We found an interesting article from foxnews.com on used car buying tips. The cost of used vehicles is on the rise and has not leveled off yet as of March 1, 2012.

The value of used vehicles continues to climb. Buying a used car can be a minefield, so it's crucial to be well prepared before making any important decisions. The best approach is to narrow your search, decide on exactly what you're looking for and check the car out thoroughly. In order to get the best deal, you'll also need to be prudent and negotiate effectively with the seller. Here are find handy tips to help you find the best used car for you.

Research You're bound to find hundreds of potential cars, so having a clear picture of what you want should help you sift through the less desirable options more easily. Read reviews, consumer reports and any other material you can get your hands on to help you consider your options. It's also wise to consider less obvious factors such as maintenance costs and upkeep. Determine how readily available replacements are.

Search online Once upon a time, the best way to buy a used car was to scan the classified ads in the local newspaper. Nowadays, the used car trade is based almost exclusively on the web. Huge online databases allow you to peruse thousands of used vehicles without the pressurized environment associated with dealerships. Used car website aggregators, such as AutoTrader.com and AutoTempest.com are great places to begin your hunt, and the research you've already performed should help you refine your search more effectively.

Check the history When searching for a car, never buy based solely on what you've been told by the seller, for it may not be the whole truth. Some sellers have been known to roll back the odometer or omit important details about previous repairs, so checking the car out yourself before making any final decisions will ensure that you avoid any nasty surprises after you've paid for it. In order to perform a background check, you'll need the vehicle's “VIT number,” which can be found under the right-right hand corner of the windscreen. In exchange for a fee, a vehicle history report company can check the car's history for any missing details. For a more immediate indication of the car's condition, try looking at the vehicle's interior — the shabbier it is, the more likely that more likely that the car is in disrepair. Beware of worn seats and upholstery, broken switches and knobs. They are all signs that the car may be very old or mistreated.

Negotiate a fair price Once you're confident that the car is worth buying, it's time to negotiate a price. It's important to remember that the cheapest car isn't always the best car, and it's often worth paying extra for a more reliable vehicle. Always try to negotiate the seller down from the very beginning. During your first contact you should ask about cutting the price to determine how open they are about it. Don't be afraid to make a low offer - if sellers feel that you're truly interested in it, they will usually negotiate - and always be ready to walk away if they prove unyielding.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2012/02/24/five-tips-for-buying-used-car/print#ixzz1oRiaClaA

Have you heard the following message on KFAN on Saturday Mornings?

"Does your vehicle have damage? A broken side mirror, a cracked or broken tail light, or maybe a radio that doesn’t tune in quite right to Race Horse Radio? Aaa Auto Salvage can help save you money with quality recycled auto parts. With locations in Rosemount and East Bethel you are never far from a great deal on auto parts. Visit www.aaaparts.com, go to the blog, and find a printable coupon for $25 off your next purchase and....Get USED to it."

If you have maybe that is why you are here on this page of the blog, looking for your $25 off coupon. We are glad that you have stopped on aaaparts.com, and hope that you have found the part that you were searching for. If you have not found the part via our online search function, please do give one of our industry leading sales staff a call, and have them assist you in the search. We want to help solve your automotive part problem.

If you do find your part, please cut out, or print out this page and bring it in with you. When you check out we will discount your purchase $25. We ask that you only use one coupon per household. If you need more parts in the future let us know and we can make sure that you get a good deal on the parts that you need.

Click this link for the PDF copy of this coupon.

A local television station did a story on speeding tickets in the 7 county Metro Area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. If you want to see the full story you can go to kstp.com, but one mention in the story caught my attention. The story reported that the Minnesota State Patrol has issued 41% less speeding tickets, but has increased the citations for Seat Belt use. The story says that is one main reason that traffic deaths in Minnesota is at lowest point since 1944.

As I thought about it I thought there are many other factors at work in the safety on Minnesota Roads and I want to use the blog to get that information out there. Since aaa is an auto recycler that has been in business for 28 years, we have seen the drastic changes in automobiles over that time. I have my thoughts on the top 5 reasons that go along with Seat Belt usage (it probably is the #1 reason for safety if they are used) for the reduction in traffic deaths.

