Buying cars online in the UK

Buying a used car is often a gamble - you never know what's wrong with the car until you have used it for a while. Even if there is still several months before the next MOT, you might find have your car breaking down on the middle of the motorway in the middle of the night. However, if you take the necessary precautions and do the required checks, you should be OK.

We really had a tough time searching for a used car when we first moved to Coventry, as we had a tight budget- what with the rental for a new house and all that. Anyway, I checked with the newspapers and a few online used car dealers, but it took me some time before could find one that I liked and suited my budget as well. The used car sites didn't impress me at all. Some of the people I called up had already sold their cars but their listings were still up even after a few weeks.

I wish I had known about BuyYourCar.co.uk as it would have made my life a lot more easier. Though relatively new (it only went live in August last year), this Used Cars site has become quite popular. When I last checked, it had a Google PR of 5 and Alexa ranking of 32,989. It is also #1 on Google search for "Used Cars UK". There is a reason for that. The site is packed with a number of impressive and innovative features that makes it easier for customers and sellers alike.

I totally agree with their philosophy that "...advertising online is more than just a simple listing and picture."

You can search the listings on the site by Car Make, Model, Details (for example, 1.8 red), Price range, Distance from Postcode and Seller Type (private, dealer or both), with the results sorted by Latest Offers, Lowest Price, Highest Price and Distance search.

The distance search feature is a welcome feature. I wouldn't want to go all the way to London to buy a car listed by an owner there (unless of course there was something very special about the car).

One of the pages I really found interesting on the site was the "Car review" page. The have listed different car brands and given a brief history of each. They plan to have customer reviews in the future.

Dealers advertising with BuyYourCar will get:
- Standard listings,
- Individual Listings,
- Dedicated pages in the site,
- Dedicated pages that list stock by Make,
– Dedicated pages that list stock by Price, as well as
- Online enquiry forms, Google location maps with interactive directions.
Go to the site for more information.

If you are looking for a used car in the UK, I definitely recommend this site.

Enhanced Jaguar XKs revealed

Jaguar revealed enhanced XK and the X-TYPE ranges, which will be released in 2008, at the Canary Wharf Motorexpo.

For your information, Jaguar's XK is available in 3 versions - Coupé, Convertible or the Supercharged R version. All of the cars were made from constructed from aluminium for lightness, strength and rigidity, feature a new Sequential Shift 6-speed automatic transmission and offer 2+2 seating.

Check out the pics and you will agree with me when I say that they are look STUNNING.

The XK coupé in Liquid Silver.

The XK coupé comes with Jaguar Sequential Shift 6-speed automatic transmission, steering wheel-mounted paddles. Advanced features include Computer Active Technology Suspension, Dynamic Stability Control, an intelligent lighting system, Adaptive Cruise Control and the Jaguar Smart Key System.

According to Jaguar, the coupe accelerates from 0-60 mph (0-100 km/h) in 5.9 [6.2] seconds and has a maximum speed of 155 miles/hr (250 km/hr). It is priced at £60,097 (OTR).

The enhancements on the XK were mostly cosmetic. They now have 20-inch double five-spoke Senta alloy wheels, Jaguar Premium Surround Sound, heated front windscreen and bright finish alloy pedals as standard.

The XK convertible in Frost Blue.

The XK Convertible has a folding roof that can be lowered or raised automatically in less than 18 seconds.

Prices start from £66,097 (OTR)

According to Jaguar, the convertible goes from 0-60 mph (0-100 km/h) in 6 [6.2] seconds and has the same maximum speed as the coupe', i.e., 155 miles/hr (250 km/hr).

Both cars come with the option of a normally aspirated 4.2 litre V8 engine which delivers 300bhp.

On the other hand, you can have the award winning XKR sports car powered by Jaguar´s latest generation, supercharged 4.2 litre V8 420bhp engine.

Launched in 2006, the low frills car has a stunning top speed of 185mph with a 0-60 acceleration time of just 4.5 seconds.

The price for the Supercharged coupé was £67,585 (OTR) and £73,585 (OTR) for the XKR convertible.

Besides the above mentioned enhancements, the new XKRs now features a new high-performance braking system with 400mm front discs and 350mm rear discs.

With the new enhancements, the revised price of the XKR Coupé is now £70,097 while the convertible is now £76,097.

As for the interior, which one do you prefer:

1. Caramel with Burr Walnut Fascia


2. Ivory with Poplar Fascia
or

3. Warm Charcoal with Aluminum


As for the X-Type, the only "enhancement" is a new mesh grille and two new colors: Blue Prism and White Onyx.

