An Introduction to Car Transporting

There are several ways to transport your car across the country or across the world. Car transporters are identical to other moving companies: they arrange to pick up your vehicle, load it, and deliver it to your final destination. All auto carriers are required to be registered with the Department of Transportation. You can look up a US DOT number or company name from the Department of Transportation's website. Make sure you are dealing with a legitimate business.

The most popular and inexpensive domestic option is by car carrier, the same type of trucks used to deliver new cars. Other more specialized choices, for antique and exotic cars, include enclosed rail car service, open flat bed truck, or enclosed trailer. Some more adventurous individuals will prefer to rent a trailer and pull it themselves. Auto transport companies will give you quotes over the phone or you can easily check online for rates and services.

Car transport companies are usually listed under the following titles: car transport, vehicle shipping, and auto transport. Additionally there are a host of international car transport services that offer worldwide vehicle transportation solutions to individuals. These companies specialize in reliable, efficient service with frequent departures from major U.S. ports. You should try to speak with a highly experienced customer service representative to insure the careful transport of your car.

You will need to make a reservation for your car to be picked up. If you prefer your car to travel flat without being tied down by chains then a flat bed truck, rail service or small open trailer are some your best options. You can also request a covered transport; this method will shield your car from inclement weather and other pitfalls of the road. Cost depends on distance, mode of transport and time of delivery, some car transport companies will deliver within several days of your arrival date others within a few weeks.

When contracting with a car transport company you have to consider some issues specific to vehicle transport, unlike your other belongings cars have specific requirements such as additional car insurance and vehicle inspections.

Be certain that the car mover adequately insures your car. When your car is picked up, the driver will do a condition report (bill of lading). Take photographs of the car, date the photos, and attach them to the condition report. When your car is delivered make sure you check for any new scratches or damage to your car before signing. Reporting damages or claims immediately is advisable. Get the estimated pick-up and delivery dates and times from your car mover or auto shipping company first thing. Make sure to get a guaranteed window for the pick-up and delivery and get everything in writing. Just knowing the basic facts about car transport will make finding the right company a quick and easy task.

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A muscle car revolution

The Ford Mustang was built to do battle against the Chevrolet Corvette and the Corvair Monza Spider, the Mustang came out in 1964, at first with a straight six, but by 1965 Ford decided that the car actually needed some kind of power.

A straight six could never make the kind power Ford needed, so in 1965 the 225 HP 289 CID V8 was introduced to the Mustang, and this was a brilliant idea for Ford that skyrocketed the Mustang's sales, it was the introduction of the pony car. Basically the idea was to use a smaller mid sized car with a larger engine, thereby producing a much better power to weight ratio, and making the car more exciting to drive.



This would make the car a lot more interesting to the babe boomers, the younger people from the 1960's time era, these were the kids that were in their late teens and early 20's, this would be so appealing to the younger people of that time era, that it would set sales records that it would hold for years to come.



It would sell 500,000 units it's very first year, and this was an unbelievable feat for any car during those times, and had never been done before, and this had thought Ford a lesson, they learned that they could produce cars at this rate.



Ford would keep generating interest in the Mustang by adding grundles of new higher performance models, they created a large stable of these pony cars, during 1965 Ford would release the Mustang GT, yet more power, to make the motorheads go nuts.



The Mustang had already become a desirable commodity. It's standard equipment included, bucket seats. It had the immediately popular long hood , short deck look. At first it came as a sports coupe (two door hardtop), and a sporty looking convert able.



In the fall of 1964 the model the 2+2 was added to the lineup. From the outset, the option list was important in the making of the Mustang. Buyers could add appearance and convenience extras, plus some bolt on high performance hardware. However being based on a compact low priced Falcon, there was some room for improvement in the go fast department.



Combining available mechanical features with new visual pieces made the GT package a fairly thorough upgrade. First the buyer had to order an optional V-8 engine, which at the time included the 225 HP Challenger Special 289 at $157, or the high performance 271 HP 289 CID engine for $430.



The Mustang never did come up against the likes of an L88 Corvette or a ZL1 Camaro or Corvette, it would lose horribly, as the ZL1 Camaro was running in the 10's for the 1/4 mile with a 0-60 of 3.8 seconds, and the ZL1 Vette was even faster, and the L88 wasn't far behind these cars at all.



Now I know what you Mustang and Ford nuts are going to say, what about the GT350, what about the GT500, what about the Boss 429 mustang, and most of all what about the Cobra, well even the almighty Cobra never beat the ZL1 Corvette down, this is always what you Ford nuts fall back on.



The 289 and 302 Mustangs never beat down the 302 DZ Camaro's, and moreover I have driven them all, except the Cobra and I know the truth,



It;s true I am a Chevy lover, but I have owned or at least driven most of the Ford and Chevy model that were ever really considered to be the mean one's and I speak for knowledge, and not just as a Chevy or Ford lover.



