The Perfect Car for You

Choosing your next car can be one of the most daunting tasks you can have. There are so many things to take into consideration, when buying a car, which makes selecting the right car a process that can take several weeks or longer.

For example, you may want a sports car, but your significant other may want a safer, family car. You may want a car with a certain color, but the dealer may not have it in stock or you have to convince your partner why are you choosing a red one and not an elegant grey or black one.

There are also many engine options and other technical details (transmission type, car size and so on). You have to think, do I really need a large, 4X4 vehicle, if you only use the car to go to work across the city every day. You would consider the allocated budget for the next car (and in this total figure you should also include other ownership costs, such as the prices for fueling, insurance, spare parts and so on). One thing is for sure, choosing a car is not as simple today as it was 20 or 30 years ago, when the list of available cars and options was a lot smaller.

There are several car classes, and each of these car types has several sub-classes and each has many car models to choose from. First, there is the small car segment, and you should choose a car from this type if you travel alone most of the times and without any luggage. Choosing a car from this segment will also offer you money economy, as such a car does not consume a lot of fuel, it's cheaper to insure.

If you have a family, then you should choose a bigger car, one large enough to fit your entire family with the luggage. But also be sure to select the right car for you, so you do not end up paying more on the car than you require.

The car options are also very important. Most people pay little attention the these extras, but they can be very important, especially those regarding the passenger's safety, Most cars today come with frontal airbags, but you should also spend some extra money on multiple airbags, such as side airbags, curtain and, if present, airbags for the driver's knees. The curtain airbags, for example, are designed and built to protect the side of one's head in a side impact or a roll-over situation.

Then there is the choice of engine and there are two main options: diesel of Gas. Mechanically speaking, a diesel engine is simpler than a Gas engine and it also eats less fuel. If you drive mostly on highways and motorways, you should buy a larger engine. If you, on the other hand, only use your car across the city, a 4 cylinder engine car will be perfectly suitable for you.

Choosing a car is about the comfort and safety of your passengers, most especially your children and that is why other aspects are as important as choosing the car's manufacturer and color. You also have to consider your financing options, as a car is a medium term investment and its total price (the car's cost and other ownership costs) is not quite as low as you might think.

Source: http://www.classicarticles.com/Article/The-Perfect-Car-for-You/62805
Used Cars

Problems With Acetone As a Gas Saver

Many articles online say that acetone in you gasolinetank will increase your MPG.
Recently some experiments with acetone have settled the matter.
This article is written from the perspective of experimenting with acetone with hydrogen based car engines that you can install to convert your gasoline engine very easily. The information on that is hydrogen gas technology at Water4Gas This is not a pure water based engine but a hybrid. More on that later.

Conclusions:
(1) Acetone in gasoline tank boosts power, lowers smog, but makes the engine loud and frenetic, and is problematic to handle.
(2) Acetone added to water-only device creates an interesting but not dramatic power boost that dissipates quickly, because the acetone vaporizes much quicker than water.
(3) As mentioned, Acetone and Brown's Gas (HHO) in the same device is hazardous. You can try it at your very own risk - you might consider have goggles and a mask on so in case it explodes in your face you minimize the damage. So it has been tested mixing acetone as an element in the gasoline mixture and HHO coming from the device. BAD IDEA!!! Engine is not as smooth, not as quiet, and very sluggish. Once I was back to normal 87 octane and faithful old hydrogen again. It makes the engine vibrant, more powerful, and most benign of all solutions.
In case you are not familiar, it's true, safely splitting Hydrogen from water to produce a more optimum energy source is already here as a workable solution that is available for us all. Furthermore, it is not even a new technology, really; its just recently been made more optimum so that anyone can benefit from it.

WATER4GAS is providing information for a nominal fee which people can use in their garage or wherever to put together a small device which instills hydrogen into the fuel/air mixture that their vehicle runs on.
The process makes smaller particles out of the ones that the engine uses as fuel. So the engine gets to use considerably more of it.
By doing this you can minimumly expect to increase your MPG by 30-50% or significantly more. Those particles must have been pretty "blankin'" big in some engines before. But with W4G they are made consumable so you can increase your MPG.
It also helps to lower emissions significantly.
This package of info has been purchased by over NINE THOUSAND car owners already and happy members number about 99%! So how about you?

Source: http://www.classicarticles.com/Article/Problems-With-Acetone-As-a-Gas-Saver/62886
Getting a Car

How Do Diesel Gas Prices Get Set?

Besides excise taxes, here are the main factors that determine diesel gas prices:
Availabity and current cost of crude oil : Crude oil prices are influenced by simple supply and demand on a global basis, and over recent years soaring demand has placed unprecedented pressure on available supplies. The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) has significant weight on fuel prices because they get to place an upper limit on what its members are allowed to produce and OPEC produce about 40% of the world's crude oil, they also possess pretty much all of the available production capacity, and possess over 60% of the world's estimated crude oil reserves. Prices rise rapidly due to disruptions in the worldwide and domestic supply of crude oil, such as the 1973 oil embargo by Arab countries, the war between Iran and Iraq in 1980, today's hostilities in Iraq, turmoil in the Niger River delta region of Nigeria, and the hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico in 2005.
U.S. refineries have been operating at above 90% capacity over the last ten years. America hasn't opened a mainland facility in over 30 years which would go a long way towards explaining the overwork on existing facilities Most foreign countries rely even more heavily on distillates and diesel for overall transportation than does the United States, and refining capacity is near the highest possible output for existing facilities worldwide. U.S. diesel fuel prices are more and more affected by competing international demand for refined distillates.

While the price of diesel continues to rise, some innovative folks have found a way to lower gas usage and thereby achieve great savings while also reducing the toxicity of their car's emissions and helping their cars to operate better, quieter and smoother.
The concept of utlizing compressed air as a fuel vector can, for example, also be utilized in a hybrid vehicle, with cylinders running on compressed air with an additional battery running on electricity, generating a vehicle powered solely on electrical-pneumatic propulsion.

In case you are not familiar, it's true, safely extracting Hydrogen from water to produce a more optimum energy source is already here as a workable solution that is available for us all. Additionally, the technology isn't new; its just recently been made more optimum so that anyone can benefit from it.
I promised that I would tell you more about the Water4Gas system.
WATER4GAS is sharing information at a low price which individuals can use at home to put together a small gizmo which instills hydrogen into the gas/air mixture that their automobile runs on.
The process makes bite sized particles out of the particles that the engine uses as fuel. Because of the smaller size the engine is able to use considerably more of the fuel.
By doing this you can reasonably expect to lower your gas usage by 30-50% or significantly more. Those particles must have been pretty darn big in some systems before. But with W4G they are made consumable so you can lower your gas usage.
It also helps make emissions substantially cleaner.
This package of info has been purchased by over NINE THOUSAND individuals already and happy members number about 99%! So how about you?

Source: http://www.classicarticles.com/Article/How-Do-Diesel-Gas-Prices-Get-Set-/63291
Getting a Car

Why Do Are Diesel Prices Higher In California?

Diesel prices on the Pacific Coast, and most noticably in California (CA), are noticably higher than other areas of the country, partly because of meatier taxes, but mainly due to availability problems. The State of California collects a combined State and local excise tax of seven and a quarter percent in addition to the Federa; tax which is just shy of a quarter per gallon and an eighteen cents/gallon State tax. Also, the state of Washington's tax of 34 cents/gallon is one of the highest in the United States. Besides taxes, West Coast retail prices are more variable than others because the supply sources are few and far between: If operating problems occur at two or more refineries in the region, the diesel supply may become very tight and prices may suddenly skyrocket. The Pacific Coast's substantial distance from Gulf Coast and European refineries is such that any substantial increase in demand or imedence of availability can cause a large price response in the market before back up supplies can be delivered. The farther away the necessary relief supplies are, the higher and longer the price spike will be.
While no individual can exercise great influence over the price of diesel fuel, any individual can put themselves more at cause and lower their gasoline usage
In case you are not familiar, it has been proven time and time again, safely splitting Hydrogen from water to produce a more optimum energy source is already here as a workable solution. Fascinatingly, the technology isn't new; its just recently been better perfected so that anyone can benefit from it.
WATER4GAS is sharing information at a low price which individuals can use at home to put together a small device which instills hydrogen into the gas/air mixture that their car runs on.
What this does is make bite sized particles out of the particles that the engine burns as fuel. Because of the smaller size the engine gets to use a lot more of it.
By doing this you can minimumly expect to lower your gasoline usage by 30-50% or even more. Those molecules "musta" been pretty "blankin'" huge in some systems before. But with W4G they are made usable so you can lower your gasoline usage.
It also helps make emissions significantly cleaner.
This information has been purchased by over NINE THOUSAND car owners already and the percentage of happy customers is about 99%! So how about you?

Source: http://www.classicarticles.com/Article/Why-Do-Are-Diesel-Prices-Higher-In-California-/63295
Used Cars

2008 Cadillac STS

DETROIT - The 2008 Cadillac STS debuts next month with a new, 302-horsepower engine with direct injection technology that improves fuel economy and reduces emissions. In addition, Cadillac's luxury performance sedan also showcases enhanced signature styling and the addition of leading-edge safety technology.

