Last posts on cars

Basic Car Driving Tips for all seasons

2008-09-08T21:49:39+02:00

How many out there wish to spend more time in the car than other things? According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the average American spends about 49 minutes a day commuting to and from work. Avoiding an accident requires both hands on the wheel and no distractions. Only 25 percent of the driving population takes to the roads at night. Yet, nighttime accidents account for 50 percent of driving accidents. Light is the major thing while you drive in the night time to avoid accidents. Xenon headlights create wider beams, which are lit more evenly, allowing drivers to see more of the road, and are virtually impervious to shock and vibrations. Xenon lights also last longer, providing more than 3,000 hours in an automotive application, compared to 1,000 hours for halogen. Small changes can make big differences. If drivers buy cars with Xenon headlights, they will likely enhance their own safety and energy efficiency.When a car is in top operating condition, it will not only enhance the safety conditions for drivers and passengers, but also help people save on gas. One of the first things you should do is familiarize yourself with the ins and outs of your vehicle. It is important to read the owner's manual and follow proper winterizing suggestions that involve the battery, lights, defroster, heater, motor oil, antifreeze, wiper blades, windshield washer fluid, tire pressure, brakes and brake fluid, belt, hoses, and filters. Before hitting the road during winter travel, you must clear the snow and ice from not only all windows and lights, but also the hood and roof of the car.In addition to maintaining the safety level of your vehicle, you must also pay extra attention to the way you drive in the wintertime. This means staying off of the cell phone and adhering to the legal speed limit. Additionally, a driver should: •Not forget to wear seat belt.•Stay Alert and drive without Distractions.•Drive completely sober•Drive with headlights on that too in the dark places and also in the winter seasons.•Give ample amount of time to slow down when roads are slippery. •When roads are icy or snowy, the best suggestion is to delay travel, especially when "black ice" is involved. •Do not pass maintenance vehicles or plows on the right and give them at least 200 feet between them and your vehicle. •Avoid traveling on bridges or long travel during icy conditions. •Since trucks take longer to stop than cars, do not cut in front. •Avoid cruise control or overdrive in freezing cold weather. •Avoid pumping anti-lock brakes - it is much better to "stomp and steer."•In case of a puncture or blowout hold on to the steering wheel firmly. Draw the vehicle towards the corner of the road.•If you sense fire, switch off the ignition and draw the vehicle towards the side of the road. Switch on the hazard lights. Try to put out the fire by throwing sand onto it. If the fire grows, stay away from it – it could lead to an explosion. Try to find help as quickly as possible and warn others.Plan the best route to your destination. Try to avoid hills, busy areas and bridges. Anticipate cars coming from side streets and allow extra distance between your vehicle and the one in front of you. If someone is riding your bumper, don't speed up -; maintain your pace and let them go around you. As an additional precautionary measure, store name and telephone number of an emergency contact on your cell phone under the name "ICE". This acronym stands for "emergency" aid and rescue personnel quickly locate a friend or family member.Author Biography:Myers Hurt is the author of murderedoutrides.com. Murdered out Rides is an online discussion forum dedicated to the hottest trend in cars today – completely blacked-out rides. Black on black is the new black! Site features pictures, videos, and discussion of your cars, trucks, and bikes – plus celebrity rides, parts, services, and how-to.For more details, please visit – http://www.murderedoutrides.com

Arena Motor Group

2008-09-07T23:31:17+02:00

A co-worker of mine bought a used car this past week. He hasn't picked it up yet but he sent me a link to their site. The site is okay, but the car selection is awesome. They have cars I didn't know where out yet like the Nissan GT-R. The site is called Arena Motor Group. They have a Lamborghini Gallardo, Dodge Charger, E55 Benz, even a 1968 Shelby Cobra. They also have a Buick Grand National with only 1400 miles on it. I would love to know where they get these cars from. They site isn't the greatest but it is fun just to see what they have. Everytime I check it out they have something that is on my wish list. Anyways I recomend you check them out.

