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Thursday, August 20, 2009

What Makes AVehicle Model Popular For Forty-five Years? The Story Of The Ford Mustang

By Andy Zain

In 1964, at the World's Fair in New York, Walt Disney introduced "It's a Small World." At the end of the Fair, the attraction was moved to Disneyland where it has operated for over forty-five years other than some downtime for maintenance and refurbishment. Meanwhile, across the pavilion, on April 17, 1964, Ford Motor Company introduced the Ford Mustang, another American tradition that has continued for over forty-five years.

Ford had not expected the Mustang to gain popularity as quickly as it did. Its initial sales have only been surpassed by their founder, Henry Ford's introduction of the Model "A". The original selling price for a Mustang was $2368. The vehicle borrowed heavily from other vehicles that Ford was already producing. Most heavily used were the Falcon's parts. The framework and even the 100 horsepower engine came from the Falcon. Even the horn ring had the Falcon emblem molded into its ring. VIN numbers were set to the 1965 vehicle year, but there were several changed that were made in the vehicles produced to be sold in 1965. Most Mustang enthusiasts consider the Mustang from the fair and those produced within the first six months of production to be 1964 1/2 Mustangs. If you are the owner of a 1964 1/2 Mustang is great shape, you can expect to sell the vehicle for over thirty thousand dollars.

Through the years, the body style of the mustang has changes, but the Mustang has remained easily identifiable. The front grill and side door swoops have remained throughout the years.

Trying to copy Ford's success, other automakers quickly brought out their own version of the "Pony car." The main characteristic of each was the large hood in comparison to the small trunk.

In 1960, Ford had introduced the Falcon as a compact car. Market research had shown that women of the day found many of the full size cars to have become too large. The Mustang was introduced to appeal to both men and women. The introduction of the Mustang in 1964 and its popularity is ultimately credited with the discontinuing of the Falcon in 1970.

The Mustang grew in popularity and size over the next few years.

Fans of the original Mustang complained and in 1984, Ford listened and produced the Mustang II. The Mustang II was smaller than the Mustang introduced at the World's Fair, but due to new federal regulations on air pollution actually weighed more than the original. Ford had included a smaller engine resulting in an underpowered car.

If you buy a new Mustang today, the base price is somewhat more than the price of the original. Base price for a 2010 Mustang is approximately twenty-one thousand dollars, and a fully accessorized model may cost as much as thirty-two thousand dollars.

In the forty-five year history of the Mustang, there have been many changes. Even so, the Ford Mustang remains one of the best sellers for Ford. - 21393

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Does GM Need Saving?

By Dino P Delellis

Amongst GM employees, aside from the fear of getting a pink paper next week ( or the week after ) speculation is high as to whether the concept vehicle, being called the Volt, is going to be as revolutionary as the hype suggests.

GM, Ford and Chrysler arrayed a huge number of lawyers and much cherished Washington lobbyists to go after California after it decided to introduce a zero emissions rule on part of all car fleets. While GM was fighting California, it was also building an electric car, 10 years ago called the EV1. The state lost, GM breathed a sigh of relief and promptly destroyed all EV1's and sold the patents.

Yep, sold the patents to a MIT. Just kidding. If the patents had been sold to MIT, the car would have been rebuilt and the Toyota Prius hybrid would never have been created. Whoever bought the patents wasn't interested in building an electric car. There is enough anecdotal evidence to suggest the battery patents were purchased by Texaco who has done tremendous work with them since ( NOT ).

Balancing the books, one might claim. Lots of Research and Development costs, nothing to show for it, so sell the technology. It wasn't an objective decision. After an acrimonious battle with the state of California, GM management couldn't get rid of the technology fast enough. A billion dollars later, GM executives didn't stop to think that perhaps core elements could play a critical roll in future transportation technology. They had to wait for the Japanese to prove that similar technology could and would be a huge element in the future of transportation.

So much for the history lesson, this week, we are back at square one watching a video interview with GM's Chief Designer as he discusses the new GM Chevy Volt.

GM has almost entirely "bet the boat" on the new technologies going to market in the electric Chevy Volt. We are sure that GM Detroit Management exactly didn't plan it this way, but their European operations must have seen the writing on the wall many years ago as gas hit 3+ dollars per gallon in europe and continued on through the equivalent $4 dollar mark. With the global credit crunch, increased gas prices and declining sales of the big cash SUV's GM is feeling the pinch like never before. The Volt must become iconic.

