Plan ahead, avoid risk of leaving kids in car

Safety experts recommend never leaving children unattended in a car. Planning ahead can help minimize the temptation to do so:

Take advantage of home delivery, drive-throughs for banks and pharmacies and restaurants with curbside pickup. Cluster errands together or wait until someone can watch the kids to do them.

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by Sam Livingstone

The Honda FRV is a misunderstood car. It’s a European market orientated compact MPV that unusually has two rows of three seats, a configuration shared only with the earlier Fiat Multipla design. But unlike the bulbous, short, tall and deep-windowed Italian, the Honda shares almost identical dimensions to the five seat Renault Scenic that is the compact MPV market leader (the longer wheel base Scenic and other compact MPVs with three rows of seats to seat seven people is about a foot longer).

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Resident auctions of $10M worth of cars

While some people may think investing for retirement involves putting money into a 401k, CD account or an IRA, Southlake resident Wayne Davis believes auctioning off his classic car collection is a better option.Wayne, 56, recently retired from and sold his company, Regency Conversions, a pick-up truck and suburban vehicles manufacturer. This weekend, he will auction off 75 of his favorite cars as part of the RM auctions private collection.”I want to sell about $10 million worth of cars on Saturday. Instead of having a 401K, I invest in cars. I’ve been collecting since I was 16 so it has been a passion of mine,” Wayne said.Wayne’s first car, which he paid $175 to own, was a black 1941 Cadillac.Out of his collection of 85 vehicles, Wayne plans on keeping only 10 for himself.Two of his favorites are his 1954 white Cadillac Eldorado and 1940 maroon Ford Coupe.

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Used car lots take backseat

Slow economies have historically meant big business at used-car lots. This time, though, a credit crunch has buyers crowding big dealers to check out cars referred to as preowned.

It’s all about the financing: New car dealers can offer loan arrangements on both new and used cars, while traditional used-car lots leave it to customers to get loans.

This year, it’s been tougher for consumers to qualify for used-car loans – though more people than ever need financing to make their purchases, said Sam Novel, the owner of Automania in Long Island City, Queens.

“The banks are being more picky,” said Novel, who predicted that sales at his used-car lot on Northern Blvd. will be lower this year than 2006, his last robust year.

Weak auto sales are another indication that the subprime mortgage crisis has spread well beyond real estate.

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US [updated 16:05BST]: Chrysler and Nissan widen OEM ties with small car, big truck

The “fuel-efficient” new segment small car for Chrysler will be sold in North America, Europe and other global markets in 2010, and manufactured at Nissan’s Oppama plant in Japan.

Based on a Nissan design, the truck will be made at Chrysler’s Saltillo assembly plant. To accommodate this product, Chrysler will shift volume from Mexico to its US-based pickup assembly plants. Sales in North America start in 2011.

Some US reports said the Nissan truck would be based on Chrysler’s full-size Ram with major exterior and interior reworks by Nissan. Chrysler already builds a version of its smaller Dakota truck for Mitsubishi to sell in North America as the Raider.

Nissan last week announced it would build three new sub-eight-ton LCV models in the US from mid-2010 at the Canton, Mississippi plant which makes its current full-size pickup, an in-house design called the Titan.

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Driving a bargain: Today’s car buyers have negotiating power

CHICAGO – Consumers in the market for a new car this year may be able to drive some hard bargains with auto dealers.

With car sales expected to be down this year, many dealerships will be desperate for any sale they can get, said Danny Chan, CEO of AutoBrag.com, a car-shopping comparison Web site that compiles price data from no-haggle dealerships.

“Dealerships are hungry,” Chan said. The slow conditions could prompt many of them to accept better deals as they struggle to keep their doors open, he added.

J.D. Power and Associates is predicting that fewer than 15 million new cars will be sold this year, said Bob Schnorbus, the firm’s chief economist. More than 16 million were sold in 2007, according to the firm’s data. For many, economic conditions and low consumer confidence have largely put car purchases on hold.

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Use Auto Refinancing to Ease the Family Budget

(ARA) – With gas prices at an all-time high and no relief in site, families are finding it necessary to cut back their spending on other items in order to fill up the car’s tank. It’s reported that gas prices could exceed $4 per gallon this summer.With prices in the stratosphere, cutting out little luxuries like a morning latte or dinner at a restaurant only goes so far, especially if you own an SUV or family minivan. If you need to find ways to save meaningful amounts of cash every month, consider refinancing your car.By refinancing, you could get a lower interest rate, and therefore, a lower monthly payment. Customers who apply for auto refinancing through companies such as RateGenius Loan Services can potentially see a great savings in their monthly budget. RateGenius customers, on average, reduce their interest rate an average of 3.67 percent from their previous interest rate, and an average of $65 off their existing monthly auto payment.

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Two new autos vie for attention on city streets

If you enjoy being the center of attention on every street corner, the following two cars might be a perfect match for you. The hot red-colored new Sebring Convertible and the brown Mini Cooper Clubman are so eye-catching that this reporter felt like hiding under her seat during the test drive just to escape the attention.Of course, clashing bumpers with startled ajeossi drivers in the next lane is not a pleasant experience. The two vehicles represent widely contrasting styles. The new Sebring Convertible from Chrysler grabs your attention with its color and a retro style reminiscent of the 1970s, while the Mini Cooper subcompact, according to BMW Korea, embodies a kind of post-modernism that reinterprets its classic forerunner, which was born almost five decades ago. BMW Group owns the Mini brand.The 2.7-liter new Sebring convertible, released here in early March, was the best-selling convertible in Korea in 2002 and 2003, when it was much harder to come across Mercedes-Benz and Lexus on the roads.

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Multi-brand car mall coming to city

Yes, a one-stop-shop to buy your dream car. The city will soon sport the country’s first shopping mall exclusively dedicated to cars of all brands right from a Maruti 800 to a Ferrari.

Leading auto dealers in the city are coming together to set up this multi-brand car mall to be spread over 50-acres near the new Bengaluru International Airport.

While the planning and conceptual stages of the project are under way, a special purpose vehicle is being commissioned, which would fund the project. The project is expected to cost over Rs 100 crore.

In addition to having all car brands under one roof, the mall will feature an expansive testing circuit, where buyers would be allowed to test cars of their choice. Interestingly, the mall will feature driving schools, single-window counters to avail of driving licence, new car registration counters and financing outlets.

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Truth in Advertising: Weber Faster One Claims Top Speed of 249-Plus MPH

TOBEL, Switzerland — A consensus seems to be forming around the Faster One, the bizarre creation of Swiss engineer Roman Weber and his Weber Sportcars: Wickedly fast — but oh, so ugly! We don’t necessarily share the opinions of those Web pundits who’ve whacked the Weber for its dubious styling, with comments ranging from “not so stylish” to “vulgar.” But there is little question as to the car’s capability. Weber claims the Faster One is just that: the world’s fastest street-legal sports car. Weighing 2,425 pounds and powered by a mid-mounted, twin-supercharged variant of the Corvette’s LS7 7.0-liter V8, the two-seater develops nearly 900 horsepower and 774 pound-feet of torque. Power is delivered to all four wheels via a six-speed sequential semiautomatic gearbox with paddle shifters. Acceleration from rest to 60 mph takes less than 2.5 seconds, according to the manufacturer, and top speed is “more than 400 km/h” — which translates to 249-plus mph.

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