Jumat, 06 Juni 2008

Drive Wisely For Safety

One thing you have to learn by heart when driving is that of defense driving. A lot of people think that if they already know how to hold that steering wheel, they know all the stuff about driving. Wrong. Although defense driving is taught in driving schools, not everyone takes it by heart.

Defense driving teaches you the basics on what you are going to in case a mishap is about to happen. An example of this is that of snow skidding. Some worn out tires have a hard time grasping on snow, and so, when the time comes that your tires suddenly give up, defense driving teaches you what to do (i.e. how to steer the wheel, what position should the gear be etc.).


It seems like the movie Fast and Furious has made a lot of followers all over France. In 2007, a study conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety states that a lot of drivers in France like to floor the accelerator... and the result? Lots of injuries and deaths related to car crashes in the said year. Now, to minimize, if not eradicated, these speeding addicts, France placed lots of cameras and speed traps on all highways to prevent speeding drivers from doing their thing.

Get your copy of your policy and look at it. Do you see any "bodily injury liability" written there? That coverage is vital in any car insurance policy since, if you get involved in an accident, it protects both parties involved in many ways. This coverage covers your passengers' and your medical expenses when you are rushed to a hospital, as well as the damage done to the other party (income loss within the period of injury is included). Aside from these, it also protects you from the future lawsuit the other party will file if ever you are found at fault.

If your friends think driving under the influence (DUI) is cool, car insurance companies think otherwise. To protect their customers (and to further their financial opportunities perhaps?), insurance companies conduct different random checks on their clients and new applicants. If the insurance company finds out that you have been caught DUI even once, the insurance company can raise your premium if you're an old policyholder, or increase the price of their premium on you if you're applying for a new one. These companies wouldn't want to put under their umbrellas irresponsible drivers and pay for their future damages.

In requesting for car insurance quotation, be specific about the kind of coverage that you want. For example, if you bought a used vehicle, it makes no sense to purchase so much coverage - better stick to a basic one. Provide your insurance company with as much detail as possible to avoid buying a package that is filled with numerous add-ons that you don't need.

Bear in mind that the best deal does not mean the cheapest, but the best deal is the one that is worth the money that you will pay for. Good car insurance quotes today are now easy to find, with the many websites that provide free quotes and other useful information.

Insurance companies also count in the deductibles that you can get, your car's safety features, the place your vehicle is registered in, average mileage you drive each year, the condition of your vehicle, and your health condition. Car insurance quotes will also be affected depending on any car accidents you caused and your driving experience. You can reduce your insurance quotes if you have higher deductibles and a good driving record.

In order to get the best insurance rates, make sure that you check if you are eligible for any discounts. Senior citizens and students can also get discounts in car insurance quotes nationwide.

How To Change A Tire

Many people grow up and never learn how to do basic car maintenance. However, one of the most useful things you can learn to do on your car is how to change a tire. That way you can avoid dealing with AAA or another roadside assistance service.

First, pull off somewhere that is safe to perform the tire change and make sure the area you choose is level. Then put your car into park. Turn on your four way flashers if you are on the side of a road for added protection. Next, retrieve you car's emergency tire, and other tools from the location that they are stored in. Then you will need to loosen the lug nuts on the tire. Just turn each lug nut about ½ ways clockwise. Do not completely remove the lug nuts before you jack up the car as it can cause the tire to fall on you.


Now, you are ready to jack the car off the ground. Make sure you position the jack in a good spot for use, otherwise you might find yourself with the jack breaking or the jack moving the car much higher than you actually need to. Now, since your car is jacked up, you may remove the lug nuts from the tire safely. Make sure you keep them around as you will need them to reattach your spare tire to the car. Remove the flat tire from your car and place it off on the side. Align the holes of the spare tire with the holes on the axle before attempting to place the tire on the car. Also, make sure you see the air valve stem pointing towards you, otherwise you put the tire on incorrectly. If you notice that the air valve stem is pointing away from you, take the tire off and spin it around on the ground. The air valve will now be pointing towards you and facing the correct direction.

Now that the tire is on, and you have located the lug nuts we placed elsewhere earlier, you can reattach the tire. Take your lug nut wrench and tighten in two lug nuts, located opposite of each other. Then continue to work around you spare tire in a star pattern. This will allow you to make sure all lug nuts are replaced on your vehicle and that your spare tire will stay on it until you can have a new tire put on. Once you have securely reattached your lug nuts back onto the tire, slowly lower the car back to level ground. You can remove the jack and other equipment.

