Archive for April, 2010
What is a Powertrain Warranty?
Monday, April 26th, 2010
In a motor vehicle, the term powertrain refers to the group of components that generate power and deliver it to the road surface, water, or air. This includes the engine, transmission, drive shafts, and differentials. Essentially, the powertrain is the system that powers the car, and then transfers that power to the transmission, then finally to the wheels of the car.
A powertrain warranty covers all or part of the powertrain of a vehicle. When a mechanical problem occurs with a covered part of a powertrain, the manufacturer or auto dealership will pay to have it repaired. What exactly is covered, and to what extent varies enormously. The powertrain warranty is a powerful marketing tool used to entice buyers in the auto industry. Where a 10-year powertrain warranty was once considered a great warranty, companies like Ford and Chevrolet are now offering lifetime powertrain warranties with most of their vehicles. It may make all the difference when considering which car to buy, and with the highly competitive nature of the industry, buyers are benefiting from the competition.
After you’ve determined what is covered on the engine, be sure to examine how the powertrain warranty defines the transmission and the drivetrain. If you have a manual transmission, the warranty may exclude an important part such as the clutch. It may cover the driveshaft, the axles or transaxle, but may exclude parts that typically wear, such as clutch plates or CV joints. One thing to remember is that any after market modifications may void or alter the powertrain warranty.
So make sure you do your homework and actually talk to your dealer whether you drive a Chevy or a Ford and see what your powertrain warranty covers so you know what not to mess with.
Tips To Get Approved
Monday, April 26th, 2010
It is well-known that with every good-looking car, there is usually always a pretty hefty car loan behind it. In fact, almost any car, truck, or SUV you see on any Chevrolet or Ford car lot is most likely going to require a car loan and/or financing before you are able to drive off the lot with it.
The following tips will help to ensure your security when applying for a car loan and/or financing:
1) If you are a recent college graduate it is not best to apply for a car loan until your at your new job for at least 6 months.
2) Also, do not apply for a car loan if you have recently moved in the past 6 months.
3) A previous car loan or mortgage loan on your record helps.
4) Make sure you pay off your credit card balances to where they are as low as possible.
5) Try to have a reasonably stable occupation as opposed to self employment of some sort.
6) Other examples of credit extended to you will appear on your credit report so make sure it as squeaky clean as possible!
7) If you filed for bankruptcy, do not apply for a car loan until at least three years after.
8 ) Do not keep a high debt load or high credit card balances–the bank will know if you do!
9) Try your best not to have any charge-off’s on your credit report.
All of these steps will best help to aid you to being on your way to receiving the best car loan for your money!
Order the Nissan Leaf
Friday, April 23rd, 2010
Nissan’s Leaf electric vehicle officially became available for order this week, with the Japanese automaker taking 6,635 reservations for the zero-emission EV. All reservations were made on line and required a $99 refundable deposit. The Nissan Leaf officially became available for order on April 20, but only those individuals that previously expressed interest in the car are currently able to place orders. The Leaf ordering process will become available to the general public on May 15.
Nissan expects to have 25,000 orders of the Leaf by the time it goes on sale in December. Nissan is currently building a plant in Smyrna, Tennessee that will eventually have the capacity to build 150,000 units of the Leaf per year. After a federal tax credit of $7,500, the Leaf will carry a retail price of $25,280, excluding destination. Leaf buyers will also be required to setup a home charging station. The charging station will set customers back another $2,200, but Nissan says half of that amount is eligible for a federal tax credit.
Manual vs. Automatic
Tuesday, April 20th, 2010
Which is better an automatic transmission or a manual transmission? Should you buy a manual Ford Mustang or an automatic Chevy Cobalt? Here are some things you should consider:
Cost: Manual transmissions cost less than automatics. When you go to a car dealer you will probably notice that the stick-shift version of the same model is about a thousand bucks cheaper.
Maintenance: Any good mechanic can tell you that working on a manual transmission is much easier than working on an automatic. So obviously repair costs are going to cost significantly higher.
