Обзоры лучших машин

Archive for the ‘Подержанные автомобили’ Category

Эта машина удачно вписалась в нишу между откровенно драйверскими и чересчур правильными статусными моделями премиум-класса. Причем в А4 создателям удалось гармонично объединить все лучшие качества ее конкурентов.

Audi A4 второго поколения стала второй моделью компании из Ингольштадта, в которой реализован новый фирменный стиль, заложенный в А6 (с 1997 г.). Создатели наделили «четверку» характерными фамильными чертами – выглядит она почти как уменьшенная копия более солидной «шестерки». Благодаря столь смелому дизайнерскому решению престиж новой на то время А4 поднялся на более высокий уровень.

Берегите днище

«Четверки» традиционно для всех ингольштадских моделей устойчивы к коррозии – даже поврежденный в результате аварии металл не сразу ржавеет.

Для улучшения шумоизоляционных и антикоррозионных качеств днище «четверок» закрыто пластиковыми щитами. В наших условиях эксплуатации они иногда обрывались. Как правило, это происходило зимой – между днищем и пластиком набивался мокрый снег, и под воздействием увеличенного веса крепление не выдерживало.

Специалисты советуют в ходе эксплуатации регулярно проверять чистоту водостока, расположенного на передней панели под аккумулятором. Забивается он, как правило, осенью. При этом есть риск, что влага может повредить вакуумный усилитель тормозов, размещенный в том же месте.

Еще одна проблема, возникающая приблизительно через 5 лет эксплуатации машины, – закисание механизмов передних стеклоочистителей. Первые признаки ее проявления – замедленная работа дворников. С возрастом тускнеют пластиковые колпаки передней оптики, из-за чего фары хуже светят. Решается проблема полировкой.

Как сообщает AUTO-Consulting, за первый квартал 2009 года число сделок по приобретению подержанных автомобилей в Украине сократилось на 16%. На фоне спада в 70% на рынке новых автомобилей, операторам рынка бу авто удалось минимизировать спад. Подержанный рынок более чем в 2 раза превышает сегмент новых авто и становится все более интересным для бизнеса.
На бу рынке всегда была минимальная составляющая кредитных продаж, по этой причине уход банков из данного сегмента не оказал решающей роли. Потребители, которые испытывали сложности с деньгами, просто предпочли авто на год-два старше.
В AUTO-Consulting констатируют, что максимальный спад на рынке перепродаж достигал 20% в марте, тогда как операторы рынка новых авто фиксировали 79%-ые падения. Как и ожидалось, украинцы стали меньше отдавать предпочтения дорогим предложениям и сконцентрировались в бюджетном сегменте. Например, на «Таврии» спрос даже вырос на 5%, а сбыт ВАЗ, Daewoo, Chevrolet сократился не 5-9%.
Read the rest of this entry »

The Lancer is the one of the most successful model from Mitsubishi motors. It was introduced as a family car back in 1973 and the production is continuing even now. Lancers can be divided into various generations. The Lancers back in 1973 belong to the first generation and those which we have today are from the tenth generation. The First Generation Lancer was introduced in 1973 and it was available as a coupe, a sedan or a station wagon. From the beginning, Lancers were popular in rallies. The Second Generation Lancer was introduced in 1979. It had several changes which included both appearance and performance. The Third Generation Lancer came in 1982 and a hatch model was introduced. Even a four-wheel drive system came in this generation. The Fourth Generation came in 1988 and the Fifth Generation came in 1991. The Sixth Generation came in 1995 and the model is still available in countries like India. The Seventh Generation is the most popular of all and came in the year 2000. Several models were introduced and this is when Lancer earned lots of fame. The Eighth Generation came in 2005 and lives to date. Lancer presently has collaborations with many brands and it is very successful in the rally sport too.

With comfortable roomy interior, smooth ride, good safety ratings and excellent fuel economy, the 2003-2008 Corolla is one of the top picks in a small family car category. The Corolla is easy to maintain and very reliable. If maintained properly, it will last you for a very long time without major problems.

The 2003-2008 Corolla has front-wheel drive with a 4-cylinder 1.8L DOHC VVT-i engine and 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic transmissions. The sporty XRS model (available only for 2005 and 2006) offers more powerful 170-hp 1.8L 4-cylinder VVTL-i engine and 6-speed manual transmission borrowed from Toyota Celica. The Corolla has MacPherson struts in front suspension and torsion beam in the rear. The ABS and side airbags are optional.

Inside, the 2003-2008 Corolla feels roomy for a small car. The dashboard design is simple - nothing flashy - but very practical. Controls are conveniently laid out and easy to use. Front seats are comfortable, but somewhat lacking side support. Rear seat space is pretty generous for a small car. The trunk is spacious; the 60/40 split rear seat folds down to accommodate longer items.

On the road, the Corolla handles comfortably, although it’s far from being sporty. The ride is smooth and fairly quiet. The suspension is soft; the steering is light. On the down side, the engine is noisy under acceleration and some body lean is noticeable on curves.

In the NHTSA frontal crash tests, the 2003-2008 Corolla scored five stars for both, the driver and the front passenger.
In the frontal offset crash tests performed by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the 2003-2008 Corolla received “Good” overall rating.

After a relatively slow start, the storm season 2008 was one of the most destructive in recent memory. One of the statistics that’s not generally reported in such natural disasters is the number of cars that are damaged by the floodwaters, often having been completely submerged.

Three storms in September alone battered the U.S. and soaked hundreds of thousands of cars. The Atlantic seaboard was littered with flooded cars in the wake of Tropical Storm Hanna, while vehicles from the Gulf Coast, from Galveston to New Orleans, and all the way up through Indiana were soaked by Hurricane Gustav and Hurricane Ike.

Let’s also not forget Hurricane Fay’s August assault on Florida and the floods that ravaged Midwest states like Iowa, Missouri and Illinois in June, turning thousands of vehicles in those states into waterlogged wrecks.

The number of flood damaged cars on the market more than doubled from 2002-2006 and these powerful storms are likely to result in even more being resold — often thousands of miles away from where they were damaged. A flooded car from Houston or Cedar Rapids, Iowa is more likely to wind up for sale somewhere in Arizona, New York or California than it is locally.

Despite the fact that most flood damaged vehicles from Hurricane Ike and other storms will be written off by insurance companies, some will make their way back onto the used car market, cleaned up and disguised as regular used cars with clean titles. Flood damage can be difficult to spot because typically there’s little physical damage; a car that’s been underwater literally will rot from the inside out.

Consumers shopping for a used car should be on high alert for signs of flood damage and potential fraud. Flood damage information is reported to Carfax from all 50 state DMVs.

Carfax also offers these tips to help consumers spot signs of possible water damage:

- Check the trunk, glove compartment, dashboard, and below the seats for signs of water damage such as silt, mud or rust.

- Examine upholstery and carpeting closely; if it doesn’t match the interior or fits loosely, it may have been replaced. Discolored, faded or stained materials could indicate water damage.

- Turn the ignition key and make sure that accessory and warning lights and gauges work properly. Make sure the air bag and ABS lights come on and go off.

- Test power and electronics systems such as interior/exterior lights, windows and door locks, radio, cigarette lighter, heater and air conditioner several times to make sure they work.

- Flex some of the wires beneath the dashboard. Wet wires will become brittle once dry and may crack.

- Take a whiff for musty odors or strong perfumes used to mask the smell of mildew.