2008 Acura CSX Navi Premium Review

By Samir Syed on September 3, 2008

Evaluating the Canadian-designed, built and sold Acura CSX without mentioning the Honda Civic is no easy task. (See?) Comparisons are so tempting, namely because the latter is an excellent car in its own right. The feeling’s mutual. Honda of Japan loved the Acura CSX so much that it served as a template for the JDM Civic. And why not? The CSX delivers an excellent compact luxury package without the reliability issues bedeviling certain (cough German cough) imports. Said otherwise, the CSX is the penny-pinching—I mean, thinking man’s luxury compact.

Seen from afar, you’d be forgiven for thinking the CSX and the Civic ARE the same car. Given its resemblance to its platform mate, the CSX is a perfect spiritual successor to the Civic EL of yore. My tester’s CSX’s exterior upgrades included chrome wheels and door handles, Acura rims, double exhaust and a re-styled front fascia with the all-important Acura badge. Fortunately for the CSX, the humble Civic’s rakish styling plays well even in the semi-luxury market, giving the car a sporty stance without reducing interior space

The donor Civic’s good genes are also apparent across the interior. Acura preserves the Civic’s futuristic double-decker dashboard and small, deep steering. (Honda drivers who don’t get the whole Star Wars thing need not apply.) On the list of what feels the same: the shifter, parking brake, arm rests, steering, thigh support, and storage areas. Get the idea? The major differences are easy to spot. The Acura’s manumatic comes with flimsy, thin paddles mounted on the steering column. Though crisp and responsive, they feel cheap and demand hand placement at exactly nine and three.

Acura swapped-out the Civic’s plain Jane HVAC set-up for an all-controlling screen and voice-activated satellite navigation, which dominates the minimalist instrument panel. Gloved Canadians may curse the unit’s Chicklet-sized buttons, but they’re sensibly-placed, suitably smooth operators. The Acura’s leather front seats are heated for cold Canadian cabooses. The CSX’s rear seats are spacious; easily as comfortable and commodious as the ones found in the previous generation Accord. Provided you have no more than two car chairs in the rear, the CSX is the Goldilocks of family cars.

The CSX is blessed with a 2.0-liter I4 good for 155 HP. RSX owners know this engine well; the mini-mill revs smoothly operates in tight harmony with the automatic transmission— obviating the need for those cheesy paddles. That said, the wheel-mounted cog swappers are quite satisfying, with very little delay between tap (of the finger) to blip (of the engine) to take-off. Though adequately refined and propelled, the CSX’s accelerative performance isn’t class leading– not by a long shot. The MINI Cooper, Volvo C30, BMW 128i and Audi A3 2.0T all have it outgunned. Not to mention the similarly-priced Civic SI. D’oh!

On the road, the CSX’s chassis’ tuning is the automotive equivalent of the Missouri compromise. The ride’s too harsh for the Lexus crowd, and too soft for the BMW crowd. But it works (for a while). The CSX doesn’t mask any of the road’s imperfections, but does a capable job of reducing most of them to the level of minor nuisance.

Put the CSX through its paces at a normal speed and you’d never think it’s really an econobox wearing a silk suit. There isn’t enough torque or power to make the drive wheels matter. The CSX offers up a healthy dose of sportiness, carving into turns quite happily and with minimal body roll when driven reasonably. Leave the realm of reasonableness (in pursuit of that VTEC cam switchover, perhaps) and the car will betray its roots faster than Pamela Anderson on safari. The unrelenting understeer will make one pine for the better-tuned Si. For a comparable experience, the CSX is only slightly less crisp than the Mazda3/Volvo S40 siblings. That is to say it’s excellent for its price point, but not a selling point.

Given Acura’s failures to follow Lexus and Infiniti up the food-chain, Honda can take the Acura CSX as its consolation prize. By steadfastly refusing to ante-up and offer purpose-built luxury cars with V8’s, Acura’s U.S. sales have been evaporated. Now, Honda finds itself with an excellent, fuel-sipping luxury car built in the NAFTA zone ready to go stateside with minimal delay.

At only a $7k mark-up over a regular Civic, given its appointments, the CSX represents tremendous value. In a time of ballooning gas prices and shrinking wallets, it may be just what the doctor ordered to restore Acura’s sagging U.S. sales. Canadians have made whatever Civic-variant Acura the hottest seller for the premium brand since the days of the EL. Whether the CSX will ever go stateside, though, depends on Honda’s ever-changing aspirations for its luxury brand. But I can’t see it doing any more damage to a brand that never moved beyond “mid-luxury” in the first place.

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Track Tested: 2012 Volvo S60 T5

When our own Michael Karesh reviewed Volvo’s entry-level entry-luxury aeroback, he advised TTAC readers that the optional Dynamic Package was “…a must for anyone who cares about driving.” Hey! I care about driving! Trouble is, the rental companies don’t.

As some of you know, I spend a dozen or so weekends every year doing driver coaching with various organizations. My favorite among the miscellany of groups optimistic or stupid enough to let me endanger their students is TrackDAZE. I had agreed to coach at their Summit Point Shenandoah event, but the froglike little Korean coupe I’d hoped to drive at the event fell through. My Boxster was making some groaning noises, so I decided to source an Altima or similar from a rental company for the trip.

Imagine my surprise when I had the chance to bump up to a Volvo for five dollars a day extra! This, incidentally, would be a compelling argument if Volvo made it directly to the American people: “A nice Camry is $28,000. A nice Volvo is $35,000. That’s $140 a month extra in payments, or basically five dollars a day. For five dollars a day extra, wouldn’t you rather have a Volvo?” Sure you would, at least in the short term — and sure I did.

Shenandoah is an 850-mile round trip for me. During that time, the S60 was all of these things:

Noisy. As a Town Car driver, I’m a bit spoiled quiet-wise, but a brief spin in an Accord afterward confirmed it: this little fellow is noisy, and it’s mostly wind noise. How ironic, because the car’s regrettably Civic-esque suppository-shape is theoretically a product of aerodynamics. It sure isn’t a product of wanting to look expensive.Economical. I saw 31mpg in mixed freeway/two-lane driving, rarely below 80mph, not consciously conserving fuel in any way. Impressive.Easy to operate Everything from the iPod integration to the seat controls is intelligently done and quite convenient to operate. The climate control area looks a bit dopey but it works.Not super well-equipped. No nav, no heated seats, no boomin’ system, no gimmicks at all, really. Other than leather seats, I didn’t see any equipment that you wouldn’t get in an Accord LX.Nice and quick on the road. It’s about as fast as you could want for merging into traffic, making it to a “hole” in the next lane, and whatnot. I figure it’s about as quick in a straight line as an ’88 Corvette or a new Camry V-6.

I’m not actually sure what the selling point of this car is, now that I’ve mentioned the Camry V-6. It’s not as big or roomy as the transplant mid-sizers. It’s no faster than the up-cannoned versions of said mid-sizers. It looks like a Civic, which is to say cheap and dorky. The only unique technology is something that keeps you from hitting pedestrians at city speeds. I turned that shit off on principle the minute I got in the car. If I wanted to interfere with evolution, I’d go to that super-awesome museum in Kentucky where they have a diorama of a caveman riding a Triceratops.

This video shows Shenandoah pretty well; it’s a 1:51 lap done by a fellow driving an R-package Miata on Hankook R-compounds. Feel free to watch it so you get a sense of what’s where.

