Check car appraisal 'apps' but first, buckle those rear seat belts
Car shoppers and sellers are apt to be busy perusing various high-tech auto information upgrades entering the Lowcountry market.
But they also may be ignoring something as basic as a back seat restraint.
Here's more.
Tapping into car prices A Charleston company believes it has developed a tool for car dealers to access vehicle prices as fast as you can punch keys on a mobile phone.
Selig Technologies, a self-proclaimed "automotive solution software" provider, said that its VIN Viper technology can be accessed via a new iPhone application available for free download on iTunes.
According to the company, VIN Viper is a mobile appraising tool that enables dealers to quickly scan or manually enter a Vehicle Identification Number to appraise and price vehicles.
"VIN Viper is making automotive appraisal fast and easy with our new application," said Jason Seligman, president of Selig Technologies, in prepared remarks. "With a few taps of their iPhone, dealers can integrate their Carfax account for free." At the same time, they can optionally add values from top automotive industry price guides including Black Book, NADA, Kelley Blue Book and AuctionNet.
VIN Viper said it has teamed with Carfax -- the ubiquitous vehicle-history provider -- as a preferred wireless partner. Automotive dealers can now access their Carfax accounts by way of the software provider's iPhone application at no additional cost.
"Wireless technology makes it easier for dealers to buy and sell cars with confidence," said Larry Gamache, communications director at Carfax, in prepared comments. "Mobile apps such as VIN Viper give dealers instant access to valuable tools, including Carfax Vehicle History Reports, which help them stock their inventory with cars customers want." New users can download and register with the iPhone application for free. They can also take and store multiple photos for each vehicle using the iPhone's camera.
Selig Technologies, which traces its roots back more than 11 years, also noted the release of the VIN Viper Android application by late this month. To learn more, visit www.VINViper.com.
Back-seat buckling Half the states including South Carolina have laws that require all adults in a vehicle to buckle their seat belts whether in the front or back.
But are they? A new survey from www.LeaseTrader.com does not speak specifically to the Palmetto state but based on respondents in other locales, the answer more often than not could be "no." The poll by the Miami-based car leasing marketplace found that nearly 80 percent of people surveyed do not wear restraints in the back seat. More than 1,000 people were surveyed. The poll included states with and without rear-seat restraint laws, but the company doesn't specify whether drivers from every state were surveyed.
Among states that have a rear-seat restraint law including Texas, Washington, Minnesota and California, men said they wore a seat belt 14.3 percent of the time, while women said they wore one 18.4 percent of the time.
In states without a rear seat-belt law including Illinois, Arizona, Tennessee, Nebraska and Pennsylvania, the share of people who wore seat belts was even lower. Percentages dropped to 9.6 percent for men and 16.3 percent for women.
By comparison, 75 percent of those surveyed said they wear a seat belt while in the front seat.
Close to two-thirds of respondents said they forgot to use the rear seat belt but 13 percent said they felt it wasn't necessary, 10 percent didn't think it was the law and 9 percent thought they were safe without the restraint.
"What's most disturbing is that in this day and age of always-on news coverage and awareness, there is no excuse why more people aren't wearing seat belts in all parts of the vehicle," said Sergio Stiberman, chief executive and founder of LeaseTrader.com.
You'll get more than NADA at vehicle site Seeking information and prices on new cars or even most used ones is not that difficult. A number of companies provide such figures.
But trying to find similar figures on other types of vehicles can be more dicey.
Now one major information supplier, NADAguides, has reworked its Internet site to enhance and streamline consumer searches for classic car, powersports, boat and recreational vehicle information.
"Our goal is to provide buyers, sellers and those simply researching classic cars, powersports vehicles, boats and RVs the resources they need to make a confident transaction in a simple, intuitive and fulfilling manner," Troy Snyder, director of product development at NADAguides, said in prepared remarks.
According to NADAguides, the classic cars online pages provide original manufacturer's suggested retail prices and other pricing for classic, collectible, exotic and muscle cars and trucks dating back to 1926. The enhanced section also supplies buying and insurance guides, production numbers and local classic car club information.
The powersports and motorcycles section includes prices and figures for street, dirt and vintage motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles, snowmobiles, utility vehicles, personal watercraft, side cars and trailers dating back to 1905.
In the boating area, the site provides suggested list price, low retail and average retail pricing and information on powerboats, sailboats, personal watercraft, outboard motors and trailers as far back as 1977. The list represents more than 2,000 manufacturers. Boat searches can be conducted by manufacturer, model, year and boat type.
The RV category provides consumers with numbers and pricing information for travel trailers/5th wheels, motor homes, camping trailers, truck campers and park models dating back 34 years.
Costa Mesa, Calif.-based NADAguides publishes vehicle pricing and information for new and used cars, classic cars, motorcycles, boats, RVs and manufactured homes. Its website is www.nadaguides.com.
This story posted by LeaseTrader.com, the automotive service company that lets people transfer out of their Car Leases early. If you're looking to swap a lease or transfer out of your car lease, please visit www.leasetrader.com