved, usually by a simple case of deduction or initiative on the part of the driver or in the more extreme cases after many hours of discussion and dedication by a team of diagnostic engineers in a spotless workshop/garage/laboratory in Milan.

To get our feet back on the ground regarding car breakdowns, you may be amazed to discover that the majority of car breakdowns are caused by the car running out of petrol. While it may not necessarily be the driver’s fault directly, as the fuel gauge may have suddenly ceased to carry out its role as designated, if you are setting out on a long journey or at night or in the rain or snow, or all of them together, make sure that the tank is full. Don’t trust the gauge too much. Fuel and carburetor problems are linked and they mean that engine won’t get the fuel it requires to keep the pistons rotating, and the car will stop. That is the only reason why a car will actually stop on a journey, short for the engine seizing, which is altogether a much more unpleasant and more expensive experience. Engines seize due to chronic overheating which can be caused by oil escaping from the engine, water escaping from the radiator or the timing belts in the engine snapping. Try to avoid this happening at all costs, by making sure that your oil and water levels are as they should be, and your timing belts are changed according to the manufacturers specifications.

Other reasons why a car will have to be stopped is if the driver experiences problems with the car during a journey that their diagnosis tells them that something is not functioning well in the car. The driver’s diagnosis can be either that the engine is in danger of malfunctioning and to continue the journey may result in extensive damage to be caused to it. Other problems may be electrical, steering, braking systems, tyres and wheels. Any of these systems are vital to the car and how it handles. Many drivers make the critical mistake of ignoring these problems in the hope that they will disappear. Instead they will get worse, and instead of parking their car on a well lit road, in a motorway service center or in the driveway of a relative or friend so that they can call out their breakdown recovery service, they insist on pressing on with their journey and instead breakdown in the middle of nowhere, or even worse cause an accident.

There are a number of reasons why your car could break down, most of them preventable. You can also ease the inconvenience that having breakdown causes, by joining one of the many breakdown recovery services in the UK. And yes, in case you wondered, most of them carry a few gallons of fuel with them

---

For More information on specific Recovery Agents use these links

• The AA
• Green Flag
• The RAC
• More Than
• GEM Motoring Assist

For more detailed information and all the best deals from the AA visit www.aa-cover.com/

Tags: AA, Car Breakdowns, Car Maintenance, Cars, Green Flag, RAC, Tesco

In an ideal World, we buy a new or used car, keep it for as long as we want to keep it, get it serviced regularly, and sell it when we get bored with it, and move on to the next one. And the good news is that, at least as far car ownership is concerned, the World is still not quite ideal, but it is getting closer. Cars are much more reliable than they used to, and that’s a proven fact.

Yet, that doesn’t mean that as car owners, we don’t have our responsibilities. Cars do need to be serviced regularly, and unless you don’t want to spend some of your time waiting for a patrolman to come out and doing running repairs on your car, then you should listen to the advice of your garage, when they tell you that such and such a repair is going to come up soon or a major parts will need changing before the next service is due. The question is will you do a preventative repair or wait till the next service comes around. If you opt for the latter option, you should be prepared for the inconvenience and the possible danger to yourself and your loved ones, of delaying the inevitable.

The most common parts that will wear out on a car over time are as follows:

Fuel System problems: Always problematic, and even more so in the cars of today. The secret of avoiding problems is never to allow your petrol tank to get less than one third full, and prevent blocking the carburetor jets. These are highly sensitive parts and very expensive to repair, yet if left alone and kept filled with pure fuel and not the gunk from the bottom of your tank will ever give you any problems.

The battery: Batteries can last up to five years, irrespective of the mileage that the car does doing that time. If the car is a “city car”, in other words does only short journeys, eventually the terminals and clamp connections will come loose. During its routine service, your garage will check for this. However they will not be sure how your car is handled, so it is not a bad idea to ask them to check out the condition of the battery, and even to charge it if necessary. If your garage informs you that the battery is on its last legs and you choose not to change it, be prepared to be the idiot at the party walking around saying “has anyone here got jump leads”.

Alternators

An alternator will wear out on a car over time; it’s all a case of how soon. When it does the car won’t start, when your garage tell you that the time has come to change the alternator, do yourself a favour and listen. It’s not a part that can be repaired, only changed.