"For the past two decades, the Cadillac STS has been a showcase of luxury, performance and technology," says Jim Taylor, Cadillac general manager. "The enhanced 2008 model extends that with bolder design, more standard power, better

For 2008, STS will be the first GM vehicle equipped with a new 3.6L direct injection V-6 engine. Direct Injection, an advanced system for more precise and productive fuel delivery, enables the rare achievement of simultaneous gains in power, fuel efficiency and emissions performance.
The new standard engine for STS delivers a SAE-certified 302 horsepower (225 kW) at 6300 rpm,* 47 more horsepower (35 kW) than the previous 3.6-liter V-6. Torque is also increased to 272 lb.-ft. (366 Nm) at 5200 rpm,* an upgrade of 20 lb.-ft. (27 Nm). At the same time, the engine is expected to deliver improved fuel efficiency. Official EPA fuel economy statistics for the 2008 model have not yet been announced. On the outgoing 2007 model STS, EPA fuel economy is 18 mpg city and 27 mpg hwy.

Additionally, direct injection's more efficient operation enables a 25-percent reduction in cold-start hydrocarbon emissions.

Coupled to the new V-6 engine will be the 6L50 six-speed automatic transmission, introduced last year on Northstar V-8 models, which has a generous 6.04:1 overall ratio that enables a steep first-gear that helps deliver strong launch acceleration. The STS V-6 continues to be available with all-wheel drive for 2008.

Continuing Cadillac's commitment to the advancement of safety and performance attributes, the 2008 STS includes new systems and advanced technologies to enhance driver awareness and control.

For the first time, Cadillac's acclaimed StabiliTrak electronic stability control system now includes the optional addition of active steering technology. In addition to controlling brakes and reducing engine power, the latest iteration of StabiliTrak combines active front steering to turn the front wheels into the skid when rear wheels lose traction. The system includes a new steering motor assembly combined with computer-driven electronic controls that measure wheel slippage at all four wheels independently during acceleration, braking and adverse road conditions.

GM's Lane Departure Warning System also debuts on the 2008 STS. Controlled by a camera located in the rearview mirror that reads the lines in the road, the system will alert drivers when they have strayed into another lane. Drivers get both an audible and visual alert cue.

When the Lane Departure Warning System is engaged, a driver traveling at 35 mph or more who crosses a detected lane marking without signaling is alerted in two ways: The system flashes an amber indicator light located in the fuel gauge of the instrument panel, and an alerting chime of three beeps is played. The system does not steer the vehicle; it is designed only to alert drivers so they can take appropriate action to move the vehicle back into the lane.

GM's Side Blind Zone Alert System extends and enhances driver awareness and vision. Alternating radar beams in Side Blind Zone Alert System sweep adjacent lanes of traffic, covering a zone of about one lane over from both sides of the vehicle, or 11 feet (3.5 m). The zone starts at each side mirror and goes back about 16 feet (5 m).

When the system is engaged, a driver will know that following vehicles in the adjacent lanes are entering their side blind zone when an amber symbol, located in the outside rearview mirror, is illuminated.

The system is not designed to detect vehicles outside of the side blind zone that may be rapidly approaching, or detect pedestrians, bicyclists or animals. It's designed to ignore infrastructure such as fire hydrants or parked cars. In addition, the system displays do not come on while the vehicle is approaching or passing other vehicles.

The Lane Departure Warning and Side Blind Zone Alert systems can be manually turned off by the driver.

A new performance handling package will be available for V-8-equipped rear-wheel and all-wheel-drive models and V-6-equipped rear-drive models. The package includes 18-inch x 8.5-inch aluminum alloy, chrome-plated wheels fitted with new P255/45R18 Michelin Pilot Sport summer-only tires.

Four-piston caliper Brembo brakes, with front rotors measuring 355 mm x 32 mm and 365 mm x 28 mm rear rotors, provide enhanced baking. All four rotors are vented.

A bolder new look, inside and out

The new STS injects more of the bold design flair that has become a Cadillac signature. Up front, the dual-textured, multi-faceted grille - first seen on the landmark Cadillac Sixteen concept car and incorporated on both the Escalade and soon-to-be-launched CTS - has been adapted to the STS.

High Intensity Discharge lamps and the Intellibeam automatic high-beam system are added for the first time for V-6 models. The lower front fascia features a new intake and grille pattern evoking Cadillac's V-Series high-performance models.

Similarly, side air extractors, again inspired by the Sixteen and Escalade, are now

incorporated into the front fenders of STS. New chrome-plated door handles and lower rocker moldings are added for more presence and refinement. At the rear, the new fascia is now body color and is highlighted with polished aluminum three-inch exhaust tips. New, polished 18-inch x 8-inch aluminum 14-spoke wheels are available.

The luxurious interior of the STS includes a new steering wheel with available genuine Sapele Pommele wood trim. The center stack of the instrument panel is revised with the addition of wood and metallic trim.

Source: http://www.classicarticles.com/Article/2008-Cadillac-STS/62223
Getting a Car

Purchasing Your First Car

With new cars, everything seems hard to do. Picking the right car and knowing what is best for it, picking a car that will not depreciate its value in time too much so that you can sell it at a high price later, how much will the maintenance of your car cost you each month and how much will the insurance cost and so on - are some the few questions any responsible future car owner asks themselves and the reasons are rather simple and straightforward.

Of course, the pressures applied to you by the car salesman that keeps babbling about how good is one car and how good another is does not make your choice any easier to make.

First, before you go anywhere to buy anything you must decide what the cars that are right for you are. Do not go overboard you need to pick a car that corresponds to your budget and payment threshold.

So, before you head out to the first car showroom check exactly how much you can spend, and how much you are willing to spend taking into consideration other expenses that may appear through time.

In addition, when checking for car prices make sure you find the one that includes all the taxes so you will not have an ugly surprise later. Buying a car is not an easy thing to do especially if you are doing it for the first time, and a bunch of advice for dealing with the situation can feel welcome.

Throughout this articles there have been noted a few important things, but you can always talk to someone who is in the business, who has bought many cars, or talk to a friend who has bought a car lately.

Yet, the most important thing when going to buy a new car is that you should be very relaxed, positive and patient, these being two attitudes that will almost ensure a great deal. Rather than opting for a paranoid and an aggressive attitude because this way you will not pay attention to facts you know and you will always be questioning and thinking of what may happen in the future.

This is just the beginning, you can check one of the many car-buying guides that can be found on the internet, and be very careful at their content - read the whole review or article and do not just go through it briefly. It is very important to understand that most of the time buying a car is like a poker game, meaning that you first have to know all the rules by the heart, learn the card dealer's scams and have a bit of luck as well.

A rule of the thumb is that you should never buy the first car you see and obviously do not believe the dealers when they babble that they have the cheapest prices in town of that car, or that they have the best ones, that is just one of their many stories.

Source: http://www.classicarticles.com/Article/Purchasing-Your-First-Car/62456
Used Cars

Oakleaf Automotive - Leading the way in Left Hand Drive Cars

Buying from an established UK left hand drive specialist dealer will give you confidence in your purchase but also the inclusion of UK registration can have positive financial advantages. If you are looking to purchase a new or used lhd car for use in Europe, one of Oakleaf's initiatives is to include UK registration across their full Select Range giving up to 20% savings on lhds cars and registrations in Europe.

Take Spain as an example:

If you where to buy a lhd car from Oakleaf for use in Spain the car would come with the following included in the price:

1. UK registration, V5 registration document, road tax and 12 months mot(where applicable).
2. European Certificate of Conformity.

With the correct documents in place you can insure and drive the car in the UK, then to Spain, legally without any worries. Once you are there and settled you then have time to consider re-registering the car to Spanish plates (up to 6 months).

Hopefully you will have picked up the language a little which will make the process of re-registering easier or maybe a local registration service may have been recommended to you by other ex-pats in the area.

Re-registration of a vehicle in Spain can be a costly exercise due to the various fiscal charges. If you register a vehicle in Spain without owning it for 6 months, i.e. your name has not been on the registration document for at least 6 months, you will have to pay the following duty:
Up to 2000cc - 7% Over 2000cc - 12%

Also something to consider if you purchase a Spanish registered car from a private individual you also pay a 4% transfer fee.

To keep everything legal in accordance with Spanish law the car must be registered within 6 months of permanent residency. So on the 7th month of your ownership you can arrange for re-registration over to Spanish plates. On this basis the car becomes classed as a personal import and the total registration charges and taxes (if using a local registration agent) become quite reasonable from around 600 to 900 Euros.

You may be tempted to leave the car on UK plates but a word of warning!
The Spanish police are quite aware of the increasing numbers of ex-pats using their cars in Spain on UK plates on a permanent basis. In the past they may have concentrated their attention mainly on Spanish cars but now it seems the opposite is in fact the norm.

So what might seem like a 'good idea at the time' could spoil your day especially if your car is towed by the 'grua' for a parking violation (easily done) or if you caught by a speed trap (on the increase and again easily done). In these circumstances you will have to prove the legality of the car, with the correct, up to date documentation. If the car has been towed, you will need everything correct to get it released from the pound!

