You find an ad for a used car that looks great and begin daydreaming about taking it for a spin. But first, remember: Every used car has a history.   “New cars are all exactly alike, since they come directly from the factory,” says Mark Holthoff, an editor for online used-car shopping community Klipnik. “But one used car can be vastly different from another.” For example, one used truck might have been in an accident while another was untouched. One used SUV might have been serviced regularly while another was neglected. Doing business with a reputable used car dealer can be the difference between finding a quality used vehicle and one that needs repairs. Here are the top 5 questions you should ask any dealer before buying one of their vehicles:   How was the car maintained? Find out if it was serviced at a dealership, by an independent mechanic or a “shade tree” mechanic — one not affiliated with a garage — says Josh Sadlier, senior manager of content strategy at Edmunds.com. Also ask if the maintenance is up-to-date. Some sellers will even suggest you speak to the mechanic who worked on the car.   Are service records available? Hopefully, the answer to this question is, “Yes. All the records are in a folder and you’re welcome to look it over.” This tells you the seller probably has serviced the car regularly.   Has it been in any accidents? In some cases, accidents are reported on a vehicle history report — but don’t assume these reports catch everything. If the car was in an accident, find out how it was damaged and how it was fixed.   What features don’t work the way they’re supposed to? Older used cars nearly always have something wrong with them. It might not be a deal breaker — for example, if it’s a malfunctioning CD player. But other defects can come as annoying surprises, such as weak air conditioning, blown speakers or missing pixels in displays.   Is there any reason you wouldn’t drive the car coast-to-coast tomorrow? This is a fun question and sometimes throws the seller off balance. But if the answer is a resounding “No, there’s nothing wrong with the car,” that’s a nice vote of confidence. What is the ownership history? If the seller doesn’t really have many details about the car, that’s a warning sign. Every dealer should be able to tell you how many owners a vehicle has had. If they can’t, move on. Can I see an inspection report? Any reputable dealer is going to conduct an inspection on every vehicle prior to selling it. Beware of dealers that simply use the “inspection” from the auction house, as these are very basic and do not cover many aspects of a vehicle’s condition beyond cosmetic ones. Has the vehicle been in any accidents? Much like ownership history, a dealer should be able to tell you if a vehicle has been in an accident. Minor accidents certainly shouldn’t be a deal breaking so long as they were properly repaired. But major accidents or poor repairs can leave you having to make repairs yourself. Does the vehicle have a clean title? No dealership that cares about their reputation and vehicle quality will sell cars with salvage or restored titles. It’s simply too risky. Make sure to ask if the vehicle has a clean title, and if it doesn’t, it is probably best to walk away and try somewhere else.  

They light up your dashboard and, every now and then, they might even ding a few times. When it happens, you give it a quick glance and make a mental note to check into it when you’ve got a few spare moments and extra dollars. But on you drive, for miles and miles and days and days and maybe even weeks and weeks without ever giving that persistently illuminating button another thought. And then, you end up in the mechanic’s shop, feigning surprise and swearing that the light JUST came on yesterday.   Well, your mechanic ain’t buyin’ it. But one thing’s for sure – you’re paying for it. To help you dodge such a scenario, here’s a few tips on warning lights you shouldn’t ignore.   Low Tire Pressure: By the time most tire pressure monitoring systems send out the alert, your tires likely have been running low for a while. In fact, that warning ping typically happens once your tire pressure dips at least 25 percent below the vehicle manufacturer’s recommendation – and well below the pressure required for safe driving. Lot tire pressure boosts the risk of a tire blowout, which easily can cause an accident. It also makes it tougher to steer your car and brake quickly, and drags down your fuel efficiency. Low Battery: Batteries typically last for four to five years, depending upon how much you drive and your local climate. Live in a coastal area? Got a long daily commute to and from work? Your battery switch may happen in closer to three years. In any case, once your low battery light illuminates, it’s highly recommended that you get yourself a new one within the next few days, or you may find yourself paying a towing fee. Oil Pressure: Your car’s engine is its heart – literally. So it’s critical that all of its internal components are properly cooled, lubricated and working smoothly. And that only happens when your engine’s oil pressure is adequate. If you’re due an oil change, get one -pronto. Can’t get to it right away? Use the dipstick to top off your oil. While too little oil can fry your engine, using too much oil can cause damage as well. Temperature: A temperature warning light typically means your car has a coolant leak, a bad water pump or a faulty thermostat. Any of those can lead to your engine overheating. And that can wreak all sorts of havoc, including warped metal components and blown gaskets. Now, you’re looking at thousands of dollars in engine repair or replacement costs. If your temp warning light comes on, pull over immediately and arrange for a tow to the nearest mechanic’s shop. Brake Fluid: This one perhaps trumps all others vehicle warning lights when it comes to safety. Your brake fluid warning light can be an indication that you’ve got a leak or some other problem that will keep you from being able to stop your vehicle quickly – or at all. Clearly, this could have serious implications. When this light turns on, head to your mechanic’s shop immediately. Not sure what these warning lights look like? No shame. A recent survey shows that some 43 percent of vehicle owners nationwide haven’t a clue what the low tire pressure warning light is. If that’s the case, grab your auto owner’s manual and study up.  

