Archive for September, 2009
You can get a great deal and the car of your dreams if you choose to look for your used car online. However there are some unscrupulous people out there who will try to sell a car that has been stolen or has been written off in an accident. When it comes to buying via a private sale you have to follow a few simple guidelines so that you get a bargain and not an old banger - or even worse.
The easiest way to find the right car for you s is to go online with a specialist motoring website. A site such as this will have thousands of cars all listed by private sellers and by conducting a search you are able to find a specific make and model within seconds. Once you have narrowed down your search, browsed through the photos and read the listing you will then have to make contact with the seller. However before this you can benefit from doing a little research regarding the type of car you are looking for and this will give you a rough indication as to if the sellers are asking a fair price.
While you also do not want to pay too much for your used car you should also be very wary of any car that is way below the going price for a car of that make, model and age. Any car that is listed well below the average should be considered a red flag, especially if the seller has given no indication as to there being any faults with the car.
Before you actually travel to see the car, confirming the buyer is actually who they say they are, is a must. The majority of private sellers will just put a mobile telephone number and an e-mail address down on the listing and while this is often done for privacy reasons, there could be a more sinister reason. Ask the seller for their landline number and address and then check these online. Never arrange to meet anyone to take possession or to look over a car in any place other than their home. If someone is going to con you then they could simply arrange to meet you in a place which they claim would be more convenient for you, sell you the car and then disappear only for you to find out later that the vehicle was stolen.
When going to look over a car when buying via a private sale if you know very little about motors then consider taking a mechanic with you to check over the car. While you will have to pay for this it can be very worthwhile if there are several faults found on the car that would work out very costly to repair. Finally all cars have a vehicle identification number which can be found on the car in several different places. Find this number and then make a car data check online with a specialist motoring website to learn the full history of the vehicle.
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Many have thought of the Mercury Cougar a simply nothing more than a luxo-bloated version of a Ford Thunderbird. It may well surprise many Ford, Mercury as well as Ford Mustang and Mercury Cougar enthusiasts that 35 years ago that the Cougar “Pony” Car was kicking butt on the Trans-Am circuit.
In its origins, the Cougar was an idea that Lincoln-Mercury had been tossing around, for some time, with the idea of a smaller sporty car. As early as February 1963 this idea of a smaller as well as sporty Lincoln-Mercury vehicle, to be introduced to the North American market, came to emerge within the corporate head office, marketing and design staff.
The success of the Ford Mustang was all that was needed to put the wheels in motion. Indeed the famous marketing reference in regards to the product market popularity and sales of the Ford Mustang ‘Pony” Car was a sign in a donut shop that “Or donuts sell as fast as Mustangs”. Nothing drives the automobile industry more than the potential and promise of fast car sales figures. It is noteworthy that even the name of the vehicle product “Cougar” can be said to be family line generated. After the name Cougar is not only six letters but is another member of a line of fast creatures. Both the names of Mustang and Cougar evoke an image of sleekness and fast speed as well as agility.
Built on a 111 inch wheelbase, the Cougar was three inches and half inches shorter than its cousin – the Thunderbird. Underneath the elegant sheetmetal of the Cougar was a Mustang, so to speak. In actuality the Cougar shared with its cousins – the sporty Mustang, and the more dour family vehicle - the Ford Falcon (which was also known in the Canadian market as the Ford Frontenac product. The Ford Mustang had the greatest fortune of being born from the Ford Falcon product line. Mustang enthusiasts owe a great debt of gratitude to a so called compact “Family” car. The Ford Falcon allowed both the Mustang car project as well as the Cougar car product a quick to develop, cheap to produce as well as a proven and durable base platform. Even the dash of the early Mustangs was a direct copy of the Falcons.
Underneath all of the glitter of its elegant sheet metal the Cougar car was all Mustang, using the exact same Falcon front suspension and a solid rear axle with four-leaf springs. A base 289 cubic inch V-8 made 200 bhp (gross), but the real action came in the guise of a 390 cubic inch V-8 that made 320 bhp. A GT option included a performance handling package and power disc brakes that replaced more standard front brake drums. Finally special GT wheels rounded out the package.
It has been said that Lincoln Mercury’s chief designer had envisioned the Cougar as an elegant European sports car, along the lines of the Jaguar Mark 2. How was it that the Cougar went racing?
