The German auto makers Audi have done an excellent job on the new Audi S5.  It is a 2-door luxury sports coupe that can seat up to 5-passengers.   The Audi S5 comes in one trim which is the Audi S5 Quattro.

Audi S5s available: Audi S5 Quattro.

MSRP: $51,400

Seating capacity: 5 people

Key features:

• 6-Speed transmission
• LATCH safety system
• Front fog lights
• Headlight washers
• Sunroof
• Power windows
• Heated front seats
• Leather seating
• SIRIUS Satellite radio
• Rain/light sensor
• Bluetooth
• iPod integration
• Audio sound system – Audi symphony radio

Gas mileage: 14/21

Awards won: No awards yet.

News articles:

• Businessweek
• “S” for Speed

Videos:

• Audi S5
• At the track

If you’re in the market to buy a new car, one of your biggest fears is probably buying a lemon.  If you’re not familiar with the term, it’s obviously not the fruit, it’s a defective car that when purchased used or new was found to have numerous or severe defects that weren’t apparent.  If you find that your car is a lemon, by law, you will be able to return it for a full refund or exchange.

Grab a mechanic or check out the car

If you know a lot about cars, you’re going to want to check out the car yourself.  If you don’t know much about them, I would advise that you either take the car to the mechanic’s shop or have him/her come with you to check it out.  Just like a home inspector, this mechanic will be able to tell you if there are any signs of defects on the car itself.

Always get a car report

With services like AutoCheck, make sure that you get one of these reports before you buy a car.  These reports are going to tell you exactly what went wrong with the car in the past.  It will mark accident reports, odometer readings and more.  This will give you a better idea on where the car has been.

Look at the car exterior closely

One of the best way to check if the car has been in an accident is simply by checking the exterior.  Look for different colors on the panels or ripples or smaller dents.  This may be a sign that the car needed body work in the past.  An accident can generally do more damage than good and that’s why it’s important that you should check for this stuff.

Listen closely when starting the car

When you take the car for a test drive, make sure that you keep the windows up and the radio off.  This will ensure you that you can listen closely for any sounds that may not sound right.  It’s important that you write down every sound that you hear that doesn’t sound right because this sound could eventually turn into more trouble.

Drive the car everywhere

When you’re on your test drive, make sure you reach all the speeds.  Drive on a side street, a main street and the highway.  This way, you’ll be able to reach speeds from 25 to 70 mph.  Sometimes, a car may not make particular noises until they reach speeds above 55, etc.  This is why it’s important to drive at all speeds.

Lemon’s are pretty rare to come by when you’re buying new but always make sure that you do these checks before making a purchase so that you can prevent that lemon purchase.  It’s just going to be more of a hassle in the long run.  Buying your new car should be an enjoyable experience and not a stressful one.

No matter where you live in the country, auto theft is going to be near you. Sure, some spots are going to be hotter than others but it’s always best to play it safe in order to prevent your car from getting stolen.  Remember, you won’t want to put this off because if you find your car is gone one day, it’s going to be too late.

There are many things you can do when it comes to preventing your car from getting stolen.  Here are some of the top tips you can use –

Watch your parking spot

No matter where you go, you’re going to have to park somewhere.  If you’re going to be there late, make sure that you either park in a well lit area or a spot that many people are walking by.  People won’t want to steal a car when people nearby can easily spot them.  The same goes for well lit areas.  If a light is shining down on a car, the thief won’t like that.  They generally want a spot that is dark where no one can see them.

Get a car alarm

Car alarms are the best investment you can ever make.  For less than $100, you can either get one professionally installed or if you want to install it yourself, you can get it even cheaper.  A car alarm is great because all the thief has to do is try to open the car handle or even touch it and the alarm will sound.  This will draw attention to the vehicle and that’s the last thing they need.  If you don’t want to buy an alarm system, simply get a sticker and place it on your window.  This alone could deter them.

Always lock your door

This one is a no brainer but many people simply forget to lock their doors.  If you make it a habit to lock your doors every time you get out of the car, you will prevent thieves from breaking in.  Most of the times they are looking for an easy in and out where they can simply open the door and take what they like.  No matter where you are, make it a habit to lock your doors every time you get out.

