Tag Archives: Automotive Reviews

Author : Brenda Williams

The Tatra 603 may be the only car that was built for distinct elite, had sales politically regulated, and starred in films

The 603 was built by Tatra, an automobile manufacturer in the country that was formerly Czechoslovakia Following the communist takeover, the government issued an order to Tatra to design and manufacture a car that would be suitable for official use The car must seat six people with an engine capacity not in excess of 3 6

The result was a large four door sedan with a 2472 cc cast aluminum, V8 engine that was mounted in the rear behind rear swinging half axles The engine was air cooled by oil coolers It had a top speed of 158 kh The transmission was located under the steering wheel and the gearbox was mounted in the rear

The 603 had front and rear bench seats each of which would comfortably seat three people A large luggage compartment was under the hood of the car

The all round independent suspension and soft coil springs provided a comfortable ride

The 603 featured large windows on the front, sides, and rear In the original model, there are three front headlamps mounted under a plastic cover This is the 603 1 The body was modified twice thereafter

A fourth headlamp was added to the 603 2 and the lamps were flanked by an oval grill The 603 3 dispensed with the grill and mounted the headlamps flush with the front

Only one car was produced in 1955 and it was introduced to the public at the 1955 International Six Day Motorevent in Zlin Nine additional cars were built in 1956

When serial production began in 1957, only two cars per day could be completed as the car was crafted almost entirely by hand

Prime Minister Vaclav Kopecky received one of the first T603 s manufactured, probably due to his unwavering support throughout its conception and creation Without this, the 603 may never have been born

In 1958 some minor improvements were made Tatra enlarged the rear wheel openings, changed the door catches and installed chrome fins on the air intake They also enlarged the ventilation openings and improved the air intake

In 1959, a white T603 won a Golden Ribbon in Wesbagen, Germany awarded on the basis of its style, appearance and overall elegance

Sales within Czechoslovakia were restricted to senior members of political organizations and certain industries The 603 was also exported to other countries in Eastern Europe including Germany and Russia, again for official use only Then, in 1960, when Fidel Castro joined the Communist Bloc, he was given a white T603 equipped with air conditioning

The 603 was virtually unknown on the other side of the Iron Curtain Communist political philosophies prohibited any sales to capitalist countries A few were brought into Western countries to serve Czech embassies and were left behind when the officials departed Some were abandoned after exhibition in motor shows

The 603 was the sinister sedan in the film, A Series of Fortunate Events It also appeared in 16 other movies

Between the years of 1955 and 1975, a total of 20,422 cars were produced, almost entirely built by hand Today, the 603 is a classic and is highly sought after by car collectors

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Author : Gregg Hall

It seems like just yesterday when the price of gas was fairly insignificant The cost to fill up a traditional family car was nowhere near the fifty dollars or more most of today’s drivers are accustomed to paying each time they fuel up But short of selling your gas guzzler for a hybrid vehicle where the cost of gas is essentially a non issue, what can drivers do to conserve both their fuel and their funds? The answer is easier than you think

Map it out You wouldn’t start driving without knowing how to get to your destination, right? The same sort of mapping should be used when you prepare your daily routine and the drive for that routine Plan one day for running errands to minimize multiple trips and excessive use of gasoline Try to incorporate stops you need to make on routes you’re already taking, such as those to and from work, to eliminate more use of your car than needed These small changes can help conserve your car’s pricey gasoline

Know where to go when you need to go Everyone knows that rush hour traffic translates into more time spent sitting and not driving in your car Look for alternate routes to avoid this frustrating, and costly, situation Knowing how to navigate around traffic trouble spots, construction zones, or accidents can keep your car moving, and not sitting, wasting fuel

Get moving! If your destination isn’t too far, why not walk or bike? Take your children along to make it a family affair and appreciate the outdoors and extra time with them Both walking and biking are great forms of exercise and another way to be more fuel efficient

Ride share Rotating drivers and car pooling with co workers to the office can help everyone save a little on gas and wear and tear on your car Don’t have anyone with whom to commute? See if there’s a bus route that can take you where you need to be Public transportation is affordable, convenient and means you’ll spend less on gas for your vehicle

