Pros and Cons of a Hummer

When driving on the road, at least in America, you’ll most likely see very boxy and wide looking vehicles that take up an entire car lane. Those are Hummers. The design of a Hummer originally came from military vehicles and has been transformed into something for the entire community over the years. But, as with every vehicle, there are pros and cons to the Hummer.

The pros of the Hummer lie mainly in the interior of the vehicle. The inside of a Hummer is packed with loads of standard features. There is plenty of cargo space so you can store in as much as you want. There is lots of space for passengers to get comfortable and the car is still nice when all the windows are down. For sound, there is a 9 speaker BOSE music system installed in the dash with an exchangeable CD player. The Hummer also has great towing abilities and best off-road capabilities in its class.

Now I’ll list off the cons of a Hummer. As previously mentioned, the Hummer is very boxy and big and it usually takes up an entire car lane. Therefore, highway merging, lane switching and passing take a considerable amount of patience. Not only that but, it’s hard to get a Hummer up to speed quickly. When reaching 60 mph, the noise of a hummer can quite annoying. To top it all off, the fuel efficiency is horrible. The miles per gallon range from 8.6 to 12. Hummers really aren’t very good for long distance travel.

The World’s Fastest Motorcycle

People mainly buy motorcycles for attention, the feeling of freedom and the thrill of speed. Motorcycles vary from Harley’s to crotch rockets to off-road dirt bikes. Suzuki street bikes, also known as crotch rockets, are the types of motorcycles that give the thrill of flying through the air at very fast speeds. Harley’s are the types of motorcycles that are known to make a lot of noise and cruise smoothly along the road while still being able to speed along. Off-road dirt bikes are pretty much self explanatory. People ride these motorcycles off the main road, usually on land that has difficult terrain (steep hills, deep ditches, plenty of bumps and sharp turns too).

If speed is a concern, Suzuki makes some of the fastest motorcycles in the world. In fact, they have created the world’s fastest motorcycle, the Suzuki Hayabusa GSX1300R. The bike was originally introduced in 1999 and has steadily improved over the years. The 2008 model was estimated to cost about $12,000.

The Hayabusa is capable of speeds of over 200 mph (322 km/h). The motorcycle can go from 0-60 mph in 2.47 seconds, 0-100 mph in 4.91 seconds and all the way up to 0-180 mph in 15.62 seconds. The top recorded speed is 190.6 mph (307 km/h). Not only is this bike fast, it has great looks. As one would expect, the Suzuki Hayabusa is sleek and automatically looks like it’d go super fast! People have said that it is easy to handle, feels light and attracts all the attention on the road.

Vespas: America’s New-Age Motorcycle

Nowadays, people everywhere are pretty familiar with the word “Vespa” primarily because it is the name of a two wheeled vehicle. However, in America, we’ve only just begun to recognize such a vehicle within the last few years. Vespas, which are otherwise known as fast scooters, have been popular in places such as Europe, the Middle East, Asia and many other countries throughout the world. People have been using these vehicles as easily accessible transportation for several years mainly because they are cheap, both buying the scooters itself and for gas, and there isn’t any handling hassles.

Within the last five or six years, America has caught onto the trend of Vespas. Around the year of 2003, companies began popping up throughout the country to sell Vespas. The sales of the scooters gradually rose as the years went by because people started to figure out that Vespas are cheaper than cars, get better gas mileage and can go the same speeds as most transportation vehicles. Vespas can also be better for the environment because they require less gas but can get same or better miles per gallon and they take up less space. Vespas can all run on electricity. They’re a hybrid, in a way.

Vespa speeds range from 40 mph up to 75 mph. The higher the speed of the scooter, the more likely that it’ll be like a motorcycle. The lower speed scooters are usually automatic and the higher speeds are usually manual. The prices of the Vespas can range from $1,500 to $3,800. Miles per gallon varies on the manufacturer but there have been records of a scooter getting about 50 miles per gallon.

Post June 2009: New Cars

What do Honda, Toyota and Lexus all have in common? New cars! Come June 2009 and after, each of these companies are set to release brand new models. In this day and age, inexpensive and fuel efficient compact cars are becoming more and more popular. Thus, Honda has stepped up to the plate with the 2010 Honda Insight! The Insight stands at a reasonable price of $19,800 and gets 40 mpg city/43 mpg highway. Oh! And to top it off…it’s a hybrid! That’s pretty good.

Next on the list of premieres is the 2010 Toyota Prius. This car is a little more expensive than the Insight but it could be well worth it. Starting around $22,000, the Prius gets about 48 mpg city and 45 mpg highway while being earth friendly. Earth friendly? Yes! It’s a hybrid too. The car is also safe. It contains advanced driver and passenger airbags along with seatbelts that have been tested (and passed) rigorous safety tests.