Car Video Clips Never Fail to Amuse us

2008-08-16T06:21:48+02:00

Car video clips can be a great source of entertainment for all, for a layman, an avid car enthusiast or someone who has a keen interest in motorsport. Car videos are great fun to watch, especially when stunning Ferrari or BMW cars are shown coasting through scenic highways or traveling through a picturesque mountain side. Some great background music which many videos come with further accentuates the experience. Muscular SUV’s are equally exciting too, the effortlessness with which they take on some really undulating surfaces adds to the excitement. Video clips shot from a motorsport event like circuit racing offer some good adrenaline rush. The intoxicating scream of those high-end engines are a delight to hear and the blistering pace these cars run at are indeed a true delight to watch. So have fun and treat yourself to some great car video clips .

Car Video Clips, a Good Source of Info

2008-08-13T07:35:44+02:00

There are scores of car video clips available on the internet which makes for an excellent source of information for car enthusiasts. While articles about cars posted on the net provide detailed information about the car’s features, car video clips are a faster way to imbibe information about them.Car videos are designed to provide core information about the vehicle, many even mentioning about improvements undertaken over the previous models. The other advantage is that a lot of visual information on key areas like specific changes done on the exterior, aspects related to the car’s interiors like the dash, seats, additional gadgetry which have been included, is provided.Watch these informative car video clips and get to know more about the latest in the car world.

Car Videos– Keep Yourself Abreast with the Ever-Changing Auto World

2008-08-04T09:06:34+02:00

The automobile world today is progressing with an ever increasing pace. If one were to speak of cars, manufacturers worldwide are getting more innovative by the day. The gamut is truly wide. There are cars that are being designed with an eye for eco- friendliness, like electric cars and hybrid cars, cars that feature technological sophistication, cars that possess high end performance and so on. If someone intends to buy a car of a particular genre, could be a SUV or a sports coupe or a luxury sedan; one could begin to experience a kind of ambiguity as there are so many different manufacturers and so many different models one could choose from. One could read about them in auto magazines or watch car videos on television or internet depicting a few models. The internet is like an ultra mega show room of car videos . There are virtually ship loads of them covering a whole range of manufacturers and models. Apart from getting a detailed visual impression, the videos contain verbal descriptions about the model’s features, uniqueness, comments by automobile experts and users, price tags and other details like the upcoming launch of an upgraded version. So whether you are an avid car enthusiast wanting information about the latest cars or someone actually wanting to buy one, treat yourself to some amazing video clips !

Off-Roading- Dune Bashing, Mud Bogging and Rock Crawling

2008-07-30T11:44:02+02:00

Dune bashing involves driving over sand dunes. It’s very popular in the US and mid-east countries. Two of the most popular destinations In the US are iSilver Lake Sand Dunes in Michigan and the Imperial Sand Dunes in California.MuddingMudding special mud-terrain tires which are huge both in terms of width and diameter. Two important factors to drive through mud-holes without getting stuck are traction and momentum.Rock crawling is a more technical type of off-roading sport. Vehicles used are fitted with larger tires, suspension components that allow greater axle articulation, and gear ratio to provide high torque. Drivers negotiate through rocky terrain. This is one of the extreme forms of off-roading.Auto enthusiasts catch up with such extreme form of motor sporting through crazy car videos .

Hot and Spicy Supercars

2008-05-30T12:28:09+02:00

The high-end sports cars with superior performance are typically exotic or rare cars – the supercars The Lamborghini Miura was the first one to be called a supercar. They are street legal and factory made cars. Enzo Ferrari, McLaren F1, Lamborghini Reventón, Porsche Carrera GT are typically some of the best known super cars.Supercars have rear mid-engine and rear-wheel drive for better weight distribution. There are also some supercars with an all-wheel-drive (like Bugatti Veyron) with new engines for better performance.For higher acceleration and more agile handling, the supercars have high power engines and low vehicle mass. That’s what supercars are known for – extremely high acceleration. Once a supercar is not a supercar forever- time changes all.Built for superior cornering speeds, supercar has maximum cornering and road gripping ability. supercars are brand-centric – First the brand proves itself and then it gets to launch a supercar. And brands are also about style – they’ve got to have those ravishing & seductive looks. They are not necessarily rare, but do become rare cars, when they run into limited production. Supercars definitely spice up the roads they vroom on!!!

