Choosing The Most Dependable Vehicles
by John GormanWhether you're looking to buy your dream car or sell your existing one you'll find so many different car types on eBay Australia including Holden Commodore, Ford Falcon, Mitsubishi Magna, Nissan Skyline, hatchbacks, sedans, 4WDs, and sports cars. Choose from classic and rare collector cars dating back to the early 1900's right up until the 1970s, like Mustang convertibles, Mercedes Benz and VW Beetles. Find an amazing range for old classics, turbo cars and the latest car models.AutoToyota first demonstrated a futuristic hybrid concept vehicle at the Tokyo Auto Show in 1995. See all models Hybrid News Toyota unveils plug-in hybrid car- Japanese automaker Toyota has unveiled what it says is the world's first certified plug-in and go car for public use.Vehicle It's generally agreed that batteries in [non plug-in] hybrids are going to last the life of the vehicle. When the vehicle is eventually disposed of, the battery will almost certainly be recycled because of the high value of the nickel it contains. Car Industry News: EPA Tests Reduce MPG Estimates Learn all about how the EPA's new testing methods impact the fuel economy of the 2008 model vehicles. Toyota first demonstrated a futuristic hybrid concept vehicle at the Tokyo Auto Show in 1995. GM says the vehicle will change the way people commute, reducing emissions and America's dependence of foreign oil. The technology combines radar sensors and a computer system to assess a car's speed and the distance to a vehicle in front, Nissan Motor Co. Power and Associates Vehicle Dependability Study, which ranks vehicles, based on the number of problems their owners report in the first three years of ownership. The surprise is even more noteworthy because the brand ranked dead even with Lexus for vehicle dependability is Buick. Both Buick and Lexus owners reported 145 problems per 100 vehicles, well below the industry average of 216 problems per 100 vehicles. The Power study surveyed more than 50,000 owners of 2004 model cars to determine vehicle dependability and reliability after three years of ownership. Yet another surprise: rounding out the top five most dependable vehicles were Cadillac, Mercury, and Honda. Some people wealthy enough to pay cash for the most expensive vehicles on the planet choose to lease rather than buy them outright.In response to ever-increasing gas prices, automakers have turned their attention to designing smaller, fuel-efficient cars that address the needs of all vehicle owners -- those seeking lots of space for cargo or passengers, those who want high-end luxury gizmos, even those who just want to go really, really fast.
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วันจันทร์, กุมภาพันธ์ 2, 2009
วันจันทร์, มกราคม 5, 2009
Save Money By Buying A Used Car At A Car Auction
Save Money By Buying A Used Car At A Car Auction
by Thomas Winn
Save your money by opting for auction cars
Sometimes it is very difficult to find a second hand used car in a good condition. Well, if you are searching for a cheap car, it is advisable to take a look at the car auctions organized by police and government bodies. There are cars used by the police, open for auction somewhere in close proximity to you almost every alternate month.
Cars that are auctioned by police are generally the ones that are seized from criminals by the law enforcement agencies. These bodies are also in a practice of selling their own cars once they reach a certain age or go over say, 60,000 miles. These type of auctions offer a large volume of cars. In these auctions, it also happens that some of the good performing cars are sold for very cheap. It is easy for anyone to find a large variety makes and models right from the family cars to sports cars.
If you participate in any auction, you just have to place your bid on the cars you want to buy. During the auctioning, you get a directory of the cars that are open for bidding. So, according to your needs, pick the ones that are of your interest and place your bid. Always remember to find the resale value of the car you are interested in. Once you have determined the amount you are willing to spend for any car, you have to just place your bid. And if your bid is the highest one, the car will be yours. Most of the cars would go from 45 - 70 % less than their actual resale price. Therefore, don't get excited and get into the bidding process by carefully watching the other bidders.
Try to reach the auction venue as early as possible and remain there until it gets over or until you have successfully owned the cars that you want to buy. Generally, the best deals strike either at the beginning or at the end of the auction. Most of the participants reach late at the auction venue and leave early. Comparatively, there is much less competition in the bidding at the beginning and at the end of an auction.
Before filing the final formalities such as writing the check, or verifying any other document, make sure that you have properly inspected the car. Most of the cars are in good condition but it is always suggested to be prudent, because once you have paid for the car, it's final. Also, before leaving the auction venue, make sure that you are having all the documents needed for the ownership of the car.
