Some of the tricks for getting a good deal and high rate of discount on your insurance policy are,

For people with a driver’s license, make sure to have a clean slate. This will come in handy when the insurance company does a background check on your driving skills and whether you have been caught in any wrongful act or accident. If you have had no tickets issued, or been in any accident in the past 2-3 years, then you are eligible for discounts.

Sometimes companies also grant discounts to people who have taken the drug and alcohol awareness courses. It is infact a must in some countries, and so if a person has attended one, they are liable to get good discounts. It is a way of encouraging them since they know the value of driving safe.

While shopping online for auto insurance, do a comparative study of various companies and the rate of discount offered by them. Based on this, you can approach the dealer who gives best deals, thereby making you eligible for some good discounts on the insurance rates and premium.

When filling out forms related to insurance policy, give accurate data about your family background, and other information asked for.  The amount of trips you take on your car, miles covered in the past year, and even any defaulting that might have happened on the payments, if any. Giving such information will qualify you for a discount, just for the fact that you’ve been absolutely honest.

Your credit report speaks volumes about your background, so make sure to have a clean credit standing. If you are a regular user of credit cards, and have been making payments regularly, on time, it reflects on your personality and automatically increases your chance of getting a discount. This will also help you get some extra financial aid in case you need assistance with that. Also make sure to have no outstanding payments, not just on the car, but on other assets as well.

There are some insurance companies that offer different rates of discount to male drivers and female. Do a bit of study on this and act accordingly so you stand to gain at the end of the day.

As you can see, there are various means and ways by which one can work with the system and gain a discount.
 

Here are some of the different types of auto insurance that the buyer needs to be aware of before making a purchase,

Full Auto Insurance- A policy that is known to be the best for you and your car ios known to be among the most expensive, but it does cover all issues like instances of theft, unexpected accidents and so on. a person wit this policy sure gains to get the repair expenses footed by the insurance company and this holds good for cases where he might have been responsible for the repair. So, if you wish to have an insurance policy that backs you all the way, this is what you need to go for. most insurance companies will not cover 100% of the cost of the vehicle, but will go upto only a certain extent, but with this policy you cover all the expenses.

Third party insurance – This policy is ideal for people who even after paying all dues on their vehicle still remain very attached to it. Also just like the previous kind of insurance policy, all accidents and thefts are covered in this too, with a bit of a difference. In this policy, only if you are at fault, will you get coverage, for other situations you need to foot the cost of repairs and service.  So, while on the road,  if some other car comes crashing into you, or if you crash the car into your gate or somewhere else, the insurance company will not cover the expenses incurred in bringing your car back to its original condition.

There is one more kind of insurance policy, which is Third party, where in the insurance company covers cases where the owner, the person who has taken the insurance policy was at fault, and has led to an accident or damaged another vehicle. These are undertaken by people who own less expensive cars, or are into used cars.

Specialised insurance – Just as the name states, this kind of insurance policy is for cars that are considered vintage, which are over 20 years and have specific needs and parts are not easily available.

These are some of the kinds of insurance policies available to car owners, and what they choose depends entirely on them and the budget they have in mind. At the end of the insurance is taken to cover all extra unexpected expenses that might arise in the due course of owning the car, and driving it around.

For most people auto auctions become an option they consider when they are thinking about buying a second car for their home. In order to help them make better decisions related to the auto auctions, here are some tips they need to know before hand.

1. What does “Auction” mean?
It is important to understand the meaning of an auction. People have misconceptions that auctions are where they get new products at cheaper price. This is not true; auctions are only venues where used or old products are being sold, because they are not saleable otherwise. For example, in auto auctions, we find cars that have been confiscated, repossessed and those which are government surpluses.

There will be a minimum price quoted for the cars, and working with that, people who are attending will make a bid. And the person who has made the highest bid will win the sale, and have to pay the price to take the car home. The auction comes to a close when the auctioneer says “Going, Going, Gone’ and brings down the hammer.

2. Where is the Auto auctions held?
There are select places where these auto auctions are usually held. If they are local auto auctions, most likely in venues which are near the impound or where there is plenty of space. There will be news items and advertisements regarding these in the local newspaper and on the bulletin boards. For other kinds of auctions, information will be posted on the newsletter or again the newspaper. For online auto auctions, one has to sign up with a site and thereon, they will be send regular information on what’s happening and when the next auction is going to be held, so you can plan accordingly.