Exciting World of Muscle Cars and Hot Rods

2008-05-21T14:00:21+02:00

Have you ever heard of a car with muscles? Yes muscle cars, they are in a breed of their own with extremely powerful torque and high horse power capability. First thing that you'll notice of these cars is their bulky curves and high-performance z rated tires for which muscle cars are very much known. Muscle cars were giants of the drag racing world way back in 1960's till early part of 1980's. Powered by V8 engine and special trim intended for maximum torque, these cars dominated the 50's – 70's era, with every man dreaming of owning a muscle car. Even females couldn't resist its looks, when a vintage car passed by. Muscle cars are totally different with supreme torque that can take down any of today's sports cars and with elegant interiors; they make a personal style statement of their own. So next time when you hit the gas in a muscle car; be ready for a jaw-dropping ride!!! Hot rodsare vintage cars with large engines modified for linear speed. Car owners modify their production car in the attempt to increase acceleration and top end speed. Most Americans are fond of restoring vintage cars as hot rods. Traditional hot rods are made by reusing original, old parts from the junkyard and remanufacturing cars that were popular from the 1940s through the 1960s. But street rodding is based on building or getting cars built with new parts. A typical hot rod is heavily modified by replacing the engine and transmission and a few other components, including brakes and steering.Hot rods look great with the abundance of chrome parts, fat tires, modified engine and various body panels removed. Most hot rods are typically painted with a design of flames behind the front wheels.

cArS, C@Rs, CaR$

2008-05-21T07:30:00+02:00

Dodge Viper SRT10

Honda

Chevrolet

BMW

Mercedes Benz

Volkswagen

Audi

Chrysler Crossfire

CRV

Enter the Arena of Custom Cars, Lowriders and Hot Rods

2008-05-16T14:12:55+02:00

Cars are the ultimate toys for big boys. And having one of the fastest street cars is a dream come true for any auto enthusiast or car lover. Custom cars are the ones that come to their rescue. Most people customize their cars either to improve its performance, sometimes by altering or replacing the engine and transmission or as a personal style statement, making the car look "unique" and unlike any car that might have been factory finished. The craze for the fastest cars is undying and manufacturers of fast street cars are providing their customers with some exotic car designs, combined with brilliant acceleration and top speed. To increase speed, a car is modified by removing its unnecessary parts and its aerodynamics features are enhanced via side skirts, front and rear bumpers, adding spoilers, splitters, air vents and light weight wheels. A car can also be modified to provide better fuel economy, produce more power at high RPM or the ride comfort may be sacrificed to provide better handling. Lowriders are classic cars or trucks whose suspension system has been modified so that it rides at a very low level to the ground. With the use of modern day hydraulics, users have height adjustable suspension. Most of the Lowriders are vintage cars of the 1940’s to 1960’s. Creating a Lowriders is an art that’s creating fascinating cars with modern day hydraulics that not only lower but also raise the car, and also make it hop, and tilt it from side to side. Lowriders are designed with chrome accessories, gold plating, stunning paint schemes, spot lights, wire wheels, spectacular spinners and more. Low riders also include Competition hoppers, cars built with an emphasis on the hydraulic suspension to give them a maximum ability to hop, especially for competitions. But they are less artistic and less luxurious too. Hot rodsare vintage cars with large engines modified for linear speed. Car owners modify their production car in the attempt to increase acceleration and top end speed. Most Americans are fond of restoring vintage cars as hot rods. Traditional hot rods are made by reusing original, old parts from the junkyard and remanufacturing cars that were popular from the 1940s through the 1960s. But street rodding is based on building or getting cars built with new parts. Hot rods look great with the abundance of chrome parts, fat tires, modified engine and various body panels removed. Most hot rods are typically painted with a design of flames behind the front wheels. A typical hot rod is heavily modified by replacing the engine and transmission and a few other components, including brakes and steering. Jazz up your cars and turn them into a personal statement! Unleash your creativity and your personality with custom cars, Lowridersor hot rods

