The price of cars these days is just out of this world. You can figure on spending upwards of $30,000 for a family van. No wonder a lot of people are opting for used cars. Even with prices creeping up and up there are still ways for you to save money if you have your heart set on a new cars.
The first advice I'll offer is to do your homework before you approach a dealership. There is an endless amount of information available on the internet. Every car manufacturer has a website, dealerships have web sites. See what deals they are offering on what models. Check on the edmunds.com website for information on retail prices for new and used cars of any make and model. You should, before you even pull into the dealership, have a ballpark figure of what your new car should cost, including any special packages you may want.
A lot of dealers have taken the haggling and pressure out of new car buying, which many of consumers like. Remember the days when you'd ask what the price of a car is and the salesman would reply "how much can you afford to pay a month?". You never knew exactly what you were paying for your new car until you were at the desk ready to sign the contract. Today we are educated consumers and those days are gone forever.
You will be able to get a good deal during the end of model year sales. The dealers will make just about any deal to get an older model off the lot to make room for a new one. Also, go into the dealership at the end of the month. Your salesman will be doing his best to sell a few more vehicles to up his commission payment.
Get the bottom line price for that new car before you talk about a trade in. Generally the first thing a salesman will ask is if you have a trade in. Say "no". If your salesman knows you have a trade in it will affect the price you pay for your new car, no doubt. If he makes you a ridiculously good deal for your trade in you can believe that the price of your new car will reflect this. Make sure you know what the value of your trade in is. Again you can check edmunds.com. Take you car to a variety of dealerships and get an idea of this price from them.
The bottom line is to do your homework. Get a price for the new car from several different dealers. There is nothing wrong with each of them vying to give you the best deal.
Consider your finance charges. Get a quote on the interest rate you're offered from the dealership, then check with your bank or credit union to see what type of interest rates they offer.
Friday, April 29, 2011
New Car Prices - Understanding The Price Variations
The price for a specific new car will vary across state and international boundaries. The prices vary because of different local taxes and because of different manufacturer price structures in different markets.
Model specifications also vary from country to country. A GLS model in one country will come with different levels of equipment in different countries.
Customers in some markets may be willing to pay higher prices, mainly where the market is less competitive. The car manufacturers make more profit in these markets. Customers who live in high new car price areas can and should consider purchasing in nearby, cheaper markets.
There may be import taxes to pay when customers import their vehicle as a personal import, but the overall price is still going to be lower.
New car prices also vary according to time of year. If a state or country has date specific car registrations, then there will be a massive upsurge in demand in whatever months the registration changes. An upsurge in demand means that dealers are less likely to give discounts.
Do your research before you go near a showroom. Have emailed quotes for specific models to show the sales staff in the showroom that you eventually do visit. You can use these to try to obtain an even lower price.
Dealers are given monthly sales targets. There are some months when dealers struggle to reach these targets and are normally much more willing to give discounts. They arrange for a finance company to buy the cars that they must sell to hit their targets and then sell these as "Demonstrators" or "Pre-registered" at a price thousands below the list price.
When you sell the car it will be classed as having had two owners and the price will be slightly lower than a one-owner vehicle, but hardly thousands less. These months are normally November and December, as well as the month immediately before any registration change.
Model specifications also vary from country to country. A GLS model in one country will come with different levels of equipment in different countries.
Customers in some markets may be willing to pay higher prices, mainly where the market is less competitive. The car manufacturers make more profit in these markets. Customers who live in high new car price areas can and should consider purchasing in nearby, cheaper markets.
There may be import taxes to pay when customers import their vehicle as a personal import, but the overall price is still going to be lower.
New car prices also vary according to time of year. If a state or country has date specific car registrations, then there will be a massive upsurge in demand in whatever months the registration changes. An upsurge in demand means that dealers are less likely to give discounts.
Do your research before you go near a showroom. Have emailed quotes for specific models to show the sales staff in the showroom that you eventually do visit. You can use these to try to obtain an even lower price.
