Quiz to Help you Find your Perfect Car

Everyone loves those quizes you can take on Myspace, Facebook etc, so why not take one to see what car is perfect for you? I did and here are my results

The car it said I should get is a Toyota Prius. It’s resourceful, quirky, ecologically friendly, and economical. It’s a smart way to get around.

Its a simple, short 5 question multiple choice quiz. You can easily do this in 1 minute. Will this actually help? I don't know I guess that's up to you. But if your stuck on what kind of car you should get, maybe this will give you an idea of where to start.
The link is http://www.youthink.com/quiz.cfm?action=go_detail&sub_action=take&obj_id=639

If you find out the perfect car you want, check out Basil's large selection of inventory and get the right car for you today!

Courtney Walczak

How to Choose the Right Car for You

I know when I was looking to buy a new car; I didn’t even know where to start. I liked so many different makes and models of cars that it was difficult to find a starting point. First I only looked at cars that I could afford, if it was out of my price range then there’s no sense in wasting time checking it out. Then I looked at all the makes & models of cars I liked and started to narrow it down. Then I went to the actually website’s of the models I liked and did more research. I also checked out dealership websites to see what was out there and if there were any deals. It was a long process but I narrowed it down to 4 cars (some might think that’s still a lot, but I started out with over 10 cars in mind). I went to the dealerships in person and compared prices, styles, features etc. I was in a rush to find a car, so if they didn’t have what I was looking for, then we were gone. I am not really that picky when it comes to cars. All I needed was a CD player, auxiliary power outlet, power windows, and DARK interior. Finally I narrowed it down to a Mazda 3. It had everything I wanted (that I listed above), and now that’s what I have. It took about a month to finally narrow it down to a Mazda 3, but if you really want to find the perfect car for you, it does take time. You can’t get discouraged; you just have to keep looking. Enough about what I think here are some facts.

Think about what you use your car for. Here are some questions to keep in mind. How many people do you need to transport? What type of driving do you do most often? How long is your commute? Is it important that your next vehicle get good gas mileage Let your needs, not your wants, drive your decision? Here are a few other questions to keep in mind when you begin your car-buying process:

Do you want a manual or automatic transmission?
Do you really need four-wheel drive? Or all-wheel drive?
What safety features do you want?
Do you require a lot of cargo capacity?
Will you be doing any towing?
Do you have a bad back and need flexible seating positions?
Will the car easily fit in your garage or parking space?

Regardless of whether you decide to buy or lease your next car, establishing a realistic monthly payment that fits into your budget is crucial. How much should this be? A rule of thumb is your total monthly car payments shouldn't exceed 20 percent of your monthly take-home pay.

Want to know if you can get pre-approved? On Basil Resale you can get pre-approved in seconds! Or you can check the Edmunds.com Affordability Calculator to help you estimate what your monthly payment will be based on purchase price, down payment, interest rate and length of loan. Run the numbers now and print out the results. It will not only show you what you can afford, it will also help you control the numbers when you negotiate with a car salesman.

If you’re stuck on what make and model of vehicle you should get don’t worry! On Basil’s website you can look at many different cars by a certain make, or you can look at different cars in the same class. This can help you to compare different cars and find the best car for you. You can find all that on most dealership websites. Or you can research cars on the makes website such as www.mazda.com where you can look at many different types of Mazda’s out there. You can check out Kelley Blue Book to see reviews, prices, seating capacity, gas mileage etc. Other websites that are good to check out are www.emunds.com and www.cars.com. The list goes on from here. You can probably use any major search engine and find out about any type of car you’re interested in.

Make sure when you’re looking for your perfect car that you know what you want. For example if you want a car that has high safety rankings or good on gas etc. Remember there is a car out there for everyone! If you really want to find a car with all the features you want I’m sure it’s out there! Sometimes you might have to compromise but you’ll still get the most of what you want.

Courtney Walczak

Just got into a car accident? Don’t Panic!

There are more than 6 million car accidents each year in the United States, so you are not alone. Take a deep breath and look around. If you are able to see that you are not seriously wounded, follow this simple procedure that is vital to making your case for the accident report and for insurance purposes.

