Before You Buy

German Cars

The head of Mercedes Benz recently apologised for the poor quality of some recent cars.

Why then, have so many people been conned into thinking that by buying a German car they are getting something better? Part of the answer is brilliant public relations by the upmarket German manufacturers, who for decades have traded on people’s vanity. Mercedes-Benz has always been the number one choice worldwide by dictators and business executives alike.

Classic Cars

"I think the car is the twentieth-century sculpture. You can see these lumps of stone with big holes in them and people think this is art. I think in a thousand years time people will wonder what on earth they are. I think the artist of the twentieth century is the engineer and to me this is the nearest man has ever got to nature, to produce something that is an extension of himself and to make it beautiful as well. I don't think anything really compares with the car for this."

-- GERALD WINGROVE, master model maker.

Luxury Cars

The Dalai Lama says that if you have fame and money, you will have plenty of friends. However, he adds, your friends will be in love with your fame and money, and when these go, so will they. Therefore, if you’re going to try to impress people with your new luxury car, make sure you’re going to be able to keep up the payments. Otherwise, settle for a less glamorous form of transport.

Types of pickup truck

The Five Minute Car Check (PDF)

The 5 Minute Car Check

There’s no check like a pro check. The only way to really evaluate a car is to take it to a professional motor mechanic. It’s his or her profession, it took five or more years to learn, and you can’t possibly hope to do as thorough a job.

However, you can filter out the really bad vehicles long before you take the car to your mechanic. This way you can avoid paying for endless costly vehicle checks on a succession of cars that prove to be unsatisfactory. Checking out a car for yourself is also a great self-confidence booster.

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