Basics
Drag racing is all about wringing the maximum acceleration out of the car. Basically, a
proper drag race tournament consists of a series of two-car eliminations in an all-out
acceleration contest from a standing start between two vehicles over an exact distance at
a special drag racing track. In India it is usually done on any empty straight road.

In a professional category racing, the “Christmas Tree” lights control the most important
aspect of the race-the launch. The first row of yellow lights warns drivers as they slowly
approach the starting line. The second row confirms the “staged” position, which is when
the front wheels of the car should be stopped on the starting line as it crosses the staged
sensor beam. Then come the “three-amber starting system” lights. In a “pro start,” all
three amber floodlights in a driver’s lane flash almost simultaneously before the green
light comes on. In a regular handicap race, drivers get a countdown of one amber light at
a time until the green light comes on. The pro start system runs with a 0.4-second
difference between amber and green lights, while the handicap system runs with a 0.5-
second difference between each of the bulbs. As the green light turns on, the race begins
and the timer is started. The timer stops only when the car crosses the finish line at the
other end of the track, with time and trap speed recorded. If the last red light turns on, the
driver is disqualified. This is caused by a car leaving the starting line before the green
light comes on, or staging too deep past the starting line.
There are techniques to gain an advantage even before the light goes green. People
remove all excess weight and loose items, including spare tire, jack, hubcaps, CDs, beer
cases and even excess gasoline in the fuel tank. Now comes dealing with the tyres.
Firstly, any negative camber (information about camber is given later on in the article) is
dialed out in the suspension setup, which can be done at any alignment shop. This gives
optimum grip for the tyres. Secondly, all those 18-inch rims with those stiff low-profile
tyres are ditched, for the old stock 15-inch wheels with high-profile tyres. These absorb
the initial jolt when launched, and reduce tire spin and wheel hop. People who are really
serious and have the money, replace their tires with drag racing slicks at the strip.
Once waved into the staging area, the cars proceed slowly. If the cars have street tires,
then there is no need to go through a water box— they simply drive around it. If the cars
are running slicks, then they idle through the water to get the slicks wet. After wetting the
tyres, the cars pull forward a few feet and do a burnout to warm up the tyres.
When you pull up at the line for staging, you can try your luck, or your skill, to stage as
far into the staged beam as you can. How you stage has a large effect on things like your
reaction time and final time.

So in short, shallow staging increases your reaction time, reduces your elapsed time and
increases trap speed, while being the safe choice for beginners. Deep staging decreases
your reaction time, increases elapsed time and reduces the final trap speed, putting you at
the edge of disqualification, so it should be reserved for experienced racers.
That, I hope, should cover the basics of getting ready for your drag run without heavy
modifications to your car. There are more things that people do, like put ices on the air
intake and such, but those are touchy subjects. And launching the car is another subject
by itself. For now it is just about having fun.

Drag Racing Techniques
Drag racing, as explained earlier, is best described as a tournament consisting of a twocar
straight-line race. It is an all-out acceleration contest from a standing start between
two vehicles over an exact distance. Professional drag strips are available for public use
all over the world, but the illegal street racing culture has popularized drag racing
nowadays in such a way that most common folks think of drag racing as a bunch of
sticker-clad street cars causing mayhem at night. Movies like 2 fast 2 furious didn’t help
much either!
Well, whatever gets you going; it is a fact that the launch becomes the deciding factor in
any drag race where the machinery is equal.
The race not only depends on the launch, but also on how much you know about your
car. Every car has its own launching method, and the techniques detailed here will help
you determine what is best for your car. All you need to do is experiment with your car,
and be aware of any changes to your setup, tarmac quality or weather conditions that
could change what you thought was the best method. Pretty much the only hard and fast
rule is to practice in various conditions. Drag racing is definitely hard on your car, but to
become consistent in your driving, you will have to sacrifice some hard-earned cash for
tyres, repairs and modifications.