1)1st pull the car off the road so as not to cause any further accidents.
2)Assess injury for yourself and for the driver of the other vehicle.
3)Call 911 for anyone who is injured or just to file a report.
4)Make sure both parties exchange information such as name, address, phone number, insurance policy number, driver license number, and license plate number. Do not mention that the accident was your fault even if you feel as it was your fault. It is up to the police to determine who’s liable.
5)File an accident report with your local police station. An accident report will help insurance companies determine who will pay for the damages. There is a 10 day window to file the report to DMV so file it quickly!
6)TAKE PICTURES. In an age with camera phones make use of them! Photograph the condition of both vehicles and make sure every detail has been taken down. This may help your case. Buy a disposable camera and keep it in your dashboard just in case.
7)If there were witnesses, make sure you take their name down and contact information so they can help you piece together the claim. Contact them afterwards to get a signed statement of what and how it happened.

Finally, you have the option of whether to pursue the claim through the insurance company or settle the damages privately. Regardless of which method you choose, always follow the procedure above to minimize the risk of unfair claims and serious disputes.

At Basil Resale Center, We offer auto repair services at a very reasonable price, and if you encounter a serious accident, come to Basil Resale Sheridan to find the right replacement.

A Simple Guide to a Do-It-Yourself Hand Car Wash

Spring is in...And with summer just around the corner, it’s time to grab a bucket and some squeegees. Basil is going to give you some tips on how to give your car a do-it-yourself hand car wash.

· If you can, park your car out of direct sunlight. This stops premature drying, which can blemish the paint.

· Fill two buckets with plain water. Add your car wash soap to only one of them. The plain water only bucket is for washing the dirt off of you mitt.

· Quickly rinse off your car with a hose (on a light setting) to loosen the dirt. Make sure you get the dirt off the undercarriage too.

· Soak a large mitt or squeegee with the soap-water and begin to wash your car. Start at the top of the car, and work your way around it slowly moving lower each time around. Scrub in a circular motion.

· After each section is washed, rinse it with the hose before moving to the next section.

· Clean the lower body and wheels last; this is where you will find the most dirt. Use a long wheel brush to get into the spokes of your wheels. Use steel wool soap pads on the tires to get rid of any oxidized rubber.

· Dry your car with fresh terry towels. When drying, open all of the doors and clean down the door jams.

Matt Shapiro

Love your Car? Getting Too Attached Might Cost You...

I have seen this first hand, my father getting way too attached to his car. His car was a 1989 Chevy Caprice Classic, which is a gas guzzler, and with all the problems it was having to most people it wouldn’t be worth fixing, but my dad still was holding on to that car. My family wanted him to get rid of during Cash for Clunkers, but he was reluctant to do so, and took a lot of convincing for him to finally get rid of that car. On the other hand during Cash for Clunkers I jumped on the opportunity to get rid of my 2001 Jeep Cherokee because it was falling apart and I wanted a more fuel efficient car with less maintenance problems. I am sure you know many people like this. Don’t believe me, there are some interesting facts below….

Although Americans parted with nearly 700,000 old vehicles in last year's Cash for Clunkers program, many of them probably had a hard time letting go, say researchers at the University of Michigan. (Phys.org)

Phys.org says that this is to blame on anthropomorphism—the tendency to ascribe human attributes to an inanimate object. The University of Michigan researchers conducted a study to test how anthropomorphic thought affects consumers’ product replacement intentions. One group of participants in the study were asked to describe their car in technical terms (ex. Quiet, reliable etc) and the other group of participants were asked to describe their car in personality terms (ex. Nice, snobbish, considerate etc.) The group who were asked to explain their car in personality terms reported that they were less willing to replace their cars then people who did not.

Why Anthropomorphic can be a problem for consumers and dealers? Scharz a professor of marketing at the University of Michigan explains, "Anthropomorphic beliefs may potentially increase consumers' maintenance costs beyond economically defensible levels while reducing producers' sales.” With more and more consumers using anthropomorphic cues to influence how they think about their cars, dealers are going to have to come up with marketing campaigns to show that their vehicles are alive, to appeal to more consumers.

My Final Opinions:

If your very attached to your car, and don’t want to give it up, why not consider trading it up to a newer year and model? It’s practically the same car, with better features, newer, and hopefully less problems. Or if you need help deciding what the trade in value is worth for your car, and what your options are check out Basil and have one of their friendly and experienced car salesman help you out today!


If you want more information about this go to http://www.physorg.com/news186171125.html. Or if this article made you think about replacing your vehicle check out http://www.basilresale.com/

Courtney Walczak