JZ Motors

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PH: 03 9752 2799
FAX: 03 9752 2965
jzmotors@bigpond.net.au

LMCT 8365
1100 Burwood Highway Ferntree Gully 3156 Victoria

MELBOURNE 4WD AND COMMERCIALS SPECIALISTS

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10 Surprising Things You Thought You Didn’t Know About Cars

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1.  More than half a century ago, Swedish automaker Volvo patented the seatbelt. And although other competitors copied Volvo’s invention, no one has ever been charged for using the patent.

2.  Mercedes-Benz introduced the first anti-lock braking systems (ABS) in 1979. Yes, the popular carmaker first used the ABS on their bestselling cars that year. Since 2011, ABS has already been a standard following the Australian legislation that made stability control a mandatory feature in all passenger cars.

3.  Electric cars outnumbered petrol-powered ones in the early 1900s. What happened next — the sudden shift toward gas-powered vehicles — was a result of the discovery of the combustion engine, the emergence of oil as a fuel source and the lack of technology that limited the performance of batteries at that time. The electric car-to-gas-powered car ratio hasn’t significantly changed since then.

4.  Even when petrol-powered vehicles still reign supreme across the world, 2010 saw the rising number of petrol-electric hybrid cars. In that year, there were 2.2 million of these new breeds of cars on the road. Then in 2012, the first volume-selling electric-only automobiles eventually found themselves in showrooms, showcasing far better battery efficiency and state-of-the-art performance, to which 1900 electric cars paled in comparison.

5.  Despite the promising outlook for electric-powered cars, it seems those running on gas won’t go away anytime soon. In fact, experts agree that by 2020, electric cars will have comprised only about 5 percent of all cars sold in Australia.

6.  As what we’ve mentioned in #5, petrol-powered cars are here to stay, hence the type of engines that run inside them too. Not that crude oil is infinitely available, but depletion of such natural resource has led many researchers to tap the power of ethanol, a renewable biofuel derived from plants. Today, a specialized blend of ethanol and unleaded petrol, as well as bio-diesel, is becoming popular.

7.  It took a wave of global financial crisis — one that started in 2008 — to put an end to General Motor’s position as the biggest carmaker in the world. The American giant had enjoyed its status quo for 77 years, from 1931 to 2007, only to be overrun by Japanese maker Toyota.

8.  No. None of the Western makes and models own the top spot as the world’s biggest selling car today. It’s all hands down to the Toyota Corolla — all 35 million sold across the globe and counting. But before the Japanese car enjoyed its all-time popularity, the first big seller was the Ford Model T back in the early 1900s, when about 16.5 million cars had been sold. Soon, the Volkswagen Beetle took the spot with 21.5 million sales, excluding the modern version. Then came the VW Golf with 24 million sales, just a little behind Ford F-Series pick-up trucks with 25 million sales.

9.  Who would have thought that self-driving vehicles would soon become a common sight on the road? And their growing popularity comes even sooner than you think. With Google leading the way with their fully autonomous vehicle prototypes, cars running with autopilot capability will have a positive outlook in the next three to five years.

10.  Even though North America boasts the biggest selling pickup trucks in the past 5 decades, it was Australia who invented these vehicles. The Australian version, locally known as the ute, has just celebrated its 80th birthday in 2014. Ford historians recall that back in 1933, Ford received a letter from a certain farmer’s wife in Gippsland, and in it was her request to build a vehicle that could take the couple to church on Sunday, and on Monday, can also carry the pigs to market. Then the rest is history, when the first approved version of the pickup truck went into production in 1934.

Just How Much Does It Take to Purchase a Used Car?

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You might think that closing a deal and getting the car of your dreams simply involves handing over that cash to the seller. But think again. Whatever price you agreed together is just part of a series of payments you need to make to finalize the purchase. Because these costs quickly add up from a few hundred dollars to thousands, arm yourself with this information to help you stay within your budget.