So to recap, if you buy a left hand drive car from Oakleaf you will have UK registration in your name, you can then use the car in legally in Spain for 6 months. Then in the 7th month of ownership if you contact a local registration agent and provided them with your documents, they can make the transfer over to Spanish plates for you.

In conjunction with Oakleaf's left hand drive prices comparing favourably to Spanish dealers you could make an overall saving of around 20%.

Source: http://www.classicarticles.com/Article/Oakleaf-Automotive---Leading-the-way-in-Left-Hand-Drive-Cars/61482
Used Cars

Protect Yourself from Car Repairs Scams

Things have changes significantly since the early days of the automobile. What was once relative simple machinery (seen from today's point of view), it has developed to become a very complex system that makes a car what it is.

This has some benefits, as into modern cars more and more technology and features are added, but also a series of drawbacks. When it comes to repairing your own car, things have become more complicated. Modern vehicles have many computers that effectively control everything a car does and a lot of electric schemes and that is why repairing your car in your own back yard is not feasible to almost anyone with a car newer than 15 years old .

Because cars nowadays very complex. Everybody recommends going to a large repair shop when something goes wrong. But in the same time some car repair shops are more likely to take advantage of their customers' ignorance.

No one expects you to become a car mechanic overnight, but if you are ignorant about your car and car repairing, mechanics in some car repair shops can take advantage of your ignorance.

In addition, spending months in the court of justice arguing against the shop that has repaired your car is not the way you want to spend your time, I would presume. There are couple ways to protect yourself and your wallet from car repair shop owners that try to take advantage of people when it comes to their cars.

Before you go to the repair shop, do some research about every service center you are considering going to. Check out the shop through ever means available to you, such as word-of-mouth, the Internet (people can post on their blogs or in forums their experience with car repair shops), or other resources (a very valuable resource for finding information about a certain company is the Better Business Bureau).

These resources (including the Better Business Bureau) can be found both online and offline and they are valuable as they offer you a convenient way to check a business's standing and whether there are any unresolved complaints against them. Also, talk to your friends and relatives to find out what car shops they go to and if they are satisfied with the mechanics and the prices.

Second, ask for recommendations. If you do not even know where to start, or you would rather go to a shop with which someone you know has had personal experience, you can ask around for recommendations.

For example, a friend's recommendation that he has brought his car to the same mechanic for ten years and is satisfied with the work done is a very convincing argument. When you go to a repair shop you have never gone before, be sure to ask many questions.

This is perfectly normal and they will see that you are very interested in their services and your car. You should ask about their prices, their guarantees or warrantees, how much experience their mechanics have, whether they have won any awards, and how they handle customer complaints and other similar questions.

As important, it is to show an interest in your car. Do not leave it alone with the mechanics, stay with them when they look at it to be sure that they look everywhere and in this way, you can avoid them making you to pay for things they never fixed on your car.
Finally, when they tell you what the problem is, request to see the problem. This is in fact your legal right and it is just another method to avoid being abused by the repair shop.

Source: http://www.classicarticles.com/Article/Protect-Yourself-from-Car-Repairs-Scams/61488
Used Cars

Gasoline Hybrid Automobile Engines They Are Here Now

I was privileged to attend a talk by Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson when he spoke at the Hammer Cultural Center on the Westside of Los Angeles yesterday evening. Colonel Wilkerson is is the highest ranking official who defected from the Bush Administration. Which, he confessed, he considers to be a personal embarressment and that he has no hesitancy in saying that he will have trouble living with as long as he lives More precisely that he saw a lot of things that he knew were wrong but stayed in the Administration for 5 years. The man said so much that was true last nite.
However not all that he said was true.
He said that he considers that the switch over to clean energy solutions could easily take 75 years. He spoke of the need to transform the entire industry, its infrastructure and on like that... and that we didn't even have the technology yet.
So, here you have a man with as much guts and integrity and honest patriotism as this individual displayed who is nevertheless up there speaking these false statements about the future of alternative energy then maybe it means that many people in power don't know. And that only means that the oil companies and industry "authorities" have performed very well at their jobs in misleading the public.
Truth is it isn't going to take seventy five years and not even one year. Because we have it now. I suppose the industry will just have to change to maintaining pace with the people. Because there are now many collaborative members of Water4Gas scattered around the globe who are helping in their own unique ways for the common purpose of pushing this new technology up as high as we can take it in the very near future. As of right now at a standard where pretty much anybody with technical skill or little can install the system and roll their car out for a drive powered by a gas/hydrogen hybrid engine.
Just because some are actively working on creating the smoke screen and some may have gotten blinded by it and some such are out there forwarding false information. You don't have to join them! But you don't have to be either of those. You are welcome to join us, instead!

Source: http://www.classicarticles.com/Article/Gasoline-Hybrid-Automobile-Engines---They-Are-Here-Now/61549
Getting a Car

Gas Station Prices Are You Getting Gouged?

The federal government on occassion investigates price gouging by gasoline stations. This is especially frequent in places where there has been some disaster which would have as one of many consequences, some price rising but then some station owners get greedy such as what happened in Katrina stricken locations a couple of years ago. When federal regulators do this kind of investigation they often announce it and the announcement will usually help to bring prices down a bit, but more often than not, the investigators send back a report that price movement is merely due to the forces of supply and demand.
The "market forces" argument is interesting. If a Fuel station spikes prices after a disaster so much that their profit margin goes up by half but people are still buying the gas, it's still a function supply and demand. However, the New York attorney general's office has proclaimed that a 25% increase in profits after a disaster is the demarcation where a fair increase turns into gouging. So, The market says the sudden price increase is okay, but the attorney general does not.
Many stations will take as much advantage of people as allowed. But the difference between increasing a price and gouging is answered by having "fairness" as the watchword.
Some stations, particularly any that are not part of a large chain, have to have a quicker trigger finger when it comes to price fluctuations because they are not in long term contracts with suppliers, or large tanks of reserves as many chain stations do
Other stations spike the price in a desperate attempt to avoid running out of gas altogether, so they can stay open to sell their convenience store items and keep from having to fire employees...
Bottom line is that gasoline prices are too high, and it doesn't matter to your bank account whether the gouging is happening at the highest levels of Big Oil or with a small gasoline station owner named "Hoss" or "Bubba" who wants to act like he is one of the big boys and rip off his customers!
There is effective action you can take about all this though.
WATER4GAS is sharing information for a nominal fee which individuals can use at home to create a small gizmo which instills hydrogen into the gas/air mixture that their automobile runs on.
What this does is make smaller particles out of the ones that the engine uses as fuel. So it gets to use a lot more of the fuel.
With WATER4GAS you can reasonably expect to reduce your fuel consumption by 30-50% or significantly more. Those particles must have been pretty darn huge in some engines before. But with WATER4GAS they are made consumable so you can reduce your fuel consumption.
It also helps make emissions substantially cleaner.
This information has been purchased by over NINE THOUSAND people already and happy members number about 99%! So how about you?

Ozzie Freedom, Water4Gas founder, is a "computer geek" and all his knowledge about automobiless is from hand-on experimentation rather than "schooling". Discover one of the best alternative fuel solutions

Source: http://www.classicarticles.com/Article/Gas-Station-Prices---Are-You-Getting-Gouged-/61551
Getting a Car

Quick Quiz What Percentage Of The Fuel You Purchase Gets Wasted?

Are you a car owner? Step out to where it is parked for a moment, and run your finger around the inside edge of the exhaust-pipe. What you'll see now is your finger coated with a dark black smudge. This gunk on your finger is wasted un-burnt gasoline by your engine, and it is also your wasted money.
Many people have never realized that the typical vehicle engine is only 17% to 23% efficient, because of inefficient conversion of energy inside the engine, and 20% of the gasoline you buy simply goes right out your tail-pipe as carbon waste.
How come? It's a little bit of engine mechanics - However, even if you are not mechanically inclined, it's pretty easy to picture:

In the same way that most living creatures needs oxygen to breathe, fire needs oxygen to burn, and fuel needs oxygen to explode inside the internal combustion engine powerfully enough to move a car.
In fact, your engine is not being powered by liquid gasoline. It uses "gasoline vapor". When you pour fuel into your vehicle's, that which you are pumping is, naturally, a liquid. Before the vehicle's engine can use the fuel, it has to convert it into gas-vapor.
When the engine turns the liquid gasoline into vapor, it combines gas vapor with oxygen to create a rich powerful oxygen/gasoline mixture. This is thefunction of the fuel injection system in your car, or the carburetor (if you drive an older car)
What mechanics and oil corporations have kept you in the dark about for years is that the amount of gasoline that you pump into your automobile's system which gets effectively vaporized and ignited as part of the mixture with oxygen is only about thirty to fifty percent.

A big chunk 15-20% of the fuel never gets burnt at all due to the size of the gasoline molecules, this comes out your engine as environmental toxins and pollutants.

Even more energy gets wasted because of the ineffectiveness of the engine, engine energy HEAT loss, and cooling energy, altogether you wind up with approximately EIGHTY PERCENT in wasted energy.
Angry yet?

You should be Whenever you pump up your gas, it's like you are getting cheated in more than one way... Once because of gasoline prices of over 3.00 per gallon, again because roughly 25% of that $3 or $4 is TAXES and INFLATION, and ultimately, because not all that gas is actually used properly...
Truthfully, the cars made in the last 15 years all have computers. The computers are rigged to make sure that you don't lower gas usage higher than Big Oil is willing for you to have!