One of the most-loved parts of the holiday season is driving around to see the changing leaves, fresh snow up in the mountains, and to visit loved ones for holiday get-togethers. And while this holiday season is proving to be much different than years previous, some of us are still choosing to have socially-distanced get-togethers with loved ones both local and out of town. No matter how you are celebrating the holidays this year, you’re sure to see more traffic on the roads than usual. In the spirit of the season, we’ve put together this list of seven driving tips to help you stay safe on the road no matter where you holiday travels take you.   Plan Ahead Before you start your trip, make sure your vehicle is in good shape for travel, as this is especially important if you hit any inclement weather. This is as easy as making sure you’re up-to-date on your regular maintenance tasks, which we can check for you at our Service Center! Make sure to check the forecast before you leave your home so you’re prepared for the weather no matter where you are going. It is also helpful to map the route to your destination in advance, and to be prepared for traffic delays. If possible, consider leaving earlier or later to avoid heavy traffic.   Stay Alert Between work, school, extra-curricular activities, holiday shopping, and anything else you and your family may have on your plate, it’s easy to be a little worn out during the holidays. Make sure you’re always well-rested before taking any extra long drives, so that you’re always aware of what’s going on around you on the road.   Watch Your Speed Give yourself plenty of time and distance to react to the traffic around you. Speeding only increases your chances of becoming involved in an accident, especially when icy or wet roads are a concern.   Drive Defensively Increased holiday traffic can be frustrating, but you don’t have to let other drivers bother you. Allow aggressive or speeding drivers to go around you rather than speeding up to match them on the road.   Don’t Drive Impaired If you plan to drink, don’t plan to drive. Make sure you have a designated driver before any holiday party where you plan to drink alcohol, have an idea of what you should leave for home, and stick to the plan.   Avoid Distractions It’s never a good idea to use your cell phone while you’re driving, but this is especially true during the holiday season. With all of the extra difficulties that holiday driving can add, the added distraction of answering your phone or checking a message can be very risky. Keep your phone down and your eyes on the road to avoid any accidents.   Be Prepared for an Emergency You never know when you might have an accident or a breakdown, and if you’re traveling somewhere that has ice or snow, this can be an even more difficult situation to deal with. Make sure you have an emergency kit in your vehicle, as well as your cell phone, a charger, and contact information for a roadside assistance company.  