Customized Collectibles - Lowriders and Hot Rods

2008-05-15T08:13:41+02:00

Since it's inroduction, Lowriders have been an evolution and have taken the world by storm, it has also taken the mainstream automotive industry by surprise--no one seems to know where the world's number one auto trend came from. Lowriders are highly modified classic cars or trucks, which ride at a very low level to the ground. With the use of modern day hydraulics, users have height adjustable suspension. Most of the Lowriders are vintage cars of the 1940’s to 1960’s.Lowering cars to almost the sidewalk level and customizing them dramatically has been a status symbol. Lowriders signify prestige. In the 1940's people had to wait for Sundays to catch a glimpse of a Lowrider. Soon enough Lowriders became a trademark for anyone seeking for attention or for someone cruising highways day after day. Lowrider cars inspired the making of lowrider bicycles.Creating a lowrider is an art that’s evolved from using heavy weights and chopping springs to bring the body close to the ground; to modern day hydraulics that raise and lower the car, and also make it hop, and tilt it from side to side. Lowriders are designed with triple dipped chrome accessories, gold plating, stunning paint schemes, twin side pipes, spot lights, wire wheels, spinners and more. One can see a lot of vehicle makes, visual styles and a diverse mix of cultures in lowriders. A lowrider's internal parts are more likely to get damaged from road surface imperfections and obstructions.Traditional low riders were made from cars of the 1960’s like Chevy Impala, Chevrolet Monte Carlo, Buick Regal, Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme, Lincoln Continentals, and Pontiac Grand Prix. At times they are radically modified reducing them to pure show cars.Hot rods, the typical American cars with large engines modified for linear speed are a compelling blend of vintage cars and today’s high performance engines. Car owners modify their production car in the attempt to increase acceleration and top end speed. For most Americans restoring their vintage cars as hot rods is more of a national sport.The vintage cars of the 40’s to 60’s still have the potential to turn heads and that’s why there’s so much craze for Hot rods. The traditional hot rodding concept was based on reusing original, old parts from the junkyard and remanufacturing cars that were popular from the 1940s through the 1960s. But the street rodding concept is based on building or getting cars built with new parts.While modifying a vintage car to a hot rod – one of the things is to reduce the weight of the vehicle by removing certain parts. That’s why hot rods have abundance of chrome parts and minimalistic chassis with no roof, hood, bumpers, seats, windscreens or fenders. Sometimes the original engines are replaced by high speed ones and tires are fattened up for extra traction. Most hot rods are typically painted with a design of flames behind the front wheels. Building a hot rod requires skills in mechanics, welding, automotive paint and body work.Hot rods catered to the rebellion and attention seeking needs of American teenagers. The modifications of hot rods are a vent to the frustrations of conventional styling. Hot rodding is an art work that replenishes the golden past with the present day high speed performance. Hot rods are a display of American pride.

Souped Up Cars – Lowriders, Hot Rods and Concepts

2008-05-14T14:30:00+02:00

Souped up cars are so awesomely breathtaking – Lowriders, Hot Rods, Concept Cars, Custom Cars, Muscle Cars and the list just goes on…. Spellbound watching the ravishing performance cars go zoom at full speed?Lowriders are classic cars or trucks of the 1940’s to 1960’s, whose suspension system has been modified so that it rides at a very low level to the ground. With the use of modern day hydraulics, users have height adjustable suspension.Lowriders also include Competition hoppers, cars built with an emphasis on the hydraulic suspension to give them a maximum ability to hop, especially for competitions. But they are less artistic and less luxurious too.Hot rods are vintage cars with large engines modified for linear speed. Car owners modify their production car in the attempt to increase acceleration and top end speed. Most Americans are fond of restoring vintage cars as hot rods. Traditional hot rods are made by reusing original, old parts from the junkyard and remanufacturing cars that were popular from the 1940s through the 1960s. But street rodding is based on building or getting cars built with new parts.A typical hot rod is heavily modified by replacing the engine and transmission and a few other components, including brakes and steering. Hot rods look great with the abundance of chrome parts, fat tires, modified engine and various body panels removed. Most hot rods are typically painted with a design of flames behind the front wheels.Concept cars are important to the automotive industry as they are car prototypes made to showcase a concept, new styling, technology and more. Very often concept cars are seen in motor shows with an intention to gauge end user reaction of the latest and radical changes. But these concept cars don’t always go into production. They are just experimental pieces to test the waters before diving into large scale production. Concepts are a great way for car designers to fine tune their styling, designing and engineering skills. Concept cars with a complete transformation in design, appearance or engineering truly stand out.Production cars are what normally everyone has, but souped up cars are cool toys for the big boys!