Use care in keeping up your car Vehicle maintenance should be done on a regular basis to ensure your car is running optimally This means checking fluid levels and looking for potential leaks that could increase your car’s fuel consumption, as well as be indicative of the need for potential repairs It also means checking tire pressure weekly and having them rotated when you have your car’s oil changed Watch for signs of wear and tear, as a car with solid tires will get better gas performance on the road A well-maintained car will run more efficiently and, in turn, will perform better on the road

Gregg Hall is an author living in Navarre Beach, Florida. Find more about this as well as a car polish at http://www.stopwaxing.com

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Author : Gaetane Ross

What if I told you that you could let the IRS pay for your car upgrade? You would probably jump right on it, right? I know that everyone would love to know that the IRS will actually do this, and the how and why behind this This is why I decided to share this little secret with you The first thing that you should know is that the IRS will pay for any car upgrade that is considered to be beneficial to the economy, as well as the environment This is all made possible by Going Green! Here, you will learn about how the IRS elects to pay, and the numerous advantages that are available to you!

Based on the obvious increase in fuel costs, and the overall shortage of oils that produce fuel, we all know that every single one of us will suffer in one way or another The heavy hitter when it comes to our lives are the prices that we will have to pay to enjoy fuel, and the luxuries that fuel offers such as electricity and other types of utilities Saving money on gas is the first goal that each of us should have There are a number of ways that we can optimize our modes of transportation in order to decrease the amount of money that we spend to fuel those modes, but that takes a lot of work! Besides, the IRS will not pay you to have your spark plugs changed, or for that new fuel filter

If you want a single solution to how to save money on gas, it does not require you to breakdown all the components in your engine and replacing them, all it takes in integrating a hydrogen or water for gas fuel system! By using this type of fuel system, you can easily double the amount of miles that you are able to drive on a full tank of fuel! The IRS likes the fact that you are not having to purchase as much gas and/or diesel because that means that the Federal and State government does not have to keep bargaining with expensive companies to get the best, yet high prices on oil barrels In return for your assistance in this, the IRS will pay for your car upgrade!

If you want to know other reasons on how the IRS pays for your car upgrades that is easy! If you use less oil, and less fuel, you are actually decreasing the amount of pollutants that are released from your vehicle into the atmosphere This helps to reduce the amount of dangerous chemicals that break down the atmosphere and contribute to the effects of greenhouse gases! If you want to make a positive contribution to the environment, save money on fuel, and let the IRS pay for your car upgrade, you should consider implementing the use of a water fuel system

I am FED UP with gas prices! Aren’t you? If you want to Beat Insane Fuel Prices and Save a Ton of Money on Gas, I have the SOLUTION. Please visit my website at :

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Author : Mark Walters

Is it any surprise that thousands of people have begun contemplating the advantages of hybrid cars? Gas prices are forcing drivers to consider whether or not they should buy a hybrid

With the continuing rise is oil and gas prices the hybrid car advantages are hard to ignore Here s the problem As with any new technology there will be a lot of rumors and myths going around and the hybrid vehicle is no exception

So how do hybrid cars compare to their conventional counterparts and what are the truths behind these myths

Hybrids Are Slow?

It has been commonly thought that hybrids are unable to go fast enough for freeway travel Well that may have been true of the earlier models where the weight of the battery played a significant issue in the cars ability to generate rapid starts and fast speeds Not any more

With the advancements in battery technology, so too have the hybrids advanced They are now quite able to compete with the speeds reached by their conventional counterparts As hybrid vehicles become more mainstream and technology advances they will continue their upward advancement in achievable speeds

Hybrids Cost Too Much!

Are Hybrid cars really too expensive Although the initial outlay can be expensive ( what car isn t?) they quickly make up for their cost in the money you save on fuel Is there any doubt that the way the gas prices are going, a hybrid vehicle will become more and more of a bargain to own

Not to mention the fact that it has been announced that you will soon be able to purchase kits to convert your car to an electrical hybrid, or if money is really tight and you are ready to convert right away you can also invest in a water conversion kit to create a your own water hybrid

No excessive money spent there Only about $150 to purchase the instruction book and all required parts

Hybrid Plug Ins?