Fan Belts:

The part that operates around the alternator, radiator and water pump. Low cost and highly important. If the fan belt breaks, and the driver is not diligent enough in recognising the signs, you can blow the engine and cost yourself a lot of money. There are temporary solutions available for building a temporary fan belt, the most romantic being a lady’s nylon stocking in the pre war years. Nowadays most ladies don’t wear any kind of stockings, so you maybe carry a spare fan belt in your car.

On the subject of belts in general, when your garage tells you that the time is approaching to change one of them, ignore their words with caution.

Starter Motors: They will also wear out over time, but if maintained properly can last up to 250,000 miles these days.

Alarms and immobilisation systems: A modern day Trojan horse, planted on us thanks to a joint effort by the car thieves and the insurance, car alarms and immobilisation systems can cause more harm than good. Many a good evening has been ruined while a car owner tries to figure out why the system has failed him. Try and understand how to override the system in cases of emergency, as well as keeping it maintained.

These are the main mechanical parts that can cause you problems, although there are a few more. Many of these potential breakdown causers can stand a running repair, or at worse a call to your breakdown service. There are many companies who provide this service, with the following companies AA , Green Flag, Tesco, RAC, Insurance Choice (IC) being the leaders in the UK field.

However the best cure is prevention. It is always better to anticipate these problems before you get to experience them

Sourced from http://www.carbreakdowns.co.uk/

---

For More information on specific Recovery Agents use these links

• The AA
• Green Flag
• The RAC
• More Than
• GEM Motoring Assist

For more detailed information and all the best deals from the AA visit www.aa-cover.com/

Tags: AA, Car Breakdowns, Car Maintenance, Cars, Green Flag, RAC, Tesco

Most people have had recurring nightmares, which in most cases they keep to themselves. Yet those who have been prepared to share their experience with others have helped to build a picture of the common nightmare, and it is: being exposed and helpless in the most difficult of conditions.

For UK residents the last year or so has been difficult. The credit crunch has affected most people in one way or another and the change in weather conditions in the UK caused by global warming has not helped to improve the national moral.

Indications are that the winter of 2008/2009 is going to be difficult and all of us have to be prepared for its challenges. A lot of our efforts will need to be placed in preparing and keeping our car in as good a working condition as possible, and thus avoid a winter car breakdown that can be traumatic for everyone caught up in it.

Breakdowns can be prevented, yet they are not always totally avoidable. Car owners should always make sure that they have breakdown insurance not just in the winter but all year round. There are many companies who provide this service, with the following companies AA , Green Flag, Tesco, RAC, Insurance Choice (IC) being the leaders in the UK field.

With your breakdown cover sticker proudly on display, you can then begin to prepare for the coming winter’s test

The first port of call should be the car’s battery. Make sure that all the cables and connections are in tip top condition, bearing in mind that when the temperature drops your battery’s power is being tested, especially if you have a diesel car. Depending where you live, you could install a battery blanket which is a form of heating pad. Sounds obscure but might just give that extra ounce of power to get the juices flowing, especially when you are in the car park of your supermarket, with two trolleys full of shopping and the only thing that is running is the children’s noses.

Another area where you might have problems during a cold and wet winter is the exhaust system, If there has been a lot of snow and frost, the local council will spread salt on the roads, which will considerably speed up the rate of corrosion on the system. Before winter conditions stat to extract their toll, you should have your exhaust system thoroughly checked over, and replace whatever parts that look vulnerable.

The underside of the car is a problem in winter, and another area which is potentially dangerous is the axle joints. Loose or worn joints may not cause a breakdown but they will certainly cause an accident, so have they checked out while the car is up on the ramp.

Car engines are stretched to the hilt during the winter. Adding antifreeze is a must and can prevent major breakdowns and major expense, so make sure that it is applied in time. Other overall factors that need to be taken into account are tyres, brakes, steering, demisters, heaters, windscreen wipers among others. In many case, your car service centre will offer you a pre winter check up, which might be a good investment to prepare you and your car for the rigours of the coming winter.

