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Shopping For Car Subwoofers

0 February 18th, 2011

Unlike the subwoofers found in concert or theaters, car subwoofers are more subtle in their design. Ideal for being hidden because of space limitations, car subwoofers are often found in the doors or the trunk of an automobile. They are designed to be compact so that the automobile operator can still enjoy the same dramatic sound of their favorite song, but without the bulky nature of other subwoofers. Realistically, the same model that is used in a theater or concert could never fit inside of an automobile. This is why car subwoofers are small and subtle, in that the manufacturer does not want to take away from the interior appearance of the car by allowing a bulky audio product to be visible.

Unfortunately for many, some music enthusiasts are determined to create intense sounds with their car subwoofers, which can result in hearing loss for those inside the automobile. The most common way to do this is by turning up the bass sound and jamming to the beats of a song. If exposed to extremely loud sound coming from the car subwoofers for a prolonged period, hearing loss is often severe. Therefore, these products should be used responsibly just as any other device inside of an automobile.

Car subwoofers can, however, enhance the car audio experience greatly. In addition, they can also be used to greatly enhance the unique look of a car. In this case, car subwoofers are designed to be seen as much as heard. They are designed in various sizes, including round, square, triangular, etc. Most auto enthusiasts prefer to install their own car subwoofers, while others opt for having them professionally installed.

When shopping for car subwoofers, there is no shortage on options. Specialty stores, including retail, auto and online shops carry a wide variety of audio products and feature a broad range of price tags to go with them. Car subwoofers, depending on the model and features, can be very expensive. However, this is the case with almost every automobile upgrade or product. The majority of car subwoofers carry some type of warranty, which should be clearly outlined on the packaging or by the retailer. It is a good idea to save any warranty information, which will be the only way to redeem the manufacturers services at no cost in the event of a problem. Warranties will vary depending on the manufacturer, but often are limited to defects that are a direct result of workmanship or materials. Misuse of a product is not normally covered under a manufacturers warranty.

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Sell Your Car Online: Step 1, Taking High Quality Pictures

0 February 11th, 2011

Sell Your Car Online: Step 1, Taking High Quality Pictures of Your Automobile

Placing your car or truck for sale in an auto classifieds website is a great way to reach tons of potential buyers. But constructing a great ad is not childs play. To generate a lot of interest in your vehicle, you must know how to create the perfect online listing. The necessary steps are outlined in five articles titled Sell Your Car Online.

The first step in placing a great ad is taking pictures of the car or truck that is for sale. You dont just want to take any picture and post it on the internet. You want to post the best picture you possibly can. After all, the potential buyers that view your online listing want to see a picture that tells them something more than just the color of the vehicle. A good picture can convey the overall condition of the body, paint, interior, and more. A good, or near professional-quality, picture can seal the deal in the buyers mind.

Hypothetical situation: A potential car buyer is looking for a particular car. The buyer has found two nearly identical cars, one belongs to you and one belongs to someone in a nearby state. These two cars have the same body style, the same engine and transmission, the same color, the same options, and very close to the same price. The only deciding factor is the pictures. The competing car has one low quality picture. It is half blocked by a neighboring vehicle. The sun is in the background causing a glare that obscures the color and overall appearance of the car. Your car, on the other hand, has multiple pictures from different angles. There is no sun to cause a glare and no rain to make the picture look dreary. The true color of the car shows and there is nothing blocking the view. Which car do you think the buyer would choose? Pictures of competing cars can, without a doubt, influence the potential buyer to purchase one car over another.

There are things you must consider before you take the first picture. What type of camera should I use? How many pictures should I take? What exactly should I take pictures of? Should I take the pictures in direct sunlight? Unless you are a professional photographer, or at least an experienced one, you may not know the correct answer to these questions.

What type of camera should I use? Since the pictures you upload to the internet must be in digital format, a digital camera is the best type of camera to use. If you use a non-digital camera, you first have to pay to get the film developed. Then use a scanner to digitize it. You must spend valuable time and money to do this. Using a digital camera is the most cost efficient and time conserving way to take and upload photos of your vehicle. In most cases, all you have to do is connect your camera to your computer to download the photos to the hard drive. Then youre ready to post your ad.

