Making a decision to buy a car is only half the battle; you then need to think about new or used cars. A lot of people may feel that a new auto is just out of their projected budget for a new car. Buying a second hand car offers the opportunity to obtain a great car that may only be a year or so old. A couple of things need to be kept in mind before the acquisition of a used car.

At any one time there will be lots of used cars in the marketplace that have dramatically depreciated in value. The cars are just as great as they were a few years ago, but the problem is that not many people are buying. This makes it a great time to pick up a deal on a used car that you would not have found just a few years ago. Even with the better prices, no one wants to lose their money, so you should still be sure to examine the car thoroughly before buying.

If you dont really know what to look for in a used car, take someone with you who does. A quick look at the engine and a quick test drive are not going to answer all the questions though. A mechanic or a knowledgeable person will be able to tell you whether the car is in a decent condition or not. They may also recognize sounds that the car is making when you take it on a test drive that you may not be aware of.

When you take the car on a test drive, make sure it is not a short one. Try and spend as much time as you possibly can in the car during your test drive. After all, a short test drive will not let you appreciate comfort, etc. Youll also be unable to fathom how the car handles on longer drives.

Do you want to Buy an Audi or Buy a New Mercedes

Jaguar this month have released their brand new XJ model in London. The XJ is the replacement for the older XF model so just like the XF, the XJ is required to bring in a large number of sales.

When the previous XF model was released last year, the sales generated were used to help bring the company out of it’s financial troubles. The new XJ will hopefully do exactly the same.

It’s been announced that Tata, new owners of Jaguar and Land Rover, are losing £1 million every day on the companies.

Because Jaguar are trying to use this new car to save the business, they have modified the design slightly. Although a number of Jaguar owners have said how they don’t like the look of the new car, Jaguar are standing by their attempt at making the XJ more modern. They are doing this because they are trying to bring a wider and younger audience of car buyers.

They have improved the design of the car by making it more sleek and stylish. The new design of the car is “right and correct for the 21st Century” said the designer director, Ian Callum, who is now hoping that Jaguar will see a new modern car buyers who wouldn’t have considered buying a Jag in the past.

Jaguar have also fitted the car out with modern gadgets like a virtual dashboard. This will give you the ability to change the layout of the dashboard, you will even be able to put a sat nav on it. The car also comes with a large boot, a panoramic windscreen and finally, it’s all in a light weight aluminium shell.

This might sound like your sort of motor, however, it comes as a high price. The car price ranges from £50,000 for the standard model and going all the way up to £90,000 for the most luxury model.

I don’t think this would really be an ideal car for driving lessons. Maybe if you went with an experienced Worthing driving instructor, it might be more successful.

The American Government is taking its lead from countries in Europe and proposing a ‘cash for clunkers’ scheme to try and encourage buyers back into the struggling car market. The scheme will offer an incentive of up to $4,500 to owners of old cars getting 18 miles per gallon (mpg) or less if they upgrade to a vehicle that gets at least four mpg more, so people could trade in a gas-guzzling 4×4 and buy a Honda, Nissan or other smaller more efficient car in its place. Getting cash rewards for purchasing a newer vehicle is intended to help persuade consumers that it is a good idea, but can a scheme like this really work in the long run?

The UK implemented a similar scheme in May, where the government and car manufacturers are giving consumers £2000 towards a new replacement vehicle in exchange for scrapping ones over 10 years old. Since the scheme began it has taken over 35,000 orders, not enough to reinflate the car industry but certainly enough to make a difference. The question is how long these results can continue, when progressively less and less car owners will still be eligible and the money for the incentive starts to run out. Recent predictions by a chief executive at French automakers Renault suggest that the time of crisis will continue for few years yet, and that the numbers of people wanting to buy a Renault were unlikely to return to normal levels any time soon. So although government cash incentives are succeeding in coaxing buyers back into the market in the short term, it could be an even bigger blow for manufacturers if the orders stop coming in before the recession is over.

And of course it’s not just the car industry that has been affected by the recession, it’s been a difficult time financially for everyone. Giving consumers a cash incentive is a good idea but the amounts available are only a small percentage of the cost of a new car. It’s not as if you could trade in your old banger and buy a new BMW in its place, and a lot of people just wouldn’t consider making such an expensive purchase when they’re already struggling with debt and the uncertain economic climate. The scrappage schemes are a short term solution but will help to re-establish consumers’ confidence in the industry, as well as encouraging people who may otherwise have bought a second hand car to pay just a little extra for a new one instead.

