At some point or another it happens to everyone, and if it hasnt happened to you yet, rest assured it will. You know precisely what Im talking about, the day that you accidentally lock yourself out of your car. That in itself is bad enough, but what about the time that you lock a child or pet within the vehicle? That can be very irritating, and in some cases deadly. So what exactly can you do? You cant break a window, thats certainly a last resort, and youre not that guy that can just pick the lock with a coat hanger and call it done. Fortunately there is something that you can do to alleviate this problem, and its actually pretty simple.

All that you need to do is call for a locksmith. Just think about it, youre coming out of the store having bought a bunch of groceries, and it suddenly starts to downpour. You get to your car only to realize that you keys are sitting in the ignition. At first you panic, and then you smile because you know that you can call your nearest locksmith provided that you didnt leave your cell phone in your car as well. If you did, then there is probably a nearby good Samaritan with either a cell phone or a slim jim that will be more than happy to help you out.

So at this point youre probably wondering exactly who you call to have your car unlocked. Fortunately a lot of people have this exact problem, and because of that the locksmith industry is pretty huge. You can find them on just about every single corner and many of them are open all day and night. Their logic is that people are going to make mistakes at any hour of the day, so they can make money at all hours of the day. So all you need to do is dial information from your phone, or simply grab a phone book. Either way youre going to find something that will work in your favor!

This service is not cheap however, in some cases you might find a locksmith that will charge around $75, but in most cases you will discover that it can be $100 or more. While this may be slightly inconvenient, just think about the peace of mind it will give you when you know that there is someone you can call any hour of the day to get you out of a jam.

You will lock yourself out of your car eventually, and there may even be someone you love trapped inside, but this doesnt mean that all hope is lost, and you certainly dont have to panic. Help is going to be there when you need it, so calm down, dial your phone, and be on your way home soon!

6. Get a recommendation. If you can, ask people you know and trust who theyve used in the past. Theyll be able to tell you who in your area is a good, trustworthy locksmith and who should be avoided.

7. Does your locksmith have a shop? It might be a good idea to avoid locksmiths that work out of their homes or cars. A long standing locksmith with a lot of business will generally have a physical address and a shop that customers can visit. While a locksmith with no store isnt always untrustworthy, you should definitely take time to find out how long he or she has been in business and whether or not complaints have been registered.

8. Ask whether youll be getting served by the locksmith or by employees. All employees should be bonded, certified and insured, as well as the owner. Know who will be helping you with your problem.

9. Ask about references. A good locksmith is going to be willing to give you references, especially if youre asking for business service. Other businesses should be happy to recommend a good locksmith.

10. Price is important. While price isnt the biggest thing youll want to think about, a very cheap locksmith could be suspect. Be willing to pay a little more to get a locksmith youre comfortable with and can trust.

There are always plenty of used cars for sale, and if you are looking to buy a used car, one of the most important parts of the buying process is to visually inspect it yourself to determine it’s condition. Unless you are an auto mechanic, you probably won’t be able to get a thorough picture of the mechanical shape of the car, but you can still learn a lot by doing a proper visual examination.

Before you begin, it’s a good practice to have a checklist with you that allows you to make notes about what you see as you go. This can be important, especially if you are looking at more than car at a time. It’s easy to get confused and not be able to recall specific details about each car after you have seen several in a row, so being organized about the process can help out a lot.

The outside is a good place to start, so look over the car body very carefully. Look for any evidence that the car has been in an accident in the past. Does the paint match on all body parts? Do you see an obvious paint line from a previous repair? This doesn’t mean that it is not a good car, but you want to able to determine if the car has been in an accident and how extensive the damage was if you can. Look for dings and car damage that may need repair, and especially for signs of rust as this can be very hard to eradicate once it has begun on a vehicle.

Look over the tires. If they are pretty worn, plan on buying a new set of tires and factor that into the price you are willing to pay for the car. Also look for excessive wear patterns on the front tires. If it appears that they are wearing much faster on one side of the tire, that may be an indication that the front end may need work and you should also factor that into the car price.

Next go inside the car and continue your visual inspection by making notes about the condition of the interior. If you notice excessive wear on the seats and carpet, perhaps including stains, this is a good indication of the kind of care, or lack of it, that the former owner gave to the car. Keep in mind that even the best car can suffer from owner neglect and if that is the case here, it may be best to avoid this vehicle altogether.

Next try all of the power and climate controls on the dash. Make sure that all of the windows go up and down as they should, that the power seats work in all directions, that the wipers, directional signals, horn, and electronics work. Then start the car and check that the air conditioning blows cold, and the heat is hot. While it is running, listen for any noises that don’t sound right.

By making this kind of visual inspection of each car that you seriously consider, you can determine in advance whether you should now move to the next step where you have an independent mechanic thoroughly inspect it mechanically for final consideration.

