Should You Drive or Fly?

Is it more eco friendly to drive or fly to your destination?

The answer is that driving usually generates significantly less greenhouse gas emissions than flying, especially in a fuel efficient vehicle. Carpooling makes it even better, sharing the drive with one or more people would lower each individual's carbon footprint. Of course, taking a bus or a train would be even better.

But just because driving might be greener than flying doesn't mean it always makes the best choice for everyone. With high gas prices, it would cost a lot more money in fuel to drive across the U.S. in a car than to fly non-stop coast to coast. And that's not even including the cost of eating at restaurants and staying at hotels along the way.

To calculate the fuel costs for your trip, check out AAA's online Fuel Cost Calculator. You just enter your starting city and destination as well as the year, make and model of your vehicle to get an estimate of how much the gas will cost for the trip.

Whether you decide to drive or fly, you could also purchase carbon offsets to balance out the emissions you are generating with cash for renewable energy development.

Can You Afford to Buy a Car?

The most important part of buying a car for most people is the price. How do you know if you can afford to buy a car? How much can you afford to spend?

First, you have to sort out your personal finances. To do this you need to look at your monthly income and your fixed expenses. How much is left over per month after all of your bills and necessities have been deducted? How much of that amount are you willing to spend on a car? The general rule is to not allow payments to exceed 20% of your monthly income.

Other factors that need to be considered when thinking about the price of your new car are insurance costs, gas costs, and maintenance costs. It is important to calculate how much you can afford in total before visiting dealerships. You don't want to fall in love with a car that you can't afford.

Keep in mind that buying a car at the agreed on price does not mean that is the final price. There are still taxes, fees, financing charges, etc. These will affect the total monthly cost.

Another method is to compare the monthly payments of a new car to the monthly payment you paid for the last car you had. This will give you an idea if you are comfortable spending more or less each month.

To estimate your monthly payment, you can also use an online finance calculator. These calculators will take into account the purchase price, down payment, your credit rating, interest rate, length of the loan, the value of your trade-in, etc.

Cadillac Offering Wi-Fi Option

Cadillac has announced that in-car wireless Internet access will be an option on its CTS model starting in April. It will be called Cadillac WiFi and will be dealer-installed. It will allow passengers in and around the vehicle to use laptop computers and other devices to connect to the Internet.

The device will cost $499 and the service will cost $29 per month. This makes Cadillac one of the first carmakers to offer Internet in a vehicle.

The system uses a mobile router from Autonet, which is also the company that provides Uconnect Web, a wireless Internet service available in Chrysler vehicles. It receives Internet signals through cellular data networks. One major difference from the Chrysler device is that the Cadillac router will be portable and will connect through a docking port. The driver can have the docking port installed in more than one GM vehicle. Autonet also made the router smaller and sleeker for Cadillac. The device will be shown in a Cadillac CTS Sport at next month’s New York auto show.

This type of technology raises the issue of driver distraction because a person could technically use the Internet while driving. The customer has to agree to terms of use policies when signing up for the Internet service and before linking any devices to the Wi-Fi network.

AutoNation’s New Incentive Program

In an effort to solve the consumer confidence problem, many new car dealers have been introducing incentive programs to help ease the minds of potential car buyers who may have been putting off a purchase because of worries about job security.

AutoNation, the largest dealership chain in the country, has announced a new incentive program called Payment Protection that will cover up to six months of car payments on new or used vehicles for consumers who lose their jobs. The worker must have been involuntarily let go from the job.

The program will cover the payments as the buyer searches for a new job. They will reimburse customers for loan or lease payments of up to $500 a month for up to six months.

In order to qualify, customers must have owned the vehicle for at least 90 days before losing their job, and be unemployed for at least 30 days. The offer is good for the first year that a customer owns their vehicle. The program is only for consumers, not business buyers.

The program, similar to one already being offered by Hyundai , costs nothing for the buyer. It has been launched at 33 South Florida dealerships so far and may be launched nationwide. AutoNation operates 239 dealerships nationally.

