Consumer Reports Talks Down To You About Leasing
Thursday, July 31st, 2008A story in which Consumer Reports continues its long-standing tradition of giving questionable advice in a pious and condescending manner in an effort to earn more money.
Archive for July, 2008
A story in which Consumer Reports continues its long-standing tradition of giving questionable advice in a pious and condescending manner in an effort to earn more money.
Booming Car Stereos No Longer Cool
Thursday, July 31st, 2008Thanks to the growing popularity of personal entertainment devices, the urge in young men to put 50,000 watts of ear-splitting stereo sound in the back of a rolling car is fading. The electronics industry hopes to make big audio systems popular again, but most of the world will greet this ...
Gas Madness: Old Prius Hybrid Sells For Same As New
Thursday, July 31st, 2008The hysteria building up around gas prices has people spending as much or more for a second-hand Toyota Prius as they would if they waited for a new one. This is quite amazing since there's almost no economic case to be made for a new Prius, but a used one ...
The Woman At The Heart Of GM’s EV Program
Thursday, July 31st, 2008Denise Grey's a 48-year-old African-American is now the "battery czarina" for General Motors as it develops more hybrid cars and the revolutionary Chevrolet Volt and Saturn Vue plug-in hybrds due on the market in 2010.
GM Design Boss On Cars Of The Future
Thursday, July 31st, 2008Cars will be smaller, get better mileage, respond when their drivers talk to them, and be more adaptable to each user's needs, by 2018 if not before. This is the future of cars as foretold by someone who helps decide what it will be.
Don’t Inhale That New Car Smell
Thursday, July 31st, 2008A long and serious study of chemicals and the car, which anyone with extreme concern for their health should read. But ignore the 10-best lists sprinkled throughout the AOL Autos article.
Showing Cleavage To Escape Ticket
Thursday, July 31st, 2008According to a UK survey by a website that specializes in selling car insurance to women (it's called Diva), about a quarter of British women would be willing to flirt with or otherwise distract someone trying to write them a ticket.
To Save Fuel, Run The AC Or Open The Windows
Thursday, July 31st, 2008The ongoing debate about whether it's better to turn off the air and open the windows to reduce fuel use or keep them up and run the AC to reduce drag to save fuel gets another going over in a NY Times blog. To the dispassionate reader, it looks like ...
Natural Gas: The World’s Cleanest Cars
Wednesday, July 30th, 2008Despite the fact that they are genuinely alternative-fuel vehicles (hybrids aren't because they still use gas) and capable of being filled up at home overnight, natural gas cars have never really caught on here. But they're still available if you're really looking to forego the use of oil.
“Girls” Tell “The Bachelor Guy” What Driving Habits Reveal
Wednesday, July 30th, 2008According to this blogger, women can tell how a man will "handle them" and "treat their knobs" by the way they drive their car on a first date. Puerile stuff from the dark side of the mental moon.
Crying Tot Dies When Mom Brings It To Front Seat
Wednesday, July 30th, 2008This depressing little story from England reminds us of what can happen when a parent under pressure does something none of us should ever do.
The Guide To Toxic Chemicals In Cars
Wednesday, July 30th, 2008www.HealthyCar.org has just released Version 2 of its guide to chemicals in cars and child car seats.
Automakers Quit Plan To Cut Risks From Car-Truck Crashes
Wednesday, July 30th, 2008After several years of trying to establish new methods of reducing the risk to occupants of cars that slide under big trucks, the automakers have given up on creating a common approach.
What Do Women Want To Drive
Wednesday, July 30th, 2008In which a bunch of male automotive experts tell a male auto writer what it is that women think about cars and why they don't see cars the way men do. Did you expect anything else?
Paris Considers Electric Car Sharing Program
Wednesday, July 30th, 2008The French city is hoping to make small electric vehicles available to borrow (for a fee) on its famous boulevards, so a person could pick one up at, say, the Eiffel Tower and drive it to the Louvre and leave it there for someone else to rent. It already has ...
Oprah To Sell Classic Cars
Wednesday, July 30th, 2008The queen of daytime TV will sell three classic cars at the upcoming car show in Monterrey, including a Rolls-Royce that was a gift from John Travolta.
Boys Pay Big To Play With Their Toys
Wednesday, July 30th, 2008A private racetrack in upstate New York allows rich people to drive their expensive cars as fast as they want without the risk of being chased by the police for about $125,000.