1. Air Bags. The introduction in SRS systems that are designed to work in conjunction with the seat belts have done an incredible job in keeping occupants safe in vehicle crashes. Not only are the number of airbags in vehicles increasing with each model year release, but the places they are installed in vehicles is just plain great engineering.
2. High Strength Steels – The auto industry has made the occupant areas of vehicles out of high (no very high) strength steels that are so very rigid that they stay intact while in crashes and transfer the collision energy to other parts of the vehicle.
3. Drunk Driving awareness. The MADD and SADD chapters have helped the awareness of drunk driving and the dram shop laws that forced bars and restaurants to train their staff on serving alcoholic beverages. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration statistics show that in 2010 about 1/3 of all traffic accidents involving a fatality, also involve alcohol.
4. Motorcycle safety. Here in Minnesota the helmet law is only applicable to riders under the age of 18 or riders with an instruction permit, but you will notice on the roadways that more riders are wearing helmets than are not.
5. Gas Prices & Behavior changes.   I know it seems like the easy thing these days to blame, but if you follow the logic – I think it does contribute to a reduction in traffic deaths. As gas prices increase more people turn to Mass Transit options to “save money.” I think there is also a bigger squeeze on the younger drivers, who tend to make less money and thus have less money to spend on higher gas. If the younger drivers are off the road the statistics for fatalities will follow. Less young drivers on the road will bring the numbers down because motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for persons between the ages of 3 – 34.

AAA Auto Salvage in Rosemount, Minnesota hosted an Earth Day event for a local Pre-School. There were 35 kids along with several parents and teachers in attendance. The kids got to witness how cars get recycled after they are no longer usable or wanted. “We took the kids through the whole process from the car coming into the facility all the way to the crusher” said Eric Schulz, CFO of AAA Auto Salvage and dad to one of the students. One of the highlights was in the inventory area when they were looking at two doors and knowing which one could be re-used and which one couldn’t. Then Kendall Schulz pointed to a mirror hanging off a door on another car and said “I don’t think that one is good!”

What would a Pre-School field trip be without a snack? AAA had purchased a tire swing at the Upper-Midwest convention the week prior. The AAA employees went to work trying to figure out a way to hang the tire swing in the building somewhere so they could entertain the kids during snack time. Phil Steinle, AAA’s Quality Control person said “We ended up using a rope to tie it to the rafters”. One of the guys from the shop took a ride on it to make sure it would hold before they let any kids ride the swing.

After snack everyone went over to the crusher to see the last step in AAA’s part of the recycling process. “The crusher is always a highlight of any tour we do” says Eric. John Pesch, the loader operator crushed 5 cars in a stack and then placed the stack on the ground so each class could get their picture taken by the crushed cars.

AAA Auto Salvage joined force with Lehman's Garage to bring Christmas joy to a deserving Minnesotan family this past holidays. We donated the entire front clip (retail value of $2,000) for this Impala. AAA is proud to be a part of this wonderfull effort, working together with automotive service partners for the good of the community. Below is the gallery of this event. Follow the link to read Automotive Service Association's press release.

As one of the largest partners of Hollander's Powerlink division, AAA Auto Salvage has the privilege to try out the company's latest offering in its yard management portfolio. This build of Powerlink has integration for E-Commerce data output, which was created to work with eBay's Blackthorne, an inventory management and listing tool.

Here at AAA Auto Salvage, we're very excited for this opportunity and we truly believe this will take our online presence to the next level with our eBay store and the soon to be introduced, AAA's online store.

AAA Auto Salvage is an automotive recycler that provides quality parts, in a timely manner, with no surprises on delivery.  The AAA family utilizes our knowledge and commitment to help our customers be completely satisfied with their buying experience.

We have added many of new features to our web site to make finding the right part as hassle-free as possible.

Our redesigned inventory search form will make finding your part easier. Visit our Forms section for cut sheets, warranty claim forms, return forms and more.