No matter how great your car is, it's not going anywhere without quality tires. And with both new and used cars, tires are among the most expensive components to replace. For that reason, you are going to want to learn some helpful strategies for learning how to get as many miles as possible from your tires.   During the warmest and coldest months of this year, it is essential that you keep a close watch on your tire pressure. You can check your owner's manual to understand how much your tires' PSI value should be at any given moment. Depending on where you get air on your tires, then there could be an estimate you can use to measure your pressure before you add more atmosphere. It is ideal to test your tire pressure at least once a month.   Shop Your Tires the Right Way   Should you switch to winter tires because you live in an area where it snows, take care how you keep your regular tires. Specifically, you want to protect your tires from the sun's UV rays while they're in storage. You also ought to know that ozone may eat away at your tires. Finally, storing your tires in a location where the temperature stays constant better ensures that the tire's sidewall and rubber are protected from harm.   Rotate & balance Your Tires   Take a glance at your vehicle's manual to see how many times you should have your tires rotated. Whether you have front- or rear-wheel drive decides which tires make more wear, and then you would like all four of your tires to wear equally, which is where rotating stems in.   On a related note, it's also advisable to be sure the mechanic checks to find out if your tires will need to be balanced when they are being rotated. Poorly-balanced tires lead to uneven wear and harmful vibration.  

Buying a car for your teen? If your teenager reaches driving age and wants a vehicle, you will likely have many decisions to make. Not only are you going to need to compromise with your teen in regards to what you may cover and what make and model will be okay, you will also need to consider that used cars will be the safest for him or her to drive. If you're prepared to purchase your teen a car, we are here to assist with a few tips which may make the processes easier. Believe Simplicity While your adolescent probably has a make and version already in mind, you might want to make some boundaries clear before you start browsing used cars together. Not only will price be a factor, but it can be costly to insure teen drivers as well. Their age and inexperience make them a considerable liability to a lot of insurance providers, so choosing a no-frills vehicle may help you to save money. Do Your Homework While we could help you choose a safe used car for your teen, it might also help if you perform some research on your own before you visit our lot. Take some time to discover which used cars have the best safety evaluations, which ones have added security equipment which may keep your child safer and which are the least expensive to operate. The more you know before you begin to check at individual automobiles, the easier it may be to arrive at a choice. Even if you'll be doing a lot of the legwork and setting up the cash for your teen's car, you might still wish to prepare her or him for that which will probably be involved with evaluation driving vehicles. Teach them what to look and listen to and assist them prepare a list of questions to ask our sales partner for during and after a test drive. Buying your teenager his or her first used car does not have to be a hassle. Compromise, research and careful preparation can ensure a more enjoyable purchasing experience for you both. Visit us at Monaco Motorcars and we will be happy to assist!

How do you know if your engine oil is low?   Many recent cars consume oil between oil changes and most don't have a warning light to warn you if the oil level is low.   Even in many cars with an oil monitor, you will not see a warning if the oil level becomes lower. Driving low on oil can cause engine problems. This means, check the engine oil level with the dipstick regularly.   How to check the oil level on a dipstick: Warm up the engine. Park your vehicle on a level spot. Set the parking brake. Make sure the transmission is in Park.   Turn off the engine. Wait for a minute or two to let engine oil flow into the oil pan. Find the engine oil dipstick, usually it has a bright handle saying "Engine Oil". Careful, the engine is hot. Check for precautions, read the instructions and find the location of the oil dipstick in the Maintenance section of the owner's manual for your vehicle.   The oil level should be between the "Low" and "Full" marks. We recommend keeping it close to the "Full" mark. If the level is low, time for a top-up!

