How much is my car worth?

Want to sell your car? Wonder how much you can get for it? Looking for a quality used car? Want to know how much their going for? Save money by looking at this car buying/selling guide.

Install speakers and subwoofers

How to Install Car Speakers and Subwoofers

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Are your car speakers distorted? Here we'll show you how to install new ones!

Steps

1. Insert DIN tools into each side of the car stereo. Pull on them and the stereo should slide out of the dash.
   
2. Disconnect the speaker and amplifier terminals from your car stereo.
   
3. Take your door panels or speaker grilles off.
   
4. Disconnect the old speakers and old amplifiers from their terminals.
   
5. Connect the new speakers and amplifiers to their terminals.
   
6. Replace the door panels and speaker grilles.
   
7. Turn on the ignition. Listen!
   

Things You'll Need

• Car Speakers
  
• Optional- Car Amplifiers
  
• DIN Tools
  

Related wikiHows

• How to Install a New Car Stereo System
  
• How to Detail Model Car Engines on the Cheap
  
• How to Mount a License Plate
  
• How to Make Your Car Look Like a VIP's Car
  

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Install Car Speakers and Subwoofers. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

Car won't start? Try this.

How to Fix a Car That Doesn't Start

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Repairing a car that wont start can be as simple as plugging in a wire, changing a fuse, or as complicated as replacing major engine components. The following may help you discover the problem, but there is no way to cover every possibility. We will look at individual possible problems, and ways to check for them.

Steps

1. Check the battery. If you do not have sufficient voltage and cranking power, the car simply won't start. Have someone attach booster cables to your battery if the engine seems to be turning over slower than normal. If the battery seems charged, and the starter motor still doesn't turn the engine, the problem may be in your starter motor itself, or the battery cables. Changing the starter is not too complicated, but if you decide to attempt this, try to find someone who has done it before to help you, or buy a do it yourself manual that has a description and pictures of what you need to do.
   
2. Make sure you have fuel in your tank. Hopefully your fuel gauge is working, but some lose calibration, and will register remaining fuel when the tank is dry. You cannot open a true fuel injected system to look for fuel, but on older cars, you can remove the air filter from the breather housing by taking the wing nut or other fastener off the top and lifting the cover. Here, when you pump the accelerator pedal, you should see gasoline spray into the carburetor throttle body. Some cars have electric fuel pumps situated in the gas tank, and having someone listen at the filler cap while you turn the ignition switch from off to run, they will hear the pump cycle on for a few seconds, then click off when the system pressure reaches the required level. This can tell you if the pump is not working, but changing the fuel pump is a difficult and possibly dangerous project.
   
3. Remove a spark plug wire from your spark plug and use an insulation handled screwdriver to ground the metal fitting inside the spark plug boot to the engine, and have someone turn the engine over while you watch for a spark. You should have the metal screwdriver shaft about an eighth of an inch from a clean metal surface on the engine, and be careful not to touch any uninsulated parts of the tool while testing the plug. If you do not have a spark, you have an ignition circuit problem, and depending on the vintage of your vehicle, you may have to replace anything from a coil wire to an ignition CPU, or computer.
   

Tips

• It is not possible to cover all the reasons a car won't crank in this article, but if you are able to find a do it yourself book at a department store or auto parts supply, or your local library, they can help with specific problems.
  
• Look at the wires, hoses, and other components under the hood. Often, one unplugged wire, or one broken vacuum or fuel line will be the problem, and these are simple and inexpensive to fix.
  
• Check the owner's manual for fuses, relays, and circuit breakers related to either fuel or ignition. You should be able to locate these and make sure they are not tripped or blown. In the relay block, you can exchange relays that are the same size from another component, such as the AC blower, to test the ignition relay.
  
• If the owner's manual doesn't list a fuse or relay for the fuel pump, your car has a mechanical pump, and the only way to check it is to remove a fuel line, and turn the engine over to see if gasoline comes out, but this is very dangerous!
  
• Even when your car doesn't start when you try the ignition, it may show a "code", or information stored in the computer, that can be accessed by a technician to find the source of your problem. This may be a "check engine" light, or other indicator.
  
• Listen to your engine when you crank it. If you hear a knocking sound, backfiring, or misfiring, you may have serious engine problems such as jumped timing, stuck or broken valves, or a flooded carburetor.
  

Warnings

• Do not remove any wires or other electrical parts without disconnecting the negative (-) post of the battery.
  
• Do not remove fuel lines unless you know how to bleed off the pressure in them, injected fuel systems are pressurized, and will blow off gasoline when they are uncoupled.
  
• When testing for spark or doing anything else which requires turning the motor over while looking under the hood, be careful of the fan blades, belts, and other moving parts.
  
• Never turn the engine over or crank it with the breather cover removed. Fuel in the throttle body can ignite!
  

Things You'll Need

• Once again, a do-it-yourself manual, such as Peterson's or Hayne's is more complete and vehicle specific than this article.
  
• Battery tester or jumper cables.
  

Related wikiHows

• How to Fix a Car That Stalls
  
• How to Start a Car
  
• How to Push Start a Car
  
• How to Teach Your Child Simple Car Maintenance and Repair
  
• How to Repair a Lawnmower
  
• How to Fix a Flat Car Tire with Fix a Flat
  

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Fix a Car That Doesn't Start. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How to Get a Good Deal on a Used Car

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Check out these tips on finding a good deal on a used car.

Steps

1. Great news for deal hunters. Finding a great used car deal doesn’t have to be hard. Often, it just takes time and effort but you will be glad you did when you are driving a new set of wheels without risking serious debt.
   