Sourced from http://www.carbreakdowns.co.uk/

---

For More information on specific Recovery Agents use these links

• The AA
• Green Flag
• The RAC
• More Than
• GEM Motoring Assist

For more detailed information and all the best deals from the AA visit www.aa-cover.com/

Tags: AA, Car Breakdowns, Car Maintenance, Cars, Green Flag, RAC, Tesco

A cut and shut. The very phrase should end a shiver down a car owner’s spine. Yet there are many of these “ticking bombs” driving along the roads and highways of the UK. The majority of the people driving and travelling in these cars are blissfully aware that they are in an “accident waiting to happen.”
Some are, simply because they are stupid and selfish enough to be willing to drive a car which externally looks the part, but has no legal right to be driven on public roads.

So what is a “cut and shut”? As the term implies a cut and shut is actually two cars, both the same model and year, who have been involved in a car accident, serious enough to have been written off by the insurance company and are supposed to be broken up and sold for spare parts. Due to lack of proper jurisdiction, these cars sometimes wind up in the hands of unscrupulous welding shops or “chop shops” as they are sometimes known. These chop shops take the two cars, with an ideal example of one that has suffered serious rear end damage and another that has been damaged at the front end. By using no certain amount of skill, they succeed in matching both sections and welding them together so that they appear to be one car in perfect condition. A nice paint work, a new and stolen identity and the car is back on the road, looking as good as new.

There are many people willing to buy a cut and shut, from the car dealer who is aware that the car is illegal, or the private buyer who is also aware but is prepared to take the risk with their lives as well as anyone else in the vicinity, when their car goes out of control or breaks up. Sadly many of the owners of these cars do not know that they have bought a car that is unroadworthy, and sadly a few find out when it is too late.

When all is said and done, anyone actually buying a “cut and shut” only has themselves to blame. Any car, no matter how good it looks, what a good buy that it is and how much the seller presses them to make a swift decision, should stand their ground and insist on taking the car for pre-purchase examination. And not only that but at an examination center of their choice, preferably operated under the auspices of one the major car owners associations such RAC or the AA.

If the car is a “cut and shut” then this will show up in a matter of minutes, and not only should any deals be cancelled, but information on the seller be passed on to the UK Offices of Fair Trading. Make no mistake about it ,the practice of “cut and shut” is illegal and anyone dealing in this horrendous practice is punishable by law.

---

For More information on specific Recovery Agents use these links

• The AA
• Green Flag
• The RAC
• More Than
• GEM Motoring Assist

For more detailed information and all the best deals from the AA visit www.aa-cover.com/

Tags: Auto Cover, Car Insurance, Car Maintenance, Cars, Cut and Shut

There are many people who shy clear of any form of insurance that is neither compulsory nor totally suicidal not to have. Breakdown cover may well be one of these forms of insurance that people are inclined to do without, stating that it is a an unnecessary expense and the chances of ever having to take advantage of the services on offer are so low that it is not justified.

Having car breakdown cover is not compulsory, yet most car insurers offer it at a highly subsidized cost as part of a comprehensive insurance policy. There are very few people who refuse the offer, simply because they want the peace of mind of knowing that if something does go wrong with their car that a reputable company will come to their assistance. The major and national roadside assistance companies have link ups with the leading UK car insurance giants, and the prices obtainable from them are part of an insurance package are very fair. Much fairer than if your car breaks down, you are not covered, and you fall into the hands of some of the more unscrupulous locally based breakdown services that like awake at night dreaming of the opportunity of earning a fat profit from someone who is in distress and consequentially vulnerable.

Not that the national breakdown services will not come to your aid if you are in distress, or that someone with care insurance cover will get priority over, either in terms of response time, quality of service or how the service operator will relate to you. However, you will swiftly realize the cost of not being insured, especially if the mechanic sent is not capable of carrying out a roadside repair, and you car has to transport to a garage. You will discover that you will have been so much better of paying the cover, probably five or even ten times more so, depending on the distances involved in transporting your car.