The car auctions organized by the police and other government bodies are a great source of getting a second hand car in good running condition, much cheaper than its actual worth. Even if you use the car for an year or so and then resell it, it is possible that you get an amount higher than the amount at which you purchased the car.
by Thomas Winn
Save your money by opting for auction cars
Sometimes it is very difficult to find a second hand used car in a good condition. Well, if you are searching for a cheap car, it is advisable to take a look at the car auctions organized by police and government bodies. There are cars used by the police, open for auction somewhere in close proximity to you almost every alternate month.
Cars that are auctioned by police are generally the ones that are seized from criminals by the law enforcement agencies. These bodies are also in a practice of selling their own cars once they reach a certain age or go over say, 60,000 miles. These type of auctions offer a large volume of cars. In these auctions, it also happens that some of the good performing cars are sold for very cheap. It is easy for anyone to find a large variety makes and models right from the family cars to sports cars.
If you participate in any auction, you just have to place your bid on the cars you want to buy. During the auctioning, you get a directory of the cars that are open for bidding. So, according to your needs, pick the ones that are of your interest and place your bid. Always remember to find the resale value of the car you are interested in. Once you have determined the amount you are willing to spend for any car, you have to just place your bid. And if your bid is the highest one, the car will be yours. Most of the cars would go from 45 - 70 % less than their actual resale price. Therefore, don't get excited and get into the bidding process by carefully watching the other bidders.
Try to reach the auction venue as early as possible and remain there until it gets over or until you have successfully owned the cars that you want to buy. Generally, the best deals strike either at the beginning or at the end of the auction. Most of the participants reach late at the auction venue and leave early. Comparatively, there is much less competition in the bidding at the beginning and at the end of an auction.
Before filing the final formalities such as writing the check, or verifying any other document, make sure that you have properly inspected the car. Most of the cars are in good condition but it is always suggested to be prudent, because once you have paid for the car, it's final. Also, before leaving the auction venue, make sure that you are having all the documents needed for the ownership of the car.
The car auctions organized by the police and other government bodies are a great source of getting a second hand car in good running condition, much cheaper than its actual worth. Even if you use the car for an year or so and then resell it, it is possible that you get an amount higher than the amount at which you purchased the car.
วันอาทิตย์, พฤศจิกายน 23, 2008
Full Coverage Auto Insurance : New car 2009
Full Coverage Auto Insurance
by Shay West
In case you still do not know what full coverage auto insurance is, here is some information that will surely enlighten you. Having full coverage auto insurance means that you are fully protected against any incident that may happen to you and your car because you have more than just the minimum auto insurance policy required by your state.
But since you are covering everything, this means that your auto insurance will cost more than just the minimum requirements. And because of this, most drivers opt to just avail of the minimum auto insurance requirements than have their vehicles fully covered. For some, this works, but there are others who require full coverage auto insurance.
So, what is the best way to purchase cheap full coverage auto insurance?
There are actually several ways in going about finding full coverage auto insurance policies without having to spend a lot of money. First is to search and compare auto insurance companies' offers. Exhaust your resources and do not limit your search through readily available ones such as the yellow pages. There are a variety of resources like advertisements on TV and the newspaper, billboards, word-of-mouth and the Internet.
The next thing you could do is to look for an auto insurance carrier that offers discounts for various reasons. Auto insurance companies may give different discounts depending on your good driving history, your age, the kind of vehicle that you drive, and on how many vehicles are under your auto insurance policy.
Other companies sell more than one type of insurance policy, and if you buy two or more insurance policies from them, they would give you more discounts. For example, they would offer you very high discount on full coverage auto insurance if you buy homeowner's insurance policy from them, as well.
It doesn't necessarily mean that to have more coverage equates to spending more money.
You only need to find the right auto insurance company offering the right discounts to get you full coverage auto insurance policy.
With all other things being equal, auto insurance rates for teen drivers may cost almost twice as much than that of an adult driver. Purchasing auto insurance policy for teen drivers usually raises a lot of household's expenses by as much as 50 percent or even more.
The reasons behind this are as follows:
Remember that insuring a safe driver means that auto insurance companies won't have to shell out much money. Thus, younger drivers are considered less experienced and more reckless compared to the older ones, making the probability of them involving themselves in a vehicular accident fairly high.
Also, according to statistics, there are more car crashes involving teenage drivers than the sum of car crashes involving all other age groups.