Dealers are given monthly sales targets. There are some months when dealers struggle to reach these targets and are normally much more willing to give discounts. They arrange for a finance company to buy the cars that they must sell to hit their targets and then sell these as "Demonstrators" or "Pre-registered" at a price thousands below the list price.
When you sell the car it will be classed as having had two owners and the price will be slightly lower than a one-owner vehicle, but hardly thousands less. These months are normally November and December, as well as the month immediately before any registration change.
New Car Research
New car research is much easier today then in the past. The use of the Internet has changed the way people buy cars. Not only with researching the cars, but in finding the availability of dealers vehicles and taking virtual tours of the vehicles. There are few items to keep in mind when getting ready to purchase new cars. These items will help your research go smoother.
Pick up a copy of consumer reports the car edition
Consumer reports rates cars every month, but that is going to take too long to read about three or four at a time. You need the addition that covers all the vehicles in one edition. This way you can have everything in one issue to get started. Start by looking through cars that you are interested in. Make sure you read through consumer reports ranking methods. One of the most important factors of their ranking system is their reliability report. If the car is a new model there will be no reliability information. Consider the source here and make a few assumptions. For example, if it’s a Honda or Volvo then you can assume that the reliability will be good. These vehicles always score high in this category. If it’s a dodge or Chrysler, then make a note. Those vehicles tend to report lower Reliabilities
Look at some details with a grain of salt
Here is what I mean by that. Gas mileage and performance are loosely based. If you live in florid and have the air conditioning on all the time, then your mileage is going to be less than what is advertised. A good practice is to at least subtract a mile per gallon from the reported statistic. This gives you a better idea of a realistic economy rating. If you drive mostly in the city this is very helpful since city mileage is always less than highway mileage.
Mark down prices and details
Compare the vehicles you are interested in and keep each on a separate piece of paper. By having them on a separate piece of paper you can make notes as you go along. Next go to the manufactures page and look up the model directly. Most sites now are highly interactive. You can take tours and see the car from every angle. This is good to do and will help you save some time from going to the dealer and doing this yourself. Keep in mind that the new car prices that you see on these sites should never be the price you are going to pay. If you were ignorant and walked into the dealer, this is where they would start. You need to know what the dealer pays (dealers invoice) then you can know where to start to negotiate. On each piece of paper right all this information down so you have it organized. Look at the prices of the options you are interested in and write those down as well. You should have a good idea what options cost . The reason is that you will go to the dealer and see a lot of cars in the lot. It can be overwhelming if you are not prepared. By knowing the model and options, you can work faster and accomplish your goal at the same time.
Now go to the dealer
After you have all your information, the real reason is to go and drive the vehicles. You need to make sure you like the way the car or truck rides and if it feels like a good fit for you. The process of decision is behind you at this point and you were able to make all your decisions at home where there is no pressure to buy anything. Ask the dealer what incentives are available from the manufacture. Make sure that you understand that the manufacturer gives you incentives but they also give the dealers incentives. That is their secret, they are going to get some sort of incentive to sell the cars and that you should keep in your back pocket. Some savy salesman may try to make you think he is not going to make anything on a deal if you low ball them. Carry your research paperwork with you and don’t be shy about having it. They will know that you did your homework and it helps at the bartering table.
At last take your paperwork and start to talk money. Be firm yet respectful and do not be afraid to walk away. For some reason there is a lot of back and forth in the negotiation process. Salesman have to steal away to ask their managers if they can sell for a certain price. When they come back and say that this is there last price, don’t be afraid to say its unacceptable. The business is highly competitive, they will try to sell you a car. If not, go to another dealer and start over. If you do your homework you will be much better off.