And never did the Mustang or the Cobra even come close to doing battle with the L88 Corvette or the ZL1 Corvette, and still to this day hasn't done it.



In 1966 Chevrolet would begin to make plans to release it's secret weapon against the Mustang, this secret weapon would be called the Camaro, this car without a doubt would live up to Chevrolet's expectations of what it could do.



Just like the Mustang, the Camaro came from the factory with a modest straight six engine, and was not capable of any really impressive performance, but Chevy would not wait to add the performance to it's secret weapon, up on it's release in 1967, the Camaro would be a heavily optioned cars.



Camaro owners didn't have to wait for the next generation of cars to get what they wanted, the Chevrolet would offer the Camaro in a lot of different versions it's very first year, you could get a Z/28 Camaro which would come from the factory with a 290 HP 302 CID engine, a Muncy M-21 or M-22 Rock crusher transmission, bucket seats, front disc brakes, a heavy duty 12 bolt posi traction rear end, a center consol with a fuel gage, water temp gage, amp gage and oil pressure gage.



You could also order the SS option which came with two different engines, you could order the big block version with the 396 CID 375 HP engine, or you could order the L34 had 325 HP & the L78 had 375 HP. The SS was also available with the L48 V8 350 CID 295 HP package.



You also had the choice of rear end gearing ratios of 2.73:1, 3.07:1, 3.31:1, 3.55:1, 3.73:1, 4.10:1, 4.56:1 and 4.88:1. You could also get and RS version of the Camaro, or and RS/SS version, Chevrolet did go to extents to give the gearhead what they wanted, the RS version only came with a small block 350 CID, and an option for the 327 CID small block.



As you can imagine the RS/SS came with a 350 CID, 327 CID and a big block 396 CID, and had all the RS & SS suspension and steering upgrades.



Even that first year the Camaro was optioned heavily enough to make you lose your mind, and you wallet right behind that, but it was giving the gearhead's what they wanted, a lot of ways to set their cars up, with out buying it and tearing it down to build up the engine and suspension.



The Z/28 was first designed to go scca racing, and in it's first year in dominated the scca racing circuit, it was a tremendous success for Chevrolet and their de singers and high performance teams. By playing with high performance parts like a giant four barrel carburetor, an aluminum intake manifold and L79 Corvette heads, they got this motor to crank out about 350 HP @ 6200 RPM.. However to play it safe the advertised HP was 290@5800 R. P.M. The basic Z/28 package listed for $358.



Camaro lovers had a lot to look forward to for the next couple of years, that first generation of Camaro's was awesome, and that showed in how popular the Camaro got over the years. In 1968 the 4 bolt main block got introduced to the Z/28 it had the rpo code of MO, so you'd know if the rpo number had an MO in it then you more then likely had a 4 bolt main 302 CID 290 HP engine.



In 1968 there were 602 Z/28's built, and although it was a small number, it impressed the muscle car community, the Z/28 would leave a mark on motoring history forever, the Z/28 was crated primarily as a road race car, and it did very well in what it was intended for.



In 1969 the Z/28 would have a standard four bolt main 302 CID engine in it, and have the option of adding a 350 CID and 4 wheel disc brakes.



Now during those first three years, Don Yenko from Yenko Chevrolet, would have the idea to modify a standard Camaro, and add a 450 HP 427 CID engine, this car would be called the sYc or "super Yenko camaro" this car would hit the streets doing 11.30's in the 1/4 mile, and that is mean, to get the car you's order a copo "central office production order" copo 9561.



Now you could also take a step up to the Zl1 Camaro, in which case you'd order the copo 9560, with this option the big difference is the all aluminum 427 CID 450 HP engine, this made the big block weigh about the same as a small block, and of course you see the advantage there "right".



Both the Yenko and the ZL1 Camaro had a very modest Hp rating, when dynoed they were actually around 650 to 680 HP, these were not your basic Camaro's, these bad boys were only for a real man, a man that could handle having his neck snapped, and his back cracked. 

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A Rookies Guide to Car Rentals

Renting a car can be a lot of fun, just plain fun. Car rentals offer the renter the opportunity to drive a car, truck or SUV that they normally would not or could not buy. Renting a car is for a weekend get away, to impress someone or just to have something different to drive for a couple of days are some of the most popular reasons to visit a rental company. However, as fun as it is to rent cars, there are some not so fun things that must happen before you drive it off the lot.

1- Keep in mind that most rental companies will not rent to any driver under the age of 25. If you fall under that magic number, you more than likely will need to get an older relative or friend to sign the actual contract for you.

2- You will of course, need a valid drivers license to rent the car. If you do not have a license, they will not rent to you under any circumstances. Most companies will also require you to reserve your car with the use of a major credit card, however, you can pay in cash if you would prefer.

