Anything related to cars or motor vehicles in general.

Posts in the Automotive category
Our Car Maintenance Costs Over Time - 28 Aug 2014

I was reviewing the repair records for cars, and was interested to find how similar they were. My car is a 1997 Nissan Maxima SE with a little under 150K miles. I bought it in September 2000. Since then, I’ve spent $7,275.29 on maintenance, including all repairs and oil changes. That works out to $520/year, […]

How expensive is your commute? - 24 Aug 2010

When gas prices were sky high I was curious how much more my daily commute cost. I also wondered if it would make financial sense to get a more fuel-efficient car. At the time I made a spreadsheet to do the calculations, but it was a pain to have to keep twiddling the numbers to […]

Michigan Police Chief Admits Speeding Tickets Are About Money - 05 Dec 2008

The Michigan Police Chief admitted that when they’re short on funds, increasing the number of speeding tickets they give out is an easy way to make up the difference. In small towns the number of tickets went up from 440 to 2,500 – 480 percent.

10 Ways to Improve Your Commute - 02 Oct 2008

The BBC has ten useful driving tips to make your commute more pleasant. Here are the tips. 1. Don’t misread the horn 2. Don’t change lanes in slow-moving traffic 3. Make eye contact when you can 4. Limit your commute to a quarter of an hour 5. Remember, you don’t own that parking space 6. […]

Would You Drive an Air Car? - 11 Aug 2008

Zero Pollution Motors has an air-powered car they plan to make available to the US in 2010 for $17,500. It has a maximum speed of 96mph, will get 106mpg with a range of 848 miles on the 8 gallon tank. If it really has those stats, I may be trading in the Maxima. It’s not […]

Even Better Way to Track Your Gas Mileage - 08 Aug 2008

I’ve been using FuelFrog since May to track my gas mileage. Today I imported the four entries on FuelFrog to Fuelly, a site created by Matt Haughey (of Metafilter) and Paul Bausch (of OnFocus). It has more graphs and numbers (it congratulates you on your best tank of gas) and adds a social element to […]

5 Easy Tips to Improve Your Gas Mileage - 07 Jul 2008

Gas prices are high and look to stay that way. In order to reduce the pain a bit I’ve started using some strategies from hypermilers to improve my gas mileage. I read all I could about their techniques, threw out the dangerous strategies like drafting 10ft behind large semis and came up with the following […]

150 MPG Car Coming - 01 Jul 2008

It seems hard to believe, but a TG daily article claims this car would cost around $20,000, get 150 MPG, use solar, battery and gas and if you’re running low, they have pedals for you and your passenger. I’m not sure how they don’t conflict with your gas and brake pedals. (via TG Daily)

What Kind of Mileage Should You Be Getting? - 10 Jun 2008

I fueled up my car yesterday and entered the data into FuelFrog. I got 22.4 mpg which isn’t bad for a V6 (I drive a 1997 Maxima SE), but I wondered if other people are getting better mileage. I found the perfect site to find out. Gasaroo tracks real-world gas mileage that people are getting. […]

Cars Outsell Ford F-Series For First Time in 16 Years - 06 Jun 2008

As of May 2008 cars are outselling Ford F-series for the first time since 1992. Gas prices played a big part in the shift to more fuel efficient vehicles. GM CEO Rick Wagoner doesn’t think it’s a temporary spike and Sean McAlinden, chief economist with the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor, suggests the […]

Eight Ways to Pay Less for Gas - 23 May 2008

With the US national average at $3.83 a gallon, gas prices are going up fast. If you’re feeling the pinch, here are eight ways to reduce what you pay at the pump. GasBuddy – The king of gas price sites, GasBuddy is a network of more than 181 information sites to help you find low […]

Track Your Gas Mileage - 15 May 2008

I used to have a PDA where I’d input my gas mileage every time I filled up. I liked seeing my gas mileage over time with the handy graph. But I stopped using the PDA and even though I still check my gas mileage, I don’t track it anywhere. FuelFrog allows anyone with a web […]

Low fuel emissions and stunning performance - 31 Oct 2007

Johnathan Goodwin can get 100 mpg out of a Lincoln Continental, cut emissions by 80%, and double the horsepower. Goodwin’s feats of engineering have become gradually more visible over the past year. Last summer, Imperium Renewables contacted MTV’s show Pimp My Ride about creating an Earth Day special in which Goodwin would convert a muscle […]

How often should you change your oil? - 03 Apr 2007

You should always analyze the source of your information because it can make a big difference if that source has your best interests in mind. If a used car salesman tells you something about buying a car, they may have their own agenda that won’t help you. In the case of oil changes, I usually […]

Top 10 most stolen cars - 12 Oct 2006

Here’s a list of the top 10 most stolen cars. 1995 Honda Civic 1989 Toyota Camry 1991 Honda Accord 1994 Dodge Caravan 1994 Chevrolet 1500 1997 Ford F-150 2003 Dodge Ram 1990 Acura Integra 1988 Toyota Pickup 1991 Nissan Sentra I’m surprised there aren’t multiple cars from different years, given that the top three are […]

The worst cars ever made - 24 Aug 2006

You might buy a car that ends up being a lemon, but that doesn’t mean all of those cars are bad. However, there are some models that were essentially all lemons. The folks at automotoportal.com have compiled a list of the worst cars ever made. Some looked terrible. Some had serious safety issues. Others fell […]

use your blinkers, it’s the law - 14 Jun 2004

A recent Ask Yahoo question was, “Is using a turn signal while changing lanes the law or just common courtesy? The short answer: It’s the law. More specifically, the Uniform Vehicle Code states, For vehicles equipped with mechanical or electrical turn signals, a signal of intention to turn or move right or left when required […]