In 1967 Lincoln Mercury turned to Bud Moore to be the point man for a shot at the SCCA Trans-Am Championship. Team Cougar made up of drivers, Dan Gurney, Parnelli Jones, Formula 1 driver Peter Revson and NASCAR driver Dave Pearson came in second in Ford Mustang’s team. In 1968 then under the aegis of Moore, driver DeWayne “Tiny” Lund went on to capture the NASCAR Grand Touring Championship.
So where and how did the Cougar go wrong. It seemed that Lincoln-Mercury was never quite sure on how to market the Cougar. This lack of market focus, as well as not knowing and perceiving the needs and desires of the potential Cougar customer market proved to be the Cougar’s undoing. By the 1969 product introduction the Cougar was a little longer and a little wider. From then on it was only a short decent into landau roofs as well as the opera window type styling and options of the day. Once started this downward trend and spiral of the Cougar was inevitable. The halcyon years of the early Cougar - specifically the early Cougar model years of 1967 – 70 remain a time when the Cougar’s roar boomed out of dual exhausts and the sign of a car that had some bite to it.
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The Vehicle Registration Marks Act recently became law ( 19th July 2007 ) , it was instigated by the CNDA ( Cherished Number Dealer Association ) and was presented by Richard Ottaway MP.It will change the way a vehicle registration number can be retained.
Previously , when private number plates were taken off a car and put on retention using form V778/1 , the applicant would be the registered keeper who would become the Grantee on the V778 retention certificate.The Grantee was able to nominate a third party as Nominee but this person only had one right and that was to assign the number to a vehicle registered in his name.The Grantee was the only person who could extend the certificate, change the nominee or importantly request a duplicate from DVLA.This created a potential fraud situation whereby a retention number could be sold by the grantee who could then request a duplicate ( which supercedes the original ) and the buyer would lose the registration number.Similarly a buyer could pay the seller to put the registration number on retention and never receive the V778 retention certificate as it would be posted out to the Grantee .
Under the new Bill the applicant ( registered keeper ) will be able to nominate a third party to be the Grantee on the V778/1 thereby giving full rights to the buyer including the most important fact that the DVLA will correspond only with them regarding that registration number.Note that registration numbers already on retention will not be able to transferred in this way purely new applications for registrations still on vehicles. Nevertheless this greatly improves the security of the scheme and cuts out a possible fraud situation.
Members of the public wishing to sell their private number plate would now be best advised to keep it on their vehicle until a buyer is found so they can take advantage of this new legislation , especially if they think they may be selling to a cherished number dealer.If they sell the number to someone who wished to put it straight onto a car ,they can still change the nominee to the buyer’s name and the number can quickly be assigned to a vehicle , however if the purchaser wants to keep the number on retention he will be exposed to the potential problems which the old system has always suffered in that he can only assign it to a car regsitered in the Nominee’s name , he cannot extend the certificate, he can’t change the Nominee and the DVLA will not correspond with him.
It is considered a great success that the CNDA has been successful in having a Private Members Bill passed through Parliament with the help of Richard Ottaway MP.earth4energy review|earth4energy review|earth4energy review
Hybrid SUVs
We’ve become an SUV fun loving country. After all what could be better than a vehicle that’s got plenty of room, goes just about anywhere, and makes you feel safe when you’re driving. The trouble is SUVs are fuel guzzlers and they also aren’t great for our environment. But wait! Not to worry! Hybrid SUVs are the answer and here are a few of the choices already on the market.
The Ford Escape – It is available as a FWD or 4WD unit. The 2WD gets 31 mpg in town and 36 mpg on the highway; while the 4WD gets 29 mpg in town and 33 mpg on the highway with a cruising range of 400 to 600 miles. Base price is $26,900 US.
A stock 2.3 liter, four cylinder engine is combined with a 65 kilowatt electric motor for a total of 155 HP. It has an electronically controlled automatic variable transmission; rack and pinion steering with electric power assist; and power assisted ABS 4 wheel disk brakes. Fuel capacity is 15 gallons/60 liters and it comes with 16” aluminum wheels.
Standard equipment includes air conditioning; ABS; roof rack; power windows, doors, and mirrors; AM/FM stereo with 6 disk CD; keyless entry; driver and front passenger air bag; intermittent wipers; and perimeter alarm.
