Archive for the ‘Cars’ Category

Driving And Renting A Car In Costa Rica

Tuesday, March 9th, 2010

Driving in Costa Rica is not for everyone. So make sure you know what you’re getting into before getting behind the wheel of a car in Costa Rica. The following are the 7 most frequently asked questions about driving in Costa Rica. These questions come in from my popular podcast about Costa Rica from folks from the U.S., Canada, and Europe.

1. What type of cars are available for rent?

Renting a car in Costa Rica is more expensive than in the U.S. so most people rent the smaller more compact cars that are a little cheaper.

Prices vary and during the high season you will pay more. Around $20 or more per day. Renting during Christmas/New Years will add another $50 or more per week. I looked at five car rental company cars in Costa Rica and the average for renting a small car like a Toyota Yaris will cost around $205 per week. Please note this doesn’t include the required by law insurance which will add at least $10-20 per day. So you’re looking at $250-300 to rent a small car per week.

You will find all the major car rental Costa Rica agencies such as Hertz, Avis, Dollar, Budget, and others.

2. Is driving a good idea?

It depends. Driving in Costa Rica compared to other countries can be a very scary proposition for most. Costa Rica has one of the highest vehicle accident rates in the world. Traffic laws and speed limits are often ignored. Crazy and illegal turns across lanes of traffic are common. Turn signals are rarely used and dangerous passing is common. So you might driving on your lane when all of a sudden here comes a car in your lane going the wrong way because they’re passing on a blind spot. The roads are in poor condition, and large potholes which could cause serious damage to your car is common.

Although the road conditions in the beach areas are worse the actual driving isn’t as scary since there is less traffic and since the roads aren’t the best people tend to drive a little slower.

I like to have my own transportation so renting a car is something I like to do but it all depends on your comfort level. I’ve had friends and family who had never driven outside of the U.S. they found driving to be scary but a fun adventure. So just take it easy and slow and you will be fine. Don’t worry about the other drivers, just do your thing.

3. Do I need car rental insurance?

By law you will need the INS (Instituto Nacional de Seguros) liability insurance regardless of your own car insurance coverage or credit card coverage. The insurance required by law is known as TPL, SLI, SLC or API. The cost ranges from $10-20 USD per day depending on the vehicle. This insurance only covers damages to other people, cars, or property. You will need to buy supplemental coverage to cover damages to the rental car or yourself. However your own car insurance policy or credit card might cover that so call your insurance agent at home before leaving for Costa Rica and ask him or her if your insurance policy covers you for damages in Costa Rica. You might also want to call your credit card issuer and ask them the same question. If your own policy covers you in Costa Rica you’re set and you don’t need the supplemental coverage. If they do not cover you, then I suggest taking out a supplemental policy offered by Costa Rica car rental agencies.

Optional-CDW or LDW - collision damage waiver which covers the cost of the car’s deductible amount which varies depending on the type of car and agency. The cost will range between $10-20 USD per day.

Optional-Zero Liability - This will reduce your liability to zero against theft and vandalism, for example, the cost for this insurance is between $5-20 USD per day depending on the agency and car.

As you can see the supplemental insurance cost can add up fast so it’s important that you check with your insurance agent and your credit card company since you might not even need the optional/supplemental coverage.

If your insurance agent gives you the thumbs up do me a favor and get it in writing! You don’t want any surprises.

4. What are car rental requirements in Costa Rica?

Requirements may vary depending on the car agency you use so check with them. Most require a valid driver’s license (one from your home state or country is fine), a valid passport with your entry stamp, the Costa Rica mandated liability insurance, and you must be at least 21 years of age.

5. Is it safe to drive at night?

The problem driving at night is not crime, it’s just the unsafe driving and poor road conditions which are compounded even worse when you have poor visibility. The roads are not lit up well and it gets pitch dark after 6:00 PM making it unsafe to drive for an inexperienced driver.

6. What are road conditions like?

The road conditions are very poor compared to the super highways of the United States or the Autobahn in Germany. Drivers have to contend with unsafe driving habits of motorists, huge potholes, and even the highway is a two-lane road. The roads get worse during the rainy season since road washouts from the mudslides from the mountains are common.

7. What side of the road do they drive on in Costa Rica?

On the right hand side, like in the U.S. and Canada.

One final tip

Make a copy of the profile page of your passport and your entry stamp and carry that with you along with your car rental papers. You might get stopped by police and you will need to show this to them. Do no carry your passport with you just make copies. The Costa Rican government now allows you to carry copies instead of your actual passport.