What size mega pixel (MP) camera do I need? This depends on what you will be doing with the pictures. If you need large, high quality pictures, like 8X10 prints or a large display photo in the newspaper, you may need to purchase a 5 MP camera or better. If you will be printing the pictures for personal use or posting small photos in print ads in the local newspaper, you probably need a 3 MP camera or better. If all you need is camera to take pictures to be uploaded to the internet, a 2 MP camera should do the trick.

Remember this! If the picture you are taking will only be used on the internet, use the lowest quality setting that your camera has. Some cameras even have a setting for internet quality photos.

How many pictures should I take? There is no correct answer for this question. Just take as many as you need. A good photographer will take pictures from multiple angles as well as take duplicate pictures from each angle. If you have 20 pictures to choose from, you can easily find at least 5 high quality photos to post with your listing that show lots of detail about your vehicle. Then you can delete the unused photos so youre not wasting space on your hard drive.

What exactly should I take pictures of? You need pictures from opposite angles that show the exterior of the vehicle. Pictures should be taken of the engine compartment with the hood raised. More pictures should be taken of the interior. If your vehicle has expensive aftermarket accessories, take pictures of them. For example, take close ups of expensive mag wheels, custom artwork or painting, or a high-tech audio system. In essence, you want to convey the overall condition of the vehicle and any special features the vehicle may have with the pictures you take.

Where should I take the pictures? You need to take pictures of the vehicle in a place that has as little background detail as possible. For example, you dont want another car, a highly trafficked street, or a person in the picture at all. The best place to take the pictures would be near a plain brick wall, or in front of an empty field. You dont want any object, whether in the foreground or background, to distract the buyer from seeing the details of your vehicle.

Should I take the pictures in direct sunlight? In order to take a great picture with a mid- to low-quality digital camera, you need plenty of light. But too much direct sunlight can cause bright glares and dark shadows, neither of which is good. The absolute best time to take pictures of your vehicle is on a partly cloudy day when the sun is behind the clouds. This eliminates the harsh, dark shadows even though there is still plenty of light to draw out the true color(s) of the vehicle. If you must take the pictures in direct sunlight, always make sure that the sun is behind you (so it will be shining on the side of the vehicle that is facing you). Try not to take a picture of a vehicle when the side facing you is in the shadow.

If you normally take terrible pictures, remember this! It is much better to take a picture with a wider view that has all the details in it than to try to get a close up and cut part of the important details out. So zoom out to make sure you get a great picture.

Follow these steps and you will have high quality photos of your automobile for display in the car classifieds site of your choice. Look for the next installment titled Sell Your Car Online: Step 2, Using Pictures of Your Automobile Correctly. Happy selling.

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Second Hand Cars Can Be Found Quickly Online

0 February 4th, 2011

One of the quickest ways to gain access to the widest choice of second hand cars possible is to go online with a used cars specialist and take advantage of the many tools that a specialist used car website has to offer. Along with providing you with the tools you need to find the perfect choice for your needs, a used car website will also have a huge range of information which you can read so that when it comes to actually going to view the car you know what to watch out for.

One of the biggest advantages a specialist website will have is the search engine they offer so that you can find your ideal second hand car out of what could be hundreds of cars. If you were to go around second hand car dealers it could be nothing but a huge waste of time as they might not even have the make and model that you have in mind. However by looking online and using the search engine you are able to cut down the choices to the exact model you have in mind and even narrow down the cars to the colour and any extras you are looking for such as electric windows or sunroof.

To help you on your search and to give you a better idea of what the cars look like along with a detailed listing there will be accompanying photographs which will enable you to decide if you want to take a further look at the car in question. Another big advantage is that you are able to search over a wide area without even leaving the comfort of your own home. Do bear in mind however that you will eventually have to travel to go and see the car and to take a test drive, but at least you will have a rough idea if the car is worth travelling to see beforehand.

While the majority of people who list their cars with a specialist used car website are genuine and honest, there are some that take advantage and are not as ethical. Again a specialist website can help to do decipher if you are indeed getting a bargain by giving you guides as to what to look for when buying second hand cars. The guides will give you advice on areas that you should take care with when going to actually view the car along with hints and tips which can help you to decipher if the car has had extensive work done to it or even how to run a check over the car to make sure you are not going to be buying a stolen car.

