Motor Market Primer

After my little Chevette finally kicked the bucket, I found myself without wheels.  I thought that I could handle it and take advantage of the public transit system (city buses where I live), but after a week of having to get up early and missing the bus a couple of times, I had enough – I needed to have a car.

But I didn’t have a lot of savings, so I was going to have to find a used car.  Unfortunately the most that I could spend was $3000 which meant that I was going to be looking at a lot of lemons, so I was going to need some expert help to make my decision.

Thankfully, a good friend of mine, Bruce, was a mechanic and he offered to help me out.  I wanted to make sure that I bought a mechanically sound vehicle, spot any potential problems, and get something reliable.  At the price that I could afford, I knew that it was possible, but it was also going to be a challenge.

I have lined up a couple of cars to look at today, and Bruce and I are just going to head out to look at them.  If we don’t find something reliable, it means that I am going to have to ride the bus for another week – so wish me luck!

Technorati Tags: buying a used car, getting help

When I was younger, I thought it would be truly cool to live on a boat. Nothing massive, but something comfortable. At one point, I actually did own a 28.5 foot boat parked at a marina in San Diego. Unfortunately for me, I never made the leap to living on it full time.

Now that I’m a bit older, have family responsibilities (and soon to be a grandparent!) I’m clearly falling into that category of individual that might own a recreational vehicle. Perhaps the biggest reason for this is that in some ways owning an RV reminds me of the concept of living on a boat.

It’s no mistake that many RV’s are referred to as land barges! While I don’t want some old clunker, I also have no desire to make a mortgage payment on a $300,000 dollar vehicle. If that were the case, I would surely have to sell my brick and mortar home in order to be able to afford the RV.

The best thing I imagine regarding RV ownership is the fact that I’ll be able to travel and see the entire country. Add that my hotel will be paid for with my RV payments, and my only real costs will be fuel, and the food that I am able to cook right inside my vehicle (or out on a BBQ if I set up that option!)

Technorati Tags: grandparent, recreational vehicle, San Diego marina

If you are considering shopping for new trucks in  Weatherford, chances are right now you can get a pretty good deal, as many people are still gun shy about buying trucks after what gas prices were at a year or so ago.

Of course, there is a bit of risk involved in buying a truck, so you need to make your decision carefully.  Here are a few tips for buying a new truck.

• Compare gas mileage.  Truck in general lag behind passenger cars in terms of gas mileage.  However, that doesn’t mean you need to settle for the worst gas mileage out there.  Compare the ratings of different trucks when making your decision on what make and model to buy.
• Buy the minimum you need.  Typically, the bigger and tougher the truck, the worse the gas mileage will be.  Consider what you really need in a truck.  If you need towing capacity, sure, you will need to get a bigger truck with a towing package.  But if you just need a pickup for hauling stuff occasionally in the bed, say for a small gardening business, perhaps a half-ton two-wheel-drive truck will be enough for your purposes.
• Think about daily miles driven and whether you have (or need) a daily driver.  It’s a lot easier to stomach getting a big, beefy, gas-guzzling truck when you don’t drive very far to work most days, or when you have another car to use as a daily driver.  If you do have far to go or if you don’t have (or plan on getting) a daily driver, you might want to tone down your truck goals a little to make the fuel more affordable.

Trucks may be gas-guzzling fiends in many cases, but that doesn’t mean that people don’t want to drive them — or can’t find a way to make it work!

Technorati Tags: Ford parts, gas mileage, new trucks in Weatherford

I love art. I love cars. So it makes a lot of sense that I love art that’s related to cars. What I really love is that there are so many different types of car art to be found.

The most common type of auto art is, of course, drawings or paintings of cars. People who are interested in the design of cars will often come up with really amazing drawings of concept cars. They may also do great renderings of existing vehicles.

I do like that art but I tend to like art that’s a bit edgier. For example, I once saw a guy who took a bunch of Toyota Camry parts and Toyota Tundra parts and used them to make a really wild sculpture. I’ve also seen small car parts used to create robots. I think that’s really cool!

Of course, there are also people who turn their own cars into art. Sometimes I’ll be driving down the street and I’ll see a car that has little dolls all over it or I’ll see a car that’s been painted in a truly unique way. That’s art right there on the road for us to enjoy. I may not always find it pretty but I think it’s cool that people are putting it out there.

Technorati Tags: toyota camry parts, toyota tundra parts

First cars always leave lasting memories.  I had my first car in 1989 when I turned 18.  My father gave me a 1968 VW Beetle.

Considering that it was quite old, the car was in perfect running condition. I always took my friends to road trips to the next towns.  Being a nature lover, my VW Beetle was also always with me to nature trips.  But constant use of the Beetle on rough roads had caused it to rapidly deteriorate. 

When I already had a regular job and could already afford more expensive cars, I could not let go my beloved Beetle.  I had its engine overhauled and body stripped.  I initially considered using exe wheels for rough nature trips but it was quite expensive so I had resolved to using VW wheels instead.   My friend recommended me to a great wheels store nearby which also offered installation of custom rims.  I also installed a great sound system with woofer.

My VW Beetle, now with its silver-painted body, hits the road every weekend like a bullet.  In my nature trips, it stands out in contrast with the environmental surroundings. I don’t intend to dispose my VW Beetle in the near future.  Our memories together cannot be valued monetarily.

