How Will President Barack Obama Change What You Drive?

1 | November 8th, 2008 | Posted in Blog Carnivals, Car Buying Secrets, New Hybrid Cars

America has a new President, Barack Obama, who has a very different set of ideals and views than those that have come before him. Weather you agree or disagree with him, he is our President, and as was his mantra throughout his election, change is on his agenda.

That change may extend into all facets of your life, including what you drive. President elect Obama has some very ambitious targets. His programs are, to date, a bit short on specifics, yet long on promise. One thing is for sure, the old wheels will undergo a bit of transformation in the coming 4 years if our new President has his way. Just how will those changes affect what you drive to work every day?

A brief glimpse at his agenda sheds some light on the subject (President Obama’s proposals in bold)–

• Increase Fuel Economy Standards.

Questions - Fuel economy standards are already set to increase substantially in the next revision of the CAFÉ standards that are due to phase in completely by 2020. The revised CAFÉ standards provide for an increase from the current 27.5 mpg to 35mpg. Is Obama proposing an acceleration, a further increase, or is he just referencing those standards already set to take affect?

Development lead times on vehicles currently 2 – 5 years. That is for vehicles using current technologies. A radical revision of fuel economy standards would require advanced technologies, and subsequently longer development times for vehicles using them.

Americans have shown a propensity to desire larger, safer, more practical (until you have to park them) vehicles. They have also demonstrated a willingness to pay the extra in fuel costs is takes to drive them up to a point. The point was exceeded about late June of this year as drivers fled large SUVs and pickups like voters running away from the Republican Party in November.

This increase in fuel economy will have a negative effect on tax revenue, as I discuss further below.


• Get 1 Million Plug-In Hybrid Cars on the Road by 2015.

This is an extremely ambitious target, especially given the current state of the automotive landscape. The first plug in hybrid on the horizon is the Chevy Volt, set to debut in 12 – 18 months. This should be followed in short order by the Toyota Prius plug in. If you’ve looked at these vehicles, you’ve found they are not inexpensive.

The Volt in particular is far out of reach of the average car buyer, who stands to never recover the $18,000 difference between that and the 4-cylinder Chevy Malibu (by most accounts a pretty nice car). The Malibu gets 25 mpg, so it isn’t really a gas guzzler for a car that comfortably seats 5 adults.

One will note that vehicles rushed through the engineering stage tend to exhibit more flaws, technological glitches and malfunctions than those that have a longer technological gestation period. That’s something to think about when having a target of 1 million such vehicles on the road in only 6 years.

• Create a New $7,000 Tax Credit for Purchasing Advanced Vehicles.

This would doubtlessly offset some of the budget crunch Americans will feel when purchasing the much more expensive advanced technology vehicles. It also brings up another question, to whit - where is the money for this going to come from? There are currently generous tax incentives for such purchases put into place by President Bush. These new ones proposed by Obama are about 90% higher that the existing tax credits. This will cost taxpayers quite a sum of money.

It will assist the development of some new technologies by increasing consumer demand, but at what cost? You could watch for a healthy Federal gas tax increase to both make advanced technology vehicles more attractive to drivers by increasing the price of fuel, and help fund the tax credits. Fuel has a relatively inelastic demand, so revenue tends to rise as tax levels increase.

Hybrid and other advanced, fuel efficient cars will also drain from the nations coffers in another way. Currently, roads are largely financed by users in the form of motor vehicle fuel taxes. That is basically fair. The more you drive, the more you pay, and the heavier and harder on the road your vehicle, the lower its fuel economy, and the more you pay.

President Obama will probably have to push for Congress to increase the Federal fuel tax rate in order to avoid a drop in aggregate motor fuel tax revenues. Many politicians are loathe to do this, especially after the high fuel prices the nation endured this summer. No matter how they feel, the politically astute among them are well aware how raising gas taxes looks when the next election rolls around.

High motor fuel taxes are not conducive to rebuilding the economy, as it costs businesses, and thus consumers, dearly. It will also cost jobs, because when they are confronted by price increases in one area, businesses look to cut costs in others. The largest cost component of almost every business is labor. That means it is also the most likely to be cut when other costs increase.

• Establish a National Low Carbon Fuel Standard.
• A “Use it or Lose It” Approach to Existing Oil and Gas Leases.
• Promote the Responsible Domestic Production of Oil and Natural Gas.

The extent of which this occurs will go a long way to determining three things; maintaining low fuel prices, national security due to increased supply reliability, and the reduction of our dependence on foreign oil.

In addition, does anyone think other areas of the world are actually more environmentally conscious than we are in the US when exploring for and extracting oil? That would mean that the more oil we pull out of the ground here at home, the better off the world is environmentally. In addition to the lower environmental cost of production, there is a lower environmental cost of transporting locally produced oil.

One more thing to examine is the tremendous number of different environmentally required gasoline blends currently in use throughout different areas of the United States. That incurs increased transportation costs, poses a greater environmental impact, and lowers delivery efficiency. It also drives up fuel prices and causes localized availability problems. This is one area that stands to be looked at and in the spirit of the new Obama administration, changed.