Pick up a copy of consumer reports the car edition
Consumer reports rates cars every month, but that is going to take too long to read about three or four at a time. You need the addition that covers all the vehicles in one edition. This way you can have everything in one issue to get started. Start by looking through cars that you are interested in. Make sure you read through consumer reports ranking methods. One of the most important factors of their ranking system is their reliability report. If the car is a new model there will be no reliability information. Consider the source here and make a few assumptions. For example, if it’s a Honda or Volvo then you can assume that the reliability will be good. These vehicles always score high in this category. If it’s a dodge or Chrysler, then make a note. Those vehicles tend to report lower Reliabilities
Look at some details with a grain of salt
Here is what I mean by that. Gas mileage and performance are loosely based. If you live in florid and have the air conditioning on all the time, then your mileage is going to be less than what is advertised. A good practice is to at least subtract a mile per gallon from the reported statistic. This gives you a better idea of a realistic economy rating. If you drive mostly in the city this is very helpful since city mileage is always less than highway mileage.
Mark down prices and details
Compare the vehicles you are interested in and keep each on a separate piece of paper. By having them on a separate piece of paper you can make notes as you go along. Next go to the manufactures page and look up the model directly. Most sites now are highly interactive. You can take tours and see the car from every angle. This is good to do and will help you save some time from going to the dealer and doing this yourself. Keep in mind that the new car prices that you see on these sites should never be the price you are going to pay. If you were ignorant and walked into the dealer, this is where they would start. You need to know what the dealer pays (dealers invoice) then you can know where to start to negotiate. On each piece of paper right all this information down so you have it organized. Look at the prices of the options you are interested in and write those down as well. You should have a good idea what options cost . The reason is that you will go to the dealer and see a lot of cars in the lot. It can be overwhelming if you are not prepared. By knowing the model and options, you can work faster and accomplish your goal at the same time.
Now go to the dealer
After you have all your information, the real reason is to go and drive the vehicles. You need to make sure you like the way the car or truck rides and if it feels like a good fit for you. The process of decision is behind you at this point and you were able to make all your decisions at home where there is no pressure to buy anything. Ask the dealer what incentives are available from the manufacture. Make sure that you understand that the manufacturer gives you incentives but they also give the dealers incentives. That is their secret, they are going to get some sort of incentive to sell the cars and that you should keep in your back pocket. Some savy salesman may try to make you think he is not going to make anything on a deal if you low ball them. Carry your research paperwork with you and don’t be shy about having it. They will know that you did your homework and it helps at the bartering table.
At last take your paperwork and start to talk money. Be firm yet respectful and do not be afraid to walk away. For some reason there is a lot of back and forth in the negotiation process. Salesman have to steal away to ask their managers if they can sell for a certain price. When they come back and say that this is there last price, don’t be afraid to say its unacceptable. The business is highly competitive, they will try to sell you a car. If not, go to another dealer and start over. If you do your homework you will be much better off.
How To Identify Your New Car Safety Ratings
One of the most important considerations you should never overlook when buying a new or used vehicle is its safety features. Safety has become more important to everyone in recent years; let’s face it we spend a lot of time in our cars and with our families so car safety should outrank any cosmetic preferences. Now there are very specific government and auto industry standards to keep you and your family safe so let’s take a look at what to look for.
One of the best car safety indicators of overall safety is the government crash test rating. All new vehicles will have these ratings readily available and it is a great place to begin understanding what you new car safety rating is. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration or NHTSA which you can find at www.nhtsa.dot.gov is your first stop. The NHTSA uses two methods of crash testing in determining the safety of the vehicle, full frontal impact and side impact. The NHTSA uses a five star rating scale, the higher the number of stars the safer the vehicle is, the lower the number of stars the more dangerous the vehicle. You can find an outline of these car safety ratings and grades at www.safercars.gov.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is another great resource to help with learning about your car safety rating as well. The IIHS is a research group which conducts crash tests as well but more for the insurance industry. The one important difference about their frontal crash testing is that they use a more realistic offset testing method. Instead of crashing head on, which is extremely rare in frontal accidents, the crash test runs the vehicle into a deformable barrier meant to simulate another vehicle moving at 40 M.P.H. and the barrier only covering the portion of the vehicle in front of the driver. Most head on accidents are usually offset somewhat which usually results in worse damage due to torque and structural weakness. The IISH car safety tests cover this and help us understand the reality of a true head on collision. The IISH scores or ratings in their tests are rated by Good, Acceptable, Marginal, or Poor.
