Buying a Used Car
A little logic, a good sense of observation and some basic tips enough to get a picture of the status of a car. You can always ask a professional if the vehicle passed the first checks.
First, inspect the vehicle in broad daylight and take your time. If the seller is pressed, beware. Do you an idea of care provided to vehicle maintenance. Do not just shine plastics. There are very good products, used for the occasion, giving the illusion of new plastics. Do not hesitate to raise the mats and seat covers. Examine carefully the condition of rubber seals on doors, trunk and hood.
The first review gives you an idea of how the vehicle is maintained and if its had insurance before or not. If not you may need to get a online rate quote for car insurance.
Then you must try to identify all signs which may show wear or defects.
Look for signs of corrosion on the side skirts, the folds of sheet metal.
Check enclosures and low doors.
Examine the body, look for erraflures, any minor bumps or painting, all the...
Toyota MR2 sports car
After a five-year hiatus, Toyota resurrected the MR2 sports car last year, which along with the new Celica were designed to spice up what had been, overall, a rather stodgy product line. This does provide real competition for what had been the only other affordable roadster on the market—the Mazda Miata—but as time behind the wheel of a 2001 model recently proved, the cars have essentially different characters.
What’s most apparent about the MR2 is that having only a 138-hp, 1.8-liter, DOHC four to provide the push is anything but a performance liability, particularly in a car weighing only 2,195 lbs. This best-in-class weight number translates into superb handling, whether one is squeaking the Yokohamas off the line, enjoying the right-NOW responsiveness of the electrically assisted hydraulic rack-and-pinion steering system, or displacing one’s eyeballs under braking.
The underpinnings responsible for the fun includes struts and discs all around, with an anti-lock brake system standard. The MR2 is unflappable in the twisties and has great traction, and you can hang the tail out, thanks to a front/rear weight distribution ratio of 44/56. The steering, while quick, is somewhat lacking in...
The Focus FR200
LAS VEGAS—It features a modified 2.0-liter Zetec engine and delivers an astounding 304 horsepower. It is designed to be the ultimate combination of high horsepower and superior handling in a small, front-wheel-drive car. It is Ford Racing Technology’s Focus FR200, and Livonia, Mich.-based McLaren Engines played an integral role in making it go “zoom.”
Ford Racing Technology unveiled the turbocharged Focus FR200 project car today during Innovations Day at the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show here.
The Focus FR200 is the second in a series of performance parts project vehicles created by Ford Racing Technology to develop and market new lines of aftermarket performance parts. It follows the high-performance Mustang FR500, which made its debut at the SEMA show two years ago. McLaren Engines—a business unit of McLaren Performance—also supported Ford in the development and prototyping of the FR500.
“We are excited to be involved with Ford Racing Technology on the Focus FR200, which is a phenomenal vehicle,” said Wiley R. McCoy, president and chief operating officer of McLaren Performance Technologies. “We appreciate Ford Racing’s confidence in McLaren and look forward to continuing and expanding our valued...
Mercedes-Benz SL coupe/roadster
MONTVALE, NJ — A new-generation Mercedes-Benz SL coupe/roadster—the first in over 12 years
—will debut in Europe this fall and arrive in the U.S. next spring. Perhaps the best-known Mercedes model ever, the new SL convertible will mark the fifth generation of the highly successful series, which began in 1954 with the legendary “gullwing” 300SL.
The 2003 Mercedes-Benz SL is a technological tour de force, with ABC active suspension and ESP stability control featured along with the world’s first electronic brake system. The new SL also features new styling, capped by a retractable hardtop. The electronic brake system, which provides faster, more sure-footed brake response, works with a computer that tells four fast-acting valves exactly how hard to apply the brakes on each wheel. A backup hydraulic master cylinder comes into play only if there’s a serious problem or electrical failure.
With split-second accuracy, the system can change brake pressure on each wheel over uneven surfaces and can even increase brake pressure on just the outside wheels when braking in turns, taking advantage of the higher loading during cornering. Even ABS anti-lock and ESP stability control...
Bentley Motors
The rich prewar racing heritage of Bentley was highlighted during the 2001 Rolex Monterey Historic Automobile Races August 17-19. Now in its 28th year, the Historics is considered North America’s premier vintage race, where more than 350 historic race cars annually assemble to challenge the famed corkscrew at Laguna Seca Raceway.
Although the first Bentleys rolled off the assembly line and onto Britain’s roadways in relative obscurity in 1921, it wasn’t long before racing fans worldwide began holding the marque in high regard as victories were plentiful in such prestigious races as the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Bentley racked up a total of five checkered flags at Le Mans, including a dominating four-year winning streak from 1927 to 1930.
Adding to the company’s mystique was a glamorous team of drivers who became known as the “Bentley Boys.” These free-spirited drivers piloted a string of race cars, including such models as the 3-litre and the Speed Six, to one victory after another.
“The Bentley Boys represented an exciting and glamorous era of motor racing,” explained Steve Earle, organizer of the Monterey Historics. “The ’20s and ’30s were a time when...
The new Mini-Cooper
Everything that’s old is new again. Forty-one years after its auspicious debut, the Mini has finally been updated, and new parent company BMW has big plans for the racy little econobox.
When it goes on sale in the U.S. in March 2002 as the Mini-Cooper, BMW will have gone through an arduous internal audit that will determine which seventy or so of its dealers will get to sell the 25,000 units that will be imported here. The car will not be marketed under the BMW label, so the dealers will be creating separate showrooms for the little bomber. Given the parent company’s strength in large urban markets on both coasts, points in between may not see the Mini for awhile.
The update of the original, produced from 1959 through last August, clearly evokes memories of its predecessor, particularly in the view of its friendly front grille, the positioning of the wheels at the corners, and the overall body proportions. Given that, many feeling nostalgia for the old car will be placing orders, which is going to skew BMW’s demographic dreams for the new car....Chrysler PT Cruiser car review
Launched in the United States in early summer, the curious PT Cruiser is now imported into France with a goal from Chrysler to achieve 1500 sales by the end of the year.
Failing to win a time of great success, apart from minispace style Neo-retro leaves no one indifferent. Based on the new Dodge Neon, engineers have built the brand of the carrier PT Cruiser as that of a sedan 2 volumes.
The interior offers special treatment equipment and a clever copy modularity. The rear seats (1 / 3, 2 / 3) can switch or, if necessary, be removed by two or individually. The front passenger seat fold is to accommodate long objects, leaving a total available volume of 2871 L.
The tablet commonly called “cache baggage” can become very useful. It may be placed at several levels and in all directions. It becomes camping table or tray watertight.
On the road, nothing exceptional if not a good responsiveness and flexibility of management guaranteed by the suspensions AV type McPherson.
The train AR, with a large suspension travel (215 mm) gives the PT Cruiser driving comfort even at...