You have changed a tire all by yourself and saved yourself the hassle and time of waiting for roadside assistance. However, do not neglect taking your car to an auto repair shop to have a new tire put on. Also, do not forget to replace the equipment you took out of your car. This equipment will come in handy again and you would probably enjoy having it at the ready when you need it next.

Corvette Review

A Corvette is one of the most desired cars by any male in America. It is the ONLY true sports car in America. The Corvette has been around for more than 55 years but the car did not always have such a sports car appeal. The first Corvette only had a six speed engine but in 1955 it gained a mighty V8 and the Corvette could do 60 in fewer than 6 seconds.

The performance by the modern day Corvette is nothing but astounding. The Corvettes that are made now are able to go from 0 to 60 in under 5 seconds. The wonderful thing about the Corvette is that it does not have to be a car just for those that enjoy sports cars. You can enjoy the Corvette because of how awesome it looks. This car has been around the block and it knows how to handle and drive you crazy.


Now you might wonder why the Corvette has been a fixture so long. Part of the reason this car has remained the most iconic sports car in America is that it gets great gas mileage. Highway use sees the new Corvettes getting up near 30 miles and in town it gets 15-18. That is great gas mileage for a sports car. You have to love the exterior of the Corvette as it is cool, quick and sleek. However, some people have reported problems with some of the older Corvettes as far as being able to keep them on the road. It turns out also that some dealers have been selling Corvettes and misleading their customers.

Reports have also been made that the handling on Corvettes has been very spotty. A constant complaint about the Corvette seats have also made many people weary of buying Americas only sports car. Many people have stated that they either love or hate the car. Luckily, the Corvette does seem to have a higher number of fans than most cars.

However, many people seem to see the Corvette as a car that knows what it is doing. If you are a Corvette owner, then you know that you will receive constant attention whenever you are driving around. Then again, who doesn't love to be the center of attention? Many people who buy different brands of luxury sports cars regret not taking the option to buy a Corvette. The people who buy Corvettes are those that can truly afford the fun. They know how to handle the cars on the road, and they know that Corvettes can be useful in everyday driving and showing off to friends.

If you are someone considering buying a Corvette, you should try test driving Americas only sports car. After all, you are getting the chance to try a car that can bring you both a great ride on the road and a great ride for your self-esteem. The Corvette is the only sports car that will bring you both performance, and the look to make it worth the money you are going to be paying.

Tips For Buying Collector Cars

Buying collectors cars is a lot like paying for a story. You must listen to what has gone on with the car to truly appreciate its value. You might not buy the car for its mechanical ability; you might pay for the car purely because its story touched your heart. After all, most car collectors do not collect their vehicles for the fun of it, they collect them because they are personally attached to them and they believe it is the right thing to do.

When you buy a used car it is more imperative than ever to talk to the previous owner. Luckily, most collector cars are being sold from the previous owner. You need to grill them about every detail of the car, as there is a lot more at stake with collector's cars than there is with regular cars. Also, do not be afraid to ask them for paperwork for certain things like previous servicing and stuff along that line as you really should look at it.

Mileage fraud is a BIG concern when it comes to dealing with collector cars. A lot of people try to scam buyers by turning back the odometers on old cars. This is quiet a bit easier on old cars than it is with today's cars. Make sure the odometer looks alright and it matches the mileage on the record or question them! Once you have verified the mileage is correct, the next step you will want to do is to take the car to a mechanic for an independent inspection.

Once you have had the independent inspection completed, try to convince the owner into letting you take it for a test drive. The more you get to see with the car, the more you will know it is what the owner said it is. These steps are very important as most collector cars were made before the year 1980. 1980 was the first year that many companies started keeping data about cars involved in accidents. Therefore, you cannot look up to see what has happened with the vehicle if it was made before the year 1980 and it has had only one owner. Just think about it though, because if you buy a collectors car that turns out to be a dud, you are going to be more than out of money, you are going to be pissed off and angry that someone would try to sell you a car that they knew was a dud. You are going to be pissed off that you got taken advantage of by a horrible person.

When collecting collector cars it is important to also consider the transport of them. If you are buying a car from a place that is far enough from your house, you probably are not going to want to drive it home. You should always look into getting a transportation service to bring the car to your home. Many have considerable rates but they can be well worth it. FedEx Auto Passport is one of the best and moves thousands of cars a day. Best of all, they are kept covered in a tractor trailer and you can track the truck by GPS.

