New Car Buying Tip: Jan 7, 2008

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]

Gallery: Classic Reflection Corvettes

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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. ~~Like the big SUVs, the engine is equipped with a cylinder deactivation system that allows it to run on three cylinders under light load conditions~~. The V-6 is equipped with a fuel shutoff during coast down conditions. The combination of the advanced hybrid system and the V6 helps maintain the V6 Vue's 3,500 tow rating while still achieving a fifty percent boost in urban fuel economy. There's more on the 2 Mode Vue over at AutoblogGreen.

[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?

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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

Thanks for the tip, Chris!

[Source: CamaroZ28.com]

Gallery: Chevy Camaro Concept

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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

VW Spain landing page, December 28, 2007

TouaregCabrio.com lets you in on the joke

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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!

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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