Another common myth is that all hybrids need to be plugged in Well this is true of the original electric hybrid vehicles Now there are electrical hybrids that have a battery on board that is charged as you drive

So you are still gaining the advantage of saving on the cost of fuel, without the problem of having to plug in every few hours Research is continuing and that will result in an even better version which will combine the best of both worlds

A electrical hybrid that would run on the plug in power for the first part of the trip and then switch to the charged battery power for the reminder of the trip Imagine having to fill your gas but tank once or twice a month, while your hybrid creates the rest of the need power

There are many advantages to hybrid cars, and as technology advances the advantages will too If you are looking for a great fuel efficient, environmentally friendly vehicle, think hybrid vehicle

Forget the myths, learn the truth and soon you can be driving a hybrid too

Mark Walters reports on advances in hybrid vehicle technologies at http://www.HybridVehicleStar.com. Visit that site for a free course on the right way to buy a car.

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Author : Mick Legg

Even with the latest drop in gasoline prices most people would still like to get more MPG for their vehicles Let’s face it oil prices are so unstable at the moment that they are bound to go up again, and with the economy in such a fragile state you do not want to wait until the last minute to find ways to get more MPG One of the latest innovations in automobiles is the water power cars which use a Hydrogen Generator for vehicles to allow you to run cars on water

The idea of water power cars is not a new one and the technology behind it has been around for quite a while Due to the recent oil and gasoline crisis this technology has had somewhat of a re birth and has been improved to such a high degree that it is really catching on in a big way In fact it is now possible for anyone who wants to to convert their own existing cars into water power cars

If you think that you will be able to run cars on water and nothing else then think again, and forget the idea of filling up your gas tank with a hose pipe What these water power cars do is use a Hydrogen Generator for vehicles to convert small water droplets into HHO gas (hydrogen oxygen) which is then mixed with the regular gasoline to increase the efficiency of you engine and so get more MPG

This Hydrogen Generator for vehicles is small enough to be installed under the hood of your car next to the engine It generates the HHO gas using a small reservoir of ordinary tap water and the electricity from your cars battery This HHO gas is then mixed with the gasoline air mixture of you ordinary fuel and fed into your engine in the usual way As this mixture of combined gases burns more efficiently and with more power you get better performance from you engine which in turn will get more MPG

One of the main advantages of the water power cars besides the gas mileage improvements you get is the fact that they burn the fuel more thoroughly and therefore more cleanly This cleaner burning fuel means that you don’t get the high carbon build up that affects the efficient running of an ordinary engine burning just gasoline This means that the life of your engine is greatly increased and you will have far fewer repair bills Also the harmful exhaust gases associated with a normal engine are greatly reduced so helping the environment

To convert you existing cars into water power cars is a lot easier and cheaper than you may think the actual Hydrogen Generator for vehicles can be home built using simple parts available at most auto or hardware stores There is very little modification needed to your existing engine and the whole thing can be easily reversed with no damage if you ever wanted to remove it for any reason

So whatever the price of gasoline wouldn’t it be nice to be able to get more MPG from your vehicle? With these water power cars you can expect to get gas mileage improvements of between 35 and 50 So if I where you I would seriously think about converting to water power cars before the next big increase in gasoline prices

Find out how you can convert your cars into water power cars and get more MPG. CLICK HERE NOW http://www.MoreGasMPG.com/saveongas.html

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Author : Tony Hill

The Mazda MX-5 is the world’s best-selling and Britain’s most-loved sports car and is popular with both men and women of all ages Research from women’s car insurer – Diamond has discovered that the number of women driving convertibles over the last ten years has tripled and it seems as though the MX-5 – a fun and reliable sports car – is one of the most popular choices among women

The MX-5 offers drivers the excitement of sports car driving with the added bonus of being reliable and affordable

However, it could be said that the car company have tried to slightly shed the MX-5′s association with ‘hairdressers’ in the latest re-launch of the popular roadster by ‘beefing it up’ and trying to appeal more to the male market

The new-look model features a larger front grille, new head and fog lights and more chrome Whether more men will opt for an MX-5 – who have previously dismissed it as a ‘girl’s car’ – remains to be seen However, Mazda have said that since the car’s third generation launch it has achieved a 50/50 male/female sales mix which suggests that the latest face-lift is having the desired effect

Why was the sporty little open-top so popular with women in the first place?