2. Its important to note - getting a cheap car is one thing, getting a good value from a used car is another. To be sure your discount vehicle is really as good a deal as it seems, you'll need to think about what other costs you might be facing because of it. Keeping up with a cheap car can be expensive. Something to be on the lookout for when buying a used car is any accident damage or other problems with important structural items like the frame or suspension.
   
3. Finding a cheap car is not hard - if you know where to look and what to pay attention for. A good way to start is right in your own neighborhood. If you are in the market for used car deals, you can find allot of cheap cars in the local paper under estate auctions. You could also check out the used car deals at your local dealership.
   
4. Another great source for finding a used car deal is auto auctions. At an auto auction, cars are sold to the person who places the highest bid. Auctions are one of the best sources for finding discounts on used vehicles. You should know that the pace at these auctions is usually very high paced.
   
5. Getting a good deal on a used car at an auto auction is quite simple and very real. In fact, auto auctions are where many used car dealers go to find deals for their sales lot. For those who are bold and serious about buying a car at a steep discount, attending a live government seized auto auction should be top on your list.
   

Tips

• Know the Blue Book value of the car you are looking at
  
• Inspect any car before you buy, take it to your mechanic if possible
  

Warnings

• Beware of Flood recovered cars. Do a vehicle history check if uncertain
  
• Make sure the car has a clean title
  

Related wikiHows

• How to Buy a Used Car from a Private Party
  
• How to Buy a Car in Singapore
  
• How to Get a Title to an Abandoned Vehicle
  
• How to Test Drive a Car
  

Sources and Citations

• http://www.govautoauction.info
  

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Get a Good Deal on a Used Car. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How to Buy a Car Like a Dealer

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Most people buy a car from a dealer, paying for a markup in return for various services. Dealers act as middlemen between the consumer and wholesale distributors. Many wholesale distributors sell vehicles in dealer-only auctions for prices far lower than the general public can find at any location. In this wikiHow we'll look at the basic steps to take in order to purchase a car at or near wholesale cost.

Steps

1. Know the difference between a dealer-only wholesale auction and a public, repossession or other retail auction.
   
   • A dealer-only auction requires a car dealer license in all 50 states and is the main way dealerships rotate excess inventory. Unlike public auctions dealer-only auctions tend to offer close to new cars, new cars, recent trade-ins or just off-lease vehicles. In addition, many vehicles are detailed, have existing warranties and are carefully rated as to condition.
     
   • Public car auctions are open to anybody, including savvy dealers, so the prices may not be as low as the hype suggests. You see these advertised all over the place including online and in the backs of newspapers.
     
   
   
2. Decide which car you want, the options you need, and the condition for which you are willing to settle. Be as flexible as you can as you will be buying at auction.
   
3. Use an independent source to determine the wholesale and retail values of your target vehicle. The two most frequently used sources for this are the NADA guide and the Kelly "Blue Book".
   
4. Settle on a budget. Do not forget that your final price will include taxes, registration and other fees.
   
5. Decide that you will not exceed this budget under any circumstances; a key aspect of buying a car like a dealer is not to let emotions cause you to spend more than you decided to.
   
6. Get access to wholesale auctions using one of these methods:
   
   • Locate, research and retain a proxy buyer or proxy dealer who has access to wholesale auctions. A proxy buyer is an individual (sometimes a group) who has a legal dealer license and runs a service where he or she attends wholesale auctions to buy an individual car for you.
     
   • Acquire a dealer license. This is typically a time-consuming and expensive process that is not practical unless you plan to buy and sell cars as a business. States rely on taxing dealerships for income, so there is little or no incentive for a state to grant a license to an individual who does not plan to operate as a car dealer.
     
   
   
7. Research local auctions to find out times, locations and get a list of available vehicles. Once you have found one that has the vehicle you want, make arrangements to attend the auction or have your proxy buyer attend the auction.
   
8. Make any necessary financial arrangements. Each auto auction will have its own terms; verify these in advance make sure that you have the correct payment options available if you win the car.
   
9. Stay in close contact with your proxy buyer while locating the car you want through purchase and delivery.
   

Tips

• Check out the CarFax and recall list for that particular car you are searching for.
  
• Check for the value of the vehicle on websites such as KBB.
  
• Follow the same guidelines you would for buying any new or used car.
  
• Compare proxy-dealer services carefully, including fees, availability of warranty and any other factors.
  
• Buying at wholesale often includes an original manufacturers' warranty. It is a good idea to select this option.
  

Warnings

• Make sure you are working with a reputable proxy dealer who won't disappear after your purchase.
  
• In most states it is a misdemeanor offense to buy or sell too many cars per year without a dealer license. This number varies by state, so be sure to know what your laws are.
  
• Beware of traditional car dealers who offer a wholesale or proxy service. Why would they do this? If something is too good to be true, it probably is a ripoff.
  

Related wikiHows

• How to Become a Wholesale Car Dealer in California
  
• How to Buy the Perfect Car
  
• How to Buy a New Car
  
• How to Buy a Used Car
  
• How to Buy a Used Car from a Private Party
  
• How to Decide Whether to Lease or Buy a Car
  
• How to Buy or Lease a Car when You Have Bad Credit
  

Sources and Citations

• http://www.ThatsMyNewCar.com
  
• http://www.NADA.com
  
• http://www.CarFax.com
  
• http://www.KBB.com
  
• http://www.used-car-find-it.com/used-car-auction.html
  

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Buy a Car Like a Dealer. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.