Owning a car has always been considered a necessity. But it is a common knowledge that investing to purchase a vehicle is not that simple because of high costs.
These days, cars are very expensive and not all people with decent jobs can very much afford buying one. Owning a brand new or even a second-hand car is not that easy since the impediment of price is standing still. Moreover, cost of maintenance is equally stressful. You surely are aware of how expensive gasoline costs are becoming each day.
For people who have always dreamt and longed for driving a car, there is hope. If you are a little tight on budget, but is very much determined to enjoy the privileges of owning and driving a car, perhaps, getting into a car club would be a logical move.
A car club is basically offering people to drive and enjoy a car even without the need for actual purchases. Car clubs are founded to serve as formal facilities and organizations for car rentals. These days, when you say you want to enter a car club, it means you are about to enter a group that has the privilege to rent or lease a car even for a short term use.
If you are intending to join a car club, it would be helpful if you would take note of the typical good traits of a good and reliable car club. First of all, the car club should be a name you could trust.
There are popular car clubs operating in the market. Popularity in this aspect could very much be a gauge for reliability because it is just practical that trustworthy and reliable car clubs are loyally patronized and supported by highly satisfied members and clients.
The car club must be offering comprehensive terms for membership. Read the membership guidelines to find out the offered perks of the club. Specifically, find out about the many benefits and added services and advantages offered by the car club. For example, a good car club should be offering the free and convenient services or advices from qualified technical service advisors.
Some car clubs offer free access to car club libraries, while others give away discounts and freebies for several products and services at other partner institutions or companies.
A good car club would never pose too many hassles for new membership. Regular booking for membership is usually fast at about half an hour via telephone or Internet transactions.
When choosing a car club, also check for the offered perks involving parking bays. Good car clubs also offer a convenient listing of car models and brands available for rent. Thus, you would have even the slightest idea about what types of cars you could likely rent or lease in the future.
Look at the subscription charges. Normal options are monthly and annual payments. Monthly membership payments are not too heavy on the pocket, though it can be a little tedious to regularly make payment transactions once every month.
Annual payments are convenient, though usually a little felt by the budget. There are also many perks and additional benefits or discounts offered by car clubs for members who prefer monthly payment of membership dues.
If you set to sign in for membership in a car club, always remember the mentioned factors and simple guidelines.
Alex Baumm. Find more tips at http://www.carclubtalk.com
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Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Car Clubs: Things to look Out for Before You Join a Car Club
Friday, January 25, 2008
How to Prepare for Buying a Car
Car buying is a difficult experience when you are not prepared. There are several things you should know before you ever step into a car dealer's office or seek out a private owner from the millions of ads available. The first and most important aspect of car buying is having your finances under control. When you are looking for a car there are several possibilities in how you will buy that car. You can have the money for the entire car purchase price, which is very rare for most of us or seek a loan or lease.
When you seek a loan there are many things the car dealer as well as the loan company is going to look at. It is all about negotiation. The car dealer is going to look at you for risk and make sure you can handle the loan payments of the car you are interested in. There is also a matter of making sure you are not apart of any scams. There are at least ten known scams car dealerships will use in order to make you buy a car for more money or to refuse you a loan. You have to be armed with all of the pertinent information before you ever go to buy a car.
We have talked about the financial side of things as far as having it under control, but there is so much more to the entire deal. First you will want to have a good idea of the type of car you want to buy. You will want to do as much research online as possible about that car. Find out what the national highway traffic safety administration says about the safety of the car, find out what retail used prices should be according to Kelly Blue Book and other consumer reports.
If you know what to expect regarding the car as far as price for new and used as well as what a dealer may ask you will be armed with more information that will help you succeed in purchasing that car for a fair price. You may be interested in a couple of cars and need to test drive them before you can make the ultimate decision. The same thing is going to apply. You need to have as much information about any car you are interested in before you approach a dealer or even a personal sale.
Once you know about the car you need to be armed with your personal data. When you purchase a car with a loan or lease the car dealership is going to run your credit history, ask for references, and check your employment status. You will need to bring with you verification of your identity as well as at least one pay stub. You should also have the reference list with you. As for your credit history they are going to have you fill out a form. However you should know the information they are going to pull up before they access it. So you should have your own copy with you to compare.
Mark Robinson writes for http://auto-loans.guidefin.com
Friday, January 18, 2008
When You're Living Here, Don't Buy a Car
There are many factors that you need to consider before you actually decide to buy a car. First, you have to understand your needs. Your vehicle should, first and foremost, be able to serve you to the utmost. Second, you have to think about your future car-related expenses. These include the prices of gasoline and maintenance costs. Without these, your car won't be operational, and you will not be able to use it for such a long time. Most of all, with the car theft cases going up in alarming rate, you may be probably having second thoughts if you're still willing to take the risks.