Now, what can a teen driver do to cut costs on auto insurance? Here are the things they can do:
Teen drivers can raise their deductibles, try to get good grades in school, be made the primary driver on the family's oldest or cheapest car, finish a course on defensive driving and use a smaller and cheaper car with a high safety rating
by Shay West
In case you still do not know what full coverage auto insurance is, here is some information that will surely enlighten you. Having full coverage auto insurance means that you are fully protected against any incident that may happen to you and your car because you have more than just the minimum auto insurance policy required by your state.
But since you are covering everything, this means that your auto insurance will cost more than just the minimum requirements. And because of this, most drivers opt to just avail of the minimum auto insurance requirements than have their vehicles fully covered. For some, this works, but there are others who require full coverage auto insurance.
So, what is the best way to purchase cheap full coverage auto insurance?
There are actually several ways in going about finding full coverage auto insurance policies without having to spend a lot of money. First is to search and compare auto insurance companies' offers. Exhaust your resources and do not limit your search through readily available ones such as the yellow pages. There are a variety of resources like advertisements on TV and the newspaper, billboards, word-of-mouth and the Internet.
The next thing you could do is to look for an auto insurance carrier that offers discounts for various reasons. Auto insurance companies may give different discounts depending on your good driving history, your age, the kind of vehicle that you drive, and on how many vehicles are under your auto insurance policy.
Other companies sell more than one type of insurance policy, and if you buy two or more insurance policies from them, they would give you more discounts. For example, they would offer you very high discount on full coverage auto insurance if you buy homeowner's insurance policy from them, as well.
It doesn't necessarily mean that to have more coverage equates to spending more money.
You only need to find the right auto insurance company offering the right discounts to get you full coverage auto insurance policy.
With all other things being equal, auto insurance rates for teen drivers may cost almost twice as much than that of an adult driver. Purchasing auto insurance policy for teen drivers usually raises a lot of household's expenses by as much as 50 percent or even more.
The reasons behind this are as follows:
Remember that insuring a safe driver means that auto insurance companies won't have to shell out much money. Thus, younger drivers are considered less experienced and more reckless compared to the older ones, making the probability of them involving themselves in a vehicular accident fairly high.
Also, according to statistics, there are more car crashes involving teenage drivers than the sum of car crashes involving all other age groups.
Now, what can a teen driver do to cut costs on auto insurance? Here are the things they can do:
Teen drivers can raise their deductibles, try to get good grades in school, be made the primary driver on the family's oldest or cheapest car, finish a course on defensive driving and use a smaller and cheaper car with a high safety rating
วันศุกร์, กรกฎาคม 11, 2008
Can You Really Use WATER for GAS? : New water car gas hybrid 2008
Can You Really Use WATER for GAS?
by Derek Wray
With gas prices well over $4.00 a gallon and predicted to go over $6.00 a gallon, it was only a matter of time before people started searching for ways to increase their gas mileage. As I was researching ways to increase gas mileage, I learned about a relatively unknown way to significantly increase any car's gas mileage by using water to supplement the fuel with hydrogen for a better fuel burn. However, the idea of running your car on water sounded absurd so I was skeptical about this "simple technology" These are just some of the claims made: Water fuel will enable your vehicle to become at least 40% more fuel efficient. Water fuel will boost performance while producing cleaner emissions. You can receive IRS refunds owed to you by law for using green technology in your vehicle! 100% safe/legal - guaranteed! Works with plain tap water Enjoy incredible fuel savings. Could this be real or just another internet scam... This is what I discovered. Will running your car on water really work? Well, not exactly. Your car will still use gas as it's primary source of combustion. You will be supplementing that fuel with hydrogen. What you are going to be doing with Water Fuel technology is creating an extremely cost-effective hydrogen powered hybrid (Water Hybrid) by taking advantage of the atomic constituents of water molecules, hydrogen and oxygen (H2O). The conversion to a water hybrid uses inexpensive parts that you can find at any local hardware store such as Home Depot or Lowes. When setup, a small amount of power is used from your car's battery to seperate the water molecules into HHO gas. This gas is then fed into the intake of your vehicle creating a more efficient burn for your fuel. This is why you can achieve significant increases in gas mileage. You generate free energy by ENHANCING the EFFICIENCY of your poorly designed engine!!! Your car engine currently uses 20% of the energy stored in that expensive fuel - and WASTES 80% for heat, pollution (unburned fuel!) and vibration. HHO gas is very stable and burns incredibly well as a significant power source and the conversion really is simple to set up with the guides that are floating around the internet today, however many people have doubts such as: Is this process safe? Water fuel is safe for your car's engine. Water Fuel (HHO gas) is supplemental to fuel and will actually create a cooler burn that causes less wear and tear on your car's engine. This technology works with all vehicles but it works best with? Water fuel technology works with any kind of gasoline or diesel powered vehicle, however it is geared towards fuel economy, not minimizing power loss. For this reason, vehicles such as giant SUVs and trucks will not see as large of an increase in fuel economy as lighter, less demanding vehicles... In conclusion, water fuel technology does work and can save 40% or more in fuel costs while significantly increasing your vehicles gas mileage. The technology is simple to install and will not adversly affect your engine nor does it void your warranty.
