Cars and motors - all about

Dacia Logan -Review

2005-12-09T04:01:00.000-08:00

Dacia, the Romanian automobile factory has launched appreciatively one year ago Logan, the most popular car in the country. The car is equipped with the basic normal features (conditioned air, ABS, servo steering, servo braking, airbags and other), and it’s enjoying lots of success because the price is very low (5500 euro is the starting price), and the car’s quality is average.
Dacia Logan has Renault license, and basically the whole car is Renault’s concept.
As for me, it is the perfect car for this kind of country: low fuel consumption, low maintenance cost, very robust, spacious and quite good looking car.

The car is according to actual European standards, and the Euro NCAP test results are:
-Adult occupant rating: three of five stars.
-Pedestrian rating: one of four stars.
-Child Protection rating: three of five stars.
I think the results are very good for a car of this price class, and the car is pretty safe for his weight class (1000 kilograms).

Dacia announced this year a new motorization variant for Logan , which is a very low fuel consumption diesel engine, the engine provenience is Renault Megane, this engine is also very resistant and durable.

Some of the car’s specifications:
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Vehicle Summary:

Body: 4 Door Sedan
Transmission: 5 Speed Manual
Engine Size: 1.6 L/1.4 L MPI Petrol
Seats: 5
Drive: FWD
Wheels: 5x14
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Engine Specifications:
Cylinders: 4
Power hP: 90 (1.6 L); n/a (1.4 L)
Consumption: 8.3 % (1.6 L); n/a (1.4 L)

Opel Astra Club 1.4i, 5-door estate -Review

2005-11-21T12:41:00.000-08:00

The new Opel Astra Club is part of the "best-buy" class in Europe. Very good for a family car, cheap, comfortable and low consumption, easy to maneuver on open road or in the middle of the city traffic, very cheap repairing costs, this car is made for the middle class buyer, who wants just a simple and robust vehicle.

HERE ARE SOME OF THE CAR'S SPECIFICATIONS (ORIGINAL SPECIFICATIONS):

STANDARD FEATURES:

Additional interior features:
-Chrome-effect internal door handles
-Colour-keyed fleeced velour carpet
-Front door pockets
-Fully carpeted luggage area
-Carpeted rear seat back
-Load area sill protection
-Load restraint lashing eyes (estate models only)
-Retractable luggage compartment (estate models only)

Audio/Navigation/Communication:

-Remote audio display
-Radio Data System (RDS EON) with Traffic Programme
-Roof-mounted flexible aerial

Exterior and convenience features:

-Green tinted glass
-Electrically operated front windows with safety autoreverse and one-touch facility
-Heated rear window with automatic timed cut-off
-Intermittent rear window wash/wipe
-Windscreen wipers with variable intermittent facility and flick wipe
-Twin-jet windscreen washer nozzles
-Twin gas-assisted tailgate and bonnet struts

Exterior lighting:

-Polymer tail light units with increased light dispersal
-Lights-on audible warning
-LED centre brake light
-Ellipsoid DE headlights
-Reversing light/rear fog light/hazard warning lights and side repeat indicators
-Electric headlight beam leveling

Exterior protection and styling:
-Body-colour door mirrors

Facial instruments and controls:
-12-volt auxiliary power socket
-Rev counter
-Automatic self-correcting RDS-time clock
-Steering column adjustable for reach and rake
-Electronic odometer and trip odometer
-Instrument panel light dimmer
-Service interval monitor
-Handbrake-on/low brake fluid and low fuel level warning lights

Heating and ventilation:
-Air-blend heater with four-speed fan
-Side window demist vents and adjustable face-level air vents
-Interior pollen filter

Interior lighting:
-Fade up/fade down courtesy lighting operated by front and rear door switches
Illuminated luggage area/glovebox

Mechanical:
-Electro-hydraulic power-assisted steering (EHPS)
-Lightweight MacPherson strut front suspension and torsion beam rear suspension with gas pressure dampers
-Catalytic converter

Safety:
-Driver's airbag
-Front passenger's airbag
-Front seat side-impact airbags
-Anti-lock Braking System (ABS)
-Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD)
-Cornering Brake Control (CBC)
-Emergency Brake Assist (EBA)
-Driver's seatbelt reminder light
-Height-adjustable front and outer rear seat head restraints
-Pyrotechnic front body-lock seatbelt pretensioner systems
-Front and outer rear seatbelt force limiters
-Height-adjustable inertia-reel front seatbelts
-Inertia-reel outer rear seatbelts
-Centre lap and diagonal inertia-reel rear seatbelt
-ISOFIX child seat restraint system for outer rear seats (does not include child seat)
-Electronic park/brake pedal safety interlock on models with automatic transmission
-Anti-submarining ramps in all seats
-Energy-absorbing column
-Pedal release system
-Front brake pad wear warning
-Laminated windscreen
-Side-impact protection beams
-Integral protective side door padding
-Reinforced passenger safety cell
-Child-proof locks on rear doors

Seating and upholstery:
-Driver's and front passenger's seats with reach and recline adjustment
-Driver's seat height adjuster
-60/40 split-folding rear seat back

