If you’ve ever driven a car chances are it wasn’t a manual transmission. The vast majority of cars today are automatic transmissions. The most logical cause for this is that the average human would like driving their automobile to be as effortless as possible. Though this is a nicety for sure, it definitely not necessary, and quite likely not worth it.

There are a few reasons why manual drives can be beneficial. Firstly, they’re proven to be more fuel efficient than automatic counterparts. A savvy driver may save up to 10% or more when driving a manual over an automatic. Ten years ago this may not have been a big issue. Today however, it’s ever present. Not is the fuel efficiency better but the driver has much more control over a manual drive. By mastering the clutch, downshifting, and other manual transmission features, an experienced driver may have their car perform much better than a regular vehicle. Lastly, a manual transmission can be started even if the starter has malfunctioned or won’t work.

I, personally, had to “pop the clutch” in my 1993 Geo Prizm after the starter had broken. A couple coworkers volunteered (luckily, because all I had were credit cards) to push my car; I held the clutch down until they built up appropriate speed. At that point I released and pressed in the clutch again, starting the car. It’s not a fluke either. I had to do this 2 or 3 more times in order to drive the car to the auto shop.

But, driving a manual transmission is super easy. Many people think it’s difficult and are unwilling to learn or even try.

First: Press down the clutch to start the car. I’ll assume you’re only going forward, so leave the shifter in 1st gear and keep the clutch pressed.

Second: Slowly release the clutch as you press down the gas. When the car shifts into gear – and you’ll know when it has – then you can release the clutch entirely and only press the gas.

Third: After you’ve built up an appropriate amount of speed, press the clutch down and shift into 2nd gear.

Fourth: Continuing the shifting method until you’re in the appropriate gear for your road. The higher the gear the less RPMs your car will do at lower speed, making the engine do less work. For instance, driving in 4th gear in substreets (when you only have to be in 2nd) saves your engine work.

Last: Downshifting. When you start to slow you’ll want to put your manual in lower gears. However, whenever you brake you may simply want to put the car in neutral until you’ve reach the speed you’ll be traveling at next, and choosing a gear from there.

Not only is it easy to drive a manual and also fuel efficient, it’s economical too! Manual drives are generally priced lower than automatic transmissions for several reasons. Remember that and the other tips when you grab your credit card to buy your next automobile!

For most of us, owning a car is simply part of life.  Without it getting to work, school and the store becomes increasingly difficult.  And also for most of it, we need, or at least would like, that car to last as long as possible.  One of the ways that we can increase our cars lifespan is to do regular check-ups on it and also know when different fluids need to be changed or filled.  It isn’t a hard thing to learn and know, but can save you hundreds of dollars and pull several more years and thousands more miles out of your car. 

Checking that your car isn’t leaking any fluids is something that you will want to do on a daily basis.  Most of us do this without even realizing it.  What I mean is, if there was a large spot on your driveway or in your garage, you would see it.  The key is, when you see it, do something about it.  If you can’t identify it be sure that you take it in the shop to see what the problem is.  Also checking your tire pressure regularly will keep your tires in top shape and also has the added perk of increased gas mileage. 

Checking the oil, coolant and transmission fluids weekly is another way to keep your car it top shape.  While you don’t need to drain these fluids each time, you should be sure that they are topped off.  Often time, especially on older or more used cars, these fluids can either be leaking very slowly or used more rapidly.  Each of these fluids is vital to your cars performance and lifespan so be sure that you maintain each one.  Keeping spare fluids in your trunk may not be a bad idea either.  Sometimes having extra when you go on a long trip or get stuck somewhere is a great convenience. 

Some of the scheduled maintenance that you will want to make sure to do on your car are changing the oil, oil filter, fuel filter, spark plugs, radiator coolant and timing belt.  Each of these things can be accomplished by your local mechanic or car dealership, but if you know how to do them you could save yourself a couple hundred dollars per year.  The oil and oil filter will need to be replaced about every three months.  The fuel filter, if your car has one, needs replacing every six months and the spark plugs every year and a half.  Your radiator should be drained and refilled about every two years and the timing belt will probably need replacing every 100,000 miles. 

These few items can keep your car running in top shape and save you a lot of money in the long run.

There are multitudes of products on the market today, designed and marketed to bring back the original color, shine and luster to your new car’s finish.  All it takes is time, some wishful thinking, and a credit card number.  While many of these products may or may not work, there is a simpler solution:  maintain the finish your car started off with, instead of trying to restore it after its already gone.

