The Beach Boys had their little deuce coupe, the Stray Cats had you looking at that Cadillac and the Beatles just wanted you to drive their car. Today, people have their green cars. With today’s rocky economy people are looking to cut corners when it comes to filling up their gas tank. If getting the most for their dollar means getting a little green, than that is what they will do. Strong issues such as saving money and the environment are what the people want, and the car companies are giving them just that. Many frequent drivers are trading in their gas guzzling cars for more fuel efficacy vehicles. That funny little car you have seen on the freeway is in the green car family. America has taken some advice from the UK and adapted and hopped on the green wagon.
Today’s Hybrid cars put the flower power car of the 1960s to shame with Honda’s Civic Hybrid. The car runs on a 4-cylindar receiving 45 miles per gallon allowing you to be visiting the gas pump less frequently. Its comfortable interior offers plenty of space and it is nice to look at with a modern clean model. The car has also received the Advanced Technology Partial Zero-Emission Vehicle, meaning it has a 15-year warranty on emissions gear with zero evaporation because it is a Super-Ultra-Low-Emission Vehicle. All 2009 Civic Hybrids have these qualifications. This is the ideal car for most college students.
Reasonably priced and tasteful Honda Insight gets over 40mpg. Equipped with standard safety features and a multi-information display or as displayed in the car, an eco guide. It lists the temperate, MPG, braking and acceleration response that assists more proficient driving, a very useful little device to have.
read more »
Every car fan loves the BBC show Top Gear — and every car fan that has a computer is now loving the fact that the BBC has decided to put loads of footage from the Top Gear archives on YouTube.
Here’s a couple of my favorite clips currently found on Google’s video platform:
read more »
Peak oil is something everyone should be worried about. It is basically when oil producing countries are extracting petroleum at maximum rates. Although this is not yet oil depletion, once peak oil is reached and no longer possible than the production rate will continually decline until there is one day no more oil left. The consequences would be catastrophic, since almost every industry is dependent on oil. One way of preventing this from happening anytime soon is to start driving cars that are powered by alternative fuels.
Alternative car fuels can help prevent a future peak oil crisis, because they reduce the need to use oil which has to be refined into diesel or gas so that they cars can run. A hybrid car, for example, only needs minimal gas and mostly runs on the electric motor. The miles per gallon that can be driven with a hybrid are double of what a standard combustion engine model of the same car would be able to do. If enough people around the world drive hybrid vehicles, then it is obvious that less of the precious oil reserves will have to be used up.
However, according to many experts we are nearing the peak oil crisis faster than we would like to and therefore alternative car fuels that don’t require any oil are the best for preventing this future problem. One possibility is already on the market and that is natural gas. There are cars that run on compressed natural gas and they are not only cleaner, but also use a resource that is plentiful. Another alternative that is being researched right now is not yet on the market, but very promising. Hydrogen powered cars can also help prevent peak oil, because they only use water, hydrogen and oxygen to create reactions which provide the car with electrical power to drive with.
Finding the right car insurance for vintage cars is a bit different than it is for regular cars, because unlike newer models classic cars increase in value with age and don’t depreciate. N
ot having the right insurance for your vintage car can be problematic should you have an accident and you may end up losing a lot of money as a result. If you want to insure a vintage car, then it is very important to understand what the three main types of car insurance are available and which can be used.
A car insurance policy based on the actual cash value of the vintage car should be avoided at all costs. Never choose this type of insurance for a vintage car, because it will only pay you the depreciated value of the car and will not consider the added value of a vintage car. In most cases this is the standard coverage offered and although it is normal and perfectly fine for newer cars, it is not right for older, classic cars.
You should only take car insurance policies into consideration that are based on the stated value or the agreed value of your vintage car. The stated amount allows you to tell the insurance company how much your vintage car is worth, but that amount may not be fully insured under the policy and a deductible is almost always required.
read more »
Buyers in the luxury segment has turned their eyes on entry level and mid tier luxury vehicles in the recent months rather than purchasing top tier cars like in the past few years. The benchmark for this behavior has been the Lexus ES 350. The luxury badge of Toyota is keeping up to date in terms of packaging their cars to appeal to consumers despite the sour economic conditions.
The 2010 ES 350 is set to compete with the new generation of Buick LaCrosse, the MKX from Lincoln, and the 2010 G37 from Infiniti. Despite the usual leader in sales, Lexus is facing a tough pack who wants to overtake the market.
Lexus though is not resting on its laurels as it updates the ES350 features beginning with a facelift of the front architecture and improved tail light design. The interior is also treated with a new console design and a new telematics setup from Enform and Safety Connect.
The car manufacturer was able to inject all improvements without passing on to the consumers a heftier tag price. The 2010 ES 350 from Lexus is just $330 more expensive than the 2009 model. The sticker price just starts at $34,800 and ending up on a base price of $35,675 after including the cost for delivery at $875.
read more »
Technology is such a wonderful thing. It not only changes the way we think, it also changes the way we get our hands on information. Take for example, BMW’s ConnectedDrive technology that changes the way 
BMW owners access fuel prices, stock index, and everyday weather.
In the United States, the luxury carmaker’s ConnectedDrive technology continue to find more and more ways to make information accessible to driver wherever, whenever. In September, the online data connectivity was launched. It beat the information Google Maps were able to offer before. The online data connectivity brought more and more opportunities not only for BMW drivers but also to the passengers.
Take for instance, weather. BMW ConnectedDrive technology transmits the latest weather forecast not only for today but for the following three days. It includes information on warnings in an area plus daily advisories. How convenient is that?
read more »
The automaker Honda has had a unique history with Formula One racing. The Honda Racing F1 Team, as it was officially called, was racing cars from 1964 to 1968 and then again from 2005 to 2008. In the years that Honda was not actively participating in the F1 seasons it was a supplier of engines for other Formula One teams.
The first appearance of the Honda Racing F1 Team was back in the 1964 season and that was quite an
accomplishment considering that the Honda car company only produced its first road car just four years earlier. Another distinction of the Honda automaker company was that unlike the other Formula One racing teams, with the exception of Ferrari and BRM, the automaker built the engines and chassis for their racing cars.
Just a year after making their Formula One debut, Honda won with its RA272 race car the 1965 Mexican Grand Prix. In 1966 Honda built the RA273 race car to meet the new F1 requirements. Although successful in the F1, Honda officially withdrew from the sport in 1968 after a driver, Jo Schlesser, was killed in a crash during that season.
read more »
Nissan produces a wide range of vehicles and everything is covered from the compact car ranging up to full sized trucks or SUVs. 
However, not all models are as well liked as others and now the full list of the most popular Nissan models in 2008 is available.
Nissan sells some of the most popular car models that are on the market and in fact this make of car ranks third with the number sold around the world. Of all the models, the best selling one in 2008 was the Nissan Altima. This car has been around since 1993 and is known to be a great mid-size car. This was the first year that the two door Altima Coupe was also released and this was the best selling model of its kind in the United States in 2008.
The Nissan Pathfinder is the most popular model of this make in the SUV category. This SUV has a good reputation around the world and is known for being rugged and reliable. This model has all wheel drive, but its fuel efficiency for a vehicle in this class is what makes it very popular, especially now with the rising prices of gas.
read more »
