The Dart Maker Blog

If you are Internet savvy, you will surely find that car insurance on line quotes can save you a lot of time and money. Most car insurance company web sites have on line quotes available. There are also third party websites that will compare rates between many different car insurance companies. This is a really smart way to shop for insurance because each individual car insurance company is only competitive in 2% of the market place. It may take you awhile of comparing prices between companies before you find the company that is most competitive for your demographic. There are services that quickly help you to compare fifteen to twenty companies to see which will give you the best rate.

If you find a website that gives you car insurance online quotes from multiple companies, check into a couple of things to make sure you are getting the best deal. First, it should be a third party site. There are car insurance companies that compare their rates with others, but can you really trust the rates you are getting from a site that is designed to sell you their insurance? Next, be sure that the third party site is giving you an apples-to-apples comparison with the policy you currently have. If you do switch insurance carriers to get a lower rate you want to make sure you keep the same coverage.

More car insurance info - click here

There are many add-on devices and gizmos for cars that can
provide features to make your ride better. There are accessories
that will give you music that is more to your liking. A gps with
maps can display the route to take to your chosen destination. A
heated mug will keep coffee hot as long as the car is running.
There are other useful functions and nice effects that add-on
accessories can provide. Many car accessories are low enough in
price so that they may be well worth installing. This article
concentrates on the lower priced accessories. Most are under
$50. You might find these at larger auto parts stores, large
department stores, electronics stores or online.

Here’s the list with some information and comments about each:

12 volt heated mug - A mug with a plug for getting power
from the cigarette lighter socket. It keeps a liquid such as
coffee hot for as long as the vehicle is running. Some models
have a thermostat to set the temperature.

Example models:

• Wagan Tech Heated Travel Mug. At At www.autoanything.com.
• NexxTech Travel Mug with
  Thermal Control At
  www.circuitcity.com .
• Power Up Thermal Mug. At www.radioshack.com.

Cooler/warmer - These give the choice of keeping food or
beverage hot or cold. Some are sized to hold a can of soda or a
mug of coffee, larger units might hold a six pack or more.

Example models:

• Wagan Car Cooler/Warmer. At www.autoanything.com.
• Koolatron 8 quart Food
  Cooler/Warmer. At www.jcwhitney.com.
• Vector 6-can Portable
  Food Cooler & Warmer Chest. At www.jcwhitney.com.

Cell phone charger - Plugs into the cigarette lighter
socket to power or charge your cell phone.

Example models:

• Custom Accessories Deluxe Power Cord
  Charger - Motorola. At HREF=http://www.carlovershop.com/karparts/itempg.icl?secid=2&subs
  ecid=25&dirpage=dir2&curitempos=6&numitems=13&itmid=197&eflag=0 rel="nofollow">w
  ww.carlovershop.com.
• Custom Accessories Power Cord
  Charger - Motorola. At HREF=http://www.carlovershop.com/karparts/itempg.icl?secid=2&subs
  ecid=25&dirpage=dir2&curitempos=12&numitems=13&itmid=200&eflag=0 rel="nofollow">
  www.carlovershop.com.
• Radio Shack 273-1288 Car Power
  Adapter for Hitachi SH-P300 Wireless Phone. At HREF=http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=CTLG&ca
  tegory%5Fname=CTLG%5F008%5F001%5F014%5F028&product%5Fid=273%2D128
  8 rel="nofollow">www.radioshack.com.
• Quick Cell 3900 Car Charger Nokia.
  At www.advanceautoparts.com.

12 volt coolers - These range in size to hold 2 soda cans
up to full size refrigerators for recreational vehicles.

Example models:

• VDP Road Chill 2-pack Cooler. At www.jcwhitney.com.

Multipurpose lights - Can be incandescent, flourescent or
led. They might plug into the cigarette lighter socket, might be
wired directly into the car’s power circuits, or be battery
operated and portable. If used while the vehicle is not running,
a consideration may be that led models will drain the battery
the least (but in general produce less light).

