Volks Mart

Manufacturing in Europe has floundered throughout the late twentieth century and early twenty first. As the car manufacturing business has been largely shifted to the Far East, European countries have lost their manufacturing base and moved towards the financial sector. The recent economic crisis has tested the wisdom of this transition and it seems countries like Germany are resisting the economic downturn best due to a reasonably large manufacturing sector. Volkswagen has been an age old part of the German economy moving with the times and priding themselves on German engineering excellence.

The Volkswagen Beetle was one of the first cars to represent what was truly a “people’s car.” The Beetle has evolved alongside its manufacturer. The “peoples car” was first commissioned by Hitler in 1933 and hit prominence as a symbol of the 60’s counter culture. In its present from it’s seen a fashionable young professional type of vehicle.

The product range then moved through a series of modern classics like the Volkswagen Golf. In this time Volkswagen Group acquired Bentley, Audi, Bugatti, Skoda, Seat, Lamborghini and Scania. Its current product range includes popular favourites such as the Polo, the affordable Fox, the high quality Passat, the sporty Scirocco and the modern classic that is the VW Golf.

The Golf gained popularity amongst many young motorists who wanted a high performance car but maybe couldn’t afford the insurance. Endsleigh offer very competitive rates for the younger motorist.
Volkswagen is a brand synonymous with German manufacturing and is one of the major companies that will sustain the German economic revival. It sells its cars on its renowned reputation as a stickler for perfection and quality. A Volkswagen has for a long time been amongst the best built cars on the road and it’s one of the only European manufacturers that can rival companies like Honda for engineering prowess. Endsleigh offer some of the best insurance rates for Volkswagen.

Volkswagen is now a manufacturer of ubiquitous cars that are both accessible (in that they are reasonably priced) and of high quality (they are built to last) and the model range includes both utilitarian vehicles and cars that are designed to be driven for fun. But how did this icon of the motor industry get started? Here we will look at the origins of this important brand.

Volkswagen was born in Germany in 1937 at a time when the German motor industry was obsessed with producing luxury vehicles for the very rich; for the most part working men and women had to make do with motorcycles and side cars. However there was a groundswell for the development of a car that ordinary people could afford, a ‘people’s car’. The German government under Adolf Hitler proposed that there would be a ‘Volkswagen’ project. (Volkswagen means ‘peoples car’ in German).

Ferdinand Porsche was put in charge of the project which would be to produce a car that could carry two adults and three children and would cost no more than a motorcycle. People would be able to buy the car through a government savings scheme.

The body shell was designed by Erwin Komenda and amazingly it has very similar lines to the modern Volkswagen Beetle. It was put into production as the Type 1 in 1938 at a factory in Wolfsburg and a handful of cars were made, but the Second World War intervened in the carefully devised plans. Instead of producing Type 1 cars for the people the factory was turned over to producing very similar Type 82 cars for the German war machine and the entire output was channelled to the German forces.

During the war the factory was bombed heavily and following the armistice the it was taken over by the British and was placed under the charge of Major Ivan Hirst. Initially the plan had been to dismantle the factory but Hirst was so impressed with the Type 82 that he persuaded the British Army to order 20,000 of them. Within a year the factory was making 1,000 cars a month. Volkswagen was born and the rest is history.

If you are looking for used cars for Sale in Glasgow, you should be aware of the Guidance for second hand car dealers that was published recently by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT). This is a set of requirements for used car dealers to ensure that they comply with The Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations and The Sale of Goods Act.

Essentially these guidelines state the level of service you should reasonably expect to receive from your car dealer. It is beyond the scope of this article to delve very deeply into these guidelines, but here are a few of the more salient features.

Car dealers must not give false information or insufficient information to their customers and they must not use overly aggressive sales techniques. Practices which are considered to be unfair are those that are likely to make a car buyer make a decision that is different from what they would otherwise have done. Examples of these are: viewing a car they wouldn’t have viewed; buying a car that they wouldn’t have; pay more money that they wished to; not make a valid complaint. These apply to pre-sales, during the sale, and after sales; they also apply to purchases made by the dealer as well as sales.

Under the Sales of Goods Act it is a requirement that the dealer ensures that the car is of a reasonable quality which means that is should fairly reflect a reasonable quality anticipated by its age, its value, its history, its mileage, the use for which it is intended, the manufacturer, the durability of that model, safety, and that is as described.

The dealer is also required to ensure that he has the right to sell the car. This means that he must carry out checks that the car is not subject to any finance arrangement such as HP.

If you buy a car from a dealer in Scotland who is in breach of any of the above there are a number of remedies that you can take. In Scotland these remedies are possible for any car purchased in the last 5 years (though in England and Wales it is 6 years) though you will need to show that the fault existed at the time of purchase.

In the expensive world of modern motoring a car service may seem like an unnecessary expense to some motorists but it’s an expense that will most likely save you money in the long run. Soaring fuel costs, high insurance costs and expensive MOT’s can make you think that a service is an expense you could save. This is the wrong attitude for the following reasons.

If you buy a car that is new or nearly new and you want it to retain its value you should definitely get it serviced. A lot of cars will come with around three years free servicing but after this period has finished you should take the initiative and maintain a full service history. The re-sale value of your car will offset the cost the price of your service and could vastly reduce any repairs you need to make on your MOT. Click here now to find out more.

Unforeseen problems have less chance of cropping up with a regular service and in reality nearly all mechanical failures are unforeseen. Problems can also be nipped in the bud e.g. scored brake pads, worn parts, timing belt changes.

Your car has air filters and fuel filters that at some point or other need replaced and if they’re not, your car will not be running at optimal efficiency. An oil change is necessary to keep your oil from becoming old and ineffective after years of dripping back down into the sump and losing its impact. Spark plugs shouldn’t be overused or they too can malfunction of lose efficiency.

If you want to keep your car at optimal resale value and you want to take the best care to avoid an unforeseen breakdown, you need to service your car. Problems can lie dormant between MOT’s and if they remain untreated, can decrease the lifespan of your car. On top of this, a service helps your car perform to the standards it should. To find out more click here now.

It is fairly likely that the speed limit in the UK will be increased to 80 mph, certainly on motorways. The 70 mph limit is finally being seen as ludicrously old fashioned and simply bears no relevance to modern cars and modern roads and many people, including the police, ignore it. The police will generally turn a blind eye to cars travelling at up to 85 mph; though any faster or if they are having a bad day they may well pull you over. The only justification for leaving the limit where it is, is to force people to drive more economically.

Even if the limit is raised to 80 mph, which incidentally means that you can legally drive at 88 mph as there is a 10% grace to allow for speedometer inaccuracies, it will be considerably slower that you can drive on German Autobahns which do not have a speed limit. If you really want to feel what it is like to drive quickly, and to find out how good you are at it, then you will need to take yourself to a racing circuit and join one of their driving experiences or enrol for a track day.

The beauty of track days is that you get the opportunity to drive your own car in a safe environment and find out what you can get our of it and how well it does perform in your hands. This is knowledge that will help your daily driving experience and should make you a safer driver on the road.

There are a few things to consider. You will need to buy a crash helmet or obtain one from the race track; some race tracks supply then and some do not. You should ideally equip yourself with driving gloves and racing boots too as they can really make a difference. You will need to ensure that your arms and hands are covered, especially if you will be driving an open top.

Before you arrive at the track remove all loose items from your car, your boot and your glove compartment. Check your car over for fluid levels and tyre pressures; it is generally advisable to over-inflate tyres by 4 to 6 psi. Remember that your car insurance will not cover you for the track so you will need to purchase special insurance.