Rain Online

Before buying a car, whether new or used, it is important to get the appropriate car information to make an informed purchase. I recently bought a used auto without getting the car information first, and boy was it a mistake. It was a 1995 Honda, a car known for its reliability, and I thought that I would have little or no trouble with it for years to come. Boy, was I mistaken. If I had looked up the vehicle identification number on carfax, like my cousin did before he bought his old VW, I would have found out that the seemingly pristine Honda had been in three major accidents! It was a disaster waiting to happen from the day that I bought it.

If you’re buying a new car, it is enough to read consumer reports, but for a used car, you need more car information. If I had known about the accident, I might have had some one inspect my Honda more carefully, and would have found out that there was a crack in the engine block before I had already bought it and it was too late. As it stands, because I was impulsive and bought it without getting enough car information, I now have repairs to do which are more costly than the vehicle was in the first place.

Of course, the best kind of car information can come from a trusted mechanic. For thirty years, my family went to the same mechanic, a man by the name of Eddie, until he passed away recently. At his funeral, half of the people there at least were loyal customers who had depended on his car information to judge what repairs to do, whether to buy a car or not, and when it was time to get rid of an old clunker. If he were still around, I would have taken that Honda in to him before I bought it to find out all the car buying information I would need to make an informed purchase.

My new mechanic did look at it, but apparently he did a haphazard job. He relies on diagnostic machines and the work of his techs to get car information, but apparently he never looked all that closely himself. If he had, he would have probably noticed something as glaring as a looming engine failure, but instead, he glossed over the car. I lost thousands of dollars, and he lost a customer.

Originally posted 2006-01-18 16:17:21. Republished by Old Post Promoter

Remember your first car? Was it a beater, or a lemon? You may have resorted to the local newspaper in order to find that inexpensive, little jalopy. No matter where you searched, one thing was for sure; you wanted a good deal. In the past, this could often prove a difficult task. If you purchased from a dealer, he could tell you whatever price he wanted, and if you went with a personal sale, you could end up with a junker and not know it until a month later. This is not so much a problem these days. A deluge of car information is at your fingertips online.

I recall my first car rather well. It was a 1978 Fiat Spider convertible. I bought it for 950 bucks from a college student. It wasn’t bad for a first car. I mean I wasn’t expecting a Porsche for 950 dollars. It was one of those cars that you had to start everyday so it would turn over when you took it out for a spin. I remember one time I had not started it for three days straight. That was a mistake, but luckily I could always pop the clutch. While this wasn’t the greatest car in the world, one thing was for sure, the seller provided all necessary car information upon my test drive so there wasn’t any confusion. Wouldn’t it be grand if everyone were this honest?

If you’re heading out to a dealership to find that new family van, or sports car, it is prudent to do some online research first. The Internet will provide you with price ranges and ratings for all brands of cars. This is very useful in narrowing down your selection. The car information online will save you some footwork. You know that you want a safe vehicle, and you know you want to avoid getting ripped off. Well, with the car information found in cyberspace, you shouldn’t have to worry. The dealers no longer have the upper hand. When you step into that dealership, you know what the vehicle sells for. The Internet will prevent you from being duped into a bogus sale. On your laptop you can surf the numerous car sites in your area to see who’s offering what. There are even online sales that can be found on auctions such as Ebay. The buyer is now the one in charge when purchasing that new car. With car information so accessible, finding that ride of your dreams is a synch.

Originally posted 2008-02-13 05:17:07. Republished by Old Post Promoter

Have you ever been in an auto accident? This is no joke, people. The sad reality is that the majority of us will cause or be involved in an auto accident at some point in our lives. The statistics actually say that every seven years is common. That’s right; every seven years you may be involved in another auto accident. Now, this doesn’t mean you will for sure. These are only statistics, folks. In addition, it’s impossible to say what kind of accident you may be in. The truth is it could be a minor fender bender, or it could be much worse. The trick to avoiding auto accidents is safety and knowledge. How safe do you drive? Are you one of those rule-abiding drivers, or are you one of those annoying individuals who are always in a hurry to get somewhere? This is something you may want to consider the next time you climb behind the wheel. It may make the difference in avoiding an auto accident.