Second hand cars can be found quickly and easily online with a specialist used car website and so can all the information you need which can help you to determine if you are buying the car of your dreams or nothing but a pile of trouble. However do remember the hints and tips when it actually comes to going and taking the car for a test drive and never hand over any money for the car before you have the documents in your hand and have checked them over.

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Save Time: Find Your New Car Online

0 January 28th, 2011

For many people, car shopping can be a frustrating, time-consuming and inconvenient experience. The good news is that with a little know-how you can use the Internet to turn what might otherwise be overwhelming into a manageable, even enjoyable experience. The Web is an excellent resource to help reduce the stress of car shopping and increase the likelihood of finding exactly the vehicle you are looking for.

The online shopping search starts with thinking about the basic things you want in a new car. Ask yourself, “Do I want a new, used or certified preowned vehicle?” and “Would I prefer a car, SUV or truck?” It’s also important to ask “Do I have a favorite vehicle manufacturer?” and “If I buy a used vehicle, how important is the vehicle’s current mileage to me?” Narrowing your preferences on at least a few of these items will minimize frustration and help lead you in the right direction.

Next, you need to know where to go. Visit consumer-friendly Web sites such as Edmunds.com, Auto Trader.com and AOL for news, reviews and comprehensive vehicle overviews. The Internet allows you to shop for cars in your area on your own schedule, when you have time, without regard for the dealerships’ hours of operation. Automotive Web sites that allow you to save car listings and searches will help you save even more time, since you can go back to where you left off instead of starting fresh each time you visit.

Once you have reduced your search to a few select vehicles, do a side-by-side comparison of the cars. With just a few clicks, you can quickly compare up-to-date vehicle information and reviews, features and benefits and costs of several vehicles. More information in less time is a bargain any consumer can appreciate.

Want your own customized shopping experience? Automotive Web sites such as AutoTrader.com allow you to personalize your car search. Registered users of the “My AutoTrader.com” function, listed on the company’s homepage, can save up to 10 searches and up to 25 cars in their personal space and refer back to the searches at a later date. In addition, the comparison tool allows you to compare your top three car choices.

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Saturn AURA: Turning a Corner

0 January 21st, 2011

General Motors Saturn division is one of the few bright spots for the troubled U.S. automaker. As of this writing, the parent company is in the midst of plant closings, massive layoffs, and big losses. Bankruptcy may be the ultimate out for GM, but even if the company doesnt choose that route, big changes are coming nevertheless. Fortunately, the Saturn division is one of the few bright spots for the legendary automaker as are Cadillac, GMC, and select models including the Corvette and the companys big trucks. For Saturn, there is a certain AURA about the division both in model name as well as in sensation.

Step back two decades and General Motors is all abuzz over a new car company in the process of being created: Saturn. As a wholly owned subsidiary of GM, Saturn was designed to take on Japanese rivals Toyota and Honda by building compact cars that American drivers really wanted and could rely upon. It worked. For most of the 1990s, the S Series was the sole model for Saturn; available in coupe, sedan, and wagon, the S Series achieved cult status and had a loyal following of owners who regularly congregated for meets at Spring Hill, TN where the cars were built. Even when the vehicles design aged, the S Series maintained its high status with Saturn aficionados.

By the late 1990s, two new lines of vehicles were added to the Saturn brand. The VUE, became the companys sport utility vehicle while the L Series was the first large Saturn. In reality, the L was a midsize car as it was heavily derived from a model sold by GMs European division, Opel. With the latter model, Saturn hoped to provide the larger vehicle that S Series owners desired. Unfortunately, sales figures barely exceeded half of the quota anticipated by Saturn, so after a few years the model was retired.

Today, Saturn is no longer a separate company. With the demise of Oldsmobile, Saturn is now a full fledged division of General Motors. While some see this move as a bad thing, it has resulted in new products for the brand.

Soon after the L Series was retired, the RELAY was introduced. As the first Saturn model built on a U.S. G.M. platform, the 7 passenger people mover was a far cry from previous models. Still, the vehicle has filled a gaping hole in the Saturn line up.