So, how will President Obama change what you drive? Who can tell for sure, but here’s what it could be like:

It will get much better fuel economy, possibly through much more advanced hybrid technology.

Power plant for the Obama car – A very small, algae-biodiesel fueled (this would help meet his targets for lower carbon emissions) turbo diesel that would run constantly at its most efficient RPM and be used only to charge batteries. In many cases it wouldn’t run at all and the car would be driven solely by its advanced electric motors. They would be used for greater efficiency and lower weight. Advanced technology batteries could be charged from a standard 220 or 110 volt wall socket if needed.

Weight is the enemy of fuel economy so look for advanced materials in everything from power window motors (rare earth magnets) to body panels (fiber composites). In addition, you’ll be leaving your boat at home, since vehicles large enough to tow them may be levied a special tax in order to help consumers decide not to drive them. Such a tax exists now, but isn’t applied to trucks and SUVs, only cars. This policy could change.

Look for tires and wheels to get lighter in an attempt to reduce rolling resistance and rotational inertia. This will help increase fuel economy, vehicle performance, and ride quality.

Cars will get smaller, but safety targets won’t, so look for advanced safety technologies to be used, as long they don’t substantially increase the weight of the vehicle. Radar and Lidar proximity sensors will be coupled with stability control, inertial sensors, and GPS systems to help avoid crashes.

Advanced materials will be required to maintain the structural integrity of the passenger safety cage, while reducing the size of heavy, energy absorbing crumple zones. The crash energy will still have to absorbed and dissipated before reaching the hapless passengers trapped inside the vehicle, or deaths and injuries will rise.

The light weight vehicles and high torque electric motors could give us greatly enhanced fuel economy with pretty spritely 0-40 times. This will be great fun around town, but it’s possible that the heavy hand of government knowing what’s good for us may step in to limit our fun - in the name of fuel economy, environmental responsibility, and safety, of course.

We will drive some advanced vehicles, but we’ll probably live in interesting times.

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Why is Diesel More Expensive Than Gas?

2 | October 8th, 2008 | Posted in How to Save Gas

Why is diesel more expensive than gas? If you’ve priced diesel fuel recently, you’re well aware of the reason why, while the fuel mileage of diesel vehicles may kick the crap out of a gasoline powered vehicle in most cases, the overall fuel economy, once the higher price of diesel fuel is taken into account,  may not. That’s because the price of diesel fuel is only slightly less than that of Grey Goose vodka. You can expect to pay north of $4.50 a gallon in for this refined black gold.

There are a few reasons that diesel fuel is considerably more expensive than gasoline in the U.S., although as kids we remember it being cheaper, and it’s easier to refine. If you run a fleet of vehicles that burn diesel, I wish I had some good news for you, but unfortunately you can expect the situation to remain the same for some time. Here are 5 key reasons why diesel costs you more per gallon than gasoline, even though many people expect the opposite should be true.

Reason Number 1 for Diesel being More Expensive than Gasoline -
The US government mandated ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD) to replace conventional diesel fuel  in 2007. This transition began in 2006. The new variety of diesel fuel  contains 97% less sulfur than conventional diesel—sulfur is reduced from 500 parts per million (ppm) to 15 ppm. While a boon to air quality in the Untied States, this stuff is more expensive to manufacture. It does have the advantage of allowing the clean burning diesel technology that’s available in Europe to come over here. Without the ultra low sulfur diesel fuel, diesel power plants could no longer meet U.S. emissions regulations.

Reason Number 2 for Diesel being More Expensive than Gasoline -
U.S. oil refineries are normally optimized to produce about 20% diesel fuel, while those producing fuel for the European market are optimized to turn out more than twice that proportion. This means that as the demand for diesel fuel grows, thanks the recent tremendous improvement in diesel engines that has led it’s adoption for SUVs and many more pickups, U.S. refineries can’t keep pace with the growing demand.

Reason Number 3 for Diesel being More Expensive than Gasoline -
Your federal government in action - the Federal excise tax on diesel fuel is 6 cents higher per gallon (24.4 cents per gallon) than the tax on gasoline. Viola! An instant 6 cent per gallon price disadvantage for diesel. I’m sure the nation’s truckers, farmers, and ranchers appreciate that.

Reason Number 4 for Diesel being More Expensive than Gasoline -
Growing demand for diesel fuel, especially in the growing economies of Asia, such as India and China. Economies are built with diesel burning machines, from road graders and trucks, to railroad locomotives and heavy lifting cranes. As economies in former 3rd world countries emerge from the psuedo-dark ages from whence they’ve come, their appetite for diesel will only continue to increase, even if they slow down once in a while to curb pollution for athletic events.

