Lemon laws were introduced primarily to protect the
consumer from unscrupulous dealers who would sell off
any old rubbish and claim that the item was fit for
use.

Unfortunately, many cars sold today have been
repaired or restructured and have a somewhat dubious
history.

For example, did you know that there are dealers out
there that will take two similar cars which have been
damaged – one front end and one back end – and
literally weld the two halves together to make one
car?

In the trade this is called a ‘cut and shut’ and
is highly dangerous. The car can virtually fall apart
when involved in even the slightest impact.

The lemon law also forces manufacturers to buy back
any cars deemed to be in the lemon category. Although
there is a common law to all states, most have
different interpretations of this law. Check it out
before you part with your hard earned cash.

Also be aware that any used car has a history. Finding
this history is not always easy especially if the car
has been shipped out of state or out of the country.

Make sure the engine and chassis number match up with
the paper work and try your best to check if the
vehicle was ever involved in an accident.

Remember, these laws were introduced to protect you,
the consumer. If you can arm yourself with a little of
this knowledge, you will be protecting yourself from
untold misery. After all, life is too short to spend
it in the hospital or courtroom!

Porsche and Ferrari are German and Italian sides of the same
coin, interpretations of the sports car idea. Both founded by a
dominant patriarch, both honed in racing, both more than 50
years old, both with engineering and styling integrity. Whether on
the track of Le Mains or on the streets, the two have always been
put head-to-head and compared. Even the most naive motorist
associates these two names with both performance and style.

We’ve decided to compare the methodical Porsche 911 Carrera
4S and the passionate Ferrari F430 because both of them astonish
with their performance while attempting to maintain a reasonable
amount of practicality but do not pretend to be anything other than
sports cars.

A modern sports car should feature these characteristics: it should be
started easily, maneuvered around town, blasted on a couple of
country roads, it looks and performs the part on a racetrack but at the
same time it is very safe.

The easier way to separate the two cars is by measuring figures since
both of them have mastered the modern sports car requirements and
basically there’s no other way to choose between these two phenomenal
cars.

What initially impresses is Ferrari’s lightning fast 4-second 0-100km/h
acceleration and thrilling exhaust tone. As the occupants are pinned to
the seats, the new generation 4.3-litre V8 pushes out 368 snarling
kilowatts. Porsche’s acceleration also offers that kick in the pants a
super car should deliver, although it is 0.8 seconds slower at the 100 km/k
mark.

With such acceleration performance, it comes natural for both cars to
excel in the braking department. The two cars offer optional ceramic
discs for impressive stopping.

Porsche’s engine gets the upper hand as it is more refined and on
the economy rank leaps ahead Ferrari with a 11.8 liters per 100 km
as opposed to 18.3 liters. Both cars deliver the power through impressive
6-speed gearboxes and offer top rate handling performance.

Both F430 and Carrera4S offer great interior comfort and even if the
space is limited, the occupants don’t feel claustrophobic and flustered.
Although an impressive mix of suede, carbon fiber and aluminum abound
in the Ferrari, the Italians stand no chance when it comes to the high finish
level attained by the Germans.

Speed and silence are key elements for any super car. The look and
appearance is the biggest draw card. The Carrera 4S is a typical Porsche,
despite the new proportions. It is a great looking car, like any other 911 but
somehow the styling no longer creates the jaw dropping reaction that the
Ferrari does. Indeed, traditionalists may say that Porsche pays homage to
its roots, but the truth is that Ferrari F430 simply draws the attention.

However, even if Ferrari F430 takes your breath away with its appearance,
the super car title goes to the Porsche Carrera 4S with a more complete all
round package.

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PPPPP

Have you ever taken a look at the recent gasoline
prices lately? If you have and you didn’t really take
much notice of it, then you may either be very rich or
you are clueless. Gasoline prices today are
ridiculously high and are continuing to rise. It’s
going to be quite a while before we see the prices
improve. Combine this with a poorly performing economy
it’s really no surprise why people are now using all
methods to save money on gasoline, such as hypermiling
and car pooling as well as buying hybrid cars.

So, just what are hybrid cars?

Hybrid cars are basically vehicles with two engines.
The first engine is your conventional gasoline engine
and the second engine is an electric motor. By
combining these two engines, you will be able to save
money on gasoline and get better gasoline mileage for
your car.

How?

Basically, hybrid cars run like your average vehicle.
However, whenever hybrid cars are on running idle or
are in running in stationary position, the onboard
computer will shut down the gasoline engine and leave
the car running on the electric engine. This means
that the car will still be running but will not
consume any gasoline. You have to consider that
millions of dollars are wasted everyday on gasoline
because of a car running idle.

Another advantage is that the government is providing
huge tax breaks for people who own hybrid cars. So, if
you own a hybrid vehicle, you will not only save a lot
of money on gasoline, but you will also enjoy huge tax
breaks provided by the government.

By owning a hybrid vehicle, you will also contribute
to a cleaner environment. Because hybrid vehicles
don’t burn a lot of gasoline or fuel, you will be able
to reduce the overall amount of toxic fumes emitted by
the car. In fact, some hybrid models available today
reduce tailpipe emissions by up to 90 percent and 50
percent on greenhouse gas emissions.

However, there are some cons on hybrid cars.

The first is that it cost a lot more than conventional
vehicles. However, you have to consider that the
hybrid technology is relatively new. On average, you
will be paying 5 to 6 thousand dollars more for a
hybrid car. You are actually paying for the
technology. But, when you think about it in the long
run, you will see that it is well worth the cost. In
fact, hybrid cars are cheaper than conventional
vehicles in the long run.

Another disadvantage is that because the hybrid
vehicles are equipped with batteries that contain high
voltage it is very difficult for rescuers to provide
assistance to people trapped inside the car because of
possible electrocution for both the passenger and the
rescuer in cases of vehicular accidents.

These are some of the pros and cons of hybrid
vehicles. Although there may be some disadvantages
that comes with owning a hybrid vehicle, you have to
consider the fact that scientists and researchers are
developing ways to make the hybrid technology cheaper
as well as safer for everyone.

You have to remember that hybrid cars are still on its
infancy. In the future, it is very much possible that
we will be able to see cheaper and safer hybrid cars
that everyone will be able to afford.