Thomas Ieracitano

What is a Vehicle Identification Number? A vehicle identification number (VIN) is the DNA of your car. Each character and sequence has a specific meaning and each VIN is specific for one vehicle only. Here is an example of a VIN: 1HGCM82633A004352. I know what you're thinking, "Yikes!" But it's really not so bad if you know what you're looking at. Vehicle Identification Number's were first used in 1954 and were not standardized until 1981. Every VIN is 17 characters long and tells where a vehicle was made, when it was made, and other characteristics of the vehicle. From Wikipedia, following is a chart that explains what each character means: Character 1: The country the vehicle was made in or where final assembly took place. Character 2: The vehicle manufacturer, Ford, Chevrolet, etc. Character 3: The vehicle type or manufacturing division. Characters 4 - 8: The Vehicle Descriptor section. Model, body style, engine type, transmission, etc. Character 9: The che...

There are only a handful of times vehicle owners must know an auto's Vehicle Identification Number (VIN): when buying or selling a car, applying for insurance or registering a vehicle with the state Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). Other than that, few people pay much mind to the series of numbers and letters on a vehicle's dash.      But because there are those among us who are experts at manipulating a vehicle's VIN to conceal its true identity, it pays to know what's in a VIN. Law enforcement officials in particular should be familiar with the data a VIN contains as well as the methods crooks use to alter or obliterate this information. What's in a VIN?      A VIN is a series of numbers and letters that represent coded forms of vehicle information. The coded data found in this series adds detailed vehicle information to what is already found in the DMV's license plate database.      VINs for...

What to Know Before You Go Car Shopping Photo courtesy Edmunds.com . Taken by Scott Jacobs The test drive plays a pivotal role in car buying. ­ ­Before you start thinking about fun thing­s like whether you want a convertible or a sports car, you need to do some self-examination. First and foremost, you need to examine your budget. You should set a reasonable price range for the car and begin to eliminate cars that are out of that price range. As a potential car buyer, you need to be realistic, don't fantasize about a $45,000 car when your budget will just barely support a $22,000 price-tag. Also, remember that trying to figure out a way to buy a car that is outside your price range is really not a good idea. After all, it's not much fun to have a car if you can't afford to go places in it. How Dealers Profit There are three main ways that dealers profit from you. Don't be taken for a ride! The negotiating process for the price of the trade...

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/buying-selling/car-buying2.htm   How to Buy a Car by Allison Klein Inside this Article Introduction to How to Buy a Car Finding a Used Car Car Buying and the Internet What to Know Before You Go Car Shopping Purchasing a Car Addressing Problems After a Car Purchase See more » Car Buying and the Internet Photo courtesy Edmunds.com . Taken by Scott Jacobs Let your fingers do the walking so your feet don't have to! Use the Internet to help put you behind the wheel of your very own vehicle. Whether you're buying new or used, there's no doubt that the Internet is a great tool for your car quest. If you are buying a new car, you can research the kind of car you want, the options you need, the price of the car and the price of ...

SMARTMONEY AUGUST 9, 2010 Buy a Car Online for Less By STACEY L. BRADFORD THESE DAYS, THE BEST way to purchase a new car might be to skip the dealership and head online. While the advantages might not seem obvious at first, auto experts agree that shoppers can save time and money by going online. Perhaps more important, the entire process is a lot more pleasant: No more wrestling with tough sales teams. You can purchase new and used cars online. People who've purchased new models say it's remarkably easy. Most sites will forward your request for a free quote to a dealership's Internet sales department. These people make their commissions based on volume rather than price. They understand the importance of offering a fair price to move the sales process along quickly. While a dealer may laugh if you offer $500 over invoice price, if you go to the dealer s Web site you may have better luck getting the deal you want. Those looking to purchase a new car online typically f...

Buy a Car Off the Internet? August 23, 2010 65 Comments and 301 Reactions New here? Get more useful information by subscribing for free to the RSS feed. Let's dig in. The other day, I bought a 2010 Camaro SS off the Internet. More specifically, I bought it from Aaron Smith of Motorphilia . They have an interesting business model . But how I got on Aaron's radar is every bit as interesting a story as the fact that I bought this car, without kicking the tires. And I have some ideas for car dealerships and others who want to understand how a $40,000 product can be sold virtually (oh - and thanks to Aaron Smith's efforts, I didn't pay $40K for the car: he found me a great deal). It Started With a Blog Post A few weeks back, I wrote a post about how car dealership websites suck . I was frustrated, because I wanted to comparison shop and found that the dealerships within 50 miles of me (and there are many) all had horrible websites with rea...

Part One: Internet vs. Traditional Car Buying How Much Can the Internet Save You? Published: 11/15/2002  Updated: 04/30/2009  - by Philip Reed, Senior Consumer Advice Editor, Edmunds.com Save   On-line vs. traditional: Which do you prefer - walking onto a car lot and going eye to eye with the salesman? Or will you get a better price through the Internet department? There are two entrances into today's new car dealership. The first entrance is the traditional one where customers walk onto the car lot, wait for a salesman to approach them, hear the sales pitch and then hash out a deal in a sales office. The new en...