Generation Z-minus-one

2008-05-01T18:50:15+02:00

Tayere studentlekh,Remember how in elementary school, you learned that you're supposed to make eye contact with the driver if you're walking in front of or behind a car? Make eye contact with the driver if you're walking in front of or behind a car. Or at least look at, not away from, the car; the car sounds you hear a foot away should be a clear indication that there is indeed a car somewhere near you. If we accidentally hit you, guilt dictates that we have to give you As in all your classes, and that would really screw up our grade distrubution, ultimately leading to questions from the accreditation board. And if we're de-accredited because of inflated grades, then your degree won't mean anything. (The second paragraph may be fictional, but it's fiction engaged for a useful purpose, which makes it okay.)

Worst Cars, Best Lines

2007-09-11T20:18:31+02:00

Why are some of the funniest, most skilled writers ("Pulitzer Prize-winning," in fact) creating copy for Time magazine's list of 50 Worst Cars?

"Actually, at 1,100 lbs and 145 in. long, the Crosley Hotshot was a minor hunk of junk, but at least it was slow and dangerous. A wondrously mangled and compacted Hotshot can be glimpsed in the 1961 driver's ed scare film Mechanized Death." (Crosley Hotshot, 1949) (But it's so darned cute and snouty.)

"It took the drivers at Road and Track 32 seconds to reach 60 mph, which would put the Dauphine at a severe disadvantage in any drag race involving farm equipment." (Renault Dauphine, 1956)

"It was also a lovely little coupe, which made the moment when the suspension mounts punched through the stressed-skin monocoque all the more pathetic." (Lotus Elite, 1958)

"... giving it a top speed of only 50 mph, assuming you had that kind of time. Its unique feature was the rear-facing bench seat, which meant passengers could watch in horror as traffic threatened to rear-end this rolling roadblock of a car." (Zunndapp Janus, 1958) (1958 -- great year for cars!)

"A vehicle that promised to revolutionize drowning ... Its single greatest demerit -- and this is a big one -- was that it wasn't particularly watertight. " (Amphicar, 1961)

"The 3.0-liter Triumph V8 was a monumental failure, an engine that utterly refused to confine its combustion to the internal side." (Triumph Stag, 1970)

"The interior looked like a third-world casino. ... Here we are approaching the nadir of American car building .... Or, it would be the nadir, except for the abysmal 1980 Chrysler Imperial, which had an engine cursed by God." (1971 Chrysler Imperial LeBaron Two-Door Hardtop)

"The only Bricklin I ever sat in caught on fire and burned to the axles. This is notably ironic, since the car's creator -- the smooth-talking Malcolm Bricklin -- didn't include an ashtray or lighter in the car, to discourage smoking. Despite its hand-removing, 100-lb. gullwing doors, the SV1 was supposed to exemplify the safer car of the future." (Bricklin SV1, 1975)

"The Trabant was East Germany's answer to the VW Beetle -- a 'people's car,' as if the people didn't have enough to worry about." (Trabant, 1975)

"In the disco days of the 1970s, even supercars were cocaine-thin. Meet the Aston Martin Lagonda, a four-door exotic that lived on dinner mints and hot water." (Aston Martin Lagonda, 1976)

"Few car projects were more maledicted than the DMC-12. By the time Johnny Z. got the factory in Northern Ireland up and running -- and what could possibly go wrong there? -- the losses were piling up fast." (De Lorean DMC-12, 1981)

"There was a time when 90 horsepower was a lot, and that time was 1932." (Camaro Iron Duke, 1982)