As noted in an earlier review, I’m going to try to use the Trackmaster system wherever I can to give you an honest, third-party, warts-and-all perspective on my performance in a particular car. I drove three sessions in the S60. In the first one, the brake pads caught on fire and I had to come in. In the second session, I had two additional passengers in the car. This session was set with a single passenger. Although there was some traffic in every lap, it wasn’t anything too troublesome. Cut and paste the below link to see my whole session. Ignore the fact that the car is listed as “Mazda2?. That’s me being lazy.

http://www.mytrackmaster.com/#SessionEditPlace:ag1teXRyYWNrbWFzdGVychsLEgRVc2VyGPvbewwLEgdTZXNzaW9uGKfuBgw

The fastest lap was the first one — 1:53.996. That’s about two and a half seconds shy of our friend in the Miata. I left the transmission in “S” for the whole lap. You can negotiate the data and see my exact line around each corner for every lap. Note that the G-meter sometimes shows braking when all that it really happening is steady-state cornering.

So. The first thing to note is positive: this is a car that gets 30mpg during a very comfy 400-mile trip and once you get there it performs pretty closely to a lightly-prepared Miata. Did I mention that I was listening to “The Lumineers” during the lap? Now you know. I think the song was “Flowers In Your Hair.” It’s the kind of hat-wearing pseudo-retro hipster crap I associate with young women in Nashville. Anyway.

On the back straight, the Volvo bops the 100-mph mark briefly before requiring some very conservative braking to get turned for the big hairpin, which is Turn 17 on most maps. The tires were no-season nondescript junk and they really howled; one of the TrackDAZE guys said he could hear the Volvo almost all the way around the track. And yes, there is UNDERSTEER AT THE LIMIT. Quite a bit of it. But it isn’t hopeless. Just grind the outside tire a bit, look for your exit, and then appreciate the remarkably decorous and torque-steer-free way the Volvo rockets to the outside curb. The transmission is pretty smart and it rarely dallies too much in the high gears.

On the boost, the S60 will surprise cars like a Honda S2000 or un-tuned WRX briefly because the punch happens from low revs and it’s linear in the way it goes about delivering power. We’re to another hairpin before you know it and this time I’m going to use my left foot to tap the brakes and deliberately slew the Volvo sideways a bit. It’s happy to so and there’s never a suggestion that you might lose control. Props.

In the “Cave” S-curves that follow, the S60 feels a bit out of place. It doesn’t change direction very well and the tires are to blame. Body roll is signifcant but controllable. Our Miata friend doesn’t really brake for the left-hander to the next long straight, but we have to. Then it’s time for the power again, and as I demonstrated again and again to my students, the S60 will eat sixteen-second quarter cars like Miatas very easily here.

Check out my line into Turn Three! I don’t screw around with setup at all here. I brake late and ride the track all the way in as if the turn didn’t exist. That’s a losing strategy in a NASA race but here it’s just fine since we want to maximize the time the Volvo’s engine works. Now to grind the tires through “The Hook”. Guess what? You can hit the curbs so hard the S60 goes briefly sideways with the violence of it — and it’s still totally safe and controllable.

The stability control on the S60 never turns all the way off… until you overheat the brakes. Then it does and there’s a nice little notice to let you know about it. What we gain from that we lose by having the brakes that hot, so although my in-corner speeds were higher once that happened the lap times weren’t as good overall. Through Turn Eight and up the back straight the Volvo can really annoy Subarus with its power and the relaxed way it gets the front wheels off the ground on the Bridge Straight. Time to smoke the sobbing brakes and jump nose-first into the Carousel.

Here the stability control gets very upset if it hasn’t already given up, grabbing the brakes as your nose bobs and the G-forces become positively ridiculous. I gave the S60 full throttle three concrete pads before the end so it would be on boost to jump up the hill. Hit every curb gangster hard to rotate the Volvo. It can take it. But in the Corkscrew, my photographer captured something scary:

Can you see the problem?

Can you see it now? That’s no good. I’d want better tires before I went back with one of these cars. Poke and strech may be popular among the “dubbers” but it has no place on a racetrack. No wonder the car felt so wonky.

A note about the Volvo’s steering: it’s fine, very trustworthy. The power steering never lost assistance and I never got any unusual transition damping or responses from the helm. It has my approval, particularly for a Dynamatted fat-ass of a front-wheel-drive sedan. Even when the inside front tire was spinning — which was, oh, I don’t know, EVERY SINGLE TURN — it was reliable and informative.

Corkscrew was no fun! Time to get back on the power, use the left foot to rotate in Big Bend, and throttle across the line. Everybody liked riding in the Volvo. It was completely confidence-inspiring. I’m not sure you could crash it unless you were a complete fool who has no business whatsoever on a road course. Sometimes I just took my hands off the wheel and let it go its own way like Lindsay Buckingham. It didn’t crash. It’s stable and nice like that. Even over curbs.

After a full day of track abuse, the Volvo drove home just as nicely as it had driven to the track. Still noisy, you know? But pleasant and given that I had to stay awake for 40 hours in a row to make the trip possible without spending any money or time on a hotel I have to say the car felt like my ally, not my enemy, in that effort.

The big question has to be: Would you buy this car over a 328i? Why would you? It looks flimsy and low-status. It isn’t loaded to the gills like an ES350. It might not last very long or be very affordable to repair. Who knows what the Chinese will do with their stewardship of Volvo. An Infiniti G37 would smoke it around the track for the same kind of money, although to be fair, the Volvo was just eight seconds a lap behind a time set by a new Porsche 991S at the same track by another track-rat journo recently. How badly do you want that time?

My money would go somewhere else. This wasn’t a compelling car for me, and in the end it’s a combination of the noise and the bargain-basement styling that does it. Still, it has plenty of virtues, it’s perfectly respectable as a road-trip proposition, and on the track it was solid and trustworthy. Come to think of it, isn’t that what you want from a Volvo?

Disclaimer: Nobody gave me nothing.

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Review: 2013 BMW 640i Gran Coupe (Video)

What do you get when you add two doors to a 6-Series coupé? Last year the answer was: a 7-Series. Of course that was last year, now BMW has an all-new answer: the Gran Coupe. Of course, calling your latest sexy sedan a “coupé” is nothing new (Mercedes has done it since 2004), what is new is the process by which this “coupé” arrived. Normally manufacturers introduce a new sedan, then within a year they delete two doors, lop off some trunk, give it a sporty grille and launch it as a coupé and convertible. The 6-Series Gran Coupe (GC) on the other hand is what happens when you take a an expensive coupé and add doors. In BMW speak, this process created a four-door coupé. Confused yet? Allow me to explain: apparently all you have to do to create a coupé is remove the sashes from the windows. (This means that Subaru buyers have driven coupés all these years and didn’t know it.) Can the sexy 6-Series beat Mercedes at their own CLS game? Let’s find out.

Exterior

BMW’s engineers started with the 6-Series coupé and stretched the body 4.4 inches and the wheelbase by 4.5 inches. They kept all the stretching work in the middle of the 6 meaning the bumper covers are interchangeable and the parts that were changed stay true to the sleek 6-Series profile. Of course, BMW’s 5, 6 and 7 are all brothers from the same mother, and logically the 6 is the middle child in many ways. The GC’s curb weight and exterior dimensions certainly slot between the 5 and 7, but 6 is all about the sexy profile.

Quibbles about door counts and naming conventions aside, there’s something about the proportions and low-slung style that set my loins on fire. I had feared the 6's perfect two-door dimensions would be destroyed by the additional entry points, but I was wrong. After mulling the GC over for a while, I came to the conclusion that while it isn’t as sexy as a “real” coupé, it is more elegant and certainly better looking than the 5 or the 7.

Interior

While the 6-series’ imposing dashboard and low seating position (shared with the coupé and convertible) made me feel “small” (at 6-feet tall and 200lbs this is no easy task), it also serves to highlight BMW’s impeccable attention detail. I have a sneaking suspicion that the only reason BMW designed the dashboard and center console to meet the way they do is to show off their french seam precision. BMW borrowed the 10.2-inch iDrive screen from the 7 series, but instead of placing it in a binnacle of its own (as in the 5 and 7), the high-resolution LCD gets perched high on the dashboard in a prominent satin-nickel frame. This is easily the most luxurious and elegant cockpit BMW has ever made, and that includes the new 7-Series.