Just this past Spring the SKY was introduced, an upscale limited production convertible. To say that the car has been received with gladness is an understatement. Quite frankly, the SKY is the halo car needed by Saturn, but fortunately the division isnt stopping there.

Although the L Series was a flop, GM is once again turning to its Opel division to produce a car. Combining Opel styling with a U.S. G.M. platform, the AURA sedan will be rolling into a showroom near you very soon.

So, what is so special about the AURA? Its good looks! Although it is nearly impossible to describe the vehicle without showing you a picture, the AURA is simply one imposing car. Although a sedan, the AURA is sporty looking with a grille that is not too far removed from the new SKY. With a 3.6L V6 engine mated to a six speed automatic transmission, the 250 h.p. AURA will definitely compete with the Camry, Accord, and Maxima for sales as well as for performance leadership. Throw in 19 inch wheels, a sporty interior, and responsive handling and the AURA just begs to be driven.

The best part of the AURA is that it isnt the L Series, a car criticized for being too bland and uninspiring. One look at the AURA and you can see that Saturn got it right this time.

Prices for the AURA havent been announced yet, but you can expect fully loaded models to retail below 25,000 well within the range of its competition.

Will the AURA succeed? Well, it has too! Look for Saturn to do all that it can to make sure that the model is marketed to those who would buy one: the cross section of the North American populace. Yes, Saturn has turned a corner and hopefully the same came be said for the entire company.

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Repairing bad credit cont..

0 January 14th, 2011

In many cases this means to remove an item that has made its way onto each bureaus agency report, you must write three sets of letters and follow the process through with all three different agencies in order to be sure an item comes off from the reports. Depending on how many incorrect items you have on your credit report, this could mean writing and sending out many letters, but you must be persistent. You deserve to be treated right!

Once notified of a problem an agency will contact the creditor or reporter of the item in question and seek a response regarding the accuracy of the item. Under the Federal Fair Credit Reporting Act if the agencies do not receive a reasonable proper response within 30 days they are obligated to follow your directives on proper treatment of the item.

Should a proper response be received the bureau may well request more information on why you believe your position be the correct one. Many people advocate dealing with only one item per correspondence.

Once you find you have completed this task follow up once again or check the report again. Just because a letter has been written and a creditor has not responded within a given time frame does not mean that the agency will remove the report without further follow up and an additional correspondence.

On the other hand keep in mind changes may take a month or more to appear on a report. While the process for proper credit reporting is in place, assuring accuracy of your own credit report rests with you.

Improving your credit score is one of the few areas of life where doing nothing can be tremendously productive. Once the items causing negative impact on the credit report have ended, the simple passing of time does wonders for your credit score.

While the advantage of improving your score with the passing of time comes in the form of non-existent effort, the disadvantage comes in that time must take its own course. Even those with the best of credit cannot buy more time or speed the passing of time. Generally the date used to trigger the passing of time in this context starts with the date of the last activity of the account.

Your strongest tool for rebuilding your credit is staying current on your payments and not defaulting on any debt repayment plans. Even though weve said doing nothing helps tremendously in rebuilding your credit, repeating poor credit habits can make things much worse. Creditors can be somewhat understanding of a bad credit incident, if it is corrected.
This can be particularly true when the bad credit originated with problems outside of the debtors control such as emergency medical bills. Repeated bad credit behavior indicates a problem with deeper roots and looks to be a stronger indication that future credit worthiness looks shaky. If you want your credit to improve, be perfect with your new credit, as well as old credit where accounts remain open.

To accelerate the rebuilding process try to have at least three active credit lines open, and be perfect with them. Car loans or mortgages count if you still make payments, as well as old credit cards if they can still be used.

If you need to obtain new credit, store cards or gas cards can be easier to obtain than major credit cards. However, if those fall beyond reach, any one can be accepted for secured credit cards. We touched on that subject earlier in the section regarding establishing credit.

Make sure when taking a new credit for rebuilding purposes that the creditor reports to the major credit agencies. Not all creditors submit information to the credit bureaus, and almost no debit card or check card issuers do, even ones with a MasterCard or Visa logo.

Use the credit you have obtained and make your payments on time. On time means never being 30 days late. At fifteen days you may pay a late fee, but late items must hit 30 days overdue before they will be reported.