"Everything that could leak, burn, snap or rupture did so with the regularity of the Anvil Chorus. The collected service advisories would look like the Gutenberg Bible." (Maserati Biturbo, 1984)

"Malcolm Bricklin, he of the Bricklin SV1, wouldn't be satisfied until he had forced every American to walk to work. ... Built in Soviet-bloc Yugoslavia, the Yugo had the distinct feeling of something assembled at gunpoint. Interestingly, in a car where 'carpet' was listed as a standard feature ... (Yugo GV, 1985)

"At the time, Ford argued that many of its customers -- ranchers, farmers, um, tugboat enthusiasts -- needed a vehicle this big with over 10,000-lb. towing capacity." (Ford Excursion, 2000)

"I was in the audience at the Detroit auto show the day GM unveiled the Pontiac Aztek and I will never forget the gasp that audience made. Holy hell! This car could not have been more instantly hated if it had a Swastika tattoo on its forehead. ... With its multiple eyes and supernumerary nostrils, the Aztek looks deformed and scary, something that dogs bark at and cathedrals employ to ring bells. (Pontiac Aztek, 2001)

"One struggles to think of a worse vehicle at a worse time." (Hummer H2, 2003)

Websites with Narrow Focus - VI

2007-06-20T02:10:26+02:00

Wrecked Exotics: "The internet's largest collection of exotic car crash photos. We display over 6,000 wrecked exotic cars to show you the real consequences of reckless driving. These car crash pictures involve some of the most expensive automobiles ever produced including Lamborghini, Ferrari, Mclaren F1, Bugatti and more. All in all, you'll find almost a quarter of a billion dollars worth of damage within this car crash collection." (Photo: wrecked 2005 Bentley Continental)

Cars and How They Define Space

2007-04-26T17:21:26+02:00

The science fiction and fantasy writer Orson Scott Card's essay Life Without Cars is excellent.

"We got our wish. We no longer live in cities. We don't live in towns. We don't live in the country, either. We don't live anywhere at all. Just island neighborhoods in splendid isolation, with roads so convoluted that half our driving is just to get out of the island and onto a road that goes somewhere.

"You want to take a walk? No sidewalks in most places, and nowhere to walk to. ...

"You're at WalMart. You want to go to Home Depot. You can see it from where you are, but please don't be stupid and try to walk there. Our streets hate pedestrians. You have to walk all the way out to the street -- or cut through prickly hedges or climb fences."

I remember about 20 years ago I tried to walk from a bus stop near White Flint Mall (in Bethesda, MD) to White Flint Mall proper. I could see the one from the other, just across a multi-lane street or two. Mistake. For some reason unfathomable to me even then, the roads, lights, traffic speed, etc., weren't designed for a pedestrian to cross to a shopping center from a bus stop -- though the bus might be seen as the access vehicle for many would-be shoppers. It took me 20 minutes, a few desperate dashes across speeding traffic, and walking in weeds up to my shins to reach the Mall. Then I had to figure out how to get into it, because it's mostly accessed through the parking garages. If you haven't done it before, I can tell you that walking around the exterior of a Mall on foot is a very, very slow process.

Now I live in a small town, where I can walk to the library, coffee shop, many churches, several banks, some doctors' offices, the post office (though that walk could be more pedestrian-friendly), drug store, small grocery store, etc. I am grateful such a place still exists.

In the section of his essay headed There's Another Way, Card describes his ideal town attributes, some of which my town exhibits:

"Narrow streets with sidewalks on both sides. When people are parked at the curb, cars can't pass each other going both ways. So cars go very slowly and the drivers are constantly alert." // Yes to the sidewalks and narrow streets, but unfortunately, cars often don't slow down even when passing parked cars. So far, though, I haven't witnessed an accident in town.

"Yards are small." // Yes, they are. I'd prefer them a little larger, and sunnier so I could grow more vegetables and herbs, but not at the cost of lovely shady trees.