The Japanese auto manufacturer have previously launched several limited edition MX-5′s to try and attract the female market, including the Angels edition (surrounding the release of Charlie’s Angels) which according to Diamond’s research has had the desired effect

With the new third edition they are set to produce 250 soft top and 560 roadster coupe special edition ‘Niseko’ models which come in icy blue and sunlight silver The interior is brown leather and it seems to me as though the colour scheme will appeal to more women than men

As a women myself I would want a sports car that looks good, is affordable and that is fun to drive The MX-5 offers all this We don’t want a bulky, complicated sports car – we want a compact and agile one, which is why the MX-5 has been such a hit

When designing the MX-5,the bodywork was made as light as possible whilst ensuring that it was safe – which makes it easy and fun to drive

The new design is more fluid, less curvy and slightly meaner – only slightly – and will perhaps appeal to more men but I still find it attractive and perhaps Mazda have found the right balance

Tony is an online marketer and researcher, he is currently researching new Mazda cars and the new Mazda MX-5

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Author : Everette Jamison

Most drivers neglect to rotate their vehicle’s tires They know instinctively that treads wear down over time They also realize that worn treads reduce fuel efficiency and can eventually present a safety risk Despite knowing these things, millions of motorists only consider rotating at the behest of their mechanic If you have some time on your hands and you’re handy with a torque wrench, you can actually do the job yourself It’s relatively easy Below, you’ll learn why rotating your tires is important, as well as the right and wrong ways to do it

Why Rotation Is Necessary

Let’s quickly review Treads wear down, but it may surprise you to know that those in the front wear more quickly than those in the rear That’s especially true for front- wheel drive vehicles The reason this happens is due to friction between the rubber and the pavement Whenever you drive your car, the friction generates heat, which causes the treads to wear down As a result, they become less responsive, create more resistance (which affects fuel efficiency), and need to be replaced more often

When you rotate your tires, it relieves the pressure created by friction on those placed on the front axle Remember, those in the front wear down more quickly than those in the rear Swapping them lets you prolong the useful life of your tires as long as possible

The Right (And Wrong) Way To Rotate

As noted above, you can perform the rotation yourself with a torque wrench, but it’s important to know how to rotate them properly The rule of thumb for most makes and models is to swap front and rear tires without changing sides That is, the passenger rear goes on the passenger front, not the driver’s front

A lot of people make the mistake of rotating their tires in an “X” pattern For example, they’ll swap the driver’s rear and passenger front, and passenger’s rear and driver’s front They do this thinking that they’re spreading the tread wear more evenly In fact, they’re probably doing more harm than good because treads wear down based upon the vehicle’s suspension system and alignment

Getting Your Hands Dirty

Even though rotating your wheels is a relatively simple job, consider having a mechanic do it for you Given that you only need to have it done approximately every 10,000 miles (check your owner’s manual to make sure), it’s a low-maintenance task that’s inexpensive and doesn’t take much time If you’re absolutely invested in doing it yourself, buy a sturdy jack (a hydraulic model, if possible) It’s dirty work and there’s some heavy lifting involved But, you’ll save a few dollars and have the pleasure of knowing you fixed it yourself Personally, I prefer having my mechanic do the job

For all your used car parts and used engines visit http://www.everdrive.com

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Author : John Rhodes

Looking for information about earning and saving via hybrid tax credits? In this article I cover that topic in the follow way First, I discuss the history of credits Second, I discuss how they are calculated Third, I discuss the conditions that must be met And lastly, I explain the IRS qualifications for hybrid vehicle tax credits