Using credit does not mean abusing it; you need not run the card up to its limit. On the other hand, leaving the card in your wallet will not help rebuild your credit as much as positive usage. So, go ahead and use the credit card, just dont overspend and pay off the entire balance every billing period.

There are several companies out there who claim to be able to rebuild and repair your credit. There are also numerous debt reconsolidation companies offering their services. Are these viable solutions to your credit problems?

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Regardless of the Current Gasoline Price – 20 Easy Ways

0 January 7th, 2011

Regardless of the Current Gasoline Price – 20 Easy Ways to Cut Your Gasoline Bill 25% to 50% (OR MORE) Right Now

Yes I know that headline might provoke you a little bit.

Thats OK.

This article will show you how to cut your gas bill right now TODAY if youll simply pay attention to these tips and now begin using them.

Of course, youll probably see a few tips you might have heard before.

Why?

Because they still work, always work, and are even more important now that gas is approaching 3.50 a gallon (or more) in many places.

In fact, you might have at some point heard most of these tips before now. The real issue is Are you faithfully doing every one of these?

The average person is probably not doing 13 of them. Remember even though some of these have a direct associated cost savings how much associated cost is filling your gas tank these days?

OK lets get started … and these tips are in no particular order …

1. Get your car tuned
Sure everyone tells you to do this. But have you done it? Poor tuning wastes gas. This can improve your gas mileage by 10% or more.

2. Regularly check the air pressure in your tires
Another one youve probably heard before. The fellow who sold me my new tires told me that tires lose 2 or 3 pounds of air per month by themselves. Low air pressure wastes gas. Look on the door in your car for proper tire pressures, and keep it to the high side of the range youre given. This can be another 10% savings.

3. Regularly change your oil
Another one youve probably heard. Whatever your manufacturer recommends, pay attention to it. Personally, I used to change my cars oil every 3,000 miles. Once I switched to synthetic oil, I was told to increase the frequency between changes.

Also try to use synthetic oil. Rarely will your auto manufacturer say not to use synthetic oil, but be sure you understand before you begin. Synthetic oil costs more, but lasts longer, and reduces friction in your engine better. Youll treat your engine better while getting higher gas mileage. In my car, now I go 6,000 miles between oil changes instead of 3,000, and enjoy all the other benefits for basically the same cost.

4. Carefully plan your errands
This is one tip lots of people miss, and it ties into another tip below. Basically, dont run any errands that arent mandatory today. Put them off till you need to do them.

Use the phone when you can, instead of driving somewhere. Avoid hightraffic hours, days, and other times of congestion (see below.) Add in errands when they are part of your regular daily commute to and from work.

5. Try to avoid rush hour
Ill get some heat on this one. If your employer allows flex time, investigate that. Otherwise, if it helps you to go to work 15 minutes early andor leave 15 minutes later do it, even if you dont get paid for the time.

Why?

You can either sit in traffic, get frustrated, use your gas for nothing, and maybe even overheat your car … or you can sit like a dedicated employee at work and be comfortable. This one can save you perhaps 2550% of your gasoline by itself.

6. Always turn right when possible
I hadnt thought of this one before I read it somewhere. Consider that when you turn left, you sit in the turn lane and wait for a break in the traffic or the light to change. In many places you can turn right on red, and youre not turning against the traffic when you turn right. This tip takes some thought, but can make a significant difference in time and gas savings.

7. Try to keep your car clean
Its more fun to drive when its clean, and removing all the caked on dirt makes your car slicker which reduces drag by a little bit. This tip is better for appearance than big gas savings.

8. Change all your cars fluids
Go to a local oil change place and tell them to change every fluid in your car not just your oil. This includes all engine fluids, radiator, transmission, axle grease, etc.

9. Read popular car magazines for even more tips
Most of the popular car magazines offer gassaving tips these days. Read the front covers and tables of contents to find the best articles for you.

10. Try to drive downhill
As silly as this sounds, when possible drive downhill instead of uphill so gravity powers your car instead of gas. I tried it, and within reason you can at times make this happen. A small tip, but a tip nonetheless.