Now that you have a better idea of what your car safety rating is, you will also want to know what type of air bag system the vehicle has. All new vehicles are only mandated by law to have dual front airbags but many manufacturers realizing the important of safety have begun to offer side and rear airbags as well which is even more important in multi passenger vehicles like vans and SUVs. The side curtain airbags that drop down from the headliner offer greater head protection from the side and are highly recommended. Some vehicles now even have weight sensors as well that disable the airbag if a person below a certain weight is sitting there. This improvement came about from the first airbags that injured shorter people in the front seat due to headshots and airbag release pressure. You will start to see these improved safety sensors more and more from new cars.
Another very important consideration is the rollover rate of the vehicle as well. Vehicles with a higher profile are more likely to turn over. SUVs are up to three times more likely to roll over than passenger vehicles. The majority of all SUV fatalities have been due to rollover. Most SUVs come with options of 4 Wheel Drive or All Wheel Drive giving owners a false sense of security. Drivers of these vehicles think that because they have these options are invincible and push the envelope then expect the vehicle to perform whatever situations drivers put them in. Unfortunately, although they might have better traction in adverse weather and road conditions, these vehicles have more of a possibility of tipping when sharp cornering is attempted.
Antilock brakes have been around awhile and are a proven safety device, which is why insurance companies give you a discount if your vehicle has them; we highly recommended that you buy a vehicle with ABS. Although many who use ABS the first time hate the feeling of not stopping like they used to, ABS does prevent the wheels from locking up during a hard stop, something that can cause the driver to lose control of the vehicle. ABS almost always provides shorter stops, but, even more importantly, the system helps keep the vehicle straight and allows the driver to maneuver during a panic stop.
Obviously child safety is what most of us really care about first off and for good reason. If you do have infants always make sure you look for a new technology called LATCH which stands for Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children. This universal system was designed to make it easier and safer to attach car seats due to the fact that many car seats are incompatible with the vehicle’s safety belts. You’ll also find more and more automobile manufacturers are adding build in car seats to ensure even more safety for our children which you might see this prominently in Mini Vans right now.
One more thing I’d like to touch on is the power features in a car. You should be sure that if the vehicle has power windows and door locks, which is basically a standard feature on most models now, it also has disabling locks that you can control to keep children from accidentally opening doors and windows and creating unwanted chances for injury.
As you can see there are many issues when discussing new car safety and these are just a few of the main safety features to look for. There are many other Consumer Reports and car safety reviews that provide even more information and provide good source for comprehensive car safety information.
One of the best car safety indicators of overall safety is the government crash test rating. All new vehicles will have these ratings readily available and it is a great place to begin understanding what you new car safety rating is. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration or NHTSA which you can find at www.nhtsa.dot.gov is your first stop. The NHTSA uses two methods of crash testing in determining the safety of the vehicle, full frontal impact and side impact. The NHTSA uses a five star rating scale, the higher the number of stars the safer the vehicle is, the lower the number of stars the more dangerous the vehicle. You can find an outline of these car safety ratings and grades at www.safercars.gov.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is another great resource to help with learning about your car safety rating as well. The IIHS is a research group which conducts crash tests as well but more for the insurance industry. The one important difference about their frontal crash testing is that they use a more realistic offset testing method. Instead of crashing head on, which is extremely rare in frontal accidents, the crash test runs the vehicle into a deformable barrier meant to simulate another vehicle moving at 40 M.P.H. and the barrier only covering the portion of the vehicle in front of the driver. Most head on accidents are usually offset somewhat which usually results in worse damage due to torque and structural weakness. The IISH car safety tests cover this and help us understand the reality of a true head on collision. The IISH scores or ratings in their tests are rated by Good, Acceptable, Marginal, or Poor.