Our tester came with optional 24-way front thrones which contort in more ways than a Cirque du Soliel artist. Upgrading from the 10-way seats opens the door to ventilated anti-fatigue cushions which use air bladders to cut road-trip butt-fatigue. They work as advertised but the feeling of having your backside slowly groped takes some getting used to. Should faux-suede and snazzier leather be your thing, BMW would be happy to slather the ceiling in acres of Alcantara, broaden your hide palate by an extra 6 colors and toss in more exclusive wood for the princely sum of $8,300. It’s good to be king.

Rear seat room is the reason to buy a GC over the regular 6, but it’s also the reason to buy a 7. Of course the 6 and 7 have different missions with the 7 targeted as much to those that drive as those that are driven. In the GC there is no question the driver’s seat is for the guy that owns the car. That being said, rear seat room in the GC is surprising good compared with the CLS but, rear legroom lags behind the Audi. All three can swallow four adults in comfort, but the GC with its optional four-zone climate control and attention to detail in the back will make your rear passengers feel more special. What sets the GC apart is the middle rear seat. Yes, it’s a joke for adults with nowhere to put your legs and the hump is so exaggerated your shoulders hit the ceiling, but child seats fit perfectly and thanks to the wide body, it was possible (but not comfortable) to fit one child seat and two adults in the rear. Try that in a CLS or A7.

Infotainment & Gadgets

Like the coupé and convertible, the GC can be had with more gadgets than a Best Buy checkout isle. The gizmos range from radar cruise control, lane departure warning, self-parking and pre-collision warning systems that are becoming commonplace to the unique full-color heads up display and FLIR (Forward Looking InfraRed) camera system with pedestrian detection. Of course they are expensive, so if you love gadgets and can’t afford a six-figure car, don’t stop at the BMW dealer.

iDrive has come a long way since its introduction, and although complicated at times, it’s still the ultimate in-car attraction for my inner nerd. For some reason the latest version of the system (found in the new 3-Series) hasn’t found its way to the 6 yet. The key differences are improved integration with the heads up display and a media button on the iDrive controller reflecting the relative importance of CDs and media devices in this century. iDrive still offers one of the better iPod/USB device integration systems in the luxury market although no iDrive version sports voice commanding your iDevice music library ala Cadilla’s CUE or Lincoln’s SYNC. Like the rest of the BMW portfolio, you can add the $250 apps package to your GC allowing you to Tweet, Facebook, Wikipedia and SMS message while you drive. (For our in-depth look at iDrive, check out the video review above.) Compared to Audi’s MMI, iDrive lacks the Google satellite view mapping but the system is more responsive, more intuitive and more polished than MMI. I’d like to compare it to Mercedes’ COMAND system but that woud be like comparing the GC to the Model T.

Drivetrain

Until BMW introduces an M version of the GC, there are two engines on offer. Both mills were both borrowed from the 7-Series rather than the 5-Series to help set the GC apart. The 640i GC uses BMW’s new “N55HP” 3.0L twin-scroll turbo inline-6 that has been tweaked from the “N55? engine in the 535i to deliver 315HP at 5,800RPM and 330lb-ft of twist from 1,200 to 5,000RPM, an increase of 15HP and 30lb-ft. Meanwhile, the 650i GC brings BMW’s 4.4L twin-turbo V8 to the party. Of course, as with the I6, the V8 has also had its power bumped to deliver 445HP and 480lb-ft of twist, an increase of 45HP and 30lb-ft over the 550i. Both engines are bolted to ZF’s 8-speed automatic and the 650i can be equipped with an optional $3,000 AWD system to help apply those 480 torques to the tarmac. If you opt for the fire-breathing V8, you’ll want that AWD option. Trust me. The ZF 8-speed is as up-shift happy in the GC as it is in the other BMW models and this does take a toll on spirited driving. On the up-side the 640i GC manages an EPA 20/30MPG score while the more powerful 650i GC somehow eeks out a 17/25MPG rating. During our week with the 640i GC we averaged the same 24MPG that BMW claims for the EPA combined MPG figure.

Drive

The last time I had a 535i on the track I was disappointed. In the relentless pursuit of creating the perfect Mercedes, the BMW felt nose heavy and lethargic, especially when driven back-to-back with the Lexus GS and the current Mercedes E350. Despite being heavier than the 535i and being closely related, the 640i GC was surprisingly neutral in the bends with a pleasant and predictable tail when your right foot gets happy. Of course expectation management is important, so you need to keep in mind the 6-Seies in any flavor is a quintessential GT car with grippy rubber, a heavy nose, soft suspension and plenty of shove. Because the GC leans more toward relaxed driving, the light and numb steering didn’t bother me much. Of course with electric power steering being all the rage among the luxury car set, everyone is this numb. The BMW however has two tricks up its svelte sleeve that compensate for the lack of feel in my mind: a self-parking system that will parallel-park your ride automagically and suspension tuning that can make this 4,200lb whale dance. In sport mode.

The GC proved a faithful companion in most driving situations with a glassy-smooth ride on the highway and roll-free corner carving in the mountains. If you want even more roll reduction BMW would be happy to sell 650i shoppers an active rear roll bar for $2,500. Into each life a little rain must fall and so it was with our week and the Gran Coupe. Driving in suburbia brings a questionable active suspension tuning choice to light: the rear suspension bottoms out easily in the softer “comfort” and “normal” modes. Driving at 20MPH over “road humps” or  “undulations” (not speed bumps) caused the suspension in the GC to bottom out, even when I was the only cargo on board. The 6-Series coupé suffers from this problem as well to a degree, but it required 4 passengers and some cargo before it is obvious. The GC however exhibited this unfortunate tendency across a wider variety of road types and situations. While not exactly a solution, simply putting the adaptive suspension system into “Sport” mode solved the complaint. (Admittedly sticking to the 15 MPH speed recommendation worked as well, but no other car I have tested in the last 2 years has had this problem.)

Suspension complaints will likely subside when you plant your foot on the throttle. 315HP motivating 4,200lbs may sound like a leisurely activity, but the 640i GC scooted to 60 in an impressive 5.3 seconds (1/10th faster than the A7) thanks to the torque plateau and the fast-shifting ZF transmission. If that’s not fast enough for you, the 650i burnt rubber while taking 4.4 seconds and the AWD 650i xDrive pounded out the same task in an eye-popping (and drama free) 4.1 (2/10ths faster than the CLS and very close to the CLS 63 AMG). Because our love/hate relationship continues with Porsche, a Panamera was unavailable for direct testing but based on some quick tests with dealer-provided Panameras, the 640i and 650i are a few tenths faster than the Panamera and Panamera S while the Panamera Turbo and Turbo S win awards for the most insane four-door coupés.

Why all this talk of Porsches? It would be easy to think BMW had the A7 and CLS in their sights when crafting the Gran Coupe. Until you see the price tag. The 640i starts at $76,000, $18,000 more than an A7. If that’s not sticker shock, consider that adding $32,000 of options takes surprisingly little effort. If you’re looking at the CLS 4MATIC or the Audi S7, then the 650i xDrive is a quasi-competitor but starting at $86,500 and ending north of $123,000, it’ll set you back $14,500-$32,000 more than a comparable CLS and $10,700-$34,000 more than an S7. With prices like this and one of the best interiors this side of Aston Martin it’s obvious that BMW had different competition in mind: the Panamera and beyond. For only $2,000 more, the Panamera delivers a nicer interior, a brand with more sporting pedigree and the option of even more powerful engines at the expense of looks. Seriously, saying the Panamera is less attractive from some angles is being kind. While it may sound crazy to call a BMW fitting competition for a Maserati or even the budget alternative to the Aston Martin Rapide, this is the new Mercedes we’re talking about. Just don’t call it a sedan.