related : http://singhakom.com
: http://newcarhybrid.com
: http://honda-newcar.com
by Derek Wray
With gas prices well over $4.00 a gallon and predicted to go over $6.00 a gallon, it was only a matter of time before people started searching for ways to increase their gas mileage. As I was researching ways to increase gas mileage, I learned about a relatively unknown way to significantly increase any car's gas mileage by using water to supplement the fuel with hydrogen for a better fuel burn. However, the idea of running your car on water sounded absurd so I was skeptical about this "simple technology" These are just some of the claims made: Water fuel will enable your vehicle to become at least 40% more fuel efficient. Water fuel will boost performance while producing cleaner emissions. You can receive IRS refunds owed to you by law for using green technology in your vehicle! 100% safe/legal - guaranteed! Works with plain tap water Enjoy incredible fuel savings. Could this be real or just another internet scam... This is what I discovered. Will running your car on water really work? Well, not exactly. Your car will still use gas as it's primary source of combustion. You will be supplementing that fuel with hydrogen. What you are going to be doing with Water Fuel technology is creating an extremely cost-effective hydrogen powered hybrid (Water Hybrid) by taking advantage of the atomic constituents of water molecules, hydrogen and oxygen (H2O). The conversion to a water hybrid uses inexpensive parts that you can find at any local hardware store such as Home Depot or Lowes. When setup, a small amount of power is used from your car's battery to seperate the water molecules into HHO gas. This gas is then fed into the intake of your vehicle creating a more efficient burn for your fuel. This is why you can achieve significant increases in gas mileage. You generate free energy by ENHANCING the EFFICIENCY of your poorly designed engine!!! Your car engine currently uses 20% of the energy stored in that expensive fuel - and WASTES 80% for heat, pollution (unburned fuel!) and vibration. HHO gas is very stable and burns incredibly well as a significant power source and the conversion really is simple to set up with the guides that are floating around the internet today, however many people have doubts such as: Is this process safe? Water fuel is safe for your car's engine. Water Fuel (HHO gas) is supplemental to fuel and will actually create a cooler burn that causes less wear and tear on your car's engine. This technology works with all vehicles but it works best with? Water fuel technology works with any kind of gasoline or diesel powered vehicle, however it is geared towards fuel economy, not minimizing power loss. For this reason, vehicles such as giant SUVs and trucks will not see as large of an increase in fuel economy as lighter, less demanding vehicles... In conclusion, water fuel technology does work and can save 40% or more in fuel costs while significantly increasing your vehicles gas mileage. The technology is simple to install and will not adversly affect your engine nor does it void your warranty.
related : http://singhakom.com
: http://newcarhybrid.com
: http://honda-newcar.com
วันอังคาร, พฤษภาคม 27, 2008
Improve My Gas Mileage-Get up to 30% Improvement In Your Gas Mileage! : New hybrid car 2008
Improve My Gas Mileage-Get up to 30% Improvement In Your Gas Mileage!