Reason Number 5 for Diesel Being More Expensive Than Gasoline -
An increased quantity demanded of anything tends to exert upward pressure on prices, and another factor causing more and more gallons of diesel fuel to be demanded is the European drivers wholesale change to diesel powered vehicles (NOTE: This is another effect of increased fuel taxes in Europe, a partial side effect of the Kyoto Treaty, that aims to reduce carbon emissions, which a change to higher fuel economy diesels will help accomplish. Ironically, although much cleaner than in the past, diesels actually emit more air pollution, especially particulate matter, than the latest gasoline engines, which are incredibly clean burning. Be careful what you wish for….. ). According to the 2007 EU Economic report, the percentage of diesel powered cars registered in 2007 is more than 400% higher than it was in 1990. In addition, there are more total cars registered in Europe, so the demand for diesel at European filling stations has skyrocketed.

As you’ve doubtlessly noticed, most of the reasons for the increase are actually behind the real reason; increased demand for diesel fuel. If the demand is increased, the quantity demanded will also increase at every price point. This is a boon for refiners, as their percentage profit on diesel is usually greater than for equivalent quantities of gasoline. For U.S. diesel consumers this is especially troubling, because usually this situation would lead to increased production, eventually causing prices to fall. As mentioned above however, there’s an imbalance between US and overseas production. In the U.S. however more refineries use a gasoline production oriented catalytic cracking process, where European refineries tend to rely more on a process known as hydorcracking and produce a greater percentage of diesel fuel. It is extremely expensive to retask a refinery to significantly change it’s output to favor more of one fuel versus the other, so the refiners are kind of stuck.

That’s why the price of diesel is more expensive than gas, and likely to remain so for the foreseeable future.

Until next time……

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Why Does a Diesel Engine Get Better Fuel Economy than a Gas Engine?

0 | October 7th, 2008 | Posted in How to Save Gas

Just why does a Diesel engine get better fuel economy than a gas engine? Well, they work differently and burn different fuel, for starters. A gasoline engine uses a spark ignition system and a Diesel engine uses the heat created by a very high compression ratio to ignite the fuel. There is actually work underway, by Mercedes Benz and others, to operate a gas engine using diesel-like compression ignition, for at least a portion of the time.

There are a few reasons for the increased of most diesel engines when compared to gas engines. One reason for the lower fuel consumption is that diesel fuel has a higher energy density than does gasoline. For example, standard diesel fuel has an energy density of approximately 139K BTU per gallon. On the other hand, gasoline has fractionally less energy, about 125,000 BTU per gallon. As a way of comparison, much touted ethanol is far below either of these two, at about 85K BTU / gallon. That means that a gallon of diesel there has a greater ability to provide propulsive energy, if the efficiency of combustion is equal.

There is another primary reason that diesel engines tend to get better fuel economy than a gasoline power plant. This reason is due to the fuel delivery system of diesel engines; direct injection. Direct injection is more conducive to ensuring all the fuel atomized and is burned. Obviously more complete combustion leads to greater efficiency and lower fuel consumption. The same reasons have led to direct fuel injection systems being adopted for gasoline engines from various auto makers, including Cadillac, Saturn, Audi, and Pontiac. Expect to see wider adoption of this technology on gasoline engines in the near future as a way to decrease emissions and save fuel.

Differences in Power Delivery Between Gasoline and Diesel Engines

A diesel engine tends to develop power lower in the RPM range than an a comparable gas engine. In addition, the diesel will usually develop more maximum torque but less horsepower than a gasoline engine. This means that depending upon the use, the actual fuel economy figures from both gas and diesel engines can be very different indeed. Diesels are typically excel at lower, more constant speed operation while pulling heaver vehicles, while gasoline engines are better suited to lighter vehicles, variable speeds and rapid acceleration.

That partially explains the widespread use of diesel power plants in trucks. They will deliver much higher fuel economy than a comparable gasoline engine when towing heavy loads, and more easily climb steep hills when doing so. There are also durability advantages to diesel engines, especially in heavy duty applications. The operational differences between diesel and gas engines also helps explain the really high highway fuel economy figures returned by passenger cars with small, turbo diesel engines, such as the TDI powered VW Jetta (41 EPA Hwy MPG).

That’s why a diesel engine get better fuel economy than a gas engine.

Until next time………

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Barak Obama - Separated at Birth

2 | October 6th, 2008 | Posted in Humor

Separated at Birth?

Democratic Presidential Candidate Barak Obama ……… Does he go fast on weekends?

Democratic Presidential Candidate Barak Obama
F1 Driver Lewis Hamilton

F1 Driver Lewis Hamilton

Or Maybe outspoken GM Exec Bob Lutz could be…..

GM Exec Bob Lutz

GM Exec Bob Lutz

Related to…………….

John Hurley - (Elaine's Boss on Seinfeld)

John O'Hurley - (Elaine's Boss on Seinfeld)

And, is it possible that F1 driver Robert Kubica is actually……….

BMW F1 Driver Robert Kubica

BMW F1 Driver Robert Kubica

The secret identity of …………

Rap Star Eminem

Rap Star Eminem

Who knows?

Until next time…………………

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Do You Believe the Gas Mileage Claims in Advertising? The Case of Splitfire Spark Plugs (and more)

0 | October 1st, 2008 | Posted in How to Save Gas

The Splitfire spark plugs are still being made and sold by Old World Industries, Inc., Northbrook, IL. They rose to prominence because of their unique center electrode, which did its forked, snake-tongue impression. The thinking was that electrode design would lead to more complete combustion. When you visit their site today however, you’ll notice that their current line of plugs looks suspiciously like almost any other quality spark plug on the market.