There are a lot of people that are under the mistaken impression that breakdown cover also includes the cost of repairing the car. The role of the roadside repair man is to diagnose the problem, do a running repair if at all possible, and if not either tow the car or arrange for it to be transported to the nearest garage for repair. The car owner can also insist that their car be transported to a garage of their choice, especially if they are far away from home. The breakdown company is obliged to do so, and will. However if they are locally based they will arrange to transport it on their own truck, If you have no insurance breakdown cover, this will be very expensive and difficult to justify. However if you deal with a national company such as the AA or the RAC, they will transport your car large distances at low cost, usually transferring it three of four times from transporter to transporter along the way.
All in all, there is an argument whether breakdown cover is a justifiable expense. Just ask anyone who has ever broken down in the middle of a rain storm, in the small hours of the morning, 200 miles away from home, and they will tell you exactly how worthwhile it is!

Sourced from http://www.carbreakdowns.co.uk/

---

For More information on specific Recovery Agents use these links

• The AA
• Green Flag
• The RAC
• More Than
• GEM Motoring Assist

For more detailed information and all the best deals from the AA visit www.aa-cover.com/

Tags: AA, AA - Automobile Association, Auto Cover, Car Insurance, Car Maintenance, Cars, Child Safety, eCommerce Associates, More Th>N, RAC, Tesco Insurance

It is never pleasant suffering a break down when you are on a car journey, and if the breakdown occurs when you are driving along on a motorway. If you feel that your car is experiencing some problems when you are driving on a motorway, yet nothing that will cause long term and significant damage, then do you best to “nurse” your car to the next service area? If you feel that your car won’t make it too far, there are always spots that you can find every few miles where you can stop your car in safety, and call for roadside assistance.

If the problem with your car is so serious that you cannot continue to drive, you should pull onto the hard shoulder as cautiously as you can, and as far to the left as you can go. Sidelights and hazard warning lights should be left on. If you are alone in the car or with adult passengers, you should step out of the car, and only from the left side. If you are travelling alone with young children, then your number one priority should be their safety, and the focus of your attention should be in keeping them safe. If you are travelling with another adult, then you should pass on the responsibility to that person.

Breaking down on a motorway is a very fraught experience and with children in the car it can be life threatening, so keep as cool a head as you can. Many responsible drivers keep a luminous jacket or jackets in their car for such an eventuality. If you have one, wear it and make sure that your passengers do too, even in the middle of a hot summer’s day.

Once you know that your passengers are being taken care of, walk along the left side of the safety lane till you find an emergency phone. These are usually placed about one mile apart, so it is not too far too walk. In the age of mobile phones, people are inclined to waste valuable time and endanger their lives by attempting to call emergency services on their mobile whilst under pressure. It is so much easier to walk the maximum of one mile and make direct contact with the Motorway Police. If you see an emergency phone on the other side of the motorway, never under any circumstances should you cross the motorway to reach it.
When you reach the phone station, report your situation, your position but don’t waste your time and theirs trying to explain why you think that your car broke down. Instead start to walk back in the direction of your car, and you will probably find that they will be there waiting for you when you arrive. Once the police are on the scene, the pressure will be off you. The motorway police will have called out someone to look at your vehicle and give a rapid assessment of the problems. If they can carry out a running repair to get the car running till the nearest service station or better still to a garage, then that is the best of a bad situation. If the problem is really serious, they may arrange for the car to be transported to the nearest service station, for onward transportation by your roadside breakdown service.
All in all breaking down on a motorway, whilst traumatic, does not have to be a catastrophe. It’s all a case of keeping a cool head and following the proper procedures.

Sourced from http://www.carbreakdowns.co.uk/

---

For More information on specific Recovery Agents use these links

• The AA
• Green Flag
• The RAC
• More Than
• GEM Motoring Assist

For more detailed information and all the best deals from the AA visit www.aa-cover.com/

Tags: AA, AA - Automobile Association, Auto Cover, Breakdowns, Car Insurance, Car Maintenance, Cars, Child Safety, eCommerce Associates, More Th>N

Ask the average person to provide a list of issues that must concern them as we move towards the end of the first decade of the 21st century, and in there along with global warming, World peace and financial stability you might well find finding a reliable, honest garage to do their car repairs.
People live in fear of their car breaking down. Things are tight enough these days for most people and the last thing they need is a major repair involving expensive spare parts and hours of labour eating away at next month’s salary well before it hits the bank. Many people, even those who have been car owners for years, have very little idea of what actually happens inside the engine of their car. When something goes wrong, you can see them standing around helplessly in a garage, hoping that the problem will go away by itself, but it never does.