Our new inventory search engine is also now online. Feel free to browse with the same tools that our parts specialists use! Just enter your search criteria in the search box above. It's that easy!

AAA Auto Salvage specializes in late model recycled automotive parts.  Our inventory is primarily 1995 and newer. 

If you are looking for recycled parts for vehicles that are from vehicles that are older than 1995, please visit U-Pull-R-Parts.

On July 25, 2009, aaa Auto Salvage along with U-Pull-R-Parts, The Better Bumper Company, Phil’s Body Shop, Master Transmission of Rosemount, Medi-Car and Crown Rental of Rosemount hosted the 2nd annual Rods & Wrecks Car Show in conjunction with the Leprechaun Days celebration in Rosemount, MN.  There were a total of 75 classic and custom cars that paid a $10 entry fee.  100% of the entry fees went towards the purchase of 3 kits to upgrade portable alarms used by the Rosemount Police Department.

The Rods & Wrecks show also included a Taser Demonstration by the Police Department, Car Seat installation information, Air Bag demonstrations, tours of AAA, and a visit to the car crusher. There was also “Smash Our Clunker” station, where donations were collected to take a sledgehammer swing at a vehicle.  Awards were given in four categories including Best in Show.  Best in Show Champion was a 1969 Chevelle, entered by Bruce Tschida.

“We consider our second show another success, it is a great way for aaa to connect with the city, and a fun event,” says Patrick McKinney, General Manager of AAA.  The $7000 donation was presented to Police Chief Gary Kalstabakken and Rosemount Mayor Droste at the City Council meeting on August 3, 2009.

AAA Auto Salvage will host the 2nd Annual Rods & Wrecks car show in conjunction with the city of Rosemount’s Leprechaun Days celebration to benefit the Rosemount Police Department, July 25, 2009, 1 PM – 5 PM.

All the proceeds will be donated to the Rosemount Police Department to fund the conversion kits for portable theft alarms.  After Dakota County converted to the countywide call center these alarms were not compatible.  These conversion kits will make the alarms functional again to help Rosemount PD, keep our community safer.

In addition to the car show, Rosemount Fire Department will be on site for an air bag demonstration, Rosemount Police Department will be on site for car seat installation instruction, and tours of aaa Auto Salvage and U-Pull-R-Parts, including the car crusher.

In 2008, Rods & Wrecks raised nearly $7,500 through donations and registration fees, to purchase 2 sets of Res-Q-Jacks for the Rosemount Fire Department.

Click here for the Rods & Wrecks Registration Form

On July 19, 2008, AAA Auto Salvage celebrated their 25th Anniversary as part of the Leprechaun Days celebration in Rosemount, MN.  There were a total of 110 classic cars that paid a $5 entry fee.  100% of the entry fees went towards the purchase of 2 sets of Res-Q-Jacks.  Res-Q-Jack vehicle stabilization tools are used to stabilize vehicles after a collision to safely remove the occupants and to prevent injury to First Responders.

The Rods & Wrecks show also included Air Bag demonstrations, tours of AAA, and a visit to the car crusher.  There was also a station for the kids that attended, to paint a car, that was driven in the Leprechaun Days Parade the following Saturday.  Awards were given in four categories including Best in Show.  Best in Show Runner up was a Green 1951 Chevrolet 3100 pick up, registered by Wayne and Barbara Charles.  Best in Show Champion was a Blue 1953 Studebaker Starliner, entered by Chuck Hyatt.

“We could have never imagined the turnout and the success of the 1st annual Rods & Wrecks Car Show,” says Eric Schulz of AAA.  “The Rosemount Fire Department and AAA have had and continue to have a great relationship, we are very appreciative of the equipment, says Lieutenant Chris Dyson of the Rosemount Fire Department, who is a former employee of AAA Auto Salvage.  

AAA Auto Salvage, U-Pull R Parts, Phil’s Body Shop, Crown Rental, Savemore Automotive, Master Transmission, AK Performance Graphics were all sponsors of the inaugural event.