Summer is almost here and what better way to enjoy spending time in the sunshine than driving about in a brand new cool convertible? It might sound like an expensive luxury, but it really doesn’t have to cost as much as you’d think, and you won’t have to fork out to buy a new BMW, Porsche or Lexus to be out there enjoying the sun in your new motor. More and more people are choosing to buy smaller cars as not only do they cost less but they are also more fuel efficient. Here are five of our favourite cars that are sure to get you noticed this summer without costing the earth

Nissan Micra C+C
The Nissan Micra has been one of the most popular small cars for years, and the newer convertible model comes equipped with a glass roof that folds neatly away so you get panoramic views and a sense of being outdoors even when the roof is up. It’s cute, sleek and best of all it doesn’t even cost much more than it would to buy a Nissan Micra in its normal form, without the folding roof!

Mitsubishi Colt Cabriolet
With an effortlessly smooth folding metal roof, the Colt Cabriolet is a small convertible for people who like the little details. It’s well equipped with the little touches to make life easier, and has a large storage capacity in the boot, all helping to make it one of the most desirable convertibles in its price range.

Audi TT Roadster
Alright so this one does cost more but we couldn’t have left it off the list. Audis are well known for keeping one step ahead of the average car on the road and the Roadster is no exception. Its sleek interior, smooth handling and powerful engine make it one of the most desirable small convertibles around – if you want to buy an Audi this could be the perfect car for you.

Mazda MX-5
The MX-5has been a common sight on the roads since it first launched in the late 1980s, and it’s not hard to see why. Its comfortable sleek interior and light bodywork makes it one of the most fun and sporty cars around. Whereas previous models have all come with a soft roof, with the newest model you have the choice of an electrically powered hard top instead which folds back completely in just 12 seconds.

Mini Convertible
On the surface it looks as if all Minis are essentially the same, but the truth is they are one of the most customisable cars around. The obvious difference in the convertible is that it comes with a retractable canvas roof, but there is a seemingly neverending list of other alterations you can choose so you can customise the car to your exact specifications.

When it comes to buying new cars, a lot of people fall in to one of two groups – those who don’t particularly care about the car itself, and will be looking for the cheapest option or the least likely to break down, and petrol heads who want the fastest, sleekest, coolest car they can find. ‘Green’ cars, designed to be more fuel efficient and produce less or no carbon emissions, have never really fallen into either group. Sure, it’s a nice idea that you could help to save the planet by driving a different car, but let’s face it these environmentally friendly cars just aren’t capable of performing as well as their petrol-powered counterparts, and they’re normally not cheap either.

But that may all be about to change. A heightened awareness of green issues and climate change combined with the general public’s need to find the cheapest cars to run in the recession means demand for more fuel efficient vehicles is rising. More and more people are beginning to realise that greener alternatives to petrol could well be the future of motoring, and the new technology has come a very long way in the last few years. The latest eco friendly vehicles were on display at the Revolve Eco Rally recently, beginning on Brighton seafront and driving to City Hall in London. A whole host of celebrity guest drivers took part and they were met in London by Mayor Boris Johnson, himself a keen supporter of green transport, for the What Car? Green Awards.

The purpose of the rally and the awards was to demonstrate the capabilities of the latest green cars, and awards were given to vehicles in a number of categories. The overall winner was the Volvo S40 DRIVe for combining its green credentials and supreme fuel efficiency with safety, security and being an all-round good small family car – it’s still not cheap though, and for around £50 more you can buy a Toyota Avensis, winner of the large family car category. Other winners were the Mini Cooper S, which won best green sports car for the second year running, and for those who still have cash to spare and can afford to buy an Audi the A8 was named best green luxury car. The pioneering battery-powered Tesla Roadster won the Editors Award, for showing that electric cars can go the extra mile and proving that they can perform as well as any car enthusiast could hope.

And the result of all this? Well, it looks as if the future of motoring could be green after all. Sure it’s true that they are still somewhat more expensive than most, but a time is fast approaching where they won’t cost the earth, and it looks like when that time comes people will be queueing up to buy one.