Picking Your Next Vehicle And All Its Options

If you are ready to purchase your next vehicle, you are probably going through a mental checklist on what it is you want or need. Today, choosing the right car goes beyond how great it looks, how fast it goes and whether it is economical. There are so many choices in regards to options and features now, that one can truly go to town with their decision.

What are some of these features? To start, how about safety. While safety isn't in the bells and whistles category, it is of great value to many people. If you want to know how the vehicle you are looking at rates safety wise, try researching it through organizations such as the well-regarded Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). In researching, look for manufacturers that consistently achieve the IIHS' "Top Safety Pick." The NHTSA awards 5-Star ratings to vehicles with the highest crash and rollover safety.

Other cool features include consoles. Consoles in vehicles have come a long way. Today, car manufacturers are coming out with what is called multipurpose center consoles. Such consoles utilize a center bin that can be customized to hold CDs, personal items or even a laptop computer. Add to that the 12-volt power point and you have a place to charge your electronics. And then there is the cool auxiliary audio input for iPods and other MP3 players along with small slots built into the side of the console for organizing the routing of power cords.

Overhead consoles and advanced gloveboxes also help utilize space. These overhead consoles or "airplane style" consoles can include three large storage bins, one small bin, four air vents, four lights and up to two 8-inch DVD entertainment screens (when properly equipped).

Gloveboxes have also come a long way too and hold a lot more than a pair of gloves. Some vehicles come with twin gloveboxes, which may be opened electronically. There is even a vehicle that allows storage for small personal items in a dash bin to the left of the steering wheel.

How about washable interior surfaces? This feature that some vehicle manufacturers are implementing includes a black urethane-coated utility flooring that allows one to haul muddy mountain bikes or wet snowboards, which can easily be hosed out. Waterproof seating upholstery (called FXC — "fabric for extreme conditions") keeps the chairs stain-free. Rubberized floors and water-resistant seats with sealed seams to keep everything intact when rinsed out. There is also rear sliding storage trays in some vehicles that extend 18 inches beyond the rear bumper for simple cargo loading and unloading. Up to 400 pounds may be placed on the unit. A separate rear cargo tray is "reversible," creating a walled bin useful for carrying balls or other objects with the potential to slide. An asymmetrical tailgate on some SUV's allows easy loading when both closed and open. The short half on the passenger side lets users load cargo easily when closed, and the long driver-side half provides a luggage/gear storage shelf when down.


How about a partially exposed Lazy Suzan (rotating storage tray) beneath the passenger floor - yes there is a vehicle with this too. Or a retractable dry-cleaning hook?

And storage? Many car manufacturers are realizing people want more and more storage in their vehicles. Today, vehicles come with things like passenger compartment storage and super folding seats. Folding second- and third-row seats that fold completely flat into the floor is another cool feature. When the seats are upright, there's plenty of storage below the floor.

The choices are endless in today's vehicles, making driving and owning your vehicle more fun than ever. So before you pick out your next vehicle, make a list of items you find will enhance your driving experience and do a little shopping around.

Greg Chapman of Greg Chapman Motors is a knowledgable and leading provider of used cars, trucks, and SUV’s. Since 1959, Chapman motors has supplied reliable used cars in Austin and the surrounding area. For more information please visit http://www.gregchapmanmotors.com.

Choosing Safety Features in Your Next Car

Today’s vehicle owners are getting pickier about the type of car they buy. One of the features valued is safety. So what does one look for if they are seeking a safe car?

To start, there are many ways a vehicle can be ‘safe’. For instance, there is safety in regards to collisions and accidents, and then there is the other safety – that which assists potentially vulnerable people when getting in and out of their vehicle or when traveling alone.

In terms of accident safety, the most important feature of a vehicle, that typically comes standard are the seatbelts. Lap belts are becoming less and less common, only to be replaced by seat belts that have three anchorage points. Even if you are sitting in the middle or the back, most lap straps or 'two-point' belts, which are very ineffective and can fail to save a person's life, have been replaced with the three-point belt.

