Archive for January, 2009
Saturday, January 31st, 2009
It's still in the discussion phase, but there are people in DC who think it might make sense to support those people who want to get out of a gas-guzzler for something smaller and more fuel-efficient.
Posted in Driving Matters, Gas Issues, Incentives, Program For Change, Save Money | No Comments »
Saturday, January 31st, 2009
After staging these crashes, the women went on to claim insurance payments for things that didn't happen, which of course all the other patrons of the company would have to pay for.
Posted in Accidents, Insurance, Law Enforcement, Sad stories | No Comments »
Friday, January 30th, 2009
As this story mentions in passing, none of the firms that sell you used car reports (Carfax et al) have all of the information that you need to make an informed choice. But a government-mandated data base is finally getting off the ground, and in due course it will deliver ...
Posted in Accidents, Advice, Buying Tips, Insurance, Is There A Lesson Here?, Law Enforcement, Program For Change, Repairs, Sad stories, Warnings | No Comments »
Friday, January 30th, 2009
The glee in this press release about a method for overturning DUI charges from a British law firm is not quite typical of the kind of thing you see from American law firms when they think they've done something clever, but it's close enough to give you the creeps.
Posted in Driving Matters, Law Enforcement, Program For Change, Sad stories, Technology | No Comments »
Friday, January 30th, 2009
This type of thing may happen in other parts of the continent, but somehow it isn't surprising that it's pretty common in Boston, particularly the south side. If you don't life there, this kind of behavior might be viewed as comical.
Posted in Advice, Driving Matters, Is There A Lesson Here?, Law Enforcement, Sad stories | No Comments »
Thursday, January 29th, 2009
This should be an important consideration if you're trying to save money on fuel by going to a smaller vehicle. It means you're putting yourself at greater risk and not saving any money.
Posted in Accidents, Advice, Buying Tips, Driving Matters, Gas Issues, Insurance, Is There A Lesson Here?, Product News, Save Money, Warnings | No Comments »
Thursday, January 29th, 2009
The importance that men put on the type of car their friends drive says a lot about what's wrong with the world, or so says this columnist in Psychology Today. It's very entertaining and enlightening.
Posted in Cute stories, Is There A Lesson Here? | No Comments »
Thursday, January 29th, 2009
The key point here is that unless you really want to drive a sedan that's smaller than a Chevrolet Malibu or a Toyota Camry, you won't like what the new vehicle situation will be like when the national fleet fuel economy average meets those new standards.
Posted in Driving Matters, Gas Issues, Green, Is There A Lesson Here?, Technology, Warnings | No Comments »
Thursday, January 29th, 2009
Several methods of getting consumers back into the new car market are being considered in Washington, which should be good news for people who decide to take the plunge.
Posted in Buying Tips, Dealerships, Driving Matters, Pricing, Product News | No Comments »
Thursday, January 29th, 2009
Since outward signs of enjoyment and financial well-being seem more offensive lately than they have in a long time, it's probably not surprising that a pair of "life's-a-banquet-and-I'm-filling-my-plate" cars will be phased out.
Posted in Driving Matters, Is There A Lesson Here?, Product News, Program For Change, Sad stories | No Comments »
Thursday, January 29th, 2009
Bearing in the mind the fact that the people who did the survey will directly benefit from an upsurge in the replacement of parts and extra vehicle serive, it's possible that a grain of salt, or maybe even two, needs to be applied here. But it's probably true that a ...
Posted in Accidents, Advice, Dealerships, Driving Matters, Is There A Lesson Here?, Parts, Repairs, Warnings | No Comments »
Wednesday, January 28th, 2009
The craziest auto writer in the English-speaking world is back recommending a Volvo smart shoppers should avoid and suggesting that attractive cars should get preferential treatment. We think it's supposed to be a joke, but who knows?