Transfer of  Registration

In new South wales, transfer of registration requires a minimal fee of $31. While in the state of Victoria, the same requirement would cost you about $36.40 if the transfer registration involves a private sale. Purchase your car from a dealer and the fee would cost only $18.50. In other part of the country, you pay lower amounts in general: about $22 in Queensland and $24.45 in South Australia.

In addition, keep in mind that some private sellers, in an attempt to save on renewal costs, put their used cars on sale just when the registration is about to expire or have already gone past the expiration date. This increases your financial burden as you in turn have to bear the renewal cost. Also, always be careful when registering the vehicle in different states because additional payments may be required, depending on the location.

Car Stamp Duty

Car stamp duty is another fee required by the government, the amount of which will vary according to the cost and the condition of the car when it was purchased. And it is only in special circumstances — such as transfer of registration from husband to wife, for example — that the payment of car stamp duty is not required. The amount varies because it becomes greater as the purchase price increases.

Luxury Car Tax

Yes, that flashy BMW or Lamborghini doesn’t come without a hefty price tag, be it the purchase price or what we call the Luxury Car Tax (LCT). In Australia, LCT amounts to 33% of the car’s value. The same amount is applied for imported cars that cost $62,000 and above.

Third Party Insurance

Just because you don’t see yourself driving your favorite car that often doesn’t mean you can opt-out of paying for third party insurance. Yes, it is compulsory whether or not you spend more time on the road. In fact, you need to secure this requirement even before you register your car, hence the need to include this to your list of expenses when buying a used vehicle.

Personal Property Securities Register (PPSR) Check

Obtaining the Vehicle Identification Number for PPSR check may not a mandatory requirement, but for just $36.95, you get all the information you need on the history of the used car before even buying it. By checking the VIN with PPSR, you will know whether the particular vehicle carries financial encumbrances, has been stolen or written off, or had undergone a major repair resulting from a serious accident.

Buying Used Car? Here’s How to Avoid the Rip-Offs

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Directly buying used car from its owner may save you from potentially huge dealer mark-ups and other fees. But as the industry becomes more independent, dispersed and unregulated, unknowingly buying a lemon has become a more likely reality. And as what was common in the days past, the seller could just be the neighbor next to you, your friend or a relative. But with the Internet, everyone now has access to any buyer or seller from across the country — with just a click of the mouse button.

Now comes the reality with online transactions: we’ve never become closer to possible scams than ever before. According to a Veda Auto report, a little more than one tenth of used car buyers fall prey into buying vehicles with previously hidden issues, only to discover them a little too late. And the most common issues involves were poor vehicle maintenance resulting in compromised safety, mismatched or non-existent vehicle identification numbers and accident records that were left undisclosed.

But how do we guard ourselves in the process?

The answer is as obvious as immediately checking the vehicle yourself. Check for any misaligned doors that might be a subtle sign of previous warping resulting from an accident, the dominant smell of mildew inside the car for possible history of flooding, and most importantly the engine’s condition. Of course, drive-testing the car is also a must.

After running through a physical check, go ahead with obtaining the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), and run it with the Personal Property Securities Register (PPSR). The latter provides a comprehensive background record of the automobile in question — records that may tell you whether the car was previously stolen, written-off or any recorded accidents.

The bottom line? It’s never wrong to take extra care when buying used cars. You have every right to get the details from the seller, even if that means having the car double-checked with a licensed mechanic and the appropriate government agency. After all, when it comes to investing your money, you’re in full control.

What You Need to Know About Buying Used Cars at Auction

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Buying cars at auctions is not something we regularly do. And getting the car of your dreams by winning a bid is one option not many of us are willing to choose. That means it is completely understandable that we don’t often get to know what a car auction is. But if you’re willing to choose this path to getting your own automobile, we share with you the following tips and useful information. Read on.

What is a Car Auction?