The fact is that you can’t prevent a car from needing repairs, especially one that has been on the road for a few years. Engines work hard and eventually start to wear out, and parts need to be replaced. The amount of money you will have to pay on repairs and how breakdowns occur will depend on how the owner relates to their car. If you have your car serviced on a regular basis, at a garage that you trust, they will be able to alert you when such and such a part is about to wear out and will need replacing. If the part and cost of the repair is not too high, you might decide to do the repair on the spot. Or you might put it off for a few weeks, till you have the time or the money to do the repair, on condition that your garage tells you that the repair can wait.

This is an example of trust between a garage and their customers, which should be cherished. This kind of relationship usually, but not always, is found with main dealers. They have too much to lose by “short changing” their customers as well as having the specific experience of dealing with certain car manufacturers, and not just a jack of all trades handling all kinds of makes. They tend to be more expensive, but they earn the difference in by knowing exactly how to take care of your car, its idiosyncrasies as well as being able to diagnose problems and anticipate problems that will happen in the future.

There is no danger that a main dealer will never try to fob used or reconditioned parts, unless you agree, a situation that you will come up against if you service your car in a “jack of all makes” garage. If a car owner is loyal to their garage, then the garage will be loyal to them in return. Once a car gets past a certain age or over a certain mileage, it may not be economical to carry out repairs at a main dealer, and they will understand that.

What is important is to be consistent and work with a garage that you can trust. Do your homework and be prepared. In the long term it will save you a lot of money and inconvenience.

Sourced from http://www.carbreakdowns.co.uk/

---

For More information on specific Recovery Agents use these links

• The AA
• Green Flag
• The RAC
• More Than
• GEM Motoring Assist

For more detailed information and all the best deals from the AA visit www.aa-cover.com/

Tags: AA, AA - Automobile Association, Auto Cover, Car Insurance, Car Maintenance, Cars, Child Safety, eCommerce Associates, More Th>N, Tesco Insurance

When it comes to breakdown cover, like any other form of service that you purchase, you only get what you pay for. There are major price savings to be earned when you add breakdown and recovery services when you go to renew your annual comprehensive insurance policy. Most of the UK.s major insurance companies have tied up with one or two of the leading national break down companies. However whilst there are advantages in this option, especially in the discounts to be taken advantage of, insurance brokers are in business to sell insurance, so you should make sure that you are getting the breakdown cover that you want. Most of the leading roadside recovery companies openly publish their prices online, allowing a quick comparison of both their prices and services. Before rushing off to sign up for breakdown insurance through your broker, it might well be worth your while to compare prices, and discover if the generous discounts offer apply to the entire range of services that these companies offer, or just a selected few.

To provide a loose indication, here is a chart of the UKs leading breakdown recovery organisations with prices for their range of services.

Company	Standard	Standard  and Recovery	Standard  and Recovery plus Homestart	Standard  and Recovery plus Homestart and replacement vehicle
AA	£38	£72	£108	£135
Green Flag	£36	£66	£69	£133
Tesco	£33	£59	£79	N/A
RAC	£33	£71	£81	£106

When comparing these prices you will be able to observe that there are no major differences in price at least for the more standard services. When deciding which company you want to work with, and whether you will be arranging your own breakdown insurance or through your broker, you should regard this chart as the roughest of indicators, which should help to present an overall picture of the many services available.

Spend the necessary time online to assess each of these companies, as well as the many others that offer roadside recovery services. The issue can be a very important one, and not to be taken lightly, you may never need a recovery service, if you get lucky or once every two or three years if you go by the law of averages. However when you do need assistance, you need to know that you are placing yourself in the hands of professionals, who care about the company that they work for as well as its customers.   

The standard of service that you should be looking for must include maximum call out time, with the standard being no more than forty minutes. Another important issue that should be addressed is whether the roadside service provides a priority service for families travelling with young children, elderly or infirm. These are issues that need to be taken care of when you decide which breakdown cover will suit you best.

