Friday, 22 January 2010

Finding the Best Car Insurance Deals Online

It is amazing how much of our lives are dependent on technology today. Just a little over a decade ago, we were only becoming slowly accustomed to the Internet, what was famously referred to as the Information Superhighway. Today, we don’t just have email accounts, we have social networking accounts, YouTube, Amazon, and Google Earth. You can just as effectively shop online as you would at the mall, and all it takes are a few clicks. You can employ the same method, whether your purchase is small or big, cheap or expensive. Shopping around for the best car insurance deals is no exception.

The Web is teeming with online car insurance companies offering their services and so many to choose from. The challenge, however, lies in sifting through all of them and finding the one which is ideal for you.

You should compare quotes from different vehicle insurers, and this can be done by filling out forms on their websites and/or using a comparison website. You might be asked to provide information about yourself, your vehicle, and your driving history, as these details will help determine the level of coverage you can be offered, hence determining the quote you will be given.

Apart from getting quotes from individual insurers, you should definitely research the companies that interest you. Geico, GMAC, Progressive, AIG, Liberty Mutial, and All State, are among the most reputable auto insurance companies in the US, but remember that bigger is not necessarily better, so an insurance giant might not necessarily be your perfect match. Browse through insurers’ websites and go through car insurance reviews and testimonials of insurance experts and other insurance coverage seekers like you. Find out what discounts they offer on their insurance policies because you might be eligible for the good driver, safe vehicle, good student, senior, low mileage, rural, occupational, auto club or professional organization membership discounts.

The great advantage to purchasing your car insurance online is not just the ease by which you can accomplish this, but also the fact that you may get a discount with your insurer just because you made your purchase online. You may get money off your yearly premium, no claims discounts, or free breakdown assistance. The web is indeed the best place to search for the best auto insurance deals.

Thursday, 14 January 2010

Honda CR-Z hybrid

Honda unveiled the amazing looking new CR-Z hybrid coupe at the 2010 North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

With it's low profile and sporty looks, it is definitely a way forward from the ugly looking Prius. The CR-Z has a 6-speed manual transmission along with a high tech 3-mode driving system - Sport, Normal and Econnomy.

See the video for more info.

Wednesday, 13 January 2010

MOT failure rates published

You want to get into the news but for the right reasons. Well, I am sure Ford UK is not happy with the reports that the brand leads in MOT (the mandatory road testing for vehicles more then 3 years old to ensure that they  meet road safety and environmental standards) failure rates.

This is the first time in history that it has been released following a Freedom of Information (FoI) request by the BBC.

Apparently theFord Transit Connect had the highest failure rate at 30.5%, followed by the Renault Megane and the Ford Transit.

I am not surprised that the Toyota Corolla had the lowest failure rate with just 11.2%.

The data is now available for free on the VOSA website in the PDF format (1,200 pages).

Wednesday, 16 December 2009

D&C Honda website review

When talking about cars, several of my friends are die hard Honda fans. And it is not difficult to see why. According to the latest Auto Pulse survey conducted by the Consumer Reports National Research Center, the Honda brand was ranked highly by American consumers (the second best in the US). Their cars are well known for their styling, reliability, fuel economy, safety and best of all, their resale value. They are also the favourite for people who are into modding and a huge industry exists to support them.


Anyway if you are a resident of Paramus, NJ and thinking of buying a car, do take a look at D&C Honda of Tenafly, a premier Paramus Honda dealer. They offer the latest Honda as well as used vehicles. Their site lists hundreds of Honda models ranging from the best selling Honda Civic to the popular Honda CR-V SUV.

What really stuck me were their amazing benefits and as far as I know, no other Honda dealer can match them in that respect. This includes:
10 Day money back guarantee on used vehicles,
48 Hour money back guarantee on new Vehicles and
10 Day best price guarantee.

The home page is really informative though my wife thought that it looked a bit too busy. If I was a customer looking to buy a car, I would really appreciate any information I could get my hands on before actually going down to the dealership. That’s why I really liked their interactive chat feature where you could chat with a sales person live online. Another feature that makes this website different is their user friendly online loan calculator. I also liked the fact that using the search facility on the site brings up results with images of the car – and they are not blurry small resolution images you get in some car site. Other car dealers can learn a thing or two form D&C Honda.

One way to gauge a dealer is to hear from previous customers and it was interesting to know that D&C Honda now part of DealerRater.com where you can read the experiences of customers at the dealership. They were rated 4.6/5 (on a 24 Month rating) when I last checked and that is definitely not bad.

Monday, 14 December 2009

Electric cars tested in the UK

The CABLED (Coventry and Birmingham Low Emission Vehicle Demonstrators) consortium is currently testing a total of 340 electric cars across the UK. This includes the  Mitsubishi i-MiEV, Jaguar Land Rover's _e electric/diesel hybrid, LTI’s TX4E taxis, Mercedes Benz/Smart FourTwo electric drive, Tata Indica Vista EV and the hydrogen-powered Microcab.


The Microcab

The test  seeks to find out how how practical these electric cars under real life conditions would be - this include how they are used and charging information. Recharging points will be provided by Birmingham and Coventry City Councils and Eon. Birmingham University’s hydrogen refuelling station will also be available.

Researchers from Aston University will be analysing the data generated.

Interestingly out of the total cars that will be tested for a year, 110 will be based in Birmingham and Coventry. 25 Mitsubishi i-MiEV cars were passed to test drivers in the West Midlands with the rest will be given to lucky drivers, specially selected by Coventry University researchers. Hope I am one of them.

Friday, 11 December 2009

Tuesday, 1 December 2009

Saroukh el-Jamahiriya (Libyan Rocket) 2009






Here is the 2009 version of Muammar Gaddafis "Saroukh el-Jamahiriya (Libyan Rocket)" a car which made its debut in 1999, exactly 10 years ago.

The “Libyan Rocket”, as the prototype is called, is described as an “elegant sedan” 17 feet long, more than six feet wide, with a 3-liter, V-6 gasoline engine.

According to the BBC and Fox News, it also has airbags, an unspecified ‘electronic defense system’, and a collapsible bumper.

The car can go hundreds of miles on a flat tire, a feature that could come in handy while driving in the vast Libyan desert. Other safety features include a device to cut off the fuel supply to avoid a fire in case of accident.

Domenico Morali, CEO of Tesco TS SpA, an automotive design company based in Turin, Italy, said Qaddafi joined in discussions about the car’s styling and asked for an original car using Libyan materials including marble, leather and fabric.

The car was unveiled in Tripoli at the end of an African Union summit.

According to the BBC, construction of a factory to produce the car was to have began in October 2009 in Tripoli. (ANI)