Technorati Tags: custom rims, exe wheels, VW, VW wheels

If the type of work you do requires frequent travel, and you are high enough in the chain of command you inevitably get to receive some perks that normal business travelers may not. For instance, I recently had to attend a conference and my company was sure to secure a Las Vegas car hire that picked me up right from the airport. When you get that first experience of having your driver waiting with a group of other chauffeurs and your name is on the placard, you get little goose bumps. I know I did.

I’ve traveled enough to know that going through the process of waiting for a rental car in Las Vegas is not that much fun. But having your driver waiting patiently to show you to your car hire Las Vegas style is very cool indeed.

While not meaning to disparage the Las Vegas car rental industry, it just holds nothing when compared to having your bags picked up for you and carried to the trunk of the waiting car hire. Las Vegas is both a great city for fun and excitement, as well as being a world leader in business. Even if I had to get my own rental car in Las Vegas, I would still enjoy being there.

Technorati Tags: Las Vegas car hire, Rental car Las Vegas

Used cars may be worth more or less depending on their gas mileage.

My brother-in-law recently bought a pre-owned car.  Unfortunately, he seems to have forgotten about how high gas prices were not that long ago, and how high they are likely to be again soon, as he got a gas-guzzling SUV.

Gas prices have been pretty good since the presidential election last year, but they are on their way up again now, it seems.  This shouldn’t be a surprise by any means — we knew that the reprieve was temporary, and that they would come back up again soon enough.

That’s why it’s important to keep things like gas mileage in mind when you are looking for used cars in Florida.  There’s a reason why many cars with poor gas mileage are selling for quite cheap right now.  Dealers are counting on people being swayed by the price, but try to plan ahead: What may not seem like bad mileage right now can seem a lot worse as gas prices go up.

So what constitutes good mileage?  Surprisingly, this hasn’t changed much over the years.  Twenty-five to thirty miles to the gallon is still considered pretty darn good, with the best cars getting 35 or even 40 miles to the gallon — but that’s fairly rare.  Even the hybrids only get 40 or 50 miles to the gallon.

If I were you, I would look for the highest possible gas mileage you can find in a used car.  Your friend may laugh at your car now, but when gas prices shoot up again, you’ll be the ones laughing at them as they pour their paychecks into their gas tanks!

Technorati Tags: pre-owned car, used cars, used cars in Florida

When it comes to buying truck and auto accessories, I’ve come to think of myself as rather an expert. Not only do I shop for the best prices, but I truly enjoy installing the items I purchase as well.

Now some accessories are definitely easier to install than others. Last year I bought two truck tool boxes for one of my work vehicles, and had no challenges whatsoever getting them put into place and bolting them down. Since they ran along the truck bed rails, and sat on the wheel well, the only real concern I had during installation was to ensure that my retaining bolts did not sink into an area that might affect the rotation of the tires.

For my personal truck, however, I quickly learned that Lund tonneau covers installations are definitely not a single man operation.

At least as it relates to placing the cover onto the back of the truck, you really need a minimum of two people to guide the weight of it up onto the truck. Having a third person to align and fine tune where it will sit is truly optimal.

And for the price of a 12 pack of your buddies favorite beer, you can have all the help you need!

Technorati Tags: auto accessories, lund tonneau covers, truck tool boxes

You really do not want to learn the hard way just how important it is to always install genuine Toyota parts in your new vehicle. Of course, you would only do this if you had purchased a Toyota, so I’ll assume that if you are reading this that you have

Now on my third brand new Toyota in the past 25 years, you can be assured I’ve learned a lesson or 2 along the way. In my mid 20’s I thought I knew everything. And while I still pretty much think that, some of my friends are quick to point out the mistakes of my youth that might slightly disagree with that stated opinion.

Wanting to be a hipster in my youth, I purchased and installed a number of Toyota accessories for my first car. Some of them were genuine, some of them were simply after market knockoffs of original equipment.

It wasn’t until there was a recall for something relatively minor that I learned my lesson. After dropping off my car for the warranty repair work, I was shocked with a call from the dealer.

He asked about a recent installation I had made. Not thinking it a big deal I told him what I’d done. It was only then he informed me to bring my check book to pay for the work they had done that day as I had voided my warranty by installing unauthorized parts.

Never again!

Technorati Tags: genuine Toyota parts, Toyota accessories

As amazing as it may seem, with the simple declaration, “…auto sales have hit bottom”, Goldman Sachs auto analyst Patrick Archambault has upgraded the U.S. Auto sector from Neutral to Cautious.

He additionally upgraded Ford from Neutral to Conviction Buy. Bare in mind the analysts are referring to stocks in the sector and company, respectively. The real question is are you feeling that the automotive industry in the United States has sunk as low as it might go?

Big name companies Chrysler and General Motors are seriously contemplating bankruptcy restructuring, and the Federal Government is requiring auto manufacturers to slim down and lean up operations. The average consumer may find the bottom is a bit deeper.

On the strength of thousands of dealerships likely to close in America over the next year and prospects of foreign oil prices to increase, can an entire industries forecast be laid upon the declarations of a single analyst? Likely not, however, there are other contributing factors that are used to support these predictions.

Two of the bigger contributing factors deal with the fact that Ford Motor Company has taken no bail out money, and Chrysler is looking good in its partnership with Fiat. At the end of the day, however, it is going to be time, continued good business practices and better products and services from the auto industry that will tell the tale.

Technorati Tags: car manufacturers, car owners