by David L Lewis
Improve My Gas Mileage-Up to 30% Improvement In Your Gas Mileage! Is It Possible to Run Your Car On Water? And save $ 100's on Your Gas Cost. Congratulations! You have just discover a way to own a water to energy converter for Your car or truck. We are offering you a device that uses electric current to seperate water into HHO [2 parts hydrogen & 1 part water] also know as Hydroxy which burns clean and provides tons of energy, The result is Your going to Improve Your Gas Mileage. Just for your information Pound for pound HHO gas has 3 times the potency than Gas.HHO is one of the fastest growing product for boosting Your Cars performance and Gas Mileage. We have taken a 90 year old technology,simplified it made it very affordable and very effective. Easy to install & Maintain, perfect for carb/fuel injection systems.Works with Gas?Diesel. Any internal combustion engine. So how do You modify Your car cheaply to RUN ON WATER? Thanks to widespread development and experimentation by numerous others a Feasible Proven method has emerged. With this method you can operate your Car or Truck partially on water[Water Hybrid] with little or no modifications. By using this system on your car or truck you can [Improve My Gas Mileage] up to 30% and in some cases more! The 9 ingredients to increase your Gas Mileage are: *Install a water to energy converter to increase and boost the poor performance of Gas alone. *Install a Gas warmer system to assist further vapour injectors. *Replace the spark plug wires with ["kiker wires"] improves spark by creating a magnetic field. *Don't fill your tank at stations that ad 10% ethanol[called gasohol] Instead buy some Xylene and add it yourself for much better results and Gas Mileage. *Replace your engine oil with a synthetic oil or similar low friction oil. *Install a ['MSE"] Map sensor enhancer. *Driving habits are another major contributor. Before I go into that it is worth to mention that none of the [miracles] above will do much of its magic if your engine is broken. You can't just wish your way past a broken piston - fix it. It's part of your responsibilities as a driver. Now for driving habits, you can read all about it on the Internet, so let me tell you one trick you don't hear about too often, and that's to put your gear into neutral when you go downhill. I have a ScanGauge device and (while the water device keeps the engine idling almost without fuel) I get readouts of up to 340 MPG downhill. I have photos to prove it and I believe even higher numbers are possible. That means that for long stretches of road I'm using hardly any gasoline at all. *Keep your tires fully up to pressure a harder tire rolls eaiser. How you can get IRS refunds using water powered cars. First, in case you don't previously know that it's possible to power your car with water, this is to inform you that not only is it possible but you can actually make your car to run on water from the comfort of your home.Yes, you heard that right. You can put it all together yourself, with the right guide and the right devices. The beauty of water powered car, apart from the fact that you can put it together yourself and apart from the fact that it helps you in saving the costs of fuel, is that you can actually get IRS refunds for doing so. By using such water powered car you are driving a "green" car and thus helping our National economy by reducing the costs that the government spends on pollution, hospitals, sick days. And most importantly, you help to reduce our national debt for imported oil, not to mention the painful price of economic dependability on oil.Since 2005 the IRS could not afford to continue ignoring alternative fuel anymore, and started giving considerable rewards for "green" cars, "green" fuels and "green" upgrades. You can get back up to $2,000 for a car, or up to $50,000 for a truck. Water4Gas is a simple, inexpensive method that anyone can construct to increase gas mileage up to 30% and more while cleaning the engine - it will even reduce pollution. Check it out - you'll be amazed how simple this can be!
Relate: New car hybrid
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วันอังคาร, เมษายน 22, 2008
Volkswagen Polo - The Car With No Holes : New Volkswagen 2009
Volkswagen Polo - The Car With No Holes : New Volkswagen 2009
by Jake Delur
It always amazes me how efficient the Germans are. Whilst settling down to watch Grand Designs the other day, I saw an entire house built in a Bavarian factory, shipped to England and built in three days, all without mistakes and of course - with a top quality finish. It's the same story with sport, I bet Michael Schumacher could waltz back into the Formula One paddock, shake Lewis Hamilton's hand before demolishing him on the track, without breaking a sweat.German cars are no different and a perfect microcosm of this can be found with one look at the Volkswagen Polo. Staggeringly this car has been with us for 33 years and is just as popular today as the first model was in 1975, which sold over 500,000 units worldwide in just six years. Originally a rebadged Audi 50, the Polo was sold alongside it's Audi counterpart but was cheaper to buy. Unsurprisingly, the Polo outsold it's identical twin and Audi stopped production of the 50.Buoyed by it's success a face lifted Polo appeared in 1979, with subtle styling changes to bring the baby Polo into line with the design of the existing Jetta Saloon (this included square headlights on the top-of-the-range 'Derby' derivative). It was VW's intention for this to act as a stop-gap until the Mk II Polo arrived in 1981.It's fair to say that Porsche are often