Buying A Used Truck

Buying a used truck is something that is very easy to do. With the price of gas being extremely high you can get a great deal on just about any truck you want. However, you should not let yourself be taken advantage of by someone. Make smart decisions by following the recommendations below.

One of the best things you can do when you buy a truck is to examine it. You should always examine the vehicle in clear, daytime weather. Check the mileage on the car and always verify it is correct by using previous service invoices and mileage information recorded under the hood or on the door jam. Also, make sure you look very closely at the dashboards around the gauges and question any scratches, screws, or otherwise spotty workmanship around that area. If you do spot this, you might be looking at a car that has an odometer that has been tampered with.


Check the engine and make sure that all fluids are the correct colors and do not look/smell suspicious. Also, do not be afraid to ask the salesperson any questions you might have. You are making them money and they should be ready and willing to assist in any way they can make the sale. If they seem nervous or otherwise distracted really put the pressure on them, or you might be getting sold a car that is less than it appears.

Make sure you always run a check on the title and get an auto history report before buying any vehicle. Trucks especially can be made to appear more than they are. Experian, the credit report company, is one of the best resources for finding out what accidents a car has been in. Also, when you check the title of the vehicle, look at how many owners the vehicle has had in the past few years. If your truck has had three owners in three years. You might be getting scammed out of something!

You should always insist on an independent inspection if you are buying the car from a private party. If it is a dealership and it is a certified used car, then you should not have much to worry about. However, be sure to take a close look at the car as even dealerships can use methods to scam you. Once you are ready to buy the car, bring a check for a few hundred dollars under the price that the salesperson quoted you as the "best" price. If they want the sale, they will sell you the car. Also, do not be afraid to ask about getting a warranty. On many dealership "certified used" cars warranties will be included, however, that does not mean that they will be. If you are in doubt on any thing during the sale, question it and you should get an exact response. If you are given a flip-flop answer, you probably do not want to do your business at this location. Make your used truck buying experience a positive one.

Do You Know Why You Need Health Insurance?

Monitoring whether your Medicare coverage have any gaps will be beneficial to you when you grow old and retire from working. A lot of elderly Americans these days have a hard time with paying for medical expenses they assumed would already be covered.

In case, you do see gaps in the Medicare coverages (or you might be worried in the future you will), it is advisable that you purchase Medigap. It is designed to fill in the gaps in your Medicare coverages. These are usually sold through private insurance companies and are standardized and regulated by state and federal law.


Haven't been insured in six months or more? You're in luck if you live in Florida.

There's a new law signed last Wednesday by Gov. Charlie Crist that lets insurance firms to offer a basic package for health plans without the usual required coverages. The good news? It might just cost Floridians $150 a month.

We mentioned last time about short-term health insurance, now we're going to talk about the opposite, the long-term health insurance.

Long Term Care Insurance or LTCI will be useful when you're in the twilight of your years and probably no more resource for money to pay for a normal health insurance policy. However, deciding when to buy an LTCI policy will depend on a lot of factors, as buying them while you're young means less expensive premiums to pay but you may be paying it over a very long time. It's suggested that one should buy this type of insurance at around the 50's to 60's age range.

Why would you want to get a short-term health insurance?

You just graduated from college and is now looking for a job, in the meantime you're no longer covered by your college and parent's health insurance.

You just found a job, but the health insurance benefit kicks in after three months

If you fall somewhere within these types, then you might be interested in looking for a health insurance that will temporarily cover you and/or your family.

Most short-term health insurance has a coverage ranging from 180 days to 12 months tops. It'll cover accidents or sudden illnesses. You'll be in charge of picking your own doctor or clinic, and get in and out patient services as well.

The negative side of it all is that it won't offer all permanent plan benefits. It won't include pre-existing conditions, routine medical exams, preventive care, optical or dental care, or pregnancy and childbirth expenses.

Health insurance plans sometimes don't cover the college student kids. There's a statistic saying that there are over 5 million of them not covered by their parents' health insurance. This is where the college comes in and offers health insurance for their college student. The question now is, should the parents sign the papers?

Having a Health Insurance policy usually made us feel secure for the future health of our family. However, according to a survey, only 7 percent of those who have health insurance say they are prepared for any health concerns in the future.

The main reason is that the remaining 93% feel that they have very limited coverage and are now paying more of their share for medical costs. 158 million people covered by employer health insurance programs are paying higher medical expenses due to various combinations of factors like higher premiums, less extensive coverages, and larger out-of-pocket deductibles and co-payments.