To help you out with your decision whether you should buy a car or not, take note of places where different car-related issues and problems are rampant.
1. Stay away from cities and states with extremely high gasoline prices.
No matter how good you are in driving or how safe your neighborhood will be, you're still going to be having headaches if you are currently living in or traveling to states that have extremely high gasoline prices. They can absolutely drain your pockets and break your bank accounts. They will increase your expenses every month. Indeed, you're at the mercy of the different gasoline stations. If you want to make your budget become more manageable, it may pay to reconsider purchasing car if you're residing in Hawaii, Alaska, and California. These states have the most expensive prices for gasoline, even 9 times higher or more than those of other states. It will make matters worse if your car doesn't really have an efficient fuel economy. You can be spending hundreds even for a day, especially if you're depending on your car to get you from one point to another.
2. Avoid states with the costliest auto insurance.
By now, you have a good idea that your car needs to be insured if you want to guarantee that you're still going to get something just in case that you meet an accident or you get yourself injured because of collision. But do you know that you can actually help yourself lower down your premium simply by avoiding places with the costliest packages? The District of Columbia, New Jersey, and New York are four examples of locations with the highest prices for auto insurance. There's a good explanation for that. Sad to say, in these cities, you can find the worst drivers who are never afraid to compete with you in freeways or even give you the right of way when you badly need one. It means that there is a very big possibility that you will get yourself in an accident, which spells more spending for these insurance companies.
In the end, the decision of purchasing a car still rests upon you. Definitely, if you badly need one, you wouldn't mind paying extra costs or dealing with nasty drivers. However, if push comes to shove, the best thing that you can do is to move.
Mark Robinson writes for http://auto-loans.guidefin.com
Monday, January 7, 2008
How To Quickly And Easily Detail Your Car For A Car Show
At a car show you will want your car to stand out to the people that are judging your car so you will want to keep it cleaned and well detailed for any car show that might come up in the weeks or months to come. It is important to keep your car clean from the exterior to the interior of the car. You will want to just have it clean always so it doesn't make it hard when you do have a car show to go to it wont take as long to clean and wash before you have to be at the event.
Before any car show or event that pertains to cars looking good you should check out your windows and make sure that they are clean and well maintained. Just give them a little cleaning before you go and when you get to the event so that they shiny when people look at them on your car.
Every piece of chrome on your car you will need to clean and polish to make sure that it is shiny and looks good with no smears and smudges. Everything from the grill of your car to the rims will need to by cleaned and polished as well with anything on the interior of the car as well will need to be cleaned. There is no point to having chrome if it doesn't shine.
You will also want your tires to look good as well so they will need to be cleaned as well. This goes for the tires and the rims even if you have already cleaned and washed the rims it wont hurt to polish them up a bit when you're washing the tires as well. Just 5 more minutes is all it will take to get them looking good.
You will want to avoid eating in the car before any contest or event. Just to be on the safe side so that you do not get anything in the inside of the car. Just keep it clean and avoid even driving it after you have cleaned it for your event. That is why you clean it the night before an event or the morning of the event so your ride looks its best in the show. It will make no sense if you don't clean it the night before or morning of. Just remember to clean everything and make it shiny. Shiny is better and if the judges cannot see their faces on your car then your car is no where near clean. So be sure to at least be able to see yourself in your cars paint before you take it to the car show. You should be able to count the freckles on your face after you clean the car and are standing there looking at the paintjob. So just be sure to get it clean and looking good before any event that you plan on attending.
Gregg Hall is an author living with his 18 year old son in Jensen Beach, Florida. Find more about cars as well as car polish at http://www.5starshine.com
Classic Reflection Coachworks makes modern Corvettes classic again
Filed under: Time Warp, Convertibles, Sports/GTs, Chevrolet
click above for more images
People love older classic cars because of their excellent craftsmanship and timeless styling. Others prefer modern cars for their greatly enhanced safety, engineering and reliability. What about having their cake and eating it too with the benefits of both the old and new? Sounds great, but there are a few people out there who can afford to manage it. For those who can, Classic Reflection Coachworks (CRC) is there to build what its customers desire. In this particular case, we're looking at Corvettes, America's only classic sportscar. By classic, we mean that it's been built since the early '50s and has gone through six easily identifiable generations. One of those classic generations can be replicated on a much newer C5 chassis by CRC, and we've got lots of photos of the resulting transformation. Along the way, the original fiberglass body is replaced with a new carbon fiber shell, which was designed to look similar to a 1962 Vette. The cars you see in these photos belong to Keith Loyd from Scottsdale, Arizona. The black car will be auctioned off in a primetime spot at the upcoming Barret-Jackson auction, so if you belong to that rarefied group who will be bidding there, keep your eyes peeled for that.
