Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Auto Financing


Making sure to finance a vehicle properly will greatly reduce the cost of your next new or used car. "Auto Financing" is a general term meaning how you pay for the vehicle. In most cases, cars are financed by taking out an auto loan to buy or lease the car. This involves getting a credit check. By checking your credit history first, and answering all the tough car finance questions up front, you will be more prepared to handle issues at the dealership. Many cars have $3,000-$6,000 factory to dealer cash incentives. If you are unaware of the current rebates, you'll be leaving money on the table. Dealers will often give up most or all of their factory to dealer incentive, passing the savings to you. These incentives combined with our other car buying tips, will often result in deals below invoice pricing.

FinancingIn the articles on these pages we will not only look at the general topic of car finance but we will consider the related topics of credit history, car loan refinancing, auto insurance and all issues pertaining to special car finance considerations. Although most people don't like to think about the subject of auto financing (instead they like to focus on that shiny new car) it is actually the most important part of car buying. While your credit will be checked by the salesman, often before negotiations begin, this is not the only way you can go to get your new car. You do not have to throw yourself at the mercy of the dealership even for special car finance situations. Being prepared before you get to the dealership will mean that you can take charge of your credit and get the new car loan that serves you best.

Keep this in mind: when you negotiate with the salesman for the most favorable auto loan, nothing is permanent until you have it in writing. The sales contract is prepared once negotiations seem to be over. This is handled in the finance and insurance office (the so-called "F&I Room"). It is here that the deal is made or lost. By reading these articles on new and used car financing you will be better prepared to get the best auto loan possible. And who knows? With the money you will be saving, maybe you can move up to that more expensive new car you've been eyeing.

Once you've decided on the best way to raise the cash for a new car, follow these top tips to make sure you get the best deal:
  • Do shop around. Loans are like any other consumer goods, so don't be afraid to haggle for a better deal
  • Don't be taken in by zero or low percentage deals. Check the APR (annual percentage rate) as this is the real decider in the cost of borrowing. Look for a deal with a low APR
  • Do look at other ways to finance the car as these could be more convenient and cheaper
  • Don't assume the dealer is offering the best rate. Compare with high street banks and online lenders
  • Ask to see examples of repayment plans with and without extras such as payment protection and other insurances as these can seriously bump up the cost
  • Find out what all of the small print means and ask lots of questions. If you don't understand anything or the lender uses jargon, ask them to explain
  • Do think twice about companies offering easy finance to anyone. Most are reputable, but their interest rates can be high. You may be better off sorting your finances so you can get credit from mainstream lenders
  • Do use the internet. It's quick, easy and there are hundreds of deals available, many of them far cheaper than the high street banks'
  • Do contact your lender if you are having difficulty repaying the loan. All reputable lenders will happily rearrange terms to make life easier as it's in their interests that you continue to repay the loan.
  • Friday, January 16, 2009

    Bat Mobile


    Batman first appeared in May of 1939 in Detective Comics #27, and although the first true Batmobile did not appear for another two years, it has become one of the Dark Knight's best known weapons.

    The Batmobile made its career debut in Batman #5, then appeared on a comic cover for the first time for Batman #20. Because of different artists' interpretations of what the car should be, it changed size, shape, and features frequently. Later, as the car was marketed beyond the comics, more forms appeared based on practical or aesthetic considerations. In the 1960s, the first full size, fully operational Batmobile was built for the TV show Batman, and had to face financial and functional questions. A few years later the design of this car would be modified for use in the Superfriends cartoon series, with the unique considerations of making a car that could be easily drawn repeatedly for animation. Then, nearly three decades after the TV series, Batman returned to live action with Warner Brothers Batman movies. At about the same time, Batman: The Animated series came out, with a whole new take on the design of Batman and his universe. All of this was on top of the natural evolution of the car over 60+ years, taking into account new technological features like the jet engine and the computer.