Think about it... fifteen to twenty percent of the gasoline you buy spews out of your exhaust as waste... you might as well just pour one fifth of the gas you buy all over the ground when you fill your tank and that would probably be better for the environment than the toxic emissions from unburnt fuel. And now you know why are so severe today, even more so in countries where leaded fuel is still used.
So how do you handle this on a personal level?
For those who are unfamiliar, WATER4GAS is offering information at a low price which car owners can use at home to put together a small device which instills hydrogen into the fuel/air mixture that their car or truck runs on.
What this does is make smaller particles out of the particles that the engine uses as fuel. Because of the smaller size it is able to use considerably more of the gasoline.
By doing this you can minimumly expect to improve your fuel economy by 12%. But many are getting thirty to fifty percent improvement or even more. Those goblets "musta" been pretty "blankin'" huge in some systems before. But with W4G they are made usable so you can improve your fuel economy.
It also helps make emissions substantially cleaner.
This information has been purchased by over NINE THOUSAND car owners already and the percentage of happy customers is about 99%! So how about you?

Source: http://www.classicarticles.com/Article/Quick-Quiz---What-Percentage-Of-The-Fuel-You-Purchase-Gets-Wasted-/60388
Getting a Car

Hondas Zero Pollution Solution

Honda's hydrogen fuel powered Clarity IS absolutely a step in the most optimum direction but others finished the race a long time ago and have already beaten it to the winner's circle. It is a better pollution solution but there is an even better pollution solution. It is an historic milestone from a big player in the vehicle making industry. And for all these good reasons which I will now describe, I applaud it!

The Clarity sedan will (supposedly) provide an EPA-confirmed sixty eight MPG. The Clarity also will ace federal safety standards, start in minus 22 degree weather and survive trips out to Las Vegas (high heat). Refueling is ludicrous as you either need a very unwieldy natural gas operated home refueling unit, which, as it runs on natural gas, seems to defeat the whole objective or that you reside nearby Santa Monica, Torrance or Irvine. For now. However, the per-tank range is 270 miles. Honda's Clarity will be coming to a Honda dealer near you this summer (2008) (provided that you live in or near one of those three cities), Your Honda dealer will be please to lease you a Clarity for "just" SIX HUNDRED DOLLARS PER MONTH.
The FCX Clarity integrates Honda's V Flow stack in combination with a new smaller and efficient lithium ion battery pack and a single hydrogen storage tank to operate the vehicle's electric drive engine. The main source of power is the fuel cell stack. Hydrogen combines with oxygen from the atmosphere in the cell stack, and energy from the reaction is transformed into electric power which then propels the car. Another energy source is generated through the conservation of kinetic energy from vehicle braking and deceleration (this is called regenerative braking), and that is retained along with surplus energy from the fuel cell in the lithium ion battery pack, and is used to supplement power originating from the fuel cell, when it is required. The vehicle's only emission is water.
The distribution of the car will be for starters only in Southern California. That region is currently the only place in the country that contains a number of hydrogen refueling stations adequate for sustaining use of the car. These stations are the equivalent to a gas station, only they are specifically for use by fuel cell powered cars. Honda is advising potential buyers that they should not plan to drive the vehicle outside of Southern California.

It's a shame that only one hundred Clarity's will be driving around in the Los Angeles area.
But I gather that for those one hundred drivers they will be in a position where the Jones's ain't gonna be able to keep up with them!

So the question becomes... if you are not one of the fortunate few that
a. resides in specific parts of Los Angeles
b. can afford to lease any car for $600/month
c. can't compute the numbers and realize that they are paying 2x-3x as much for a mid sized sedan in order to save possibly $100-200/month on gas.
d. Don't mind having a highly explosive hydrogen storage tank in your car as you drive on the 405. (In fact, mark my words, I predict one of these Clarity cars will be in an accident that will leave a crater on some Los Angeles freeway and the thought of a hydrogen fueled car will be stigmatized forever like a 1973 Pinto so that the manufacture of such will be abandoned). I hate to be cynical but...

Ok, so...then what do you do?
Well there is a solution that you can install in any car, even yours, at very minimal cost, using inexpensive hardware store items and which will do most of the things that the new Honda Clarity will do but with much less inconvenience and without the risk of cruising around town with a hydrogen "bomb" (storage tank). It is available to you right now!

If you are unindoctrinated, WATER4GAS is providing information at a low price which people can use in their garage or wherever to create a small gizmo which instills hydrogen into the fuel/air mixture that their car or truck runs on.
What this does is make bite sized particles out of the ones that the system burns as fuel. Because of the smaller size it is able to use considerably more of it.
By doing this you can reasonably expect to improve your fuel economy by 12%. But many are obtaining 30-50% improvement or significantly more. Those particles "musta" been pretty "blankin'" big in some systems before. But with W4G they are made consumable so you can improve your fuel economy.
It also helps to lower emissions significantly.
This information has been purchased by over 9000 individuals already and the percentage of happy customers is about 99%! So how about you?

Water4Gas is a newbie friendly, inexpensive system that anyone can construct with or without skills to improve your fuel economy up to 50% and more while cleaning the engine - it will even reduce pollution. Find out how awesome Water4Gas really is! A water powered car is now reality and is one of the best ways to improve gas mileage

Source: http://www.classicarticles.com/Article/Honda-s-Zero-Pollution-Solution/60390
Used Cars

Volvos City Safety System Monitors Distances in Tight Driving Situations

The engineers at Volvo are no strangers to cutting edge safety systems. In 2006 the Volvo S80 could be outfitted with Collision Warning and Brake Support alerts. The systems sent visible and audible cues to the driver when the gap between his car and the one ahead tightened up too rapidly. In addition to the warnings, the brakes were prepped for use, but the driver's foot still had to do the work. Now, the Volvo XC60 crossover, set to go on sale in Europe this summer and coming to the United States in 2009, will be outfitted with City Safety, technology that will not only monitor the gap between cars and prep the brakes, but if necessary, do the braking itself.

Using an optical radar system built in to the windshield at the same level as the rear view mirror, City Safety monitors ahead of the car to a distance of approximately 20 feet (six meters). Intended for low-speed, bumper-to-bumper driving at rates of under 20 mph, the radar will pre-charge the brakes when the gap begins to get tight so the driver can respond more effectively. If, however, a collision is imminent, City Safety uses a hydraulic pump to activate the brakes on its own.

The unit's algorithm runs fifty calculations per second, constantly determining the necessary braking speed to prevent a collision, factoring in both the car's speed and the distance to the car ahead of its position in the lane. When the calculated force needed to brake exceeds a pre-determined level and the driver has not physically responded by tapping the brakes, City Safety concludes that a collision is imminent and intervenes. The system will work during the day and at night, but can be limited by weather conditions including fog, mist, heavy rain, or snow. Sensors in the windshield will alert the driver if dirt has built-up to a level that will compromise the unit's ability to scan the road ahead.

Statistics compiled by Volvo indicate that more than 75% of reported collisions actually occur when the vehicles involves are moving at speeds of less than 20 mph. The company's engineers optimistically predict that the City Safety system has the potential to reduce such low-speed collisions by as much as 50%. Although the units will be standard on the XC60 crossover, Volvo has not announced a decision on inclusion with other models or if City Safety will be offered as a standard feature or an available option when it does proliferate to those models.

The XC60, which will be built at the company's assembly facility in Ghent, Belgium, is being described by Volvo as the safest car it has ever built. The City Safety system joins a growing body of collision detection and prevention units being incorporated into 21st century vehicles, most geared toward blind spot monitoring and enhancing the driver's view and perception of the space around the car. Volvo's approach should prove particularly useful in crowded urban settings where commuters are subject to both tight driving conditions and the potential for road rage in other drivers.

Source: http://www.classicarticles.com/Article/Volvo-s-City-Safety-System-Monitors-Distances-in-Tight-Driving-Situations/60618
Getting a Car

Car Wallpaper Enthusiasts

Car Enthusiasts - Rev up your desktops

Take a look at any of your average desktops. They are usually pretty plain and bland. Usually, it still has the default theme and wallpaper and looks just like the million other or so desktops out there.

Now there are a couple of things that you can do to spruce up your desktop and make it a bit more exciting. You can easily look online and find some good quality sites that would provide you with quality wallpaper, and desktops. Some even have themes for you to utilize as well.

Some of the most stunning wallpaper photos and backgrounds out there have to be those related to cars. Those car wallpaper graphics are so stunning that they literally seem to make the car jump off the screen.

Being a car enthusiast myself, I always try to get the most updated car wallpaper that I can. I just enjoy the look and feel of a brand new exotic car on my desktop. I might not be able to financially afford it, but I can easily revel in its beauty on a daily basis. You too can enjoy this feeling.

There are all sorts of different car wallpapers that you can find. They have created some on exotic cars, muscle cars and my favorite vintage cars. Car wallpapers are usually not that hard to find, but quality car wallpaper is.