Use Dealer Chat Software to Generate Auto Sales Leads

Thursday, March 4th, 2010

The internet is an incredible source for people to find the things they want or need. In today’s fast paced world, the internet is usually the first place people begin their search. That’s why the internet is one of the best sources a business can use to capture more customers and increase sales considerably.

Automotive dealers benefit substantially by presenting their merchandise and services on the internet. Having an attractive and comprehensive website is a great start, but it takes more than a static website to engage visitors in an effort to increase auto sales leads. Dealers are realizing that adding Dealer chat software to their website helps increase auto sales leads.

Studies show that most dealers convert less than 2% of their website traffic to auto sales leads. Dealer chat can increase the dealer’s current lead conversion by up to 60%. Dealer chat is proven to generate more auto sales leads from unique website visitors and improve customer satisfaction. This increase of auto sales leads is over and above the leads already being generated by quote and ?contact us’ forms.

Many dealers depend solely on Third-Party auto sales leads to drive showroom traffic. The majority of the time, it takes a salesman 2-3 attempts to contact the customer. After contacting the customer, it takes another few attempts to script the customer into an appointment. There are some leads that you will never reach.

In other very common instances, customers from third-party lead sources realize that they were on a website that had nothing to do with automotive sales and their ?lead’ was obtained. By targeting a dealership’s own website traffic and engaging in conversation using Dealer chat software, the chance of an ?invalid? or ?dead? lead is nearly eliminated as the consumer has already made their way to the dealerships site. They’re already interested in what the dealership is selling.

Regular advertising and marketing techniques work to drive traffic to a website. Auto dealers invest large amounts of funds to attract visitors and to increase traffic. Driving traffic to the website is just not enough. Dealer chat software, on the other hand, engages visitors and generates more auto sales leads from already existing site traffic. Dealer chat software helps maximize the dealers return on investment. The cost of implementing dealer chat software applications on a dealer’s website is well outweighed by the benefits of increased sales.

Once a customer finds themselves on a dealer website, they’ll spend some time browsing the available vehicles and different specifics. A large amount of internet visitors find their way on websites late at night ? often after normal dealership business hours. Unless dealers have 24/7 salesmen on staff, they will lose countless opportunities to answer customer questions and address issues that may arise during their online shopping experience.

Numerous auto dealers from all over the US and Canada are experiencing the benefits that Dealer chat software has to offer. Adding Dealer chat software is the best way dealers can improve their lead conversion, sell more vehicles, and maximize their return on investment.

For more resources please review http://www.carchat24.ca

Cheap car parts for powerful replacement

Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010

Although you’ll find frequent and repeated news that the scientists have created exclusive alloys that have the capabilities of protecting themselves from several wears and tars by rejuvenation there has never been even a single vehicle which has been with that ability.

It is very widespread that many of the automobile components get repaired regularly and there arises a have to replace it. The auto accessories the low-cost automobile stages may be availed in two methods, it can either be component in some shops or even a second hand auto be bought as well as the spare stages could be used for the intent. Here within this online store you’ll be ready to discover variety of spare elements that should be of wonderful excellent and also the price of these car pieces will be of quite low selection. Undoubtedly there won’t be any complications for replacement choice due towards wonderful nature of this automobile components plus the precise pattern with which they are being created.

There will be list of several auto parts that are out there in this on the net site which will just serve like a virtual catalogue. You’ll be able to go to this site to purchase wide range of solutions and the solutions are going to be shipped in rapid period of time.

Gain funds via auto content

Monday, February 22nd, 2010

On this digital globe there is often a good level of passion among men and women inside the field of web page. There are lots of folks who write about a lot of topics in weblog. One particular of the most popular areas getting emerging from a quick fashion is auto contents.

Auto Content Cash gives you a fantastic chance to acquire large sum of dollars from a extremely quick time frame. This includes several articles about different functions of automobiles this kind of as engines, clutches, brakes and other critical and minor characteristics of automobiles. The Auto Content Cash Review could also support you to definitely make beneficial volume of funds. You just should say something that is closely relevant to the area of automobile. The resource of earning is through advertisers who are going to be drastically interested in this regard. You’ll find also quite a few folks who have identified this website for being of wonderful use in knowing about numerous items.

There is also Auto Content Cash Bonus which offers you excellent volume of benefits for variety of duties which you perform within this web page. It also guides you in different difficulties which you encounter by delivering suitable treatments. This internet site will unquestionably offer you with best possibility that lets you to definitely receive huge level of funds in an incredibly short time.

How to Save Time & Money on Car Rental

Friday, February 19th, 2010

Many people approach car rental as a lowest-price-possible contest rather than to concentrate on the value of the best deal they eventually would get, in terms of what type of car, what’s included (air conditioning, automatic gear shift, air bags, navigation) as well as what type of service they are going to buy.