criticised for having a lazy design studio, after all the 911 has looked almost identical for 40 years, but Volkswagen made a fair fist of clinching the title in 1981. The Mk II Polo was essentially identical to it's predecessor, although crucially what it lacked in originality of styling, it more than compensated for with build quality and reliability. Whilst it's main rivals the Renault 5, Fiat Uno and Austin Metro have long since gone to the great scrap yard in the sky, the Mk II Polo is still in plentiful supply on Britain's roads.Built until 1994, the Mk II also allowed Volkswagen to pioneer new technology - most notably a G-supercharged engine that would later be the basis for the one found in the Corrado and Golf. As with the Mk I, the second generation Polo received a subtle facelift in 1990 for the final four years of production. Despite new headlights and bumpers it still bore a near identical resemblance to the original 1975 model. One notable feature however was the introduction of a removable stereo/cassette unit, allowing for increased security and was a hit with buyers and is now de-rigueur with all in-car audio units.1994 finally saw a significant update of the Polo. Available in 3 and 5 door hatchback versions, the car sat on a new chassis shared in part with the SEAT Ibiza (VW also owning SEAT) and the Polo's big brother the Golf. Eight different engines were available, the largest choice yet in the Polo range and more contemporary styling was also on offer. The turn of the millennium saw the obligatory facelift with 70% of the components being changed, although this wasn't outwardly visible. The car certainly continued the tradition of being better made and having a more upmarket feel than its rivals and sold well. It also won a number of awards including best 'Supermini' from Top Gear, Auto Express, and Which? in the late nineties.The Mk IV Polo was launched in 2002 and further built upon the heritage of it's predecessors. Again sharing a platform with the SEAT Ibiza and additionally the Skoda Fabia, the Polo's appearance was dramatically changed, with quad headlights similar to the smaller Lupo featured in the new design. No fewer than 11 different engine options were available, each with different levels of trim to complement. Despite early promise, the Mk IV didn't sell as well as previous Polos and faired poorly in many customer satisfaction surveys, including high profile ones such those conducted by Top Gear.With this in mind, the Mk IV, was redesigned in 2005 and is the model found on the roads today. Subtle exterior changes were made for the car to again share the design style of others in the Volkswagen range, particularly the Passat and interior components were redesigned in the light of previous criticism. The latest model is the Polo Bluemotion, specifically designed to be more environmentally friendly, by reducing the vehicles weight, electronic equipment and engine emissions.Reliability and value for money continue to be the Polo's standout features, although there is no doubt the latest model is a very classy looking vehicle. The best way to sum up this car is to steal the phrase from the German company themselves - "small but tough".
by Jake Delur
It always amazes me how efficient the Germans are. Whilst settling down to watch Grand Designs the other day, I saw an entire house built in a Bavarian factory, shipped to England and built in three days, all without mistakes and of course - with a top quality finish. It's the same story with sport, I bet Michael Schumacher could waltz back into the Formula One paddock, shake Lewis Hamilton's hand before demolishing him on the track, without breaking a sweat.German cars are no different and a perfect microcosm of this can be found with one look at the Volkswagen Polo. Staggeringly this car has been with us for 33 years and is just as popular today as the first model was in 1975, which sold over 500,000 units worldwide in just six years. Originally a rebadged Audi 50, the Polo was sold alongside it's Audi counterpart but was cheaper to buy. Unsurprisingly, the Polo outsold it's identical twin and Audi stopped production of the 50.Buoyed by it's success a face lifted Polo appeared in 1979, with subtle styling changes to bring the baby Polo into line with the design of the existing Jetta Saloon (this included square headlights on the top-of-the-range 'Derby' derivative). It was VW's intention for this to act as a stop-gap until the Mk II Polo arrived in 1981.It's fair to say that Porsche are often criticised for having a lazy design studio, after all the 911 has looked almost identical for 40 years, but Volkswagen made a fair fist of clinching the title in 1981. The Mk II Polo was essentially identical to it's predecessor, although crucially what it lacked in originality of styling, it more than compensated for with build quality and reliability. Whilst it's main rivals the Renault 5, Fiat Uno and Austin Metro have long since gone to the great scrap yard in the sky, the Mk II Polo is still in plentiful supply on Britain's roads.Built until 1994, the Mk II also allowed Volkswagen to pioneer new technology - most notably a G-supercharged engine that would later be the basis for the one found in the Corrado and Golf. As with the Mk I, the second generation Polo received a subtle facelift in 1990 for the final four years of production. Despite new headlights and bumpers it still bore a near identical resemblance to the original 1975 model. One notable feature however was the introduction of a removable stereo/cassette unit, allowing for increased security and was a hit with buyers and