11. Dont race up to stop lights and turns
Im amazed every day as people who blaze past me just in time to slam on their brakes at the red light up to which Im coasting or the turn Im approaching. Why in the world would you speed up to a place that requires a full stop? Baffles me …

12. Dont blast off the line
Smart people say to act like there is an egg between your foot and the gas pedal. Dont race away from a stop, and dont stomp on the gas pedal except to avoid an emergency situation (only if safety permits.)

13. No lead foot
This goes with #12 above. In general, be easy on your gas pedal. Use the least amount of pressure to attain and maintain your desired speed. And try to keep a steady pressure instead pushing in, pulling back, etc.

14. Time the red lights
Pay attention to traffic lights from as far away as your eyes permit, and try to adjust your approach speed so you get there when its green and you dont have to stop.

15. Dont speed
For all the reasons you already know, as well as for safety and gas usage, dont speed. Ever. Obey all the speed limits. In general, the slower your speed, the less gas you use.

16. Dont burn your clutch on hills
Your clutch is not designed to be your brake. When you burn your clutch on a hill, you trash your clutch and burn extra gas. Also, dont sit at red lights with your clutch pedal in, as that also toasts your clutch, shortening its life.

17. Dont block intersections
This is mostly just decent manners, but you also create a traffic jam for everyone, wasting everyones gas not just yours.

18. Dont drive 10 miles out of your way to save a penny a gallon
Think about this … if your gas tank holds 12 gallons, is empty, and you drive all over the place looking for the best deal on gas, you save twelve cents if you find it for a penny cheaper per gallon. It costs you more than that just to find the cheaper gas.

19. Stay in the right (slow) lane
To keep the speeders off your tail and keep yourself safer stay in the right (outer) lane on 4lane roads so the speeders can have the faster (left inside) lane.

20. Use your imagination
If youll give these tips some thought and put forth a little effort youll not only cut your gasoline bill by as much as half … youll also come up with your own ways to further reduce your costs to operate your car.

These tips WILL reduce the amount of gas you burn. Period. The rest is up to you. If you want it bad enough its here for you, and youll be able to discover other ways to save even more money once you start paying attention to these tips.

Chip Tarver

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Preparing Your Car For Winter

0 December 31st, 2010

SERVICE AND MAINTENANCE

Questions to ask yourself before taking your automobile to the shop:

-How and when did you first notice the problem?
-Can you make the problem occur? How?
-Are there any abnormal readings on the instrument panel guages,any warning lights coming on?
-Where is the noise coming from?
-How frequently does it occur?
-Does the problem occur when the engine is cold or hot?
-Is the problem related to vehicle speed or engine speed?
-Does the outside temperature make a difference?

The time it takes for a mechanic to start from square one with your vehicle will cost you precious time and money. Prepare a written description about your vehicle problem using the list above and go over it with your mechanic.

WINTER PREPARATION & PROTECTION

Doors & Locks:
Avoid stuck or frozen doors by lubricating the hinges and wiping a recommended preservative on your car door rubber seals, your parts dealer will know what you need. It’s also a good idea to have a small can of lock de-icer for frozen door locks, keep it somewhere outside your vehicle.

Windshields:
Your windshield not only protects you from harmful UV rays but accounts for 20 percent of the structural integrity of your automobile. You do not want to run out of washer fluid especially during wet snow conditions. Keep the windshield washer reservoir full with WINTER washer fluid and a spare jug in the trunk. Replace wiper blades once a year or when they start to leave streaks across your windshield.

Lights:
Before that big trip check to see that all your lights are operating properly and easily visible to other drivers. If in doubt get your headlights properly aligned. Check your headlights for condensation inside the bulb, this tells you that the bulb is no longer sealed and will fail sooner than later.

Tires:
Check your tire pressure and tread condition. Good ice and snow tires are recommended on all four wheels. Tires have built-in wear indicators that appear as a bald strip when there is 1.6 millimeters of tread remaining. When this limit is reached it is definitely time for new tires!

Engine Service:
Change your oil to 5w30 for winter driving. This grade of oil flows easier and helps your engine start in the cold. Replace the engine fuel filter at least once a year. One tow-truck bill could buy you a lot of fuel filters!

Battery:
Service your battery by getting it load tested and the terminals cleaned. Check your alternator belt. If it fails your battery will no longer receive a charge and soon lose it’s reserve power. Winter driving at night puts a huge demand on your charging system so it pays to get it checked out.