The thing is, the car rental market has become a very competitive one and rates differences for comparable quality and service are relatively small, sometimes as small as $10 to $20. These minute price differences are going to vanish in the wind when you consider the long lines and lost time at the cheapest renter counter, drop charges for remote destinations, late return fines, and gasoline inflated rates as well as other service charges you didn’t think about when you shopped for the “best deal”.

Don’t get us wrong, we don’t like to pay higher prices more than you do. We do recommend shopping around and checking the various rates available, especially when it’s so easy to do it via the Internet at comparison sites.

All we say here you need to consider other things beside the price and when you compare please make sure you compare apples to apples and not apples to pears.

Things to consider when ordering a Car Rental Costa Rica

Who is using the car, are you by yourself on a business trip or you are traveling with the whole family? How much luggage are you going to have, does the car you are thinking about is big enough to have you all plus all your hand luggage and big suitcases? If not, consider to change to a mini van or a car with extra large trunk.

Do you need an Infant seat or a child booster? Make sure it is mentioned clearly with your order, usually there is a shortage of these seats and they are provided for extra charge.

Do you actually need the car in the town or city at the first few days? If not, consider to take a taxi, a bus, a train or the hotel shuttle into the city and when it’s time for you to go out of town and travel around, then, rent the car from the city location and by that save up to 15% on Air-Port charges as well as on city parking fees.

Are you going to a very warm and humid destination? If yes, it’s recommended to order a car with air conditioning, usually the price difference is negligible, and the problem is that it’s not available in all destinations like in some tropical countries.

Most major Costa Rica Car Rental companies allow for unlimited mileage, but it’s a good idea to check their policy before confirming. Many smaller local independent companies charge mileage after 100-200 free miles per day.

As mentioned before price is not the only factor to consider when choosing a car rental company? If you choose a very small, no-name company, don’t expect them to provide you with service across all country, what would you do if the car is needed to be replaced or serviced for some reason?

Frequent or preferred renter programs and affiliations

Frequent renter programs, like airlines and hotels, major car rental companies track their customers’ rental histories and offer preferential service to loyal customers. Most of the major companies offer frequent renter programs that are similar to airline frequent-flyer programs and hotel frequent-guest programs.

Preferred renter clubs, most major car rental companies also offer preferred renter programs or clubs. When you belong to one of these clubs, you get preferential treatment, including automatic upgrades when those cars are available. You can join these programs at any time, even if you are a first-time renter with that company.

In addition, always check for corporate rates if applicable to your situation. That’s how you will be able to save a lot of time and money when you rent a car.

Tips on How to Rent a Car

Friday, February 12th, 2010

If you are planning to do any traveling, either business or personal, you’ll likely want to rent a car upon arrival at your destination. Most airports have car rental agencies onsite for your convenience. These tips on how to rent a car will help you get the best deal.

The major international car rental agencies have offices all around the world. There is no such thing as Costa Rica Car Rental the best company in this industry. It really does pay to look around for the best offer. Rates will depend on the type of vehicle, the time period, and things like agency specials. You can easily compare prices online and you can reserve your car online too.

Almost all rental cars have automatic transmission, radio, and air conditioning. Even if you request a manual transmission, chances are it won’t be available upon arrival. If you are traveling with children that will require car restraint seats, make sure to request them when you book your car.

If you are renting a car in Costa Rica, an international license can be helpful in proving to the agency that you have a valid license especially if they aren’t familiar with the licenses from your country.

Rental companies have different rules about who they will rent a car to. Some will not rent to anyone under the age of 25 while others won’t rent to anyone over the age of 70. Other rent to drivers under 25 but charge a premium. Check with the agencies for restrictions before you book.

The Car Rental Costa Rica business is extremely competitive so prices change frequently. That’s way is best to try to see all the options before you make a choice. Some companies offer regular advertised deals; others have a lot of special promotions that might be vrey interesting. If business is slow you are likely to be able to get a better rate than if you are trying to rent during peak seasons. No one agency has the monopoly on best prices. It just depends, so do your homework and don’t be afraid to try to barter a better price! You can always get some great deals!

Sometimes if you booked through a travel agent, you might get a better price on your rental car. Some packages even include the rental fees. Compare these offers to see which is best.

The car rental insurance is where many agencies really soak you. The collision damage waiver and theft insurance they attempt to sell you is priced ridiculously high. But you also cannot risk driving without it. Some auto insurance companies have a rider that covers you and some credit cards also provide you with free coverage. See what you can do to avoid purchasing the rental agency’s insurance because it almost double the price of your rental.