Posted in Buying Tips, Children, Driving Matters, Is There A Lesson Here?, Law Enforcement, Product News, Warnings | No Comments »
Monday, January 26th, 2009
The Italian company's recent allegiance with Detroit's Chrysler could mean as many as seven new vehicles, mostly of the small, fuel-efficient kind, three bearing the Fiat or Alfa-Romeo logos and four with the Chrysler badge. It will take a while before they're all on sale.
Posted in Dealerships, Marketing, Product News | No Comments »
Monday, January 26th, 2009
A regular commute into Dallas for a disparate group of women has developed into a networking organization that offers help in times of car trouble or job searches or whatever's needed, and no men are allowed.
Posted in Advice, Cute stories, Driving Matters, Is There A Lesson Here?, Program For Change, Repairs, Safety | No Comments »
Monday, January 26th, 2009
Apparently a significant number of people, including a lot of children, are burned when gasoline catches fire, and the Shriners' Hospitals for Children wants to reduce that number. More information can be found at www.burnawarenessweek.org.
Posted in Accidents, Advice, Children, Program For Change, Sad stories, Safety, Warnings | No Comments »
Sunday, January 25th, 2009
To sell more cars, it seems that various dealers are quite willing to encourage customers to lie about their personal financial situation to qualify for credit. As this story makes plain, it might sound like a good idea for the woman looking for transportation, but it can turn bad quite ...
Posted in Advice, Buying Tips, Dealerships, Financing, Is There A Lesson Here?, Sad stories, Sales, Warnings | No Comments »
Sunday, January 25th, 2009
By far the most important lesson of this story is that you should NEVER leave anything on view inside your car since it can lead to a break-in and endless residual trouble. From there on, it probably depends upon where you live, since not all police departments will behave the ...
Posted in Advice, Driving Matters, Is There A Lesson Here?, Law Enforcement, Program For Change, Sad stories, Warnings | No Comments »
Sunday, January 25th, 2009
Groups of mothers regularly pray together for the safety of their families and they believe those requests have often been answered.
Posted in Accidents, Advice, Children, Cute stories, Driving Matters, Is There A Lesson Here?, Program For Change, Safety | No Comments »
Saturday, January 24th, 2009
Ralph Nader is probably more responsible for the launch of automotive safety than any person in the world, and he's still out there doing what he can to encourage consumer protection on all fronts. With George Bush gone, Nader believes the new president has a chance to make things better ...
Posted in Accidents, Advice, Law Enforcement, Safety | No Comments »
Saturday, January 24th, 2009
In principle, the idea of switching from gas to electricity to power cars has a lot of appeal, but there are a lot of challenges on the road to this utopia, including the infrastructure required to supply the electricity. This NY Times story gives a reasonably accurate perspective of the ...
Posted in Driving Matters, Green, Is There A Lesson Here?, Product News, Program For Change, Technology | No Comments »
Saturday, January 24th, 2009
In what may be a first for the auto industry, the handful of customers who already bought the high-profile, low-volume Tesla Roadster will have to pay more than they originally expected. Just more evidence that the economics of such vehicles don't make a lot of sense.
Posted in Buying Tips, Financing, Green, Technology, Warnings | No Comments »
Thursday, January 22nd, 2009
As entertaining as a list like this can be, the truth is that it's drivers who get tickets, not the cars themselves. There is sometimes a co-relation between the driver and his car that results in tickets (young men and cheap sportscars), but more often the causal relationship is not ...
Posted in Driving Matters, Is There A Lesson Here?, Law Enforcement, Safety, Warnings | No Comments »
Thursday, January 22nd, 2009
It's too small to be deemed definitive, but a small survey in south Florida makes it clear that a lot of women don't like the experience of buying cars and would much prefer that a professional do it for them. This stems mostly from the fact that most women think ...