[Source: Classic Reflection Coachworks via MotionParts]
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GM admits Malibu in short supply
Filed under: Car Buying, Sedans/Saloons, Chevrolet, GM
The Chevrolet Malibu continues to do better than GM expected: the General moved 12,172 of the new model in December 2007, a 6.7% improvement over the same month last year. There are two factories currently building the car, and demand for the 2007 North American Car of the Year finalist is such that dealers still can't get enough of them.
It's a long way from the "we only expected to sell 500 Malibus in November" malarkey. The mid-sized segment champions probably aren't worried just yet, but they'll be watching. In December of '07, Toyota sold 38,831 Camrys, Honda sold 31,255 Accords, and Nissan sold 25,171 Altimas. The lack of Malibu inventory makes a good marketing and perception case, but GM won't want it to go on too long. The segment -- represented by what one Autoblog commenter called the "Camcordimabu" -- is highly competitive, and those buyers don't like to be told "Try us back in a month and we'll see if we can get you one."
Analysts say that what happens over the next few months will tell the tale. But really, this is about the next few years; the Camry and Accord have been doing around a thousand units a day, each, every single day for years. The Malibu will need to show it has that kind of endurance, and this is a good way to start. Still, GM better have a plan B in place to build as many Malibus as the market demands if it has any aspirations at all of swiping the Camry's title of Best-Selling Car in the U.S.
[Source: Seattle Times]
Gallery: 2008 Chevrolet Malibu LT
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Detroit 2008: 2009 Saturn Vue 2 Mode Hybrid
Filed under: Detroit Auto Show, Hybrids/Alternative, Green, Crossovers/CUVs, Saturn
Click the Two-Mode Vue for a high-res gallery
In 2006, the Saturn Vue Green Line became General Motors' first production hybrid vehicle when it debuted with the company's mild hybrid system. In fall 2007, a updated BAS-equipped Green Line version based on the second-generation Vue went into production. GM has now added the second of three hybrid variants to the Vue lineup with the2009 Saturn Vue Green Line 2 Mode. The 2 Mode Vue is based on the same technology used in the award-winning Tahoe and Yukon full-size SUVs. The Vue has the first transverse mounted front-wheel drive application of the 2 Mode system.
The 2 Mode transmission is paired up in the Vue with GM's 3.6L twin-cam V6 equipped with direct fuel injection.
[Source: General Motors]
Gallery: Detroit 2008: 2009 Saturn Vue 2-Mode Hybrid
Continue reading Detroit 2008: 2009 Saturn Vue 2 Mode Hybrid
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AutoblogGreen for 12.25.07
Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative, Green
AutoblogGreen rings in Christmas with, well, the same green car news we provide day in and day out year round. Highlights from yesterday's batch of stories include an in-depth review of the 2008 Toyota Highlander hybrid and our latest podcast, featuring Beau Boeckmann of MTV's Pimp My Ride. We're also a bit concerned that in the list of 30 most walkable American cities Detroit came in 18th while Honolulu didn't place. Just based on the weather, Honolulu should be near the top, no?
- In the AutoblogGreen Garage: 2008 Toyota Highlander hybrid
- AutoblogGreen Podcast #16 - Pimp My Ride's Beau Boeckmann
- First electric Smart ForTwo goes to Coventry city council
- On Being An 800 lb Gorilla
- NYPD to test Vectrix electric scooters next month
- The Office's Dwight installed a gun rack in his Prius
- VIDEO: How dual clutch gearboxes work
- Top 30 most walkable American cities
- Soon, smoking in cars with children will be illegal in California
- Minnesota high school seniors can win $500 for biodiesel essay
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In what color would you like your 2009 Chevy Camaro?
Filed under: Car Buying, Coupes, Sports/GTs, Chevrolet
Thanks to an eagle-eyed painter at an unspecified dealership in these great United States, we now have a list of colors in which you can order a 2009 Chevy Camaro when the time comes. Keep in mind that production colors for the Camaro have not been officially announced by Chevy, so while these appear to be from an OK source that has no reason to lie to us, you never know. Plus, while the eight colors above and the two below for which we couldn't find samples may be offered, there could be more than what we're seeing here, as well. Conspicuously absent from this list are any shades of green or white, for instance. That said, we have ten colors here, and the 2008 Ford Mustang is only offered in 10 colors (warning: PDF link), as well. Ford does offer the Mustang in Performance White, however, but the only green Mustang you can get is the Bullitt.
No samples (could be new colors for 2009)
- Switchblade Silver Metallic
- Aqua Blue Metallic
[Source: CamaroZ28.com]
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Practical Joke of the Day: VW Touareg Cabrio
Filed under: Convertibles, SUVs, Euro, Volkswagen
Click image for photo gallery
December 28 is the "día de los Inocentes" in Spain, which is basically equivalent to our April Fool's Day. Bogus media stories are part of the fun, and it looks like businesses get in on the action, too. Case in point: Volkswagen.