Cooling System:
Get your engine coolant tested and adjusted to prevent the coolant from freezing up. It’s recommended to have your cooling system flushed or coolant replaced every two to three years. Check for leaks in your cooling system with a pressure test. This is a quick check that detects any weak areas. Get your engine fan belt checked. It operates your water pump which circulates the coolant and controls the engine temperature. The engine thermostat should be replaced every two to three years depending on vehicle manufacturer requirements.

These tips are very basic and you are probably familiar with a few of them already. The point is if you go on a trip without checking the simple things on your vehicle there is a possibility of trouble down the road. These checks can be done during a routine service visit which will prevent a major failure.

One point to not overlook is finding a good mechanic you can trust and who knows you and your vehicle. A professional auto repair shop will always advise you before going ahead with extra repairs. You can easily find a reputable repair shop by asking for references and doing a background check with the Better Business Bureau in your area.

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North Americas Ford Contour

0 December 24th, 2010

The Ford Mondeo sedan was for the European market. Travel to the lands of the United States and North American and you would find the Ford Contour. The Ford Contour would be the Ford Mondeos American counterpart. This sedan was actually sold by the Ford Motor Company starting from 1995 up until 2000. Fact is, this vehicle actually was the basis for building a version of this under the Mercury brand. And the result came to be the Mercury Mystique and later on became the Mercury Cougar. The Ford Contour was found in the Ford Motor Companys line up filling the niche between the Ford Escort and the Ford Taurus.

The Ford Contour has a DOHC V6 engine with 24 valves. It has an aluminum block and aluminum heads. This has a displacement of 155 cubic inches. It can produce some 170 units of bhp at 6250 rpm, and 165 pound feet at 4250 rpm. It has also been equipped with a five speed manual transmission system. The wheelbase of the Ford Contour measures 106.5 inches, 183.9 inches in length and has a curb weight of 2910 pounds.

From 1995 to 1996, the Ford Contour came to be body colored. The front seats were recessed to the back so as to improve rear seat leg room. This is compared to the first wave of Ford Contours that entered the American automobile market. After a year, changes were still done. Traction control no longer was given as an option. The remote fuel door release feature was deleted and the fuel door that this batch held had a flanged opening. Made available were an interior trunk light, a tilt steering wheel, and a power antenna. In 1997 to 1998, the Ford Contours that entered the streets sported front and rear end designs that were new. There were new alloy wheel designs. The sail panels on the rear door windows were now smooth and held the word Contour emblazoned on it.

As per the last years of the Ford Contour, it still continually received changes. In 1998 to 1999, the Ford Contour deleted one of its trim levels. There was a clock in radio available. There were also some color revisions. The rear window and the brake light designs had changed. For Canada, this was the last year of the Ford Contour. In the United States, 2000 was the last year for the vehicle.

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New Car Prices – Understanding The Price Variations

0 December 17th, 2010

The price for a specific new car will vary across state and international boundaries. The prices vary because of different local taxes and because of different manufacturer price structures in different markets.

Model specifications also vary from country to country. A GLS model in one country will come with different levels of equipment in different countries.

Customers in some markets may be willing to pay higher prices, mainly where the market is less competitive. The car manufacturers make more profit in these markets. Customers who live in high car price areas can and should consider purchasing in nearby, cheaper markets.

There may be import taxes to pay when customers import their vehicle as a personal import, but the overall price is still going to be lower.

New car prices also vary according to time of year. If a state or country has date specific car registrations, then there will be a massive upsurge in demand in whatever months the registration changes. An upsurge in demand means that dealers are less likely to give discounts.

Do your research before you go near a showroom. Have emailed quotes for specific models to show the sales staff in the showroom that you eventually do visit. You can use these to try to obtain an even lower price.

Dealers are given monthly sales targets. There are some months when dealers struggle to reach these targets and are normally much more willing to give discounts. They arrange for a finance company to buy the cars that they must sell to hit their targets and then sell these as “Demonstrators” or “Pre-registered” at a price thousands below the list price.

When you sell the car it will be classed as having had two owners and the price will be slightly lower than a one-owner vehicle, but hardly thousands less. These months are normally November and December, as well as the month immediately before any registration change.

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