TalkativeTown / kevin / All http://talkativetown.com Your Source for Social News and Networking Sun, 29 Aug 2010 07:42:24 -0700 en <![CDATA[00 Civic Almost Winning Over Porsche]]> http://talkativetown.com/cars/00_civic/ http://talkativetown.com/cars/00_civic/ Sun, 29 Aug 2010 07:42:24 -0700 kevin Cars http://talkativetown.com/cars/00_civic/
The 00 civic clocks 11.645s against 10.803s made by porsche 997. This race is truly a great race. I just stumbled upon this one but it goes to great length showing how even a 1.6L Honda Civic can be converted into a monster easily defeating the best cars in the world.

Here is the race:


I got my 00 civic around 8 months back and earlier I just wanted to keep it as a substitute car however soon I got a taste of performance cars and wanted to make this one a real monster. Although it had 110,000 miles when I purchased it, the maintenance on this car was real good. I have been working on this car for the past 4 months and have been able to get high 14s by now.

For those who wish to get a car either for making a performance car for track or as a daily driver for daily travel to office the honda civic is a great. However if you are going to buy a used car there are few things I would like to tell you from my experience:

1. Searching: While searching for a used car it is very essential to bring the final choice to a few models that you think will fulfill your requirements. If going with a smaller budget it is always better to go with more reliable cars as they give a higher mileage in their lifespan and hence even if the used car has more than 100 thousand miles it would still give enough miles without giving big maintenance nightmare.

I generally begin my search on the net and look at following sites: Craigslist, Autos.aol, Ebay motors, Carmax. I have purchase three used car through using these sites and the entire process has been pretty smooth.

2. Contact Seller: It is essential to contact the seller personally and ask him questions about his 00 civic. You will easy be able to tell if the seller is trying to bait you with lower price and wishes to increase later or if there are any issues with the car. If the answer given by seller are evasive you should stay away from them.

3. Inspection: This is the most important part. Earlier when I did not have much experience in cars I used to take one of my friends who had decent exposure to cars and it would make the inspection of the car that much easier.

4. Test Drive: Once you have done the basic inspection of 00 civic like checking under the hood, the interiors and the car body you should go for a test drive. Even a 20 minute test drive will tell more than what the best expert can say without doing one. You should notice the engine sound, clutch performance, braking, transmission. Ideally you can make a checklist to inspect and follow the same process in every car. This will give a benchmark to judge the car.

5. Negotiation: You can leave the negotiation for another day after you have done the test drive for all the cars or straightaway ask for what the seller expects. Generally there might not be very hard bargaining as the seller would also be looking to sell the car after spending an hour or so with you however it is better to first note the approx value by visiting the KELLY BLUE BOOK(KBB) site. You should get a ball park number around which the deal should be made. A 00 civic should cost around $4200 with a private seller according to kbb however it can be more depending on the condition. It is still better to consult kbb to know the value.

6. Paperwork: This is very essential part. Make sure that the seller has already done the smog test and gives you the "BILL OF SALE". You can then proceed to pay the sales tax and get the insurance.

7. Tunning/Modding: It is better to spend a few weeks gathering data and general information before beginning to start tuning the car. The ideal source for tuning on net are the following forums: HondaSwap, Honda-tech, TorqueCars. You can get tons of information and also the members are very helpful with any doubts. While doing the modding of my 00 civic i was able to even meet with some members in my area who helped me a lot.

5 Vote(s) ]]> <![CDATA[American Made Index for Cars]]> http://talkativetown.com/cars/american-made-index-for-cars-1/ http://talkativetown.com/cars/american-made-index-for-cars-1/ Tue, 10 Aug 2010 13:32:02 -0700 kevin Cars http://talkativetown.com/cars/american-made-index-for-cars-1/ 80% to a mere 55%. Toyota has been the surprise with 3 models in the top 10. Honda has been able to get 2 models in the top 10. GM's models - The chevy silverado and also GMC Sierra- were a common stay in the list. However with the production now being split between U.S and Mexico the total American made parts reduced to only 65%. Guess we will need to have a new definition of domestic cars.

The top ten American Made Index list:

1. Toyota Camry
2. Honda Accord
3. Ford Escape
4. Ford Focus
5. Chevrolet Malibu
6. Honda Odyssey
7. Dodge Ram 1500
8. Toyota Tundra
9. Jeep Wrangler
10. Toyota Sienna

0 Vote(s) ]]> <![CDATA[Ways to Test Drive a Used Car]]> http://talkativetown.com/cars/ways-to-test-drive-a-used-car/ http://talkativetown.com/cars/ways-to-test-drive-a-used-car/ Wed, 04 Aug 2010 00:42:30 -0700 kevin Cars http://talkativetown.com/cars/ways-to-test-drive-a-used-car/
1. Go with an open mind: This is by far the most important part. You need to test drive the car with an open mind without earlier prejudice. If you see a great sports car with a nice price tag on it you might become very inclined to purchase the car. During your test drive you might be overlooking many problems in the car because of your earlier favorable report of the car. You might end up with a very bad piece because of these earlier bias of yours.

