Cars on Contract

Auctions can be a great way to find cheap cars at way below the price that you would pay when buying from a dealer or even from a private seller. Possible venues include auctions of repossessed cars, auction sites such as eBay and salvage cars. Finding the perfect Audi A3 for sale or used BMW has never been easier thanks to the internet.

Repossessed Cars

When a car is repossessed, it is often resold at a knock down price. If you would like to find out if there is an auction of repossessed cars in your area, first try looking up auction houses in the Yellow Pages or Thomson Local. Repossessed cars are sometimes also auctioned off by the banks, so check with your bank or financial institution.  Finally, your local paper may publish notices of forthcoming auctions.

Online Auctions

eBay is perhaps the longest established and most popular auction site on the web. It has a specialist motors section, with bids starting from as little as 99p. There is also a ‘new kid on the block’, Madbid.com, which is worth checking out. Auctions on this site are faster paced than eBay’s, but it can be more difficult to find exactly what you want. Nevertheless, it is possible to find cheap cars if you log on at the right time.

Salvage Car Auctions

If you know a little about car repairs, it might be possible to pick up crash-damaged cars really cheaply and do them up yourself. Bluecycle bills itself as “The Car Salvage Specialists” and members need to register in order to sell or buy, at a cost of £40 per year. Cars can be found incredibly cheaply, some for as little as £40.

We all know that Japanese cars are the most reliable and German cars the best performing. But are they?

Stereotypes about cars are difficult to trace; we do not know from where they originated, and different people seem to have different ideas. Most agree that used Volvos score highly in terms of safety; Honda, Mazda and Nissan are very reliable; and Ferraris are for racing. German cars such as BMW and Audi offer fun drives, great performance and luxury. French Peugeot and Renault are stylish and innovative, while the British Mini is just what it is: a national symbol.

Buying it new or used, your car says a lot about you and what you represent. A hybrid makes a powerful statement that you care about the environment, while buying a used Audi for sale means you are a practical, sensible person. Let’s not forget the colour – intelligent people, of course, drive green cars. Jokes aside, these stereotypes might be amusing, but when buying your used car, it might be wise to focus on price and performance as opposed to the colour or make of the vehicle.

The time will inevitably come when you will want to sell your car and the question will immediately arise, ‘What’s my Audi worth?’ this question can usually be answered by visiting a price comparison website and getting a car valuation.

Prices do tend to fluctuate in the used car business and it is not uncommon to find that there are several makes and models that have a tendency to depreciate rather more quickly than others. To get a more rounded picture of how the market in used cars is doing, drop into one of the high street showrooms and talk shop with the dealers. This will give you a much more realistic and balanced idea about what your car should be sold for.

Clean the vehicle thoroughly, both bodywork and interior; you could even consider using a professional valet service for an extra touch to finish off. Remember, first impressions count just as much with cars as they do with anything else. Next, gather together all the car’s documentation and put together an advertisement.

To attract most attention you will need to get a few essential points across in the advert. They include the size of the engine, manufacture year, make and model, miles on the clock and other basic facts on condition and any extras. Be sure to add the number of previous owners, as well as the present ‘careful’ one. If you have the space, also mention the sound system if it has one, as well as features such as power steering, cruise control etc.

If car safety design or ‘crashworthiness’ is important in your used car purchase decision, you have an array of choices with the Audi range.  If you consider a used Audi 3, a used Audi 4, a used Audi 6 or a used Audi Q5 you are looking at cars which have high regard in terms of safety on both sides of the Atlantic.  Over the course of the past six years, the Audi 3, 4 and 6 have all been rated in the USA by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) as “double best picks.”  This means they ranked the highest possible scores for both front and side car impacts.  In addition, in 2009, the Euro NCAP rated the 2009 Audi 4 and Audi Q5 with five out of five stars for crashworthiness.

Look For An Approved Used Audi For Safety And Reliability

Because so many Audis have hit the IIHS double best pick level and the Euro NCAP has recognised the car’s safety design, it is clear that as a manufacturer, Audi has consumer safety at the forefront of its mind.  This along with the traditional German reliability means that used Audis can be a great choice as a used car purchase.  Audi provides an ‘approved’ rating for its vehicles as well.  All pre-owned, or used cars undergo a rigorous evaluation of over 100 different systems which include a full road-test and a written detailed report of the inspector’s findings.  To go with its approval rating, Audi provides a 30 day exchange policy along with a 12-month Audi Guarantee Programme, including Roadside Assistance that provides cover for car hire and hotel accommodation if necessary.  So, when considering crash safety and reliability, a used Audi is a ‘safe’ bet.

If you’re seeking a practical and reliable car rather than an exciting high-performance gaze-catcher, you need look no further than Audi’s A3 range. You’ll get a good quality hatchback which, whilst not winning many beauty contests, manages to be pleasing to the eye even so.