A car auction is usually a privately owned company that sells vehicles — usually used cars — by auction, meaning that buyers need to make a bid for the automobile of their choice. Anyone with the highest bid takes the car home.  Because vehicle auctions can be fairly common sight in some states, government regulations are sometimes put in place to protect the interest of buyers and dealers.

Car auctions are different from regular dealerships in a way that auction dealers usually collect their vehicles from finance companies, fleet operators and many other private owners. And because auctioned cars are usually privately owned and mostly well-maintained, you’re more likely to chance upon a good make and model you bid for.

To give you enough time to inspect the automobiles, these cars are subjected to preview days before the actual auction begins. You can even inspect one up close like looking under the bonnet or sitting inside it. However, unlike regular dealerships, you can’t do a test-drive a car for auction. This means needing more time to research on the vehicle before you even place a bid.

What You Need to Know Before Bidding

Before placing a bid, there are some important things that you might need to know. For example, once you win a bid and the car is awarded to you, there is no turning back. You might be required to pay the deposit immediately, depending on your agreement with the auctioneer. You may even drive the vehicle on the same day, again depending on the terms.

Although auctioned cars come with no statutory warranty, what’s good about them is that you can be sure that each vehicle is free from any financial encumbrances. Thus you won’t have to worry about getting your car repossessed by any financial institution in the future. It’s a clear title for you to begin with. And within 48 hours after the sale, the auctioneer is required to hand you over the necessary documents, most importantly the PPSR Certificate on the Vehicle Identification Number.

Although the one major setback of auctioned cars is that they do not guarantee a flawless history of good performance and regular maintenance, you can always check the car history report. As what David Campbell, former NSW Government’s Minister for Transport and Roads, said, “There is a black market for purchasing written-off vehicles at auctions, then using stolen parts to rebirth and register the car, to be sold for a tidy profit.”

Such proliferation of black markets has eventually resulted in the legislation prohibiting the re-registration of cars considered as repairable write-offs. But nonetheless, we as buyers should always be in the safe side, not letting our guard down, always double-checking the facts before we even place our bid for that prized automobile.

 

Used Car surge in the market in the years ahead

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used carThe intense desire of most people to have a car of their own is the main reason why there is a better future for used car buying and selling in the current market today. This ends up the scarcity of used vehicles.

This year alone, the number of used car available for selling has climbed up to a great height which serves as a remarkable news for dealers who are stressed in looking for a cost effective late model used cars and trucks. Buyers will be overwhelmed with this used-vehicle flood which will assure them of wide choices, better price and the best deal.

The flooding of used cars in the current market will definitely result to a lower price of the said cars which will give buyers a grand feast on these vehicles. But it can equally mean a reduce in the trade in value of a particular shopper’s current car or vehicle. Nevertheless, the overall impact of this outpouring is that it will give more people a better chance to grab and purchase their own car.

Though there are lot of things that needs to be taken care of it will still lead buyers to the most desirable deal. Dealers have to be more prepared for the overflow of supply on their car lots and car centers. Preparing the inventory will require them a lot of paper works plus the papers of each car that has to be properly managed. Also the rush of clients will surely be expected. More inquiries, more shoppers will need more assistance to be well informed with the car that they are interested with.

Used cars will definitely have a phenomenal price drop in the years to come which is much awaited by the people. This will enable them to save a lot of money from owning a car. This will surely take away the perception that reasonably low priced vehicles will certainly mean a poor and low quality. Even if the used car you were able to buy cost you lesser amount but still in the perfect running condition and fuel efficient, it’s a great buy indeed.

Used car lot managers and private dealers are confident to spend money on these pre-owned wheels because they are confident that they will be able to sell them quickly and make good profit from these cars.

CONTACT INFORMATION

JZ Motors

1100 Burwood Highway
Ferntree Gully3156 Victoria

PH: 03 9752 2799
Fax: 03 9752 2965

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