McCarthy Wholesale

McCarthy Wholesale — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 20:07:00 +0000

Wireless technology revolutionizing autos

McCarthy Wholesale — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 18:58:00 +0000

Wireless technology that allows drivers to dodge traffic jams, report potholes and road hazards, and pay for a drive-through meal without ever touching a wallet is coming to a car near you. But don't hold your breath.

The age of Vehicle Infrastructure Integration -- known as VII and defined simply as cars that "talk" to each other and to roadside units via cellular, wifi, satellite and other technology -- is an evolutionary step comparable to the creation of the interstate highway system 50 years ago, say experts.

Some wireless services already exist -- such as OnStar, which offers services such as roadside and directional assistance and hands-free phoning, and entertainment options like the iPod and satellite radio. But that's just the tip of the iceberg of what's to come. Proponents of VII say once wireless technology becomes commonplace we'll see things like seat belts communicating with roadside traffic managers, engineers and others to make driving safer, more efficient, and more enjoyable.

Vehicles features include dashboard-mounted touch screens that offer Internet access, navigational assistance, car performance and diagnostics, music and entertainment with the brush of a finger. A USB port replaced the cigarette lighter. Since the basic equipment needed for a car is a radio and a GPS unit, car manufacturers said VII should add little to a car's price tag -- less than $100.

In a CAR survey of the auto industry's expectations for the rollout of VII technology in new cars, 2012 was the median year respondents said auto companies would begin outfitting new cars with the technology. Just four years later, by 2016, 50 percent of new cars would be so equipped, respondents predicted. Full roadside deployment across the U.S. -- all interstates, paved state highways and local roads -- is expected by 2035.

Fuel Economy - What does it cost to drive?

McCarthy Wholesale — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 18:05:00 +0000

The best place to find out what kind of gas mileage your vehicle offers is at www.fueleconomy.gov. The quandary that new car buyers find themselves in this summer is that while it makes sense to take fuel economy into account, two moves by the federal government have made it more difficult than ever to calculate cost effectiveness.
New factors to consider:

1.
The EPA changed the way it comes up with the mileage ratings on new cars -- lowering the numbers substantially.
2.
Tax credits for the most popular hybrids have vanished, erasing a good portion of the anticipated savings.

First, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency changed the test procedures it uses to determine the city-highway fuel mileage numbers that are affixed to all new-car price stickers -- meaning 2008-model vehicles will have lower ratings than the identical 2007 model. The big losers in the EPA recalculation of fuel mileage are the gas-electric hybrids, which now carry EPA ratings up to 30 percent lower than last year. Consider the Toyota Prius, which has been the darling of the fuel-efficient fleet. Under the old EPA system, it was rated at 60 mpg in city driving, 51 mpg highway and 55 mpg in combined city-highway. The new system says the Prius is likely to get 48 in city driving (20 percent less), 45 mpg on the highway (12 percent less) and an average 46 mpg (16 percent less) in combined driving.

The good news is that the new ratings more accurately reflect what drivers report in real-world conditions and that the hybrids are still usually the fuel mileage champs in various categories, since the new EPA results also lowered the mileage numbers for conventional gas-only vehicles.

Consumers who haven't shopped for new cars in the past few years will be confronted with some new, more fuel-efficient choices, from subcompact sedans to an expanding array of sport utility vehicles that are based on engine and chassis combinations that are more like sedans.

Cars like the Honda Fit, Toyota Yaris and Nissan Versa are testing consumer interest in buying cars that are half the size of the SUVs that have been the favorites of drivers in past years. While sales of these cars have been encouraging, there's no indication that buyers -- even with gas prices around $3 a gallon -- are rushing to downsize.

Crossover SUVs like the Ford Edge, Chevrolet Equinox and Mazda CX join longstanding crossovers like the Toyota Highlander and the Honda Pilot. These vehicles offer interior room and styling that's similar to traditional SUVs like the Ford Explorer and the Chevrolet Tahoe, but with better fuel mileage and often a more comfortable ride. The compromise is that crossover SUVs usually sacrifice some off-road and towing capabilities.