If you visit VW Spain's website today, you're greeted with the normal landing page, which spotlights the "new Touareg Cabrio" at the top. Clicking on the image brings you to touaregcabrio.com, a microsite registered to VW's Spanish division according to a quick WHOIS lookup.
There, you're given three links: Acabados (trim levels), Motores (engines), and Galería (gallery). Clicking on any of them lets you know it's all a joke, and allows you to forward the gag to a friend. If you do that, your buddy will receive this email message, which "introduces" the reader the ragtop Touareg and directs him or her to the website. Tomorrow, it'll probably all be gone. Go through the motions yourselves starting here. If you miss it on 12/28, no worries. We've screen-captured all the elements in the attached gallery.
Feliz día de los Inocentes, everyone!
[Source: VW España via German Car Blog]
Gallery: VW Touareg Cabrio
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Pics Aplenty: 2009 Mercedes-Benz SLK 55 AMG
Filed under: Convertibles, Sports/GTs, Euro, Mercedes Benz
click above for more images of the 2009 Mercedes-Benz SLK 55 AMG
We brought you a single pic of the 2009 Mercedes-Benz SLK 55 AMG on Christmas Day, but Merc has released everything it's got on the über roadster and it looks like what we reported then was correct. The car doesn't receive nearly as thorough a refreshening as its slower siblings, but does get smoked headlamps and a different chin treatment, opting for the single blacked-out lower air intake rather than the F1-inspired split front apron on lesser SLK models. Out back the faux diffuser and dual quadrezoidal (we just made up that word) tailpipes are gone, replaced by a set of dual oval pipes flanking what looks like a skid plate of some sort.
Performance-wise the SLK 55 AMG carries over largely unchanged, which means you'll still find AMG's 5.5L V8 underhood producing 360 hp and 376 ft-lbs. of torque. The AMG Speedshift 7G-TRONIC transmission returns, as well. New this year is the SLK's direct steering system with variable servo assistance, which reduces the amount of turns needed to go from lock to lock and makes turning an easier effort on the driver. Also new are a set of 18-inch AMG twin-spoke wheels, on top of which the car can accelerate to 62 mph in 4.9 seconds. Remember when that was supercar territory ten years ago? Now it can be had in a cut little roadster from Mercedes-Benz.
[Source: Mercedes-Benz]
Gallery: 2009 SLK 55 AMG
Gallery: 2009 Mercedes-Benz SLK
Continue reading Pics Aplenty: 2009 Mercedes-Benz SLK 55 AMG
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AutoblogGreen for 01.02.08
Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative, Green
The new year is here and that means countless Top Ten lists have recently come and gone. We have one question: how come a list of the ten best concept cars of 2007 does not include the Chevy Volt? Is AutoblogGreen a little too certain that this car deserves a place on a list like that? Looking towards the future, we've been seeing reports that oil prices are set to continue their upward climb. Happy New Year!
- Is that your final answer? Chevy Volt missing from AN's Top Ten Concepts of 2007 list
- Oil prices set for highest annual gain this decade
- What's the plural of Prius?
- Citigroup: New energy bill will push ethanol prices higher
- Petrochina plans to install new biofuel facilities
- Japanese rail company to build $45 billion MagLev train
- Video interview with the winners of Robocar 2057
- REA takes an "unbiased approach" to comparing transportation fuels
- Exclusive video of DaimlerChrysler's hybrid engine
- Continental plans to start series production of LiIon batteries in 2008
- A view of the 21st Century: Bjorn Lomborg's "Cool It"
- How better to power the underwater sQuba car than on batteries?
- In the Autoblog Garage: 2007 Toyota Prius Touring
- Volvo could develop a robot that plugs in your car
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Rolls-Royce to produce 10% more Phantoms in 2008
Filed under: Car Buying, Plants/Manufacturing, Rolls-Royce
Business at Goodwood is, well... good. As such, Rolls-Royce, already having dedicated millions of dollars to enhancing its production facilities, is looking to add more hands in a bid to keep up with the ever-growing demand for its cars. Production in 2007 was up 25% over 2006 to 1,000 units, and RR execs see another 10% of growth likely for 2008. Credit emerging markets for the increase in demand, especially China, in which 100 cars are expected to be sold by year's end. That's up from 71 of the mega-sleds sold there in 2006. Where people are coming into money, they're buying Rolls-Royces. After all, as status symbols go, the Spirit of Ecstasy is almost without peer, and few luxury objects communicate wealth like a big new Roller. The Phantom (saloon or drophead, take your pick) might well be the ultimate arrival machine. Things are going so well, in fact, that the automaker is basically sold-out through 2009. Better get that second production line going soon, guys.
[Source: Financial Times]
Gallery: 2007 Rolls-Royce Phantom
Gallery: 2008 Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe
Gallery: Rolls-Royce 101EX
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