The second safety feature in a vehicle is its airbags. To date, statistics show that airbags reduce the risk of dying in a direct frontal crash by about 30 percent. Airbags combined with seatbelts are important combinations in vehicle safety. Depending on your air bags alone isn’t sufficient and many states have seat belt laws whereupon you can be fined for not wearing them. When it comes to airbags and buying your next vehicle, make sure it not only has front airbags, but ask about side airbags as well. The side airbags are designed to protect your pelvis and torso, and 'curtain' airbags protect the side of one's head in a side impact or a rollover situation. Many vehicles today have up to six or even eight airbags.

When looking at various makes and models when purchasing your next vehicle, do some research and find out how it rated in crash testing. Otherwise, there are some obvious safety features such as, vehicles with full-time all-wheel drive and four-wheel disc brakes can enhance your vehicle’s performance and potentially contribute to safety. Or, having a vehicle that has enough power to keep you out of trouble is important.

Size is another consideration. Heavier and larger vehicles are generally safer than lighter ones. Fatality statistics support this in that lighter cars account for twice as many deaths as the heavier ones. Anti-lock brakes or anti-locking system (ABS), which means the vehicle has a special breaking mechanism that gives you much more control on the road compared to simple traditional brakes, is definitely a nice safety feature. Slamming on the brakes in a vehicle with no ABS means the wheels will lock up and often skid or make the driver lose control. With ABS, your brakes are pumped for you allowing your car to stop gradually and quickly at the same time.

Other new technology coming out on the market to enhance the safety of vehicles includes:

1. Roll Stability Control - Roll Stability Control utilizes gyroscopic sensors to measure both yaw and roll. The system will automatically assist the driver in maintaining control and reducing the risk of rollover.

2. Side Curtain Airbags – These airbags automatically deploy during a rollover or side-impact accident. While we have seen this technology in some vehicles, car companies are trying to make it a standard piece of equipment.

3. Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) – This is a Ford feature that includes a monitoring system for your tire’s pressure. There is a radio transmitter mounted inside each tire so that when tire pressure exceeds a specified limit range, the system activates a warning light and message in message center equipped vehicles.

4. Adaptive Front Lighting – Adaptive front lighting systems is something new many car companies are playing with. Depending on the company, this feature can vary. For Ford, the lighting system features swiveling headlights, computer-optimized lighting, and adjustable angle headlights that compensate for vehicle load, acceleration and braking. The headlights also feature an electro-mechanical washing system that cleans headlight lenses.

Last, are features for your personal safety. If you are someone who travels a lot alone or in remote parts of the country or city, the first level of safety, is making sure your remote control, or key, initially unlocks one door only. Unlocking all of your doors simultaneously creates a risk that someone could enter your vehicle, or reach in and grab something, as you are getting in. Another safety feature is lighting that can be turned on through your key fob. Some vehicles have integrated what is called ‘approach lighting’ so that your vehicle is lit up around its exterior before you enter it. Approach Lighting technology can also be located behind the mirror glass so that when activated by the key fob or by opening a door, a bright light is directed through the glass to illuminate the vehicle's door handles and surrounding entry area, making it safer and easier to enter the vehicle.

While many safety features are finally becoming standard, there are many vehicles on the market that have not integrated them yet. So if you are seeking a vehicle that is safe, do your homework and find out what it is your are seeking and what its priority is for you – it is most likely you will then find the type of safe car you have been searching for.

Greg Chapman of Greg Chapman Motors is a knowledgable and leading provider of used cars, trucks, and SUV’s. Since 1959, Chapman motors has supplied reliable used cars in Austin and the surrounding area. For more information please visit http://www.gregchapmanmotors.com.

Car Theft and Trying To Prevent It

If you haven’t had your car stolen, you have been lucky so far. Auto theft is an estimated $7.5 billion business, according to the FBI. An auto theft occurred every 23 seconds in the United States with nearly 1.4 million vehicles stolen. Auto theft frequency varied according to region, with the Southern States losing 35%, the Western States 28%, the Midwestern States 20%, and the Northeastern States with a 17% auto theft rate. Vehicle thefts rates do not vary drastically from month-to-month, however, January and July seem to have slightly higher crime rates. The lowest percentage of auto thefts occurs in February and April, probably because of fewer days in the month.