By doing a search on Google you can usually find what it is you are looking for, whether it's a Shelby Mustang or even a Citroen. Whatever it is, just type in the name and style of the car followed by wallpaper and you should be able to find the right car wallpaper.

Once you have found the right one, there should be some dimension options for you to select. These dimensions are based on your monitor size so choose wisely. If you choose the wrong one, you will have a pixilated version of the wallpaper that will not look very good. It will look very distorted.

It doesn't take much to change your wallpaper. Just a couple of clicks of the mouse and you are done. The easiest way to change your wallpaper on a windows based computer is to right click on your desktop and select properties. Next, select the desktop tab and click on the browse button. Now, you just need to find the image that you downloaded and select that as your desktop. Press ok, and you should have your exciting new car wallpaper staring back at you.

If you choose the right one, you should feel an instant sense of gratification. Sometimes I even use it as motivation. I take a look at the exotic car and I just imagine what it would like to own it and to drive it. I can practically smell the motor oil already.

If you want to look through a pretty good selection of quality car wallpapers or car photos, you can take a look here at: http://www.exoticcarsite.com

Source: http://www.classicarticles.com/Article/Car-Wallpaper-Enthusiasts/57930
Used Cars

Problem with Your Vehicle in California? Know more about California Lemon Law.

Lemon laws are U.S. state laws that offer remedies to consumers for products such as boats, cars, computers, motorcycles, refrigerators, RVs, etc. that frequently fail to meet the set standards of quality and performance. These products are commonly referred to as "lemons". There are both state and federal lemon laws that protect the interests of consumers. The rights afforded to consumers by lemon laws may exceed any warranties expressed in purchase contracts.

The California Lemon Law states that if a purchased vehicle turns out to be defective in the warranty period rendering it unfit for use or inflicts some serious injuries to the user, then the consumer has every right to ask for refund or replacement.

If you purchase or lease a vehicle in California and then discover that it has defects that substantially affect its safety, use or value, California State Lemon Law may help you gain satisfaction from the vehicle's manufacturer. Under the California Lemon Law, new cars, leased cars, pre-owned cars, RV's, motor homes, motorcycles, boats and other consumer vehicles qualify for protection if they were accompanied by a written warranty. While the law cannot help everyone with a "lemon", and some people may have to hire an attorney to get their cases resolved, the law does create important rights for the consumers.

Circumstances in which the consumers seek protection under California Lemon Law:

The defect of the product is a manufacturing defect
The vehicle has been repaired at least four times and still the defect persists.
The defect is detected but not repaired within the period of 18 months or 18,000 miles.

There are several steps that the consumer must take to effectively use the lemon laws of California State. (1) Keep a detailed repair record, complete with dates of the repair attempts, when the vehicle was out of service, and a list that explains exactly what the trouble is, such as "cutting off" or "stalling"; (2) send a certified, return receipt requested letter to the manufacturer's consumer relations office and the manufacturer's nearest regional office listed in your manual; (3) after you have followed the previous steps and met the criteria as defined by your state's lemon law, request a refund or replacement, less depreciation, of the vehicle.

Differing from some laws in other states, the California Lemon Law allows unsatisfied car buyers to sell the defective vehicle, or to trade it in for a different automobile. To preserve the consumer rights outlined in the California Lemon Law, vehicles with warranty defects offered for sale must be accompanied by a written disclosure that declares the owner is aware of the automobiles defects (a written statement from a professional inspector is better), and the vehicle's manufacturer needs to be notified of the unsatisfied buyer's intention of sale or trade.

Please Rate this Article

Source: http://www.honestinformation.com/content/Article/Problem-with-Your-Vehicle-in-California--Know-more-about-California-Lemon-Law-/3052
Used Cars

History of Global Positioning Systems

GPS, or Global Positioning System has been operational since December 1993, but its history lies much further back to the 1940s when ground based navigation systems such as Decca Navigator began. This, while it planted the seed of inspiration would not take another step forward until the 1957 launch of the first Sputnik by the Soviet union showed that satellites were a possibility.

In the beginning the system was only intended for military use, but that changed in 1983 when a Soviet interceptor plane shot down a civilian aircraft in restricted Soviet space killing all on board, after the craft had mistakenly wandered off course. This was something that GPS could have prevented, and so President Reagan soon announced that GPS would be available for all once it was complete.

GPS is a satellite controlled navigation system that is used by the military and general public alike. For the general public it is a useful tool, a step forward from the one dimensional and none interactive maps that some people find difficult to read and follow. There are many different brands of GPS receivers, and they each offer different features, some of which may not even be related to GPS.

Prices for GPS devices start at around $100 for a basic device that is monochrome and hand held, and increase to more than $2000 for a larger, colour device with a greater number of features. At it's most basic however, GPS is not a stand alone, or navigation aid.

The lower level devices would be a hand-held GPS navigation tool, such that might include preloaded maps of the country of purchase, be waterproof and have a backlit LCD screen. Or for similar pricing a basic GPS device with colour screen, voice guidance to tell you when to take what turns and onto what streets, the power to add new maps, and may have a choice of languages and choice of the voice that the GPS uses.

At around $200 you add in features such as a touch screen to your GPS device for inputting addresses and accessing menus as well as blue tooth capability. Another step up and you see features such as AAA tour books added in and automatic redirect; and important feature for a GPS navigator because you can never be sure when you will miss a turn and need to get back on track via an alternative route.

At the top end, GPS devices include such things as voice recognition, allowing you to speak your start and end points, and any points of interest in best. They might also include non-GPS features like DVD players, iPod docks and even give you traffic updates.

Though many people do not realise it, GPS receivers have been present for some time in many cell phones, and allow the phone to be traced precisely, when the police request such information. In this way GPS has been used to help find missing people, and attempts have been made to use it to help the victims of kidnapping.

Source: http://www.classicarticles.com/Article/History-of-Global-Positioning-Systems/57933
Getting a Car

Make a Used Car Look like New

No matter if you want to sell your car, or you just want to make an old car look like new, two words are what you are looking for: car detailing.

Car detailing is in the same time a strategy and an activity to make a used car look brand new. There is a lot of work to be done and this works grows as the state in which the initial car is gets worse, but the final satisfaction and the admiration of your friends is surely worth it. Especially if you want to sell an old car you should take care of some details that have deteriorated in time.

Nothing is made to last forever and when using a car day by day, of course some elements will wear out. It is the purpose of car detailing to make these worn elements look as if they have been just bought. If the car looks its age and it is in a bad shape, it definitely would not be attractive to potential buyers no matter what model it is if the overall physical and exterior appearance is not very appealing.

Before you start any car detailing activity on your car, you will need to evaluate it first. When it comes to giving an old car a new look, its paint is the first exterior element to deal with. The car's paint is its protective shield against all sorts of external factors and in time all sorts of scratches can appear. Because the exterior of the used car is the first recognizable and seen part of the vehicle, the first purpose of car detailing is to make the paint look as new. This can be done with a good spray painting.

The second car detailing procedure should be the wheel and tire evaluation. Wheels of old cars usually suffer from black stains caused by the accumulation of tar from brake dust, from parts that have been damaged while the car was running or other negative elements. The car's tires require tire sheen and special preparation to make them look brand new.

After dealing with the car's exterior, it is time to deal with the car's interior. This is usually where things can get complicated, as there is a relative small amount of space to work in and the damage in these areas can be quite significant. It all depends on how the old car has been treated and maintained. Any car's interior is a general indication of how the car has been used and taken care of the user and if you want to earn good money from selling the car, car detailing should always set it as a primary goal, to make the interior look very good.

There are several tips you can take into consideration and dealing with car detailing the car's interior. If you want your work to be successful, make sure the car is in a share, preferably a cool garage because the majority car detailing products, such as the paint and the wax treatment do not work well when applied to hot surfaces.

Before you start conditioning the car's interior and exterior, make sure that all the surfaces are very well cleaned, as paint and other treatments work best on very clean, smooth areas. After you have cleaned the exterior, you should use detailing towel, brush or spray to wipe away excess wax on the cars exterior.

In the end, remember that only with patience and a lot of work you can make any car look like new.

Source: http://www.classicarticles.com/Article/Make-a-Used-Car-Look-like-New/57981
Used Cars

Winter Driving

When winter comes, a large number of drivers panic and some of even get so scared, that they do not start their cars until spring. Indeed, driving in wintertime can be dangerous and scary, especially is you are a new driver.

Winter driving has to be approached differently than driving in summer time, but if you follow some basic steps and rules, winter driving can be achieved with relative ease. If you live in a part of the country where winter lasts for several months, these instructions will come in handy. Remember, winter driving should be treated differently from summer driving, but things are not that scary as you might think.

First, before the cold season arrives you should do a complete car check up to be sure it is ready to face winter. For example, check that you have winter tires (this is one of the most important steps you should take when winter comes, as your safety and car's performance are directly related to the tire's condition). So buying special winter tires is essential if you want to your car to be able to handle in the snow and on icy surfaces.

It is very important to make sure the tire treads are wide and deep to allow for all snow types. Certain types of snow are more prone to 'packing' and proving some types of tires essentially useless (summer tires are virtually non-effective in snow or in cold weather). While the tires are among the most important elements when it comes to making winter driving easy, other parts of the car should be inspected also. You should check that the car's oil and servo fluids to be sure that they have no problem in facing the cold temperatures of winter.