Now that you have a better idea of what your car safety rating is, you will also want to know what type of air bag system the vehicle has. All new vehicles are only mandated by law to have dual front airbags but many manufacturers realizing the important of safety have begun to offer side and rear airbags as well which is even more important in multi passenger vehicles like vans and SUVs. The side curtain airbags that drop down from the headliner offer greater head protection from the side and are highly recommended. Some vehicles now even have weight sensors as well that disable the airbag if a person below a certain weight is sitting there. This improvement came about from the first airbags that injured shorter people in the front seat due to headshots and airbag release pressure. You will start to see these improved safety sensors more and more from new cars.
Another very important consideration is the rollover rate of the vehicle as well. Vehicles with a higher profile are more likely to turn over. SUVs are up to three times more likely to roll over than passenger vehicles. The majority of all SUV fatalities have been due to rollover. Most SUVs come with options of 4 Wheel Drive or All Wheel Drive giving owners a false sense of security. Drivers of these vehicles think that because they have these options are invincible and push the envelope then expect the vehicle to perform whatever situations drivers put them in. Unfortunately, although they might have better traction in adverse weather and road conditions, these vehicles have more of a possibility of tipping when sharp cornering is attempted.
Antilock brakes have been around awhile and are a proven safety device, which is why insurance companies give you a discount if your vehicle has them; we highly recommended that you buy a vehicle with ABS. Although many who use ABS the first time hate the feeling of not stopping like they used to, ABS does prevent the wheels from locking up during a hard stop, something that can cause the driver to lose control of the vehicle. ABS almost always provides shorter stops, but, even more importantly, the system helps keep the vehicle straight and allows the driver to maneuver during a panic stop.
Obviously child safety is what most of us really care about first off and for good reason. If you do have infants always make sure you look for a new technology called LATCH which stands for Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children. This universal system was designed to make it easier and safer to attach car seats due to the fact that many car seats are incompatible with the vehicle’s safety belts. You’ll also find more and more automobile manufacturers are adding build in car seats to ensure even more safety for our children which you might see this prominently in Mini Vans right now.
One more thing I’d like to touch on is the power features in a car. You should be sure that if the vehicle has power windows and door locks, which is basically a standard feature on most models now, it also has disabling locks that you can control to keep children from accidentally opening doors and windows and creating unwanted chances for injury.
As you can see there are many issues when discussing new car safety and these are just a few of the main safety features to look for. There are many other Consumer Reports and car safety reviews that provide even more information and provide good source for comprehensive car safety information.
Sell Your Car Online: Step 2, Using Pictures of Your Automobile Correctly
Selling your car or truck online is a great way to put it in front of potential buyers. In step one of this series, titled “Sell Your Car Online: Step 1, Taking High Quality Pictures of Your Automobile“, you learned how to take great quality pictures of our vehicle.
The second step in placing an ad is selecting the picture of the cars you want to use in your listing. Remember the hypothetical situation from step 1? Using multiple pictures in your listing can give the potential buyer loads of information about your vehicle before the buyer even reads the first word about it.
You must choose the correct combination of pictures to display with your listing for maximum effect. If you followed the directions in step 1, you should have at least 15 to 20 pictures to choose from. Group the pictures into categories depending on the angle (for example: front, left, rear, right, front right, rear left, under the hood, interior, etc.). Then select the best car pictures from each category and discard the rest.
Now you should have a group of about 7 to 10 high quality pictures. Comb through these pictures and select the ones that, if displayed together, would show the most detail about your vehicle. The goal is not to overwhelm the potential buyer with tons of photos showing the same details, but to display great photos of different areas of the vehicle that convey the overall condition of the vehicle.
A great example of photos to use is: front driver’s side, rear passenger’s side, under the hood, interior, and any after market add-ons to the car. You should use at least 4 photos with each listing, but feel free to use more.
After you select the correct photos, you need to edit them. Most auto classified web sites have a maximum file size for photos you can upload with your listings. The highest quality settings for digital cameras can be anywhere from 1 MB to 5 MB per photo and greater depending on the camera. So what do you do if the photos you take exceed that size? You have to edit or resize them. But before you do that, you need to know how images are displayed on computer monitors as opposed to print.