Written and compiled by Sharit kalia and information taken from Google.com

Models In India

The  Skoda sells the Fabia small car,two generations of Octavia(Octavia and Laura)and the second generation of its flagship,the Superb.Combined brand strategy for India by parent firm VW may see a more VFM positioning of its products in the future.As of now,the Czech brand occupies a commendable premium positioning in India and justifiably so.

The Skoda Laura

The Laura has been a runway success story despite it being a newer version of the Octavia(which is selling enough for Skoda to still produce it).To its credit,the car looks much better than the square-jawed older Octavia and features a sophisticated interior too.Unlike the previous car,the rear room is commendable and the Laura is a better car to be driven around in,thanks to superior ride quality on bad to terrible roads.While the 1.8 Turbo version is excellent value for money,it is the diesel that is doing well in the market.The 2 litre engine feels more agile than when powering the bigger,heavier Superb.

The Skoda Superb

The Superb is the find of this decade in this segment.While the fuzzy looking first Superb had its share of problems(too steep a price tag onwards) in its first innings,the new car has been a runaway success.This is a stretch limo masquerading as a sedan-so much,is the rear seat comfort.Comprehensive instrumentation,a touch screen entertainment console and brilliant air-conditioning makes it the daily driver that you dream about.

The Price Range

Skoda Laura:Rs 14 to 18.25 lakh

Skoda Superb:Rs 20 to 27 lakh

There are some tested basic tips to avoid such a situation which are as under:

1. Whenever one is visiting the Petrol Pump for fuel it should be kept in mind that Tyre Pressure are also to be checked.

2. Only recommended Type Pressure are to be filled by the helping hand at the Air Pump.

3. Both pressure either more or less are to be avoided as it may lead to dangerous situations.

4. As far as possible the vehicle should be run on Mattled Road,Kachha /Unmattled Roads are to be avoided.

5. If the Vehicle /Car has run more than 40,000KMs, all the Tyres are to be replaced as recommended by the manufacturer.

6. Rash Driving dangerous and sudden braking are to be best voided.

7. Late night outings, specially with family members are to be totally avoided to prevent any risk.

Drifting

What is drifting?
Basically, drifting is getting your car sideways down a road. It doesn’t sound very hard
does it? Sounds a lot like power sliding (for all those who aren’t familiar with this term I
have given information about it later on in this article) huh? Well it isn’t. It’s much more
complex. Instead of a drifter causing a drift and then countering to straighten out, he will
instead over-counter so his car goes into another drift. That is the reason many drifters do
it in the mountains, because there are many sharp turns strung together. So in essence, a
good drifter has the ability to take five or six opposing turns without having traction at
any point in time.

Drifting is a driving style distinguished by oversteering into and completely through the
corners. This is usually done with FR (front-wheel-drive) layout vehicles, as the power
and weight distibution characteristics on these cars are ideal for the maneuver. Drifting
may be done informally for fun, in a formal setting where the goal is a mix of fun and
building skills for improved car control, or in competitive motorsports. Competitive
drifting is a motorsport rated on style, rather than speed around a track or position in a
group of cars. Overall performance is judged on four factors: cornering angle, line, speed
and excitement/style.
Drifting is not the fastest way around a racetrack. Drifting is useful in rallying, but in
circuit racing is slower than conventional techniques.

Today’s Generation Drifting
Nowadays, drifting has evolved into a competitive sport where drivers compete in rearwheel-
drive cars to keep their cars sideways as long as possible. At the top levels of
competition, especially the D1 Grand Prix in Japan, the United Kingdom and the United
States, drivers are able to keep their cars sliding for extended periods of time, often
through several turns. Drifting competitions are judged based not on the time it takes to
complete a course, but on line, angle, speed, and show factor. Line involves taking the
correct line, which is usually announced by judges. Angle is the angle of a car in a drift,
the more the better. Speed is the speed entering a turn, the speed through a turn, and the
speed exiting the turn; faster is better. The show factor is based on multiple things, such
as the amount of smoke, how close the car is from the wall, and falling aero. It’s based on
how “cool” everything looks. Final rounds of competition often include tandem drift runs
nicknamed “tsuiso” (chase-run) in Japanese, where one car follows another through the
course, attempting to keep up with or even pass the car in front. In the tsuiso rounds, it
doesn’t matter if the racing line is wrong; it matters who has the most exciting drift.
Normally, the leading car usually produces a max-angle, but still close off the inside a
little to prevent passing. The chasing car usually drifts with less angle, but very close to
the lead car. But a car does not even have to keep up, and in fact in some cases a car that
was left behind on the straight produces a beautiful drift, winning him that round. A spin,
understeer, or collision results in a disqualification of the offending party.