3. How to bid?
 Right after the auction commences, the product or automobile will be brought up, and the bidding will soon follow. Make note of the minimum price being quoted, as this is what will be used to bid. If you are visiting for the first time, watch how the others bid, the kind of prices being quoted, and how it works its way upwards. Next time, you wish to purchase a car, keep a budget in mind, and bid within that. Don’t get carried away, as you will end up not being to afford what you just bought.

There is a lot of fun in buying cars from the auto auctions, but there are certain pointers to keep in mind before bidding on an auction vehicle. These will keep you safe and avoid any unpleasant surprises from popping up later on.

1. Choices
Are you given a list of cars up for auction or is there no information related to this. Knowing the cars that are going to be available will give you the heads up on whether there are any that you like or you will only be wasting your time around here. If the auctioneer or others in charge do not give a list of what’s in store, be wary and aware of how they go about it.

2. Inspection
Does the auction company allow the bidders to inspect the vehicle before commencement of the auto auctions? Are the vehicles kept in a place where it is open to public view. If you are able to visit the venue, see the cars and inspect them in and out, it is a reliable auction site. But if otherwise, you might want to rethink the visit.

3. Quality
When the auction company hands out fliers about the auto auction to be held, does it contain information about the vehicles and their condition. Many a times when it is a seized car auctions, the condition of the vehicle could range from good to bad, and so it is essential to know about the car or bike that you are bidding for.  It should also list down the history of the vehicle, how old it is, miles that have been run on it, the condition of the engine and so on.

4. Price
Many a times at auto auctions, what you bid will not be the exact price you will have to pay. Some auction companies charge an indemnity fee or a buyer’s premium as it is called. So check before hand on their payment terms, and mode of payment as well. Preferably don’t make purchases at the very first auction you go to or at the first car you see. There are bound to be other better ones, so take time in making the right choice.

5. Actual Bidding
When you have found the car of your dreams and are ready to take the car home, keep in mind “never to quote more than you planned on spending on a car”. This is because, at times people get carried away, and don’t realise what they are doing till they have gone too far ahead.

With respect to auto auctions, there are different types available. Some of them are 
as follows,

Public auto auctions:
When there are auto auctions happening in your locality by the governing board or auctioneers, it is called as public auto auctions. You could get information about these from your local coffee shops or the daily paper. There are bound to be cars, both new and used ones up for sale in these. But the number of cars might be less since it involves a certain demographic location only. The vehicles up for sale could be those impounded by the traffic police or those that were found abandoned. In big cities, these auctions are held once in twice weeks or at times depending on number of cars up for grabs.

Government auto Auctions:
Another kind of car auction that is very popular is the Government Auto auctions, which is held by Government run organisations, or the US Customs department. The General Administration service also participates in this auction, for they get the opportunity to sell their used automobiles, trucks, bikes, cars, SUV’s all of which are in good condition. The vehicles auctioned are mostly Government surplus vehicles, when they buy new ones, auctions are held to dispose the older ones. These auctions are where car enthusiasts to pick up vehicles at runaway prices.

Online Auto Auctions:
A method of auto auction that is gaining popularity is where cars are auctioned on the web world. There are many sites that deal with cars, used and new, which put out the cars up for sale, and invite bids from interested parties. People can search the net, find these sites, register with them and go about finding their dream car. This works best for people who travel a lot, or don’t have time to personally go visit the dealer, or auction venues, to inspect the vehicle. They rely on the information provided on the net, make their bid and wait to see who gets the vehicle. Online auto auctions are where people can purchase cars from cities other than theirs, and get a wider choice of purchase.

No matter what mode of purchase you decide on, remember that auctions are the best bet, allowing you to inspect the vehicle you finish the whole process in less than a couple of hours and get to drive home your new car.

Test drive the car you are bidding for: One great disadvantage of both online and offline car auctions is that you do not get the opportunity to test drive the car that you are bidding for. While you can at least physically inspect a car at a regular auction, you cannot do the same for an online one. The next best thing that you can do is go to a used car dealership and test drive the same make and model that you are bidding for online. If you can’t find it at a used car dealer’s test drive a new one and try to judge what problems might crop up with the car a few years hence.

Get the car inspected by a third party: Bidding online is always fraught with risks. There is no guarantee that the vehicle you are bidding for actually exists in real life. On the other hand, if it does, then you are obligated to buy it if you win the bid. Since you might not be able to physically inspect a car that you find online yourself due to distance or other factors, you can try to hire a mechanic who will give you an unbiased report about the condition of your car. Ask your seller to get this service performed for you by any national car repair chain to ensure reliability and trust. However, it is advised that you only bid for vehicles that you can go and check out for yourself before buying.