Driving: Manuals are harder to drive or at least they are after driving automatics for years. With manuals you have to learn how to push in the clutch and release it correctly or else you will stall. Automatics, all you have to do is put it in gear and go.
So if you want something easy then go with an automatic, but if you want something that has more power and is cheaper go with a manual.
What Exactly is Horsepower?
Tuesday, April 20th, 2010
How do you define horsepower? Ask a car enthusiast and most of the time you’ll get a blank look, a shrug of the shoulders and maybe a guess along the lines of “What a horse can do!”.
That answer begs the question: What horse? A thoroughbred race horse that can carry the small weight of a jockey with a lot of speed, or a working horse that can pull heavy loads albeit slowly? Obviously there is a more precise answer. Horsepower is defined as work done over time. The exact definition of one horsepower is 33,000 lb.ft./minute. Put another way, if you were to lift 33,000 pounds one foot over a period of one minute, you would have been working at the rate of one horsepower. In this case, you’d have expended one horsepower-minute of energy.
So next time you go to your local Ford or Chevy dealer and they say “Oh, this vehicle has 150 Horsepower.” They aren’t talking about the strength of exactly 150 horses, they are talking about the POWER 150 horses can exert in a minute.
Signs Your Insurance is a Rip-Off
Thursday, April 15th, 2010
Whether it be by saving gas by buying a hybrid or by eating cheaper, these days, everyone is looking to cut costs. Maybe you should take a look at your insurance statement to see if you can shave a few dollars off of it because you could very likely be getting overcharged. Here are some things to look for;
Your driving record is improving, but your auto insurance rates aren’t. Many states use a point system to indicate how good of a driver you are. The more points you accumulate from traffic tickets and accidents, the higher your insurance costs. But those points aren’t permanently on your record. If you improve your driving habits and don’t add any points to your record for roughly 3 years, your points should go down. This means your insurance prices should also decrease.
Extra fees for nothing. You’ve analyzed your bill and discovered that because you pay monthly, you’re getting charged an extra $3 per payment. Or, after adding a new car to your policy, you find a $15 convenience charge. These fees can add up, and you’re not getting any services for your money. A good insurance company won’t charge you fees for services that are considered complementary in many other businesses.
You’re paying more than everyone else. The average price for auto insurance for 1 vehicle in the United States was $817 in 2006, the most recent statistic reported by the Insurance Information Institute. If you purchase your auto insurance with your home or renters insurance, your overall price will be lower. Over the past few years, prices have been declining. If you’ve noticed your rates going up – and not because you’ve been in accidents or receiving traffic tickets – it’s time to reevaluate your policy.
If your insurance company is doing any of the things mentioned above, change immediately! A good Ford or Chevrolet dealer can definitely point you into a better quality insurance company.
Find the Best Truck For You
Tuesday, April 13th, 2010
As they are well-known, and well-respected it is quite clear that there are quite a bit of truck-lovers in the great states of America. In these states however, it can be difficult to make a final decision when there are so many options and choices to choose from like Ford F-150‘s and Chevy Silverado‘s. Yet, believe it or not, there are some ways to help yourself realize what the best truck is for you.
One of these ways to define which sort of truck you need is to make yourself aware of why exactly you want the truck as opposed to a car or SUV. What are you going to use it for? Hauling and towing? Just for the rugged appeal? These are the questions you need to be able to answer in order to begin cutting away certain trucks that are not as tailored to your needs.
After you have decided why you need the truck the next step would probably be what you can afford. Consult with a financial adviser, and maybe even a dealer as well about what your budget is and what your needs are. After doing this you may then take it to the next level and begin researching the truck you have decided upon. After you have done your research and homework you should go shop around. Don’t get tied down to one lot, one deal, or one dealer. There is no shame in comparing prices, products, and makes and models. You have to remember that you want the best truck for YOU, no one else, so don’t settle and don’t wait–you deserve your truck today!
The Lojack Car Security System
Friday, April 9th, 2010
A vehicle is stolen every 32.2 seconds in the U.S. Last year alone, nearly one million vehicles were stolen across the country. Depending upon where you live and what make and model you drive, you may be at risk.