Cars
Any Rear-Wheel-Drive (RWD) car can be drifted (with those having a limited-slip
differential preferred), and some All-Wheel-Drive (AWD) cars can also drift, often with
less angle, but higher speed. There is some debate over whether or not Front-Wheel-
Drive (FWD) vehicles can drift. By the technical definition (rear wheels slipping at a
greater angle than front wheels), they are indeed able to drift. However, many consider
FWD vehicles a poor choice for drifting, as the frequent use of the emergency brake
(necessary to drift FWD cars) slows them down and makes them harder to control. Also
since they use their front tyres for both steering and power, the car loses control after a
single slide, while RWD cars can drift through consecutive corners.

How Is Drifting Done?

Drifting can be initiated in two ways depending on whether you have a front or rearwheel-
drive car. The first method is to depress the clutch and gear down into second gear
when approaching a corner or bend in the road, and rev your engine to about 4000-5000
RPM. As you are coming up, slightly turn your steering wheel so the car is going away
from the corner and then cut back towards it while at the same time releasing the clutch
causing the rear wheels to spin. Basically you are doing a burnout. At this point you
should feel a loss of traction in your tires giving your car a hydroplane effect as you
begin sliding around the curve. Don’t let the drift go because this will give you
momentum to take on the next corner. Keep your foot on the accelerator as you control
your car keeping it from spinning out as you approach the next turn. Now cut your
steering wheel in the direction of the turn and your car will powerslide right through it. If
you came out of your first drift too slow and you start to regain traction, just pop the
clutch again to get your wheel’s spinning.
The second technique is used by a few drifters in rear-wheel-drives, but is the only way
you can really drift a front-wheel-drive. You have to use the side/hand brake. A frontwheel-
drive cannot whip its tail out because the tires are being driven in the front as
opposed to the rear. So when approaching a turn/bend you pull the side brake until you
feel your car lose tyre traction. And the rest is pretty much the same except that it’s much
harder to take more than one turn with a front wheel driver. This is because using the
hand brake will cause you to slow down.

Drifting Techniques

Heel-Toe-Shifting:
Heel-toe-shifting is a race shifting technique that allows drivers to downshift quickly
while applying the brakes. Proper heal toe shifting keeps the engine, transmission, and
wheel speed matched up so there is no jolt through the driveline while downshifting.
When drifting, heel toe downshifting allows drivers to downshift in order to increase
engine rpm, while braking to transfer weight forward and off the rear wheels.
Instructions:
1. Before entering a turn, do your initial braking to transfer your vehicle’s weight
forward. Double clutch / heel-toe downshift (see next step). Turn your wheels into the
corner. Carry enough momentum into the corner to induce oversteer.
2. Clutch in, bring your vehicle into neutral, and release clutch. While on the brakes, slide
your right heel over to the gas pedal and rev up (blip) the engine to match transmission
and engine speed. Without matching revs on downshift, the engine speed will cause a jolt
through the driveline, upsetting rear traction uncontrollably.
3. After matching revs, clutch in, and downshift your vehicle. Double clutching is
optional, but reduces wear on your transmission. Use the e-brake/side brake/handbrake if
momentum and downshift do not create enough oversteer.
4. Release the clutch, get off the brakes, and press the accelerator. Accelerate enough to
keep tyres spinning to continue oversteer. Add steering input (countersteering) to keep
your vehicle from pivoting or spinning out.