GM's response to public outcry shortly after co-jointly winning the lawsuit against California on the grounds that only the federal government had the right to determine zero emission, was to go on a publicity campaign extolling the virtues of their own version of Zero emissions - Hydrogen gas by 2010. Which probably prompted BMW to wake up and create a wonderful Hydrogen Gas vehicle which is already 4-5 years old and in its fourth or fifth refinement. So zip forward to 2008 and GM has backtracked on its Hydrogen promises and is now attempting to leap frog the Toyota Prius with technology that will get a commuter 40 miles of gas free driving on a nightly electrical charge.

According to GM research, many drivers will not need to switch to the gas engine because simply recharging the vehicle via a regular outlet at home overnight will satisfy most of their driving needs. When I first heard this, I thought - What a useless car. Who wants a car that does only 40 miles per charge, but in truth, the car simply switches to the small gas engine at that point and continues its merry way.

Despite the GM bashing that many of us might engage in, on occasion, we all truly want a Volt or something like it. Traveling and seeing new places isn't just a wish for the elite. But with gas prices threatening to go higher and the slightest threat of war poised to carry them beyond even the previous high of $147 per barrel, having a vehicle with the potential of the Volt is simply everyone's dream.

So will or can the dream car Volt save the General?

To answer that question, perhaps we should ask - Does GM need saving?

BusinessWeek estimated GM's Liquidity position to be 45 Billion in May of 2005 with a burn rate this year of over a Billion a month here in 2008 ( Boston Herald ). Estimated reserves now stand at about 25 Billion and analysts say that even with the 10 Billion in future cost cutting, GM may need another 10-12 Billion in cash to see their way through to 2010.

According to an article in Detroit News Oct 14th 2008

GM had access to about $21 billion cash, $5 billion in available credit lines and is raising $5 billion through asset sales and borrowing.

Those cost-cutting moves intensified Monday when GM announced it was closing plants in Grand Rapids and Janesville, Wis. The moves affect about 2,500 hourly workers at plants that produce sport-utility vehicles and parts for pickups and SUVs.

Since 2005, the General's cash reserves have been reduced from 45 Billion to a mere 25 Billion and with the tightening credit crunch and federal government moving slowly on aiding the BIG3, the rumour doing the rounds is that GM is eyeing the cash reserves of Chrysler ( estimated 11 Billion ) to help it through 2009 when the arrival of the Chevy Volt and Cruz, the following quarter are expected to help turn things around.

So, what are our expectations for the Volt? GM says its expecting to sell about 10,000 Chevy Volts at between 30-40,000 USD each in 2010. So, that's about 3-4 Billion dollars in gross sales with a net of about a 800 Million dollars annually at an estimated 20% profit per car.

Without being redundant, back to my original question. Can the Volt Save GM?

I leave that answer up to you, but if I had to make a serious bet with odds, I know which way I would be betting. - 21393

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Find Online Engines for Sale for Cheap

By Jim McNeily

Think you might junk your car just because your engine got drowned in a flood? Why not just replace the engine? You can find reliable remanufactured engines for a reasonable price. In fact, most will probably outlast the lifetime of the car if taken care of properly. Careful oil changes, not redlining the speedometer, and watching the temperature gauge should bring years of satisfied use.

In fact, many sites that specialize in engines for sale can probably sell you one for less than $1,000. Remanufactured engines can save the life of your car for less than a new car will cost you. Try buying a decent vehicle you can really trust for less than $1,000.

With so many sites on the web that specialize in engines for sale, the Internet is truly a buyer's market. Search the web for the lowest rates you can find. You'll probably surprise yourself at the prices out there.

Don't worry about the shipping even though engines can be quite large. Most online shops have reasonable rates when it comes to shipping. In fact, an engine can be delivered right to your door, or your mechanic's shop in only a few days for a surprisingly low shipping fee.

In fact, every make, model and year of engine is only a Google search or phone call away. The selection is huge. You can find anything you need for prices that will astound you.

Watch the fly by night companies, however. Only experienced engine shops really know the industry. Don't get burned.

Make sure that you can speak to a real live person that will take time to answer your questions or concerns. Just because it's the Internet doesn't make it impersonal. Engines are complicated, and your questions need to be answered.