Having a winter emergency kit can prove essential in facing winter with no issues. If you are stuck because of a car failure somewhere near a busy road, someone may pull over to provide assistance. But if you are out in the middle of nowhere and have no cell phone coverage, such an emergency kit could save your life.

When it comes to creating the kit, there are several things you should not forget. Essentials for the kit include some extra hats and extra gloves for your passengers. A first aid kit is also essential in case of injuries.

When driving in winter, a bag of sand, kitty litter and a bag or two of salt to spread on the ground if any of the tires aren't getting any traction are also things you should buy before going out of the city. Some other important things to include in your emergency kit are a flashlight, some matches (incase you have to start a fire), some flares if you can find to signal others that you are in danger. Also before you start on your trip make sure your cell phone is fully charged, so you can have enough battery power to call rescue teams. Also make sure your gas tanks are full, as you might need to keep your engine running to keep the inside of the car warm in you get stuck.

These things may sound scary, but it is better to be prepared for the worst when it comes to winter driving so you can turn it into a safe trip. You may not need all of the above things for yourself, but you can also use them to help others that have get stuck in deep snow.

Source: http://www.classicarticles.com/Article/Winter-Driving/58278
Used Cars

Water4Gas Browns Gas Automobile Engine Booster System Overview

Water (H20), as most people know, is composed of a mixture of hydrogen and water in a 2:1 ratio. The Gas Power Booster applies a tiny electrical impulse to split the hydrogen and oxygen found in water. The divided elements of hydrogen and oxygen are combined with fuel and outside air. The 'mixed' gas is drawn into the vehicle's engine by means of vacuum pressure where it gets remixed and fired up by the spark plugs.

The Gas Power Booster uses low temperature, minimal pressure and tiny amounts of electricity to produce a unique mixed gas, called Rhodes~Browns Gas, in deference to the individuals who first developed the process. This gas differs significantly from typical hydrogen gas. This system will produce about 450 gallons of this gas cocktail using just 1 quart of water. Producing this gas is a very easy, effective and safe process. It makes previous concerns about the safety of hydrogen all but irrelevant.

The Gas PowerBooster makes 'hydrogen on demand' and 'hydrogen on board' systems a reality today.

Usually our system can increase your MPG by as much as 25%-50%!

Lower gasoline consumptionis not the only benefit that results from the use of this system. Other advantages may include:
· A noticeable improvement in engine power. You won't need to lean so heavily on the gas pedal to get the vehicle up to speed.
· The new fuel mixture burns cleaner, burns more completely and burns more efficiently. It removes carbon deposits in the engine and prevents future carbon build up.
· Toxic emissions harmful to the environment are noticably diminished.
· The combustion chamber temperature also decreases a bit, which contributes to enhanced fuel combustion and a quicker flame spread ratio.
Naturally, since you are working with combustibles, this is not technology that you want to apply haphazardly or amateurishly. But the step by step guide that we provide will make you as professional as any mechanic. The information provided is SO precise, in fact, that the list of items needed to construct Water4Gas kits is actually listed including the best place to buy it, what the cost should be and the bar code number for the item! It is very precise and by using this information exactly as directed you will get fabulous results as thousands have before you!

Source: http://www.classicarticles.com/Article/Water4Gas---Brown-s-Gas-Automobile-Engine-Booster-System-Overview/58365
Getting a Car

When you want to buy a new car - part II

How Much Money Should I Offer the Dealer?
When you go into a dealership, you want to know all of the pricing and costs of the car that you are planning to buy.

You should know the manufacturer's cost and the dealer's cost. You need to calculate the cost that the dealer paid for the car and then make a reasonable offer to him if you want to get somewhere. You should also know that the dealer's price is not the invoice price from the factory. You should know that the dealer's cost is much lower than the factory's cost.

In order to make a fair offer to a dealership, you need to learn to read a factory invoice. Here is what you can expect to find on the factory invoice.

- Base model of the car on it.
- All of the options packages.
- Destination charge.
- Holdback and dealer flooring help

DO NOT confuse the invoice with the MSRP window sticker because they are not the same. Contrary to popular belief, dealers don't have to tell you the invoice on any car. This often gives the dealer leverage over you. They can offer you one dollar over the invoice. You should know that there are hidden factory incentives in the invoice price that lowers the cost of the car for the dealership. It's no bargain for you. If a dealership is very quick to show you the invoice, you should be aware that they are fully aware that they will be making money on that car off of you and they can settle at a lower price for the car. Knowing this before you walk into a dealership can be your best negotiating strategy.

Knowing this information can let you make them the same offer. If you offer a few dollars over the factory invoice (which is the actual worth of the car) then you can open your bid and let them know how much profit they can make off of your offer.

Dealers are always going to try and tell you that they paid more for the cars than they actually did so that they can make a higher profit off of the sale.

Salesmen often try and make you feel guilty by telling you "I'm losing my shirt off of this deal". In truth, they are in the business to make money. They are not going to sell to you if they aren't making a profit. They are trying to get you to agree to a higher price. If you go in armed with all the right information, they can't trick you.

To calculate what your offer should be to the dealership, you should get the factory invoice price (don't forget to include the options in this price), and add 5% to that amount. That is how you should calculate your offer the dealership.

When I mention the options, I mean the ones that you can't avoid. Some cars come equipped with a CD, sun roof etc. and these are fees that you can't avoid paying so sure to account for these at the beginning.

You should also be sure to account for any buyer rebates as well in calculating your offer. So in the end your offer should be calculated like this:

Dealer Cost Plus 5% Minus Buyer Rebates = YOUR OFFER

If you are unwilling to pay more than your opening offer, let the salesman know that your offer stands firm and he can take it or leave it.

In the end you will get what you want on your own terms. Here is an example for you.

You are hoping to buy a Toyota Camry. You do your research and find that the invoice price is $19,922; MSRP is $22,385. The dealer may offer you the car for $22,000, and shows you the invoice.

You learned by researching that there is a $500 factory to dealer incentive; and a $447 holdback on the MSRP (2%).

Based on the above calculations, the dealer's real cost is $19,922 (invoice) minus $500 (incentive) minus $447 (holdback) = $18,957. This is far below the factory invoice number.

Now, if you add the 5% for your offer to that price, which will up the car price to $20,379 due to the addition of $455 for the destination charge that is always present, you will see that based on the offer that the dealership offered, you just saved yourself $3410. This may seem complicated but if your use a pre-designed spreadsheet from CarsDirect.com or AutoUSA.com, the program does all the calculations for you.

Source: http://www.classicarticles.com/Article/When-you-want-to-buy-a-new-car---part-II/57574
Used Cars

Gas Prices Are Headed For All Time High. Water4Gas Is Here With A Solution

The average cost for a gallon of gasoline in the United States have climbed to a new high of almost $3.20 per gallon and will likely climb another twenty to thirty cents in the next month, making things considerably worse for individuals struggling to survive financially in a time of financial crisis.
Gas costs are increasing rapidly as refiners, who have suppressed prices so as to stay competitive, become more willing to pass on their higher costs of crude oil. They are claiming now that their profit margin is being eroded. Of course most of us are aware that Exxon-Mobile set American business records in the last quarter of 2007 to the tune of billions of dollars. So we certainly don't believe them or express much sorrow or sympathy from us.
The national average for self-serve regular unleaded gas was nearly $3.20 per gallon on March 7, up between nine and ten cents per gallon in the last 15 days or so, according to a national survey of roughly 7,000 gasoline stations. The price has shot up sixty four cents per gallon in the past twelve months. While the latest price is representative of a nominal highest price ever, when factoring inflation into the calculation it is a tiny amount below the record of $3.18 per gallon reached on May 18 of last year. Here in Southern California, the price per gallon is not around $3.20 but more like $3.50! I guess that they figure we can pay more!
Reasons why the fuel prices are currently rising swiftly include;
The higher costs of a barrel of oil is a major factor.
Gasoline prices always rise in the Spring months, historically . People do more driving and the oil industry uses this as a justification to raise prices, claiming that the surpluses are being depleted more heavily.
Folks, here are two main factors to consider a lot more strongly than the ups and downs of fuel prices as such.
A car 100 years ago operated at 40% more fuel efficiency than in 2008. That is a crime and a gigantic scam and you no longer need to be the effect of it.
Actually you can even have fun while freeing yourself in public!
The evil twin brother to that one is that, as any decent mechanic can tell you, your car only consumes properly about 20 to 25% of the fuel that you put into it! And, worse than that, on newer cars, the computer is actually fixed to make sure that the gas mileage doesn't get any higher than the oil companies want it to get.
So what can be done about this?
WATER4GAS is sharing information for a fee which individuals can use in their garage or wherever to put together a small device which infuses hydrogen into the fuel/air mixture that their car runs on.
The process makes smaller particles out of the ones that the system burns as fuel. Therefore the engine is able to use a lot more of it.
By doing this you can minimumly expect to reduce your fuel consumption by 12%. But many are obtaining 30-50% improvement or even more. Those particles "musta" been pretty "blankin'" huge in some systems before. But with W4G they are made usable so you can reduce your fuel consumption.
It also helps to lower emissions significantly.
This package of info has been purchased by over NINE THOUSAND individuals already and happy members number about 99%! So that's a start!