2. Have a benchmark: You can set your own benchmark of the used cars you are going to purchase. Once you test drive 4-5 models you will get a pretty good idea of the performance of a car in a particular price range. You can then look upon other cars keeping these benchmarks and then try to find the best one.

3. Do a Pre-test inspection: Before going for a test drive check under the hood and see if you can find any major trouble signs. If the car has a bad odor it is a big problem. Check the transmission fluid. Check the oil cap- if there are dark, sludgy deposits it shows that the regular oil change has not been done. Check hoses, tires etc. If you think that the car has been in a wreck take a magnet with you and move around the sides of the car. If the magnet does not stick that shows that there may be a lot of body filler used.

4. Take your own notes: Take a checklist with you where the major areas like the steering, tires, seat comfort, sound system, handling, ride, noise etc are to be graded. You can grade them from A to F giving you a concise picture of the overall health of the car after your test drive.

5. Take enough time: If you are serious about the car and have not found any major issues in the car take a few more minutes to judge the car. However be considerate of the other persons time. He would have shown the car to few other buyers and still not got a deal and could be a bit impatient. If you are really serious you can offer him $20 for another 15-20 min.

6. Be consistent while testing: It is a good practice to follow a routine. You might check a few other cars and set a routine of testing the car and various features. Go at 35mph at city roads and if possible 60mph at freeways and test the steering if it performs nicely. Go over the bumps and see how the car reacts. Look for any response which would indicate worn shocks or any mismatched tire.

7. Drive with the radio off: Test drive should always be made with the radio off unless when you are testing the sound system. Although it might be difficult to separate normal noise from that caused because of engine, tires or other car problems. However paying close attention to the noise you will be able to differentiate really abnormal noise coming from engine or other places. You can change speed to isolate the noise.

8. Stick to reasonable speeds: Most of the testing is done while keeping into consideration the normal traffic rules. Drive the car as you would normally ride however pay more attention to what the car is doing. If you are looking for a sports car try to go on the freeway with a bit aggressive driving.

9. Check the CV joints: Generally used front and all wheel drive cars might have some problem with CV joints(they give power to the wheels while they are steering). Take the car to an empty parking place or some plain open space and turn the steering fully and open your windows. Make tight circles and see if you hear some clicking or abnormal noise. It will show if the CV joints need to be replaced.

10. Try to get another opinion: If at the end of your test drive and overall inspection if you are still not satisfied do not hesitate to get another opinion from a mechanic or a friend who might know a bit more about cars. These few extra dollars spent would be worth it.

0 Vote(s) ]]> <![CDATA[Inspecting the Car Body before purchasing a Used Car]]> http://talkativetown.com/cars/inspecting-the-car-body-before-purchasing-a-used-car-1/ http://talkativetown.com/cars/inspecting-the-car-body-before-purchasing-a-used-car-1/ Thu, 29 Jul 2010 00:27:25 -0700 kevin Cars http://talkativetown.com/cars/inspecting-the-car-body-before-purchasing-a-used-car-1/
You can always purchase cars with minor issues like fender-bender or if a body panel has been repainted however do not buy any car with a serious collision history.

1. Body lines
2. Gaps in the body panels
3. Paint job
4. Checking door and hood hinges
5. Find rust
6. Check condition of frame
7. Check if car is flooded

Body lines:
Look along the car. The reflection should be perfectly straight and should not have any sort of ripples and the paint quality should be the same in all the panels.

{image1_400x400}
Here you can see that the reflection of the other car is perfect and this is a sign that the body of the car is perfect and has not been involved in any major accident.









{image2_400x400}
Here ripples can be seen on the body of the car. This is a clear sign that the car was involved in some accident.











Gaps in the body panels:
{image5_400x400}
The gaps should be even along different body panels. If a gap is wide along the top and narrow at the bottom means the car would have been hit at the lower portion. Check the function of the panel like the doors, hood or trunk and see if they work properly.






Paint job:
{image6_300x300}
Look closely for any paint job that has been done. Often it might mean that portion was replaced or repaired because of scratch or accident. These paints might peel off frequently if not done properly.







Checking door and hood hinges:
Check all the doors if they open and close properly. Any problem might show some signs of accident.


Find rust:
{image3_300x300}
Search for corrosion at door's bottom, the floor under the carpet, wheel arches and trunk. Use a little magnet and see if it clinges to these places. If there has been access use of fillers than the magnet won't cling. Generally if you see some corrosion it could also mean that there is higher corrosion in other important parts like brakes and suspension and might require change.



Check condition of frame:
Some cars have a frame especially SUVs, large passenger cars,trucks,etc. Look along the entire frame and see if you can find any rust or damage along the frame. The frame is very important to support the vehicle and any damage here can cause future problems.


Check if car is flooded:
{image4_400x400}
If a car has been flooded,even though it might look good and run nicely it still has a huge chance of developing major issues in the future. The main reason is that water gets into places where it shouldn't and cause corrosion and eventual part failure. Check for any mildew smell. Check for moisture below the carpet. Look for badly corroded parts below the seats. Check the door speakers. Water would have damaged the diaphragm. Also check the history record of the car and see if it shows any signs of flood damage.


1 Vote(s) ]]>