"Children walk to school. Adults walk to stores that are only a few blocks away. Nobody lives more than three short blocks from a bus stop or other public transportation, and because so many people use public transit, the buses come frequently; you never wait more than fifteen minutes during the peak times." // Alas, we fall far short. Children almost universally ride the bus to school, and the school bus stops every few yards it seems, so no one has to walk. Some adults do walk or bike to stores to do errands, but most still drive, even a few blocks. The bus stops wherever anyone flags it down, so that's handy, but it runs only once an hour and almost no one takes it.

"People meet their neighbors because they're not all locked inside metal-and-plastic shacks moving down the street. You pass each other going to and from schools and stores and work." // Yes, this is mostly true here. I run into as many people on the sidewalks and in downtown shops as I do in the grocery store on the outskirts of town. The hybrid and idle-profuse version of this is that it's not uncommon to be walking down the street, heading to the bank or library, and to have a friend in a car slow down to talk for a moment. Not so good.

"The houses aren't all alike." // We have a mix of large and small single-family, duplexes, and apartments within less than a quarter mile of each other in many parts of town.

Card's section on Why We Need to Get Cars Under Control offers these reasons:

1. Stop Funding Our Enemies. Reduce "the vast pool of oil money from which the sponsors of terrorism can draw."

2. Get Back That Wasted Time.

3. Saving Lives. In 2005, 43,200 people died on American highways. If we were fighting a war in which 40,000 people died every year and it had gone on that way for the past twenty years, wouldn't you join the anti-war movement? ... People don't die randomly -- they die because of drunks, reckless teenagers, sleepy drivers, stressed-out drivers in a rage, and drivers so desperate not to be driving that they're trying to do something else at the same time.
If we drove half the number of hours, the quality of our driving would likely improve. If our kids could get somewhere without cars, we could save their lives by not letting them drive when they're still so immature they endanger themselves and everyone else. If all drinkers walked to and from the bar, it would save 16,000 lives a year from alcohol-caused accidents.

4. A Tax on the Poor. "Because we design our cities so that you can't function without owning at least one car, the working poor have to spend a huge portion of their income on gasoline and car costs."

5. Oil Is Not Forever. "Anybody who thinks the 'free market' will always guarantee surpluses understands neither the market nor history. It is strict government oversight that has softened the economic booms and busts that used to devastate us; the free market is perfectly happy to collapse under stress and leave us eating acorns. The surest way to avoid economic ruin when the oil runs out is to need less of it."

6. Parking Lot Land. We can reclaim it!

7. Air Pollution. We'd all be healthier without cars pumping poisons into the air.

8. Exercise. If we actually used our legs to get from place to place, instead of cars, we'd get plenty of exercise without having to set aside special time to do it.

And then he addresses how to do it. (And see his follow-up article, Walking Neighborhoods, for more details.)

red is hot

2007-04-05T16:10:00+02:00

My first seat in a Ferrari.

Gosh.. I can never believe it that i'd one day sit in a Ferrari. It has never crossed my 25 years of mind or even dreamnt to be in one. To me, car is just a car. And working in an Oil and Gas company which pratically all of my bosses own ones for themselves. A big boy's toy they say. And for me, I just feel that it's a waste of the company's money.

And just a while ago, I sat in one and felt the heat of being in one of the fastest cars in the world.

Proud? Yeah probably for a little but hey.. who wouldn't?

Rock-a-bye Baby

2006-11-22T17:40:00+01:00

I'm having problem sleeping lately.

Since the day I came back from the event in Johore. Everything seems to be out of place, I realized.<

My mood swings are going haywire and I just can't believe myself that I nearly went out with Mr Single Malt Sex tonight. Ouh my.. SO WRONG!! Luckily I didnt.

Mr Snap Snap is not in town bacause he has some training thingy going on in Johore. Yes, he went there right after I return from the visit. He has been there since Monday evening and coming back on Thursday. So, I'm kinda lost without him actually coz basically, I don't have anyone to come back to now. I mean to meet online (Yeah.. I'm such a loser!! :P) Ah.. it's okie. I was thinking of asking him to accompany me to a close friend's sister's wedding this Saturday afternoon and perhaps catch a movie in the evening. Still stalling the idea though. I'm not sure if I'm ready to introduce him to my friends just yet.. HmMmM

And.. since Mr Snap Snap is not around.. I met an old friend last Tuesday, Mr Fast Car (he drives an EVO VIII). Well, actually he was not really a friend. He was one of the guys that I went out but didn't have sex with. He was such a good flirt and cheeky but nothing really happened. Coz at the same time while we were going out, I fell for who I thought was Mr Charming Steward (until I found out that he was actually Mr Steward Limp Dick - only knew after I slept with him of course). I chose Mr SLD instead of Mr FC. STUPID!

