Auto Market Scene

One of the things that I have always loved is my Ford Mustang.  Fast, sleek and sexy, it has been my pride and joy for the past seven years.  It has been my baby and I will miss her a lot.

You see, my husband and I just had our third child and we were facing one big problem with the car: where were we supposed to put all the car seats?  Since all of our children are less than six, a baby seat, car seat and booster seat were just not going to fit in the back seat of the car at all.  Add the fact that my Mustang had only two doors, and you can see how it could be a big headache, right?

So, we traded in the Mustang for a minivan.  It made the most sense for the space we needed as well as it was going to make things a lot easier for us to put the children in the vehicle.  Yes, a minivan is certainly a blessing for anyone with a larger family.

But, the thing that sucks the most is that they are not cool.  I know that I am not 19 anymore, but at least the Mustang was an eye catcher, whereas this minivan will attract the attention of no one.

I guess that I will just have to suck it up and get cozy with our new vehicle – I think we will be driving minivans for many years to come (sigh).

Technorati Tags: minivan

Tags: Cars // Add Comment »

Scheduled maintenance, or preventative maintenance, is important because it, well, prevents major problems from developing with your car.  Some scheduled maintenance items are more important than others, though.  Here is a list of preventative maintenance you really shouldn’t ignore.

• Oil changes.  A lot of people think you can get away with not changing your oil regularly, but I don’t recommend it.  The oil and the detergents that keep your engine’s guts reasonably clean break down over time.  Letting your oil go longer than 3,000 miles means you are filling your engine full of sludge, which is extremely hard on the seals, gaskets, and moving parts inside your engine.
• Air filter changes.  Changing your air filter is also extremely important.  Just like a person, your engine needs to be able to  breathe.  A clogged air filter is like you or me trying to breathe through a plastic bag with a couple of tiny holes poked into it!  Your engine won’t get enough oxygen, which can foul out spark plugs and cause other problems.
• Coolant changes and flushes.  Having coolant in your radiator is better than water for many reasons, among those being that it slows down rust and corrosion inside the system.  This happens because of the Ph balance in the antifreeze/water solution.  However, over time that starts to break down.  You should probably change your antifreeze every few years, more often for older cars.
• Timing belt replacement.  Changing your timing belt on time is crucial.  If you go too long, your belt starts wearing thin and becomes more likely to snap.  Most cars these days have interference engines, which means that when your timing belt snaps, the pistons will smash the valves and possibly even warp the head, as fast as they are moving.  Not changing your timing belt on time could feasibly cost you your engine.
• Rotate and balance your tires.  The key to getting a long life out of your tires is to rotate and balance them regularly.  This helps ensure that they wear evenly, therefore prolonging their life.  Additionally, problems with the tires are often found when rotating and balancing them, perhaps preventing a big blowout and a potentially crash while you’re driving.

In my opinion, these are some of the most important maintenance tasks to do on your car.  As always, be sure to get genuine OEM parts for your car — to do otherwise may compromise its performance or even cause problems.  For instance, when replacing a timing belt, buying anything other than genuine Toyota Camry parts could result in the belt not lasting as long as it should, snapping, and ruining your engine.  It’s just not worth saving a few bucks — for the longevity of your car, be sure to buy real Toyota parts.

Technorati Tags: oil changes, timing belt, Toyota Camry parts, Toyota parts

Tags: Repair & Service // Add Comment »

Whether you do the work on your car yourself or pay someone else to do it, it’s important to make sure you keep up on the regular maintenance needed on your vehicle.  Scheduled maintenance is scheduled for a reason, and that is to keep your car in good running condition.  Usually Ford parts are pretty reasonably priced, so regular maintenance is affordable — but not doing it can be quite costly, depending on how much damage you cause.

For example, one of the most important things that needs to be done regularly is replacing the timing belt.  Many modern cars have timing belts instead of chains.  This allowed car manufacturers to design the engine more efficiently, but it also means that the belt has to be changed periodically to prevent it from snapping.  Most engines are interference engines, which means that if the timing belt snaps the pistons will smash the still-open valves, sometimes even with enough force to warp the head.