BMW provided the vehicle, insurance and one tank of gas for this review.

Specifications as tested

0-30: 2.2 Seconds

0-60: 5.3 Seconds

1/4 Mile: 13.75 Seconds @ 103 MPH

Average Fuel Economy: 24.1 MPG

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A Vital Defensive Driving Technique – Signal Intent!

A key aspect of defensive driving techniques is to signal your intent when you are out on the road. This means communicating to other drivers what you are about to do. As a first step it is essential that all lights that help you communicate to other drivers are functioning. Indicators, brake lights, head lights and other driving lights must be in good order. It's almost impossible to adopt a defensive driving attitude if other drivers have got no idea what you intend to do.

Indicate Your Intentions Early

When changing lanes, turning or undertaking some other manouvre that others may not expect, use your indicator early, that is before you make your move, rather than late or not at all. Mind reading is not really part of defensive driving techniques. Even if you think you are a mind reader, other drivers are usually not. Your indicators should tell other drivers what you are going to do in advance, not to disguise or acknowledge the manouvre you have just completed!

Be Predictable

Apply your defensive driving techniques by being clear with your indicators and move according to your signal. Don't suddenly change your mind and act in a way that confuses other drivers. Don't indicate a left turn and then turn right or vice versa. Make sure your indicators cancel after your manouvre so you don't drive for miles with a meaningless signal that only confuses other traffic.

Know Where You Are Going

Knowing where you are going may not be something you consider as part of defensive driving techniques, but neither is getting lost. Getting lost results not only in confusing yourself, but also in confusing others as you make sudden or false moves trying to find your destination. Slowing down, then speeding up again without indicating is hazardous. If you get lost, indicate correctly to an appropriate place to stop and consult your street directory or map, or ask someone for directions. Driving around aimlessly forms no part of defensive driving techniques.

Always Signal

As part of driving defensively, it is a good habit to always signal your intent, particularly when making lane changes or turns. Even on a an apparently lonely road at night it is good practice to signal your intent.

Slowing Down

A key aspect of defensive driving techniques is slowing down or stopping. You can warn following drivers of your intent to slow down or stop by tapping the brake pedal once or twice to flash your brake lights. The flash of the brake lights will alert following drivers to what you intend and this is particularly important if a following driver is approaching quickly.


Signalling your intent early and clearly is a key to staying out of trouble on the road. Being predictable is not only part of your armoury of defensive driving techniques, but also enables other drivers to know what you are doing. . This allows them to anticipate your moves and allows valuable time to adopt their own defensive driving tactics.

Mobile Multimedia: A New Peak For The Alpine Car Stereo

We all know that brand names matter when purchasing car audio hardware. There are brands that are surely more reputable than others. When you are at the store and they offer choice after choice after choice, suddenly you feel overwhelmed on what really to buy. But you can be assured of one thing, if they offer you an Alpine car stereo you can’t go wrong with it. Alpine car stereo and electronics, founded in 1978, is a world leader in the industry of high performance mobile electronics. They specialize in mobile multimedia, an integrated system approach incorporating digital entertainment, security and navigation products for the mobile entertainment. Alpine car stereos are a new breed of units which feature the convergence of high performance audio, video, navigation and telematics in the form of Mobile Multimedia. Navigation systems act as the resource center of the Alpine car stereo Mobile Multimedia lineup. Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), DVD players, Dolby Digital systems, satellite digital audio radio, mobile data linking and communication through telematics devices will be fused with navigation systems to create a platform of products. Mobile Multimedia integrates Alpine's innovative audio, video, security and navigation products, as well as its new GUI for Drivers, human interface and information communications technology. To grasp what the Alpine car stereo Mobile Multimedia is, take a look at the IVA-D901 Alpine car stereo Mobile Multimedia Station/CD/DVD Receiver/Ai-NET Controller. The IVA-D901 has 400% more pixels than a conventional in-vehicle display, meaning that it has 1.15 million pixel elements. It has 50W x 4 built-in power and 3 PreOuts (4 volt), SAT Radio ready, a Hard Disc Drive (HDD), and Alpine car stereo Navigation. Key features include: - 7" Fully Motorized Wide Screen Monitor - 18W x 4 MOSFET Amplifier - Built-in Dolby Digital/DTS Decoder - Bass Engine® Plus - Subwoofer Level Control - Bass Center Frequency Control - Bass Band Width Adjustment - Treble Center Frequency Control - Subwoofer Phase Selector - Bass Type Control - 4-Ch Digital Time Correction - 3 Position 12 dB/Oct Crossover - MediaXpander™ - SAT Radio Ready - MP3 Text Information Display - Quick Search Function - CD/CD-R Playback - CD Text, Text Display, Text Scroll - M DAC - MaxTune SQ Tuner - 3 Auxilliary A/V Inputs with Remote Control Input - Dedicated Navigation Input - Dedicated Camera Input - 2 Auxilliary Monitor A/V Outputs - Navigation Audio Mix - 3 PreOuts (4 volt) - MM Driver (Hard Disc Drive) Ready - MobileHub Ready - Ai-NET Control Center DVD/CD/MP3 Changer Controller - "Digital Art" Spectrum Analyzer Display - RUE-4190 Universal Wireless Remote Control Included If these all seems too much for you, Alpine car stereos also have more conventional head units to offer. The CDA-9835 Alpine car stereo In-Dash CD Player/Ai-Changer Controller lets you fully customize both illumination and sound, with a range of 512 colors and super-versatile Bass Engine functions like digital time correction and parametric EQ. You can download audio parameter settings and connect and control as many as eight amps. The BioLite display, Menu key and rotary knob make operation extremely easy. Like most Alpine car stereo units, it is also SAT Radio Ready, giving you a much greater choice of listening options than ordinary local AM/FM radio. You can select from among a wide range of music genres, news, sports, and talk programs with digital quality anywhere.

Advantages Of Leasing A Vehicle

There are a number of reasons to consider leasing a vehicle and, of course, a number of reasons to consider buying a vehicle. These reasons are very different from one another because, naturally, buying a car is significantly different from leasing a vehicle. For the time being, the attention will be focused on the advantages of leasing a vehicle as it stacks up versus the other options of automobile purchasing and ownership.

Some of the potential advantages to leasing a vehicle include:

Lower Monthly Payments

Leasing is broken up into payments of the car or truck that you are actually using. Your monthly payments are significantly lower, usually around 30 to 60 percent lower, than standard loan payments on a vehicle purchase would be. Length terms are also put on leases, which makes for more access to the vehicle for relatively the same amount of money. On top of that, you have the ability to drive a different car every two or three years, depending on your overall lease agreement.

Less Headaches Related to Maintenance

One of the biggest headaches when it comes to car ownership is the repair bills incurred. With leasing an automobile, however, the terms of the lease typically match up with any manufacturing warranty coverage. This is an easy way out of major vehicle repairs, as the lease runs out right at the moment engine parts run out of warranty coverage and it becomes the manufacturer’s problem, not the driver’s.

Less Cash Upfront

A lot of lease agreements these days ask for very little cash upfront to secure the lease. This makes getting into a new car incredibly affordable and frees up valuable cash for other purposes than securing a vehicle. Lease agreements may suggest that you make a down payment or trade in your own vehicle. This will result in the lowering of your overall monthly payment amount, which is always good news for leasers.

Lower Taxes

In most locations, you don’t have to pay the full sales tax on the vehicle in a lease agreement because you aren’t paying for the whole value of the car. You would only face taxation on the portion of the vehicle you use during your lease or the amount of cash you paid during the terms of your lease. The tax is spread out into easy payments, therefore, and is paid alongside the monthly lease payments instead of being paid all at once. This is how most agreements work, but not all. Check with your lease agreement for more information on taxation.