3- You do not need to have personal auto insurance to rent a car; they will ask you if you would like to purchase their insurance for the duration of the rental contract. If, however, you have your own insurance policy, be sure to call your agent to see if you are covered during your use of a rental car. If your personal auto policy covers you, there is no need to purchase a policy from the rental company.

4- It is wise to call several car rental companies to inquire about prices, car availability and specials. Ask about options such as upgrades, pick up and drop off services, unlimited mileage and weekend versus weekly rental prices. Many companies will also offer special deals to customers who are members of other organizations (i.e. credit unions, warehouse clubs, etc).

5- After you have called around, found the best deal and reserved your choice car; it is time to pick it up. Be sure to have all of your personal paperwork with you, including your auto policy if you will not be buying theirs. Before you sign the contract, read through it and ask any questions you may have. 

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Tips To Save Money on Car Parts and Maintenance

Taking care of your car maintenance can be very rewarding if done properly so here's a list of seven tips that can help you save money on your car parts and service.

1. A well tuned car can has a fuel consumption from 25% to 33% lower than a poorly tuned car making a tune-up cheaper than driving without it, tuning your car for better performance can save you between $150 and $250 per year.

2. Regardless of the number of miles the manual recommends a oil change and filter change you should change them every 3,000 miles. This is one of the most important factors in your engine's life since it's going to prolong your engine's life and you're going to save on engine car parts. The potential savings are $500 to $3000.

3. Dirty air filter means more gasoline used and reduces the engine's life so you should check it regularly, maybe monthly. The air filter can be cleaned by blowing it with a hose or can be replaced. You can save about $130 per year..

4. Using steel-belted radial tires can increase the number of miles you make per year by up to 10%, saving this way about $130 per year.

5. Most cars, don't work better on premium gas, so, unless your car is pinging or knocking you shouldn't use higher octane gas. If your car doesn't have a high performance engine, using the gas that best suits your car's engine can save you $200 to $400 per year.

6. Having under inflated tires makes your engine burn about 6% more gas so make sure you check your tire pressure regularly.

7. If your tires are improperly balanced the tread on them will be destroyed. In addition, your suspension and shock absorbers can be damaged leading to more expense on car parts and service. Balancing your tires once a year can add thousands of miles to their life.

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Car Buying Scams

Purchasing a new automobile is hard enough without having to deal with the sales pressure from a car salesman. It’s no big secret that almost every car dealership can be talked down on the initial price they want for a car. The key is to know what scams to watch out for in order to maximize your hard earned dollar. This article details a few sales tactics that you may want to be on the lookout for the next time you purchase a new automobile.

The first money wasting scam deals with etching the vehicle’s VIN# on the window. In some cases a dealership will try to make you pay for this added feature. Please don’t fall for this trick. No lender will require you to pay for any extra options that you don’t require. To be honest all they really care about is whether or not your payments are on time.

Be on the look out for the phrase “subject to loan approval”. Almost every car loan will have this phrase in it and trust me when I say that some dealerships will try and exploit you out of more money using this phrase as the reason why. This scam is usually pulled on consumers that may have bad credit so if your credit score is good you shouldn’t have to worry about being taken advantage of by the dealership. The bad news is for those that are taken advantage of it usually means upwards of $1000 more in finance fees and an additional $50 a month added to your car payment. One way to avoid this scam is to finance the car through your own bank or credit union.

The most abused scam is the credit score scam. This is where the car dealership tells you that your credit score is lower then what it actually is in order to charge you a higher finance rate on your car loan. No one is immune to this scam because the dealership doesn’t care if you have good or bad credit when they attempt to con you. The best way to deal with this greediness is to bring a copy of your credit score with you when you go looking to buy a new car. That way there is no confusion as to what your credit score truly is.

Another favorite scam is the forced warranty scam where the auto dealership will insist that in order to qualify for the car loan you will need to purchase a $2000 2 or 3 year warranty. The bottom line upfront is that it’s hogwash and you don’t need the warranty. 

Here’s a good scam that I’m sure you’ve seen often. It’s called the dealer prep scam. Yes that’s right I’m talking about that extra $500 that seems to appear on your contract to compensate the dealer for basically doing nothing since the car arrives in the dealership ready to be driven off the car lot to a prospective buyer. Try an avoid paying this if you can otherwise find a dealer that will knock this ridiculous charge off of the contract.

The dealer markup fee is another phony fee that is made up just to pad the car dealership’s profit margin. This is an unnecessary fee that the dealer charges for no reason other than greed. This fee can be seen on the orange sticker marked on the manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP). 
These are just a few of the many scams that can surface from time to time when you are attempting to buy a new car. Although these practices to go on there are many trustworthy car dealerships that can and will sale you a car for the right amount of money allowing you to purchase the car without getting ripped off and still allow the dealership the opportunity to make the compensation they deserve for their efforts. The trick is to find that dealership. Best of luck to you.