Getting Ready for Shopping a Car? It’s that time again – time to look at buying another car. If you are like most auto buyers, the start of the shopping process has you split and undecided between different cars. From used SUVs to used trucks and used vans, there are tons of options. Maybe you want a Honda Civic, but it doesn’t come in your favorite color. What about BMWs? Those are supposed to be pretty good aren’t they? The car shopping process can take a lot of time. It’s an important decision after all. Perhaps next to a house, the car is your next biggest purchase. Recently SUVs, and especially used SUVs, have been on the rise. SUV stands for Sports Utility Vehicle. There are a plethora of reasons why SUVs are becoming so popular, and hopefully, we can help you narrow down the scope of your car search by the end of this article. New or used, SUVs are hot right now. Benefits of Owning an SUV Comfortable Space for Multiple People: Whether you have a large family, are the leader of a scout troop, or find yourself frequently road tripping with friends, SUVs are great for getting multiple people (and some gear) from one place to another. Rather than taking multiple trips or multiple vehicles, which just complicates logistics, having a used SUV is a clear winner for shuffling multiple people from Point A to Point B. Great Gas Mileage: Of all the myths you hear about Sports Utility Vehicles, this is probably the biggest: they don’t get good gas mileage. While that may have been true 10 or 20 years ago (when SUVs were huge gas hogs), today there are a plethora of SUVs that get over 30 miles to the gallon on the highway, and 23-27 miles to the gallon around the city. Best of all, even with this good gas mileage SUVs still maintain all of their benefits and capacity. Towing Capabilities: Whether it’s a horse trailer, boat, motorcycles, or an RV, SUVs are great towing vehicles. Most SUVs come with towing capability built in, and can even have built in trailer sway control (again, making an SUV one of the safest choices of car to purchase). Even if you aren’t planning on towing for hobbies right now, you might just need to help someone move furniture on a trailer. SUVs are great for offering this kind of help. Spacious Enough for Pets: If you don’t have kids or people to transport around but you have pets, an SUV can be a great choice (especially used SUVs so it isn’t a bother to get pet hair inside). The extra space an SUV offers gives ample room for dog kennels and cat kennels. There will even be room for food, toys, and other gear if you are going on a road trip and bringing the dogs with you. Better in Hazardous Road Conditions: Whether it’s flooding, slick roads from rain, or any icy snowstorm, SUVs are rated as top quality vehicles to handle the road conditions excellently. Think of a flood, for example, most cars can not handle more than 20 inches of water. However an SUV can be outfitted to drive through up to 36 inches (yes, three feet!) of water! With how much adverse whether there is, having an SUV helps give reliable transportation in a variety of road conditions. Top Rated Safety: SUVs are without a doubt one of the safest types of vehicle on the road – even used SUVs. The most obvious reason is the size. It’s really just a physics equation. If a 2,000 lb car collides with your 6,000 lb SUV, the SUV will be the much safer place to be. There is zero room for doubt here. Additionally, having a higher vantage point allows the driver to see the road more clearly, allowing for safer driving overall. So no matter your reason for looking for a new car, start with SUVs. In addition to being one of the safest vehicles on the road, an SUV can help you get out and explore the world with great off-road capabilities, freedom to bring extra passengers or pets, and room for gear and luggage.

For a quality premium vehicle, an Audi is a fantastic choice of vehicle. Buying preloved will save you some money and give you a car that will give you plenty of years of service. Getting the right one for you is easy when you know how to pick a great used Audi in the Toronto area. Monaco Motorcars has a range of quality pre-owned Audi. You just need to pick the one that suits you best.   Test Drive All Features Packed with premium features, a Used Audi is a great way to get into these quality vehicles without the new car price tag. A pre-owned vehicle has had a previous owner and has been subject to some wear from use but with a keen eye, you can get an Audi in near new condition. When inspecting your prospective car, take advantage of a test drive to ensure all the functions work as expected. Test the air conditioning and safety features, such as reverse cameras and power seat functions. Ask the salesperson if the vehicle has the tech features that you are expecting. A color screen in the dashboard does not indicate the availability of programs such as navigation. Watch For Fluids And Smoke Watch carefully as the vehicle is started and moved from its place in the lot. A small amount of water vapor is normal at startup, especially if the ambient temperature is cool. The used Audi should not have blue or black smoke from the exhaust or leave any fluid leaks from underneath. If the vehicle has recently been driven by the air conditioning operating, a small amount of water may be present on the ground and will continue to leak as the vehicle runs.   Shop at a Reliable Dealer For Your Used Audi For hassle-free purchasing of a used Audi, ensure your dealership is reliable and has a great track record. Our vehicles are carefully selected to provide a range of models, trims, and body styles to suit your wants and needs. 