Get a VIN# history first: The vehicle identification number is a crucial tool that will help you in getting a vehicle’s history through a number of online services providing the same. Ask the seller to give you the vehicle identification number of the car that is being auctioned off and run a VIN history check before bidding. You will get to know details about the title, actual mileage, accident history and any other damage that the vehicle has undergone.

Base your bid on actual market price: There are a number of resources, both online and offline that will provide you with the actual market value of a used vehicle. Some online websites will give you the market value of a used vehicle based on make, model and years of use for free. Avail these services and use the guide price as a base for calculating the value of your bid. Subtract money for extra mileage, accident history and another ten per cent for buying online if you are doing so without seeing the vehicle first. Also deduct the price of shipping if any from your bid if the seller is not paying for it. And pay for an online auction car only through escrow, where the money is transferred to the seller only after you have received the goods and are satisfied with it.

Go To The Preview: The preview is the event where car auction agencies let potential buyers examine the vehicles on sale. While almost no auction house allows test drives, you get to examine a vehicle physically and start it. Do not let this opportunity to check a car go by because buying a used car without checking it out physically is akin to foolishness.

Take A Mechanic Along: Most of us really do not know how to judge how long our car’s parts are going to last just by looking at them. We also do not know the difference between real and fake spares and can never tell if a car has undergone body work once it has been properly painted and covered up. But a mechanic can easily tell you all this and more about the true condition of an auction car, so it is an extremely wise idea to spend some money on taking a mechanic along with you to an auction preview and get the real picture of an auction car. You might end up getting surprised by the amount of information that might be hidden from you.

Get a Vehicle History Check: While a mechanic can actually give you an idea about the physical condition of a vehicle, he or she cannot tell you whether a car is stolen, has had its odometer tampered or carries a disputed title. But a car history check can tell you all this and much more. There are a number of online services that will give you pertinent details about a car’s history including odometer reading, accident history and title problems for a small sum of money. It is advised that you sign up with one of these services before you start prospecting for a used car and check the VIN# history of every vehicle that you consider for purchase. You might find this history throwing up facts that will directly influence your decision to buy or not to buy.

Check For Current Prices: Knowing about the current market value of the used car that you are planning to bid on in an auction will give you a logical base for determining your maximum bidding amount. Paying much more than what a used car is worth at an auction is the same as landing with a lemon, so make sure that you carry a used car price guide like the Kelley Blue Book, the Edmund’s Guide or the NADA Guide. These books mention the value of used cars based on make, model and years of use. Using the guide price as a base, you can add or subtract from its value depending upon odometer mileage, physical condition, accident history, accessories and repair that you will need to undertake when you buy the car.

Accident History/Wreckage: A large number of cars being sold in public auctions turn out to be vehicles that have been picked up from junk yards after having been totally written off , repaired and given a new title. On the other hand, a large number of owners try to sell off accident damaged cars before the accident is documented in the car’s history in order to get a good resale value. An extremely common giveaway of accident history or wreckage is new paint, splashes of paint near windows and doors or a more than usual thickness of paint. Damaged tire rims or tires with uneven wear may also be a result of an auto accident. On top of this, more than usual denting and scratching is a sign of a badly maintained and run car, one that has been used by a reckless driver. In case a car has been picked up from a junkyard and then salvaged, then chances are that the VIN numbers on different parts may not match. This is also common in stolen vehicles.
 
Flood and Fire Damage: With the constant number of floods and fires that have been raging the country of late, the market is full of cars that have been destroyed badly by floods and fire but salvaged for sale and given a new title. One thing that should really make you suspicious is new soft furnishings in a car. After all, have you ever seen anybody changing the original seat cover or carpet in car for no reason at all—except maybe when it has been destroyed beyond repair? Another sign of checking for this is by looking under the carpet for signs of rusting or gutting. An all-over new paint job is another thing that should make you think twice.

Poor Vehicle Condition: A vehicle that has not been maintained properly can run a deep hole through your pocket with regular repair and maintenance bills. So make sure that you check everything ranging from the power train to the brakes for proper functioning. Power windows, sun roofs, ACs and brakes that do not function properly can end up costing a lot of money, so don’t forget to check all this before you plan to bid on any vehicle.