Security:
-Remote control central deadlocking (doors/tailgate/fuel filler flap)
-Visible Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) plate
-Key left in ignition audible warning
-Freewheeling door locks
-Electronic engine deadlock immobiliser
-Electronic theft protection for audio equipment
-Driver's internal central locking switch
-Door-to-door illumination
-Locking wheel bolts for alloy whee

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS:

Performance, fuel economy and emissions:
-Transmission: manual
-Maximum speed (mph): 111.0
-Acceleration 0-60mph (secs): 13.2
-Fuel economy mpg (litres/100km): Urban driving 34.4 (8.2) ; Extra-urban driving 54.3 (5.2) ; Combined figure 44.8 (6.3)
-CO2 emissions (g/km): 151
-Emission limit: Euro 4

Engine:
-Description: 1.4i 16v Twinport
-Capacity: 1364cc.
-Maximum power: 90PS (66kW) @ 5600rpm.
-Maximum torque: 125Nm (92lb.ft.) @ 4000rpm.
-Compression ratio: 10.5:1

Fuel tank capacity:
-Litres: 52
-Gallons: 11.4

Yamaha FZR 600 - Review

2005-11-16T09:10:00.000-08:00

For years manufacturers have been in a continuous fight to produce the best 600cc sportbike. Yamaha FZR 600 seems to be the cherry on the top of the cake. This middleweight sportbike is not just inexpensive to purchase, but also cheap to repair and maintain.
Quite old, but quite gold, that's all that l can say about this bike. The specifications are talking for themselves :

Engine and transmission :
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Displacement: 599.00 ccm (36.55 cubic inches)
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Engine type: In-line four
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Stroke: 4
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Power: 91.00 HP (66.4 kW)) @ 10500 RPM
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Compression: 12.0:1
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Bore x stroke: 59.0 x 54.8 mm (2.3 x 2.2 inches)
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Valves per cylinder: 4
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Fuel control: DOHC
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Cooling system: Liquid
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Gearbox: 6-speed
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Transmission type final drive: Chain
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Physical measures :
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Weight incl. oil, gas, etc: 208.0 kg (458.6 pounds)
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Chassis and dimensions :
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Front tyre dimensions: 110/70-17
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Rear tyre dimensions: 130/70-18
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Front brakes: Dual disc
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Rear brakes: Single disc
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Speed and acceleration :
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Top speed: 229.0 km/h (142.3 mph)
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Other specifications :
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Fuel capacity: 18.00 litres (4.76 gallons)
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Yamaha FZR 600 is a pleasure to ride on open road, giving you all the safe feeling you need to go fast on the highway. Around town the FZR is narrow and light, easy to maneuver through traffic. Ergonomics are respectable for a sportbike, and adequate for 300 mile weekend travel plans.

Buying a new car I

2005-11-16T06:32:00.000-08:00

Buying Online
I'd like to start with buying online, through website services like Ebay, Cars.com as their services is used more and more by car sellers and buyers. The first thing to notice and take account when thinking of using one of this services is beware of scams. As the online market is growing so are the numbers of those who take good practice in scamming other people out of their pockets. You can never be too sure that the person you are talking to on these sites is a real and good intending person. Always pay attention to details, legal aspects, price schemes, loans, etc. Despite the numerous scams reported, buying cars online can prove to be a good decision if done properly. Firstly, you can benefit from refferal discounts, instant car loans, not having to pay application fees, or down payments, the whole process can take just a few minutes and then you can get online access to your car loan account.Once you have your online auto financing quotes from sites such as Capital One Auto Finance and E-LOAN, compare that to the dealer's financing so you have a basis to negotiate your best car loan interest rate. The online sites usually have a lower interest rate than dealers, so online car financing rates are the standard that the dealers must beat. Before you make any decisions, be sure to document yourself well about the car you intend to buy. There are plenty of sites that cover all the brands and manufacturers, options, engine details, etc. You can try Cars.com, InvoiceDealers, Autoweb, CarsDirect, Edmunds.com, Autos.com, Car.com and AutoUSA, sites that provide MRSP pricing for cars, as well as what the dealer paid for it, and any known factory to dealer incentives, or factory to consumer rebates.

This single aspect of buying cars - buying online is vast, important details can also be related to getting the right financing for your car, or not falling into the dealer's monthly payment schemes.
You can search further about this subject on http://www.carbuyingtips.com as it presents the best tips for buying a car both online or from the dealer's office.

Intro - cars and not only

2005-11-16T05:52:00.000-08:00

This is a broad subject, cars and motors so the purpose of this blog is to shed a light on more specific issues, like car world news, engine innovations, systems and all other aspects related to the ever growing industry of cars. I'll also be including fresh pictures I come across on the web and future designs. Relating only to vehicles isn't going to cover the area completely, as today there are uncountable models and brands, manufacturers, dealers, insurance agents, etc. so throughout this blog I'll also try to comment on the business side of this world, talking about car loans, car insurance, used car services, rental services, car financing, and so on. To continue the introduction, in my next post I'll talk about tips and schemes when buying a car and some web resources I come across that expanded my views about this subject.