Why is their site devoid of the original Splitfire plug from whence they derived their name? Why, indeed! It appears that in 1997 Splitfire’s advertising was making fuel economy and gas saving claims that went something like this:

A -“Of all users (regardless of vehicle type, age, condition, and use) responding:

70% reported a gas mileage increase of from 1 to 6 more miles per gallon.””

And

Consumer Endorser: “Yeah, I went from probably 300 miles on a full tank to almost 400.”

Consumer Endorser: “I probably was getting, I would say about 20 miles more per tankful, and that’s a lot for me!”

Consumer Endorser: “And when you’re driving a four-wheel drive vehicle, you need all the extra gas mileage you can get.”

The problem is that they couldn’t actually back up any of these claims to the Federal Trade Commission’s satisfaction. In 1997 they were hauled into federal proceedings by the FTC to substantiate their claims of increased fuel economy provided by their (at the time) $6 spark plug. Now not only was that about 5 times what a traditional plug cost at the time, some consumers had suspicions about the efficacy of the product. This resulted in complaints to the FTC, and well, you know what happened next.

From the FTC case report –

“In truth and in fact, respondent did not possess and rely upon a reasonable basis that substantiated the representations set forth in Paragraph 5, at the time the representations were made. Therefore, the representation set forth in Paragraph 6 was, and is, false or misleading.

Through the means described in Paragraph 4, respondent has represented, expressly or by implication, that competent and reliable studies or surveys show that 70% of SplitFire users achieve a gas mileage increase of from 1 to 6 more miles per gallon.

In truth and in fact, competent and reliable studies or surveys do not show that 70% of SplitFire users achieve a gas mileage increase of from 1 to 6 more miles per gallon. Therefore, the representation set forth in Paragraph 8 was, and is, false or misleading.

The acts and practices of respondent as alleged in this complaint constitute unfair or deceptive acts or practices in or affecting commerce in violation of Section 5(a) of the Federal Trade Commission Act.”

And I suspect that was the beginning of the end for the forked tongued devil. It just goes to show that while certain things have been shown to definitely increase your fuel mileage and save you a few dollars here and there, others can’t quite measure up, so do your research carefully, as there are many other devices out there with dubious records of saving gas. *Take note that bad, old, or fouled spark plugs can certainly cost you gas mileage, as can other worn out and/or dirty parts such as O2 sensors and air or fuel filters.

Actually, “the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has evaluated or tested more than 100 alleged gas-saving devices and has not found any product that significantly improves gas mileage. In fact, some “gas-saving” products may damage a car’s engine or cause substantial increases in exhaust emissions.” So much for magnets! As for anecdotal reports, you can’t trust any test that wasn’t done in a double blind fashion, under controlled conditions. There are actual performance parts that increase the engine’s efficiency and deliver better gas mileage, but usually the “gadget” type of product isn’t among them.

Until next time…………

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Credit Card Gas Rebates – How to Get the Biggest Rebate

3 | September 26th, 2008 | Posted in How to Save Gas

You can save money on gas by buying your gas with a credit card that gives you a rebate for gas purchases. These rebates can be upwards of 6%, depending on which rewards card you choose. Unlike a decade or so ago, many consumers eschew the using an oil company gas card in favor of a traditional Visa or MasterCard that gives some type of reward or rebate for gas purchases. The reasons for this are many, but suffice it to say that flexibility is definitely not the oil company credit card’s strong suit.

With an oil company credit card you’re limited in two ways; one, you have to use it for purchases at a gas station, and two it has to be a gas station owned or affiliated with that specific oil company, for example, Chevron or BP. Need to pick up a new HDTV or 5 lbs of bananas and a large combo pizza? Too bad.

That sort of inflexibility has consumers fleeing company gas cards for the greater options provided by credit cards that pay rewards for gas purchases, but can be used in any store that accepts credit cards, and for any purchase the consumer might wish to make. In many cases they’ll get rewards or rebates for these other purchases as well.

One way to save gas is to use one of these gas rebate credit cards and, this is important, pay off the balance every month, so you’ll accrue no interest charges. Failing that, at least search high and low to find the card with no annual fee and the lowest interest rate possible. Click here to check out a vertical credit card search engine that lets you do just that, find the gas credit card with the lowest interest rate, and more importantly if you’re trying to maximize your gas rebate, the biggest rebate.

These things change with the winds in the financial sector (which lately have risen to hurricane force), but as I pen this you can get a gas reward of up to 10%, depending on the particular card. Don’t forget to avoid any card with an annual fee, unless it’s extremely small and the rewards for your specific type of use far outweigh the impact of the annual fee. That’s a very important point, you must remember to give careful consideration to your expected use of the different cards when making your decision. The offers are varied (and seem to change with the wind) so you have to look at your past credit card usage, and examine how any prospective new card would fare if you were using it instead. Calculate the different rewards percentages for each type of purchase, and total your expected total annual reward dollar amount.