Auto theft is largely a big-city crime. Obviously, population density makes a difference in the auto theft rate, but the urban reality is that more cars are parked on the street or in open parking lots than in secured personal garages. The sheer amount of cars in urban areas makes it very difficult for the police to identify a recently stolen car from among the thousands of similar looking vehicles in traffic. The police will admit to getting lucky sometimes by recovering a recently stolen car because of a tail-light being out or when the car thief commits a minor traffic violation like speeding or failing to stop at a stop sign.

An experienced car thief can steal your car in less than a minute. Many crude thieves simply smash the drivers’ window. Most cars are seemingly stolen for the value of their parts. According to insurance companies, a $20,000 stolen vehicle can be stripped and sold into $30,000 worth of parts inventory to unscrupulous scrap and auto-body shops. Stolen cars, vans, trucks, and motorcycles cause economic hardship for victims and increase everyone's insurance premiums.

Here are some free things you can do to help prevent car theft:

* Take Your Keys. Nearly 20 percent of all vehicles stolen have the keys in them.
* Lock Your Car. Approximately 50 percent of all vehicles stolen were left unlocked.
* Never hide a second set of keys in your car. Extra keys can be easily found if a thief takes time to look.
* Park in well-lighted areas. Over half of all vehicle thefts occur at night.
* Park in attended lots. Auto thieves do not like witnesses and prefer unattended parking lots.
* If you park in an attended lot, leave only the ignition/door key. If your trunk and glovebox use the same key as the door, have one of them changed. Don't give the attendant easy access to your glovebox and trunk. Upon returning, check the tires, spare tire, and battery to be sure they are the same as those you had when you parked.
* Never leave your car running, even if you will only be gone a minute. Vehicles are commonly stolen at convenience stores, gas stations, ATMs, etc. Many vehicles are also stolen on cold mornings when the owner leaves the vehicle running to warm up.
* Completely close car windows when parking. Don't make it any easier for the thief to enter your vehicle.
* Don't leave valuables in plain view.. Don't make your car a more desirable target and attract thieves by leaving valuables in plain sight.
* Park with your wheels turned toward the curb.. Make your car tough to tow away. Wheels should also be turned to the side in driveways and parking lots.
* If your vehicle is rear-wheel drive, back into your driveway. Rear wheels lock on four-wheel drive vehicles, making them difficult to tow. Front-wheel drive vehicles should be parked front end first.
* Always use your emergency brake when parking. In addition to ensuring safety, using the emergency brake makes your car harder to tow.
* If you have a garage, use it.. If you have a garage, take the time to use it rather than parking outside where your vehicle is more vulnerable.
* When parking in a garage, lock the garage door and your vehicle. By locking both the garage and vehicle doors, the chances of deterring a thief greatly improve.
* Don't leave the registration or title in your car. A car thief will use these to sell your stolen car. File the title at your home or office, and carry registration in your purse or wallet.
* Disable your vehicle when leaving it unattended for an extended period of time. Remove the electronic ignition fuse, coil wire, rotor distributor, or otherwise disable your vehicle anytime thieves may have extended access to it.
* Replace T-Shaped door locks with straight locks. Some vehicle doors have lock assemblies at window level that flare out in a knob or "T" shape. A thief can use various tools to gain access inside the vehicle, grab and pull the lock. Straight locks prevent this.
* Vehicle Identification Number (VIN). Stolen cars/parts are more easily traced when vehicle VIN numbers have been etched on car windows and major parts.
* Engrave expensive accessories. Engrave personal ID numbers on car stereos, cellular phones, etc., so the thief will have difficulty disposing of them.