Get back up on the road with a used or remanufactured engine. For under $1,000, you can have the car you love back driving on the road, as good as new. Don't pull the plug prematurely. Engine replacement can get your roadster on the road in less than a week. - 21393

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Go Off Road With The Jeep Liberty

By Andy Zain

One of the most popular new vehicles to buy is the Jeep Liberty. It has always been very popular but this recent model has really been a hit. Since Jeep was first introduced 66 years ago, Jeep has been on the forefront of off road vehicles. This new model is much more comfortable then previous models and much less boxy like previous years. The Liberty can come with so many wonderful features that you will have a hard time choosing what you want for your Jeep Liberty.

* The Jeep Liberty has many trims available for you to choose from. You can choose from many different trims and options. You can pick the ones that you want to.

o This is a four wheel vehicle. It has maneuverability, traction, articulation, ground clearance and water fording. It was built for off road.

o The transmissions are available are the 4 speed automatic, 5 speed automatic and 6 speed manual transmissions. The Jeep Liberty 2009 model eliminated the 6 speed manual transmission model. This was because of high gas prices and high mileage that 6 speeds get.

* Every model comes with am fm stereos that include Sirius satellite digital radio. CD changers and GPS systems are optional if you want to pay more money for them.

* With so many options to consider getting, it can be difficult to choose which ones to get. Among others, you can choose a fog lamp, speed control, power sunroof, engine block heater, rear cargo organizer and many more.

o The engine is a V6 and the towing capacity is 5, 000 pounds.

o There are two models, the Sport and the Limited. You can get 16, 17 or 18 inch tires.

* This gets great gas mileage which is a huge plus. Around town it gets 16 mpg and on the freeway it gets 22 mpg.

* Since safety is a major concern with SUVS, Jeep Liberty comes with anti lock brakes, traction control and stability control. There are also a lot of airbags, including side curtain airbags.

o The cabin of the Jeep Liberty comes in gray. You can also pay more for leather and more padding. It is very spacious and has a lot of legroom in the back. Luggage space is 31. 5 cubic feet. If back seats are lowered than the space is 64. 6 cubic feet.

* The headlights on the Jeep Liberty are standard.

* The keyless entry with remote comes with every model.

With such a sturdy vehicle- the Jeep Liberty was just really designed for off road travel. It comes with anti-roll bars, great shocks and better breaks. If you want all of the great options on the Jeep Liberty then the price is in the low 300'000's. This is a great price for this SUV that you can take off road. For a vehicle that handles so well off road, you'd expect to pay much more!

Being a more compact SUV gives the Jeep Liberty the advantage with the soaring gasoline prices these days. They are very popular among the SUV buyers. Most people that have loved Jeep for years love the Liberty model for its efficiency and its dedication to staying true to the Jeep name. It was built to go off road so don't expect it to do as well on pavement, although it does better than previous year's models. - 21393

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Car Insurance Providers

By Adam McKenzie

If you want to save money on your car insurance, keep in mind that there is not one company out there that will always give out the most inexpensive quotes. Although there are many commercials from insurers saying that they are the best, this is not the case.

There is a good chance that you have heard from the Gecko or Flo. Maybe you have also had that Safe Auto jingle stuck in your head. The car insurance company, that is advertising, wants you to shop only with them, which is the opposite of what you should be doing.

Did you know that car insurance quotes can vary by as much as $1,000 for a year's worth of insurance?

Your state insurance website, which you can access from the NAIC site, may have a survey, which gives sample rates from your local insurers. These surveys are created not so you know which insurer is the most affordable, but to remind you that the best thing you can do, when getting a new quote, is to shop around.

Online comparison websites may not be as great as you think they are. The prices that you get from these sites may not be accurate because the more direct contact you have with an insurer, the more discounts you can find out about and take advantage of. Also, some of the lowest prices will not appear because these providers do not pay these comparison sites anything.

Although looking for quotes online can save you time, nothing beats speaking to an insurance expert face to face. If you speak to a local independent agent, the agent will assess you and connect you with the best insurance auto insurance company. Your local independent agencies can be really valuable if you have a unique situation, such as insuring a young adult.

You can easily find an independent agent in your area by going to the auto insurance section of your Yellowpages or business directory. If the agent or agency name is something that is not familiar to you (such as Sunshine Auto Insurance), you are most likely looking at an independent agency. If the agency's name is something like Adam Bryant-All State, you can get car insurance from only that single insurer. - 21393

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