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Bought a New car but can't seem to shift the Old One? Try our 8 point checklist!

It may be that you have been looking for a new car for a while. Maybe you have succumbed to impulse and just ordered that new ferrari. If you have you really thought about how you are going to shift your current car.

Advertising it is the simple answer and there are lots of places to do it but to be honest this is less than half the battle.

In the same way that clutter and mess will put off any potential house buyer , a dirty, clutter filled car will have potential new owners running for the hills.

Do not fear, www.motorcarloans.com have a vast knowledge in how to best scrub up your car to make it irresistable to potential buyers. We have identified 8 ways to help get rid
of that car.

1.De Clutter

Get rid of all those CDs, Tapes, Tissue boxes , sweet wrappers from the glove box, door panels and footwells.
Remember you want some else to think of themselves as the owner of this car. It is hard to see past the junk!

2.Clean Thoroughly

Polish all the glass, dush the dashboard and vacuum the mats and upholstery. Take out the mats and give them a good brushing or slap with a broom handle to really shift that
caked on mud. If they are rubber mats give them a blast with a pressure washer!

If the car has a few bumps and scrapes , this is okay if the car is a few years old BUT if it is under 2 years old and a prestige vehicle then do think about having them repaired.

Also if you have any broken lights or mirrors - Fix 'em!

3. Put the Boot in!

Don't forget to empty out the boot and vacuum it out. Clean any stains with a carpet cleaner. Check the spare tyre is in good condition and has the right air pressure.

Stow any the jack and wheel brace properly, and check that the toolkit has no missing pieces. Replace as necessary.

4.Smells

If you are a smoker, empty out the ashtrays and wash them. If you are a pet owner and Fido loves to sit in the car with you then make sure you remove all the pet hair from the seats. Use an airfreshner.

Clean any spillages with a domestic carpet cleaner. 

5.Engine

Ensure everything under the bonnet is tidy and that the engine runs quietly. If you have a squeaky fan belt get it
tightened and make sure the bonnet stay is present and clips in place.

Check Oil, Screen Washer Water and Coolant. Top up as necessary.

DONT STEAM CLEAN THE ENGINE! It creates suspicion!

6.Electrics

If your car's electrics aren't working properly it can turn off a buyer. Make sure all your lights work properly and
that you replace broken bulbs.

7.Documents

Put all the cars documents together in one place. This includes:

Onwers Handbook
Service Book
V5 Registration Document
MOT certificate if the car is over 3 years old
Any invoices for repair work carried out on the car

This puts any buyer at ease it is shows you cared for the car.

8.Know its true value

Don't undo all the hard work by accepting the first offer that comes along. Make sure you know your car's true resale value.

This can be done either online at:

www.parkers.co.uk
www.autotrader.co.uk

or you can buy their latest blue book which will show you your cars value.

It is also worth looking at similar cars in the classifieds to see what other owners are asking for their's. 

This may also give you an idea of the features others are using to promote their car and give you some ideas.

Good Luck

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Before you rent a car

The ubiquity of the internet today means that you can do most things without leaving your desk – it also means that when making a trip, you can organise your car rental in advance in almost any location in the world, so that when you arrive, you can simply pick up your pre-booked car and go. To ensure that you car rental experience goes completely smoothly, there are a few things you should bear in mind before you even log on to that car rental website.

Decide before you book a car who exactly will be driving during your trip – a car rental does not usually allow you switch drivers without a previous arrangement, so decide in advance whether one person will do all the driving or if you and a partner might take turns at the wheel. Having the wrong person in the driving seat might have implications on your insurance.
And always make sure that you have insurance. This can be arranged through your existing insurance company – ask whether your existing insurance will cover your rental car. Regardless of the type of car you decide to hire, don’t skimp on insurance – it simply isn’t worth the risk.

Depending on the nature of your trip, you will probably have particular requirements in your car rental – so decide before booking what features you will need in a car. How many passengers will there be, will you be carrying a lot of luggage? While a fast and exotic car might be great for impressing clients on a one man or woman business trip, it isn’t quite so appropriate for long haul driving with the kids! Ensure that you car you select has plenty of room for both passengers and luggage, and meets any other special requirements you might have.

Don’t forget when hiring a rental car to bring all the appropriate documentation with you – this is not the time to forget your driver’s licence! It is also a good idea to bring a copy of the rental agreement in the car with you, just in case the police at any point stop you. And perhaps most importantly when renting a car in an unfamiliar location – don’t forget the map!
This article was written by Carl Spanier an avid traveler and rental car expert. You can visit his website at Car Rental Resources 

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