Less Hassle

Instead of fiddling around trying to sell your old used car, you simply bring it back at the end of your lease agreement and pick up a new lease model. This takes the headaches and hassles away from selling your own automobile and, instead, puts it in the hands of the experts.

Gap Coverage

A final note about leases pertains to gap coverage on insurance policies. Most leases automatically include gap coverage in case the vehicle is stolen or wrecked in an accident because it leaves the manufacturer and leaser in the clear. This prevents the leaser from owing more than the vehicle is worth. In the case of most vehicle loans, this coverage is not included and car owners are on the hook in the event of accidents or theft in most cases.

A Used Mini Can Be Found Quickly And Easily With A Specialist Search Engine

There are many ways you can go about looking for a used Mini, you could buy and scan through motoring magazines or you can travel from used car dealers and private sellers. However by far the easiest way to search for a used Mini is by going online with a specialist website from the comfort of your own home and taking advantage of the tools, advice and information that a used car website offers.

If your choice of car is a used Mini then you are able to simply type this in a search box and this will present you with your choice to look through, however there can be hundreds of cars advertised online and as the Mini is a popular choice you should narrow down your search even more to the exact model you are interested in buying. The majority of search engines will allow you to make a detailed search which can narrow down the choices considerable and so cut down the time that you spend looking for a used Mini.

As you will probably have a budget then this is a great place to start after you have narrowed down the search to the Mini, from here you can then decide how far you wish to travel when it comes to actually going to look the car over and this is determined by the radius of the search. From here you can then go onto to narrowing down by any extras you wish to have and even the colour of the car, depending on the size and popularity of the used car website will all determine how many sellers will be advertising with them and so how many cars you have to choose from.

Once you have been presented with the exact used Mini you are looking to buy you will then see that photographs will accompany the listings, the photos should be clear and taken in good light, the seller should do their best to show the car off at its best so be wary of any photos which have been taken in poor lighting conditions as this could be an indication that they are trying to hide something. If you are lucky you will get to see the cars from different angles and this can help you to narrow down your choices too, along with the photographs you should also get a detailed listing regarding the state of the car, how many miles it has done and any additional benefits that make the car stand out from the rest. It should also state any imperfections so be wary if the car sounds too good to be true especially if the price is very low in comparison to others.

Along with offering search tools a good specialist used car website will offer hints and tips on what to look for during your search for a used Mini and also what you should look for when actually going to view and test drive the car. You should always study any documents relating to the car to make sure they are in order before handing over the money and of course look the vehicle over with a fine tooth comb using the advice taken from the website.

Advantages Of Hybrid Cars

There are a number of advantages that arise from using a hybrid car over a conventional vehicle.  The rising cost of fuel is a big issue for a number of people especially in present times and people are constantly looking for alternative ways of saving money.  Some use fuel replacements but others make the smarter decision to cut down on their need for fuel by using a hybrid car.  Hybrid cars use small gasoline engines combined with an electric motor which reduces the amount of fuel used, lowering the cost of running a car as well as lowering the gas emissions released into the atmosphere.

The biggest advantage of using hybrid cars is the effect they have on pollution levels.  They can dramatically reduce the amount of gas emissions released and provide both an economically and environmentally friendly machine.  The growing technologies of hybrid cars hold many advantages over conventional vehicles as they are becoming more and more affordable and the results in emissions can only improve as time goes on.  Although the effects on the environment are excellent most people think that the advantage of using hybrid cars is the amount of gas which is regularly saved.  Manufacturers are constantly researching ways of improving the efficiency of hybrid cars making them the car to watch in the future as the benefits steadily improve.

There are a number of economic advantages to using hybrid cars, the most popular being the amount of money that can be saved on gas.  This is hugely important especially during times of rising gas prices and due to the fact that the lack of fuel supplies will drive up prices in the future, preparation for this is essential.  This is how hybrid cars can be of an advantage economically as they are extremely fuel efficient and provide lifetime savings on the use of gasoline.

Other economic advantages of using hybrid cars are the number of tax credits available for owners of hybrid cars.  There are many financial incentives geared towards influencing the public to use these environmentally friendly cars and people should take advantage of them while they can.  A tax rebate can be just the thing to persuade car owners to switch to hybrid cars as they are now a smarter option that is constantly being updated to improve the efficiency even further and provide even more savings.

For information on buying and selling new and second hand cars and bikes visit http://www.bharathautomobiles.com/index.php

A Used Car Search Engine Can Help You Find Your Dream Car From The Comfort Of Your Own Home

A specialist website that offers a used car search engine can help you to find the car of your dreams right from the comfort of your own home and in just a short time. Specialist websites make it easy for you search, you can either choose to browse from a huge range of cars or if you have something specific in mind then you can choose to go right to it.

The majority of used car search engines have thousands of cars available and nationwide, much like a catalogue. If you know the make and model of the car you are looking for then typing this into the search box will lead you straight to any that are listed. If you want to narrow your search down by age of car, colour etc then this search option is available too, which drastically cuts down on the time that you spend searching for the right car for you.

If you aren’t sure of what car you want, then good used car search websites will also have some useful motor car reviews to help you make up your mind.

All specialist sites offering used car search engines will have several images of the cars and although this isn’t the same as giving the car the once over yourself it is a good indication of what is on offer. The majority of sites will also allow you to make a search based on the area you want to travel to view the car which of course is essential once you have picked out a car, and will give you contact information so that you can ask further questions before travelling to look at the particular car.

A used car search engine can help you to find the car of your dreams, just by using your home computer and the internet, in a lot less time than it would take by more traditional methods.

A Car Finance Broker Can Get You The Cheapest Deal Possible

When it comes to getting the cheapest deal possible for financing your new car then you simply have to go with a car finance broker. A broker has the expertise of knowing where to look online in order to get the cheapest quotes possible along with the best incentives and added extras.

While you could go online yourself and search for the cheapest deal possible, it is very rare that you will have the knowledge of where the best deals are and how to get them. A specialist broker knows the ins and outs of the car finance sector and will have lenders in mind from past experience; they will also know what to look for when it comes to car finance and the places you should avoid looking for insurance.

When it comes to financing for your car then without a doubt the best option is to go for a car loan. You can opt to take the finance through a dealership, but this is often the most expensive way of taking a loan to pay for your car. The dealer might throw in incentives to get you to take the finance through them, but even with these in mind it is usually at a much higher rate of interest than letting a specialist broker find you a car loan deal.

If you want the cheapest deal possible then go online with a broker. While in some cases you will have to pay for the brokers fees, it often does save you a great deal of money and it certainly saves you time and the stress of having to search through the many lenders yourself. Along with the best rate of interest the broker can find, they will also take into account any extras that the lender has to offer. And, of course, if you want the added security of knowing exactly how much the repayment will be each month then simply ask the broker to look for a fixed rate car loan for you.

6 Tips For Saving Gas

In the past months we have seen the price of gasoline soar higher than ever before, and this can be hard on people who have a budget that is tight. Even though gas prices have come down a slight bit, you still will want to do everything you possibly can to save on the money you have to pay out for gas. There are a variety of ways that you can save gas, and save money.

Tip#1 - Start Carpooling

Carpooling is a great idea for fellow students and fellow employees both. If you can find people that are going to the same place you are you can save gas by riding together. It may be a good idea to trade off on who is driving from week to week so no one person gets stuck having to drive all the time. If you have to take your children to school or other functions you can also work on trading off with your friends and neighbors to take them there.