    Hollywood customizer George Barris to design a "Batmobile" for their soon-to-go-into-production Batman show. Dean Jeffries worked on the design and initial fabrication for the Batmobile, using a 1959 Cadillac, but when the studio wanted the car faster than he could deliver, he turned it back to George Barris. With only three weeks to finish, Barris decided that rather than build a car from scratch, it would be best to transform the Lincoln Futura (bought from Ford for $1.00[citation needed]) into the famous crimefighting vehicle of TV's caped crusader. Barris hired Bill Cushenberry to do the metal modifications to the car. When filming for the series began, several problems arose due to the age of the car: it overheated, the battery went dead, and the expensive Mickey Thompson tires kept blowing. By mid season, the engine and transmission were replaced with a Ford Galaxie's.

    Barris built three fiberglass copies of the original Batmobile for exhibition on the car show circuit (one of which was used for exhibition drag racing). Eventually, the three copies were covered with a black velvet "fuzz" paint, presumably to hide stress cracks in the fiberglass bodies. Later, all three were restored to their gloss black paint job. The 3 replicas are all based on a 1965–1966 Ford Galaxie. Barris has retained ownership of the original TV car, which is currently on display at Barris Customs in North Hollywood, California. The three Barris copies all reside in private collections.

    One of these three Batmobiles was sold at the Coys Spring Classic Cars Auction on February 27, 2007 at the Royal Horticultural Hall in London. Coys Auctions had said it expected the car to fetch more than £75,000 - the final and closing bid was £119,000, equivalent to $233,000 USD at the time.

    Thursday, January 8, 2009

    Valentino Rossi




    Valentino Rossi (born February 16, 1979 in Urbino) is an Italian professional motorcycle racer and multiple MotoGP World Champion. He is one of the most successful motorcycle racers of all time, with 8 Grand Prix World Championships to his name. According to Sports Illustrated, Valentino Rossi is one of the highest earning sports personalities in the world, having earned an estimated $34 million in 2007.

    Following his father, Graziano Rossi, Rossi started racing in Grand Prix in 1996 for Aprilia in the 125cc category and won his first World Championship the following year. From there, he moved up to the 250 cc category, again with Aprilia, and won the World Championship in 1999. He won the 500 cc World Championship with Honda in 2001, the MotoGP World Championships (also with Honda) in 2002 and 2003, and continued his streak of back-to-back championships by winning the 2004 and 2005 titles after leaving Honda to join Yamaha, before regaining the title in 2008.

    Inaugural year for the MotoGP bikes was 2002, when riders experienced teething problems getting used to the new bikes (or dealing with the inferior 500 cc bikes). Rossi won the first race and went on to win eight of the first nine races of the season, eventually claiming 11 victories in total.

    It was more of the same in 2003 for Rossi's rivals when he claimed nine pole positions as well as nine GP wins to claim his third consecutive World Championship. The Australian GP at Phillip Island in 2003 is considered to be one of Rossi's greatest career moments due to unique circumstances. After being given a 10-second penalty for overtaking during a yellow flag due to a crash by Ducati rider Troy Bayliss, front runner Rossi proceeded to pull away from the rest of the field, eventually finishing more than 15 seconds ahead, more than enough to cancel out the penalty and win the race.


    Valentino Rossi : Information
    Age: 29
    Lives: Tavullia, Italy
    Bike: Yamaha
    GP victories: 97 (71 x MotoGP/500cc, 14 x 250cc, 12 x 125cc)
    First GP victory: Czech Republic, 1996 (125cc)
    First GP: Malaysia, 1996 (125cc)
    GP starts: 209 (149 x MotoGP/500cc, 30 x 250cc, 30 x 125cc)
    Pole positions: 51 (41 x MotoGP/500cc, 5 x 250cc, 5 x 125cc)
    World Championships: 8 Grand Prix (1 x 125cc, 1 x 250cc, 1 x 500cc, 5 x MotoGP)


    from:http://wikipedia.org or http://rossifiles.com