Buying Your Car When the Lease is Up

When your car lease term is up, you may decide you want to buy the car and keep it. Keep in mind that it may or may not be a good deal, depending on the buyout price and your specific circumstances. There could be a number of good reasons for you to buy the car:

• Your really like the car and the buyout price is fair.
• You don't want the hassle of starting a new lease or buying a new car.
• You've exceeded the number of miles allowed and want to avoid penalties.
• There is excess wear and tear on the car, and you want to avoid the fees.
• You know the car's mechanical history and know that it's reliable.

The first thing to do is to find out the buy out price of the vehicle and if it's negotiable, and how far you can negotiate it down. Keep in mind that the leasing company ultimately wants you to buy the car. Check the current blue book value of that vehicle and also take into consideration the current condition of the vehicle and anything that you may owe, such as extra mileage fees.

Don't mention if you are over the allowed mileage limit or that there is excess wear and tear on the car. If they know this, they will realize they have you over a barrel and might be less willing to negotiate on the price.

Allow several weeks to negotiate the final price for the car and assume that the negotiations will probably go right up to the return date for the car. Just make sure you have reached a fair price and that you are aware of any other related fees before you agree to the deal.

Car Buying Tips for Women

Unfortunately, even in this day and age, women still sometimes experience subtle or not so subtle discrimination when buying a car. So, how does a woman purchasing a car on her own defend against this sort of treatment? Start by reading our new car buying tips for women:

• Remember that there are thousands of dealerships out there, if you feel you're being treated unfairly or talked down to, don't waste anymore time with that salesperson, go to another dealership.
• Do some research before you go to the showroom. Go online to research the vehicle you're interested in and to get an idea of what a good price is for that vehicle. Also check to see if there are any incentives available on that car.
• If you are planning to finance the vehicle, get pre-approved by your local bank or credit union before you go to the showroom. There's a good chance you'll get a better interest rate at your personal financial institution.
• When you arrive at the dealership, make it clear to the salesperson that you know exactly what you want and exactly how much you are willing to pay. Don't give them the chance to play any games with you. Make your offer and stand firm.
• If the dealer will not meet your price, go to another dealer. In some cases, you can even get dealers to bid against each other. With a little homework beforehand and a little persistence at the dealership, you'll get a good deal and have a good car buying experience.

Online Price Quote Tips

The internet is one of the best tools available to car shoppers. It provides the ability to easily research everything you want to know about the vehicle you're interested in and get a fast, hassle free online car quote. Here are some important things to keep in mind when getting a quote online:

• Make sure to get more than one quote. Getting multiple quotes will ensure that you receive a more competitive price.
• Sometimes there can be errors. Make sure to use more than one source for both your research and your price quotes.
• Don't forget that there may still be additional charges not shown in the initial quote, such as a destination charge or expected down payment.
• Part of the convenience of getting a quote online is that you don't have to talk to a salesperson right away. Request that your quote be sent by email, so that you don't end up getting unwanted phone calls.
• Before going to a dealership in person to get the deal you found online, make sure to print out a copy of the quote and bring it with you.
• If you're using an online monthly payment calculator to compute lease or loan payments, make sure you understand all of the financial assumptions built into the calculator.

Driving Safely With Your Dog

There are lots of reasons why you may end driving with your canine friend in the car. A trip to the vet, a day at the park or even a family road trip. Here are some tips on how to keep your dog and yourself safe:

• It may be tempting to just let your dog jump in the car and sit wherever it wants, but it's not the safest thing for you or your pet. It's much safer to properly secure your dog using a crate, a harness or a nylon mesh pet barrier between the rear cargo compartment and the rear seat.
• Don't allow your dog to stick its head out the window, especially on the highway, it could suffer eye damage from flying road debris and insects.
• If you are planning to take your dog on a long road trip for the first time, desensitize it by taking it on some short trips first. Make the trips fun and reward good car behavior.
• Make sure to always bring along everything that you may need, even on a short trip. This includes a bowl, food and water, a blanket, toys, treats, and a leash. Giving your dog a chew toy for the ride will help to keep it busy and relaxed.
• Be aware of the temperature where your dog is positioned. If necessary, open a window or adjust the air conditioning or heating to prevent overheating or a chill.
• If you're going on a road trip, put a piece of tape on the dog's tags with a local phone number or cell number in case the dog gets loose. Your home number won't be of much help to someone who finds the dog while you're traveling.