Posted in Advice, Buying Tips, Is There A Lesson Here?, Pricing, Program For Change, Save Money, Warnings | No Comments »
Thursday, January 22nd, 2009
It's a little unfair to say that what the children of Baby Boomers want is not on many car companies' menus at present, but it is true that many changes will have to be made if they want to attract younger buyers in large volumes.
Posted in Advertising, Children, Marketing, Product News, Program For Change | No Comments »
Thursday, January 22nd, 2009
These pictures are quite entertaining, if you're sitting someplace comfortable at home and not behind the wheel trying to get across town without getting killed, at which point some of these traffic lights would be terrifying.
Posted in Cute stories, Driving Matters, Technology, Warnings | No Comments »
Wednesday, January 21st, 2009
The continuing growth in the number of people who are driving around without car insurance is a huge financial problem for the people who are insured, since their rates will probably be going up. But there are various issues associated with this and you should check with your agent to ...
Posted in Accidents, Advice, Insurance, Is There A Lesson Here?, Law Enforcement, Program For Change, Sad stories, Warnings | No Comments »
Wednesday, January 21st, 2009
Attention all you folks who think the sun rises and sets on imported cars, do yourself a favor and look carefully at this press release below from a respected research firm. It may help break up some of the calcification that's built up around your brain on the subject of automobile ...
Posted in Advice, Buying Tips, Driving Matters, Is There A Lesson Here?, Lists, Program For Change | No Comments »
Wednesday, January 21st, 2009
If you're one of those folks who thinks it's smart to leave your seatbelt undone so you'll be "thrown clear" in a crash, you need to see this video. But be warned -- it's pretty tough stuff.
Posted in Accidents, Advice, Is There A Lesson Here?, Safety, Warnings | No Comments »
Wednesday, January 21st, 2009
You may not appreciate this writer's views on Bikini Girl on American Idol, but his perspective on how well his high-mileage Ford is holding up should be of interest to anyone currently out shopping for a new car.
Posted in Advice, Buying Tips, Is There A Lesson Here?, Program For Change, Save Money | No Comments »
Wednesday, January 21st, 2009
Right now they're not really making much of a difference in the struggle to reduce the use of oil, but every new technology has to start somewhere (ask the owners of Apple Newtons) and solar panels have made their debut on a couple of production cars.
Posted in Green, Product News, Program For Change, Technology | No Comments »
Tuesday, January 20th, 2009
The woman in charge of leading the development of hybrid vehicles for Ford is enthusiastic about the opportunity, even in such parlous economic times.
Posted in Driving Matters, Green, Product News, Program For Change, Technology | No Comments »
Tuesday, January 20th, 2009
A consideration of how to handle one of the most irritating things about having a car leads directly into a consideration of the best way to lead your life. It may not work for you, but it might be worth your time to think about it.
Posted in Advice, Children, Driving Matters, Is There A Lesson Here?, Program For Change | No Comments »
Tuesday, January 20th, 2009
In an effort to extend its incredible success with marketing a fuel-saving car that doesn't save its owners any money, Toyota has announced a program to push slow-moving second-hand Prius hybrids off of dealer lots. The candy is an examination of some battery-related equipment that is supposed to make you ...
Posted in Advice, Buying Tips, Dealerships, Is There A Lesson Here?, Our View, Pricing, Technology, Warnings | No Comments »
Monday, January 19th, 2009
Most people take being in a car for granted, especially if they've been doing it for years with no untoward results. But this story shows how close to disaster you can come every time you get into a vehicle. This situation will play out in these people's lives forever and ...
Posted in Accidents, Children, Driving Matters, Is There A Lesson Here?, Law Enforcement, Sad stories, Warnings | No Comments »
Monday, January 19th, 2009
In case you didn't know it, women are taking a much bigger interest in grassroots stock car racing across America, but the big bucks series has gone cold on women since its sole female racer was found to be having a "relationship" with her team boss. Who is surprised to ...
Posted in Is There A Lesson Here?, Program For Change, Sad stories | No Comments »