A timing belt is fairly expensive, although the work required to change it can be costly.  Still, it’s not nearly as expensive as replacing the head or rebuilding the engine if the timing belt breaks when you are driving down the road!  Most likely, if  this happens you’ll simply be going around to Fort Worth auto dealerships, looking for a new car — it makes more sense to buy a new one than to dump nearly the same amount of money into fixing the old one.

Technorati Tags: Ford parts, Fort Worth auto, timing belt

Tags: Parts & Accessories // Add Comment »

If you’ve ever needed a good working vehicle, you’ve probably looked into the used cars market. When most of us were younger, either in our late teens or as young adults out in the real world for the first time, we realized that the expense and long term commitment of a new car loan might not be the best thing for our finances.

photo credit: dno1967

If like some folks, you find yourself in the market for a used car, but are concerned that your credit rating might not be up to snuff, don’t worry. Bad credit auto financing has come quite a ways since the time you were probably leaving high school or into your college years. Plenty of opportunities exist for those that need to get into a quality used vehicle.

You could go the route of a credit union or major institutional lender, but those loans are going to be harder to get, and when you don’t meet the standards they set for the on approved credit, or OAC customers, you’ll end up paying quite a bit of money for the luxury of having that loan.

At the end of the day, seeking out a quality bad credit auto financing solution will get you into the vehicle you need. Faster. Easier. And probably cheaper over the life of that loan.

Technorati Tags: bad credit auto financing, used cars

Tags: Auto Dealer // Add Comment »

For many car enthusiasts, having a classic car is the ultimate goal.  Whether it’s in cherry condition or an ongoing project, having a classic car in some ways defines you as a car enthusiast.

And of course, once you attain your dream of having one of these cars, you have to be sure to take good care of it, so that it gains rather than loses value.  Here are a few suggestions for caring for your classic car.

• Be aggressive about keeping up on all preventative maintenance.  Change your oil and other fluids on time — early, if possible.  With your daily driver you might let it slide a bit, but with your baby it’s just not worth the risk.
• Keep your classic car clean.  Dirt left on can dull paint, retain moisture and lead to rust.  Wash your car and keep it clear of visible dirt, and be sure to polish and wax the paint regularly for that added level of protection.
• Keep the engine bay and undercarriage clean.  This is just as important, if not more so, as keeping the paint clean and waxed.  Fight  rust and corrosion by power washing the undercarriage after driving in snow or rain, or even just on dirty roads.  Also, keeping the engine bay clean allows you to notice leaks right away, and makes working on the car easier.
• Keep your classic car garaged.  Garaging a car is important because it keeps it out of the elements, preventing rust, hail damage, faded paint, and other problems that come from being left outside.  If you don’t have a garage, you might be able to rent a self storage unit that will hold a car for not very much a month.
• Drive your classic car only in good weather.  The best way to take good care of your classic car, of course, is not to drive it in poor conditions.  Dry, sunny days are the best for showing off your car.  The rest of the year, your daily commuter will do just fine — even if it’s not as much fun to drive!

Is there anything important that I’ve left out?  What precautions do you take with your classic car?

Technorati Tags: classic car, self storage unit

Tags: General // Add Comment »

My little blue Toyota Corolla is about to turn 13 and will hit 100,000 miles sometime this summer!  I can’t wait.  We’ve had this car for as long as I can remember, through all the siblings learning to drive, sneaking out and getting in trouble.  It’s seen us all off to college and taken us home again.  It had to get it’s engine replaced (not because of any fault with the Toyota parts, be still my heart to think, but because I got an oil change at a certain establishment that I now consider disreputable and they drained the oil but never put any back in before charging me and sending me off on a road trip.  Fun times!), it’s been through a few set of tires, but looking at it you would never think it was a day over six.  It’s been to a few proms, carried the designated driver and a few more less than sober friends, carried the dog and just last week, my sister’s baby.  That was kind of amazing to see.  I have a picture of her at sixteen learning to drive in the car, and now I have a picture of her with Isabel, her baby daughter in it.  With any luck, maybe Isabel will learn to drive on it too!  Wouldn’t that be amazing?  If any car can do it, it’s our little Corolla.  She’s a part of the family!