Power-Over Drift:
Instructions:
1. Enter a turn at any speed. The power-over drift is based on horsepower so it does not
necessarily need much speed or rotational force to perform.
2. Turn your wheels sharply into the turn, and get on the throttle enough to cause your
wheels to lose traction. The cornering force of the vehicle combined with the excessive
throttle will cause your vehicle to oversteer.
3. When you feel the vehicle’s rear end kicking out, immediately countersteer the wheels
to face straight with the road. Your vehicle will pull in the direction of the front wheels,
as long as the wheels are still moving. Keep on the throttle. If you press the brakes or let
off the throttle because your vehicle is in an extremely oversteered condition, you will
spin out or leave the road.
4. When you wish to straighten out your car, after completing the drift, let off the throttle
smoothly and straighten out the wheels as your vehicle kicks in line behind the front
tyres.

E-Brake/Handbrake Drift/Parking Turn:
This technique is pretty straightforward; pull the handbrake to induce rear traction loss
and balance drift through steering and throttle play. Some people debate the fact that if
using the handbrake creates an actual drift, or just a power slide, but ultimately, using the
e-brake is no different than any other technique for starting drifts. This is generally the
main technique to perform a controlled drift in a FWD vehicle. This is one the first
techniques beginners will use as their cars are not powerful enough to lose traction using
other techniques. Also this technique is used heavily in drift competitions to drift big
corners.
The handbrake turn/parking turn, is a driving technique used to deliberately slide a car
sideways, either for the purpose of negotiating a very tight bend quickly, or for turning
around well within the vehicle’s own turning circle.
Instructions:
1. Enter a turn at a speed too high for the vehicle to handle (if you do not drift, your
vehicle should experience understeer at this speed).
2. Heel-toe Downshift to get your vehicle into a gear low enough to pull you through a
drift (2nd gear).
3. Turn your wheels sharply into the turn. By the time you finish downshifting and
turning your wheels, you should be at the apex of the turn.
4. Hold in the release button on your e-brake and pull up your brake sharply, then quickly
release (e-brake is held up for only about 1 second). If using a RWD car, clutch in while
pulling your e-brake. If using a FWD car, keep on the throttle while pulling your e-brake.
5. When you feel the vehicle’s rear end kicking out, immediately countersteer the wheels
to face straight with the road. Your vehicle will pull in the direction of the front wheels,
as long as the wheels are still moving. Keep on the throttle. If you press the brakes or let
off the throttle because your vehicle is in an extremely oversteered condition, you will
spin out or leave the road.
6. When you wish to straighten out your car, after completing the drift, let off the throttle
smoothly and straighten out the wheels as your vehicle kicks in line behind the front tires.

The car had its world debut at the 2009 Pebble Beach Concours in August.With its awesome looks Bentley is ready to challenge Roll’s Royce Phantom.Now they address Mulsaane as the ‘pinnacle’ of luxury cars.

The Mulsanne will be arriving in the middle of next year with the price tag approaching $300,000.It features a bold frontal design dominated by the traditional Bentley matrix grille and higly prominent round inner headlamps with chrome surrounds,flanked by two smaller outboard lamp clusters.The iconic ‘Flying B’ retractable radiator mascot is available as an option.Uniquely designed 20 inch wheels(and optional 21 inch)reinforce the Mulsanne’s powerful,sporting stance.

But style is not enough for such an imposing car.In this case Bentley’s engineers does not disappoint us.It features a 6.75 litre V-8 engine, which has been updated with cam phasing and variable displacement technologies to help reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.It has an improved engine response.

Overall the car has a healthy 505 horsepower and a massive 752 pound feet of torque,delivered at 1,800 rpm.Drive is sent to the rear wheels via a ZF 8-speed automatic transmission equipped with steering wheel mounted paddle shifters.

A new air suspension system with continuosly variable dampers create an even more refined and comfortable ride at lower speeds, and can reduce ride height automatically at high speeds to reduce lift and aerodynamic stability.