*Vroom Vroom* Evo VIII

Well anyway, meeting with Mr Fast Car was great. He was fun as ever and at the same time, remain a gentleman that he is. He didn't change one bit. He was the same ol guy I went out with 2 years ago but probably different in a way he presented himself. A more mature guy I guess. Would I go out with him again now? HmMm.. am not so sure. Probably.

HmMmM.. my body is tired but my mind wouldn't let me rest.

I NEED MY SLEEP!

Welcome to Affordable cars, jewelry, luxury Autoblog

2006-09-03T07:45:00+02:00

On this blog, we will publish car reviews to help you shop and make the best decisions. There will be other reviews too.For now, go ahead and read more car reviews at Podshoppingblog Autoblog

Buying Used Cars

2006-09-03T00:45:00+02:00

Furthermore, if value is important to you, finding a bargain of a used car can be very satisfying, and also financially rewarding. There is sometimes the conception that buying a used vehicle can be risky and that it will end up with one problem or another, although, the skills of engineers over the past years has shown to produce cars that are more reliable and more maintenance-free than ever before.

Buying a car

2005-11-03T14:55:00+01:00

Last night, we came close to buying a 2003 Honda Civic Hybrid, manual transmission, with 81,000 miles, from National Motors in Baltimore, MD. It was being auctioned on eBay, selling to someone else around 9:15 p.m. ET for $9,700. We didn't bid but we seriously considered doing so, researching the Hybrid (friends of ours own one, so we'd had a little experience of it) as well as the 1999 Honda Civic EX, which is not a hybrid and which is currently listed for sale in our area on Craig's list. We've had two Honda vehicles and are happy with them. We've also bought a vehicle via eBay and were happy with that transaction.

I am most interested in gas mileage, aesthetic look of the car (especially the interior and dash), low miles, and low maintenance costs (including taxes and yearly registration and insurance costs). These are also important to my spouse, as well as safety (specifically, side airbags), and he would like a vehicle that does well in snow and ice. One vehicle he's suggested is the Toyota Rav4, which is said to get about 25 mpg, less than our older Honda and Acura cars get now. Of course, the RAV4 EV would get over 100 mpg but it's not a 4-wheel-drive.

The Honda Civic Hybrid's gas mileage varies widely, based on what I've read online, from about 32 mpg to 50 mpg, depending, to some extent, on how the car is driven; in all cars, accelerating slowly, braking gradually, driving less than 60 mph, and keeping tires inflated properly will increase gas mileage, all other things being equal, but in hybrids gas mileage is dramatically affected by these things.

The non-hybrid Honda Civics (DX, HX, LX, and EX), years 1999-2002, are rated to get from 29-36 mpg city and 32-45 mpg highway. Actual mileage seems to average as high as 40 mpg. These cars would probably have lower registration costs (because we can buy an older model of a regular civic than of a hybrid, and because the hybrids cost somewhat more than the non-hybrids) and maintenance can be done by our regular mechanic (we live 45 mins from an official Honda dealer). The hybrid has side air bags, though, and these older civic models don't seem to offer them.

So, we didn't bid and we're still looking ...

UPDATE ... 5 March 06: After months of searching eBay, Craigslist, Auto Traders, etc., for Honda Civic hybrids, HXs, LXs, and EXs, we bought a well-maintained, one-owner 1998 Honda Civic LX with 103,000 miles on it for $6,000 earlier this week from someone my spouse knows at work. The car seems to have little rust, which is a big plus for us in coastal New England. We're still on the first tank of gas (and the car is wearing its winter tires), so we have yet to track gas mileage. I'm hoping for at least 36-38 mpg overall.