Greg Chapman of Greg Chapman Motors is a knowledgeable and leading provider of used cars, trucks, and SUV’s. Since 1959, Chapman motors has supplied reliable used cars in Austin and the surrounding area and is known as one of the used cars for sale in Austin. For more information please visit http://www.gregchapmanmotors.com.

Keeping Your Teenage Driver Safe

Your child has just become a teenager and is already behind the wheel. This can be the most frightening part of a parent’s life. According to data from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, car crashes take more young lives than all other causes--and in larger proportion than for any other driving age group. And most of the fatal crashes and serious injuries come in the very earliest months of unsupervised driving. But you can help keep these statistics from affecting your child by simply offering them some basic driving rules.


1. Help your teens develop the right habits especially during the first six months of solo driving. Let them know right away these are the rules:

• Use of safety belts is mandatory.

• Teen passengers won't be allowed initially.

• Night driving will be limited.

• Don’t drive when you are drowsy.

• Distractions (e.g., text messaging) are prohibited.

• Speeding must be expressly prohibited. Since most new drivers don't have the experience to handle vehicles at high speeds, it's the source of many deaths and injuries.

• There will be no alcohol or drug use.

2. Set a good driving example in the way you drive:

• Wear your safety belt always.

• Don't speed.

• Practice defensive driving.

• Don't use your cell phone.

• Don't run red lights.

3. Develop a parent/teen driving contract. An example is available from the National Safety Council at www.nsc.org/issues/teendriving/ agreement.pdf. Many states also have sample agreements.

4. Plan to provide your teen with extra practice time in a variety of weather conditions so he or she can gain experience and confidence. If you live in a climate where the winters are challenging, make sure your teens vehicle is up to par. Here are some things you can do:

• Winter weather puts your vehicle's mechanical systems and performance to the ultimate test, and demands that your vehicle is in excellent condition. Make sure that your tires and all mechanical systems, including your brakes, are in top working order.

• Take your new driver to a vacant, snow or ice covered parking lot where you can safely practice slow-speed maneuvers.

• A novice driver's first on-the-road experience with winter-weather driving should not be during a major blizzard. Ensure he/she waits until conditions are less severe.

• If possible, have your teenager practice driving on slippery roads in daylight only. Exposure to slippery roads at night should be limited until beginners have gained more experience driving in various types of winter weather.

• Maintain a safe driving distance from the vehicle in front of you.

• Make sure the speed limit is observed and respected.

• Transform the trunk of your vehicle into a winter survival kit by filling it with essential emergency equipment including a flashlight, blankets, jumper cables, sand and a small shovel or ice scraper.

5. Reinforce state graduated licensing programs so teens must have a longer period of supervised driving and more restrictions in the early months.
This is a just a short list, but with your reinforcement, a little time spent with your teen driver might protect your child’s life and at the very least keep their insurance rates from going through the roof.

Greg Chapman of Greg Chapman Motors is a knowledgeable and leading provider of used cars, trucks, and SUV’s. Since 1959, Chapman motors has supplied reliable used cars in Austin and the surrounding area and is known as one of the used cars for sale in Austin. For more information please visit http://www.gregchapmanmotors.com.

Car Emergency Kits

Many of us never think about keeping certain ‘emergency’ items in our car until it’s too late. But by just compiling a handful of items, many which may be laying around your house, keeping these items in your trunk or behind the seat, could help you or another drive at some point in your life.

What should you have in your emergency kit? The sky is the limit here. According to the FAA, not sure why they are concerned with cars, they suggest the following:

* Battery powered radio and extra batteries
* Flashlight and extra batteries
* Blanket
* Booster cables
* Fire extinguisher (5 lb., A-B-C type)
* First aid kit and manual
* Bottled water and non-perishable high energy foods, such as granola bars, raisins and peanut butter.
* Maps
* Shovel
* Tire repair kit and pump
* Flares

Click and Clack, the famous auto gurus have similar suggestions. Here is their list along with some of their comments:

1. Heavy-Duty Jumper Cables

This is one area on which not to skimp. Why? Because a lot of jumper cables on the market today simply aren't up to snuff. In fact, in our humble opinion, most jumper cables stink. They're either too short, too thin or won't stay flexible in the cold — which is when you really need them.