Now that you know how to rent a car and get the best deal, you’ll have a few extra dollars in your pocket to start planning that next vacation.

Auto Insurance Ohio

Sunday, January 31st, 2010

Insuring a product has become one of the basic requirements which every one knows while buying valuable products. These days there are indemnity for a variety of products such as Cars, two-wheelers, and lot more things.

One of the most general things among the record is the insurance for auto. This includes all types of automobiles. There are a variety of issues to consider before going in for insuring a product. They are the era of insurance, the cost of insurance, the customer check and many more like this. Auto Insurance Columbus Ohio takes care of all the above listed factors into account and provides the best client satisfaction. The assorted aspects of the insurance are coverage offered, proof requirement, and other additional detail requirement. Columbus Ohio Auto Insurance provides the best coverage through the accidents which is very obliging for the individual as well as their family members. The evidence requirement is only during the misfortune and is not required during registration. Columbus Ohio Auto Insurance offers better way of insuring the automobiles.
They provide both offline and online ways to obtain the insurance. although online method makes the course simple, getting it done offline and in person will help to clear all the questions related to the insurance.

What’s the easiest way to sell a car?

Saturday, January 30th, 2010

Selling a car is a real headache for most people. Tyre kickers, advertising costs, day trippers, test-pilots, dealers and dreamers are all issues for anyone selling a car.

Let’s assume you are buying another car - new or slightly used.? If it’s a private sale then the seller is not likely to want to take your old car in part-exchange.? If you are buying from a dealer a part-ex may appeal, but it can leave you out of pocket.

A private sale is usually a testing and time consuming experience.? Firstly you have to advertise the car - maybe in Autotrader, on Ebay, in another online directory, or maybe advertise it in your local paper.? Secondly you have to photograph the car, and make sure it’s attractive in the pictures.? Usually that means when it’s not raining (or snowing!) - and when it’s light. Finding an hour to take pics of the car in Britain isn’t always as easy as it sounds……

You have to wash it first.? Take your car to the nearest car wash and give it a through cleaning, both interior and exterior. Remove every thing from the boot, back seats, and floor.

Don’t spend money fixing the car if it has any mechanical and electrical faults, unless it’s very minor like replacing the fuse or a bulb. If it has any more major faults you need to be honest to the buyer if they come to view.

You have to pay to advertise.? Advertising doesn’t come with money-back guarantees, but you’ve paid the money, uploaded the pictures and you’re sat waiting by the phone.?? Sadly the most frequent callers for advertised cars are other advertisers trying to get you to advertise with them instead.? When you do get an interested caller you have to make sure it’s clean (again), and arrange a time for them to view the car. ? Maybe they will turn up, maybe they won’t.

The next problem - do you really want strangers coming to your home? ? It’s OK for bright, young confident men to show their car to prospective buyers, but what if you are a single lady, or perhaps not confident with strangers?

And what are you going to do if the potential purchaser wants a test drive?? What about the insurance?? What if they want the car inspected and you have to take more time off work?? If the sale does go through, how are they going to pay for the car?? Is the cash real money or have they printed it at home?? Will the Banker’s Draft turn out to be a forgery?

So what about a part-ex with the dealership? Unless you really know the market you’ll be like Geoff Boycott on Day 5 of a test match - always on the back foot.? It’s the dealer’s job to beat you down on price.

Most car dealerships specialise.? They are called dealer franchises.? Let’s say you have got a Focus and want a Mondeo.? The Ford dealer might give you a decent part-ex offer because they know what your Focus is worth.? They might even resell it on their forecourt.? If you’ve got a Ford though and want an Audi or a Fiat you won’t get the best price for your Ford because the dealer will have to resell it within the trade.? Why is that a problem?? It’s a problem because the Audi dealer doesn’t really know what your Focus is worth, so they will build in a margin for error.? That means they will offer you less than it’s worth just in case they make a mistake.

Even if your dealer is a main franchised dealer and you are buying the same make again, you get either a good part-ex price or a discount off the price of your new car - not both.

And what if you aren’t changing your car?? What if you are emigrating, going travelling for a year or getting a company car?? Then you are back to a private sale….and we know the problems that involves!

There is now another option.??That Car Buyer offer a quick, no fuss alternative.

Our aim is to make the selling process simple and free, all you need to do is go to?That Car Buyer and enter the registration number and current mileage of your car along with some basic information and you get an instant no obligation offer for your vehicle.