You can use the gas reward percentage to directly offset the price at the pump. For example, if the reward percentage for a particular card is 7%, that is effectively a discount on gas prices that’s applied to the final price you’ll pay. Two more things to consider here; some credit cards have a maximum rewards amount, so keep that in mind when making your decision, and if you fail to pay off the balance every month, you’ll pay an interest rate that I can almost guarantee will be higher than your reward percentage.

So, you can use a credit card gas rebate to effectively save money on gas, if you find the best card, and be careful to use it correctly. It is just one more strategy to save money on gas you can keep in your arsenal. Go here to use that gas rewards search.

….until next time.

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What is a Hybrid Car?

1 | September 23rd, 2008 | Posted in New Hybrid Cars

What is a hybrid car? Even with the myriad new coverage and the copious advertising for hybrid vehicles, the fact is that many people are unsure what one really is or how hybrids work. As the name suggests a hybrid car (or any other hybrid vehicle) is one that uses a combination of two power plants to increase fuel economy and reduce emissions.

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In the majority of cases hybrid vehicles use a gasoline engine and one or more electric motors. Some manufacturers are developing hybrids that use a small, high efficiency, turbo diesel engine in lieu of the gas engine. Using a turbo diesel as part of the hybrid power train will have advantages in efficiency, emissions, and the ability to use renewable biofuels. The manufacturers developing diesel / electric hybrids are principally European, which makes sense given the popularity of diesel vehicles in Europe. So far Citroen, VW, Opal, and Peugeot have all showed prototype vehicles that have strong production possibilities.

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The hybrid’s electric motors draw their power from a large battery bank in the vehicle. This is recharged either from a generator connected to the gasoline engine, or by a process known as regenerative braking. The regenerative braking is merely recapturing the energy contained in the vehicle because it is moving. Any object that is moving required energy to get it moving at the speed that it’s traveling and maintain that speed. To slow it down, the energy must be removed.

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With a normal vehicle, friction brakes are used for slowing and stopping. These transform the energy contained in the moving vehicle into heat, which is then dissipated into the air. If that seems like a complete waste, it is. The hybrid’s regenerative braking systems actually recapture that energy and store it in the batteries used to power the electric motors for later use. There are one or more generators that are coupled to the wheels under braking. The drag created by the generators when turning the car’s spinning wheels into electricity provide much of the stopping power. This has two benefits; greatly increased brake life, and capturing energy that would have been wasted as heat (and that you already paid for).

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Because internal combustion engines such as gasoline and diesel engines exhibit increased efficiency during different operating conditions, the vehicle can be operated on the optimum power source for a given load condition. At times such as peak acceleration, both power sources can be used in combination. Electric power is typically used when starting out and at low speeds when electric motors are most efficient. The internal combustion engine takes over at higher speeds or when the batteries are discharged.

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There are different types of hybrids. Pure hybrids can move completely on electric power. This can be kind of weird if you’re not expecting it. The first time I experienced this, a Ford Escape hybrid pulled away from a stop as I was standing next to it. It was eerie as the truck silently glided away from the curb, as if by magic. After it was moving about 10 mph, the gas engine kicked in and it motored (engined??) away.

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The stored energy in the batteries let the hybrid’s engine be completely shut down when stopped. The engine is only restarted after the vehicle’s electronic control unit decides it would be better to let the gas engine handle things. More efficiency is gained by using this method. This is similar to the technique used by your internal combustion powered golf cart, but far more sophisticated.

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In fact, the sophistication of engine and control electronics are one of the reasons that practical hybrid vehicles are on the road today. Juggling the optimum mix of power between the two power systems, and recapturing the heretofore lost energy from the moving vehicle would have been impossible to accomplish affordably and practically a few years ago.

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So, that’s what a hybrid car is and kind of how it works. My favorite is the Honda Civic hybrid, followed by the Chevy Tahoe Hybrid, but I’m waiting for someone to make a really cool sports car hybrid, which reportedly Toyota is doing as a replacement for the dear, departed Supra. Toyota probably has more experience than any other manufacturer with hybrids, so they should be well equipped to handle such a task.

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Not to be outdone, Honda is reportedly releasing their CR-Z in about 2011. The CR-Z is a sports coupe in the same vein as the Honda CR-X of 15 years ago, but with a sexy, modern body, great handling, and the hybrid power train from the new Civic hybrid.

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Until next time……..

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Used Cars for Cheap – How to Buy a Good One

2 | September 18th, 2008 | Posted in Car Buying Secrets

Buying a used car for cheap, especially one that saves gas, is at the forefront of many people’s minds. Well, let’s revise that a bit. People dream of buying a used car for cheap, but they are afraid of getting a total piece of crap. When you’re trying to buy a car it’s all too easy to get a cheap used car that’s, well, cheap. You may be driving one of those now! If you’re afraid of ending up with another, here’s how to get a used car for cheap that’s not a rust bucket pile of crap.

There are some important things to look at.