Body Measurements

• Length:219 inches
• Width:75.8 inches
• Height:60 inches
• Wheel Base:128.6 inches

After making huge disappointed cars like the Chevy Spark and the Aveo , the American car company has learned a lesson and has come up with their new car the Chevrolet Beat.Its hip and  happening , its compact and looks cool, well definitely a mid range car of the masses.It reflects style charisma space which the early Chevy cars didn’t had. Though the spark too looked peppy but looking at the interiors and the plastic used it more looked like a made in china car than a real car.But this one is worth mentioning.Here are some list of goodies that you’ll like in it and for tech savy  people its technical specifications.

• Funky styling inside & out
• Nippy city hatch character
• Compliant ride quality. No bumpiness
• Unique superbike-inspired speedometer
• Well packaged interiors (for 4)
• ARAI fuel efficiency topper
• Chevy’s 3 year service guarantees

The Beat will be launched on the 4th of January, 2010 at the Auto Expo. I’m willing to bet that it will be priced a notch lower than the i10. Why do I think so?

The Beat wears a BOLD face. Yup, it has the large Chevy split grille and the front personality is clearly “love me or loathe me”. The styling is distinctly front heavy and isn’t to everyone’s taste. Like the Cruze, it has character and, I must add, the front & side profiles are quite radical for the segment. What you can’t deny is that this Chevy has excellent frontal presence, with large rakish headlamps that extend nearly to the A pillar.

The interiors looks nicely done.

nice leg room at the back

VIRUS BATTERY

Viruses have been used to help build batteries that may one day power cars and all types of electronic devices.

The speed and relatively cheap cost of manufacturing virus batteries could prove attractive to industry.

In what is claimed to be the first potential applications of synthetic biology, researchers have now shown that viruses, otherwise harmful to humans, can power cars and electronic gadgets.

A team at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has revealed that it can genetically engineer viruses to build both the positively and negatively charged ends of a lithiumion battery, the Science journal reported.

“The new virus-produced batteries have the same energy capacity and power performance as state-of-the-art rechargeable batteries being considered to power plug-in hybrid cars, and they could also be used to power a range of electronic devices,” lead researcher Angela Belcher said.

Professor Angela Belcher, who led the research team, said: “Our material is powerful enough to be able to be used in a car battery.”

The team from MIT in the US is now working on higher power batteries.Scientists at MIT used the viruses to build both the positively and negatively charged ends of a battery, the cathode and anode, the journal Science reports.

A battery typically has four key components – the anode and cathode, an electrolyte that flows between them, and a separator to keep the anode and cathode apart.Essentially, a battery turns chemical energy into electrochemical energy when an electron flow passes from the negative end to the positive end through a conductive chemical, the electrolyte.

Researchers constructed a lithium-ion battery, similar to those used in millions of devices, but one which uses genetically engineered viruses to create the negatively charged anode and positively charged cathode.

The virus is a so-called common bacteriophage which infects bacteria and is harmless to humans.

The virus picks up a carbon nanotube after being genetically engineered

In fact, according to them, the new batteries could be manufactured with a cheap and environmentally benign process—the synthesis takes place at and below room temperature and requires no harmful organic solvents, and the materials that go into the battery are non-toxic. The viruses are a common bacteriophage, which infect bacteria but are harmless to humans.

The team found that incorporating carbon nanotubes increases the cathode’s conductivity without adding too much weight to the battery. In lab tests, batteries with the new cathode material could be charged and discharged at least 100 times without losing any capacitance. That is fewer charge cycles than currently available lithium-ion batteries, but “we expect them to be able to go much longer,” Belcher said.

Three years ago the MIT scientists manipulated genes inside a virus that coaxed the particles to grow and self-assemble to form a nanowire anode one-tenth the width of a human hair.The microbes are encouraged to collect exotic materials – cobalt oxide and gold – and because the particles are negatively charged, they can be formed into a dense, virus-loaded film which acts as an anode and “grows” on a polymer separator.Researchers, including MIT Professor Gerbrand Ceder and Associate Professor Michael Strano, have now developed a highly powerful cathode.