---

For More information on specific Recovery Agents use these links

• The AA
• Green Flag
• The RAC
• More Than
• GEM Motoring Assist

For more detailed information and all the best deals from the AA visit www.aa-cover.com/

Tags: AA, AA - Automobile Association, Auto Cover, Car Insurance, Car Maintenance, Cars, Child Safety, eCommerce Associates, More Th>N, Tesco Insurance

Buying a car, any car, is usually a very exciting experience, especially if that car is for a first time owner. However the biggest mistake that anyone can make when looking for a second hand car is to allow sentiments or emotions play anything but a minute part in the decision making process. Cars are a very important part of our lives, and people who recall their lives before they had a car, and after will rush to agree that there is no comparison, despite the extra costs that owning a car brings into their financial spectrum. However there is also a minority of people who are in the unhappy situation of owning a car and not being able to drive it. Why? Because they let their hearts rule their heads and bought a “pig in a poke” that spends it life in the garage, or worst still on blocks, because the owners cannot afford to repair it.

Buying a brand new car is a luxury very few people can afford to take, or if they can afford it, choose not to. The fact is that more than 70% of new cars registered in the UK in 2007 were company cars, and most of them owned by leasing companies. New cars notoriously drop in value in their first year or two, and after they tend to level out.

Buying an ex lease-hire car is becoming an attractive option for people in the market for fairly new second hand cars, as the leasing companies want to trade them on after three years or so. The advantages are that the car will be in a generally good condition, will be on sale at below book price. The disadvantages are that unless you have access to inside information that will tell you different, the car will have had several drivers none of whom were the owner, with all that that entails. The other downside is that the car will usually have run up more than an average mileage for the years that it has been on the road. However if you are not planning to use the car excessively, then the average will soon level out.

There are many car lots that specialize in selling cars from leasing companies, and it is very convenient to go along and have a choice of fifty or one hundred cars to choose from. These cars usually come with a three months warranty on parts only, which can be reassuring but only in the short term. Whatever you decide, and no matter what the salesman tells you, request that the car be taken for a pre-purchase inspection at a garage of your choice. Look for major damage to the chassis or the engine, and not if the cigarette lighter is working.

The same rule applies to any used car that you but, even if it is from your best friend or your brother. In fact, one of the best rules in buying a used car is never to buy it from someone you know. Keep it impersonal.

If you budget does not stretch to newer cars, then you should try and stay away from used car lots and search the private market. Used car lots tend to look for a profit per unit on a car, usually of around £600, which is not a lot in a car retailing at £8,000 or over, but a very high percentage when the car costs £3,000 or under.

Buying a car at auctions can be a good way of saving money, but certainly not for the faint of heart. Decisions have to be made instantly, and the cars are almost always sold as seen. Any hope of doing a pre purchase inspection is nonexistent, and there is no recourse whatsoever to the buyer if the car is found to be mechanically flawed.

The next, and most likely option, is to search the internet or the local paper for second hand cars in your price range. It always helps to narrow down the field by short listing a few models of cars that you like. The criteria should be engine size, the model’s reputation and information on running cost. Things that should not be taken into account are the cars colour or does the radio work.

Once you have narrowed down the field, you should set off, never alone, to have a look at the cars you have in mind. Bear in mind that you are going to look at a car and not to buy one. People, who set off with that mindset, often have plenty of time to reflect on their misplaced over-enthusiasm,
The first thing you should do when you arrive at your destination is to inspect the seller and not the car. If he has a patch over his eye, a parrot perched on his shoulder and a wooden leg, then that is good enough reason to e worried. If he is the local parish minister, then you should still ask for identification. Before you get close to the car you need to examine is the paper work. Is the car registered in the name of the person who is selling it, as well as the car’s log book and MOT certificate? If everything matches up, then you can begin to look upon the car as a potential purchase. If it doesn’t, move on.

Look for how many owners the car has had, average mileage in relation to year, check inside the boot to see if the car’s paintwork is original. If the car owner has a service history to show you, then this is a very positive sign. Yet no matter how good it looks, and how much you love the colour, insist on a pre-purchase inspection. If things work out, you will have bought yourself a good car that will serve you well, in safety and comfort, for many years.

Sourced from http://www.carbreakdowns.co.uk/

---

For More information on specific Recovery Agents use these links

• The AA
• Green Flag
• The RAC
• More Than
• GEM Motoring Assist

For more detailed information and all the best deals from the AA visit www.aa-cover.com/

Tags: Car Insurance, Car Maintenance, Cars, Child Safety