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.

Modern Car Care Myths

Our vehicles can be costly, and for that reason, we all want to take good care of them and make sure we can get as much life out of them as possible. In this, most of us want to know what we should do to help our vehicles along – but we also want to know what not to do, so that we aren’t wasting our money.

So – what are some of the basic car care myths professionals have identified?

1. Myth #1 – Tune-ups – How often should you have your vehicle tuned up? Do you know? Most engines are computer monitored and controlled – the good news with this is, they don’t need tune-ups as often as a traditional engine. There was a time that with a standard tune-up, it often called for new ignition parts such as a distributor cap, spark plugs, and points and rotors. Besides spark plugs, which usually don't have to be changed until 100,000 miles, today's cars aren't built with points and rotors, and many engines don't have distributor caps that need replacement as often.

2. Myth #2 – Having Your Car Lubricated – In the old days, cars had chassis that needed lubrication. All that metal, potential rust – you name it, the car needed to be greased. But now, cars are a combination of metal and plastic and therefore need little additional lubrication.

3. Myth #3 – Flushing Your Radiator Annually - Manufacturers have made significant advancements in engine cooling systems during the past few years with closed systems that recirculate coolant. These new systems don't lose coolant as often, and coolant manufacturers have also made advancements in their products' chemical components with synthetic materials, making the seasonal radiator flush almost extinct. It is still important to check fluid levels periodically--especially before long trips--and use the manufacturer-recommended coolant. You should change your coolant about every four years. Coolant chemicals last longer than they used to, and newer engines aren't going to be damaged by leaving it in long.

When changing your coolant, try a premixed formulation rather than adding tap water, which contains minerals that can cause trouble.

Some coolants will need to be mixed with water, in this case use only distilled water which doesn’t have the hard minerals in it.

For those who live in extreme climates, hot or cold, then you should be paying much more attention to your coolant than others.

4. Myth #4 - Wheel Alignment – We all want to keep our car in balance and were taught growing up to make sure our vehicle had the tires rotated frequently so that it stayed in alignment. Although it's important to keep tires properly maintained and inflated, it's not always necessary to have them aligned every time they are rotated. A majority of manufacturers recommend a wheel alignment and wheel balance only if there is a major issue with the car pulling to one side or another.

5. Myth #5: Winterize Your Car – Many grew up with the notion that before winter came, you had to winterize your car. Your car’s maintenance doesn't have to be tied to the seasons. Today’s modern cars don’t require the same amount of attention. Professionals say, other than possibly changing to winter tires, modern cars don't require special attention at this time of year the way that your parents' car might have.

What can you do for your car before winter? During colder months, it is advisable for you to keep more gas in your car's tank. Why – this is due to the fact air carries moisture and water, which can freeze and crystallize. The more gas in the tank, the less air - and less chance of ice forming inside where it could get into fuel lines and cause trouble, he says.

So, don’t spend unnecessarily, in these times, we all want to be a bit wiser about where our dollar goes. And enjoy your car for as long as you have it.

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.