High quality images displayed on the web are actually low quality when printed. Computer monitors display images at 72 DPI. A good quality printing will be 300 DPI or greater. A photo displayed on a monitor at 600 pixels (8.33 inches) wide will only be 2 inches wide if printed on paper. To get a good quality 8.33 inch print on paper, the photo will need to be at least 2500 pixels wide. This is a big difference in file size (and download time).
The optimal size for photos on the internet is approximately 600 pixels wide by 400 pixels high. If your camera can’t take pictures this size, even in the lowest quality setting, you will have to manually resize them. To do this you need an image editing program. Most computers have at least a simple image editing program on them. If your computer doesn’t have one, you’ll need to download one from the internet. You can find free and low cost image editing programs by going to ww
The second step in placing an ad is selecting the picture of the cars you want to use in your listing. Remember the hypothetical situation from step 1? Using multiple pictures in your listing can give the potential buyer loads of information about your vehicle before the buyer even reads the first word about it.
You must choose the correct combination of pictures to display with your listing for maximum effect. If you followed the directions in step 1, you should have at least 15 to 20 pictures to choose from. Group the pictures into categories depending on the angle (for example: front, left, rear, right, front right, rear left, under the hood, interior, etc.). Then select the best car pictures from each category and discard the rest.
Now you should have a group of about 7 to 10 high quality pictures. Comb through these pictures and select the ones that, if displayed together, would show the most detail about your vehicle. The goal is not to overwhelm the potential buyer with tons of photos showing the same details, but to display great photos of different areas of the vehicle that convey the overall condition of the vehicle.
A great example of photos to use is: front driver’s side, rear passenger’s side, under the hood, interior, and any after market add-ons to the car. You should use at least 4 photos with each listing, but feel free to use more.
After you select the correct photos, you need to edit them. Most auto classified web sites have a maximum file size for photos you can upload with your listings. The highest quality settings for digital cameras can be anywhere from 1 MB to 5 MB per photo and greater depending on the camera. So what do you do if the photos you take exceed that size? You have to edit or resize them. But before you do that, you need to know how images are displayed on computer monitors as opposed to print.
High quality images displayed on the web are actually low quality when printed. Computer monitors display images at 72 DPI. A good quality printing will be 300 DPI or greater. A photo displayed on a monitor at 600 pixels (8.33 inches) wide will only be 2 inches wide if printed on paper. To get a good quality 8.33 inch print on paper, the photo will need to be at least 2500 pixels wide. This is a big difference in file size (and download time).
The optimal size for photos on the internet is approximately 600 pixels wide by 400 pixels high. If your camera can’t take pictures this size, even in the lowest quality setting, you will have to manually resize them. To do this you need an image editing program. Most computers have at least a simple image editing program on them. If your computer doesn’t have one, you’ll need to download one from the internet. You can find free and low cost image editing programs by going to ww
Sell Your Car Online: Step 1, Taking High Quality Pictures of Your Automobile
Placing your car or truck for sale in an auto classifieds website is a great way to reach tons of potential buyers. But constructing a great ad is not child’s play. To generate a lot of interest in your vehicle, you must know how to create the perfect online listing. The necessary steps are outlined in five articles titled “Sell Your Car Online.”
The first step in placing a great ad is taking pictures of the cars or truck that is for sale. You don’t just want to take any picture and post it on the internet. You want to post the best picture you possibly can. After all, the potential buyers that view your online listing want to see a picture that tells them something more than just the color of the vehicle. A good picture can convey the overall condition of the body, paint, interior, and more. A good, or near professional-quality, picture can seal the deal in the buyer’s mind.
Hypothetical situation: A potential car buyer is looking for a particular car. The buyer has found two nearly identical cars, one belongs to you and one belongs to someone in a nearby state. These two cars have the same body style, the same engine and transmission, the same color, the same options, and very close to the same price. The only deciding factor is the pictures. The competing car has one low quality picture. It is half blocked by a neighboring vehicle. The sun is in the background causing a glare that obscures the color and overall appearance of the car. Your car, on the other hand, has multiple pictures from different angles. There is no sun to cause a glare and no rain to make the picture look dreary. The true color of the car shows and there is nothing blocking the view. Which car do you think the buyer would choose? Pictures of competing cars can, without a doubt, influence the potential buyer to purchase one car over another.