How to Buy Used Cars for Cheap – Step 1

Just what are your requirements in a vehicle? Driving yourself 40 miles a day to work? That will pile up the miles in a hurry. A Chevy Tahoe is probably not your best choice, unless you’ve got a hell of car pool and the weather really sucks where you live. On the other hand, if you take your extended family of on ski trips while towing your trailer, a Tahoe would be just the ticket. You can save a ton of money by getting what you really need in a vehicle, and foregoing what you really want. It bites, but you’ll save a pile of money, and that’s what buying cheap is all about.

After you decide what type of vehicle suits your needs, narrow down which vehicles in that category you’d actually be caught dead driving. Typically less picky equals more savings. If you’re the easily satisfied type here, that helps. If details such as colors, brand, and features, don’t matter to you all that much, the easier it will be to get a great used car, cheap.
How to Buy Used Cars for Cheap – Step 2

Think beyond how much money you’ll save today and consider total ownership cost. Getting nickel and dimed to death probably isn’t what you had in mind, is it? A few attributes you shouldn’t overlook are safety and reliability. You, and possibly your family, will depend on this car, your lives are at stake every time you ride in it, so cheap should not mean it’s a deathtrap. Just remember the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s report a few years back on the Ford F-150 before it was redone in 2005. Ouch!! The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety does some very good tests to determine the vehicle safety in a variety of different collision situations, far beyond the required U.S. Government DOT crash tests. Check them out as well. Two more great resources to narrow down your shopping list are Consumer Reports and MSN autos. Both have great reliability reports for used vehicles. MSN even breaks it down so you can see where potential reliability areas lie in various vehicles.
How to Buy Used Cars for Cheap – Step 3

After you’ve determined what works for you in a used car, you can start actually looking for your new, used car (isn’t that an oxymoron?). A great tip about how to find a used car for cheap is to look for some of the less popular, but still functional, reliable, and safe brands. You’ll save some money for example, by foregoing a Honda for a Nissan, or skipping a Toyota and landing in the driver’s seat of a Mazda. Unlike in days gone by, today’s vehicles hold up remarkably well with far beyond 100,000 miles showing on the odometer. In fact, they can still look and run almost new at this figure. So, don’t let a few miles scare you. You’re buying the car for what it has left, not what it shows on the odometer.
How to Buy Used Cars for Cheap – Step 4

It’s finally time to check it out - what to check for. Once you found a car that seems to fit your requirements, there are some things you should check to make sure you are in fact getting a good, cheap car, not just a cheap car. Finding one that has been well taken care of is too important to ignore (or even gloss over a wee bit). Today’s cars are remarkably robust, but they do require regular maintenance. If that’s been neglected you can’t really be sure they’ll provide the years of service of that you’re hoping for.

Modern cars run like Swiss watches, with their highly engineered, internal parts spinning about in a fine, choreographed ballet. However, that example of modern engineering could turn into a pile of very expensive crapola if it doesn’t get the care that makes it feel warm and fuzzy inside. After all, ballerinas blow out their knees almost as often as NFL players. The component parts for modern cars are sit down, you’ve got to be freakin’ kidding, expensive. It’s pretty typical for a transmission to cost between $2,500 and $6,000. A new engine may cast close to $10,000 (an excellent argument for used engines, which are far cheaper, but can come with nice guarantees). The takeaway is that a bit of snooping now could save you a very expensive problem down the road. Be like a horse trader in the old west; look the horse in the teeth make sure you really want it sleeping in your barn.

You should definitely check the vehicle’s history. You could discover all manner of horrors hiding in it’s sordid past. There are all to many cars that sat out the last hurricane in 4 feet of water knocking around this great land of ours. Carfax works very well for this, with their vehicle history reports. Bring a laptop or mobile device to access the web while you’re shopping. You can get unlimited uses for a month for a pretty reasonable price, so you can check out a large number of prospective vehicles as you’re shopping.

When you’re actually looking at the car, kneel down and sight down the car’s body lines. If they are wavy or you can see obvious imperfections in the paint, chances are the car has been damaged and repaired at some point. Another trick is to bring a small magnet with you. If the car has metal body that’s been repaired with body filler putty, the magnet will not adhere to the repair as well as it does to the other parts of the body. The less it sticks, the thicker the Bondo. Crawl under the car and check the frame or unibody members for any signs of bending, corrosion or other damage. See if it looks like the car’s underside has been places you wouldn’t take a car you loved.

Pop open the hood. Pull out the dipstick to check the oil. See if the oil is between the “add” and “full markers, and if it’s black or a nice, golden brown. If it’s thick and black, the oil probably has been neglected. Check to see of there’s any white substance mixed with the oil. That’s usually engine coolant. It’s not supposed to be in there with the engine’s oil. If it is, there’s a blown gasket or an even more serious engine problem. That won’t be an inexpensive car, but it may be a cheap one.

Check the tires for uneven wear. If the tires need to be replaced soon, that may not be a trivial expense on many cars. You could spend $350 - $600 on a new set of Goodyears, mounted and balanced. The car’s tires are extremely important to vehicle safety, handling, braking and acceleration however, so don’t skimp if you do have to put on a new set. Be sure you use the fact in your negotiations.