Example models:

• Bonatrade International 6-Watt Single
  Tube 12V Fluorescent Light. At www.jcwhitney.com.
• Custom Accessories
  10716 Power Lite: Magnet Mount. Plugs into cigarette lighter
  jack. At www.acehardware.com.

• Custom Accessories 76665 Utility Light 12v. At www.acehardware.com.
• Voltec Industries 0800255 Trouble Light: 12 Volt. At www.advanceautoparts.com a>.
• Alert HC20 Halogen Worklight 12v. At www.advanceautoparts.com.

Compass - Some are magnetic, some mechanical; some are
battery powered with digital displays, can be lighted to read at
night, and/or have additional features such as time, date,
and/or temperature.

example models:

• Wayfinder V100 Digital Compass. At www.autoanything.com a>.
• NexxTech Digital Compass with Calendar, Clock and
  Temperature. At www.circuitcity.com.
• Radio Shack
  63-1221 Digital Vehicle Compass. At www.radioshack.com.
• Custom Accessories 18100. At www.advanceautoparts.com
  .
• Custom Accessories 55558. At www.advanceautoparts.com
  .
• Black Type S Compass. At www.autobarn.com >.

4 point safety harness - Has four anchor points and a
restraint for each shoulder. These are more likely to get you
through a crash with less injury than if you had been using a
standard belt (across one shoulder and across the lap). Many of
these models are made to attach to a roll bar, so make sure the
one you are getting is appropriate for your vehicle.

example models:

• Peak Racing Equipment PEK-507-2. At www
  .amazon.com.
• Peak Racing Equipment PEK-507-2. At www.summitracing
  .com.

Power inverter - Plugs into the cigarette lighter socket,
clips to battery, or wire it in. The vehicle’s 12 volts dc is
changed to 120 volts ac to power things like laptop computers,
coffee makers, cell phones, camcorder battery chargers and other
small appliances. Don’t go bigger than 400 watts unless you want
to go directly to the battery with heavy wire. Even then, high
power devices will drain your battery quickly and could fry the
alternator if the engine is running.

example models:

• Coleman Powermate CMN-PMP400 400 watt. At
  www.summitracing.com.
• Motor Trend power inverter
  HDL-MTI-12-3716. At www.summitracing.com.
• Xantrex X Power Mobile
  Plug 75. At w
  ww.fisheriessupply.com.
• Go Power GP 175 Modified Sine
  Wave Inverter. At www.
  hamiltonmarine.com.

Other accessories that can be used to enhance your car include
seat covers, floor mats, steering wheel covers, sun shades, head
rest covers, litter bags, can and cup holders, inside/outside
thermometer, gps/map device, extra loud or novelty sound horns.

Items to keep in your car for repair, emergency, safety and
miscellaneous - Jack, lug wrench, trouble light, flares, jumper
cables, maps, cell phone and phone numbers, coolant for
radiator, drinking water, long storage food, empty container for
gasoline, various hand tools, gloves, coat, hat, blanket, rain
poncho, and a first aid kit.

NewCar101.com Car Review:: 2005 Acura

NSXAcura’s two-seat sports car remains a thrill to drive,
despite the age of its basic design, which dates back to 1991.
Updates have helped to keep it contemporary so this newest NSX
still delivers exotic car performance with little of the fuss
traditionally associated with this vehicle class. The NSX is
spectacular at track events, which are the only venues where a
driver can legally tap its full acceleration and handling
capabilities. Yet, the car also can be driven in gridlocked
traffic with the air conditioning on without protest. Buyers who
opt for the sequentially shifted automatic transmission end up
with a smaller and less powerful engine than buyers who choose
the six-speed manual, but acceleration is abundant with either
drivetrain. Conclusion: The NSX is a wonderful sports car. Some
buyers in this class want more than a V-6, however, and low
sales volumes continually stir rumors over the car’s future.
Think twice, however, before allowing its untemperamental nature
to lure you into making this car your daily driver. Parking lot
dings and nicks in the aluminum body work will be expensive to
repair.

