Sell Your Car Online: Step 1, Taking High Quality Pictures of Your Automobile

Placing your car or truck for sale in an auto classifieds website is a great way to reach tons of potential buyers. But constructing a great ad is not childs play. To generate a lot of interest in your vehicle, you must know how to create the perfect online listing. The necessary steps are outlined in five articles titled Sell Your Car Online.

The first step in placing a great ad is taking pictures of the car or truck that is for sale. You dont just want to take any picture and post it on the internet. You want to post the best picture you possibly can. After all, the potential buyers that view your online listing want to see a picture that tells them something more than just the color of the vehicle. A good picture can convey the overall condition of the body, paint, interior, and more. A good, or near professional-quality, picture can seal the deal in the buyers mind.

Hypothetical situation: A potential car buyer is looking for a particular car. The buyer has found two nearly identical cars, one belongs to you and one belongs to someone in a nearby state. These two cars have the same body style, the same engine and transmission, the same color, the same options, and very close to the same price. The only deciding factor is the pictures. The competing car has one low quality picture. It is half blocked by a neighboring vehicle. The sun is in the background causing a glare that obscures the color and overall appearance of the car. Your car, on the other hand, has multiple pictures from different angles. There is no sun to cause a glare and no rain to make the picture look dreary. The true color of the car shows and there is nothing blocking the view. Which car do you think the buyer would choose? Pictures of competing cars can, without a doubt, influence the potential buyer to purchase one car over another.

There are things you must consider before you take the first picture. What type of camera should I use? How many pictures should I take? What exactly should I take pictures of? Should I take the pictures in direct sunlight? Unless you are a professional photographer, or at least an experienced one, you may not know the correct answer to these questions.

What type of camera should I use? Since the pictures you upload to the internet must be in digital format, a digital camera is the best type of camera to use. If you use a non-digital camera, you first have to pay to get the film developed. Then use a scanner to digitize it. You must spend valuable time and money to do this. Using a digital camera is the most cost efficient and time conserving way to take and upload photos of your vehicle. In most cases, all you have to do is connect your camera to your computer to download the photos to the hard drive. Then youre ready to post your ad.

What size mega pixel (MP) camera do I need? This depends on what you will be doing with the pictures. If you need large, high quality pictures, like 8X10 prints or a large display photo in the newspaper, you may need to purchase a 5 MP camera or better. If you will be printing the pictures for personal use or posting small photos in print ads in the local newspaper, you probably need a 3 MP camera or better. If all you need is camera to take pictures to be uploaded to the internet, a 2 MP camera should do the trick.

Remember this! If the picture you are taking will only be used on the internet, use the lowest quality setting that your camera has. Some cameras even have a setting for internet quality photos.

How many pictures should I take? There is no correct answer for this question. Just take as many as you need. A good photographer will take pictures from multiple angles as well as take duplicate pictures from each angle. If you have 20 pictures to choose from, you can easily find at least 5 high quality photos to post with your listing that show lots of detail about your vehicle. Then you can delete the unused photos so youre not wasting space on your hard drive.

What exactly should I take pictures of? You need pictures from opposite angles that show the exterior of the vehicle. Pictures should be taken of the engine compartment with the hood raised. More pictures should be taken of the interior. If your vehicle has expensive aftermarket accessories, take pictures of them. For example, take close ups of expensive mag wheels, custom artwork or painting, or a high-tech audio system. In essence, you want to convey the overall condition of the vehicle and any special features the vehicle may have with the pictures you take.

Where should I take the pictures? You need to take pictures of the vehicle in a place that has as little background detail as possible. For example, you dont want another car, a highly trafficked street, or a person in the picture at all. The best place to take the pictures would be near a plain brick wall, or in front of an empty field. You dont want any object, whether in the foreground or background, to distract the buyer from seeing the details of your vehicle.

Should I take the pictures in direct sunlight? In order to take a great picture with a mid- to low-quality digital camera, you need plenty of light. But too much direct sunlight can cause bright glares and dark shadows, neither of which is good. The absolute best time to take pictures of your vehicle is on a partly cloudy day when the sun is behind the clouds. This eliminates the harsh, dark shadows even though there is still plenty of light to draw out the true color(s) of the vehicle. If you must take the pictures in direct sunlight, always make sure that the sun is behind you (so it will be shining on the side of the vehicle that is facing you). Try not to take a picture of a vehicle when the side facing you is in the shadow.

If you normally take terrible pictures, remember this! It is much better to take a picture with a wider view that has all the details in it than to try to get a close up and cut part of the important details out. So zoom out to make sure you get a great picture.

Follow these steps and you will have high quality photos of your automobile for display in the car classifieds site of your choice. Look for the next installment titled Sell Your Car Online: Step 2, Using Pictures of Your Automobile Correctly. Happy selling.

The Mercedes B-Class, a line of compact cars about the size of a Volkswagen Golf, is expected to be imported to the U.S. market within one or two years time. This model is unusual in that it will be the first vehicle marketed by Mercedes in the U.S. that is not a true luxury car. Instead, the German automaker is hoping to capitalize on its venerable name by serving a greater share of the American populace by marketing a more ordinary model. Soon after the B-Class debut, yet another small vehicle derived from Mercedes will also make its appearance in the U.S.: the Dodge Hornet. Both the B-Class and Hornet are being developed to revolutionize their respective brands, pitting DaimlerChrysler against some of the leading youth brands in the world.