There are things you must consider before you take the first car pictures. What type of camera should I use? How many pictures should I take? What exactly should I take pictures of? Should I take the pictures in direct sunlight? Unless you are a professional photographer, or at least an experienced one, you may not know the correct answer to these questions.
What type of camera should I use? Since the pictures you upload to the internet must be in digital format, a digital camera is the best type of camera to use. If you use a non-digital camera, you first have to pay to get the film developed. Then use a scanner to digitize it. You must spend valuable time and money to do this. Using a digital camera is the most cost efficient and time conserving way to take and upload photos of your vehicle. In most cases, all you have to do is connect your camera to your computer to download the photos to the hard drive. Then you’re ready to post your ad.
What size mega pixel (MP) camera do I need? This depends on what you will be doing with the pictures. If you need large, high quality pictures, like 8X10 prints or a large display photo in the newspaper, you may need to purchase a 5 MP camera or better. If you will be printing the pictures for personal use or posting small photos in print ads in the local newspaper, you probably need a 3 MP camera or better. If all you need is camera to take pictures to be uploaded to the internet, a 2 MP camera should do the trick.
Remember this! If the picture you are taking will only be used on the internet, use the lowest quality setting that your camera has. Some cameras even have a setting for internet quality photos.
How many pictures should I take? There is no correct answer for this question. Just take as many as you need. A good photographer will take pictures from multiple angles as well as take duplicate pictures from each angle. If you have 20 pictures to choose from, you can easily find at least 5 high quality photos to post with your listing that show lots of detail about your vehicle. Then you can delete the unused photos so you’re not wasting space on your hard drive.
What exactly should I take pictures of? You need pictures from opposite angles that show the exterior of the vehicle. Pictures should be taken of the engine compartment with the hood raised. More pictures should be taken of the interior. If your vehicle has expensive aftermarket accessories, take pictures of them. For example, take close ups of expensive mag wheels, custom artwork or painting, or a high-tech audio system. In essence, you want to convey the overall condition of the vehicle and any special features the vehicle may have with the pictures you take.
Where should I take the pictures? You need to take pictures of the vehicle in a place that has as little background detail as possible. For example, you don’t want another car, a highly trafficked street, or a person in the picture at all. The best place to take the pictures would be near a plain brick wall, or in front of an empty field. You don’t want any object, whether in the foreground or background, to distract the buyer from seeing the details of your vehicle.
Should I take the pictures in direct sunlight? In order to take a great picture with a mid- to low-quality digital camera, you need plenty of light. But too much direct sunlight can cause bright glares and dark shadows, neither of which is good. The absolute best time to take pictures of your vehicle is on a partly cloudy day when the sun is behind the clouds. This eliminates the harsh, dark shadows even though there is still plenty of light to draw out the true color(s) of the vehicle. If you must take the pictures in direct sunlight, always make sure that the sun is behind you (so it will be shining on the side of the vehicle that is facing you). Try not to take a picture of a vehicle when the side facing you is in the shadow.
If you normally take terrible pictures, remember this! It is much better to take a picture with a wider view that has all the details in it than to try to get a close up and cut part of the important details out. So zoom out to make sure you get a great picture.
Follow these steps and you will have high quality photos of your automobile for display in the car classifieds site of your choice. Look for the next installment titled “Sell Your Car Online: Step 2, Using Pictures of Your Automobile Correctly.“ Happy selling.
The first step in placing a great ad is taking pictures of the cars or truck that is for sale. You don’t just want to take any picture and post it on the internet. You want to post the best picture you possibly can. After all, the potential buyers that view your online listing want to see a picture that tells them something more than just the color of the vehicle. A good picture can convey the overall condition of the body, paint, interior, and more. A good, or near professional-quality, picture can seal the deal in the buyer’s mind.