Source: http://www.classicarticles.com/Article/Gas-Prices-Are-Headed-For--All-Time-High--Water4Gas-Is-Here-With-A-Solution/57576
Used Cars

From The Customer Service Desk Of Water4Gas

You would think that the customers of an information provider that provides information to them which enables them to reduce fuel usage while making their system run cleaner so the vehicle operates more optimumly and while helping to protect the atmosphere from further toxic exhaust fumes by reducing the fumes significantly and all for under $200 should be pretty delighted. I had the chance to speak with one of the support people for the W4G website and he verifed that this is the case. His comments were interesting and I am going to share some of these.

But before I get to that I want to briefly state how Water4Gas is able to help clean out the innards of your car so that it runs more optimum and the exhaust fumes are substantially cleaner.

Basically what makes the gas line cleaner is steam. The steam is, of course, extracted by agitating the water tank to separate out the hydrogen bubbles which become Brown's gas or HHO. But the essential point is that the water gets transformed into steam.
Actually, it's an old mechanics trick. They have the engine running and then they pour water directly in and they get another person to stand at the back of the vehicle with his hand behind the exhaust pipe and his hand will become black. In actual practice, mechanics do this in order to clean the engine out on a temporary basis or to send the automobile to smog test and pass the inspection which is really cheating.
With Water4Gas the clean up happens a bit slower, it may take a couple of weeks to clean the gunk out. But then it is permanent.
As you drive more and more it gets cleaner and cleaner and the performance of the vehicle becomes smoother and easier

So as regards the W4G help desk...

What Johnny the Help Desk guy says is that, the majority calls that he receives at the help desk are people who are pretty positive and excited. They just purchased the information and they might have a precise question or two and these get answered and they go their merry way and install the system with great results. Some folks do call frustrated but that will occur in any business. Think about what kind of frustration the hard working folks at the help desk for AOL have to deal with, for instance!
Also in that video interview, Johnny shares the example of a man who he helped for three months until they knew they had it right and now that person is getting increased fuel economy by 33 percent and is thrilled!
This just shows the level of throughness, perseverance, tolerance and focus that the people at Water4Gas have to ensure that if someone might have a difficulty with the installation procedure will have a happy ending. And, again, those more complicated instances are few and far between.
So come on board the Water4Gas alternative car fuel revolution.

Source: http://www.classicarticles.com/Article/From-The-Customer-Service-Desk-Of-Water4Gas/57252
Getting a Car

The Folly Of Electric-Gas Hybrid Vehicles And The Miracle Of HHO

The basic liability of electric hybrid automobiles is that they just don't make sense mathematically or financially. Why would someone purchase a car for $25K when a car that is similar in most regards would be priced at under $20k for the purposes of saving money on gasoline? Have you given any thought to how many years that you would have to drive in order to reclaim that money? Well, let's do a calculation, let's assume that you have to shell out $8K more for to buy the electric hybrid automobile. If you travel 50 miles per day then your monthly gas savings will be about $75. So, you would have to drive ten long years to get that $8k investment back! Wow! What a bargain! Actually, in about seven years which really makes the whole deal very sour you will need to fork out about $5000 for a new battery for the electric portion of the car so make it more like 15 years total!

Well, ok, some peoples who have money to burn (and don't we all now since it ain't worth much? , they don't mind spending a $1000s extra if it means that they can help safeguard the environment with less emissions or appearing to others that they are. If one is being sincere on that count that is a very noble and humanitarian objective as well as being good rational logic for one's own survival because as sure as an innocent passenger on the Titanic would sink with the ship so are any of us doomed to go down with the planet if we wreck the atmosphere much more than we already have. But doesabsolutely require that one has to be hit so hard financially in order to help the environment? Wouldn't it be better to develop a better alternative that costs much less and take the money saved and donate it to a worthy activity such as The Earth Organization ?

That seems to be good on paper but where is the practicality, right? If you knew where to find a solution for lower gas consumption while safeguarding the planet while having a smoother running car and doesn't require one to spend a king's ransom to get it then you would jump at that opportunity, right? But... where is it?

It is right where you are right now - the internet!

Some bullet points regarding Brown's Gas...
Can cut through steel in seconds
100% environmentally safe
Burns 3X more effectively than gasoline
one of the most prevalent elements in the world
HHO gas is safer, easier and costs a whole lot less than more commonly used commercial gasses
It has no toxic fumes nor ultra-violet
It doesn't leave black soot like other gasses do, it has no order or color.
Welders are utilizing HHO and saving $20/hour in gas costs
And it is 30% faster than oxy-acetylene in welding
It burning temperature is onlytwo hundred and sixty degrees farenheit but temperature it can generate is 13 thousand degrees in a very concentrated flame
It goes through lead like a hot knife through butter
and the emitted waste turns back into water, clean water that you can drink!

For all of history mankind tried to reign in the power of water.
Eventually man realized that the power resides in splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen by expanding on older research with new innovations Brown's Gas was finally developed for use as on-demand with no high pressure tanks

WATER4GAS is offering information at a low price which individuals can use in their garage or wherever to build a small gizmo which instills hydrogen into the gas/air mixture that their automobile runs on.
What this does is make smaller particles out of the particles that the system uses as fuel. So the engine gets to use much more of the gas.
By doing this you can minimumly expect to improve your gas mileage by 12%. But many are getting 30-50% improvement or even more. Those particles must have been pretty darn huge in some engines before. But with WATER4GAS they are made usable so you can improve your gas mileage.
It also helps make emissions significantly cleaner.
This information has been purchased by over NINE THOUSAND individuals already and the percentage of happy customers is about 99%! So that's a good start!

Learn all there is to know about the simplest and least expensive method to POWER YOUR CAR WITH WATER and save fuel and gas by converting your into a hybrid gas saving car monster

Source: http://www.classicarticles.com/Article/The-Folly-Of-Electric-Gas-Hybrid-Vehicles-And-The-Miracle-Of-HHO/56836
Used Cars

Using The Technology In Water4Gas To Get Increased Fuel Economy

WATER4GAS is sharing information for a fee which people can use at home to build a small gizmo which instills hydrogen into the fuel/air mixture that their automobile runs on.
The process makes smaller particles out of the particles that the engine burns as fuel. Therefore it is able to use considerably more of it.
By doing this you can minimumly expect to lower your gasoline consumption by 12%. In reality though many are obtaining 30-50% improvement or significantly more. Those particles must have been pretty darn big in some systems before. But with WATER4GAS they are made usable so you can lower your gasoline consumption.
It also helps make emissions significantly cleaner.
This information has been purchased by over 9000 car owners already and the percentage of happy customers is about 99%! So that's a good start!
Our core technology actually consists of FIVE alternative systems so you have to see that when you look at the big picture that not each and every part is necessarily used in every installation, or all at the same time. There are five combinations and they will be explained with pictures one at a time throughout the book.
You can build this system, every part of it, yourself and with routine tools. This book will walk you through each step and show you precisely how it's done.
Alternatively, if you are not able to allocate the time to collect items and build it on your own, you have access to the Water4Gas Free Marketplace to find a vendor for a fully assembled system. Access to "The Free Marketplace" will be given to you from the e-books download page, after you purchase the e-books.
You may still require the information for purposes of maintenance and optimization and for attaining maximumoptimum potential out of your installation. However the Water4Gas Free Marketplace is an excellent service for people with little extra time in their schedule or people who are just ot technically inclined, who are just coming on board to get reduced gasoline consumption and to lessen air pollution.
By designing a standard design, we made it into an easy-to-follow path. So take this as such, to the greatest degree possible. If for example the same fuse that we recommend is not available in your country or state, its not a stop, use one that is compatible. This book should be your guideline, but not your Holy Bible. You are free to make modifications and adapt as necessary. If you wind up making improvements then please forward that to us for everyone's advantage.
It is vital to realize that there are some NON OPTIONAL precautions and safety measures, such as the length of hose, the type of metal which can be used and other aspects that MUST be followed exactly for your safety - make sure that you read the data carefully before you decide to make changes! Without full knowledge what appeared to be a minor alterationto you, MAY BE ESSENTIAL to the safety or effectiveness of the system. Study first, change later!
The section "Replicating The Electrolyzer" and the other replication chapters in this book show and describe the specific parts, catalog numbers and step by step instructions to make this system.
We Water4Gas people like to call it Practical Application Kit (PAK) because the technology is aimed to help you with practical application of this data that we provide for YOUR own car engine and you can make it yourself very inexpensively and easily - or shop for a ready made kit in "The Free Marketplace".

Ozzie Freedom, Water4Gas founder, is a "computer geek" and all his knowledge about cars is from hand-on experimentation rather than "schooling". Discover one of the best alternative fuel solutions

Source: http://www.classicarticles.com/Article/Using-The-Technology-In-Water4Gas-To-Get-Increased-Fuel-Economy/56617
Getting a Car

Experience A Cool New World Presented To You By Water4Gas

WATER4GAS is providing information for a fee which people can use at home to create a small device which instills hydrogen into the gasoline/air mixture that their car runs on.
The process makes bite sized particles out of the particles that the engine uses as fuel. So the engine gets to use much more of the fuel.
By doing this you can minimumly expect to lower your fuel usage by 12%. But many are getting thirty to fifty percent improvement or even more. Those goblets "musta" been pretty darn big in some engines before. But with W4G they are made consumable so you can lower your fuel usage.
It also helps make emissions substantially cleaner.
This package of info has been purchased by over NINE THOUSAND car owners already and happy members number about 99%! So that's a good start!