This solves the problems of selling your car without trying to sell it yourself, and puts you in pole position with the dealer if you are buying a new car.? You can take the money and negotiate a discount off your new car, or if you don’t need another car just leave the money in the bank.

When you accept the website offer, we will arrange to pick up your car when it’s convenient, free of charge. We pay the money direct into your account before we take it away. Selling online with?That Car Buyer is really easy!

Tips For Finding Cheap Auto Insurance Deals

Friday, January 29th, 2010

The internet is the most exhaustive source for information we currently have access to. People and companies from all over the world are constantly adding new information to this wide network each day. Regardless, of the scope for which the internet is used by the large number of people going online each day, the resources come in a great variety, thus ensuring internet users have the best chances of finding exactly what they are looking for. This is the case for auto insurance companies. People can now find quality and cheap auto insurance online with just a few click of the mouse.

Because there are numerous cheap auto insurance companies offering a large and diverse offer of auto insurance online quotes, people should know very well what their needs are and what they will be expecting from their auto insurance online company. Believe it or not, even when it is common knowledge that getting auto insurance is mandatory by law, there are still a large number of car owners who decide not to get auto insurance policies for their vehicles. Finding cheap auto insurance online is becoming increasingly easier as more and more insurance companies decide to present many of their services including auto insurance online. The risks which may be encountered by vehicle owners that don?t get auto insurance for their vehicles make it a poor choice for people not getting insurance for their vehicles, and thus potentially ending up having to pay hundreds or thousands of dollars out of their pockets.

Because the effects that the global economic crisis has had on companies from the US, and all other countries in the world for that matter, cheap auto insurance policies are now widely available as many auto insurance online companies have been forced to reduce their expectations, after losing large numbers of customers that were not able to pay their monthly rates anymore. Usually, auto insurance online companies offer the best offers for cheap auto insurance, and with the great variety of such companies presenting their services on the internet, chances are that anyone will find cheap auto insurance, regardless of the size of their vehicles? engines or more importantly the price tags. Standard policies have started to have a much greater success with general public because of the financial difficulties they encounter due to the effects of the global economic crisis.

Full auto insurance online is still the best possible choice for people using their automobiles often, and even though rates are higher than for standard auto insurance online policies, it is still possible to find cheap auto insurance that would cover the vehicle for any type of accidents, legal liability and more. It is very important that you know exactly what of auto insurance online you need for your vehicle. Most auto insurance online companies present customers with free auto insurance quotes and with professional experts that are capable and trained to offer them all the assistance needed in order to make the best choice.

For more resources please review http://autoinsb.com

Looking For Auto Insurance Quotes?

Friday, January 29th, 2010

The internet is filled with a large amount of information, so you can easily find pretty much anything you might be looking for. Companies presenting their services and products have to get much more competitive and welcome all their potential customers with better offers than the competition. Auto insurance is one of the best online service sectors as there are numerous insurance agencies now operating on the internet also. Not many of us enjoy having to search for quality auto insurance quotes by visiting insurance agencies and making endless calls.

For those that might find themselves in this category will be happy to find out that with just a few simple clicks they can find a multitude of auto insurance agencies and get a large number of auto insurance quotes in very short period of time. With such a large number of insurance companies now presenting their services on the internet, chances are that if you look well enough, you will find the best possible auto insurance quotes. Most people searching on and off line for good auto insurance quotes are fed up with having to pay large auto insurance rates.

If we factor in, a poor orientation towards customer service and overall customer satisfaction on the part of a large number of auto insurance companies, then there is really no surprise as to why more and more car owners decide to search online for auto insurance quotes. As we all know auto insurance is not to be disregarded, as for most of us auto insurance rates can amount to large sums that we need to pay each year in order to have peace of mind if we have car accidents. No one is planning to have car accident, but if they do, then anyone would sure prefer to purchase an auto insurance policy from a company that knows how to treat its customers with care and respect after any unfortunate incident involving their cars.

Besides the most common reason why people get auto insurance for their cars there is also another fact to be considered, and more precisely the fact that getting auto insurance is mandatory by law. The fines for anyone lacking auto insurance can amount to pretty large sums, which could end up costing car owners far more than any auto insurance rates. Since the positive aspects of getting auto insurance are reason enough for the vast majority of people doing just that, the common thing to do would be to search for the best auto insurance quotes available.

The internet is not only an alternative for people who don?t have the time to track down auto insurance companies, but it is in general a great alternative, as it allows internet users wanting to find quality auto insurance quotes, to find a multitude of companies offering the same services. Consequently, the chances are that you will find the best offers if you look well enough. Visit the websites of some well established auto insurance companies, and just go from there.

For more resources please review http://autoinsb.com