is now de-rigueur with all in-car audio units.1994 finally saw a significant update of the Polo. Available in 3 and 5 door hatchback versions, the car sat on a new chassis shared in part with the SEAT Ibiza (VW also owning SEAT) and the Polo's big brother the Golf. Eight different engines were available, the largest choice yet in the Polo range and more contemporary styling was also on offer. The turn of the millennium saw the obligatory facelift with 70% of the components being changed, although this wasn't outwardly visible. The car certainly continued the tradition of being better made and having a more upmarket feel than its rivals and sold well. It also won a number of awards including best 'Supermini' from Top Gear, Auto Express, and Which? in the late nineties.The Mk IV Polo was launched in 2002 and further built upon the heritage of it's predecessors. Again sharing a platform with the SEAT Ibiza and additionally the Skoda Fabia, the Polo's appearance was dramatically changed, with quad headlights similar to the smaller Lupo featured in the new design. No fewer than 11 different engine options were available, each with different levels of trim to complement. Despite early promise, the Mk IV didn't sell as well as previous Polos and faired poorly in many customer satisfaction surveys, including high profile ones such those conducted by Top Gear.With this in mind, the Mk IV, was redesigned in 2005 and is the model found on the roads today. Subtle exterior changes were made for the car to again share the design style of others in the Volkswagen range, particularly the Passat and interior components were redesigned in the light of previous criticism. The latest model is the Polo Bluemotion, specifically designed to be more environmentally friendly, by reducing the vehicles weight, electronic equipment and engine emissions.Reliability and value for money continue to be the Polo's standout features, although there is no doubt the latest model is a very classy looking vehicle. The best way to sum up this car is to steal the phrase from the German company themselves - "small but tough".
วันเสาร์, มีนาคม 15, 2008
New Cars Are Not Green Enough : New car review 2008
New Cars Are Not Green Enough
by Anthony Fontanelle
The demand for environmentally friendly vehicles has been increasing in the past few years. Apart from the increasing threat of global warming, the increasing price of petroleum fuel in the world market is also a reason for this demand. To meet this demand, car manufacturers are going all out in the production of environment friendly and fuel efficient vehicles.Although numerous alternative fuel vehicles are now being marketed in the global auto market, a report says that car manufacturers are still not making enough progress to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases produced by their mass produced vehicles. Aside from not reducing emission enough, the consumption of non-renewable petroleum products is also not reduced enough.Fuel efficient cars are those that produce little or no greenhouse gas. Examples of these vehicles are full-time hybrid vehicles, hydrogen powered cars and electric cars. Aside from producing substantially less carbon dioxide and other potentially harmful gases, fuel efficient cars should also be produced using technologies which only take little energy to produce a vehicle.According to environmentalists, although car manufacturers are producing hybrid, flex fuel, and electric cars, in general they are still missing their target by a long way. An example of this fact is the iconic hybrid Prius. Although in operation, the Prius produces less carbon dioxide and other harmful byproducts of internal combustion, the components on the batteries used in the hybrid are sourced from a mine which pollutes the environment.Although environmentalists point out that the progress being made by the auto industry is not enough, they named several automobiles which are friendly to the environment. The study reported that 1.3 percent of all the vehicles in the world. Although that may seem a small percentage, the sheer number of vehicles on the world today being driven means that there are a lot of environment friendly vehicles.One of the current auto models named as an environmentally friendly vehicle is the Saab 9-3 bio power sports wagon with its Saab headlights. This variant of the popular 9-3 is equipped with an engine that runs on alternative fuel. The bio power Saab produces 17 percent more power and ten percent more torque than its conventional gasoline engined sibling. At the same time, the bio power Saab produces about 50 to 70 percent less carbon dioxide emission compared to other variants.Another auto model named as an environment friendly vehicle is BMW's hydrogen powered 7 series. The benefit of the said lineup is obvious. Although equipped with a gasoline engine, the BMW 7 Series can also run on hydrogen fuel which produces no carbon dioxide. Furthermore, hydrogen is a renewable source of energy. The technology, at present, is not widely used due to issues concerning the cost of production of these vehicles.Another green enough vehicle is the Honda Civic Hybrid. Although not as famous as the Camry Hybrid or the iconic Prius, Honda's Civic Hybrid is more beneficial to the environment than some of Toyota's hybrid vehicles.The number of environment friendly vehicles may still be minute compared to the total number of vehicles on the roads today, but car manufacturers have already taken the initiative and it would be beneficial if they continue producing green cars.
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