What most people interested in buying a hybrid car does not know is the presence of hybrid tax credits So, if you’re considering the idea of buying a hybrid simply because of its fuel economy, then here’s a very interesting factor that may instantly bring you to a ‘yes’ decision

When It All Started

Since year 2005, the IRS has started giving tax credit to the individual taxpayers that drive cars which utilize alternative fuel sources In fact, there was one time where green minded taxpayers only got a clean fuel burning deduction However, that only applied to vehicles that were under the gas electric hybrid category Nevertheless, as 2005 came, the deduction rule was replaced by the up to date legislation, which is the Energy Policy Act

What Does It Say?

By the conditions of the said 2005 law, they would take the tax credit directly from your total sum of tax which you, as the taxpayer would otherwise be indebted This trims down or could even eliminate your tax which you should pay in the first place If you’re not certain whether your specific green vehicle would qualify for this kind of credit or not, you could simply inquire from your local dealership or your car manufacturer

The Marked Date

Qualified vehicles that were bought on or after January 1, 2006, would be at liberty for this kind of tax credit In general, you could get an amount from about $400 up to $3,400 The amount that you’ll get would be based on your car’s fuel saving

Basic Computation

The tax credit you can get from buying a hybrid vehicle is a mix of two diverse tax credits You should understand that the math on this computation can be very complicated, and the good thing is, you are not obliged to do it Your vehicle’s auto manufacturers along with the IRS would be the ones responsible in certifying your tax credit’s amount

Certain Conditions

This kind of tax credit might be brief It actually highly depends on the customer demand for the new hybrid trucks and cars The tax credit’s value would start to diminish as soon as your manufacturer has sold sixty thousand or more qualified cars Additionally, the phase out would start on the level of your auto manufacturer Hence, well known brands might watch their tax credits diminish sooner, in contrast to less popular brands

If your vehicle is valid, you may claim your credit’s full amount up until the end of the 1st quarter just after the quarter where your vehicle’s manufacturer records their sale of their 60,000th qualified vehicle While during the 2nd and 3rd quarters after the quarter where the 60,000th vehicle was sold, you could claim 50 of your original tax credit Nonetheless, during the 4ht quarter, you could only claim 25 of your allowable credit

The government actually has qualified various models and makes for this kind of tax credit Such certifications set the greatest dollar value which your credit could be Your credit may also be reduce by different limitations

Under direction released by the IRS, your auto manufacturer could give you a certification, which specifies the amount that is left on your tax credit It would be the IRS, whom will dictate that the certification of the producer should have the following sixteen essentials:

1 Name

2 Tax identification number and address of your manufacturer

3 Make, model, model year, and various identification information

4 A written statement which states that the car was created by the manufacturer

5 What type of credit your vehicle is qualified for

6 Amount of your tax credit (with complete computations)

7 Your vehicle’s gross weight

8 Your vehicle’s weight class

9 Your city s fuel economy for the vehicle

10 A statement which says your vehicle actually complies with the necessities asked for on the Clean Air Act

11 A duplicate of the certificate which proves that your vehicle suffices the emission standards that were set by the government in Clean Air Act

12 A statement saying that your motor vehicle complies with your state s air Q C law

13 A statement that your vehicle complies with specific motor vehicle safety conditions

14 A statement that your vehicle utilizes hybrid technology: both internal combustion system and rechargeable energy system

15 A statement that your vehicle meets or even exceeds California s standards on low vehicle emissions

16 Proof that your vehicle doesn’t go further than the designated maximum power standard

These are just some of the prerequisites for you to get hybrid tax credits Although there’s a lot of them, it is definitely worth it in the end

John S. Rhodes talks more about hybrid tax credits at Hybrid Cars, Hybrid Trucks and Hybrid Vans found at http://HybridCarsTrucksVans.com He also discusses hybrid motorcycles and hybrid minivans at that site, offering videos and advice on hybrid batteries and hybrid rental vehicles.

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