The Lexus RX 400H 2WD – It gets 27 mpg in town and 31 mpg on the highway with a cruising range of 450 to 530 miles. Base price is $48,500 US.
The Lexus RX 400H comes with a stock 3.3 liter four cylinder engine, which is combined with permanent magnet electric drive motors for a total of 268 HP. It has electronically controlled automatic variable transmission; rack and pinion steering with electric power assist; and power assisted ABS 4 wheel disk brakes. Fuel capacity is 17.2 gallons/65 liters and it comes with 18” aluminum wheels.
Standard equipment includes dual zone automatic climate control, ABS, 8 speaker sound system with 6 disk CD, slide moon roof, power tilt, garage door transceiver, part time all wheel drive, voice activated navigation system, memory system, remote entry system, and accessory power outlet.
The Toyota Highlander – It is available as a FWD or 4WD unit. The 2WD gets 28 mpg in town and 33 mpg on the highway, while the 4WD gets 27 mpg in town and 31 mpg on the highway. Base price is $33,000 US.
It comes with a stock 3.3 liter double overhead cam V6 gas motor with 4500 rpm electric drive motors for a total of 268 HP. It has electronically controlled automatic variable transmission; electronic power steering; and ABS 4 wheel disk brakes. Fuel capacity is 17.2 gallons/65 liters and it comes with 17 1/2” five spoke aluminum wheels.
Standard equipment includes dual power tilt, moon roof with sunshade, roof rack, intermittent wipers, remote keyless entry, advanced airbag system, digital climate control system, power heated outside mirrors, and optional 4WD.
There’s quite a range in pricing between these hybrid SUVs; so you’ll want to do your research and find out which unit best meets your needs and provides the best value.earth4energy review|earth4energy review|earth4energy review
Although 4 wheeler atvs are some of the most dangerous vehicles known to man, people are more than ever buying 4 wheelers for kids. Not only do these four wheelers tear up the natural habitat, but they make tremendous noise, disturbing the native wildlife while causing their terrible erosion. Back in the days, young people eroded the soil and basically wrecked things for everyone else trying to enjoy the wilderness. But worst of all, is the danger of the 4 wheelers.
Going four-wheeling in one of those big trucks is a lot safer and it’s both fun and popular to do. Nevertheless, whenever you take something off road and go through the brush and the hills, you’re going to end up with someone getting hurt. Many people go four-wheeling during or after a drinking binge. That means there are a lot of people out there, too drunk to drive, tearing down back roads at breakneck speed. A safer way to go 4 wheeling is using 4×4 trucks, and this is also popular. Still, anything that involves driving trucks around off road for recreation, people will find a way to make dangerous, especially if they are young and stupid. Instead of having to worry about their 4 wheelers rolling over on them, we now have the problem of drunken drivers going in their older brother’s, or father’s pickup trucks at high speeds on the back roads. And more than once, this has had tragic results.
No matter how much fun they seem, people who are aware of how dangerous four-wheel ATVs are still buying them for their children. It seems like they are just asking for trouble by doing that. There are things like movie theaters and great movies to watch, soda shops for a nice afternoon treat, and even music venues that people of all ages can go to. How about enjoying nature by taking a great hike in the woods? There are acres and acres of beautiful wilderness to explore that don’t need to be spoiled by the grumbling whine of an ATV. On an ATV, the nature flashes by so fast you can’t see anything, you can’t hear any birds singing, and you’ve practically scared away all of the fantastic wildlife out there. There need to be some laws protecting kids and the environment from the dangers of ATVs. While they may be of use to someone out there, they aren’t toys and they’re definitely not for kids.
Why, with all of this tragedy, parents would even think of buying their kids 4 wheelers? It just does not make any sense. It is not like there is absolutely nothing to do in town. There are movie theaters, coffee shops, the soda shop, the main drag. There is even an all ages venue that provides rock music for the kids. And that does not even touch on all of the beautiful wilderness that surrounds us. But instead of enjoying that wilderness for its quiet and mystery, the kids just use it to drive their 4 wheelers, making enough noise to wake the devil himself and completely trampling on nature. That is a shame when you realize how much they miss out on hearing over the rumble of their 250cc 4 wheelers engines. There is a whole world passing them by. Parents should save their money and buy their children something safer — like a bicycle or scooter.earth4energy review|earth4energy review|earth4energy review