Posts in Kijiji Autos

Kijiji Presents: Payback Time

posted by on Jun 17, 2013 3 Comments

Meet Max Karpinccho – disgraced former K-Car race champion, moonshine whiskey enthusiast, maintains a tough guy exterior but helps little old ladies across the street when no one’s looking.

His rival? Bolt Lundgren – infamous playboy from Great Lakes Brewery, known cheat, once stole candy from a baby.

They meet again to fuel their long time racing rivalry. What’s on the line, you ask? Oh nothing much, except one man’s pride, righteousness and integrity. No big deal.

For Bolt, it’s about hanging on to his past glory. Though he cheated when he won the last race, winning this rematch would be his chance to show that he truly is the K-Car race champion. And what’s Max’s motivation to win? The chance to put Bolt in his place for once and for all, and to see his name written down in the record books as the ultimate champion.

Who will be the King of Comebacks?
Who will win the race? Who will get the girl? And who will suffer the ultimate twist of fate?

But more importantly, what’s in it for you?

This K-Car is going to experience the ultimate comeback , going from the streets right to some lucky buyer. Yes, be the highest bidder and that lean, mean, muscle machine can be yours for keeps. Go ahead, put an offer on it… if you dare. This isn’t your mother’s mini-van.

Kijiji will match the highest bid and then turn around and donate the total amount to Habitat for Humanity. (And yes, we’ll scrape Max’s sweat and tears off the windshield before we deliver it to you. Oh, and we’ll also replace the ignition for convenience sake.)

Is there anything you can’t do in a K-Car?

Just think about all those things you could do if only you had the K-Car and share them with us (keep them PG rated, please!) by commenting below!

Then do your part to help the K-Car make the ultimate comeback. Check out the K-Car deets here. Or find out about any of the other millions of items making comebacks on Kijiji here. Who knows? You could be the next Comeback King … or Queen!

Categories: Awesomesauce, Kijiji Autos, Payback Time Movie

Tips for Buying a Used Car

posted by on Apr 11, 2013 2 Comments

In life you can be assured of three things, death, taxes and the fact that when the Canadian International Auto Show rolls around, consumers will be ready to buy cars.

The show promotes new and innovative technology as well as fuel efficient advancements in the automotive world. New vehicles are the highlight but you can be sure the pre-owned side of things takes a lift in the right direction.

If this is your first time diving into the decision to make the second largest purchase in your life, everything can be quite daunting! We wanted to compile a list of tips for the first time used car buyer and help make the process a little easier.

1. My grandfather bought his first car from ABC Motors! I’ll probably check them out first!

Every dealer has a history. Some have been around for a year; some have been around for 50 years. A dealer that has been in business for a long time has a long list of customers and probably has testimonials. Similarly they may also have some negative reviews. Look into the dealer history and know what you are getting into first. Yelp.ca and Google Reviews is a great place to start.

Car lot

2. My friend told me you can’t go wrong with a Toyota…his wife told me to go with Honda and my son told me I’m an uncool Dad if I don’t buy a Mazda…I regret asking to say the least!

Everyone has their opinion and they are entitled to it. Somewhere along the line they got advice and opinions from others, and around and around we go. There is a reason why they play the game “broken telephone” in school with children! The best advice I can give is to consult a few car review sites before even forming an opinion. Without doing this, confusion will ensue as soon as friends and family find out you’re buying a car. Auto123.com, Autos.ca, CarAndDriver.com, and AutoGuide.com are a few sites that will definitely help out.

3. Holy smokes! A 3 year old Mercedes for only $15,000!! Where do I sign???

Another thing to keep in mind when researching your purchase is to look at the year/kilometer/price ratio. A 3 year old Mercedes may be $15,000 but it also may have 250,000 kilometers making it a very heavily used car. Keep in mind that the higher the kilometers are, the more trips you are going to have to make to service the vehicle.

4. Where has this thing been?

The history of a vehicle is paramount. A major previous accident could affect the performance of the vehicle, but more importantly it could affect your wallet when it comes to selling it down the road or visiting your local mechanic. A CarProof report is the standard in the Canadian automotive world. This report details the history of the vehicle, any accidents that have occurred but most importantly, gives you piece of mind. Always ask for one!

5. What?? I thought my payment was $300/month, what is all this bi-weekly business about?

This one is pretty straight forward. A bill of sale is a long document with a lot of fine print. Be sure to read it over in full twice. Always know what kind of payment to expect before talking about it with anyone else.  Talk to your financial institution about what kind of interest rate they can provide. There are many different types of loan calculators on the net that can be used to assist as well. I use the one on TD Canada Trust’s website as they are who I bank with. Ask as many questions as you can and if you don’t fully understand, don’t sign.

Hopefully these points have been helpful. Always remember, buying a car should not be super quick or super easy, but it can be made super simple!