The work was more difficult because the material had to be highly conductive in order to be effective and most candidate materials for cathodes are highly insulating.

The virus was coaxed into binding with iron phosphate and then carbon nanotubes to create a highly conductive material.The batteries have the same energy capacity and power performance as rechargeable batteries used to power plug-in hybrid cars.

The prototype battery is currently the size of a coin but the scientists believe it can be scaled and be used to create flexible batteries that can take the shape of their container, which is perfect for mobile or small devices.

The researchers are now looking for better materials to work with the viruses to create a next-generation battery, which is even higher powered.

“Scale is the issue,” admitted Professor Belcher. “But we are not going to scale until we have the right material. We believe this is possible and has commercial implications otherwise we would not be researching in this area.”Currently, the virus battery can only be charged and discharged at least 100 times before it begins to lose its capacity to store a charge, but Professor Belcher said “we expect them to be able to go much longer”.

The process to build the batteries uses no harmful or toxic materials and so is attractive from an environmental point of view.

With the power that these cars offered, the Ford Mustang became the top selling car for many of the years during its “performance era.” Times have changed, though, and there are many factors that would seem to reduce the muscle car’s popularity. High fuel prices and strict Federal regulations would seem to cause a real damper on all that horsepower. But these horses can’t be corralled and the muscle car still flies off the showroom floor, especially to the new generation. And for them, there is a new generation of muscle cars hitting the dealer lots.

Cadillac CTS-V

This high performance Cadillac makes this automaker a great addition to the muscle car ring. While the Cadillac name may not exactly be synonymous with performance, the CTS-V delivers with power, top notch handling and a spacious cabin. Sporting 400 horses of power with a 6.0 liter V8, this ride sits you in the lap of luxury with a lower price tag and significant performance.

Pontiac GTO

GM finally brought back the “Goat”, much to the delight of muscle car enthusiasts. One of the original muscle cars, the GTO was introduced in 1964 and ran through the 1974 production year. Pontiac’s desire was to keep the awesome performance of the GTO without making you own your own bank. With a 6.0 liter LS2 V8 offering 400 horses, the new breed of GTO ran from 2004 to 2006. But, this is one car that can’t be held down and will be sure to emerge again in the future.

Infiniti G35

A good example of the new breed of muscle cars, the Infinity G35 offers sleek styling, great performance and top notch handling. Sporting a powerful 3.5 liter V6, 306 horses strong, the Infiniti G35 give you the old school muscle car style combined with the newer, technological plusses of the 21st century. With this car, performance is its strong suit. It offers great handling and a superior, “beauty meets beastly power” look and feel.

Lexus IS 350

Another luxury yet sporty number, the Lexus IS 350 offers a powerful V6 with 306 horsepower. Its inventive safety designs give it an edge over some of the other high performance cars on offer. While you correctly equate the Lexus name with luxury, the IS 350 puts out top performance as well.

Ford Mustang

You can’t say muscle car without at least mentioning the Ford Mustang. The grand daddy muscle car, this pony with horsepower has seen some major changes over the past few decades. The modern Mustang still packs a powerful punch with a wicked performance V8 version with 300 horses galloping under the hood in the GT version. The retro styling will take the old timers back and introduce new enthusiasts just discovering this classic to a new love.

There are many other muscle cars that could easily make this list and be competitive against their high performance cousins. It is worth your while to study the latest generation of muscle cars and find the performance package that makes your pulse pound. Performance, design and power make a muscle car, but only time will make it a legend.