With the A3’s excellent insulation, cruising along the motorway becomes a real pleasure (although any passengers sitting in the rear will wish for a short drive – it’s a little cramped back there). The A3 offer three diesel versions and four petrol models. If you want a little extra verve and power, the 2.0 litre TFSI with its 197 bhp Golf GTI engine can do 0 – 68 mph in seven seconds. The diesel models at the higher end of the power scale, like the 2.0 litre TDI, will give you a more than respectable 168 bhp.

The car handles beautifully, and if storage space is a factor in your calculations, try the ‘Sportback’ A3s. These models are somewhere between an estate and a standard hatch and offer bags more space in the boot. However, the ordinary hatch boot space is 350 litres, which expands to 1,000 litres when the seats are folded.

Finally, if fuel costs are a consideration, the 1.9 litre diesel delivers an impressive 60 mpg and attracts relatively cheap company car tax. The A3 range may not be the most exciting in Audi’s repertoire but as practical, reliable cars, they more than worthy of their badge’s high reputation.

Car leasing is considered one of the most common ways for a car-mad individual to get a chance of putting those cool looking wheels on the road. Especially in these adverse economic times, an average man may think that buying a car seems an impossible option nowadays. So, with the surge of interest the car leasing industry has been experiencing, car manufacturers see this event as an avenue for their business to continue making a profit, in spite of lower car sales. One of the companies that engages in car-leasing transactions is Audi, a Volkswagen subsidiary.

Audi has been known throughout the years as a car manufacturer that delivers power-efficient, versatile, and convenient cars. The combination of speed and style make this brand very popular with car aficionados. However, from the time of the onset of the world financial crisis, Audi sales have weakened. To cushion the impact of the poor sales performance, Audi has linked up with car-leasing markets to meet both the goals of manufacturers and the needs of potential customers.

In leasing an Audi, potential car users are only required to shell out a portion of the actual amount of a brand new Audi. Aside from the economic advantage, the car’s value is rapidly depreciating, giving any car users a dilemma on how to maintain the value of the car. By leasing an Audi, car users will never be in troubled waters again, as they can shift to another model at the time the contract ends.

With these great deals, leasing an Audi has never been this flexible and practical. Therefore, Audi leasing transactions are set to grow further in the coming years.

There are some great advantages of leasing a car over buying outright or even getting the car on finance from your local car dealer.

The majority of cars are all within reach of the average motorist as long as they can keep up with the monthly repayments. With leasing you’re not tied to one manufacturer such as Ford but you can choose from a wide range of manufactures such as Audi, BMW and Mercedes, and then set your monthly repayment budget which will then in turn give you a list of car models that are within your budget.

Your lease agreement will usually be quite flexible in terms of length, but you normally find that a 12 month lease contract is the most common but they can go up to 48 months. Most motorists will keep their car for a 36 month / 3 year period where as people who tend to do high miles will only get a 12 month contract.

Most leasing companies will ask you for a fixed amount of annual mileage, 12,000 or 15,000 are ample for most people but take into consideration that you may be charged if you go over this limit, so it would be slightly better to overestimate.

The key factor for your monthly repayments is the value of your leased car at the end of your contract. Taking a quick look at car deprecation charts will give you a good clue as to what cars you should avoid or that will have a higher monthly payment such as Alfa Romeos which are notoriously bad at deprecation and can drop as much as 10k in their first year on the road.

If you’ve done your research you will know that Audis hold their market value very well, so choosing an Audi car leasing plan might be a very wise financial decision. You may think that with the Audi name comes a high price tag which to an extent is true but leasing a car is a lot more affordable than the other traditional methods of payment that you may be more familiar with.

A full collection of Audi’s are generally available on car lease, from the Audi A3 which has many great petrol and diesel engines to the original Audi Quattro 4 wheel drive. If you need something a little bit bigger or more family orientated then the Audi A4 is for you, with its graceful looks the A4 really is a head turner and also comes as a soft top. The Audi S4 Advant also has bags of performance in a family sized car, packing a 3.0 supercharged engine wrapped in the traditional ‘s’ style and comfort inside.

The BMW 5 series best watch out, as the new Audi A5 was uncovered at this year’s Geneva motor show and will be a major rival for the familiar sight of the BMW 5 series.

If none of these appeal to you then don’t forget the best roadster that money can buy the famous Audi TT that has been at the top of its game since its release back in 2003. The TTS is the most powerful Audi TT yet with 270BHP.

Should you choose to lease an Audi car then you can have both performance and style at a price you can afford with low monthly repayments, and with short contracts leases from as little as 3 months this really is your opportunity to own a Audi.