Uneven tire wear may also be indicative of a greater problem, such as a suspension or alignment issue. It could also mean the car has been wrecked in the past and not repaired correctly. With unibody vehicles the quality of the repair is even more important than with traditional body on frame vehicles, and it’s much more difficult to do, especially without the proper equipment. You’re not going to correctly fix a badly damaged, unibody car outside Uncle Larry’s house, under his oak tree.

You need to decide where you want to look for your car. You can choose a private party. You can often get a great deal from a private party. Try to ascertain their reason for selling the car. Some insight here may determine if you have a highly motivated seller and give you the upper hand in the negotiation. Another benefit to a private party is that you’ll often get the car’s service records. These can boost the resale for you later and shed light on any past problems.

You can obviously buy from a dealer. There are hundreds of lots brimming with shiny used cars in most metro areas. You won’t get as good a deal from a dealer (?) in most cases, but you won’t have to meet 46 different sellers either. In addition, you can possibly get some kind of warranty of the dealer offers one. If you do elect to avail yourself of a warranty, read the entire contract like you’re an attorney (if you’re actually not one).

If you’re trading in your existing car, remember that in many states you’ll get to deduct the value of your trade from the sales tax and could realize substantial savings. If they’re giving you a good value for your trade in (I know, fat chance) that could add up big. For example, if you’re in an area with an 8% sales tax and they’re giving you $10,000 for your trade, that’s $800 less you’ll pay because you don’t pay taxes on the $10,000 of trade in value. So, if you’re buying a $15,000 used car, you’ll only pay taxes on the difference between your trade and the sales price. Instead of paying $1,200 in sales tax, you’ll only pay $400. Consider that when making your decision about where to buy your used car.

You can buy your cheap, used car from an auction. There are many different kinds of vehicle auctions. Many law enforcement agencies sell off vehicles confiscated according to property forfeiture laws. These laws allow the agencies to keep property of those arrested for a variety of crimes, particularly drug crimes. If the perp had pride in his ride, you can get a very nice vehicle. Other auctions are held to dispose of vehicles seized by customs officials, abandoned at towing yards, or to satisfy tax liens. You can also find fantastic deals at auctions held to liquidate vehicle fleets of large businesses, such as phone and utility companies. It’s not uncommon for vehicles to be sold for far lower than they would in any other marketplace, often at only pennies on the dollar..

The downside of auctions is, you guessed it, you know nothing, nada, zero, zip about these cars. To make matters worse, you can’t drive them in most cases. In the cases where you can drive them, you’ll only be permitted to take them for a slow spin around the auction yard. Another downside is inventory selection at many vehicle auctions. The selection can range form outstanding to very limited. You know what, though? Many used cars on dealer lots are found at auctions. The dealers keep this little secret tucked safely away inside their little book of tricks. If you could get your new car at an auction you could pay what the dealer’s pay, sometimes less.

Next time you need to buy a cheap, used car, remember there is one for you out there somewhere. You just need to find it and check it out before you get soaked. So, it’s true, you can find used cars for cheap!

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Festival of Frugality - Editor’s Pick

0 | September 16th, 2008 | Posted in Blog Carnivals

My post on Why the Mercedes Smart Car may actually be a dumb idea received an Editors’s Pick over at this week’s Festival of Frugality, the 143rd edition of that fine blog carnival.

Thanks LAL!

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Best Gas Mileage Vehicles to Buy if You Have a Large Family

0 | September 15th, 2008 | Posted in Car Comparison

There a many cars that get great gas mileage. Many are even affordable, fun to drive, and reliable too. The problem is that if you need transportation for a family of 6 or more, many of these vehicles just don’t cut it. A Mini Cooper S may be a great car for the daily commute or running a canyon road, but trying to fit a family of seven in one is akin to practicing for a circus act.

What do you do if gas bills are killing you, but you really can’t drive a Honda Fit, Mini Cooper, or Prius Hybrid? What if your transportation duties run the gamut, from running 3 or 4 kids to school, soccer or swimming, picking up 10 bags of groceries, and running the whole family for weekend trips to Grandma’s? Even a normal sedan, such as an Accord or Taurus just isn’t big enough.

Here are the top vehicles to drive if you have to move more than the average number of people and their gear.

Best Gas Mileage Vehicles to Buy if You Have a Large Family #6

2009 Chrysler Town and Country Minivan – 4.0L V6, 6-sp auto, 17city / 25highway / 20 combined MPG, Base MSRP: $24,195.

The latest from the ones who started the minivan revolution (but didn’t actually invent it, that goes to VW), the latest Town and Country comes in at number 7 on the list. It also demonstrates the importance of an advanced transmission (see my post on technology to increase fuel economy) in the quest for better gas mileage. The 4 liter engine with the 6-speed actually gets better EPA fuel economy ratings than it’s smaller engined counterpart, which is mated to only a 4-speed auto.

The relatively good mileage, coupled with the utility of such innovations as Chrysler’s “Stow-n-Go” seating make this one a winner if you have a large family and need to get them around town.