I Can’t Lease A Car Because Of My Credit Score?

Leasing a car with a bad credit score can be difficult since most of the car dealers do not let people with a bad credit score simply walk in and borrow for just any car. A car lease is similar in that the dealer will check your credit in order to assess your financial capability of meeting your lease payments. People with a bad credit standing are considered a high risk to the lessor – the risk is that you will not be able to pay on time, will default on the payment or will consistently fall into arrears on your lease payments. In the case that you default the dealer will likely repossess the car causes dealers a headache because the condition of the car is might have devalued its worth.

Your average car lease contract requires an up front deposit for security in addition to the monthly lease payments. The key to getting bad credit car leasing approved is to expect to deposit a higher downpayment in order to rely less on your financial responsibility assessment based on credit. Dealers will often allow for a bad credit lease if you will offer terms in exchange for their higher risk.

Not all dealerships will accept this next leasing strategy but it is worth considering offering additional collateral as security when leasing a car. Contracts are wide open, and almost everything is possible when mutually agreed upon, and additional collateral if accepted will help secure the asset in the case you default on the payment of your car lease fees. Bad credit car dealerships and used car dealers will typically be more flexible to this type of creative car lease arrangement.

When leasing a car with bad credit you benefit by shopping around amongst the different auto dealerships that offer leasing options for bad credit people. Do not focus on one dealer alone, it pays to have dealers compete for your bad credit lease. You might be as excited as pie and ready to sign on the dotted line to lock in your new car lease, little knowing that the next dealer has easier qualification standards and a better deal waiting that you missed out on. The next car lease offered might be at a lower price.

Prepare Before Going Bad Credit Car Lease Hunting

Before you begin negotiating with the dealers, be sure to get a copy of your own credit report so that you will have an idea of your own standing. How bad is your credit really, at this very moment, you might have a lower lease risk than you think.

If you are having trouble getting a car lease with bad credit, it might be only a couple of negative items on your credit report that are preventing you from getting approved. You have the option to go to the three bad credit reporting agencies and request to remove from your credit report negative items that are not factual so that your credit report will look good on paper to increase your lease approval chances for your dream car. In addition to increasing your chances for approval, it will save you money as a good credit score help you lower your lease rates and could help lower any deposits required.

If you have your heart set on leasing a car with bad credit, dealerships offer options. Large car dealerships and some smaller bad credit dealerships can replace the bank and offer their own lease structuring options. A large car dealer in this economy might be overstocked and in need of lowering their inventory making them more willing to provide bad credit car leasing options that they otherwise would not consider. The telephone is your friend, and can save you time, but get out and speak face to face with the leasing office personnel, the relationship you build could sway the scales in favor of your lease approval.

Additionally, talk with the head of the finance department of the car dealership that you want to lease a car from. Negotiate with them without giving them the opportunity to look in your credit standing. Leasing a car with bad credit might prove impossible BUT… you might be surprised with a loan option for purchase. They are as interested in selling or leasing you a car as you are in getting behind the wheel of your new auto.

Let car leasing people see your sincerity and that you intend to make your car payments on time. However, do not fake your sincerity. Be genuine to who you are, there is no need to hide anything.

What To Do If You Still Can’t Get Approved?

Make steps to improve your credit standing and build a history of on time regular payments. Shift your focus to paying your loans and/or credit cards on time and keep records of your good faith payment history. We want to build a case for your being a good risk for a car lease that you will then return to the dealer with. In addition your credit score will slowly improve. Speak frankly with the car leasing agent, find out what the minimum score is required to lease a car with bad credit.

While you are working on polishing your credit reports in order to make leasing a car easier, you can start saving up for your deposit for the car you want. When you return, if your credit standing will still makes you unqualified to lease the car you want, you have the other option of paying a higher downpayment, or you might have enough to get approved for a bad credit car loan.

Find out what loan offers for buying a new car might be available to you with our recommended auto financing provider…

Bad Credit Car Dealerships

There are car dealerships that accommodate people with bad credit. Look around in your neighborhood to find the bad credit dealers. Working with the bad credit dealers will provide you much more lease contract flexibility, but expect financing costs to compensate. Avoid entering any agreement that the monthly payments will be a challenge to meet, it will only lead to your facing similar bad credit car lease difficulties next time around.

When dealing with bad credit car dealers offering lease options, let them see your credit report and they will determine quickly if you meet their qualification standards for leasing a car with bad credit. If not, don’t worry, offer any of the creative car leasing approval strategies above, and if still no luck, move on to the next bad credit dealer on your list.

When leasing a car with bad credit, many of the cards, unfortunately are in the hands of the dealership. Relationships can make the difference, so be charming, smile, meet the people offering the lease and show them your genuine sincerity in wanting to make a deal. Getting bad credit car lease approved requires a little luck, a good reaction, and a lessor willing to trust you with a second chance, keep at it and you will find one.