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 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.

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.

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.

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.

The all-new revamped beetle comes complete with an elegant and sleek body with hi-tech auto equipment that a little bigger than the previous model in order to make use out of the extra interior space of the car.

If you are on a budget and wish to invest in some budget car insurance then you will need to shop around, another option of course is to invest in third party insurance, this is especially advisable for new drivers or those under 25 as otherwise you could end up paying a small fortune. Some insurance providers will now even allow third party drivers to build up a no claims bonus.

Some companies also offer student car insurance and if your car isn’t classed as a high-risk vehicle then achieving budget car insurance can be as easy as a walk in the park. Depending on the college you attend, with some insurance policies you could receive up to 15% off your final insurance quote. They will also focus on where you study as the area you live in can in fact make a lot of difference to the amount you pay.

The cutesy bug-eyed aura, smooth corners and spherical roofline are what makes this car so apt for today’s generation as it offers a modern and sports design that is still suitable for families and city living. The coupe-style roof also makes it a great vehicle for the summer months and the assortment of colours available make it attractive to an array of different personas.

Over the years there have been many changes to this model and nowadays this is less of a cult car and more of a family hatchback, but there is nothing staid about this car; it is still very hot.

The GT1 is now in its sixth incarnation and it is now powered by the excellent 2 litre TFSI turbocharged engine which delivers a punching 210 bhp. The performance is fairly similar to the mark 5 version, except that it has better acceleration at both lower revs and higher revs; a kind of extended sweet spot. In t4erms of acceleration, 0 to 60 time is 6.7 seconds and the top speed is 148 mph.

For the gearbox you can choose either a six speed manual or a dual-clutch steering wheel paddle semi-automatic, which really does give you almost instantaneous gear changes.

As you might anticipate, the handling is excellent though as the suspension is necessarily on the stiff side and a little lower than on previous versions your passengers might find it a bit bumpy when driving on uneven surfaces. If you are the kind of driver who really likes to toe it when accelerating hard out of corners, there is an XDS traction control system which will help keep your tyres in gripping contact with the road.

For the real enthusiast, there is the option of an adjustable suspension system called adaptive chassis control. In normal mode the car handles like a standard GTi, but hit sports mode and you are set to try out your abilities at rally driving.

Although this is a driver’s car, it is family friendly too. There is plenty of space inside; the car is quiet (at least when you are not hitting the red on the rev counter); air conditioning comes as standard; and there is plenty of space in the boot.

There is a huge amount of storage space for all your camping kit and your clothes. There is a large fresh water tank and a waste disposal tank and you can extend your living space with an awning that attaches to the tailgate where there are also two folding chairs.

The California is powered by a five-cylinder 2.5-litre TDI diesel engine which is available in two versions giving either 130 bhp or 174 bhp. The van comes with either two or four wheel drive and there are manual and automatic sex speed versions available. As you might expect this is not a power vehicle; it will take you around 16 seconds to reach 60; but once you get there cruising comfortable and peaceful. Air conditioning is standard and there are many little extras such as electric windows, sat nav, and cruise control.

If you enjoy driving a van, then you will enjoy driving the Volkswagen California. It has many safety features and has the excellent reliability associated with VW campers.

The Volkswagen campervan is of course a lifestyle vehicle and for many drivers it is their second car. If you like the outdoor life and the feeling of freedom that this type of vehicle promises, then this vehicle ticks all the boxes.

The first thing to do is check the vehicle’s VIN number against its car history report. This will give you an idea of just what kind of work has been done on the car previously. It will also help you know to look at any particular area that may be repaired.

Walk around the Volkswagen and check the overall condition of the body. As well as rust spots, a check to see that colors match between panels and that all seams are equal. Mismatched colors or uneven seams indicate a crash and repair job. Look for uneven lines or ripples in the body. Check the tires to see that they are a known brand and that they are in good condition with no excessive tread wear or chips in the sides.

The interior, especially the driver’s seat, can give an indication of the care the Volkswagen has received. A sloppily maintained interior can indicate a sloppily kept maintenance routine. Test the various systems to see that they are working properly. This includes everything from lights to the monitoring sensors.

If the used Volkswagen seems to pas the initial look, it may then be worthwhile to let a qualified mechanic or the Volkswagen dealership mechanics to check for any other hidden problems. The Volkswagen is a durable and long-lasting mode of transportation so finding a good used one has pretty good odds on it.

There are several good reasons to lease a Volkswagen van. The reason many businesses do so is because they have discovered that it is better not to tie up capital in depreciating assets and that it can have tax advantages.

Some businesses have been reluctant to break with the tradition of owning their own vehicles, often because they have not fully understood leasing, however it is a fact that many of these business owners change their mind once they discover that they can save money, reduce overheads, do not need large up-front payments. They discover that they are freed from worries over depreciating assets and that they can simply turn their vans in at the end of the lease and take out another lease for brand new ones.

There are advantages in not having to pay interest on loans that have been used to purchase depreciating assets, and that all or most of the VAT is refundable. Depending on the type of lease, once it has expired there aretwo major options regarding the old van. These are to turn it in and take out another lease; this is typical of van contract hire; or to purchase it for its residual value by making a balloon payment.

It is important that these options are considered before taking out the lease from a company like www.thevanwarehouse.com, as if proper provisions have not been made for a balloon payment this could come as a surprise. Ideally the amount of the balloon payments should be roughly equivalent to the predicted residual value of the van at the end of the lease.

Volkswagen van leasing is the modern business model and almost two thirds of businesses operate their vans through some type of van leasing arrangement.