Tip#2 - Public Transportation

If it is possible you can take public transportation to work instead of driving your car. Not only will this save you money on gas, but you will also be able to relax and not worry about having to drive through all that rush hour traffic. You may even be able to fit in a quick nap on your way to work or on your way home.

Tip#3 - Price Shop

Often it may be so convenient to buy your gas at the small gas station just up the road, but to save some money on gas you may want to check the prices at other gas stations that are nearby as well. Even if the difference is only a few cents, after putting hundreds of gallons of gas in you vehicle each year, those few cents are going to add up to quite a sum of money.

Tip#4 - Get Moving

You can save some money on gas if you start walking to where you are going, or you can ride a bike as well. You will not have to worry about paying to park your car, and the exercise will be great for you body. If you are walking or biking you will not have to worry about those huge traffic jams either.

Tip#5 - Take Care of Your Car

It is always important to take care of your car so it gets the best gas mileage possible. Also be sure to plan where you are going before you go so you will not have to backtrack and waste gas. If you can, you should use your air conditioning as little as possible because using it takes more gas. Roll down your windows and you will use less gas.

Tip#6 - Check your Tires

It is important that you check the air pressure in your tires as often as possible. If your tires are too low, or the pressure in them is unequal it can make your car burn more gas. You should also be careful how you drive. If you take off from every red light very fast you are going to burn more fuel, so it is best to take off a little slower.

These are a few tips that can help the money conscious person to save money on gas. Even as gas prices drop, these tips can still help you to save more money. Conservation is important, so take advantage of these tips, save money, and save gas.

2007 Hyundai Santa Fe Review

The verdicts are in: the completely redesigned 2007 version of the Hyundai Santa Fe is bigger and better than previous models, boasting more power, bigger leg room, a more sophisticated style and an elegantly designed interior that reflects a thoughtful eye for detail.

The Hyundai Santa Fe is regarded as a "crossover SUV" since it is built with a car's unibody construction instead of the traditional body-on-frame construction of a regular truck. Nonetheless, it is comparable to any SUV out there in terms of practical, everyday use.

The 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe blends naturally into the suburbs unlike last year's model, which sort of stood out like a sore thumb. It is also more spacious and can now accommodate up to seven passengers, especially with its brand-new third-row seating. In the past, third-row seating was an exclusive feature to minivans and larger utility vehicles, but not this year as manufacturers have figured out how to install a third row into smaller SUVs.

In addition, this year's Santa Fe also offers improved fuel economy and power, whether it's the GLS, SE or Limited trims. All Santa Fe models offer safety features such as six airbags, active front head restraints, Electronic Stability Control (ESC) with Traction Control System (TCS), an Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) with Brake Assist and Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD) and the government-mandated Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS). Within the year, Hyundai will also equip all Santa Fe models with standard XM satellite radio and optional Bluetooth hands-free telematics, and an optional navigation system will be available sometime in 2007.

The Santa Fe GLS has a 185-horsepower 2.7-liter V6 engine, a five-speed manual transmission, 16-inch wheels, a 112-watt audio system with six speakers and an MP3 player, a tilt and telescopic steering wheel, heated power side mirrors, power windows and door locks, remote keyless entry, and a roof rack. It also offers an option for four-speed Shiftronic automatic transmission, a power sunroof and heated front seats.

The Santa Fe SE has a 242-horsepower, 3.3-liter V6 and five-speed Shiftronic automatic transmission, all-wheel drive, 18-inch wheels, an auto-dimming rearview mirror with compass, fog lights, and secondary audio controls on the steering wheel. There are also options for a power driver's seat with power lumbar, a power sunroof, heated front seats, and a rear-seat entertainment system, featuring a 252-watt stereo system with seven speakers and CD-changer/MP3 player functions, as well as a 115-volt power outlet.

The Santa Fe Limited has leather seating surfaces, heated front seats, a power driver's seat with power lumbar support, and dual-zone automatic temperature control with an outside temperature display. Chrome accents on the grille and exterior door handles, as well as a body color rear spoiler, set the Limited model apart from the SE and GLS. There is also an option for a more powerful 605-watt Infinity Logic 7 Surround Sound system with 10 speakers and CD-changer/MP3 capability.

In a nutshell, the 2007 Santa Fe has everything that a mid-size SUV needs and at a more competitive price at that. Competition among SUVS is tight in terms of power, fuel economy, space and other benefits, but the 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe fares well when ranged against other SUVs in the market.

2006 Honda Element: Unique Freak?

I admit it. When I saw my first Honda Element a few years back I thought it was one of the most hideous looking vehicles on the planet. Then I saw the Scion xA and Scion xB, so I quickly relegated the Element to third place. I confess that my earlier feelings about the Element have changed, possibly because I see so many of them on the road these days and perhaps because I see its usefulness. No matter, the Honda Element is a unique looking vehicle and it is a lot less freakish than what you or I may think.

Freedom from convention. That is the saying on Honda’s web site when it comes to labeling the Element. In many ways, this marketing slogan is true. Who says that any vehicle has to conform to what you expect? True, past radical models failed miserably. The Ford Edsel and VW Thing are two that come to mind. Yet, the times are different and a truly “rad” look is in. Real in, if you know what I mean.

The Element does have a practical side to it. Although it is shaped like a breadbox and equipped with two large doors as well as two smaller doors [reminds me of the Saturn ION], the 4WD LX Element has just about what any driver needs for just under USD$20K: ABS; theft deterrent; air conditioning; cruise control; power windows, doors, mirrors, and locks; and a AM/FM/CD audio system with 4 speakers and a clock. Standard powertrain include a feisty 2354cc I4 mated to a 5 speed manual transmission; a four speed automatic is optional but considering that this car is geared toward young people you can pretty much count on the manny tranny winning drivers out over the automatic.

Many of the components for the Element are borrowed from the Civic to give it more of a car like ride, while keeping its truck like appearance. Open all four doors at the same time and the Element evokes a strong resemblance to “suicide doors” that were standard on the 1960s era Lincoln Continentals as well as the Rolls-Royce Phantom. Honda was likely thinking that this design would make it easier for passengers to retrieve all of their gear without popping up the rear hatch and crawling in. Indeed, everything in the Element is easily accessible and the vehicle was designed for the outdoorsman.

Prices start at around $17,500 for the base 2wd model and climb to just over $21,500 for the fully equipped 4wd version. Compared to the average SUV, the Element is priced very competitively and opens up a niche of buyers that Honda hopes to exploit.

Whatever you think of the Element’s looks the vehicle is an attention getter. Judging by the sales, it is a hit with the young crowd.

A Vital Defensive Driving Technique – Signal Intent!

A key aspect of defensive driving techniques is to signal your intent when you are out on the road. This means communicating to other drivers what you are about to do. As a first step it is essential that all lights that help you communicate to other drivers are functioning. Indicators, brake lights, head lights and other driving lights must be in good order. It's almost impossible to adopt a defensive driving attitude if other drivers have got no idea what you intend to do.

Indicate Your Intentions Early

When changing lanes, turning or undertaking some other manouvre that others may not expect, use your indicator early, that is before you make your move, rather than late or not at all. Mind reading is not really part of defensive driving techniques. Even if you think you are a mind reader, other drivers are usually not. Your indicators should tell other drivers what you are going to do in advance, not to disguise or acknowledge the manouvre you have just completed!

Be Predictable

Apply your defensive driving techniques by being clear with your indicators and move according to your signal. Don't suddenly change your mind and act in a way that confuses other drivers. Don't indicate a left turn and then turn right or vice versa. Make sure your indicators cancel after your manouvre so you don't drive for miles with a meaningless signal that only confuses other traffic.