Finding one method to enable the conversion for your car would have been miraculous. But, not happy to provide only one system to enable your car to transform water into, we here at Water4Gas have designed several. Each of them all work and have been proven to work over many trials.
Different assemblies of the hardware described make for these alternative systems, or applications of Hydrogen technology:
1. HHO/BROWN'S GAS GENERATOR (people call it "Hydrogen Generator" or Hydroxy but HHO is more powerful), consisting of the Electrolyzer, wiring harness, hoses and installation accessories. IT works with 100% Baking Soda in distilled water. All cars will get a substantial boost from this. So far it has reduced fuel usage by up to seventy percent, but it would be more realistic to expect twentyfive to fifty percent.
2. WATER VAPOR OPTIMIZER, components consist of the Vaporizer, hoses and installation accessories. Works with tap water. Will provide reduced fuel usage in any automobile by ten to fifteen percent. Very simple, a piece of cake to replicate.
3. ELECTRICALLY CHARGED WATER SYSTEM, a distinctive invention making use of BOTH JARS with distilled water, Pure Baking Soda and plain tap water and hydrogen peroxide (which is a cheap non-hazardous liquid you can get at your corner pharmacy or .99 cent store). Step by step nstructions will be given to you, and you will find this system very interesting. It does require the addition of a small aquarium pump and cellphone charger. This revolutionary use of this easy everyday collection of odds and ends has made several cars get reduced fuel usage by fifty to seventy percent. This works most optimumly in cars 1995 and older.
4. ADVANCED HHO OPTIMIZING SYSTEM. This invention is the state of the art and consists of the Electrolyzer (with the wiring harness, hoses and installation accessories), enhanced by the PCV Enhancer, Fuel Heater and also the MAP Sensor Enhancer. You will need to use 100% Baking Soda in distilled water. Works best in newer vehicles (1996 and newer). So far has reduced fuel usage by 59%.
5. APPLICATION: HEALTHY DRINKING WATER CONVERTER, a unique use of BOTH JARS using distilled water, Pure Baking Soda as well as filtered water (no hydrogen peroxide). You will need to add a small aquarium pump and cellphone charger. Unique system, rivals drinking water filtering systems costing up to $5900.
OUR COMPETITOR
As a comparison between what we have assembled for you and what you might find at a competitor's, one system would cost about $12,500! . I would prefer not to even speculate on insurance and operating costs for such a complicated Rube Goldberg-ian contraption...according to my calculation it would require many years of routine driving, to reclaim the costs in a small vehicle. I'm not stating that it doesn't work, I just figured it might benefit you to know the upper end of the market, and how costly it gets up there: You can find that system on YouTube HERE

Ozzie Freedom, Water4Gas founder, is a "computer geek" and anything that he knows about automobiless is from actually digging into the engine of his own car and doing things rather than "schooling". Discover one of the best ways to improve gas mileage

Source: http://www.classicarticles.com/Article/Experience-A-Cool-New-World-Presented-To-You-By-Water4Gas/56629
Getting a Car

When you want to buy a new car - part I

The first thing that you should know when you want to buy a new car is that both you and the dealer are looking to get the better end of the deal.

If you don't learn anything else from this article you will learn how to walk away from the deal with both sides being satisfied. A good deal is a win-win situation for both parties. Most of the time it is the buyer that leaves unsatisfied.

If you are looking to buy a car you should begin with these tips.

- You should purchase your new car at or around Christmas time because with everybody buying their Christmas gifts. Car sales are down and it forces dealerships to up their sales strategies Salesmen are more willing to haggle down to your prices to close the deal.

- You can also get a good deal from July to October because that is the time of year when dealerships are trying to get rid of their old inventory to make way for next years models.

- Purchasing a car online is becoming very popular. Watch for good rebates and incentives online and shop around. Print out your information from the best quotes and bring it to the dealer that you are most willing to work with. Bringing in lower quotes from another company might be your best bet in getting a good deal.

Dealerships scam
It's a good idea to bring a copy of your credit score to the dealership with you. It can lower your interest rates on your car loan. Your car dealer should not know more about you than you do.

You can avoid a common scam that dealerships pull. You will often hear that your financing fell through and that you have to respond by paying more money on your loan. Don't believe it. It's another reason for you to get a copy of your credit score.

Another common scam by dealership salesmen is for them to tell you that they have found you a lower rate, but that they want you to re-sign your loan papers. Usually, that is a downright lie. Once they pull up your financing information, they have the upper hand if you don't know the details about your credit information. You can get a copy of your credit information free online at Annual Credit Report.

Don't bring in a car for trade in if you still owe money on it. The dealership rarely pays the rest of the loan on time which will result in you having to pay a great deal of late fees to the bank. If you do decide to bring a car in that you owe money on, get it in writing from the dealership that they will pay the balance on the car within 10 days and/or they will pay the late fees if they fail to pay the car off in a timely manner.

Sometimes a dealership may not have all of your options and must order the car directly from the dealer ship. If this happens they will often ask you to pay $500-$1000 for a deposit on the car. Try not to pay more than $500 and be sure to pay with a credit card. Sometimes the dealership will tell you that there was a price increase on the vehicle and will want more money. If you pay with a credit card you have room to dispute the amount being taken from you. If you pay by check, you can just consider the money gone.

You should never buy a car when you are in desperate need. A dealer will see that and take advantage of your situation. You should never wait until an old car is dead before searching for a new car. Give yourself time to shop around for the right car and get the best deal possible. Desperation often clouds your judgment.

Be prepared to walk away! If the salesman won't negotiate with you, walk away. Many times this will cause him to become more open to your offer. Remember, there are many more places for you to buy. He is at the mercy of the people who drive onto his lot. He is more desperate for a sale than you are for a car. If you can't find a happy medium, just leave.

What You Should Never Do
There are many things that you don't want to see a dealership do to you as a buyer, but there are some things that you should not do as well, if you don't want to alienate the dealer.

Here is a list of "don'ts" that you should abide by if you are really looking to get a good deal.

- Don't try to pull one over on the dealer by lying about the condition of your trade in vehicle. It is just a lie that you can't get away with, and could cause many cost increases later.

- Don't bother looking for a car if you have had a recent bankruptcy because you will not get approved anyway.

- Don't give the dealership a deposit and then try to take it back for no reason. Make sure you have researched the car before making an offer. You can also lose money on the return as they are sure to have a fee for this.

- Don't bother lying about your debt load and credit rating. You know they have to check it anyway.

- Don't offer any money for a car unless you already know the dealer cost because you are setting yourself up to get ripped off.

Source: http://www.classicarticles.com/Article/When-you-want-to-buy-a-new-car---part-I/56184
Used Cars

Two Fuel Consumption Tips

Every time gas prices are raised our problems seem to rise with them, the more expensive gas means less trips or more money out of pocket. The seemingly ever increasing gasoline prices keep people on their tip-toes, since this not only affects how much you and your family travel but it will also modify your budget and the lifestyle, and when that is required, it is never good news.

Needless too say, with the recent rises gasoline prices, the things seem to get grayer and grayer for more and more people, unfortunately.

Yet, if you find yourself in such a situation what is the best thing to do, or what other choices do you have? In this article, I will discuss a few tips for such situations, but it is no secret that the main point of this is the reduction of your overall fuel consumption. By simply lowering the number of gallons you need every month you will find yourself with the same budget range.

The key points to doing these are:

-Unnecessary trips are simply out

Everybody loves going away for the weekend almost every weekend to chill out their tired brains because of those tiring work hours and annoying schedules. Sundays seem to be the main key to peace, quiet and relaxation.

However, in order to find that you need to take your car out for a ride, with your family or alone and start driving towards the nearest forest or canyon. Well, the bad news comes here, because fuel consumption can be seriously reduced by cutting these Sunday trips, or simply by lowering their frequency.

Yet, that does not mean you have to stay at home, you can go around with your bicycle and this way exercise a bit, or go to your friends or pick the bus to the nearest town and visit a whole new place and return in the evening. This will also change your horizons a bit because you will not always be in your own medium, but you will have to interact with others as well.

You can look around for other ways to go on trips as well; maybe your friends are organizing something next weekend. Another good tip based on this subject is to try to reduce the supermarket visits as much as you can. Try to make all your shopping trips in one day.

- How about going with the bus at work today

This means that if you can, and if it is in your way enough and really do not need the car at work, you can take the bus rather than consume your own fuel just to go to the office and back.

You can save that for the weekend if that is more valuable for you. Of course, things do are not the same for those that do not have their office near a bus station. However, there is always the car pool. Ask some of your colleague's maybe you will find one willing to pick you up in the morning and leave you at home in the afternoon.

Source: http://www.classicarticles.com/Article/Two-Fuel-Consumption-Tips/55662
Getting a Car