- Brian, Kijiji Autos

Categories: Kijiji Autos, Kijiji Tips

Canadians have a case of the new car blues

posted by on Sep 18, 2011 32 Comments

Many of you may know this feeling: you just bought a new car and can’t wait to take it home and show it off; you feel like you’re on top of the world! Unfortunately, that feeling shifts quickly and depreciation depression sets in.

Nearly half of Canadians say they’ve experienced depreciation depression –  the annoyed, upset, or angry feeling that comes with knowing the pace at which new vehicles depreciate and lose their value. It can get so bad that a recent survey by Kijiji Autos revealed that one in four new car owners try not to think about the depreciating value of their car.

The good news is that you don’t have to suffer from depreciation depression when you buy a used car. With over 250,000 car listings on Kijiji Autos at any given time, it’s easy exactly what you’re looking for, in a used car.

To make your next car a used car, here are a few tips:

  • Know your history. Always ask the seller for a car’s Used Vehicle Information Package (UVIP) and request and read a copy of the vehicle’s CarProof Vehicle History Report.
  • Invest in inspection. Have a professional inspection done by a licensed technician. This can help avoid unanticipated problems and expenses down the road.
  • Go in cold.  Try to arrange the test drive when the engine is completely cold. It will give you a good idea of how the car starts, regardless of how long it’s been parked.
  • Check it inside and out. Inspect the car yourself, inside and out. This is a great way to get to know the vehicle, and to find any issues with worn materials, tire treads or rust that may need attention.
  • Count the miles and the time. Vehicles today are built to last much longer than vehicles built decades ago. You may need to consider some maintenance when a vehicle has accumulated over 100,000 kilometres. It’s also a good idea to find out how recently the timing belt was replaced, as this can be an added expense for higher mileage vehicles.
  • Get your motor runnin’. You’ll learn a lot about the car by taking it for a quick drive around the block to see how it handles, how it sounds, and how the electronics are working.

But even with the tips above in mind, some of our readers might be wondering: How do I know which vehicles depreciate quickly and which ones lose value slowly?

Kijiji Autos has prepared the following comparisons based on the site’s vehicle listings,  and ‘best bets’ to keep in mind when you’re ready to purchase a used vehicle:

 

Model comparisons:

  • BMW vs Audi vs Mercedes (3 series vs A4 vs C class): between 2010 and 2011 the 2002 BMW 3 series was 15 per cent, 2002 Audi A4 was 17 per cent, and the 2006 Mercedes C class was nine per cent.
  • Honda vs Toyota vs Nissan (Accord vs Camry vs Altima): between 2010 and 2011 the 2002 Honda Accord was 14 per cent, 2002 Toyota Camry was 10 per cent, and the 2002 Nissan Altima was 15 per cent
  • Chevrolet vs Ford vs Chrysler (Cavalier vs Taurus vs Intrepid): between 2010 and 2011 the 2002 Chevrolet Cavalier was 11 per cent, the 2002 Ford Taurus was 17 per cent, and the 2002 Chrysler Intrepid was 13 per cent.

 

‘Best Bets’ for low depreciation:

  • 2002 Ford f150: eight per cent
  • 2010 Ford f150: eight per cent
  • 2006 Ford Mustang: seven per cent
  • 2007 Acura CSX: eight per cent
  • 2007 BMW X3: five per cent
  • 2000 Buick Century: eight per cent
  • 2010 Cadillac Escalade: six per cent
  • 2008 Honda Pilot: eight per cent
  • 2007 Jeep Wrangler: seven per cent
  • 2002 VW Golf: seven per cent

 

Click to Download in PDF

Happy car hunting!

 

 

Categories: Kijiji Autos, Press & Media

Auto Dealer Directory Now Live on Kijiji

posted by on May 31, 2011 19 Comments

I’m pleased to let you know that we’ve added the Kijiji dealer directory to our service.
The feature allows customers to find the list of auto dealerships in their preferred area.

One can view the list of dealers on the map alongside the contact information for these dealers. It’s another way of us providing value to our auto buyers as well as our dealers.

The link to the page is listed in our footer present on every page.

Please take a look at the page and let us know if you have any feedback.

Categories: Kijiji Autos, Site Updates + Improvements

New Kijiji Autos Homepage Redesign

posted by on May 13, 2011 12 Comments

Its been a long time coming but finally here…. a new homepage for our Autos category

We’ve been working feverishly in the background on a few things over the past couple of months.  I’m excited to let you know that we’ve completed the first phase of the redesign of the Autos home page

The new design introduces a search widget that makes it more intuitive for a customer interested solely in Autos. We’ve also added a few tools such as Dealer showcase, local popular dealers and Buyer tools which will help in making the auto buy/ sell process much easier.

We also have a localized French version of the page as well for our French customers.
Thanks to our auto dealers and regular customers for providing valuable feedback that helped us design the page.

It will be really helpful if you can spend some time on the site and let us know what aspects you like as well as features you would like to see in the future. You can do that by listing your comments below.

Categories: Kijiji Autos, Site Updates + Improvements