Posts Tagged Vehicles

I Love My Car, Don’t You?

Gas costs are leading people to alter their vacation plans. My neighbor recently loaded up his SUV, drove 30 ft, and he and his family camped at the end of their driveway.

So like defensive driving can help you to avoid accidents on the roadway, today I wish to present a few suggestions on how a little additional care here and there, when it comes to your automobile, can save you a lot of cash, not simply on fuel, but on repairs as well!

Keeping your engine ticking is big. If your engine is emitting sufficient exhaust that it seems as if you are spraying for mosquitoes, this means much less cash in your wallet. I know it does not often fit easily into your routine, but replacing filters and fluids as recommended, and following the service routine listed in your owner’s manual, could save you money in the long run.

On a regular basis check your tires for correct air pressure. Under inflation causes your motor to work harder to push the vehicle. Keep those tires inflated properly, and you can save as you drive.

Aggressive driving, speeding, fast acceleration and heavy breaking, all squander gas. Pass the barf bag, please!  Use cruise control on open highways to hold your speed as constant as possible.  When you cruise sensibly, you benefit significantly.

Fuel Economy Advantage: 5-33%

Fuel Savings: $0.16-$1.03/gallon

If 60 MPH is the speed limit, drive it.  Though every automobile reaches its optimum fuel economy at a distinct speed or range of speeds, gas mileage normally decreases quickly at rates of speed above 60 mph.  You can assume that every 5 mph you drive over 60 mph is like spending an added $0.30 per gallon for gas.

Fuel Economy Advantage: 7-23%

Fuel Savings: $.22-$.72/gallon

I drove an old hunk-of-junk in college.  Nevertheless, I tried to stay positive.  Every single time anything fell off, my miles per gallon increased!

Less weight means better mileage. An extra 100 pounds in your vehicle might decrease your MPG by up to 2%.

Gas Economy Advantage: 1-2%/100 lbs

Fuel Savings: $0.03-$0.06/gallon

Note: Fuel savings estimates are being founded on the national average gas price of $3.13 per gallon as of Febryary 16, 2011.

Like pondering why new personal computers are out of date before you can even get them out of the box, excessive idling will get you nowhere. Because an idling car will get 0 miles per gallon, shut off the engine every time possible. 10 seconds is the magic number. More than 10 seconds of idling and you create financial savings by turning your motor off. And bear in mind, today’s vehicles are designed to warm up fast. So when started, there’s no need to let them idle prior to putting the transmission in gear.

So take good care of your baby! Go the additional mile for it, and it can save you cash and run the added miles for you. And if all else fails, because kilometers are shorter than miles, to at least feel better regarding conserving fuel, consider altering your odometer setting to kilometers.

 

Until Next Time,
Eddie
ASenseOfHumorDriving.com 
7920 Glenview Drive
Richland Hills, TX 76180
817-577-8854

Tags: automobiles, Cars, fuel economy, fuel savings, Love, maintenance, repair, Vehicles

Always Compare Multiple Car Insurance Quotes With Quotations for the Individual Vehicles

Multiple car insurance quotes allow you to insure more than one vehicle with the same policy. This is an option that is now offered by a large number of auto insurance companies, and that many households are seriously looking at.

There is no doubt that a multiple car insurance policy can save you money if there are a number of vehicles in your household. In fact it is one of the best ways to save money on your car insurance, and will likely save you more than comparing individual vehicle quotes online – although there are exceptions which are discussed below. The policy can cover more than two cars or vehicles in the household, though does not apply to motor bikes.

This cost saving is due to a number of factors, most pertaining to the reduction in administration costs. It is a lot cheaper to set up one automobile insurance policy for two or three cars than it is to arrange two or three separate policies. Not only is there less paperwork involved, but also less time spent by people in doing the work. Some companies actually specialize in this type of car insurance.

Multiple car insurance quotes will be in one name only, although there can be a number of named drivers stated on the policy. Some insurers will accept details from only the main policy holder, whereas others will want details of all the named drivers. This can affect the policy price, so make sure you know what information your car insurance company wants. It will be on the quotation form. More on this later.

Your first step should be to take a note of the details of each vehicle you want included in the policy. Many companies will insist that all be private passenger autos, although other might allow commercial vehicles to be included. When seeking online auto coverage, you should be asking for a number of different quotes from different companies for comparison. This is particularly true of multiple vehicle quotes, since there are so many ways that these can be priced.

It might also be worthwhile seeking one or two quotations for the individual vehicles and drivers, since not all multiple quotes are cheaper than all individual quotes. It does no harm to do this, so you might as well just so that your mind is at rest that you are doing the right thing. Some people are surprised at the cost of the policy, but that is because they were expecting a similar price to an individual quote, so it can be beneficial to actually see the combined cost of the individual auto insurance rates and compare that with the multiple policy. You can then see the true savings you are making.

Be careful to read the insuring agreement before accepting any quotation since you will have to make sure that all vehicles and named drivers are equally covered. Once you have received a number of quotations, you should check them all over carefully to make sure that they provide the cover you requested. You have the same options with a multiple auto insurance policy as you have with normal individual insurances, so the range of cars you are insuring might have an impact on the saving.

You will generally be taking out the same cover for all vehicles, so it can become complicated if you need collision and comprehensive for your brand new Cadillac, but have also included your partner’s old Buick on the policy. That is when individual policies might be considered, and when you should compare the individual quotes with the combined quote. In some cases what you save on the multiple cover is spent on the unneeded collision and comprehensive cover for a vehicle that will totalled in the event of a minor bump!

Also keep in mind that internet insurance quotation engines are generally set up to handle standard enquiries, and if you have a ’special’ you might have to set up your insurance manually. That means losing the benefits of an online quote, and you might be better in the long run just comparing prices for the individual policies. If you are looking for instant car insurance quotes, you would also be more likely to get the individual policies quicker than a multiple policy, unless all the cars insured were very similar.

Such insurance quotes are very useful if you have a number of cars you want to insure, and there is not much difference in value between them. It is also worthwhile if one of the drivers has a poor record, in which you can save a lot of money by finding an insurer that requires only the main policy holder to provide details of their driving record. In such cases, a multiple car insurance quote is definitely well worth the time and effort.

Generally multiple car insurance quotes are worthwhile and can save money, but not always, and you should always compare the multiple quote with quotations for the individual vehicles, including the levels of insurance most appropriate for them. That is when you can make a true comparison and make your mind up as to which is better for you.

(c) Copyright 2008 – Brent A. Kenny.


This extraordinary resource has information on everything from the most important auto insurance terms to practical advice for finding car insurance right policy, how to choose your coverage and important tips for avoiding mistakes when buying car insurance, through to alternative ways of conducting market research.

Tags: Always, Compare, Individual, insurance, Multiple, Quotations, Quotes, Vehicles