Not everyone thinks that it is a good idea for Mercedes to sell a budget model in the U.S., particularly one sporting the Mercedes marque. Yet, Mercedes has been building smaller models for years and in Europe the brand is known for producing luxury cars as well as vehicles for the masses. Indeed, Mercedes biggest adversary, BMW, also produces a line of small cars and is planning on bringing these vehicles to the U.S. shortly. Thus, like it or not, Mercedes must respond and the B-Class will be the answer.

For Mercedes, the B-Class likely to make it to the U.S. will be a four door sedan outfitted with a six cylinder gas engine. A hatchback, popular in Europe, will probably not be included in the deal knowing American consumers disdain for that particular body style. Diesel powered B-Class are a possibility and will become even more likely should BMW introduce the same.

For Dodge, the Hornet represents an answer to Scion and their line of youth oriented brands. While the Mercedes B-Class will likely appeal to VW and Nissan owners, the Hornet will target Scion owners as well as those inclined to purchase a Honda Element or other small, boxy vehicle. DaimlerChrysler, the owner of both Mercedes and Dodge, knows that the Hornet is necessary as the brands current entry level vehicle, the Caliber, is too expensive to compete against the lowest priced cars from Japan and Korea. Considering that Chinese cars selling for 8500 or less will also be arriving soon, DaimlerChrysler must respond and respond quickly with the Hornet.

While plans havent yet been finalized, the Hornet will likely strongly resemble the concept vehicle now on display at car shows around the country. This means that the Hornet will sport a 1.6L I4 mated to a 5 or 6 speed manual transmission, with a horsepower output of 170. With 19 inch tires, stow and go seating, and Saturn ION-like doors, the Hornet will not be confused with any other vehicle on the road which is exactly what Dodge hopes will happen.

To keep production costs down, DaimlerChrysler is looking for a manufacturing plant, probably in Mexico, to build the vehicle. Aiming to keep prices to around 10,000, DaimlerChrysler may tap Volkswagen to produce the vehicle at one of its own plants. This would enable VW to fill excess capacity and give DCX a readily available source to produce the Hornet.

Yes, the B-Class is poised to change the way American consumers think about the Mercedes brand while giving the make a chance to capture a broader chunk of the market. With the Hornet deriving its platform and other key components from the B-Class, Dodge will also benefit and be able to holds its own against Asian imports. Yes, both products present risky moves for parent DaimlerChrysler, one that the automaker must take in an ever changing and highly competitive world.

One coupe that is running under the Lincoln brand and name is the Lincoln Mark III. It is Lincolns personal luxury coupe that was sold in the United States and the rest of North American starting from 1969 up until 1971. The name of this vehicle has brought about confusion for there have been two cars that also held the same name, well, almost. There is the Continental Mark III, and another one from Lincoln.

During the design and production stage of the Lincoln Mark III, it was intended so as to be able to compete with the Cadillac El Dorado which held a new front wheel drive. The Lincoln Mark III, upon introduction, made its way at the top end of the personal luxury car market. It was priced higher and better appointed. This vehicle shared some features that were just like its competitor, the Cadillac El Dorado. Both vehicles were actually based on the underpinnings of another car in the same parent companys range. Also, both coupes held mechanical and engine components that were very much identical. On the other hand, the Lincoln Mark III was still unique for it exuded a more massive, taller, and heavier aura and look. It was actually almost 300 pounds heavier than the Cadillac El Dorado.

The Lincoln Mark III was unmistakably a Lincoln. The styling was done with the Lincoln design in mind. It was square, was more upright looking, had the typical Lincoln grille, had smooth doors to cover its headlights, and held the typical Continental fake spare-tire bulge on the rear deck.

Lincoln Parts and Car Parts has in its stock all Lincoln equipment needs as well as top of the line Lincoln car parts like AC condensers, engine parts and more. This online store boasts of top caliber parts and accessories for all Lincoln models. Lincoln Parts and Car Parts also guarantees its customer base that its product line up holds reliable, dependable, and top performance parts.

Jaguar XK 140: Filling the Spot Between the 120 and the 150

Looking at its power source, the Jaguar XK 140 has a more powerful engine than the Jaguar XK 120. The engine of the former is a 190 bhp engine. It also holds a rack and pinion steering plus an optional Special Equipment pack that includes wire wheels as well as more power that is actually some 210 bhp. The production for the Jaguar XK 140 ended after three years starting from its production when the newer Jaguar XK 150 arrived at the scene.

The body styles that were available for the Jaguar XK 120 were also made available for the Jaguar XK 140. Since the Jaguar XK 140 is a sports car, the body styles made available for the consumers included the roadster that was a two seater style with side screens, a detachable windshield, and a hood. There also was the Drop Head Coupe, which was also known as the DHC. It had a fixed windshield, wind up windows, 2 + 2 seating, and an attached hood. The last body style for the Jaguar XK 140 was the Fixed Head Coupe. This was also called the FHC. It held a 2 + 2 seating, along with some wind up windows. Like the Jaguar XK 120, the Jaguar XK 149 body styles FHC and DHC still continues to hold dashboards and door cappings covered in walnut wood. The roadster, on the other hand, has a leather covered dash, padding on the top of its doors, and side screens for weather protection. The Jaguar XK 140 was also made available with different color choices for its exterior. The list of colors included suede green, pastel green, British racing green, pacific blue, pastel blue, birch gray, battleship gray, lavender gray, dove gray, pearl gray, red, maroon, cream, and black.