Keep valuables out of sight

Never leave your purse, money or anything else laying out in the car.  Either bring it with you or store in a glove box.  If your glove box locks, this is even better because it’s one more obstacle that the thief has to break into.  As long as there’s nothing worth getting, they may just pass up your car altogether.

Auto Theft is happening as you read this.  As long as you’re smart about your car and you follow a few tips mentioned above, you can greatly increase your chances of preventing auto theft.  In the meantime, park in safe areas, try and use the devices mentioned above and your car should be on the safest on the block.

If you own a car, you’re going to have to buy new tires sooner or later unless you want to run them into the ground, which I don’t recommend!  Instead of going up to your local tire shop and purchasing the ones they recommend, there are some tips you should take before you let that tire store swipe your credit card.

Look at the ratings

Before you go out on the hunt for new tires, check out the ratings of particular tires and brands.  Since it depends on which type of car you’re driving, every car is going to be different.  SUVs obviously will use different tires compared to a smaller compact car.  Use sites like TireRack.com to get ratings for brands you may be interested in.

Study each tire for your vehicle

With websites like TireRack.com, you’re going to be able to place the make and model of your car on the website and they are going to recommend what kind of tires that you’re going to need.  If you need them for winter or every day driving, they will list the brands that will work best for your car.  Once you input your information, this search will show you a description, what style it comes in as well as it’s safety rating.

Always look at price

When it comes to tires, you shouldn’t be a penny pincher because you’ll generally get what you pay for.  Instead, you want to look at the safety ratings as well as the brand name.   You won’t want to buy a cheaper model and find out that they have a bad safety rating.  This could mean death for you and your passengers if you’re travelling down the highway and one of the tires decides it wants to pop.

Choose tires based on your road conditions

If you live in a 4 season state, you will want to consider getting tires made for the snow since snow is usually the worst weather to drive in.  If you live in a state like California, you won’t have to worry about the snow, so these type of tires won’t matter for you.

Find a tire – stick with it

If you find a tire that you like, call up the local shops.  If they have it, ask the price and find the cheapest place for that brand.  It’s always best to get them installed as well.  If they don’t have that brand in stock, don’t let them up sell you on another, you will want to do your research all over again.

Finding the right tires isn’t hard.  It will just take a little time and research.  Make sure that you know what tires you want and if you always need help, ask around to friends or relatives that are familiar with cars.  New tires make the world of difference especially if you’re driving in rough weather.

You have that five year old bumper sticker or you want to get rid of the bumper stickers because you’re selling the car.  Why, you’re probably here because you want to know how to remove a bumper sticker.  While it’s not hard at all, you have to follow these simple steps in order to remove the sticker properly.

Start by spraying WD-40:  When you think of WD-40, you don’t think of spraying it on the car.  Why would you use this?  It acts like a lubricant that will loosen it up a little bit.  Most of the times, you will be able to loosen it up so that you can peel it away.

Get the hair dryer:  You may find that the WD-40 doesn’t work.  If the sticker is still stuck, grab your hair dryer and start blowing it on the sticker.  If you heat it long enough, you will start to see the sticker peel back.  This is when you want to carefully remove the sticker.  You want to make sure you’re careful so that you don’t leave a bunch of little white spots all over the car from the left over sticker.

Use Goo Gone:  Once you have that sticker removed, you’re going to see little white pieces left over and don’t worry about it!  The best product on the market that gets rid of this is Goo Gone.  Goo Gone is very simple to use.   You’ll apply it to the sticker and rub it away.  It has worked wonders for thousands of people and the bottle costs less than $5.

Polish or wax:  After you apply the Goo Gone, you’ll want to polish and wax the spot.   Always make sure that you don’t wax or polish too hard because you can rub away some of the paint.

After you try out all of these tips, you should get rid of the sticker.  If this doesn’t work, you may want to try other adhesives.  Bumper stickers shouldn’t be a pain in the butt to get off.  If they are, you may want to get professional help so that you don’t do more damage to the car.