Pay-As-You-Drive Insurance Catching On
Wednesday, July 30th, 2008The Christian Scientist Monitor presents a fairly even-handed view of the issues and opportunities surrounding the movement toward motorists paying for insurance by the distance they drive and maybe also where and when they drive.
Microsoft Will Improve In-Car Internet Services
Wednesday, July 30th, 2008Microsoft plans to improve the limited value of its in-car connectivity system, which currently exists only as the Ford Sync option and hopes to sell it to other car companies. No matter what, however, it will still be a long way behind GM's OnStar system in terms of services.
GM Has 17 Models That Get 30MPG Or More
Tuesday, July 29th, 2008The impression abroad in the land today is that you need to go to an Asian car maker for a car that delivers mileage in the 30+ plus range, which tends to drive prices for those models up as buyers panic. Smart buyers will take the time to consider the ...
Take A Kitten Get A Free Oil Change
Tuesday, July 29th, 2008We warn you this story is sad and then sort of heart-warming, so if you want the best part of this story about some good guys in Greensboro, NC, just look at the pictures and video that go with it.
More Bad Advice About Leasing For You To Ignore
Tuesday, July 29th, 2008This is essentially the popular line about the perils of leasing and it's not representative of reality, so don't say we didn't warn you. Leasing's usually the best way to pay for a vehicle in the short term (three-years) or if you want to keep it forever. Invest the difference ...
Women Lift Car Off Pinned Mechanic
Tuesday, July 29th, 2008When a VW Beetle fell off a jack in Chicago onto the mechanic working on it, four women who happened by simply put their strength together and picked it up.
More Flood-Damaged Cars Coming To Market
Tuesday, July 29th, 2008Serious flooding across much of the US Midwest has created a lot of flood-damaged cars, and that means some dealers will be refurbishing them and then sending them out-of-state to sell where floods were not such a pressing matter. So be sure to check any vehicle's history.
What’s Your Passenger Miles Per Gallon (PMPG)?
Tuesday, July 29th, 2008In order to establish the relative value of the increasing efforts to car pool, a new formula has been developed to establish how well the group's doing at saving gas.
Website Lists Transaction Prices For New Cars
Monday, July 28th, 2008Using information on exact prices paid for new vehicles supplied by the people who actually bought them, a new website hopes to give future buyers an idea of how much to pay.
Internet Map Shows Where Traffic Deaths Happened
Monday, July 28th, 2008Lots more fatal crashes happen outside built-up areas than you might think, a new initiative by The Center For Excellence In Rural Safety at the University of Minnesota shows. By plotting all the precise locations for the 42,000 traffic deaths in 2006, the map allows you to look up the ...
Women Not Often Honest About Weight On Driver’s License
Monday, July 28th, 2008Even though it's illegal to state a falsehood on a driver's license, most women are believed to do exactly that when it comes to their weight. As a result, there's something of a mini-culture devoted to that very subject on the web.
Politicians Promise EVs, Experts Not So Sure
Monday, July 28th, 2008Electric vehicles are something of a holy grail for politicians everywhere, but the people who'll have to design, build, market and maintain them aren't so sure. Careful consumers should pay attention.
Success Of Diesel Cars Not Certain
Monday, July 28th, 2008Much of the auto industry desperately wants North Americans to buy more diesel-powered cars, but consumers are reticent to accept the technology. The primary problem is that it's not a smart economic move, but there are also other issues.
Now’s Not The Time To Ignore Tires
Monday, July 28th, 2008As irritating and expensive as it can be, changing your tires when the time comes is something you really should do, even if you're looking for ways to cut back so you can afford the new gas prices. In the first place old tires can be a safety item, and ...
More U.S. Hotels Offering Gas Credits
Sunday, July 27th, 2008To ease the financial burden of driving, several hotels are willing to give guests money for gas.
Books on Tapes Days Are Numbered
Sunday, July 27th, 2008If you're one of those folks who like to pass the time in a car listening to a book of some kind, you better make sure your next car has a CD player if you want to keep enjoying that pastime. The companies who record books for listening say cassette ...
Look To Chevrolet Aveo, Not Hybrids For Best Value
Sunday, July 27th, 2008The panic over gas prices has caused a lot of people to decide that a hybrid is the only vehicle that makes any fiscal sense, but the hard numbers show it's more likely to be something like the Chevrolet Aveo that works best if you want to save money.
Cameras Check For Bad Guys While Cops Keep Rolling
Sunday, July 27th, 2008New technology allows law enforcement officers to take pictures of a suspect car and checking its status without stopping it first, enabling every officer to do more work.