Moving truck rentals are generally most expensive during the summer. In the winter one can get the cheaper moving truck rentals. However, the cost usually depends mostly on the company and its location, as well as the quality of its service.

If you are moving within the town then it is advisable to hire a truck during a weekday rather than a weekend. This could make a significant difference in terms of rentals. Hiring a moving truck is more expensive during the weekends.

If you know your plan for moving well in advance, it is best to reserve a truck as early as possible. This booking can be done online, over the telephone or by making a personal visit. Generally, one gets a better price on bookings in advance. If you are a regular customer of the truck rental service then you might get a frequent-customer discount.

However, certain truck rental services charge hidden costs which wipe out any savings from the cheaper rentals. Check out these charges before making a final decision, even if the initial costs are quite low.

Cheap truck rentals are also offered on one-way trips nowadays. This is due to growing competition in the market. There are a number of companies which are able to reap economies of scale due to their large-scale operation. So they are often in a position to offer cheap moving truck rentals. Several online and offline resources provide lists of cheap moving truck rentals. You can compare them and then take a final decision.

How to minimize car ownership

Lease the car you always wanted………………………….then buy it later.

Pity the automotive industry. Whereas the airlines are hurting
under unsustainable wages and benefits, i.e. health insurance
and pension contributions, they are likely to reduce them both
in coming negotiations, whereas the Automotive industry is
saddled not only with these same problems, but worse, not enough
customers and too many plants worldwide making vehicles.

If China’s car industry enters the United States in three or
four years with the “Cherry” automobile, a talked about vehicle
made in China with Chinese wages, the situation will only get
worse.

Compounding the problem for some of the manufacturers is that
their labor contracts are so juicy that they are better off
continuing to give away cars rather than to close a plant and
pay continuing benefits to laid off employees.

This situation will not change for several years until
consolidation, plant closings, or bankruptcies have cured the
problem. And plant closings will be a last resort. Therefore the
glut of new cars will likely continue for a few years.

And the subsidized lease will continue to be offered.

During that time, new cars will be a real bargain.

Question: How best to minimize long-term car ownership.

Simply put…lease it now, buy it later.

In the past, the auto manufacturers moved cars by subsidizing
leases. Without getting into the math, the monthly lease cost
was lowered by increasing the residual value, thereby selling
(leasing) more cars. But the value of the vehicle at the end of
the lease was almost always less than the contracted residual
and each of the off-lease cars then had to be sold in the
wholesale market at a loss of several thousand dollars.

Hence several of the big backers of lease financing, Chrysler,
some New York banks, and others, each lost several hundred
million dollars in each of the past two or three years because
they had to sell the off-lease cars on the open market for less
than the residual value.

So why lease a car now instead of buying one right now?

Because by initially leasing a car, the maker is essentially
offering a price that can’t be beat. It’s actually lower than
the “employee cost” widely advertised. Then buy the car at the
end of the lease.

At the end of the lease the company financially backing the
lease most likely will sell the car on the open market at a
loss. Why not intervene at that point and buy the car for less
than the residual value and put that “loss” into your pocket as
money saved?

A true-life example:

A business friend of mine had a three-year-old leased car with a
contract residual value of $28,000. Looking at the used car lot
he found he could buy one just like it for $24,000. He assumed
the company that financed the lease would loose at least $2,000
in selling it for less than the contracted residual value.
Through the dealer he offered $22,000 to buy the car as is and
his offer was promptly accepted, including 3%, 3 year financing.
His dealings, all by phone (no face to face negotiations needed)
were with the company financing the lease.

So lease the car of your dreams today if you ultimately want to
buy it. Let the companies financing the lease continue to
subsidize your monthly lease payment. About three months before
the end of the lease, cruise the used car lots and notice what
your car is being offered at and then buy the car (no
commissions paid to anyone on this transaction) at the end of
the lease and keep several thousand smackers in your pocket.