The next vehicle isn’t as cheap or fuel efficient as the first two but it sure looks stylish! If you’re looking for something to show off while still being earth friendly, this may be a good car for you. The Lexus GS 450h RWD Hybrid starts around the price range of $56,550 and gets about 22 mpg city/25 mpg hwy. So, it isn’t as high quality when it comes to fuel efficiency but this isn’t necessarily a car to be driving across the country either.

From the research that I have done, it appears to be that there are going to be quite a few cars coming out later this year. Not only that, but the car dealers are producing lots of hybrids!

The Value That Comes from a Used Cars

When you’re driving along the city road, you’re most likely going to see car dealerships. Some of those dealers will be posting signs like “Brand New!” but others will have posters with the words “Runs Like New!” As you might’ve guessed, the second sign is for a used car dealership.

A lot of people have thoughts that used cars really aren’t as great as new ones and to some extent, they’re correct. However, that doesn’t mean buying a used vehicle is a bad thing. Many people buy cars and when the newer version of it appears, they ditch the old and get the new. Therefore, that “used” car is practically new even though it was previously owned. If you stop by the used car lot and find a vehicle like this then you’re in luck! Negotiate the dealer down to a reasonable price for your budget, buy the car, and you’re set.

So, there are some good used cars. However, you should also know there’s a flip side too. While a few vehicles are really nice, others are not. Some used cars are just down-right awful and disgusting! You’re most likely to encounter these horrible vehicles when you visit a police auction, a place where cars were repossessed, or dumped on the side of the road. The transmission will suck, parts will be missing, it’ll smell bad and it won’t even be worth the work to fix it. Those types of used cars aren’t worth any time or effort at all!

When searching for a vehicle that isn’t brand new, you should always consider the pros and cons of everything. If you have the time and money to use on fixing up a partially broken down car, then go for it but otherwise, try to find something with a little more substance.

A Look at the New Cars Before June 2009

This year, 2009, is only a few months in but car manufacturers are already on a roll. New styles, features and economic ‘helpers’ are already available. For example, the 2009 Saturn Outlook has a medium price range of about $31,400 with about 24 mpg highway. Although the cost may seem a bit high but for an 8-passenger crossover, it is said to be a pretty good deal.

Another new 2009 car is the Hyundai Tucson GLS. Priced at $18,070 with 20 mpg city/26 mpg highway, it’s a pretty decent car. Out of the three Hyundai Tucson cars (GLS, SE and Limited), the GLS is the best in the price and fuel efficiency categories. However, if you’re looking for more horsepower and torque, the Limited might be good for you.

Next on the list is the 2009 car Mazda6. Looks-wise, it’s sleek, stylish and cool. Compared to the Saturn Outlook, the price range is considerably better. The Mazda6 starts at $19,220 with 21 mpg city and 30 mpg highway. This car can be fast, fuel efficient and cool all at the same time which makes it one of the ideal vehicles for the beginning of this year.

These are only a few of the good cars that have come out this year and there are more to come. For the new releases, I’d recommend searching through all the car dealers that you can. I listed off cars from Mazda, Hyundai and Saturn but there are still Ford, Cadillac, Toyota, GMC, Volvo, Suzuki, Subaru, Jeep, Nissan, Acura…and so on.

Are Cars from China All That Great?

People who live in America, as well as other big countries, know that a lot of our products are from China. You can buy toys, candles, blankets, clothes or cars and find, somewhere on the item, a little sticker indicating that they are manufactured in a foreign country. Since so many of our products come from China, there are questions about whether we should be allowing this to happen…especially with our transportation vehicles.

Ford, one of the largest car companies in the USA, allows China to manufacture their vehicles. The reasoning behind this is simple, the work is cheap. Chinese workers get paid less to do the same, or better, quality of work than what American workers produce. Therefore, car companies, such as Ford, can pay the foreign workers a lesser price while still being able to sell the end product, the car, at a much higher price to Americans. As you would most likely expect, this causes a big problem with Ford customers.

Even though Ford has found a way to produce their vehicles cheaply, it doesn’t mean that if you import a car from China that it’ll be cheap for you. Importing a car can be very difficult because of all the requirements it takes to get the vehicle to America. Safety regulations, import taxes, EPA rules, along with many other requirements can become great hindrances.

So, in my opinion, cars from China are great to use and econimical but the answer to the question “Should I import a car from China” is a big, flat out “No!”