I can remember the first time I was in an auto accident. I was 17 years old and out in my first car. It was a 78 Fiat Spyder. I loved that thing. It may have been old, but it was a blast to cruise around in with the top down. Anyway, I was out at the local mall with my best friend, and then it happened. I was waiting at a stop light and a few girls in the convertible next to us distracted me with some odd gestures. Suddenly I was in a fender bender, in the middle of the intersection. What an idiot, I know! Oh well, we do some pretty stupid stuff when we’re 17. Luckily this was an auto accident that everyone walked away from without a scratch. Now, the key here involved my insurance. Do you have good auto insurance? Well, if your answer is no, then I suggest you re-think think this. If you are ever in an accident and it is your fault, you will need a good coverage plan to fix your car, not to mention the other fellow’s ride.

If you’ve never been in an auto accident, then consider yourself lucky; so far anyway. However, just to be safe, you should be sure to have a good back-up plan. What does your car insurance cover? Maybe you need to get online today and take a gander at a few quotes. There are a variety of car insurance providers in cyberspace vying for your attention. It’s better to be safe than sorry, because you never know when that next auto accident may occur.

Originally posted 2007-11-26 17:25:05. Republished by Old Post Promoter

You might recall the chopped out Ferrari in Harold and Maude: the morose malcontent with nothing but money and time modified a Ferrari to look like part-hearseor modified a hearse to look like part-Ferrari. If you want to see some true concept cars, you should check out the artistic endeavors of Photoshoppers at worth1000.com. The site is a photo manipulation site: with contests, tutorials, forums, and galleries, the site features thousands of Photoshop-altered images. So what you will find will be montages in every category

Originally posted 2007-02-24 10:07:09. Republished by Old Post Promoter

Open the paper, watch the news, or listen to the radio reports on any given day and you will likely catch a bit about one automotive manufacturing company or another. Just yesterday, for example, in my email box, where I get Levine Breaking News daily, I read about the latest debacle involving Ford Motor Corporation–about their advertising in gay publications and refusing to back down for the wishes of conservative Christians, but also in light of the many recalls Ford has to make. In the same respect, and to be fair, however, consider the numbers of other car manufacturers. Consider their records, their histories, and their individual recall patterns. Recalls are, mind you, a good thingthough they do not exist because of something good, usually.

Okay. So think about the recall patterns of a company like Ford and then compare the same years, etc., to another equally dynamic, successful (on the whole), and popular maker of autos. For example, Honda recalls are numerous and spread over many years, too. I wouldn’t be surprised if these Honda recalls sometimes outnumber Ford’s in any given year. But hold on. I am not going to go fist-to-cuffs with anyone, am not trying to start some ridiculous argument, and surely am not going to compete in a peeing competition over who says what about whose car is better. So. Let’s get on with some of those specifics or generalities regarding Honda recalls.

From 1976 to 2006, for thirty years, there have been 390 Honda recalls. In one case, for example, Honda recalls were so vital that they were made based on two deaths–due to a faulty defibrillator in the Honda Civic. In the same year, the Honda Accord had recalls to fix faulty frontal air bags and problems with the tires on the 2006.

For the Honda CR-V, fourteen recalls have been made for problems ranging from those found in the electrical system’s ignition switch in 1997 to the side/window air bags in the 2005. Likewise, or, with 15 and 26 recalls, respectively, the Passport and Odyssey have had recalls for such problems as the fuel pump and automatic transmission in the 2002 Passport and the power train/automatic transmission and engine cooling issues in the Odyssey of the same year.

Honda recalls have included problems with seat belts and electrical system ignition switch (2000); the gasoline storage tank, filler pipe and cap assembly, engine cooling, headlights, seat belts, fuel pump delivery (2001); engine cooling, headlights, frontal air bags, and accelerator pedal (2003/6) issues and problems.

But you know, as much as we might stay faithful to one auto maker or model, and as often as we rib and dig the owner of the other model or make fanatic, from what I have seen, most auto manufacturers have problems and have to do recalls. For example, since I started by mentioning Ford (and though I am a die-hard Ford lover), I will note how the Honda recalls of one year often parallel the Ford recalls of the same or another year. Ford also has had accelerator control problems, seat belt issues, and crises involving brakes and fuel pumps (the latter of which, when faulty, can cause everything from engine surging to hesitation and can possibly result in crashes, for instance).
It makes sense that a vehicle may start out perfect then fail in some department or area or may never be perfect to begin withgiven the margin for error humans have and should be acknowledged as having.

Originally posted 2006-09-06 16:16:03. Republished by Old Post Promoter