Tags: jaguar xk xkr

More powerful Brabus

BRABUS pumps out more power from the Mercedes 63 AMG models with its new tuned B63 S engine. This boosts power output of the high-revving 6.2-liter V8 to 550 hp / 404 kW and peak torque to 650 Nm.

A Mercedes CLS 63 AMG with B63 S tuning goes from 0 to 100 km/h in just 4.3 seconds and attains a stunning top speed of 330 km/hr. On the other hand, the ML 63 accelerates from 0 -100 km/h in 4.9 seconds and reaches a top speed of 275 km/h in combination with the BRABUS V/max unit.

The power kit comprises newly programmed engine electronics with special mapping for injection and ignition. The intake side features a sport air filter for improved supply of combustion air.

Of course, along with the powerful engine, they have made the necessary modifications to tires, suspension and brakes to ensure maximum control.

The car comes with a control module for the ABC suspensions that lowers the ride height by some 20 millimeters. Sport stabilizers reduce body roll and optimize turn-in.

Their high-performance brake system includes 380 x 36 millimeter discs and 12-piston aluminum fixed calipers for the front axle while the rear is fitted with six-piston fixed calipers and 355 x 28 mm brake discs. A special version with ceramic discs is also available on customer request.

There is a long list of exclusive interior accessories and that's not all. Exclusive custom made interiors (made from soft yet durable Mastik leather and Alcantar) are available on customer request from the company's own upholstery shop.

The Brabus people have also made sure that the tuned V8 engine meets stringent EURO IV emission limits using high-performance metal catalysts with low back pressure.

Land Rover wallpapers and screensaver

Land Rover has come a long way since the the launch of the first ever 4x4 in 1948. The company is based in Solihull, England near Birmingham, and is a subsidiary of the Premier Automotive Group, a division of the Ford Motor Company.

Land Rover now produces a number of four-wheel drive vehicles, including the Range Rover range. This vehicle range is Land Rover's flagship vehicle. It was first introduced in 1970 and is claimed to be the first first luxury SUV. the Range Rover is still among the most expensive vehicles in it's type. A new Rage Rover now starts from around £55,100 (on the road price). and is the Queen's favourite ride of choice.

If you love Land Rover vehicles, you should have one as your desktop. Check out the Land Rover Range Rover wallpaper below.

You can download other Land Rover wallpapers and screensavers from the Vcars website (http://www.vcars.co.uk). 

Ford overtakes Toyota in quality rankings

Ford Motor Co. has overtaken Toyota in J.D. Power and Associates' annual quality rankings which was released yesterday. Ford won model segment awards for the Ford Mustang, Lincoln Mark LT, Lincoln MKZ, Mazda MX-5 Miata and Mercury Milan. This is the first time since 1998, it has won more individual awards than any other automaker. Read the full report here.

Mercedes-Benz and Toyota models won top spots for three segment each. Toyota received awards for the 4Runner, Sequoia and Tacoma. It had grabbed awards in 11 segments last year. Mercedes-Benz won for the E-Class, SL-Class, and the S-Class.

Toyota Prius is top selling hybrid

The popularity of hybrid cars continue to grow through out the world. It's been nearly a decade since the first Toyota Prius went on sale. According to this report, cumulative sales of this car totaled 1.047 million as of the end of May.

Toyota is still working on what is expected as the next innovation of hybrids, the switch to lithium-ion batteries.

Toyota now account for 80% of car sales in the US.

Think your tuned imported ride is amazing

Join the Import Tuner Ride of the Month contest and you stand a chance of winning a great t-shirt and getting your car featured in Importtuner.com.

The contest starts on 6th of June (next month) this year. Last date of entry is the 22 of June, 2007. Online voting will start immediately after that from 17:30 p.m. PST onwards and ends on the 30th of the same month (till 17:00 p.m. PST).

All you have to do is submit your contest entry and photos of your ride. Images of your car will automatically be resized and/or cropped to a 112x80 Thumbnail and a 400x300 Full Size. Only one entry is limited per person. I guess that's fair. So if you have a few modified cars, choose the one that you think is the most outstanding. Another rule is that you be 18 or older as of 1st of June 2007 with a valid driver's
license to enter or win. Oh! I nearly forgot. This is open to US residents only.

Three top entries will ultimately be selected as the winners of the contest and will have the honour of being featured on the site. Getting featured is a big deal as this site has a 6 Google page rank. Was going through some of the feature articles and I especially liked one on Honda tuning. A guy called Chang was already on the 3rd version of his 2000 Honda S2000 with more modifications expected in the future. I guess it's a hobby, an addiction and a passion for some guys.

In case you didn't know, Import Tuner Cars is a PRIMEDIA publication that focuses on modified / modifying cars imported to the States.

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