Like your Ford Mustang or Chevy Impala? Then you might want this after-market security system, which you can get a local dealer. LoJack Stolen Vehicle Recovery System includes a small Radio Frequency transceiver hidden in one of up to 20 places in your vehicle. Each LoJack Stolen Vehicle Recovery System has a unique code that is tied to the Vehicle Identification Number. When a vehicle theft is reported to the police, a routine entry into the state police crime computer results in a match of the LoJack System‘s unique code against the state VIN database. This automatically activates the LoJack Unit in your vehicle, which emits an inaudible signal. Law enforcement authorities who are equipped with LoJack Police Tracking Computers—in their police cars and aviation units—are always listening for a LoJack signal. Police use the LoJack Police Tracking Computers to track and recover your stolen LoJack-equipped vehicle.
Keep Your Vehicle From Being Stolen
Friday, April 9th, 2010
No vehicle is too ugly, too old, or too rusty to be stolen because many cars are taken for parts. People mistakenly think that the cars stolen most frequently are flashy sports cars and SUVs but actually its normal family sedans that get stolen the most often, here’s a list of the top ten:
1.1995 Honda Civic
2.1989 Toyota Camry
3.1991 Honda Accord
4.1994 Dodge Caravan
5.1994 Chevy C1500 Pickup
6.1997 Ford F-150
7.2003 Dodge Ram Pickup
8.1990 Acura Integra
9.1988 Toyota Pickup
10.1991 Nissan Sentra
There are car theft rings all over the world who steal cars as a business. When we think of car thieves we may have in mind some kid taking a car and joyriding but auto theft is a huge business. These people will take orders for specific vehicles and then contact their local thieves to carry out the acquisition of the particular vehicles being sought. Here are some tips to make your vehicle less of a target for these would be thieves.
The first thing you can do is park your vehicle in guarded and secure parking areas. Car thieves don’t want to be seen so they aren’t going to steal a car that is on a lot monitored by cameras in most cases. You want to park your car in the most visible location you can find and make sure you lock it!
Another simple way to reduce the likelihood of theft is to always take your keys out of the ignition and bring them with you when you get out of your car. This may sound like just common sense but you would be astounded at the number of people who have their vehicle stolen while they are in the convenience store while leaving their car running.
You can deter a thief from looking at your car as a target by doing things that would slow them down. For instance, you can parallel park your car tightly between other vehicles so that the thief would have a tough time getting the car out. They won’t even look at stealing your car because it would take too long. The longer it takes them to get the car away the higher their chance of being caught.
Also, make sure you have a car alarm, for one thing you can get an insurance reduction and then of course it draws attention to the person trying to steal your car and it takes them a while for them to disable it. So if you want to keep your Ford or Chevy from being stolen, please follow those tips.
Top Five Fuel Efficient and Budget Friendly Cars
Thursday, April 8th, 2010
As most car-buyers want, they like the best deals for their money. Customers going to a Ford or a Chevy dealer might just get what they have on sale and in these hard economic times many are going to buy used cars. Nowadays everyone wants to save as much money in any way they can so of course consumers are definitely heading towards more fuel efficient vehicles. However, thanks to the consumers and frequent updated reviews there has been composed a list of the five most affordable and fuel efficient new cars. Not surprising, the five cars have come from the compact and subcompact classes.
The good thing about these cars is that they are small in operating costs and price as well as their great conservative gas prices, and roomy interior that for some has allowed for more room then some other bigger, over-priced vehicles!
So here are the newest and more budget friendly affordable cars:
1) 2010 Kia Rio is$11,495 and gets 31 mpg.
2) 2010 Smart ForTwo is $11,990 and gets 36 mpg.
3) 2010 Toyota Yaris is $12,1355 and gets 32 mpg.
4) 2010 Hyundai Accent Blue is $13,645 and gets 31 mpg.
and last but not least…
5) 2010 Honda Fit is $14,900 and gets 31 mpg.