Car Smarts Hot Tips for the Car Crazy

The First Lemon? The early Model T had so many quirks and defects that it's unlikely liability lawyers would pass it today. Because the car lacked a fuel pump, gasoline flow to the engine was controlled strictly by gravity. This system worked fine until drivers encountered long, steep hills, where the car would always stall. Ford, made aware of this problem, simply put out the word that drivers should back up long inclines instead of approaching them head on and many owners did just that without any lawsuits or nation-wide recall campaigns! ****** The Top Ten Safety Defects Reported by Car Owners No matter the make or model, cars that fail tend to fail in the same way. Here's a list of the most common safety defects reported by car owners, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. How many of these problems can you spot on the car pictured below? 1. Airbags not deploying when they should or deploying when they shouldn't! 2. Total failure of the anti-lock braking system (ABS); wheel lockup. 3. Tire tread separation. 4. Electrical or fuel-system fires. 5. Sudden acceleration. 6. Sudden stalling. 7. Sudden electrical failure. 8. Transmission fails to engage or suddenly disengages. 9. Transmission jumps from Park to Reverse or Neutral; vehicle rolls away when parked. 10. Steering or suspension failure. ****** Ten Rules for Buying New 1. Never buy a vehicle during its first year on the market, just after an extensive redesign, or during a labor strike. 2. Choose a rebate over low-interest financing if you're buying a moderately priced vehicle. 3. Have several models in mind and look for cheaper versions sold by another division of the same automaker. 4. Make sure your contract states that a free loaner will be supplied whenever you need warranty repairs that take more than a day. 5. Ask the dealer for a specific delivery date and a "protected" price while you make your decision. If the price goes up while you're thinking things over, you will still be able to buy at the original rate. 6. Don't buy an extended warranty for vehicles with proven reliability. 7. Make sure you and the dealer use the same figures. You will move up from the dealer's wholesale price, while he'll try to move down from the manufacturer's suggested retail price. 8. Don't go to the showroom alone. Recruit a tough-minded friend or family member to go with you. Women yes, your mom! are particularly effective negotiators because they do sweat the details. 9. If you're leasing, watch out for hidden fees and a low mileage allowance (less than 15,000 miles [24,000 kilometers] per year). You should also avoid excess mileage costs of more than five cents a mile (ten cents a kilometer). 10. Keep the lease as short as possible (no more than three years) and ask for arbitration if the dealer alleges excessive wear and tear when the vehicle is returned. ****** Ten Rules for Buying Used 1. Try to buy a vehicle that's presently being used by someone in your family. You will have a good idea of how it was driven and maintained, and you can use the same garage that has been repairing the car for years. 2. If you're buying from a dealer, delay your purchase until mid-year, when clearance rebates on new cars bring a lot of inexpensive trade-ins on the market. 3. Look for high-mileage vehicles being sold by reputable rental agencies, like Budget. Budget sells its vehicles directly to the public, with honest money-back guarantees and reasonably priced extended warranties. 4. Refuse all preparation or "administration"Edmonston, Phil is the author of 'Car Smarts Hot Tips for the Car Crazy' with ISBN 9780887766466 and ISBN 0887766463.