Best Gas Mileage Vehicles to Buy if You Have a Large Family #5

2009 Ford Flex Crossover SUV, FWD – 3.5L V6, 6-sp auto, 17 city / 25 highway / 19 combined MPG, Base MSRP: $28,295.

One of the main reasons so many drivers eschewed minivans in favor or SUVs in the last decade and a half is that they don’t want to be perceived as dowdy, un-cool, or devoid of style. Well driving the new Ford Flex definitely won’t get them pigeonholed into any of those categories. It drips of style, but still delivers enough room inside to get the whole brood to their little league practice and the swim meet without having to sit atop one another.

The Flex is a (very) modern interpretation of something right out of So Cal in the ‘50s. It’s not a minivan, but replaced on in Ford’s lineup, the never really popular Freestar. In a land of all the same, derivative products, Ford looks to have broken the mold for large family transportation. All that and it has suicide doors and returns very respectable gas mileage for a quasi-large people mover.

Best Gas Mileage Vehicles to Buy if You Have a Large Family #4

2009 Mazda 5 Minivan FWD – 2.3L I4, 5-sp auto, 21city / 27 highway / 23 combined MPG, Base MSRP: $18,665.

The 2009 Mazda 5 has one real ace in the hole; great fuel economy for a vehicle that can hold your entire family. It also looks pretty cool, with little of the boring, me-too styling that so many others in the genre find themselves draped in, and you can get one at a bargain price compared to other vehicles that can hold 6 people. It has two things going against it that kept it from finishing higher in this list of great vehicles for transporting a large family while getting excellent MPG; it really isn’t that large, and it really isn’t that quick. In fact part of the reason it gets such great fuel economy is a result of precisely those two traits.

If you have a family of 6, and 2 of the family members are small kids, this will definitely do the trick. It handles well, a hallmark of most Mazda products, and should be very reliable, if past reliability stats are any indication. If your group includes teenaged twins that happen to play tight end on the high school football team and a few more kids over about 10 years old, you should probably find another mode of transportation however. The Mazda will simply be too tight of a squeeze.

Best Gas Mileage Vehicles to Buy if You Have a Large Family #3

2009 Chevrolet Traverse FWD – 3.6L V6 direct injection, 6-sp auto, 17city / 24 highway / 19 combined MPG, Base Price MSRP: $30,810.

The Chevrolet Traverse is the latest iteration of the GM large SUV platform that’s also spawned the GMC Acadia and the Saturn Outlook. It’s modern, with a 3.6 liter V6 that includes direct injection fuel delivery, one of the reasons a 288hp vehicle that transports 8 full sized people can get such good gas mileage (for this sized vehicle). The interior is modern as well, proving again that American vehicles can deliver in this department, even if it took 30 years for U.S. automakers to figure it out.

The 2009 Traverse has a great combination of ride and handling for such a large vehicle, and is by most reports, relatively quiet too. All in all it’s a great place to spend time on a long road trip with the entire family, providing you can still afford to take one, with the high price of fuel these days. At least the Traverse burns regular gas, currently the least expensive liquid motivator you can get at the local filling station.

Best Gas Mileage Vehicles to Buy if You Have a Large Family #2

2009 Honda Odessey LX Minivan FWD – 3.5L V6, 5-sp auto, 17 city / 25 highway / 20 combined MPG, Base MSRP (LX version): $26,255.

Honda has wrought a vehicle that consistently finishes at the top of its class with the Odyssey minivan. Honda has always created spectacular power plants, and the 3.5 liter in the Odyssey is another example of one of their sewing machine smooth, internal combustion, creations. The only nits that kept this one from finishing even higher on the list is that it’s a mite noisy on the freeway and could be a bit larger if you’d like to transport 7+ people. It has a cockpit that is a fantastic place to spend time, with everything falling readily to hand, and large, easy-to-read instrumentation that’s been a hallmark of Honda binnacles since the early ‘80s. The Odyssey even handles fairly well for vehicles in the minivan category.

Best Gas Mileage Vehicles to Buy if You Have a Large Family #1

2009 Chevy Tahoe SUV Hybrid 4×2 – 6L V8, CVT, 21 city / 22 highway / 21 combined, Base MSRP: $50,490.

The new hybrid Tahoe is a technological tour de force, enabling a huge, vehicle with a 6 liter V8 engine to return 20mpg. If you have to have a large vehicle to transport 8 people, and all their stuff, on a long trip, while towing a trailer, this is about the only vehicle to be driving. It uses a hybrid power train, combined with advanced transmission technology to wring every last bit of energy from a drop of unleaded regular and use it for getting down the road. About the only downside, and it’s considerable, is the monster MSRP of $50,490. That’s for the 2-wheel drive version; you’ll pay more to deliver power to all the wheels, should you want to.

The new Hybrid Tahoe is really expensive, but if you need the combination of this much size and towing capacity, nothing else makes the list while delivering anywhere close to this kind of fuel economy, especially if you do much of your driving in urban areas. In stop and go driving the hybrid power really comes into it’s own and saves gas. It comes with every option under the sun, and if you check all the boxes, you can rapidly find your bank account depleted by an even larger sum, so exercise some restraint.

Until next time………..

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