When you're shopping for cables, we'd recommend that you buy ones that are at least 20 feet long, which gives you plenty of length with which to work. They should be at least four-gauge, and thicker if possible. And, finally, they should be made of copper, so there's less resistance.


2. Tire pressure is very important — it affects everything from handling to braking to gas mileage to tire wear. We recommend that you never use one of those cheap, pencil-type tire gauges. They're notoriously inaccurate. And don't trust the gauge on the air hose at Phil's Quikie Gas either. Gauges at gas stations are often completely out of whack as well.

Tip: Don't check tire pressure after you've been driving. The friction of the tires on the road creates heat and will give you the wrong reading. Check the tire pressure *before* you start driving. What is the "correct" tire pressure? It's different for all vehicles. Look in your owner's manual, which will usually refer you to a label on the doorpost.

3. Breaking down on the side of the road is bad enough without a bread truck plowing into you. We recommend you have a sturdy, heavy triangular folding reflector on hand.

Tip: The best ones have a base that's loaded with sand so it won't blow over when that semi comes barreling down the road.

4. Someday, somewhere, you'll be really glad you have a can of Fix-a-Flat in your car.

If you do get a flat, you'll want to use Fix-a-Flat as soon as possible, before all the air escapes from the tire. Otherwise, the tire may separate from the wheel, and then it won't work.


5. A safe container for carrying gas.

Tip: No matter how desperate you are, you should never, ever carry gas in milk jugs or anything else that's not designed for carrying fuel.

6. Vise-Grip Straight-Jaw Locking Pliers

Vise Grips are the emergency alternative to carrying around a full set of English and metric sockets. In our opinion, a pair of Vise Grips is the most versatile tool you can have in your car. Get the original ones, too--not cheap knockoffs from Outer Mongolia.

There are all sorts of uses for vise-grips, including removing stubborn nuts and bolts, and tightening battery connections. There are more creative uses for vise-grips, too. For example, if you have a leaking coolant hose, clamp the vise-grips onto the hose and temporarily stop the leak. If your alternator bracket breaks, you can hold it in place with vise-grips.

7. 20 feet of 18-gauge galvanized wire.

Tip: Mechanic's wire is great for reattaching loose mufflers and exhaust parts, wiring trunks shut — or securing anything else that's falling off.

8. Duct Tape

Duct tape is great for temporarily fixing hose leaks, fixing busted side mirrors and hiding rust holes before your annual inspection. Duct tape is very easy to tear in both directions. You can make a piece of duct tape fit just about anything.

9. Four-in-One Screwdriver

We especially like this tool because it's four screwdrivers in one--two straight blades and two sizes of Phillips ends, which sure beats carrying around a box of various sized screwdrivers. Look for one that's not a piece of junk, and feels sturdy and durable.

10. Flashlight/Lantern

Look for a flashlight that's durable and dual-purpose, which doubles as a lantern or beacon. An alternative that we like is the Mag-lite brand flashlight. They're indestructible, but pretty costly. And, like any flashlight, after months of sitting in the back of your car, the batteries are often corroded. For a neat alternative, see the generator light below.

Tip: Store the batteries outside the flashlight, in a Zip-loc, if you want to make sure the flashlight doesn't accidentally turn on and drain the batteries. And have extra batteries on hand — who knows how long you'll need that light when the time comes.

11. Mylar Space Blanket

Will our Mylar space blanket save you at 40 below in blizzard-force winds? Of course not! A good space blanket, however, will reflect back a lot of your heat--they're used by rescuers of all sorts. Having one in your car might just help keep you keep cozy when you're broken down next January in East Moosejaw.

Greg Chapman of Greg Chapman Motors is a knowledgeable and leading provider of used cars, trucks, and SUV’s. Since 1959, Chapman motors has supplied reliable used cars in Austin and the surrounding area and is known as one of the used cars for sale in Austin. For more information please visit http://www.gregchapmanmotors.com.