Your new car needs some TLC to keep it looking that way.  While not suggesting that we get ridiculous with the cleaning and polishing products and procedures, some preventative care, such as a weekly car wash, will do wonders to maintain the finish on your vehicle.

Acid Rain

While not at levels that will burn the skin, the simple fact is that the current pH of rainwater is acidic, therefore causing damage to the surface of your vehicle on a chemical level.  Again, a weekly car wash will prevent the acid from remaining on your car paint surface for lengths of time that will cause breakdown of the finish.  On a bi-monthly basis, applying a coat of polish will also prevent sun damage, as well as providing a resilient layer on the paint finish which will protect it from all of the elements, including road salt and tar.

Tires and Vinyl

Your tires and the interior vinyl surfaces of the car need protection from drying and sun damage.  Using an Armor-All type spray product, with a sunblock factor in it, will keep the tires and dash not only looking good, but will also protect them from drying, color fading and surface cracking.

Keep it Garaged

If at all possible, keep your new car in a garage or carport.  Not only will it be protected from the direct impact of sun and acid rain, but will also be less impacted by sever temperature fluctuations that occur when dumped with snow.  If garaging your vehicle is an impossibility, a double sided tarp, made to fit your vehicle, will provide a good level of protection.  Be sure the tarp cover is double sided, so there is not a rough canvas surface touching the finish on your vehicle.  The damaging effects of canvas being wind whipped repeatedly on the paint surface can completely defeat the purpose of attempting to protect the car finish from the elements.

If you take the minimal amount of time and expense required to keep your new car looking new, you’ll find that you have little need for miracle surface defect cures and expensive clearcoat treatments.

When it gets down to it, lots of us have credit card debt, and any other kind of debt. It can be difficult to let go of things, but many of us have to. Sometimes though, we just have to sell our car because we want a new one, or because we just don’t need it anymore. But, a lot of people don’t know exactly how to go about selling their car, and they aren’t sure how to do it. With the internet and things new like that it can be kind of confusing to decide where to sell your car, and how to do it. Here are some tips on how to sell a used car.

The first tip is to put your car in an ad in the paper in the classifieds. This is the best way to get your ad to people who are looking for cars. Make sure to put it at or a little bit above the price that you want to get for it, that is important. If you put your car at a little bit higher than you want to sell it for, then sell it to somebody for a little bit less, they think that they are getting a really good deal, and you get the price that you want. It works out great for both of you.

The next tip for selling your used car is to put an ad up online where people might be looking to buy a used car. Try to put it up on a popular web site that gets a lot of views, and that a lot of people will see what you’re trying to sell. Also, the same goes as before with the pricing. Make sure that you try to do that, it can be crucial when trying to sell your car. Also, make sure that you are asking the right price based on the blue book value of your car.

These are some great tips when it comes to selling your car, and will help you greatly when you go to sell your car. There are still tons of other things that you could do when trying to sell your car, like maybe finding a friend or relative that might want to buy a car. Or maybe even a friend of a friend that wants to buy a car. Hopefully, this was helpful in you selling your used car.

No matter what type of car you may have, keeping it clean is always important to you, despite anything. It is ridiculously embarrassing to have a messy car when you have to give somebody a ride, and it can be frustrating when you just can’t seem to keep your car clean. It seems so difficult when all you have to do is go through a drive through and order with your credit card and then suddenly your car is a mess. So how can you keep your car clean? It really isn’t as difficult as it may seem, as long as you’re willing to put a little bit into. Here are some very helpful tips for keeping your car clean.

Keeping a bag in the back of your car specifically designated for garbage can almost do the job itself. As long as kids or anybody who is in your car actually uses the garbage bag, then you shouldn’t have as great a problem. Also, whenever somebody leaves a bag or back pack or coat in your car, have a place to put it, so that they remember to take it out. Make sure that whenever somebody brings something like a purse into your car, that they actually take it out.

Also, make sure that you don’t allow anybody to eat or drink in your car, unless absolutely necessary. This will make your car so much cleaner, and you will have no spills or anything in it. In addition, don’t allow anybody to smoke in your car. This will keep everything just seeming more fresh, and you won’t have to worry about anything happening to your poor car if something bad should happen with the cigarette. This will help out your bank account and credit card when and if you go to sell the car; it will be in much better shape.

These are some great tips on how to keep your car clean. This will make your car just generally be in better shape, and will keep it looking great for when company comes around needing a ride. In fact, maybe you’ll just feel like showing off your nice, clean car to your friends and family. And you won’t have that constant anxiety that your car isn’t clean, and you won’t be constantly cleaning things. Hopefully, these great tips were helpful in getting you to have a better and cleaner car.