Automotive Blog

Are you tired of high gas prices? Are you driving a gas guzzling SUV, or a similarly large sized vehicle? Many of us are already feeling the ever tightening pinch to our pocketbooks as the price of everything from food, to clothing, gets higher and higher.

If you are one of the many who are worried about whether or not you can still afford to drive your gas-guzzling SUV or larger sized vehicle, then now is the time to sell your vehicle. If you are considering selling your “tank”, as some would call it, in exchange for a more economical saver, than it is important to get the very best price possible. After all, as the price of gasoline continues to fluctuate, the value of your vehicle will continue to depreciate. You may find yourself upside down in a loan on one of these vehicles. You may find that nobody wants to buy something so large because of miles given per gallon. Continue reading ‘Book Value Of A Gas Guzzling SUV’ »

Sport utility and recreational vehicle owners are getting hit twice by higher crude oil prices; not only are they being hit by the higher operating costs to run these vehicles with the prices of gas, but also by it’s quickly depreciating value that are put on these vehicles.

All across the country, car and truck dealers are feeling the new reality as their beautiful, fully-loaded sport utility vehicles collect dust in their lots. The old proverb of, “can’t even give them away,” seems especially fitting, as Americans are now neglecting the low mileage SUV’s, and turning to the hybrids and higher fuel efficiency models instead. Continue reading ‘Don't Like The Offer For Your SUV’ »

Cadillac releases the 2009 Escalade Hybrid offering drivers both luxury and performance, without the sacrifice of fuel efficiency. Many hybrid SUVs are built with a slightly smaller body than the regular models, but the Escalade Hybrid maintains its full size without compromising its performance. The new Cadillac Escalade Hybrid will keep all the power of the regular Escalade, built with a 332 hp V8 engine, which has enough power to tow 5800 pounds in rear wheel drive; or 5600 pounds in four wheel drive.

This powerful beast has the estimated city driver getting around 20 miles per gallon, in which Cadillac boasts is more than comparable with the mileage on other smaller model vehicles, such as the 2008 BMW X3 or the 2008 Mercedes-Benz C-Class. The hybrid features will include auto stop, electric power, and regenerative braking. Auto stop shuts off engine power while stopped, or when in traffic, in which helps reduce fuel emissions. Electric power kicks in during lower speeds, and it powers the vehicle through the combination of a 300v battery pack that is built in electric motors. Finally, with the new regenerative braking, it will restore some of the energy that is normally lost through braking in traffic, and it will be redirected to charge the electric battery. Continue reading ‘Cadillac Revamps The Concept Of Hybrids’ »

Diesel engine principles are pretty straight forward for the experienced mechanic but what about regular everyday people who have never taken the time to find out more about a diesel engine and how it works?
I am going to explain in layman’s terms the basic principles of a diesel engine.

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A GASOLINE ENGINE AND A DIESEL ENGINE?…a quick overview.

The first thing you should know is a gasoline engine and a diesel engine are totally different. A gasoline engine is constructed much lighter than the heavier built diesel engine and runs on an air/fuel mixture combined with a high energy spark that is timed to ignite the air/fuel mixture inside each engine cylinder at the precise time creating power and torque [turning force] which drives your vehicle.
A diesel engine uses high compression [intake air that is compressed / squished] into a very small space inside each cylinder causing extreme heat! This is called ‘Heat Of Compression’ which ignites a very fine high pressure mist of diesel fuel that is injected into the cylinder at the exact time.
So you now know that a gasoline engine needs a high energy spark to run while a diesel uses ‘Heat Of Compression’

Continue reading ‘Diesel Engine Principles For Beginners’ »

With all the ways you can use a suv, no wonder it is the most popular body type of choice to use. Just about every auto maker has a Suv or maybe several models. Ford has 5 suv’s now, but three are very popular.When gas prices went above $4.00 a gallon it made the smaller suv’s more sought after, like the ford escape. The escape is a small but roomy vehicle that gets good gas mileage. Another very popular vehicle ford has is the ford explorer. This vehicle is a very stylish suv with a 3rd row seating available. For people not worried about gas mileage they have the expedition, which is a large suv, but not their largest.

Chevrolet’s and GMC have some popular suv’s like the Chevy Blazer and the GMC Envoy to name a few. Both of these vehicles are just alike all but the name. These vehicles can be very nice finished, and are pretty roomy. They both come with 3rd row seating available now. Chevrolet also has several new cross over vehicles to choose from one popular one is the Chevy Equinox. The Equinox is a small suv kind of cross over vehicle with good room and good gas mileage. The Chevy Equinox can come with a LT package which comes with leather seats and wood grain dash. Stereo system for front and rear of vehicle with dvd players in back of seats.

Continue reading ‘The best used Suv's’ »