First, make an honest assessment of what you need in your next vehicle in terms of passenger capacity, size and price. Then consider your budget for fuel, taking into account that you're likely to have your next vehicle for five or more years. While no one has a crystal ball to know what gas will cost over that period, it's a safe bet that prices will not be returning to $2 a gallon. So plan accordingly. While your mileage and cost will vary, it's a place to start when deciding which new vehicle will best suit your mileage needs.

How To Fix Your Bad Credit

McCarthy Wholesale — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 21:06:00 +0000

A good credit score is very valuable tool to have these days. Whether you're purchasing an automobile, house, or student loan you're going to want good credit. The reason good credit is neccesary is to get financed and to get the best possible interest rate. In the United States interest rates can vary from zero percent to over thirty percent. A high interest rate means higher payments and more interest paid on your loan. Ultimately this means less money in your pocket. So you've made a few mistakes in the past. Does that mean you have to pay for it for the rest of life?

One of the best ways to begin improving your credit score is by applying for an auto loan. It may take a lot of work to get you approved but in the end it is going to be worth your time. Let's say for example you live in San Luis Obispo and you've been attending Cal Poly for the past few years. You have student loans and some unpaid bills here and there. You basically have what we call "not so good credit". You go to apply for a vehicle loan and the bank comes back at you with a 24.9% interest loan. You think to yourself, theres no way I'm about to give a quarter of my money towards interest on a loan. Unfortunately at this point, you might just want to bite the bullet and accept.

So lets say you decide to accept your high interest loan and you purchase your vehicle. Your payments are three hundred dollars a month. Banks encourage their customers to make payments early and pay a little extra than the actual payment amount. For the next eight months you pay three hundred and fifty dollars payments five days early. Most of the time this will build enough credit to refinance your loan several times with your bank or another. You continue to do this over the sixty month loan period and you'll have an excellent auto loan on your credit bureau. A satisfied auto loan can do wonders for a credit score.

If you can't find anyone to co-sign for your loan and you need to fix your credit this is a great solution. Although this process takes patience, eventually it will be very beneficial. So sometimes you have to accept your high interest rates, pay your loan off quickly and fix your credit because in the end you obtaining good credibility.

Online used-car pricing: Is this a good way to go?

McCarthy Wholesale — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 22:02:00 +0000

If you're selling or buying a used car, the Internet can be a true blessing.
With a few strokes of the keyboard, you can find out what a 2001 Mustang might be worth if you were trading it in, selling it yourself or buying it from a neighbor or from the corner-used car lot.

But be forewarned: The operative word in the last sentence is "might" -- when it comes to determining a specific dollar amount value for a used vehicle, the Web can also be a jungle of conflicting numbers. Depending on which site you use, values can vary by thousands of dollars for seemingly identical cars, in identical condition.
We found this out by taking a test spin on three of the more popular automotive Web sites -- Kelley Blue Book, Edmunds.com and CarsDirect.com.

Let's say you are shopping for a 2002 Ford Explorer XLT with two-wheel-drive, V6, automatic transmission, AM/FM cassette and leather seats with 50,000 miles on the odometer.
Run through the calculator on Edmunds, and the result says the retail price of that Explorer should be $10,774. But surf over to Kelley's site, and the same vehicle comes up with a retail value of $15,040.

So it is good to get an idea of what your car is worth online, but unfortunately it will not be completely accurate. The best method is to go to your local used car dealership and have them appraise it for you.

Under the Hood of Hybrids

McCarthy Wholesale — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 21:21:00 +0000

Hybrids certainly are a technological leap forward from a typical car.
By definition, a hybrid uses some combination of internal combustion and an electric motor to power the vehicle. Every hybrid on the market so far has used gasoline as the fuel of choice, but the analysts say to watch out for diesel hybrids in the near future.

The typical hybrid setup, like the one developed by Toyota, uses an electric motor to get you going from a standstill and then switches to a small gasoline engine once you are going about 35 miles per hour or faster. The gas engine then does most of the work, getting only an occasional assist from the electric motor when the car needs a burst of speed, or when it comes to a stop again.