A Beginner’s Guide to Toyota Corolla Maintenance   The exciting part of buying a car is always the purchase. The less exciting but no less important aspect is car maintenance.   It’s extremely important to keep your car in good working order to ensure that you’re able to get where you need to go at any time.   A few of the most common issues to keep an eye out for can be easily handled with the right knowledge.   Changing a Tire   Surprisingly, how to change a tire is one of the most frequently asked questions by car owners. The good news is that changing a tire on your Toyota Corolla is actually very simple.   If you find yourself with a flat tire, first you’ll need to pull over. Make sure your Corolla is in a safe location before beginning any work.   Next, remove the hubcap on the wheel. This will give you access to the tire and allow you to loosen the lug nuts.   Once this is done, jack your car up. It’s important to get your car up to about 6 inches high. Be sure not to place the jack in a position that could cause damage to your vehicle.   Now you’re ready to remove the tire. Take the lug nuts off (but keep them handy!) and pull the tire straight towards you.   Finally, place the new tire on the car. Push the tire straight on, and fasten your lug nuts to secure it in place.   Changing the Oil   Before you decide to change the oil yourself, make sure you have all the necessary tools and supplies. You will need:   • An Oil Collection Pan   • 4 Quarts of Oil   • A Funnel   • An Oil Filter   • Plenty of Rags   Begin by sliding the oil pan under the drain plug. The drain plug is located below the engine.   Next, use a wrench to remove the drain plug. The oil will drain into the oil pan. Once the drainage is finished, you need to remove the oil filter.   Use your rag to wipe away the oil from the filter. Now take a clean rag, add some oil to it, and wipe the edge of the new filter.   You can now install the new filter and replace the drain plug. Next, open the oil tank and pour in the new oil.   Give the car a moment before using the dipstick to make sure you have enough oil inside.   Voila! Just like that, you’ve changed the oil. Make sure to close the oil tank again once you are finished.   Cleaning Your Vehicle   To ensure you enjoy your car every time you step into it, always have cleaning supplies on hand. We like to store these in the trunk just in case anything happens, such as a spill, or while driving a bunch of bugs stick to the car. Another option is always finding local car detailers who will often have monthly subscription services so that you can take it to them to have it cleaned as often as you’d like.   Replacing Wiper Fluid   The wiper fluid level is another part of your vehicle that needs to be continuously checked. Windshield wiper fluid isn’t crucial, but not filling it can certainly lead to a messy car!   To refill the wiper fluid, you don’t need to do a whole lot. First, remove the front bumper so that you can access the wiper fluid pump.   Next, remove the wiper fluid pump from the reservoir. Discard the reservoir, open a new one, and insert the pump into the new reservoir.   Put all the parts back into place and close the bumper again.   While car maintenance is key to keeping your vehicle running, it’s best to get a healthy vehicle in the first place. Give us a call today at Monaco Motorcars and we will be happy to discuss your options!  

Small Car, Big Benefits?   In the market for a pre-owned car? A smaller vehicle might be perfect for your needs, no matter how tall you are. There are several benefits to have with a compact car, some of which might not have occurred to you before now. Ready to learn?   Sleek Appeal   What small cars lack in size they can make up for in exterior and interior appearance. Before passing up on smaller car models when at the dealership, take a peek inside a smaller car. You might be surprised at the sumptuous interior that can fit a variety of styles.   Parking   No matter if you live in the city or the suburbs, it’s great to have a vehicle that doesn’t take up a lot of space when it’s time to park. You’ll have an easier time getting into parking spots, and you’ll be eligible for those parking spots devoted solely to compact vehicles that parking garages have. Your nerves will thank you later.   Gas Mileage   You can enjoy awesome gas mileage with a smaller car. Even if you aren’t focused on going green and cutting down on emissions, you’re sure to save by driving a smaller, more efficient vehicle.   Room   Taller drivers might automatically ignore smaller cars, but the truth is that small vehicles can be surprisingly roomy. While admiring the interior of a compact model, take note of the leg, cargo and passenger room.   A More Enjoyable Drive   Smaller cars are oftentimes more nimble, have better acceleration than larger cars and break better. You don’t have to be a race car driver to enjoy this driving style, but you’re sure to have more fun behind the wheel.   There’s no need to think that you’re making sacrifices with a smaller vehicle. As noted above, there’s much to enjoy. Start exploring your options for compact vehicles at Monaco Motorcars today.