++
When purchasing a car, pick the model you want from
the lot/showroom and take notes (make, model, color, options, price etc.)
Ask questions of a sales rep if you need to, but don't enter his office
or sign anything. Visit several other dealerships and do the same thing.
Take note of the lowest price. Wait a day or so, then call all the dealerships,
starting with the highest-priced one, and ask them to meet or beat the
lowest price you recorded. They'll all ask you to come to them to discuss
the matter; refuse. Work your way down the list, then start over with
the current highest-priced dealer. Keep calling until you can't get a
lower price.
++ In the same vein, when making any major
purchase like a car or a house, bring a calculator and check the dealer's
math. Learn the formula for compound interest (write it down if you must).
If you find the dealer playing fast and loose with the numbers, call him
on it and make as big a fuss as possible, ideally involving his manager.
++
Always learn the side-streets
if you travel on a major thoroughfare. They can, occasionally, be less
congested.
++
Keep in mind that when the
light turns red the other guys' light doesn't usually turn green for at
least a second or so. Plus, they have to accelerate and get out to the
middle of the intersection. So its actually safer in some circumstances
(you're going too fast, the yellow light is short or you didn't notice
it till late) to just slightly run the red light. to avoid real unsafety,
i usually think of red lights as being bad only if it's red before you're
halfway through the intersection. Note, however, that I'm not actually
condoning breaking the law, merely advocating safety.
++
If you need to leave your car
in an area where you think it might get stolen, remove some small but
vital part like the fuse for the fuel pump.
++
When changing your oil, take
the filler cap off before removing the drain plug.
++
A very good tip for long distance
(travelers) drivers: For every 2 hours of driving take at least a 10 minute
break, even if you don't have to go to the bathroom, or aren't hungry.
++
Your car battery is getting
old, hmmm? Not a lot of cranking power left, and it's cold out. AND you
have to fire that sucker up and be on your way at 3 a.m. Try this: before
turning the key, turn the headlights on for a few seconds. It might seem
counter-intuitive, but it works. This process is called "boot-strapping,"
as in "picking yourself up by the bootstraps." It warms the battery slightly
and provides a bit more cranking amps for the initial starting attempt.
++
If you live in a part of the
country where snow is a regular thing during the winter, do yourself a
favor and find a large, open parking lot the next time you get an inch
or two. Drive up there, and practice inducing spins and then steering
out of them. At minimum, half an hour of this is as good as gold, but
ideally you should do it until it becomes second nature for either direction
at most any speed. It's a lot more helpful than reading a description
of how to do so.
++
Before embarking on a long
drive, give your car a once over: check tires, lights, fluids, and make
sure to have a spare tire -- A real one and the stuff to change it with,
not just a donut.
++
Try to keep a "go bag" in your
vehicle. Include 20 bucks emergency money, a blanket, a full change of
clothes, lighter, bottled water, some sort of non-perishable food (MRE's
are perfect if you can get them), flashlight and batteries, a jacknife,
bungie cords or a good length nylon rope, and anything else you can possibly
think of that you might need. If you ever need to take off in a hurry,
you've got pretty much everything you might need already in the car. This
also makes a good emergency kit.
++
Keep a blanket and a snack
in your car, not just for emergencies, but for whatever.
++
At strip malls, and most stores,
for that matter, there is almost always parking in the back, regardless
of the fact that you'd have to kill someone to get a space in the front.
It might be for employee parking, but there usually aren't signs that
say so.
++
Keep a disposable camera in
your glove compartment.
++
Learn how to use basic hand
tools. This can prove to be near-infinitely useful.
++
Don't baby your car during
the break in period. It is not bad to bring the engine to redline every
now and then. It is actually good for the engine, proven by many people,
that the engine seals expand much better when it is exposed the full range
of what it is capable of. The thing you don't want to do is keep it under
3000 rpm during break-in, because I guarantee you that your piston rings
wont seat evenly. Highway driving is bad for new cars, because usually
you'll drive at a fixed RPM, which means again, the piston rings will
not seal fully and you'll burn oil in the later days.
++
The break-in period is typically
about 500 miles. After this, highway driving is better for your engine
than stop-and-go city driving.
++
Higher octane doesn't do anything
for your car if it doesn't need it. Don't put 93 octane gas in your car
if it doesn't need it. It will not give you more horsepower. Instead it'll
leave deposits in your engine.
++
Have a stubborned oil filter
and it's too tight to get a wrench in there? Use sandpaper to grip it.
++
If you get into a car crash,
don't shrug it off just because you can't feel anything. An injury (i.e.
whiplash) can cause a world of hurt later on. As you age, these injuries,
which usually don't heal 100%, turn into something much worse.
--
Tips for Getting Out of a Ticket
1.
Pull over ASAP, but not if it's dangerous. Turn into a non-busy parking
lot if you can, or if you can turn onto a side road without driving too
far, do it. Don't forget the officer has to get in behind you. Take that
into account. Also, pull over as far as possible. The officer will not
pull over as far because they use their patrol car as a shield to deflect
oncoming traffic.
2. Turn your parking lights on and your engine off. Roll down your windows
and turn on all the lights in your car. Stay in your car. Keep your hands
where the officer can see them, but not on your roof, felon. The top of
your steering wheel is fine. Turn your stereo off.
3. You never know why you were pulled over unless it's painfully obvious.
Ask permission and/or tell the officer everything you are doing; "My license
is in my pocket, let me grab that for you." "My wallet is in my gym bag
in back, mind if I grab it?" "My registration is in my glove box, let
me grab that." (leave the glove box open until your registration is back
in it) Do things slowly, but promptly.
4. Above all, be polite! Address The officer as "Officer" Not "sir" or
"ma'am."
5. Acknowledge that you may have broken the law, but not intentionally.
"I don't normally take this route, officer, I must have missed the sign,"
NEVER "I was in a hurry." Don't blame your car, your thottle, cruise control.
That's a good way to get an additional fix-it
Just keep in mind, the officer is just doing his job. If you get a ticket,
suck it up and learn from your mistakes.
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