Know Where You Are Going

Knowing where you are going may not be something you consider as part of defensive driving techniques, but neither is getting lost. Getting lost results not only in confusing yourself, but also in confusing others as you make sudden or false moves trying to find your destination. Slowing down, then speeding up again without indicating is hazardous. If you get lost, indicate correctly to an appropriate place to stop and consult your street directory or map, or ask someone for directions. Driving around aimlessly forms no part of defensive driving techniques.

Always Signal

As part of driving defensively, it is a good habit to always signal your intent, particularly when making lane changes or turns. Even on a an apparently lonely road at night it is good practice to signal your intent.

Slowing Down

A key aspect of defensive driving techniques is slowing down or stopping. You can warn following drivers of your intent to slow down or stop by tapping the brake pedal once or twice to flash your brake lights. The flash of the brake lights will alert following drivers to what you intend and this is particularly important if a following driver is approaching quickly.


Signalling your intent early and clearly is a key to staying out of trouble on the road. Being predictable is not only part of your armoury of defensive driving techniques, but also enables other drivers to know what you are doing. . This allows them to anticipate your moves and allows valuable time to adopt their own defensive driving tactics.

2006 Jeep Commander: 7 Passenger Trail Trekker

Jeep has finally done it. A 7 passenger trail rated Jeep is now available at a dealer near you. Long a maker of manly SUVs, the Commander holds true to form as it can easily be taken off road as well as down the highway. Unlike more pedestrian models, the Commander looks every bit the rugged vehicle that it is. For Jeep fans who need the extra room the Commander offers space not available in any Jeep since the Wagoneer was retired a generation ago. Let’s take a look at the 2006 Jeep Commander, the focus of this review.

So, why build a seven passenger Jeep? To give customers a choice, that’s why. With existing models able to carry only five passengers or less, the Commander meets the demand for a larger model. Instead of losing sales to GM or Ford, Jeep is now able to offer a vehicle that will keep customers from leaving for bigger and roomier models.

The Commander looks a lot like the Cherokee, which was retired in 2001 after an 18 year run. The boxy Cherokee was a favorite with many and the Commander successfully incorporates the Cherokee’s look and body style.

As it is, the Commander is not a huge beast. At just two inches longer than the Gran Cherokee, the Commander makes use of available space without adding a tremendous amount of bulk.

Key features of the Commander include:

3 engine choices: a 3.7-Liter V6; 4.7-Liter V8 MPI; 5.7-Liter HEMI® Multi-Displacement

2 transmission choices: a pair of five speed automatics

3 four wheel drive systems

Anti-Lock 4-Wheel Disc Brakes

3 Sound Systems: AM/FM Stereo with CD Player and Changer Controls; an AM/FM Stereo Radio w/In-Dash 6-Disc CD/MP3 Player; or a DVD-based GPS Navigation System with 6-CD/MP3 Changer

Leather trimmed or bucket seats

Supplemental Side Curtain Air Bags In All Rows

The usual accouterments including air conditioning, bucket seats, power everything, etc.

Jeep gives owners the option of owning a traditional rear wheel drive Commander or  4x4 models. Base price for the entry level Commander starts at just over $28,000 while the fully loaded Commander Limited retails at just under forty thousand. Prices for the Commander are on par with those in its class.

I like what Jeep has done with the Commander and think that you will too. I am, however, holding my breathe as Jeep prepares to introduce its first non-trail rated model [sacrilege] next year; in the meantime the Commander carries on the Jeep tradition with much distinction and aplomb.

A Few Words About Car Dealer Auctions

Car dealer auctions are becoming quite popular today. They are a great venue for the average citizen to be able to find a good car at a very reasonable price. Car dealer auctions are also a very useful service for small used car sales operations as they can keep a constantly replenished stock of used automobiles that are often in very good quality or require a minimal amount of repairs to make them an easy sale to the car shopping public. Many dealerships will also make use car dealer auctions as a way of rotating their stock by auctioning off the cars that have been on their lot for an extended period of time and then buying new cars from the incurred profits.

Where Does One Find Car dealer auctions?

Car dealer auctions are a very easy thing to locate with the great wealth of information that surrounds us. Many times the local newspaper will have several listings for various car dealer auctions around the area. Just pick up the local paper and give it a good looking over, especially in the classified advertisements section and you will likely find a car dealer auction near your hometown. Special times of year, such as the holiday season or income tax return time, seem to bring car dealer auctions out of the woodwork as they try to boost sales for the year.

With the easy access to the Internet these days, why not take a peek at your favorite search engines result for car dealer auctions? With the popularity and ease of email, many car dealerships even offer an online auction and thus, many times, the search will lead to car dealer auctions that you can participate in with never leaving your home. Imagine sitting at your desk and buying a car while watching cartoons with your kid. Can you imagine any more efficient version of multitasking?

If none of these options strike your fancy, you could always ask around to find your local venue of car dealer auctions. The local new car dealerships can usually tell you if they plan on hosting any car dealer auctions in your area. After all, they really don't want to lose your business to someone else and every person attending car dealer auctions is a potential sale and profit for the dealership.

In closing, get out do some checking and you will find car dealer auctions near your home town. With just a small investment of time and research looking for car dealer auctions, you could save yourself a lot of money and find just the car you are looking for.

5 Hand Tools You Can’t Live Without

A well equipped work shop is the first step to making sure you are ready and able for any do-it-yourself home improvement project. With a few basic workhorses, you can saw, nail, sand, shape and sharpen the way the pros do it. The Top Five Tool List There are thousands of tools on the shelves of the hardware store and the work benches of seasoned do-it-yourself gurus, but it you were to break them down into categories, they all do some of the same things. So with five basic pieces of hardware as your foundation, you can build anything and then work from there to build your own workshop. The first power tool to have is a circular saw. With this you can cut straight lines and large curves. Setting a board along the top of two saw horses, can create a work area to hold wood being cut. Next, for larger wood working projects a table saw or radial arm saw is in line. Choosing one that rotates to different angles is important if you plan to cut picture framing or crown mouldings for your home. The angles allow you to create the 45 degree mitre cuts for a perfect fit. Third, the well- equipped workshop has an electric sander. All of this work could be done by hand, but the electric belt sander gives each piece of wood a professionally finished look. It prepares long strips of moulding or the edges of table tops and other furniture for staining or painting. Fourth, every wood working work shop should have a router. This handy tool allows you to make woodworking patterns and grooves that take a piece of furniture or moulding from that plain look of the Shaker style to the ornate French provincial elegance. Finally, maintaining your saws and other tools is easier with a grinding wheel or knife sharpener. These will allow you to maintain blades and keep them cutting the fine details and patterns that take your handicraft up a notch from amateur to professional. Solid Brands for Solid Quality There are some brands of tools that the name alone creates an image of quality. Makita, Ryobi, Rockler, Rockwell, Sears Craftman, Snap-On, Hitachi, and Rigid are all names you can rely on. The prices in these brands vary a little, but with any of them you can count on a quality tool that will last decades. It is worth the investment. Adding On Once you have stocked your workshop shelves with the basics, you can add some of the luxuries that make the jobs easier and smoother. Of course there are the smaller devices such as gluers and clamps that keep projects together while you work. But to that you can add electric nailers, dovetail jigs, jet tools and more to make life easier. A well organized workshop with all of the basics is the ideal way to work. Perhaps your first big project can be building the workbench that will serve as your foundation for many more projects to come.