Other carmakers, such as Honda, use a different combination, and instead use the gasoline engine from the get-go, relying on the electric motor for assists when more power is needed.
While most people may think of a golf cart when someone mentions a battery-powered car, the surprising thing is that an electric motor typically performs better than a gasoline engine in low RPM situations, such as when you first accelerate, Reed says. That's because a gasoline engine has to rev to a higher engine speed before it gets its full torque potential. Electric motors gain their full potential the instant they switch on, offering a peppy initial acceleration.

No matter which setup designers use, all hybrids recharge their batteries through an innovative technology borrowed from locomotives. The technology is called regenerative braking. As you slow down, your brakes convert your forward motion into electric energy and route it back to the batteries. To give an extra boost, all cars also have an onboard alternator that charges the battery pack whenever the gas engine engages.

Unlike true electric vehicles, no hybrid sold in the United States needs to be plugged in to an electric outlet to recharge -- the hybrids generate all the electricity they need right onboard.
Part of the reason hybrids are so efficient is because every time the car comes to a stop, the gasoline engine turns off. This means you aren't wasting fuel as you idle in stop-and-go traffic.

Should I be using nitrogen in my tires?

McCarthy Wholesale — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 20:36:00 +0000

As if we don't have enough issues to consider when it comes to maintaining our vehicles. Mechanics have created a whole new option for vehicle operators. Will replacing nitrogen in your tires decrease leakage preventing less wear on the tread resulting in better gas mileage? Proponents of nitrogen argue that since studies show that fewer than 60 percent of drivers rarely if ever check the inflation of their tires, anything that will slow the normal leakage -- estimated by some at 1 to 2 pounds per square inch a month -- is a good safety measure.

Well lets first start with consulting some scientific facts. There is already 78% nitrogen gas in the earth's atmosphere. The rest is 21% oxygen and the 1% is other various gases. So going to pure nitrogen only squeezes out a small amount of the oxygen molecules that nitrogen proponents argue are so detrimental.

The advantage of nitrogen being more stable and less prone to changes in pressure due to heat in the tires seems of little benefit to average drivers. Race teams use it because they can change the handling of the car by adjusting individual tire pressure by as little as a quarter pound. So having a gas that's ultra stable has real benefits when dealing with such small degrees.

Claims of nitrogen being more friendly to the rubber and wheels is also questionable, since most tires wear out the tread on the outside long before the inner rubber would go bad from exposure to oxygen. The same factors hold true for wheels, many of which are made from alloys, not straight steel. You're far more likely to damage a wheel from hitting a curb than see a wheel go bad from oxidation.

When it comes down to a dollar decision, it's hard to argue that spending as much as $40 for nitrogen in a set of tires is a good fiscal move.

Even if you accept the arguments of proponents, at some point you are going to have to add air to your tires -- not even the most ardent nitrogen pushers will say that your tires will never lose pressure. When that happens, you're most likely to go to the corner gas station, put in a couple of quarters and pump your tire up with regular old air, which will mix with the nitrogen and degrade its benefits.

Save your money and just keep an eye on your tire pressures.

To Fly Or To Drive: That Is The Question

McCarthy Wholesale — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 20:04:00 +0000

As Iâ€™m sitting in the airport last weekend in crowded lines and expensive air fares, I questioned myself whether it is easier to fly or drive now. Iâ€™m flying a total of 1,400 miles from California to Arizona. The price of the ticket was $383.92 round trip. I spent about five hours between security and the flight. Was it worth the $383 for the ticket that took half the time as a ride along the coast?

If I had taken a car it would have taken me around 10 hours or so to get there. If I took a 2006 Honda Civic which gets around 35 mpg and gas being around $3.25 a gallon. I figure it would cost around $130. But letâ€™s say I had a few things I had to pick up so I wanted to take a truck. I would want good gas mileage and a good truck to take would be a Toyota Tacoma. These trucks get around 25 mpg. Round trip this truck would cost me $180 in gas. Now lets say I decided I wanted to go with a little style and decided to take a Cadillac Escalade. This vehicle gets about 18 mpg on the highway. The total cost of this trip in gas would be around $252. If I brought a person with me and split gas it would cost me half. As opposed to bringing someone with you on an airline and you end up paying double.

After thinking everything over and calculating it out I would rather spend double the time, enjoy the drive and pay less than half of what an airline would cost me.