By buying a used car, you can save a lot of money, but remember it can be a bit of a gamble as there are no guarantees about the cars mileage, maintenance or history. So when buying a used car you need to be very alert and careful that you don’t buy a lemon by mistake. Here are a few points to take into consideration

•Don’t look for cheapest car, the “best deal” doesn’t mean the cheapest one,

 try to look for a car in good condition for practical price.
•Check if the car has a current Warrant of Fitness (WoF). A car for sale must have a WoF that is less than one month old.
•You will most probably have to spend money on repairs in order to bring the car without a warrant up to WoF standard, so ask the seller if there are papers recording the vehicle’s service or repair history.
•Check out the car yourself very carefully, ask a knowledgeable person who knows about cars to help you.
•Be particularly attentive when doing the paperwork, make sure that the person who signs the Bill of Sale is the actual owner of the car.
•Look carefully for signs of rust on any of the weight-bearing parts, as well as on the steering mechanism mountings. When you get into the car, look under the carpets, the boot liner and in the spare tyre area.
•Check the treads of all the cars tires, including the spare, treads must be at least 1.5mm deep across 3/4 of the tread pattern, around the entire circumference of the tire.
•Also look for uneven tire wear, which may indicate problems with the cars steering, suspension or alignment.
•Open and shut all the doors, the bonnet and the boot, making sure they are aligned properly and move smoothly, also check that the windows open and shut easily, and make sure they will stay open halfway.

Well yes, the hybrids are in these days. GM has finally casted the much awaited spell by bringing together the Dodge Durango and the Chrysler Aspen that pairs two electric motors with a traditional four-speed automatic for roughly 25-percent gains in overall fuel economy. Read on to know more!

The Power!

We see that GM utes get a high-efficiency Atkinson-cycle version of the 6.0-liter small-block V-8, whereas on the other hand the

Chrysler utes simply get the standard Hemi. Though it does boasts of being an updated-for-2009 Hemi, with variable cam timing, improved airflow and cylinder deactivation. However, the hybrids have a different intake than other ’09s and make 345 horsepower versus 356 for the Hemi-equipped ’09 Durango. Total output combined with the electric motors is 385 horsepower, although with the added weight and taller final-drive ratio, Chrysler predicts the hybrids will be slower than comparable non hybrid Hemi models launched earlier.

Greater fuel efficiency!

This unique Durango/ Chrysler hybrid arrangement allows the transmission to function either as a continuously variable unit (CVT) in two distinct ratio spreads—from infinity to 1.70 for taking off from a stop and from 1.70 to 0.50 for high-speed efficiency—or as a traditional automatic through one of the four fixed ratios. The power train electronics continuously sort out in real time which mode to operate in to maximize economy.

As with other so-called full hybrids, the Chryslers shut down the gas engine at low speeds and can drive on electric power only, in this case at speeds up to 25 mph, and use their electric motors to recapture energy under braking. A further efficiency boost is that the additional power provided by the battery allows the Hemi to stay in four-cylinder mode more often, even at highway speeds.

However, the only ad spell is that of the buck this machine represents. $45,000! Yes it may seem huge to us but with the kind of capacities it has brought with it, for those of us who are freaks, this will certainly gear up to be a good catch this summer.