You have to love the marketing guys. After all of the work of the design team, a new vehicle must pass through several rigorous channels including engineering, safety, performance, quality, durability, craftsmanship, government inspections, and management clearance, before even the first rivet is drilled or body panel painted. After all is said and done, the marketers get their chance to pitch the final product. In one word the MDX has been defined by these very same marketers: benchmark. Does the MDX live up to this all important designation? Acura would like for you to think so. Let’s take a look at Acura’s 7 passenger luxury SUV to see if it truly does rise to the level of category leader. The marketplace is flooded with SUVs. Despite high gas prices, the demand for high profile vehicles continues to remain strong, particularly in the sub-behemoth category which is anything smaller than an Expedition or a Tahoe. Still, some of these less imposing models are fuel eaters too, equipped with V8 engines and all the latest gadgetry. If you want to realize fuel savings in an SUV a compact Ford Escape Hybrid is just about your only choice, plus a new Lexus model just now hitting showrooms. I digress. The Acura MDX, along with its less opulent sister the Honda Pilot, embodies a class of vehicles that offer four wheel drive capabilities for optimum on road duty as well as medium off road duty. If you want a trail rated luxury SUV, then the Jeep Gran Cherokee is more your style. The MDX just cannot go where the Jeep can go. All comparisons aside, the Acura is definitely luxury with a high profile view. The standard equipment list is extensive and includes the following:

3.5-liter, 24-valve, SOHC V-6 engine

5-speed automatic transmission

Rack-and-pinion steering system and an all-independent front and rear suspension

4-channel Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS)

7-speaker sound system with AM/FM stereo, in-dash CD player, and XM® Satellite Radio

Acura Navigation System with Voice Recognition™; OnStar®

Tilt steering, cruise control, a power sliding-glass moon roof

Electrically heated leather seating for front passengers

Power everything; windows, mirrors, door locks, etc. Environmentally conscious SUV owners will enjoy the MDX for its recent Ultra-Low-Emission Vehicle (ULEV-2) designation, a first for any SUV. What this means is that the MDX’s emissions ratings are extremely low, far below that of acceptable government levels. The base MDX retails at a highly competitive $37,125 with fully loaded versions topping out just about forty five thousand dollars. Prices compare favorably with the Jeep Gran Cherokee, but the MDX undercuts BMW and Mercedes models by several thousands of dollars. Acura recommends that owners use premium [91 octane] gasoline in their MDX. Delivering 17 miles city and 23 miles highway, the MDX’s fuel economy is about average for a vehicle of its size. While the marketers want you to think that the MDX is the benchmark by which all other SUVs must be measured against, it fails to deliver in the all important off road category. Still, Acura price, luxury, and quality is certain to be a draw for buyers interested in a vehicle that is just about as opulent as any production SUV.

Shoe Sale For The Big Boys: The Car Stereo Sale.

Announce a shoe sale, and the women come a’running. Announce a car stereo sale and the men, or more appropriately, the Big Boys come thundering with their checkbooks and wallets waving in the air. The car stereo sale. This is every car audio, or even the regular audio enthusiasts’ Mecca. Only intense prayer is replaced by intense spending. Car stereo sales happen at audio stores regularly. When a car audio manufacturer launches a new product, the prices of prior models drop drastically which may prompt the store or the brand name to initiate a car stereo sale. Most especially when a new technology comes out, a good example would be like the introduction of the Compact Disc technology, suddenly all cassette player car stereos became dirt cheap, no matter how cool that LED display might be. Another avenue of car stereo sales are at expos and conventions. Most of the time, the good stuff come out at expos’, whether it be a car expo, audio system expo, but usually the largest car stereo sale happens at a gathering of car audio manufacturers. Well, at these kinds of expos’ and conventions, it’s not usually a sale because the manufacturers usually try to get buyers for their newest product. If you have the money and you’re out there to buy some serious hardware, then by all means, SPLURGE AWAY! But first you have to know what it is you want to buy. Don’t go running off to a car stereo sale without knowing what it is your system needs. There are a lot of items in a car stereo sale, shiny, glittery and LOUD items that might get your attention but don’t let it tempt you to whip out your wallet just yet. Although most car audio enthusiasts need not be reminded of this (because they know their stuff well, it’s probably all they think about all day) any car stereo sale newbie might get the itch to impulse buy, especially when the item displays high wattage. Or even if it just looks spacy and high-tech. When planning to go to a car stereo sale, you have to prepare, prepare, PREPARE. Take a good look at your audio system. What does it need? Do you need a complete overhaul of your stereo system? If it doesn’t really need anything but you just want to take it up a notch and upgrade it, make sure what you’re planning to buy is compatible with your existing system. Don’t but a high watt bazooka speaker if your amplifier can’t handle it. Although audio parts like these have very high resale value, save yourself some trouble and buy the right parts. You don’t want to end up buying a very expensive paperweight. Also, do what other enthusiasts’ are doing. READ MAGAZINES! These car audio magazines contain reviews and price listings of the items you may be looking for. You’ll also get acquainted with products you might have never heard before, it will surely open up your choices and options. Going to a car stereo sales is also a good way to meet other car audio enthusiasts’ like yourself. Who knows, you might meet someone who might be willing to just trade items. It will save you the money and gain you some new friends.

A Pioneer In Their Own Right: The Pioneer Car Stereo

Look at any good car stereo system and you’ll probably see a Pioneer car stereo unit plugged into the console. Alongside with quality speakers and a strong lineup of accessories like LCD panels and navigational devices, Pioneer products/Pioneer car stereos have earned a huge following the world over. The Pioneer Company is a Tokyo-based corporation, and is one of the world leaders in digital entertainment products. The Pioneer Company was first founded in 1938 in Tokyo as a small radio and speaker repair shop business but today, they are recognized as a leader in technology advancements in the consumer electronics industry. The company is truly deserving of their name. They are respected for many innovations such as interactive cable TV, the Laser Disc player, developing the first Compact Disc player for the car and the first detachable face car stereo, DVD and DVD recording, plasma display, and organic electroluminescent display. Their strength in optical disc and display technology is complemented by its state-of-the-art software products and manufacturing capabilities. Nowadays, Pioneer car stereo units are not just simple head units. A car stereo can easily be comprised of several items built into the console of the car. Hardware like navigational devices, DVD players with LCD panels, coupled with the standard array of compact disc, mp3 and cassette players now usually go together. One would be hard-pressed not to acquire all of these, as it is such a delight to see these units work harmoniously. But traditionally, a Pioneer car stereo unit is a head unit with a radio, cassette and cd player. No matter how bare-bones this might sound, anyone will surely be impressed with the sound quality and features a Pioneer car stereo can boot. Something like the DEH-P90HDD Pioneer car stereo single CD player head unit. The DEH-P90HDD allows you to record CD Audio (from the unit itself or from a changer) onto a 10GB hard disc drive, which holds about 200 audio CD's (using ATRAC3 digital compression). Your CD's are recognized by the pre-installed Gracenote CDDB database, which includes auto-playlists that make finding a specific CD easy. This Pioneer car stereo unit can also play your MP3 CD's plus CD Audio, CD-RW, and CD-R discs. Also, the MagicGate Memory Stick player lets you play recorded Memory Stick tracks. The Organic EL display is easy to read and accepts image downloads, so you can customize its look. Built-in DSP offers a 13-band graphic EQ and a huge variety of tools. The DEH-P90HDD is XM Ready and provides a steering wheel remote. If cassettes are your thing, the KEH-P4020 Pioneer car stereo cassette player head unit is a good product to choose. It is a full logic cassette system with multi-color display, 45Wx4 High Power, EEQ™ equalizer system, Tuner, IP-Bus System Control, flap face and has a detachable face security. If you’re planning to buy a Pioneer car stereo unit, why not match it with a set of Pioneer speakers too? Pioneer car stereo has made another innovation in their REV Series speakers, which incorporates technological breakthroughs in their IASCA award-winning Premier Reference Series (PRS) speakers. Rev Series speakers boast Pioneer’s Kevlar Fiber Composite Cones, Soft-dome tweeters and Wave guides. Each speaker features a bright yellow cone and distinctive wave guides, plus a six-spoke grill with a titanium finish that simulates chrome wheels. With all these impressive products, is it still a wonder why they call Pioneer car stereos “Pioneer”?