How Ebay works:

When it comes to online shopping, eBay really knows it’s business. The world’s largest online shopping site by far, boasting over 120 million affiliated users (and growing) who live in over 20 different countries, eBay is a huge online garage sale, shopping center, toy dealer and auction site. Literally everything is bought and sold on eBay, everything legal, that is. From the eclectic, like a partially eaten grilled cheese sandwich that is believed to have the image of the Virgin Mary on it, to the everyday, like books, original artwork, cameras and lenses, antiques and clothing, to the truly rare items like airplanes and Lamborghinis, eBay offers a diverse collection of items at great discounts for people to even buy outright.

How to Find the Car you Want:

When shopping on eBay, finding what you want is as easy as you could imagine. Plug the appropriate term into the search window and you will likely find many related items. Type in a keyword or two and select a category, then search. If you need more options, go with the advanced search so that you can set more parameters. Once the listings are returned to you, browse the headings to find items that reflect what you want. You can click on the heading links and read the actual listings and if that isn’t enough for you, contact the seller via email to get all the information that you need.

How to Bid:

Once you have found that special car that you want, submit your bid. You can bid just enough to outbid your competition or you can set your bid at the highest you are willing to pay. The eBay system will bid in increments until your limit is reached. If you have to leave the eBay system you can still get your bid alerts via email. If someone outbids you the system will automatically email you to let you know. Many people have the alerts sent to their cell phones so that it chimes when they receive an email. This way it is possible to jump back on the eBay site and modify your bid if you like.

Resources for Helping you Bid:

Some eBay bidders will wait until the very last moments of the auction and then make their bid. This last bid is usually placed just before the auction closes meaning there is no time for any other bids to be placed. This practice is called “sniping” and it is highly controversial. Some bidders feel that it is perfectly fine and an effective strategy for winning the auction. Other bidders, however, feel that the practice is unethical and sneaky. Whether you snipe or not is a personal decision. It is important, though, that you be aware that it is done regularly on eBay. You should also beware of possible scams. The website http://www.carbuyingtips.com/fraud.htm has some vital tips and guidelines that will help you. You find great deals for pretty much everything on eBay and cars are no exception. You can find the car of your dreams on eBay and now that you know the ropes, it will be that much easier.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

“Is it sufficient that you have learned to drive the car, or shall we look and see what is under the hood? Most people go through life without ever knowing.” Dr. June Singer

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

When you finally decide to go shopping for the car that you really want, you will probably want to take your digital camera to take some pictures. By the time you get done looking at all the cars you want to look at, there are bound to be some that you won’t remember everything about. That’s where the Canon PowerShot S60 camera comes in. If you take some good digital photos, you will have those photos to use as a reminder for choosing the one you finally end up with.

Don’t be flustered by car salesmen or your work mates trying to talk you into that great looking sedan if you are looking for a pickup. Or a Hummer or anything else that you may have your heart set on. Remember, you are the one that is going to be driving that Infiniti G35, not the salesman, and certainly not your brother-in-law. His last purchase is in the shop for the third time and he’s not sure why he took that bet on whose car was faster again.

Go to a reputable dealer. Pick one that has been around a long time. You can check out virtually any business with the Better Business Bureau. Info on how many complaints they have had and how many have been resolved is available to you. This will give you an idea of how customer service oriented a business is. Do take someone with you that knows something about vehicles. It is recommended to have any car you are considering buying checked over by a mechanic.

Don’t substitute something less than what you really want if that is possible. Of course, you probably cannot afford a Ferrari F430 if you work at the dollar store but you can get something that you like. Some great options will be front and rear airbags, controls on the steering wheel, a heater, a radio/cd player, cruise control, a satellite guidance system and a good air conditioner. But, decide which options you want before you go in, and don’t let the salesman talk you into more than you want.

There are many options that are available on cars today and this investment should have the ones you want. After all, you are going to be driving it. Sirius satellite radio, automatic door locks, lumbar seats, and the list goes on and on. Be aware that some options, such as Sirius radio charge you on a monthly basis for this service.

The best way to get the lowest price on the type of vehicle you want is to comparison shop. You might be surprised at the variability in price between dealers. There are also incentives to consider. Some car dealers have them fairly often. Around the end of the year is one of the best times to look for the best deal.