Technorati Tags: proms, Toyota parts

Tags: Parts & Accessories // Add Comment »

The reason for putting this post under the “Repair & Service” category has to do with why the local community college was hosting a massive hot rod and cool motorcycle show. Having read about some of the new offerings now available to learn about automotive repair, collision and paint and body classes, it came as no surprise when I saw the community college was going to open the parking lot this weekend to over 200 tricked out cars, trucks, and super high end motorcycles.

And it makes a lot of sense for a number of reasons. Even though they are not charging admission, the school organizers feel confident they’ll be able to raise money by offering interesting raffles and and other prize give aways as well as charging for the limited parking close to the event.

Perhaps more importantly, the administration hopes that such a focused event will generate excitement and enthusiasm in the potential student body. It tends to follow that if your interested in hot, fancy cars, you may be interested in learning more and attending classes.

And if you are in the marketplace for a new career or a change in your current job, then there will be plenty of opportunity to learn about the college’s upcoming offerings this summer and fall.

Technorati Tags: automotive repair, community college, hot rods

Tags: Repair & Service // Add Comment »

When my husband and I went to Cancun, we decided to rent a car.  We were kind of nervous about it because we had no idea where we were going and what it would be like to drive in Mexico.  It did take a while to get use to it.  People in Cancun seemed to drive much more aggressively than in the United States.  This was especially true for the taxi drivers.  They would weave in and out of traffic and actually hang out the window and yell at people.  It made us glad that we checked out the Cancun airport car rentals as soon as we got off of the plane.  I would have been terrified riding in a cab from the airport to the hotel.

Cancun rental cars are a great option for a vacation.  It was very convenient and it was nice to be able to drive everywhere and be able to leave our stuff in the car.  We were also able to get around without having to worry about paying for cabs and waiting around for taxis and buses.  We got lost almost every day but even that was pretty fun.  Getting to spend time with my husband was worth getting lost!

Technorati Tags: Cancun airport car rentals, Cancun rental cars, united states, vacation

Tags: Auto Dealer // Add Comment »

There are some truck accessories that make your truck look cooler and increase its resale value, and there are others you can add that help protect it while also making it look sharp. Bull bars are one of those accessories you can add that will keep your truck looking great for years by protecting your front grille from the major and minor collisions, bumps, and scrapes that are inflicted on vehicles in urban environments. Make no mistake, it’s a rough world out there for all vehicles, and it’s just common sense to get the most protection you can for your precious set of wheels, whether you’re driving a car, a truck, or one of the new hybrid or electric vehicles. In fact, it actually makes more sense to purchase a bull bar package for your car if it is one of those hybrids. They’re generally more lightweight than conventional cars, and more prone to body damage because of collisions. It’s an unfortunate fact of life that right now there are still a lot of hefty gas-guzzlers on the road that can really smash a smaller vehicle because of their greater gross vehicle weights. So, take care of your car or truck by adding extra front-end protection. I found an interesting article at this website on the value of adding bull bars: http://www.streetdirectory.com/travel_guide/213771/trucks/safety_and_cosmetic_features_of_truck_bull_bars.html.

Technorati Tags: bull bars, truck accessories

Tags: Parts & Accessories // 2 Comments »

I have spent the past five hours searching all over for toyota oem parts and corolla parts for my cars and I am tired! For the rest of the day I think I will just relax and take it easy around the house. I hate running errands all day like this because it just totally and completely wears you out. I think what sounds good tonight is making some easy food and maybe playing some video games. I got this new game just this last week that I think is a whole lot of fun and I just want to play it and play it and play it.

 Other things I am considering doing for the rest of the night is watching a movie or reading a book. If I watch a movie I think that the movie that I will watch will just simply have to be of course the car classic called The Fast and the Furious, just because I am in a major car mood now because of my errands that I was doing all day. Then again, maybe instead of doing any of this, I will just go take a nice relaxing hot bath and go to bed early. I have to say, that option sounds pretty darned good too.

Technorati Tags: corolla parts, relaxing, toyota oem parts

Tags: Parts & Accessories // Add Comment »