Hypothetical situation: A potential car buyer is looking for a particular car. The buyer has found two nearly identical cars, one belongs to you and one belongs to someone in a nearby state. These two cars have the same body style, the same engine and transmission, the same color, the same options, and very close to the same price. The only deciding factor is the pictures. The competing car has one low quality picture. It is half blocked by a neighboring vehicle. The sun is in the background causing a glare that obscures the color and overall appearance of the car. Your car, on the other hand, has multiple pictures from different angles. There is no sun to cause a glare and no rain to make the picture look dreary. The true color of the car shows and there is nothing blocking the view. Which car do you think the buyer would choose? Pictures of competing cars can, without a doubt, influence the potential buyer to purchase one car over another.
There are things you must consider before you take the first car pictures. What type of camera should I use? How many pictures should I take? What exactly should I take pictures of? Should I take the pictures in direct sunlight? Unless you are a professional photographer, or at least an experienced one, you may not know the correct answer to these questions.
What type of camera should I use? Since the pictures you upload to the internet must be in digital format, a digital camera is the best type of camera to use. If you use a non-digital camera, you first have to pay to get the film developed. Then use a scanner to digitize it. You must spend valuable time and money to do this. Using a digital camera is the most cost efficient and time conserving way to take and upload photos of your vehicle. In most cases, all you have to do is connect your camera to your computer to download the photos to the hard drive. Then you’re ready to post your ad.
What size mega pixel (MP) camera do I need? This depends on what you will be doing with the pictures. If you need large, high quality pictures, like 8X10 prints or a large display photo in the newspaper, you may need to purchase a 5 MP camera or better. If you will be printing the pictures for personal use or posting small photos in print ads in the local newspaper, you probably need a 3 MP camera or better. If all you need is camera to take pictures to be uploaded to the internet, a 2 MP camera should do the trick.
Remember this! If the picture you are taking will only be used on the internet, use the lowest quality setting that your camera has. Some cameras even have a setting for internet quality photos.
How many pictures should I take? There is no correct answer for this question. Just take as many as you need. A good photographer will take pictures from multiple angles as well as take duplicate pictures from each angle. If you have 20 pictures to choose from, you can easily find at least 5 high quality photos to post with your listing that show lots of detail about your vehicle. Then you can delete the unused photos so you’re not wasting space on your hard drive.
What exactly should I take pictures of? You need pictures from opposite angles that show the exterior of the vehicle. Pictures should be taken of the engine compartment with the hood raised. More pictures should be taken of the interior. If your vehicle has expensive aftermarket accessories, take pictures of them. For example, take close ups of expensive mag wheels, custom artwork or painting, or a high-tech audio system. In essence, you want to convey the overall condition of the vehicle and any special features the vehicle may have with the pictures you take.
Where should I take the pictures? You need to take pictures of the vehicle in a place that has as little background detail as possible. For example, you don’t want another car, a highly trafficked street, or a person in the picture at all. The best place to take the pictures would be near a plain brick wall, or in front of an empty field. You don’t want any object, whether in the foreground or background, to distract the buyer from seeing the details of your vehicle.
Should I take the pictures in direct sunlight? In order to take a great picture with a mid- to low-quality digital camera, you need plenty of light. But too much direct sunlight can cause bright glares and dark shadows, neither of which is good. The absolute best time to take pictures of your vehicle is on a partly cloudy day when the sun is behind the clouds. This eliminates the harsh, dark shadows even though there is still plenty of light to draw out the true color(s) of the vehicle. If you must take the pictures in direct sunlight, always make sure that the sun is behind you (so it will be shining on the side of the vehicle that is facing you). Try not to take a picture of a vehicle when the side facing you is in the shadow.
If you normally take terrible pictures, remember this! It is much better to take a picture with a wider view that has all the details in it than to try to get a close up and cut part of the important details out. So zoom out to make sure you get a great picture.
Follow these steps and you will have high quality photos of your automobile for display in the car classifieds site of your choice. Look for the next installment titled “Sell Your Car Online: Step 2, Using Pictures of Your Automobile Correctly.“ Happy selling.
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